Story Competition

The Claret Press Short Story Competition celebrates local creativity, inviting writers of all levels to share their most compelling tales. With a focus on fresh voices and powerful storytelling, the contest offers a welcoming platform for talent to shine and for readers to discover inspiring new work from our community. Claret Press, an independent publisher based in Clapham, is looking for short stories centred around ‘Today’s Politics’.

If you’re not used to writing political fiction, don’t worry! This broad topic encompasses everything from the right to protest, LQBTQ+ issues, feminism, housing, medical care, the economy…

The deadline is 1st February 2026, and the entry fee is £5. Winners will receive £50 (first place), £30 (second place) and £25 (third place), and have their story published in the Claret Press newsletter, which has over 700 highly-engaged subscribers. Anyone is welcome to enter, whether you’re published or unpublished, or even if you’ve never written fiction before, this competition is for you.

A portion of each entry fee will be donated to Cancer Research.

Good luck!


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