The Prize
a) The author of the winning entry will be awarded a prize of £1,000 and have their story published in the RSL Review.
b) The judges will be responsible for selecting the winning entry, which will be announced in early 2027.
c) The Prize is administered in all respects by the Royal Society of Literature.
d) All stories submitted to the Prize will receive feedback following entry.
Eligible Entries
About you:
a) Entrants must be resident in the UK, Republic of Ireland or Commonwealth (see list of countries here).
b) Multiple entries to this competition are permitted but must be paid for individually (the fee is £8.00 per entry to cover administration costs). Free entry to low-income writers who would otherwise be unable to submit to the prize is offered.
c) Entrants must be over 18 at the time of submission.
Stories MUST:
a) be written in English.
b) be between 2,000 and 4,000 words (if you are using a programme other than Word to compose your story, please check this using an online word counter to avoid any discrepancies between different programmes).
c) be submitted as DOC or DOCX (Word) files with the short story title as the file name. Please do not lock the file for editing.
d) have the title of the story at the top of the first page.
Black, 12pt legible font is recommended for ease of reading by the judges.
Stories MUST NOT:
a) include the name of the entrant, contact details or any identifying mark anywhere in the document or file name.
b) include a title page, blank pages, any borders, photos, or illustrations.
c) have been published anywhere previously (including online) or broadcast in any other medium. Stories previously submitted to the Prize are permitted as long as they have not been accepted for publication.
If the story will be published elsewhere prior to the winner announcement in early 2027, you must notify us immediately to withdraw your entry.
Submission
a) Entries must be submitted via the online form by Monday 22 June 2026 at 5pm.
b) The Royal Society of Literature cannot undertake to make corrections or additions to entries.
c) Submission of an entry implies acceptance of these conditions as outlined. Any entries that do not meet the requirements outlined above will not be taken forward and the fee will not be refunded. No correspondence will be entered into regarding incorrect submissions.
d) Please fill out the form here to enter, ensuring that you read and comply with the instructions given for each field. We are unable to accept entries via post or email without prior agreement.
The RSL is committed to equality of opportunity and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and experiences. To give us insight into who is applying, we would appreciate it if people could complete the Audience Monitoring section included at the end of the entry form. The information provided in this section will be treated in the strictest confidence and not linked to entries.
We are grateful to ALCS for their support of the Prize.
