12 - 28 June 2025

Short Story Competition

Budding authors and creative writers – share your stories with us for a chance to appear in a published anthology and take home a cash prize. There is no theme to the competition.

The 2025 short story competition will close on 31 July 2025. You can enter now by clicking HERE.

Budding authors and creative writers – share your stories with us for a chance to appear in a published anthology and take home a cash prize. First Prize £100, Second Prize £75, Third Prize £50. There is no theme to the competition and word limit is 3000 words. Entry fee is just £5 and the competition is open to anyone aged 16 and over.

Congratulations to the winners and all the shortlisted writers for our 2024 Crossing the Tees Short Story Competition. The winners were announced at an award ceremony at Seaton Carew Community Hub hosted by Bob Fischer. All the shortlisted stories are published in the eighth anthology which will be available to borrow from libraries and buy from Drake the Bookshop and Book Corner, Saltburn.

Thanks to Scott Bonner for taking photographs to commemorate the occasion.

The winners are…

First Place – Ten Pin by Penny Blackburn

Second Place – The Photo by Mark Adams

Third Place – Cinnamon by Timothy Hemmings

Highly Commended

Swimming With Jellyfish by Hilary Elder

Conjuring A Silver Thread by Chris Sewart

The Redoubtable Bogdan by James Waite

Shortlisted Finalists

Autodidact by Edward Barnfield

The Man Who by C.J. Brock