2022 HISTORICAL FICTION SHORT STORY CHALLENGE
PRIZE: £1,000
HISTORICAL FICTION SHORT STORY CHALLENGE 2022
Prize: £1,000
Early Entry: £2.50 for one story
General Entry: £12 for one story
Late Entry: £15 for one story
Words: 4,000 (max)
Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) 28th Oct, 2022
Winner Announced: 30th Nov, 2022
THE CHALLENGE:
All writers retain full ownership of their stories, including the winner. We only publish the winning story on our website. We welcome international entries!
It's time for another Globe Soup writing challenge!
For this short story challenge, all participants will be randomly assigned a period in history. As soon as you receive your assignment, you'll have until the closing time to research, write, and submit a short story of no more than 4,000 words, set during this historical period.
All we ask is that your story be set in your assigned period. How much the history influences the plot is up to you.
You can use real historical figures as characters, you can use completely fictional characters, or you can use a combination of both.
Your story can be centred around an actual historical event, have a historical event as the backdrop, or you can simply set your story during your assigned period with the plot, themes, and characters untied to the historical significance of that time.
Want to mix genres? That's fine too! You can write a historical horror story, a historical romance, a historical drama, or any kind of historical fiction story you want! The possibilities are endless!
The entries will be judged on the quality of the story, not the amount of historical detail included. However, for your story to be successful and effective, it will need to feel credible, so we recommend participants do a certain amount of research and include enough historical detail for their story to feel authentic. Just don't lose sight of the story!
The historical periods chosen for this year's challenge are:
1. The Vikings
2. World War II
3. Ancient Egypt
4. American Civil War
5. The Roaring 20's
If you choose to participate in the challenge, you'll be randomly assigned one of these historical periods.
How to Enter:
Please read the official rules of the contest here.
Buy a ticket. There are 5 tickets available; Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple. Each colour corresponds to one of the historical periods. Simply pick a colour, and purchase. You’ll then be able to download your ticket which will contain the assigned historical period for that colour and the submission instructions. If you want to submit more than one story in that assigned period, simply buy another ticket of the same colour. If you want to submit more than one story, but in a different historical period, simply buy another ticket of a different colour. You can buy as many tickets and submit as you many stories as you want.
Make sure you download your ticket right away. The link expires in 24 hours. If your link has expired, please contact us and we’ll send you your ticket directly.
Join the Community:
All participants can join our Members-Only Facebook Group. Here you can meet other writers taking part in the challenge, ask questions, and get advice. The Globe Soup team are also on hand to offer any support and guidance you may need. At the end of the challenge, you can even get extensive feedback on your story or stories. The community aspect of these challenges is often the best part!
Plus, we run free monthly mini writing contests in the group, exclusively for members, with additional cash prizes up for grabs. Once you're a member, you're a member for as long as you want. This means that you'll have access to a network of like minded writers and free entry to our mini contests for life.
Feedback From Previous Challenges:
"This was tremendous motivation to continue writing and I will always be grateful for the encouragement that Globe Soup has provided me. Globe Soup has also managed to create a wonderful community of writers who motivate and inspire each other. I'm very thankful to be a part of this community." — Nimisha, Mumbai, India
"This competition helped me reignite my passion for writing, so much so that it has started some new writing projects for me.” — Rachel, United Kingdom
“Really enjoyed that it gave me a steady and clear writing goal!” —Fódhla, Ireland
“I wouldn’t have been confident enough to start my MA in Creative Writing if it hadn’t been for Globe Soup. Such a great group to be a part of." — Fhionna, Clyde Valley, Scotland.
“I won’t ever forget that first win, it was an amazing feeling!! (I was in floods of tears, my husband didn’t get why!) You set me on my writing journey and so so much has grown from that first seed of belief, thank YOU!!! — Katrina, Llanfairpwll, U.K.