Mslexia

Mslexia, the magazine for women who write | www.mslexia.co.uk

Mslexia Competition Entry

MSLEXIA WOMEN'S WRITING COMPETITIONS

Mslexia runs four writing competitions: the poetry competition, established in 2004, for poems of up to 40 lines; the short story competition for stories of up to 2,200 words; since 2011, the unpublished women's novel competition for full-length novels (which shifts focus each year and was for any genre of novel in 2011, and children's novels in 2012); and, in its inaugural year in 2012, the women's pamphlet competition.

Prizes for all of the competitions are substantial and past judges include Helen Simpson, Tracy Chevalier and Jackie Kay for the short story competition; Carol Ann Duffy, Wendy Cope, Jo Shapcott and Ruth Padel for the Poetry Competition; and a judging panel of Jenni Murray, Sarah Waters and Clare Alexander for the Novel Competition. Winning entries to the short story and poetry competitions are all published in the magazine, and all winners are celebrated within the pages of Mslexia.

The 2012 Women's Poetry Competition is for previously unpublished poems of any length and in any style and is now open for entries. Judge: Gillian Clarke. First prize is £2,000 plus two optional extras: a week at the idyllic poets' retreat of Cove Park, and a mentoring afternoon with the editor of the premier poetry magazine, Poetry Review; 2nd prize: £400; 3rd prize: £200; 17 runners-up will receive £25 each. All winning poems will be published in Mslexia. Closing date: 18 June 2012. Read the rules ≫

How to enter the poetry competition

NEW! The 2012 Women's Pamphlet Competition is for collections of 20-24 pages of 18-20 poems by women poets who have not previously had a full-length collection published. Prize: publication by Seren Books, plus £250, plus 25 copies of the pamphlet, plus ten per cent royalties from all subsequent sales. Judge: Amy Wack, poetry editor at Seren Books. Closing date: 18 June 2012. Read the rules ≫

How to enter the pamphlet competition

The 2012 Children's Novel Competition for unpublished women writers is for fiction novels of at least 30,000 words in any genre for children who are able to read for themselves. Prize £5,000. Judging panel: Malorie Blackman, Julia Churchill, Julia Eccleshare. Closing date: 10 September 2012. Read the rules ≫

How to enter the novel competition

The 2012 Women's Short Story Competition is for previously unpublished stories of up to 2,200 words and is now open for entries. Judge: Tessa Hadley. First prize: £2,000, Second prize: £500, Third prize: £250, Three other finalists win £100 each. All winning stories will be published in Mslexia. Closing date: March. Read the rules ≫
COMPETITION NOW CLOSED.

EIGHT YEARS OF THE MSLEXIA WOMEN'S POETRY COMPETITION

The war years by Jane Satterfield (Jo Shapcott – 2011)
The widower and his clothes by Margaret Livingston (Vicki Feaver – 2010)
The Inland Waterways (IW) by Sarah Roby (Ruth Padel – 2009)
A Song of Jean by Sibyl Ruth (Carol Ann Duffy – 2008)
Too close by Ann Alexander (UA Fanthorpe and RV Bailey – 2007)
For a plain man by Marianne Burton (Wendy Cope – 2006)
Buffalo Mozarella by Polly Clark (Jo Shapcott – 2005)
Women by Polly Clark (Selima Hill – 2004)

THREE years of the MSLEXIA WOMEN'S SHORT STORY COMPETITION

Concessions by Cate Bailey (Jackie Kay – 2011)
Love: A Painting by Sarah Klenbort (Tracy Chevalier – 2010)
Wiggy by Beda Higgins (Helen Simpson – 2009)

On Winning...

"It has given me a new confidence in my writing" - Margaret Livingston

Read what the short story winners say about their experience of the 2011 Mslexia Short Story competition; and what the poets say about being placed in the 2011 Mslexia Poetry Competition by judge Jo Shapcott.

Contact Us

For more information please call +44 (0) 191 233 3860 or email postbag@mslexia.co.uk