WELCOME TO THE JANE AUSTEN LITERACY FOUNDATION WRITING COMPETITION 2024
The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Writing Competition provides a creative opportunity for writers, uplifting reading for the community and the chance to participate in choosing the winner.
The winner will be named the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Writer of 2024. The winning stories (the overall winner and two runners up) will be recorded as an audiobook by multi-award winning and best-selling Austen narrator, Alison Larkin, published WORLDWIDE and promoted for all to hear! Click here to listen to our 2023 Winning Stories Audiobook.
The theme of the competition is ‘The Art of Listening’ and you are invited to write an original, fictional short story. Your short story can be inspired by our theme in any way.
The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation panel of judges will select a short list of ten stories from all of the eligible entries received. Our three winning stories will be selected from the shortlist by our special panel of judges including our founder & chair, Caroline Jane Knight, our lead judge, author Jane MacKenzie and author of Jane Austen, The Secret Radical, Helena Kelly.
The three winning stories will be published on the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation website and promoted on social media (with the author identities kept confidential) for a ten day public vote, to select our overall winner. The winner will be announced at the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Regency Picnic, on the lawns of Chawton House on 23rd June 2024. The winner will also be announced on our website and social media. The three winning stories will be recorded as an audiobook and published worldwide.
The competition is open to everyone around the world (aged 16+). Perhaps you have never written a short story before or entered a competition – do not fear! The competition is judged in two categories - new fiction writers and experienced fiction writers (see Entry Guidelines below for details).
Whether you wish to enter or not, please support this initiative by sharing details of the competition with your friends and family, book clubs, writing groups and anyone else who may be interested.
Before you start writing:
Please click here for the Entry Guidelines, including details of how to enter:
Please read the guidelines carefully before you start writing and before you submit your entry, as any breach of the Entry Guidelines will result in exclusion from the competition.
If you have any questions, please email us here
I hope you enjoy writing and crafting your stories. We can’t wait to read your entries and look forward to announcing the winner at our picnic in June.
Best