Flash Fiction Competition Winners 2025
The results for this year's competition are as follows:
​​​
1st prize - 'Heredity' by Anji Brown
​
The girl watches her mother gather origami folds of fabric, tossing it into the air to billow down over the bed. The boy reads stories of courage and heroism, learning to be strong and brave. The girl sees her mother spreading a cloud of cloth over the table; she places on it the food they have prepared. The boy learns that sometimes you have to fight for home and family, country and beliefs.
Years later, the boy, now a man, returns from the war. The girl, now a woman, knows just how to spread the flag over his coffin.
​
2nd prize - 'Sunflower Picking' by Philippa Leah
​
Deliberating over which stem to snip, he weaved endlessly through rows of sunflowers stooped low with the sorrow of late summer.
My impatience roiled, but settled when I imagined him the following week, planted on a carpet with legs crossed and brow furrowed, trying to adhere to his teacher’s instructions. I wanted the soil, the breeze, the broad cloud-scudded sky to burrow into him and germinate.
When he found the one, he needed both hands to work the secateurs. He solemnly placed the chosen flower in my hands, then turned and ran to climb hay bales.
​​
3rd prize - 'Unremarkably Remarkable' by Chloe Barker
​
I stretch my fingers over the steering wheel, resting my chin atop them. From
our hill, I look down at our town, an unimpressive place that never changed.
That’s what we loved about it.
Its predictability.
The roads, the lanes, the buildings. They’re a blueprint, a map scattered with
our landmarks:
The swings where we played together.
The theatre where we had our first date.
The street corner where we snuck our first kiss.
The church where we promised forever.
Our home where we raised our family.
The hospital where we said goodbye.
You made the unremarkable, remarkable.
Southam Book Festival
Flash Fiction Competition 2025
This Year's Competition is Now Closed​
​
Writers submitting 100 word stories for Southam Book Festival’s Flash Fiction competition
must include one particular word selected by one of the judges.
Last year we gave writers a choice of three words, and this seemed popular so
we’re giving writers a choice again.
This year’s stories must contain one of the following words:-
PLACE PLACED PLACES
The competition will be open for entries on Sunday June 1st
The closing date is Sunday September 7th at 12 noon.
​
1st prize £60
2nd prize £30
3rd prize £20
​
RULES, CONDITIONS & HOW TO ENTER
​​
-
The competition is open to anyone who is 16 years and over.
-
The competition is for an original work of fiction no longer than 100 words in length.
-
Each story must have a title and the title must be included in the word count. Hyphenated words count as one word.
-
The work must contain at least one of the following words : PLACE, PLACED or PLACES
-
The word, placed, placed or places must not be used as the title of your story.
-
The work must be previously unpublished and not be simultaneously entered into any other competition. It must be that the work has been created solely by the person submitting the entry to the competition.
-
The closing date is September 7th at 12 noon.
-
The entry fee is £3 per story. Competitors may enter as many stories as they wish. Up to five stories may be entered for £10.
-
Entries must be made electronically.
-
The judges' decision is final. Judges will not enter into any discussion.
-
The names of short-listed competition entrants will be published on the Southam Book Festival web site shortly after the closing date.
-
The names of winner and runners up will be published on the Southam Book Festival web site as soon as possible after the day of the festival and listed on the Festival social media page. Winner and runners up will be contacted individually.
-
If possible, the winning entry will be published in the Southam Advertiser.
-
Submission of work will be taken as acceptance of rules and conditions.
-
Copyright of each story remains with the author, but Southam Book Festival reserves the right to publish a selection of the stories at some point during or after the Book Festival.
HOW TO ENTER
All entries must be made via Email.
-
Choose the £3 or £10 PayPal button below
-
Next email your story or stories to southambookfest@gmail.com.
-
Please put FF and your name in the subject box eg FFPennySmith
-
For further emails simply add B, or C etc eg FFPennySmithB
-
On the email sheet please give details of your name, address, email address, the name of your story/stories and your PayPal transaction number.
​​
-
​Your story, with its title, should be included as an attachment. If you are submitting more than one story, please use a separate attachment for each story. Please check the title in the attachment matches the title in the email.
​
​
​
To pay for one entry please click here - £3
(This will redirect you to the PayPal website)
To pay for up to five entries please click here - £10
(This will redirect you to the PayPal website)
Follow the link below to the Reedsy blog to find more writing competitions
