There is still time for Frome’s budding writers to enter the annual Frome Festival Short Story Competition.
The closing date is 31st May, following a bumper year last year. Stories between 1,000 and 2,200 words may be submitted by post to Frome Library, or online via the website.
Entry is open to all and attracts submissions from across the UK and beyond. However, there are special prizes for those living within 25 miles of Frome.
Each year, organisers invite a guest judge. This year’s judge is Costa Award-winning novelist Claire Fuller, who will pick the 2026 winners and award the prizes in July. Claire will also be in Frome to talk about her latest novel, Hunger and Thirst, at a Frome Writers’ Collective event on 18th June.
First established in 2021, the Frome Writers’ Collective Young Writer Competition is open to local young writers aged 7 to 11 or 12 to 18.
Organisers say, “This year’s theme is ‘The Spark’ – a theme that can be interpreted in many ways and which, it’s hoped, will inspire a range of exciting short stories of between 150 and 2,000 words (visual content can be included). There will be prizes of £70, £50, £40 and £30, and the competition is free to enter thanks to generous sponsorship by Kerry Wilkinson, a bestselling author who grew up in Frome.
“The competition will be judged by Joffre White, author of the Aura Boy and the Frog series, a popular speaker in schools and a UK Patron of Reading. Enquiries are welcome. Contact fromewriterscollective@gmail.com for further information.”
Additionally, this year’s Frome Writers in Residence Competition, organised by the Frome Writers’ Collective, will take place in Frome shops and cafés on Saturday 27th June. Entries are invited from local people over 18 years old with any level of writing experience.
For more information, visit https://fromeshortstorycompetition.co.uk
