The Henshaw Press Short Story Competition

March 2025 longlist!

First Prize

Finding Treasure by Michelle Shinn, Sale, UK

Second Prize

Kidnapped by Gerald Webber, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Shortlist

Asylum by Gerald Webber, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Dying for Dinner by Roy Jackson, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK

Finding Treasure by Michelle Shinn, Sale, UK

Kidnapped by Gerald Webber, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Lily by Daryl Hyde, Chelsea, Alabama, USA

These are the Events That Took Place by Alex Clissold-Jones, Yarnton, Oxfordshire, UK

Longlist

A Chugger at the Door by Kathryn Crowley, Dublin, UK

Asylum by Gerald Webber, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Bland Date by Andy Stewart, Saltash, Cornwall, UK

Clever Dog by Roy Jackson, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK

Dying for Dinner by Roy Jackson, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK

Finding Treasure by Michelle Shinn, Sale, UK

Kidnapped by Gerald Webber, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Lily by Daryl Hyde, Chelsea, Alabama, USA

The Salem Story by Cuyler Meade, Craig, Colorado, USA

These are the Events That Took Place by Alex Clissold-Jones, Yarnton, Oxfordshire, UK

Where Danger Lies by Mark Reece, Cannock, Staffordshire, UK

The March competition is now closed!

The June 2025 competition opens on 1 May 2025 and closes on 30 June 2025.

See below for details on how to enter:

Open to anyone over 16 years of age

short stories of 2,000 words

any subject

£6 per entry

send to hobeckbooks@gmail.com

ALL PROFITS EACH YEAR WILL GO TO BOOKS FOR A CHOSEN SCHOOL 

In 2023 the competition raised £406.39 for the purchase of books at the Christopher Whitehead Language College and Sixth Form, Worcester.

In 2024 the competition raised £581.40 for books for Burton Borough Secondary School, Newport, Shropsire.

Note: entries suspected of using AI technology will be disqualified. We reserve the right to use AI checking software on any entries we suspect as having been created using AI.

Prizes in the competition are:

1st Prize £200, 2nd Prize £100, 3rd Prize £50

The entry fee is £6 and the fee for a critique is £14

We now offer a proof reading service

If you are concerned about the presentation of your story do read our writing tips and our guides to presentation on the Story Presentation Page, before submitting your entry.

Authors entering should pay the appropriate fee using the button at the bottom of this page and then send their story separately to:

hobeckbooks@gmail.com

Competition Rules

1. Entries must be a fictional short story of up to 2,000 words on any theme.

2. Entries must be double spaced and page numbered with the title on the first page.

3. All entries must be the original work of the author and must not have been published before the date of submission, either in print or online, either via a publisher, magazine or as an indepdent author. All entries must be accompanied by the author's name, address and telephone number which must be included on a separate page or within the body of the e-mail.

4. The author's name must not appear as a title or in the body of any page other than the author information page which must be a separate document to the story. Any stories with author names and details on the same document as the story cannot be accepted.

5. No more than FIVE STORIES can be submitted from the same writer per competition.

6. Stories can be resubmitted but only once more in any two consecutive competitions. 

7. Entries received after the closing date will not be considered.

8. Authors must keep a copy of thier entry, manuscripts cannot be returned.

9. The judges’ view is final and no correspondence will be entered into in connection with the award of the prizes.

10. Prize-winning stories will be published on this site. The author retains the copyright for their story but by entering the competition, the author gives the publisher their consent to reproduce the story on the website.

11. Entries may be made by email as a Word document (pdfs cannot be accepted).

12. Winning entrants will be offered the opportunity to have their stories included in the next Henshaw Anthology. The author can decline to have their story included in the anthology. The anthology is published every three years. All profits from the anthology go towards the purchase of books for schools.

13. Receipt of all entries will be acknowledged by email. Authors are advised to check the junk filter if not acknowledgement is recieved.

14. Entrants must be aged over sixteen. Authors aged sixteen or under should check the Young Writers page.

15. Entries must not be generated using AI technology. Any AI-generated entries will not be considered for any competition prize.

16. The author is responsible for seeking permission to reproduce any material that adds to the context of the story, such as song lyrics, poetry or quotes. We cannot select a story for publication on the website or in the anthology if permission has not been granted and the author can provide evidence of that permission.

For an extra £14 the judges will provide a critique (of any story entered into the competition) after the results of the competition have been published. Please, where possible, send your stories to us by email. It is much easier for the judges and the critique writers to read them and gain an overall view of the story.