The Welkin Genre Prize - Open for Entries!
Today marks the official launch of “The Welkin Genre Prize”, a new free-to-enter competition for microfiction up to 100 words that aims to celebrate writing around different genres and themes.
Entries are open from today until the 30th June at 15:00 BST.
There are five categories:
The “Earth” Prize - writing about landscape and the environment, or about the human connection with the earth (JUDGED BY MATT KENDRICK)
The “Joy” Prize - joyful or humorous writing, or writing that moves towards a sense of hope (JUDGED BY CHRIS COTTOM)
The “Body” Prize - writing about the human body or writing that engages with the theme of illness or disability (JUDGED BY SUMITRA SINGAM)
The “History” Prize - writing that takes us into the past, whether that be a real past or an alternate past (JUDGED BY SUSMITA BHATTACHARYA)
The “Firefly” Prize - writing with a speculative bent (fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian, ghost stories, horror) (JUDGE BY MYNA CHANG)
Each writer can submit a maximum of one piece per category and a total of two pieces across all genres.
Want some inspiration? Read on below for some tips and prompts from the wonderful judges!
Upcoming Welkin Press Micro Workshops
Stand-out Oddities (Thursday 4th June 19:00-20:00 BST)
Unforgettable Voices (Thursday 11th June 19:00-20:00 BST)
Other Workshops and Courses with Matt Kendrick
A Snow Globe on an Iceberg: World-building in short fiction (Tuesday 7th July 2026 19:00-20:30 BST OR Saturday 11th July 2026 09:00-10:30 BST)
What is Learnt in the Cradle: How our childhoods affect our adult selves (Tuesday 4th August 2026 19:00-20:30 BST OR Saturday 8th August 2026 09:00-10:30 BST)
Write Beyond the Lightbulb: Glorious Words (3rd - 16th August)
The Yorkshire Writing Retreat (Monday 14th – Sunday 20th September 2026)
The Editorial Funnel Part 1: Structural Engineering (5th - 25th October)
What are the judges looking for?
Sumitra Singam (judge for the “Body” prize): “I would love to see lived-experience works featuring less well-represented bodies - differently-abled bodies, gender diverse bodies, sensorily-challenged bodies, bodies carrying pain or discomfort, bodies that appear different in some way - let’s celebrate the joys and challenges of all the bodies, how each of our bodies is completely unique!
Chris Cottom (judge for the “Joy” prize): “Regardless of the story, I want to feel the author’s joy at crafting something new and wonderful, hopefully something perfect; to revel in the rhythm and sound palette, to gasp at the word magic.”
Myna Chang (judge for the “Firefly” prize): “I’d love to see a full range of speculative exploration—fantastical language and metaphor, yes, but also true science fiction, fantasy, or spec horror.”
Matt Kendrick (judge for the “Earth” prize): “I’d love to see pieces that bring the earth to life from different angles, finding beauty in the unexpected, perhaps seeing the world through non-human eyes, perhaps contemplating the possibilities within non-standard forms.”
What are tips might you bear in mind?
Matt Kendrick (judge for the “Earth” prize): “Whatever category you’re hoping to enter, aim to distil your story to its purest form. Don’t try to fit a novel in the space of 100 words. Instead, focus on a single moment or a single idea. Think about the rich build of emotions towards a point of emotional zenith. And leave your reader with a powerful final phrase—an image or a resonant thought.”
Myna Chang (judge for the “Firefly” prize): “What emotion do you want your story to convey? Wonder, excitement, fear, love? Or maybe you’re aiming for more subtle or complex emotions. Whatever your goal, channel that feeling while you write. And don’t forget the sensory details!”
Chris Cottom (judge for the “Joy” prize): “Work very, very hard on your title.”
Sumitra Singam (judge for the “Body” prize): “Rich sensory detail always elevates any piece of writing, but is especially important in the tight word count of a micro, and more so if the micro is about the body! Plunge your readers’ fingers into the loam! Give us specificity (not just “it smelt of coffee”, but “earthy, smoky, with the depth of burnt sugar” for example), make your reader read your micro with their entire bodies!”
Myna Chang (judge for the “Firefly” prize): “Stories of AI dystopias are abundant right now. If this is your preferred topic, go for it! But dig deep to find a novel approach—something only your brain could conjure.”
Prompts to get you writing:
Chris Cottom (judge for the “Joy” prize):“A CEO, politician, or modern-day monarch adds a jester to their retinue.
Sumitra Singam (judge for the “Body” prize): “Bring to mind a time when you felt strong emotion towards your body - frustration at its limitations, or joy at its capacity, or anything in between. Write your recollections of this, then flip the POV and write from the perspective of your body. Give voice to your body as a whole, and/or to a specific body part. Consider going deeper - not just your knee, but the bit of cartilage that always sticks in your left knee. Maybe the mitochondria in a single cell in that bit of cartilage! How can you use these different POVs in a single micro - braid them together, or call and response, perhaps?”
Matt Kendrick (judge for the “Earth” prize): “Write a story about a place that’s been reclaimed by nature. This might be an old quarry, an abandoned shopping centre, or a forest fighting back against deforestation. What emotions did that place bring to life in the past? How about the present? What do you envisage for that place in the future?”