CURRENT THEME: HOPE & GLORY
DEADLINE: 11.59PM, SUN 2 JUNE
WORD COUNT: 800-2000
SEND TO: liars@liarsleague.com
Stories must be
1. Unpublished (in print or online), unbroadcast, and not a prizewinner in any previous competition.
2. Between 800-2000 words long (we used to accept above 2,000 words: we no longer do this).
3. Submitted to liars@liarsleague.com by 11.59pm of the deadline day for the theme in question (unless any special extension, eg for Bank Holidays, applies - see above). Deadlines and monthly themes can be found here.
4. Attached as an MS Word (.doc) or .rtf document, page-numbered, with the title on each page. NO PDFs PLEASE.
5. Submitted in an email with the story title, the month of the event and the theme in the subject header: e.g. Love Story, February, He & She. Please put your name at the bottom of your email but NOT on your story, as we prefer to judge anonymously.
6. A prose short story. This means no poetry, no scripts, no non-fiction. We’ll look at novel extracts, but only if they work as stand-alone pieces.
7. ON-THEME. This means that there should be a traceable link to the theme, or that the theme should be invoked or interpreted as a central part of the story. Simply featuring a bar called "Duck & Dive" if that's the theme is not enough; but make your main character a dodgy dealer in stolen goods, and we'll be interested.
ADDED BONUS: Winning stories are now being read by London literary agency Janklow & Nesbit!
Writers must be
1. Willing to have their name and the text of their story up on this site if they win.
2. Willing to be paid for their work in kind. Unfortunately, Liars' League does not currently pay contributors in $ or £. However, if your story is chosen, you will receive the following:
- Publication of your story on this site: it will also be considered for future print anthologies published by our partners Arachne Press
- Free drinks all night (if you are able to attend the event)
- A reading of your work by a professional actor
- An MP3 and a link to a YouTube video recording of the reading
IMPORTANT: Submitting your work to Liars' League implies permission to upload the text and an audio and video recording of your story onto our website so that everyone can enjoy it. If this is an issue just email and we're happy to discuss.
And finally ...
1. Please submit no more than ONE story per theme. This is for reading-time reasons.
2. Please don’t resubmit any story we have previously rejected unless we ask you to, however much it has changed.
3. Please don’t be discouraged. We really want to see your work – so send it in! For some further thoughts on 'what works for the league' see this article by Liars' League regular Niall Boyce
