Jay Gao, a Chinese Scottish poet and fiction writer, wins the 2022 Desperate Literature Short Story Competition with The Baron and His Volcano. Jay is the author of Imperium (2022), forthcoming ... [Read More]
Desperate Literature Short Story Prize

First Prize:
- €1500
- A week’s residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation
- A consultation with a Literary Agent from Andrew Nurnberg Associates
- Editing from a professional editing agency
Runner-up Prizes:
- €750 (two prizes available).
All Shortlisted Writers:
All Shortlisted Writers are eligible for publication in select literary publications. Learn more about this prize and enter on their website Desperate Literature Short Story.
Angela Finn wins the 2020 Desperate Literature Short Story Prize
Winner: Angela Finn wins the 2020 Desperate Literature Short Story Prize for Excerpts from a Pale Blue Notebook with Silver Stars. Runners-up: Jelle Cauwenberghs for Bottles and Jenah Shaw for ... [Read More]
2019 Desperate Literature Short Story Prize Winners
CONGRATULATIONS to the 2019 Winners First Place: Francesca Reece – So Long Sarajevo / They Miss You So Badly We are very excited to announce that after winning the Desperate Literature Prize, ... [Read More]
2018 Winners of the Desperate Literature Short Story Prize
Congratulations to the 2018 Winners! First Place: Ed Cottrell –Frailings Runners Up: Gordon Collins – Notes on Beynon’s Veil Caitlin Ingham – Blanch ... [Read More]