Chalk Circle
Short Story Competition
2026
Our writing competition makes a creative comeback this year with a new circular flash fiction category guaranteed to get your head spinning!
Alongside our Chalk Circle 1500 category, we are launching the Chalk Circle 360. Write a piece of circular flash fiction that turns 360 degrees using exactly 360 words (excluding the title).
Like the ancient icon Ouroboros, the serpent that devours its own tail, a circular flash fiction story ends where it began. Writers may draw inspiration from symbolic Ouroboros features such as self-reflection; recycling and renewal the assimilation of opposites; the constant cycle of creation and destruction. Here's an example written by one of the judges.
Any subject is suitable. Any genre except children's fiction. Judges are looking for good story telling above all else.
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​How to enter
​Please make sure you have read the Competition Rules before submitting your entry/ies and follow the entry process carefully.
The 1500
Short fiction
Any format
1500 word limit ​​
£10 Entry
£200 Prize
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​The 360
Circular flash fiction
360 degrees in
360 words
​£7 Entry
£50 Prize ​​
Closing Date 31 August 2026
Early Bird Discount
Ends 31 July 2026​​
Chalk Circle 1500 only £5
Chalk Circle 360 only £3.60
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Is it true that today's readers prefer short stories and novellas to more time-consuming reads?
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​The jury may still be out on this question. Yet industry experts like the Book Seller have already pointed to readers and publishers showing a growing shift towards 'slim fiction', while academic reports on declining attention spans are nothing new.
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At Chalk Circle we are unashamed fans of reading and writing short stories. Concise, dramatic writing with an engaging plot - what's not to like?
To see what we mean, check out our Short Story anthology, STRATA 3 Shifting Tides available in print from our online shop and as an E-book heavily discounted until 31st August when our competition closes. ​Or read here about past Chalk Circle Short Story Competition winners and their writing.
And now it's your turn. Enter our competition to produce your own 'slim fiction' and you could turn your story into a cash prize and see it published on our website.