Short Story Prize

1st Prize: CHF 100 | 2nd Prize: CHF 75 | 3rd Prize CHF 50*

All shortlisted writers are invited to the  Writing Workshop, the Winner’s Reception and will receive a copy of The Anthology

Submissions: Stories can be submitted from Sunday, 16th October, 2022 until 18.00, 10th April 2023

Shortlisted students will be contacted at the end of April and invited to the Workshop and Reception to take place on the 14th May 2023

Submission is free, but is limited to one story per student. Students may submit to both the Poetry Prize and the Short Story Prize.

Theme

Short-story-judge Paul Scraton has chosen the theme, “Home” for this year’s competition.

What is Paul looking for in a short story?

“There are many ways to tell a story but perhaps it is more important to think about why you want to tell a story. Whether you are writing a fairy tale or a story set in the future, a short story told entirely in dialogue or made up only of the innermost thoughts of a narrator, ask yourself the question: what is it you are trying to do for the reader?

A short story can give the reader a message or a lesson to learn. It can entertain. It can capture a moment in time or evoke a sense of place. It can trigger an emotion or explore a certain feeling. It can do all these things or some of them. It doesn’t have to do any of them.

There is no right answer to what makes a great short story. So don’t be intimidated by advice, or rules or what you’ve read before. Use what inspires you and don’t worry about the rest. What is it you want to say with your story? How best can you say it? And what, at this moment as you sit down with the blank piece of paper in front of you, is the story that only you can write?”

Word Limit: There is a 1,000 word limit, not including the title.

Entry requirements: The Short Story Prize is open to any student high-school-aged student in Swiss public upper-secondary education. There are currently no age divisions, however students must note whether they are mother-tongue English speakers, or following a bi-lingual study programme, and whether they are studying for the Maturity Certificate. The competition is not open to students from schools where the teaching is primarily in English, such as international schools, or students studying for international examinations.

Please read the rules before submitting.

*Prizes are paid in 50% cash/50% book tokens