The annual HG Wells Fiction Short Story Competition offers a £500 Senior and £1,000 Junior prize and free publication of all shortlisted entries in a quality, professionally published paperback anthology.
Entries will open in late January 2026 and close on Tuesday 7th July at 11pm BST.
Our shortlisted stories will be announced on Monday 21st September (the 160th anniversary of HG Wells birth).
Winners will be announced on Sunday 15th November.
For further information, please read the rules and FAQs below.
- Please ensure you DO NOT have your name or address ANYWHERE in your uploaded document: we judge all entries “blind” and including your name or address will invalidate your entry. To be safe, do not even use your own name as a character name.
- The closing date is Tuesday 7th July 2026 and entries will be accepted up to 11pm (BST) on that date.
- There are no entry fees for those aged 21 years and under on Tuesday 7th July 2026. Over 21s must pay an entry fee of £10 or £5 for those with student id. Details for payment are shown on the entry form. Each story must be submitted on a separate entry form and accompanied by a fee where appropriate.
- Proof of age and / or student id may be required for any entry entered in the Under 22 or at the reduced student price. This proof may be requested by email after the close of entries and prior to the publication of a short list.
- All submissions must be made online, with all required fields completed.
- All submissions should be the writer’s original work. You should not submit the work of others, either in part or in translation.
- Stories should be the sole work of the one submitted author. Co-authored stories are not accepted.
- Copyright remains with the author.
- The story may not be published, or accepted for publication, elsewhere including for other publications by the shortlist announcement date (Monday 21st September).
- The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into.
- Judges reserve the right not to award a prize.
- Entry implies permission for your story to be published in the annual HG Wells Short Story Competition Anthology, and used for Competition publicity purposes.
- By entering the competition and providing your details, you are consenting to us contacting you by email, post or phone about the 2026 competition and related events. We may do so to give more information, update you on shortlisted entries, let you know about available training courses, invite you to the November awards ceremony or even let you know if you have been shortlisted.
- We will ONLY contact you about the H G Wells Short Story Competition in future years if you specifically agree to us doing so by giving us your consent to do so when entering.
- We will not share the contact details of entrants with any other organisation
Awards:-
The competition for those 21 and under has a prize of £1,000 for the winning entry.
The competition for the over 21s has a prize of £500.
All shortlisted entries will also be published in a quality, professionally published paperback anthology.
Deadline:- 07-07-2026
Entry fees:-
There are no entry fees for those aged 21 years and under.
Over 21s must pay an entry fee of £10 or £5 for those with student id.
