The London Magazine Short Story Prize 2025

Since 1732, The London Magazine has published short stories by some of the most well-respected literary figures, from Jean Rhys and Raymond Carver to Virginia Woolf and V. S. Pritchett. Our annual Short Story Prize seeks out new voices to join this literary history.

Established to encourage emerging literary talent, the award provides an opportunity for publication and recognition, rewarding precision, control and revelation. The London Magazine Short Story Prize 2025 is taking submissions for previously unpublished short stories that do not exceed the maximum of 4,000 words, from writers across the world.

We are delighted to announce that the stories will be judged by: Gurnaik Johal, Ben Pester and Erika Price.

All winning stories will appear in future issues of The London Magazine. Winners will also receive cash prizes (see below), and will be celebrated as part of prize-giving ceremony at the end of the year.

---

Information

Entry fee: £12 per story

Subsequent entries: £6 per story

Student/Low Income Entry: £6 per story
(Must be submitted with a valid university email address)

Membership Entry: One free entry (subsequent entries £6)

Note: There is no limit to the number of entries you can submit, but please only submit one story per entry. Entries with multiple stories will not be considered or notified. It is advised that you read the competition rules before submitting. 

Opening date: 21st July 2025
Closing date: 12th October 2025

First Prize: £750 
Second Prize: £450
Third Prize: £300

Enter The London Magazine Short Story Prize

.

We are interested in a wide variety of topics and many different styles of writing. However, we do find that those who are familiar with what we publish stand a far better chance of having their submissions accepted, so we also recommend getting your hands on a copy of our print journal which can be purchased here from our shop, or subscribing to the magazine here.

---

Judges

.

Gurnaik Johal is a writer from West London. His 2022 collection We Move won the Somerset Maugham Award and the Tata Literature Live! Prize. Its opening story won the Galley Beggar Short Story Prize. Saraswati is his debut novel.

Gurnaik is ‘looking for stories with energetic forward momentum, told with style and flair. My favourite short fiction is ambitious in theme and plot, and efficient on the level of the sentence.’

.

Ben Pester is a writer of long and short form fiction. His debut story collection Am I in the Right Place? was published in 2021, and was long listed for the 2022 Edge Hill Prize. His fiction and work has appeared in Granta, The London Magazine, TANK, Hotel, Five Dials and elsewhere. His debut novel The Expansion Project (August 2025) is published by Granta Books. He lives with his family in North London.

Ben wants ‘stories that commit to the idea – no matter how weird things get – like a kind of bird that might not obviously be able to fly, but then it does, and of course, when it lands, we are breathless. I am aware that this probably won’t help. Please, just do your own thing.’

.

Erika Price has been at CAA for two years, supporting agent John Ash and building her own list.

Erika is looking for ‘stories that feel ambitious and compulsive, with perceptive characterisation and technical flair’.