ABOUT THE PRIZE:
The aim of the Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize is both to celebrate the best of new short fiction and to give winners the most visibility possible for their writing. That’s why we’ve teamed up with fourteen different literary and artistic institutions to not only offer cash prizes and writing retreats but also to ensure that all our shortlisters have the opportunity to be published in multiple print and online journals, have their work put in front of literary agents, and present their stories in multiple countries.
NEW THIS YEAR:
WE LAUNCH OUR
IN-HOUSE RESIDENCY* & ONE SHORTLISTER IS INVITED TO
THE EUROPEAN WRITERS SALON
The Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize adheres to CLMP’s Contest Code of Ethics
*you can learn about our move to new, larger premises and the process of being evicted from our old location here.
‘The prize stands head and shoulders above other competitions, not least because the team truly care about their shortlisters and winners. That care is obvious when you look at the content of the prize packages…I know of no other fiction prize working this hard to launch the careers of their winners.’
Sukie Wilson—2024 Winner
“I like this prize especially because it’s so international. The voices aren’t coming from a limited cultural perspective…there’s a breadth of wider experiences by the writers. They’re conveying something, and I think conveying something with urgency.”
Ottessa Moshfegh—2025 JUDGE
First Prize:
– €2000
– A week’s residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation.
– A consultation with Literary Agent Ed Wilson from Johnson & Alcock.
– A manuscript assessment with The Literary Consultancy.
Runner-up Prizes:
– €1000 (two prizes available).
All Shortlisted Writers:
– Will be published in a truly smashing, limited edition book published by ourselves truly and launched at the Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize Salon, Madrid.
– Publication with one of our partner journals: Helter Skelter, The London Magazine, Prototype, gorse, Tenement, Kill Your Darlings, Minor Literature[s].
– Participation in Desperate Literature Prize events at Desperate Literature, Madrid and Burley Fisher, London.†
†Events depend upon availability at host establishment, please read
our eligibility & conditions for more details.
All Longlisted Writers:
– Will receive one year’s access to The Literary Consultancy’s ‘Being a Writer’ platform.
One Shortlisted Writer:
– Will be invited to participate in the European Writers Salon in Brussels (EU writers Only)
This includes a travel stipend of €100.
One Shortlisted Writer:
– Will be offered a ten-day stay in our in-house residency, Madrid.
This includes a travel stipend of €100.
FULL DETAILS OF ENTRY FEES AND DEADLINES BELOW
*to see how the prize is funded, read all the prize details, see entry conditions and to assess your eligibility, please read our eligibility & conditions.
‘Being shortlisted for the Desperate Literature Prize
was a stonkingly delicious experience.’
Annie Hayter—2022 Shortlister
‘The Desperate Literature Prize stands out in how far they go for all their shortlisters, long after the selection is made. International events, speaking opportunities, publication with other outlets: it’s astonishing how a small bookshop can connect us to so many people in the book world.‘
Naomi Wood—2023 Shortlister
‘The Desperate Literature Prize
changed everything for me.’
Francesca Reece—2019 Winner
The Civitella Ranieri Foundation,
Italy
“Civitella was beyond anything I could have expected. The castle and the grounds are straight out of a fairy-tale, every window is an entrance to scenery that inspires. But what makes it such an amazing place to go are the people. From musicians, to composers, to sculptors, to poets to novelists all sharing ideas, and their work. It is a space free of judgement. While there you could write a thousand words, write five hundred words, write nothing at all, but you would still leave knowing more about how to create stories then you ever have before. Getting to the point, if you ever have the chance to go there, make it happen. I’m already plotting my next trip.”
—Paige Cowan-Hall, winner of the 2021 Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize
The Desperate Literature Residency,
Madrid:
At our new location in La Latina, Desperate Literature is happy to inaugurate the bookshop’s in-house residency with a 10-day stay for one shortlisted writer, including a travel stipend, a bookshop reading, the possibility to run a paid workshop and, of course, 25% off all books!
Please read the terms and conditions for all residency details.
READ THE PREVIOUS SHORTLISTS BEFORE ENTERING:
Before entering, you can read the previously shortlisted stories.
ALL PURCHASES COME WITH A DISCOUNT FOR ENTRY TO THE PRIZE.
You can also read a selection of shortlisted works from 2018 – 2024 on our ‘Previous Winners’ page.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
April 13th 202523:59 CEST
SHORTLIST SELECTION:
Early July 2025
WINNERS ANNOUNCED:
LATE July 2025 (PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT)
ENTRY FEE:
€20 for the first entry
€10 for every further entry
(max. of five entries per person)
PLEASE NOTE:
to benefit from the discount on multiple entries, you have to process the entries at the same time (you can upload the stories at a later date!)
SPONSORED ENTRIES:
40 spaces available for full-fee sponsorship through Desperate Literature
60 spaces available for half-fee sponsorship through Desperate Literature
Deadline for application for a sponsored place:
April 1st 2025
Contact:
prize@desperateliterature.com
Applications will be judged on a case-by-case basis by a member of the team with the support of Spread the Word UK. A further package of sponsored entries has been offered to the following organisations: Spread the Word (10), The Literary Consultancy (5), Helter Skelter (5).
For details of how these places are funded and how to apply, please see our eligibility & conditions page.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
– The Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize is awarded to an original work of fiction under 2000 words
– Translations are accepted, but the prize is awarded to the original writer, not the translator
– Submissions are anonymous
– Stories should be submitted in .pdf format upon payment of the entry fee, without mention of the author or translator name within the document.
FOR A FULL LIST OF GUIDELINES, SEE OUR ELIGIBILITY & CONDITIONS PAGE
MORE TESTIMONIALS:
From 2022 shortlister, Annie Hayter
‘Being shortlisted for the Desperate Literature Prize was a stonkingly delicious experience. I had the opportunity to read my work boisterously in two bookshops in Madrid and London to delighted and receptive audiences. Receiving this affirmation radically changed my perspective on myself as a writer; giving me the faith that there was a readership for the weird and wrangling prose I want and need to create. Having this warm and welcoming space to share my work, and all the concomitant support really mattered. I was deeply moved by the immense care and consideration taken by the entire Desperate Literature team, who tirelessly champion their winning and shortlisted authors, offering them a wellspring of opportunities.’
From 2019 winner, Francesca Reece
‘The Desperate Literature Prize changed everything for me. It gave me a platform to get my writing out there and to meet so many interesting, talented people. The prizes are just ridiculously good but the whole experience – the events in Madrid, Paris and London, getting published in Eleven Stories, all of it – was unforgettable.’
After winning the Desperate Literature Short Prize for Short Fiction, Francesca signed with Charlotte Seymour (then at Andrew Nurnberg Associates). Her first novel, Voyeur, was released with Tinder Press in 2021.
From 2018 winner, Ed Cottrell
‘It really is a fairytale literary prize, and I am immensely proud to be the inaugural winner.’
Click here to read quotes from other winners, literary agents, and previous judges.
SHORTLIST JUDGES

Photo credit: Nora Lezano
Mariana Enríquez is one of the most spellbinding narrators in Latin American literature. Her story collection Los Peligros de Fumar en la Cama was shortlisted for the 2021 International Booker and was a finalist of the Kirkus Prize. She has been featured in countless anthologies and magazines, inlcuding The New Yorker, Freeman’s, McSweeney’s, Granta UK, Granta en Español, and Asymptote. Her novel Nuestra Parte de Noche won the Herralde Novel Prize in 2019, the Premio Celsius, the Premio Kelvin 505, and most notably, the Premio de la Crítica.
Mariana Enríquez: Nora Lezano

Photo credit: Ryan Pfluger
Henry Hoke is the author of five books, most recently the memoir Sticker and the novel Open Throat, finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, and the James Tait Black Prize for Fiction. His work has appeared in Fence, Triangle House, Electric Literature, No Tokens, and the flash noir anthology Tiny Crimes. He co-created the performance series Enter>text in Los Angeles, and edits humor at The Offing.
Photo credit: Ryan Pfluger

Photo credit: Krystal Griffiths
Ottessa Moshfegh is a fiction writer from New England. Eileen, her first novel, was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Booker Prize, and won the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction. My Year of Rest and Relaxation and Death in Her Hands, her second and third novels, were New York Times bestsellers. She is also the author of the short story collection Homesick for Another World and a novella, McGlue. Her most recent novel, Lapvona, was released in 2022. She lives in southern California.
Photo credit: Krystal Griffiths
*For more information about how we select the shortlist, please see our eligibility & conditions page.
OUR PARTNERS
Desperate Literature is incredibly grateful to our principal prize partner, The de Groot Foundation.
Without their diligent and constant support, the prize wouldn’t exist.
We would like to thank our residency providers Civitella Ranieri & Studio Faire:
And we couldn’t offer such wonderful opportunities for publishing without the amazing literary magazines and entities that also offer their support:
We are also incredibly grateful to be able to partner with Spread the Word, Helter Skelter, and The Literary Consultancy to offer sponsored places to their communities: