Frome Festival may be over four months away, but for anyone intending to enter either the Frome Festival Short Story Competition or the Frome Young Writer Competition, it’s time to get writing.
The Frome Festival is due to run from 4th July to 13th July, and as part of the event, there is a Frome Festival Short Story Competition, the Frome Young Writer Competition and the return of the popular Writers in Residence.
Short Story Competition
The Short Story Competition attracts submissions from all over the UK and beyond and has a first prize of £400 but there are also prizes specifically for local entrants. “It is well worth having a go,” says a member of the Writers’ Collective Brenda Bannister.
Stories can have any theme but must be between 1,000 and 2,200 words in length. The competition appoints a guest judge each year and the judge for 2025 is Jennie Godfrey, author of the bestselling debut novel, ‘The List of Suspicious Things’, inspired by her childhood in West Yorkshire.
The closing date is Saturday 31st May but early-birds who submit their stories by the end of March benefit from the lower entry fee of £6. Full details can be found at https://fromeshortstorycompetition.co.uk
Young Writer Competiton
The Young Writer Competition is open to all young writers aged between 11 and 21, and the deadline for submissions is Saturday 31st May 2025. Entrants must attend school/college, or be living in the BA, SN or SP postcode areas.
The theme for this year’s competition is ‘Flight’.
“It’s a theme that can be interpreted in many ways and which, it’s hoped, will inspire a range of exciting short stories,” says Brenda.
Entries should be between 150 and 2,000 words in length (graphics may be included). There is a £50 first prize for both the younger and older age groups, plus prizes for runners-up.
The competition will be judged by Joffre White, author of Aura Boy and the Frog series, who is a popular speaker in schools and a UK Patron of Reading.
Entry is free. Further details are at https://fromewriterscollective.co.uk/festival-2025
Writers in Residence
Frome Writers’ Collective is also running the 2025 Writers in Residence (WIR) Competition which will take place in Frome shops and cafés on Saturday 28th June. Entries are invited from local people over 18 years old and with any level of writing experience. First-timers are most welcome.
The event is free to enter and offers the fun of a challenge, the chance to meet other writers and the opportunity to win a special award and other prizes which will be presented by the judges at Frome Festival’s Readers and Writers’ Day on Sunday 13th July.
On competition day, the participants will meet in town at 10am to receive a mystery prompt for a short story and the name of their host shop or a café. Venues in the past have included Hunting Raven Books, La Strada, Cordero Lounge, Coffee#1, the Cheese and Grain Café and Frome Library, among many others.
The stories, normally written on laptops, will be collected at 1pm and volunteers will be on hand throughout the morning to provide support and encouragement (and biscuits!)
Email fromewriterscollective@gmail.com using the heading WIR to take part.
Pictured: Jennie Godfrey, judge of the main short story competition and author of best-selling novel ‘The List of Suspicious Things’
