5th September 2025
Budding storytellers across Oxfordshire are invited to unleash their imagination and take part in Oxfordshire libraries’ county-wide short story competition.
Now in its eleventh year, the annual competition, hosted by Oxfordshire County Council’s libraries service is a chance to discover new writers, original stories and unique voices from around Oxfordshire.
The winners will have their story published as an ebook and eaudiobook on Oxfordshire libraries’ OverDrive platform, where they can be borrowed, read and listened to from anywhere.
Councillor Neil Fawcett, Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “The annual competition is a wonderful opportunity to inspire people of all ages to make their unique writing voice heard.
“Past winners have proven to be the most popular downloads of the year, so this is the perfect way for new writers to get their story published and enjoyed by others.”
The competition is split into three age categories free to enter. The short story competition categories are:
- Children: seven to 11 years
- Young adults: 12 to 17 years
- Adults: 18 and above
Children’s stories can be up to 1000 words. Stories by young adults and adults can be up to 3000 words.
Entries can be submitted from Monday 8 September until Sunday 9 November.
Full terms and conditions as well as instructions on how to submit entries can be found on Oxfordshire libraries’ webpages.
