Applications are currently open for writers who wish to enter the Edinburgh Award for Flash Fiction and need help with entry fees.

Bursary applications close on 30 June at 11.59pm BST

Scottish Arts Trust Bursaries help skilled under-represented writers and artists to obtain free entry to our awards. You may apply for a flash fiction bursary if you are over the age of 16 years and affected by:

• Low household income
• Discrimination due to ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious or minority group
• Refugees or forced migrants
• Ex-offenders
• Disability 
• Full-time carer
• Or other barrier that may affect your entry to our competitions. 

Please do not apply for a bursary if you don't need it. 

You may only submit one bursary application for this competition. After the deadline we will randomly select the writers who will be awarded free entry to the competition. We always give away as many bursaries as the fund allows.

Bursaries are non-transferable.  If you are awarded a bursary you may not use it to enter a different competition or  give it to someone else.

All applicants will be informed if their bursary application has succeeded or not by 1 August. If you are unsuccessful this time please try again next time.

Edinburgh Award for Flash Fiction Guidelines:

OPEN FOR ENTRIES: 1 May 2026

CLOSING DATE: 31 August 2026 at 23.59 UK Time

WORD LIMIT: 250 words (not including the title)

By 15 December 2026, all candidates will be contacted to let them know if they have made it to the short list. 

2027 prize winners will be announced during a Zoom event involving all shortlisted writers worldwide on Saturday 20 February. 2027

The winner will be also be announced on our website, via Facebook, Instagram, and through our newsletters  Sign up for our newsletter here.

Prizes

• FIRST PRIZE: £2,000 and one year free membership of the Scottish Arts Club
• SECOND PRIZE: £500
• THIRD PRIZE: £250
• THE GOLDEN HARE AWARD: £500 and one year free membership of the Scottish Arts Club
• WRITE MANGO AWARD: £300
• Three Commendations awarded £100 each
• At least three flash mango stories will be shortlisted for the award, included in the overall shortlist for the international competition and offered publication in the anthology.
• Scottish Arts Club free membership for one year for 1st prize winner and the winner of the Golden Hare Award.

Eligibility

• The Edinburgh Flash Fiction Award is open to all writers worldwide, published and unpublished, who are over 16 years by 1 September 2026. Entries can be on any theme or subject but must be written in English. They must also be for adult readers.
• Entries must not have been previously published in print or online, been broadcast or won a prize.
• Simultaneous submission is permitted. Should your flash fiction story win a prize or be published elsewhere, please let us know so that we may withdraw your entry from the current award.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are not permitted in the creation of stories entered for the flash fiction awards. If a writer uses AI in the creation of a work that wins a prize, the writer will be liable to repay the prize money and to compensate the Scottish Arts Trust for time wasted and reputational damage.
• No refunds are issued.

Format

• Maximum length is 250 words. The title does not count as part of the 250 word limit.
• Entries should be typed in a plain legible font.
• Entries will be read and judged anonymously. Do not put your name, address, email, telephone number or any personal identifying information on any page of your document.
• Acceptable file types are doc, docx, and pdf. No other format is accepted.

Submitting

• We do not accept postal entries.
• No corrections or alterations can be made after entries have been received. If you want to change the story you will have to submit a new entry.
• Entry is open from 1 May to 31 August (11.59pm UK time)
• You may submit as many entries as you wish.
• All entries will be acknowledged through Submittable.

Payment and Free Entry

• The entry fee is £10 per story.
• The competition is administered through the Scottish Arts Trust, a registered charity in Scotland. All proceeds are used to support the arts in Scotland. The competition is entirely managed by volunteers.
• Applications for free entry through our bursary scheme are open from 1 May to 1 July 2026. Learn more here.

Copyright

• The author will retain copyright to their story.
• All authors will be asked for permission before any work is published on our website or in the anthology. We expect all prize-winning and commended authors to agree to publication.
• All stories submitted must be entirely the author’s own work, and not infringe the copyright or any other rights of any third party and not be defamatory of any living person or corporate body.
• Entries must be in the entrant’s own name/names, not pseudonymous (if successful, you can request use of an alternative name in the anthology and online).

USE OF AI

• We do not accept stories, novels, essays of flash fiction that have been created using AI. If a prize winning entry has been found to use AI the writer will be required to reimburse their prize winnings and to cover all costs incurred as a result by the Scottish Arts Trust.

General

• Entry constitutes acceptance of all Edinburgh True Flash Award Rules, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Policies.
• Entries that fail to comply with rules, terms and conditions, privacy policies and requirements will be disqualified.
• No correspondence can be entered into. Judges’ decisions are final.