Flash fiction competition returns with revolution in the air at Lincoln Book Festival 2018

Lincoln Book Festival is inviting budding writers to “join the revolution” by submitting their own ultra-short stories on this year’s festival theme as its popular flash fiction competition returns.

UPDATE: Please note the deadline to enter this year’s competition has now passed. Winners will be announced during the festival in September.

More than 300 writers entered the inaugural Lincoln Book Festival Flash Fiction Competition in 2017 and Festival organisers are encouraging schools, parents and amateur authors to take part again this year with a chance to win £30 in book vouchers.

Organised by Lincoln Book Festival in association with the University of Lincoln and Bishop Grosseteste University, the competition aims to uncover new storytelling talent by showcasing concise, compelling creative writing within a defined topic or genre with a simple but challenging brief: the story must be precisely 50 words in length – no more, no less!

This year’s Lincoln Book Festival runs from 24th-29th September 2018 with its theme of revolution inspired by this year’s centenary of the Representation of the People Act, which first gave British women the right to vote.

Competition judges will be open to short stories on the topic of revolution in all its forms – with writers free to define the word however they wish. That could be tales of conspiracy and political intrigue, sudden unexpected plot twists or a more literal interpretation, like a scene describing the spinning of a wheel. There are separate competition categories for primary (Reception to Year 6), secondary (Year 7 – Year 11) and adult age groups (Year 12 upwards, including school leavers).

Phil Hamlyn Williams, Chair of the Lincoln Book Festival Trust, said: “We were astounded by the quantity and quality of entries to our first ever flash fiction competition in 2017 and are excited about seeing more great creative writing from entrants of all ages again this year. Schools in particular picked up the gauntlet in 2017 and we’d be delighted to receive entries from primary and secondary classes. Anyone who has entered before will know what a fun creative challenge it is to write a 50-word short story to a defined topic, where quite literally every word counts.”

Lincoln Book Festival 2018 Flash Fiction Competition entry forms and full terms and conditions can be found on the University of Lincoln website at: www.lincoln.ac.uk/competitions The deadline for entries is midnight on Friday 6th July 2018.