At Stylist, we love a good story. Whether it’s a thought-provoking tale from Emma Cline’s 2020 collection Daddy or the exciting promise of Lisa Taddeo’s forthcoming Ghost Lover, we believe a tight, well-crafted short story can be just as compelling as a novel. And, more importantly, we know that our readers have stories to tell too.

If that’s you, then you’ve come to the right place. Stylist publishes a new short story (fiction) from a captivating writer each week – and we want your submissions. You don’t have to be established or have even written a story before to submit; we’re more interested in the quality of your words than your writing experience. Stylist Short Stories aren’t limited by genre, either – we’re after romance, horror, crime, fantasy, historical fiction and everything in between. All that we ask is that you’re an original talent whose voice resonates with fellow readers.

Whether through our 2021 Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction, which saw writer Kate Kemp win representation by the Rachel Mills Literary agency or our annual Literary Festival, Stylist is committed to championing female voices in the literary world and showcasing work we believe in. So, if you’ve ever wanted to write a story but felt you needed a goal to get started or if you’re already a published writer who is keen to showcase some of your shorter works, we want to hear from you.

Please submit a story of no more than 1,000 words to shortstories@stylist.co.uk, those selected for publication will receive a payment of £200 per story. We look forward to reading your magical words.

Terms and Conditions of Entry

Entry requirements

To submit a short story to Stylist, you will need to write a short story no longer than 1,000 words and send to shortstories@stylist.co.uk. The story must be original, unpublished and standalone (ie not a chapter of a book or ongoing work). The story must be fiction and must be in English. 

Submissions are welcome from those over the age of 18 and who live in the United Kingdom or Ireland.

Whilst Stylist maintains open submissions for all authors, Stylist Short Stories is designed to offer an opportunity to those who are particularly underrepresented in commercial publishing.

The judges

Submissions will be judged by Stylist’s editorial team, who will be looking for a story that excites, intrigues and surprises them. Any genre will be considered.

The deadline

Entries should be submitted via email to shortstories@stylist.co.uk. Entries must be in Word or PDF format and have the title and author noted clearly on each page. Entries must also be 1.5 spaced. Please send a short bio along with your pronouns when submitting. 

This is an open portal for submissions, which means entries can be accepted on an ongoing basis. If the submission window is to close, notice of 7 days will be given on this web page.

Publication

If your short story is selected, Stylist will provide you with their standard terms and conditions for submissions. Once these are signed, the selected entry will have the opportunity to be published on stylist.co.uk.

The writer of any published entry will receive payment of £200 for their story, which will remain his/her intellectual property.

There is no limit on the amount of entries that can be selected for publication, and writers can submit more than one entry per person, but please only submit one entry at a time. Due to the volume of submissions we receive, you will only receive a reply if you have been successful. 

Any questions? Email shortstories@stylist.co.uk.