Entries must not exceed 2000 words, excluding title and headers and footers.

Entries should be in the form of a short story, on any theme, and written in English. Prose fiction only please – no poetry, plays, memoirs or children’s fiction.

A £6 fee, sterling only, is required per entry. Multiple entries are acceptable.

This competition is open to anyone in the world over the age of 18 years, except members of Chalk Circle Writers.

Entries should not have the author’s name, or any other identifying marks, on the typescript. Each page should contain the story title and page number at the top or bottom.

Please double or 1.5 line-space your text using 12-point Times New Roman, Ariel or Georgia fonts.

The Closing Date is 31st August 2020 and electronic entries must arrive by 11.59pm UK time on that day.

Winners will be notified by 14th November 2020 and announced on the Chalk Circle website.

Copyright remains with the author, although the winning entries may be published in the next Chalk Circle anthology and on the Chalk Circle website. Publication in the anthology, or on the website, is not guaranteed.

Electronic entries received after the closing date, and postal entries with insufficient postage or postmarked after the closing date will not be accepted.

No entries should have been placed in a competition or been previously published including on any third-party online platforms. Stories uploaded for peer-review and critique purposes are not deemed to have been published.

Entries may be submitted into concurrent competitions but must be withdrawn by the author if successful or published elsewhere.

Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant. Translations are not acceptable.

The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

Entries failing to meet any of the above rules will be disqualified. Fees from disqualified entries will not be reimbursed, and any prize monies must be returned.

Entry indicates an acceptance of these rules.