In October 2018, we launched our inaugural LoveReading Very Short Story Award Competition and we have been delighted by the response.

We invited submissions of stories between 600-1000 words in length, written in English, in any genre. We accepted entries from overseas as well as the UK. This is an inclusive award. We asked for just one entry per author. We accepted stories from both unpublished and published authors but only unpublished stories were eligible for entry.

We were looking for exciting, stimulating, original and beautifully written stories that leave a powerful impression on the reader.  And wow, did we get them!

Our team of five expert judges read the 2018 stories blind when choosing their 10 shortlisted stories and this will be complemented by a People’s Choice vote - a unique opportunity for LoveReading members to vote for their favourite story from the shortlist. The winning story will be read by a professional actor on The LoveReading Podcast, and published on the LoveReading website. Our judges are: Elena Lappin (author, editor and LoveReading Podcast host), Liz Robinson (LoveReading Reviews Editor), Maxim Jakubowski (author, translator, editor), Alison Flood (literary journalist), and Preti Taneja (novelist).

We would like to thank everyone for their interest and especially thank all of our writers who entered. We were delighted by the number of entries we received, the quality of the writing inspired us and we have just loved reading the stories as they flowed through the doors.

Our judging panel met last week and chose their 10 shortlisted stories.

It wasn’t an easy task as we were inundated with some wonderful stories but they eventually whittled it down to their top 10.

Now it’s time for you to have your say.

Take a look at the top 10 stories below and vote for your favourite by clicking here. You have to be logged into the site to vote to ensure there is one vote per person, but if you’re not already a member, it only takes a moment to sign up and it's completely free!

The voting deadline is 12 noon on 1st February so don’t delay!

The Winner and People’s Choice Award will be both be announced on February 23rd, so watch this space…

If you are a budding author, please note that the 2020 Awards will be launched in the Summer, with entries accepted until the end of October.

The Shortlist

  • Who Killed Cock Robin
  • Trouble at the Orange Palace
  • Digo The Dog
  • Uncommon Readers
  • Two Lives in Every Genre
  • Meat Paste
  • If It Had Happened To You
  • Oh, I Do Love a Banana
  • The Undiscovered Tribe
  • The Singing Apple Trees