This annual Short Story Competition offers a £500 Senior and £1,000 Junior prize (* see footnote) and free publication of all shortlisted entries in a quality, professionally published paperback anthology (and Kindle version).

Entry to the Junior competition is FREE and entry to the Senior competition is £10 (£5 for those with student ID).

Previous years’ publications are available here.

The theme for this year’s competition is THE CHEAT in its broadest interpretation.

There are two categories:

• Authors 21 years of age and under (on 7th July 2026) with a prize of £1,000. (Entry is free).
• Authors aged 22 years and above on 7th July 2026 with a prize of £500 (entry £10 or £5 with student id). Yes, the Junior Prize is higher than the “22 and over” Prize – see footnote for explanation!

Entry will be via online form only.

Dates for your diary:

• Tuesday 7th July 2026 (11pm BST) :  final date for entries
• Monday 21st September 2026 : shortlists announced
• Sunday 15th November 2026 : Awards Ceremony

For further information contact hgwellscompetition@gmail.com.

You can ONLY enter online via our website.

* The £1,000 HG Wells Short Story Competition Junior Prize is funded by a legacy from our founder Reg Turnill at his specific instruction. The £500 “22 and over” prize was not part of that legacy, hence the different amounts. You can learn more in our FAQs.

The post HG Wells Short Story Competition 2026: The Cheat appeared first on The HG Wells Short Story Competition.

Jane Belle won the Margaret and Reg Turnill Prize (Under 22) for “The Syrup Boy of Whickering Moor” and LM Bestie took the Senior Prize with “Halfway Through The In-Between”.

Congratulations to Jane Belle, LM Bestie and all our shortlisted authors, whose stories appear in our 2025 anthology “The Middle Ground”.

Buy The Middle Ground from Amazon.

Buy The Middle Ground as a Kindle download from Amazon.

Start thinking now for our 2026 competition theme of “The Cheat”. the 2026 competition will open for entries via our website in late January 2026.

The 2025 Award ceremony, including readings from many of our shortlisted authors, is available on our Facebook page.

Shortlist for Junior Competition, The Margaret and Reg Turnill Prize

Shortlist for the Senior Competition, The Grand Prize

The post 2025 HG Wells Short Story Competition Winners and Awards appeared first on The HG Wells Short Story Competition.

The judges have selected the following stories for the 2025 shortlists (listed below in alphabetical story order only).

Shortlist for Junior Competition, The Margaret and Reg Turnill Prize of £1,000

Shortlist for the Senior Competition, The Grand Prize of £500

Many congratulations to the shortlisted writers. We look forward to meeting many of you at the online Awards Ceremony on Sunday 16th November 2025. Further details will be emailed to shortlisted authors soon.

The post HG Wells Competition Shortlists 2025 appeared first on The HG Wells Short Story Competition.

The annual HG Wells Short Story Competition offers a £500 Senior and £1,000 Junior prize (* see footnote) and free publication of all shortlisted entries in a quality, professionally published paperback anthology (and Kindle version).

Entry to the Junior competition is FREE and entry to the Senior competition is £10 (£5 for those with student ID).

Previous years’ publications can be seen at http://www.trencavel.co.uk/St%20Ursin.html

The theme for this year’s competition is THE MIDDLE GROUND in its broadest interpretation.

There are two categories:

• Authors 21 years of age and under (on 8th July 2025) with a prize of £1,000. (Entry is free).
• Authors aged 22 years and above on 8th July 2025 with a prize of £500 (entry £10 or £5 with student id). Yes, the Junior Prize is higher than the “22 and over” Prize – see footnote for explanation!

Entry will be via online form only.

Dates for your diary:

• Tuesday 8th July 2025 (11pm BST) :  final date for entries
• Sunday 21st September 2025 : shortlists announced
• Sunday 16th November 2025 : Awards Ceremony

For further information contact hgwellscompetition@gmail.com.

You can ONLY enter online via our website.

* The £1,000 HG Wells Short Story Competition Junior Prize is funded by a legacy from our founder Reg Turnill at his specific instruction. The £500 “22 and over” prize was not part of that legacy, hence the different amounts. You can learn more in our FAQs.

The post HG Wells Short Story Competition 2025: The Middle Ground appeared first on The HG Wells Short Story Competition.

Celia Fournier won the Margaret and Reg Turnill Prize (Under 22) for “Vulture’s Field” and Robert Maslen took the Senior Prize with “Sally Grass”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI4ffkXQkFI…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKECRoPv3og…

Congratulations to Celia, Robert and all our shortlisted authors, whose stories appear in our 2024 anthology “The Fool”. https://amzn.eu/d/gsPR0bJ

Start thinking now for our 2025 competition theme of “The Middle Ground”

The 2024 Award ceremony, including readings from many of our shortlisted authors, is available on our Facebook page.

The post 2024 HG Wells Short Story Competition Winners and Awards appeared first on The HG Wells Short Story Competition.

The judges have selected the following stories for the 2024 shortlists (listed below in alphabetical story order only).

Shortlist for Junior Competition, The Margaret and Reg Turnill Prize of £1,000

Shortlist for the Senior Competition, The Grand Prize of £500

Many congratulations to the shortlisted writers. We look forward to meeting many of you at the online Awards Ceremony on Sunday 17th November 2024. Further details will be emailed to shortlisted authors soon.

The post HG Wells Competition Shortlists 2024 appeared first on The HG Wells Short Story Competition.

The annual HG Wells Short Story Competition offers a £500 Senior and £1,000 Junior prize (* see footnote) and free publication of all shortlisted entries in a quality, professionally published paperback anthology (and Kindle version).

Entry to the Junior competition is FREE and entry to the Senior competition is £10 (£5 for those with student ID).

Previous years’ publications can be seen at http://www.trencavel.co.uk/St%20Ursin.html

The theme for this year’s competition is THE FOOL in its broadest interpretation.

There are two categories:

• Authors 21 years of age and under (on 8th July 2024) with a prize of £1,000. (Entry is free).
• Authors aged 22 years and above on 8th July 2024 with a prize of £500 (entry £10 or £5 with student id). Yes, the Junior Prize is higher than the “22 and over” Prize – see footnote for explanation!

Entry will be via online form only.

Dates for your diary:

• Monday 8th July 2024 (11pm BST) :  final date for entries
• Saturday 21st September 2024 : shortlists announced
• Sunday 19th November 2024 : Awards Ceremony

For further information contact hgwellscompetition@gmail.com.

You can ONLY enter online via our website.

* The £1,000 HG Wells Short Story Competition Junior Prize is funded by a legacy from our founder Reg Turnill at his specific instruction. The £500 “22 and over” prize was not part of that legacy, hence the different amounts. You can learn more in our FAQs.

The post HG Wells Short Story Competition 2024: The Fool appeared first on The HG Wells Short Story Competition.

• 2023 Margaret and Reg Turnill Prize Winner: Gloria Mesa for Rain Dance
• 2023 Senior Prize Winner: Keltie Zubko for The Last Teardown of Eleanor

The 2023 Anthology of “Motion” is available now on Amazon at:

• Buy “Motion” on Amazon (UK)
•  Buy “Motion” on Amazon (US)
• Elsewhere search on Amazon for “Motion Joyce”

We’re also delighted to announce the theme of the 2024 competition: The Fool. Make of it what you will!

The Award Ceremony was broadcast on our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/HGWellsShortStoryCompetition “live” and will be available to watch back until the end of 2023. The ceremony started with a presentation by Dr Paul March-Russell on Men Like Gods.

2022 Margaret and Reg Turnill Prize

• Radiyah Nouman reading from Away the Water Drains
• Yuen Tong Law reading from Cast Out of Heaven [reading live]
• Kantaphat Pinaree reading from Elegy for A Machine [reading live]
• Catherine Saunders reading from Figurehead
• Pritha Halder reading from Ladies’ Compartment [reading live]
• Thalia Peterson reading from Pareidolia
• Gloria Mesa reading from Rain Dance by Leyelle [reading live]
• Charlotte Moran reading from The Death of the Ticket Collector [reading live]
• Sarah-Kate Simons reading from The Matchmaker [reading live]
• Allison VanHuysen reading from The Resonance of the Zucchini [reading live]
• Tessa Shutter reading from When a car dies on a deserted road does it make a sound

2023 Senior Prize

• Kerry Ryan reading from A Parcel of Rogues [reading live]
• Steven Jackson reading from A Static Hero [reading live]
• Arthur Neong reading from A Walk in the Park [reading live]
• Jarick Weldon reading from Currents from Cabo Verde
• Katie Rizzo reading from Endless Horizon
• Mary Onions reading from Grounded [reading live]
• Mary Onions reading from Pilgrimage [reading live]
• Keltie Zubko reading from The Last Teardown of Eleanor
• Anna Linstrum reading from Untethered [Unable to read live]
• Ashia Mirza reading from Yahya’s Garden [reading live]

The post 2023 HG Wells Short Story Competition Winners and Awards appeared first on The HG Wells Short Story Competition.

The 2023 Anthology of “Motion” is available now on Amazon at:

• Buy “Motion” on Amazon (UK)
• Buy “Motion” on Amazon (US)
• Elsewhere search on Amazon for “Motion Joyce”

The Award Ceremony is broadcast on our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/HGWellsShortStoryCompetition “live” and will be available to watch back until the end of 2023. The ceremony starts with a presentation by Dr Paul March-Russell on Men Like Gods.

2023 Margaret and Reg Turnill Prize

• Radiyah Nouman reading from Away the Water Drains
• Yuen Tong Law reading from Cast Out of Heaven [reading live]
• Kantaphat Pinaree reading from Elegy for A Machine [reading live]
• Catherine Saunders reading from Figurehead
• Pritha Halder reading from Ladies’ Compartment [reading live]
• Thalia Peterson reading from Pareidolia
• Gloria Mesa reading from Rain Dance by Leyelle [reading live]
• Charlotte Moran reading from The Death of the Ticket Collector [reading live]
• Sarah-Kate Simons reading from The Matchmaker [reading live]
• Allison VanHuysen reading from The Resonance of the Zucchini [reading live]
• Tessa Shutter reading from When a car dies on a deserted road does it make a sound

2023 Senior Prize

• Kerry Ryan reading from A Parcel of Rogues [reading live]
• Steven Jackson reading from A Static Hero [reading live]
• Arthur Neong reading from A Walk in the Park [reading live]
• Jarick Weldon reading from Currents from Cabo Verde
• Katie Rizzo reading from Endless Horizon
• Mary Onions reading from Grounded [reading live]
• Mary Onions reading from Pilgrimage [reading live]
• Keltie Zubko reading from The Last Teardown of Eleanor
• Anna Linstrum reading from Untethered [Not reading]
• Ashia Mirza reading from Yahya’s Garden [reading live]

The post The HG Wells Short Story Competition Awards 2023 appeared first on The HG Wells Short Story Competition.

The judges have selected the following stories for the 2023 shortlists (listed below in alphabetical story order only).

Shortlist for Junior Competition, The Margaret and Reg Turnill Prize of £1,000

Shortlist for the Senior Competition, The Grand Prize of £500

Many congratulations to the shortlisted writers. We look forward to meeting many of you at the online Awards Ceremony on Sunday 19th November 2023. Further details will be emailed to shortlisted authors soon.

The post HG Wells Competition Shortlists 2023 appeared first on The HG Wells Short Story Competition.