2026 HG Wells Short Story Competition

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.

The 2026 competition on the theme “The Cheat” closed to entries of 7th July 2026. The 2026 competition had the most Junior and Senior competition entrants ever., with numbers up around 50% on the previous best year ever in each case.

Prater Raines pass the stories to the judging panel without entrant details so judges mark them “blind” - they simply don't know the age, name or location of the entrant, just their story. In September, the best 10 stories in each category will be announced as the shortlist, each of which will be published in the annual anthology. The best story of 2026 in each category will be announced in the online award ceremony in November.