CHALK CIRCLE

Entries for the Chalk Circle 1500 Category must not exceed 1500 words, excluding title and headers and footers.

Entries for the Chalk Circle 360 Category must be exactly 360 words, excluding title and headers and footers.

Entries should be in the form of a short story, on any subject or genre, and written in English. Prose fiction only please – no poetry, plays, memoirs or children’s fiction.

A £10 fee, sterling only, is required per 1500 Category entry (£5 Early Bird). A £7 fee, sterling only, is required per 360 Category entry (£3.60 Early Bird). Multiple entries are acceptable. 

Payment must be made via our online shop using Promo Code CCCOMP26 to ensure free shipping. Failure to use this code is the responsibility of the entrant. Competition Promo Codes are not valid on book purchases which should be made separately.

This competition is open to anyone in the world over the age of 18 years, except present or past members of Chalk Circle Writers.

Entries should not have the author’s name, or any other identifying marks, on the typescript. Each page should contain the story title and page number at the top or bottom.

Please double or 1.5 line-space your text using 12-point Times New Roman, Ariel or Georgia fonts.

The Closing Date for Early Bird entries is 31st July 2026, and for later entries 31st August 2026. Entries must arrive by 11.59pm UK time on those respective days. 

Winners will be notified in November 2026 and details will be publicised on the Chalk Circle website.

Copyright remains with the author, but the winning entries may be published on the Chalk Circle website (though publication is not guaranteed).

Entries received after the closing date will not be accepted.

No entries should have been placed in a competition or been previously published including on any third-party online platforms. Stories uploaded for peer-review and critique purposes are not deemed to have been published.

Entries may be submitted into concurrent competitions but must be withdrawn by the author if successful or published elsewhere.

Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant. Translations are not acceptable.

The competition will be judged by members of the Chalk Circle writers. The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

Entries failing to meet any of the above rules will be disqualified. Fees from disqualified entries will not be reimbursed, and any prize monies must be returned.

Entry indicates an acceptance of these rules.