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Short story competition

The Liverpool Literary Festival returns for its tenth year in 2025, and its short story competition is now open for entries.

That time again, is it?

Ali Smith, Spring

This year’s theme is ‘anniversaries’. Which days pivot the year? There are so many anniversaries, bringing their different meanings. Wedding anniversaries stacked from paper to diamond; the anniversaries of births and deaths (sometimes, like Shakespeare’s, falling on the same day); anniversaries of feats, battles, achievements… 2025 will commemorate a century of The Great Gatsby, Battleship Potemkin and Rotheram FC.

And what about those anniversaries of personal significance? The ones where the year returns to a day in our past – traumatic or healing, joyous or sad, a day that sits like a knot in the wood rings of our lives. How does a day we return to make an old story new, and what story does it tell? Stories can be in any genre, with a maximum of 1500 words. 

Schools competition

Our schools competition is open for year 7 - 11 pupils.

Find out more about the schools competition.

Writing competition categories

This competition is open to all staff and all students, with 3 categories: 

  • Staff
  • Postgraduate
  • Undergraduate.

Prizes

The winner and runner-up of each student category will have their story published in the University’s festival anthology later this year, and will also be given the chance to feature in an event at the annual Liverpool Literary Festival, 17-19 October 2025.

  • Winner: £100 Liverpool ONE gift card and weekend passes for the Liverpool Literary Festival
  • Runner-up: weekend passes for the Liverpool Literary Festival.

The winner and runner-up of the staff competition will receive weekend tickets to the festival.

Judging panel

The panel of judges for the competition includes:

  • Dr Danny O’Connor, Colm Tóibín Lecturer in Creative Writing, Department of English
  • Professor Greg Lynall, King Alfred Chair in English Literature, Department of English
  • Eleanor McAdam, University of Liverpool PhD candidate and 2024 ‘Postgraduate’ category winner.

Closing date

The closing date for entries for the students and staff competition is Monday 1 September 2025, at 11.59pm. 

Please read the terms and conditions before submitting your entry.

Submit all entries to staffandstudentcomp@liverpool.ac.uk.

Entries should align with the theme ‘anniversary’ and should not exceed 1500 words.

We look forward to reading your entries!