SFI Short Story Competition
Win a Book Voucher & Guaranteed Publication in our Channel The Dark anthology
SFI Members Untie
Welcome, SFI Supplicants, to our inaugural writing competition; and no, that's not a typo above. It's time for you to disassociate from each other, to stand out from the crowd, to tear the face off your opponents as you write a story to get hearts pounding, blood pumping, eyes twitching and mouths salivating. Thrill us, scare us, wow us, drag us into your dark imagination as you explore strange worlds, stranger characters, and circumstances to curl toes and raise eyebrows.
We're going to ease into this, like a middle-aged man in leather trousers, and offer a €100 Gift Voucher from our wonderful partners at Roe River Books, Dundalk, Co. Louth, whose online store will be live soon. Click the icon above for info or visit Tom, Raquel, and the rest of the passionate team in Roe River. As well as the gift voucher, the winning entry will be guaranteed publication in the next volume of Channel The Dark, our charity anthology in support of mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
Now, to the requirements; and they are simple: 1. You must be a SFI Publishing Writer or SFI Professional Member to enter. 2. Write a story (or narrative poem) in the speculative fiction realm (Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Dark Fiction) of between two (2) and five (5) thousand words. 3. Attach it as a Word document or PDF on the submissions form below...et Voila! You're in.
Points of Note: If we get even a whiff of AI (and we will check), your entry will burn in the depths of a great hell where the envious and lazy languish in anguish. Your entry must not be available for public consumption anywhere else, nor can it be submitted elsewhere for consideration for publication or another competition. This would immediately negate its suitability for publication in a future volume of Channel The Dark.
The winner and runners-up will be announced in our SFI E-Zine, issue #1 coming at the end of June 2026 (free to all members and selling in the SFI Store for non-members). Closing date for receipt of entries is April 30th 2026. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us via the Chatbox on-screen, which will prompt you to submit a query for anything outside of our pre-set Q&A.