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MORE THAN A WRITING COMPETITION
sTORIES OF LIFE
CELEBRATING STORIES THAT POINT TO THE REALITY OF GOD IN OUR LIVES.
Stories Of Life
Helping people of faith to tell their stories well
and providing a platform for the best of those stories.
Our Eighth Anthology - Terracotta Travellers and other stories of life.
Stories of Life is a short story writing competition that seeks out true stories of faith and testimony. Every year we publish an anthology of the best entries and award cash prizes in two categories. In November 2023, we launched our eighth anthology, Terracotta Travellers and other stories of life.
Stories submitted between 1 April to 31 July
could be published by Christmas.
Around 330 stories published since 2016.
What We Want
Short stories that are interesting, lively, or even quirky. We love reading about how our extraordinary God has touched ordinary lives. Whatever the topic, we encourage you to write your story in a way that speaks to ordinary people, who may never have been part of a faith community. Avoid Christian jargon. Be real and your story will have the power to speak to others.
How We Help
Resources to help you write:
- Getting Started
- Finding Your Voice
- Final Editing
- Five Ways to Improve Your Story
- How to Write Someone Else's Story.
In June our experienced editors will give feedback on story drafts.
Curriculum ideas Year 7 to 10.
We Are Not Looking For
Devotionals or reflections on a Bible passage. Instead, we want stories where something happens to someone.
You can write a biographical story of another person (with their permission) in a journalistic style, but don’t just tell us the facts.
The stories we love will not only be true, they will also touch our hearts.
Our Anthologies
Submission Instructions
We accept submissions from 1 April to 31 July. However, contributors are strongly encouraged to take advantage of Feedback Month in June when our editors give feedback on story drafts at no cost to contributors. Your drafts will be returned with time for you to work on suggestions before 31 July.
Reading past anthologies or stories in our archives will give you an idea of the breath of stories we publish and the many ways stories can be told.
The Judging and Publishing Process
All submissions are appraised as anonymous entries. A preliminary reading panel selects the best stories for publication in our annual anthology. These stories are also passed on to the judges.
There is one judge per category, and we have different judges every year. The judges select the top three stories in their categories.
In October, we will announce the list of stories that we will be publishing. Prize winners are announced at the launch of the anthology in November.
