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Literary Festival Short Story Competition for Schools 2025

The Liverpool Literary Festival short story competition for Schools 2025 is now open for entries.

The theme

This year’s theme is ‘anniversary’. 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… And what about those anniversaries of personal significance? The ones where the year returns to a day in our past – 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?

What to write

Stories can be in any genre and about anything (as long as they're about anniversaries!) and can be up to 500 words.

The closing date for entries is Sunday 27 July 2025 at 4:59pm.

Please read the terms and conditions before submitting entries.

Who can enter?

This competition is open to young people aged 11-16 within our University of Liverpool partner schools.

There are two categories:

  • Years 7 - 9
  • Years 10 - 11.

Each participating school should nominate their best 5 entries in each category and submit them via the online entry form.

The winners

The winner and runner-up of each category will have their story celebrated at the annual Liverpool Literary Festival, 17-19 October 2025, and published in a festival anthology. We also intend to display shortlisted entries around the campus. Partner schools with shortlisted entries will be invited to attend a celebration event in the autumn (details to follow).

There are cash-equivalent prizes for the categories:

  • Winner: £100 Liverpool One voucher
  • Runner-up: £50 Liverpool One voucher.

Judges

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.

Submission deadline

The deadline for the submission of entries is Sunday 27 July 2025 at 4:59pm.

All entries must be submitted to staffandstudentcomp@liverpool.ac.uk.