HOW TO ENTER

The competition is
NOW CLOSED

Competition opens Monday 8 November 2021 and closes at noon (UK GMT) on Wednesday 12 January 2022.

The first-place winner will receive:

• £10,000
• an engraved award
• publication on our website and in a linen-bound mini publication available in The Oxford Collection’s two 5-star hotels.
• a professional audio recording of their story produced by The Story Player uploaded onto the Mogford Prizes website.

Three runners up will receive:

• £250 each
• publication on our website and in a linen-bound mini publication available at the Mogford Prize, awards ceremony.

All shortlisted entrants will be invited to the Mogford Prize Party hosted by Jeremy Mogford at Quod Restaurant & Bar, Oxford, UK. Each will receive a night’s accommodation at one of The Oxford Collection hotels and all travel expenses agreed in advance will be covered by Jeremy Mogford including, where necessary, economy flights.

Above anything else, we are looking for short stories that have food and/or drink at their heart. This could be a detective story with a food-related mystery at its centre, a life-changing conversation that happens over a drink or relationships that are explored during an important meal.

As shortlisted entries will be published and displayed in The Oxford Collection hotels, we are interested in stories that can be picked up and enjoyed by a hotel guest.

We are not interested in stories that depict graphic violence, life-threatening battles with illness or material that uses language that is racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or any other form of hate speech.

We are also not looking for a story that is excessively saccharine or with an overtly feel-good theme; and please steer away from common themes such as the last meal of a condemned prisoner unless it has a unique take or twist.

We want a story that intrigues, a story whose ending takes you by surprise, or a story whose insights remain with you for a long time after it is finished.

Each year we receive stories that, however well-written, are not suitable for our competition. This does not mean they are without literary merit or could not win another competition or find a publisher, so please do not feel disheartened if you fail to make the long list. Your story may well find home elsewhere.

Yes, but please ensure all other contact details such as email address and telephone number are correct.

The prize is open to writers (published or unpublished) anywhere in the world aged 18 years or older by the closing date of the competition.

All entries must be made using our online submissions system found on our How to Enter page.

We regret that we cannot accept entries via email or post.

All submissions must be made via the submissions form on our website.

Entries can only be made via the submissions form on our website.

Entry costs £15 for each submitted story. So, for example, if you want to submit 2 stories this would cost a total of £30.

Every year, we have 10 free entries available for low-income writers. All free entries for this year’s competition have now been awarded.

We regret that submissions can only be made using our online submissions form and paid for using a debit or credit card.

If you are experiencing difficulty with our online submissions platform, please contact us through our contact form and select the drop down: Problems with entry

All stories should be:

• a maximum of 2500 words excluding the title
• in English, saved in .doc or .docx format and submitted using the online form
• double spaced, have the word count on the first page and contain no identifying information
• the final draft of the story.

We cannot accept revisions or further drafts once you have submitted your entry.

We cannot accept any revisions or further drafts once submission has been paid.

Yes

Unfortunately, your short story is now invalid. Please contact through our contact form to submit a new version with your details removed.

As long as your story has not been published it is eligible for the competition.

Any stories posted online including on blogs/forums count as being previously published.

All received entries are read by an initial reader who compiles the longlist of 25. Entries are read throughout the year, in the order in which they arrive. The longlist is then read by Jeremy Mogford who, in consultation with the initial reader, compiles the shortlist of 4 stories. These 4 stories are then read and judged by the competition’s guest judges and a final winner is selected.

Please see our competition Terms and Conditions which details the judging process further.

All the longlist and shortlist are notified personally either by email or phone within six to eight weeks of the competition deadline.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of submissions that we receive, we cannot notify everyone about their entry. When the longlist is announced it is posted on The Mogford Prize website. If you have not heard anything from us, then we are afraid your story has not been successful on this occasion.

We regret that due to the volume of submissions we receive that we are unable to offer individual feedback on entries.

All free entries for this year’s prize have now been awarded.

Instructions on how to apply for a free place will be made available before the launch date of next year’s competition.

Worldwide copyright of each entered story will remain with the author. The Mogford Prize will have the unrestricted right to publish the winner and the short-list in any format, including on the Mogford Prize website, as a print publication to be placed in the bedrooms of The Oxford Collection hotels and as an audio file on the Mogford Prize and The Story Player website.

Yes, you are free to do this.