Short story competition for women

"Are you the most exciting new female voice in fiction -- but, as yet, unpublished? At Harper's Bazaar, we love discovering great new writing, and are thrilled to be teaming up with Orange to invite you to write an original short story for our annual competition, says the Harper's Bazaar oficial Short Story Competition 2009 website. Winners stand to pick up a prize of GBP 1000.00 in the presence of top editors, publishers and agents (oh yes, that writer's 'a' word for the gods) in June 2009.

The story says, "Previous successes include Clare Allan in 2002, who went on to write the acclaimed Poppy Shakespeare. Last year's winner, Sukhraj Randhawa, was taken on by literary agent Zoe Waldie (Rogers, Coleridge & White) on the strength of her entry, and is currently working on a novel." Enough for you?

The requirements are:

1. Imaginative and stylish writing of an original 2,000-word story on the subject of 'Mother'.
2. A 200-word autobiography. (I believe this means the author's biography.)
3. A passport photograph of yourself, attached to a sheet of A4 bearing your full name, address, telephone number (mobile number where possible), occupation and date of birth.

Amongst the rules:

• All entries should be submitted no later than Tuesday 14 April to: Naomi West, Commissioning Editor, Harper's Bazaar, National Magazine House, 72 Broadwick Street, London W1F 9EP.


• Entrants must be unpublished female writers aged 18 or over (in this instance please take "unpublished" to mean that entrants do not have an existing or previous contract with a publishing house.)

Read the rest on their official website (link below). (Thanks for the story Angela.)

Harper's Bazaar