Competitions Policy

The judging process

Submissions are assessed anonymously, to minimise unconscious bias. Our judges are professionals at the very top of their professions, as authors, editors, critics and literary agents. We never delegate this task to inexperienced staff members or volunteers. All paper manuscripts are shredded when the judging process is complete and digital submissions deleted to uphold our commitment to your privacy. 

Republishing work after it appears in Mslexia 

If your work wins or is a finalist in a Mslexia competition, we are happy for you to reprint it on your own website or social media, or submit it for possible publication elsewhere, provided this occurs after the original date of its publication in Mslexia and provided Mslexia is credited as follows: ‘This piece was originally published in Mslexia, the magazine for women who write, mslexia.co.uk’. 

Monitoring diversity

Everyone published in Mslexia is sent a diversity monitoring form to help us assess whether we are reaching the broadest possible population of women writers, and responding appropriately to your interests and challenges. When considering those interests and challenges, we include issues of income, class, race, age, gender identification, sexuality, caring responsibilities, location, disability, mental and physical health and any other issue that that affects your skill, time and confidence to write and submit your work, and your reception when you do so.