Calibre Audio - Inclusive Voices Short Story Competition 2026
04/06/2026
Enter our 2026 Short Story Competition
Our short story competition is back for the National Year of Reading, celebrating creativity, accessibility and diverse storytelling.
This year, we've teamed up with EmpathyLab to inspire the theme. We're looking for stories or poems that are empathy-led, exploring what it means to understand and share another person's feelings.
Entry Details
Open for entries: 4th June to 13th September 2026
Format: Written, video or audio entries accepted
Word limit: 550 words max
Theme: Create an empathy-boosting story or poem that shows life from another person’s perspective
Winners announced: End of October 2026
Who Can Enter?
Whether you love to write poetry, prose or you're trying creative writing for the first time, we'd love you to take part in this year's competition. Everyone is welcome and we encourage entries from:
Budding writers of all ages and abilities
Authors and creatives who want to help amplify underrepresented voices
The competition is only open to residents in the UK, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
Age categories
Under 11 years old
12 to 17 years
18 to 25 years
26 and over
Prizes
There will prizes for the top three places in each age category. See the Terms and Conditions for full details.
We are thrilled to offer some of these prizes courtesy of our generous partners.