The HWA Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition for 2019 is now open for entries.
This historical fiction competition is for unpublished short stories of up to 3,500 words, set at least 35 years in the past.
“We’re looking for great story-telling, fresh voices, new perspectives and real ambition in these stories, which is why we’ve set a generous word limit,” says HWA chair Imogen Robertson.
The first prize is £500, plus publication in Whispering Gallery (the Dorothy Dunnett Society‘s quarterly magazine) and here in Historia, a mentoring session from an author and an agent, and tickets to receive your award at the HWA Crowns Ceremony in London in November 2019.
Two highly-commended entries will also receive mentoring.
And there’s a new prize for 2019: the six shortlisted authors will also have their stories published as an ebook (printable on demand) by the HWA and Dorothy Dunnett Society, available through Amazon. Each shortlisted author will receive two print copies of this book, £25 and invitations to the awards ceremony.
Jen Falkner, who won the award in 2018 with Nineteen Above Discovery, says: “The stages of winning the HWA Dorothy Dunnett short story prize are disbelief, exhilaration, but, more lastingly, a greater sense of validation of myself as a writer.
“It has given me renewed confidence and encouragement to keep writing, and the thing I did not expect, feeling part of a community of historical writers.”
The HWA Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition is held every year to celebrate the works of the much-loved author Dorothy Dunnett and the lasting appeal of historical fiction.
The £5 entry fee is kept low so that we can hear from as many writers as possible. Please submit your short story by the deadline: midnight (GMT) on Friday, 14 July, 2019.
For more information and to enter the 2019 HWA Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition, go to the announcement on the HWA website.
