Ironclad Short Story Competition - Spring 2026
We are looking for short stories that respond in any way to the PROMPT:
RESERVED
The Ironclad Creative Short Story Competition is for both published and unpublished writers.
We aim to run four short story competitions each year.
Prize winning and shortlisted writers will be published in our April 2026 anthology.
We accept any length of story up to 6k words.
Don't use the word RESERVED in the title unless it’s alongside a sub-heading or with other words or phrases. You may use the word in the body of the text, but you don’t have to.
What we expect is that your work to be inspired by the word in some way. Any way. A way that might be unexpected. Or entirely expected, but the story takes us somewhere interesting, and grips us.
We’re looking for writers who have exciting voices and can move us - that can happen in any genre of prose.
Please make sure you've read the terms and conditions carefully as we have changed them!
For example, submissions now must NOT have your name in the document, even in the file name.
DEADLINE:
23:59GMT - 31st January 2026
ENTRY:
£9.75 per story
PRIZES:
First Place writer will be offered a prize of £100 and publication
Second Place writer will be offered a prize of £50 and publication
Third Placed writer will be offered prizes of £25 and publication
The shortlisted writers will be offered publication too.
HOW TO ENTER
Make sure you remove your name from the story document, including in the file title. Please do not call your story RESERVED without a sub-heading or additional words or phrases in the title.
Head to our PAYMENT PAGE and pay the £9.75 per entry.
After you pay, you will be directed to the SUBMISSION FORM to upload your story but if you’re stuck, we’ve added it here too.
If you’re struggling to upload your document or pay email us admin@ironcladcreative.org
We have a small number of FREE places available for low income writers living in the UK. Please email admin@ironcladcreative.org to request this (please don’t send your work at this stage. You don’t need to give any proof of need.)
ENTRIES FOR OUR LAST COMPETITION - SWITCH
Currently, we’re in the middle of reading submissions for our last competition, SWITCH, and writers will be notified of our decision around mid-November 2025.
