The Desperate Literature Prize 2024

The first prize in the international short fiction contest has been increased to €2,000.

The Desperate Literature Prize is inviting submissions of original, unpublished short fiction up to 2,000 words. This year’s judges are Megan McDowell, Ottessa Moshfegh, Samanta Schweblin and Alejandro Zambra.

The winner will receive €2,000, a week’s writing residency at Civitella Ranieri Foundation, a consultation with literary agent Charlotte Seymour from Johnson & Alcock, and a manuscript assessment with an editor from The Literary Consultancy. Two runners up will each receive €1,000.

All shortlisted writers will be published in a Desperate Literature anthology and in one of Desperate Literature’s partner journals: Helter Skelter, The London Magazine, Open Pen, Prototype, gorse, Tenement, Kill

Your Darlings Minor Literature[s] and The Second Shelf. They will also be invited to take part in a Desperate Literature Salon in Madrid, London or Edinburgh. One shortlisted writer will be invited on a two-week residency at Studio Faire in France. All longlisted writers will receive one-year access to The Literary Consultancy’s Being A Writer platform.

The entry fee is €20 for the first story and €10 for each additional story.

The closing date is 14 April.

Website: https://desperateliterature.com/prize/