Earlyworks Press produces anthologies of poetry and fiction by writers who have been successful in our competitions, as well as work by members of our club and their associates. Our competitions are open to all, attracting work of a high standard from across the English-speaking world.
We're serious about good writing, and we're serious about good writers too. Our competitions offer publication and cash prizes, but we wanted to do more to help writers, illustrators and others with an interest in high quality publication fulfil their potential. That's why we offer club membership to every shortlisted writer.
The club’s private forum gives members a secure place to develop and discuss work, share information about writing, publishing and marketing, and socialise among like-minded people. Members attend book fairs and organise launches and other events in the UK and abroad, and enjoy occasional informal meetings.
Welcome to Earlyworks Press - a small press that's also a writing community.
Kay Green, Editor
Earlyworks Press, Creative Media Centre, 45 Robertson St, Hastings, Sussex TN34 1HL
All competitions offer cash prizes and publication opportunities.
We design and publish anthologies around the works of the main competition winners and shortlisted authors. These are quality paperbacks, marketed to bookshops and reviewed and promoted to showcase our winning authors. Shortlisted authors receive a free copy on publication, and further, discounted copies if they request them.
Hard work, sleepless nights and one day, maybe
For results, new competitions, books and events, please sign up for our newsletter.
Short Story competition
Winner: Katy Wimhurst for The Sorcery of Smog
The shortlist: Sharon Boyle, Gillian Brown, Paul Burns, Richard Buxton, Rebecca Camu, Joe Gibbs, Jez Hodesdon, Sue Hoffmann, Graham Hubbard, Anthony James, Chandra Masoliver, Helen Mayall, Jonathan Page, Andrew Peters, Leslie Stevenson, P J Stephenson, Janet Swinney, Jennifer Tucker, Charles Warren, Katy Wimhurst and William Wood
Excellent offerings from all these writers - all memorable, well crafted stories - some standing out for a clean, poetic style, others for hitting the Zeitgeist with breath-taking skill, others for raising a laugh a question, or a valuable train of thought.
Competition anthology: Sorcery of Smog
Flash Fiction competition
Winner: Jonathan Page for Horseplay
The shortlist: Laura Besley, Cecile Bol, Sharon Boyle, Eirlys Chui, Caroline Deacon, Supie Dunbar, Lisa Donoghue, Cedric Fox-Kirk, John Holland, Ben Howels, Jonathan Page, Catherine Perrins, and Jacqueline Winn
Competition anthology: Origami poems and towering stories
Poetry competition
Winner: John Gallas for How to make a Chough | Second prize: Mandy Pannett for one of three ships | First commendation: Jocelyn Simms | Commendations: Brian Charlton, Lorna Liffen
The shortlist: Matthew Adamo, Elaine Beeby, Cecile Bol, Indigo Buckler, Philip Burton, Brian Charlton, Andria J Cooke, Ion Corcos, Caroline M Davies, Roger Elkin, John Gallas, Sean Gibson, Ruth Hanchett, Harvey Martin, Christopher James, Sue Kauth, Danny Kent, Lorna Liffen, Anna O’Donoghue, Mandy Pannett, Jennifer Richards, A K S Shaw, Jocelyn Simms, Richard Smith, Joanna Wakefield, Nico Volkerts, Stephen Williams, Glen Wilson, William Wood, Abigail Elisabeth Ottley
Competition anthology: Origami poems and towering stories
Short story competition
Winner: Susan Imgrund for The Dictator's Daughter
Shortlist: Natasha Bland, Stuart Gardner, Sue Hoffmann, Susan Imgrund, Linda Irish, Taria Karillion, Katie Lewis, Yvonne Mallett, Adrian Markle, Sue Mays, Rhonwen McCormack, Rebecca Mayhew, Jonathan Page, Wendy Stedman, P J Stephenson, Tom Szendrai, Valerie Thompson, Ian Tucker, Charles Warren, Christine Webb and Chris Williams
It's in the detail...
£200 awaited the winner, and we were stuck there for some time, arguing the merits of this and that out of a collection of unquestionably excellent entries. We got it down to four by being really picky about wanting a good story, well shaped, well realised, cleanly told, well presented, carefully edited, with no need of red pen work from us. Special mention for Susan Imgrund, Katie Lewis, Ian Tucker and Margi Hatjoullis all of whom had entries that were recommended for first place more than once along the way but it’s a competition, there has to be a winner, and we have chosen - it's Susan Imgrund for “The Dictator’s Daughter”.
Competition anthology: Apples, Shadows and Light
Flash fiction competition
Winner: Andrew Irvine for First Love | Runner-up: Catherine Edmunds for Red Slippers
Shortlist: K B Baker, Dyan Colclough, Sally Davies, John Holland, Stephanie Martin, Tom Payne, Edmund Piper, Harry Pratchett, Linda Sage, Tom Tibble, D J Tyrer, Ann Wright
Competition anthology: Apples, Shadows and Light
Short story competition
Winner: Jonathan Page for The Teacher
Well done to Jonathan for an exceptionally well-crafted and enjoyable story. Other authors whose entries impressed, and which are included in the anthology, are as follows.
Shortlist: Cedric Fox-Kirk, Bruce Harris, Colin Heffernan, Kieran Lambe, Barbara Lee, Harvey Martin, Emma Myatt, Jasmina Svenne, Alison Wassell
Competition anthology: Journeys Beyond
Web poetry competition
Winner: David Crann for Girl Soldiers – Equal Opportunities for post traumatic stress | Runner-up: Jan Harris for Eva, Homo Sapiens ssp. brokenheart
Judge's comments on David Crann's winning poem: This is a sad and cynical poem, superbly written throughout. However it is the final stanza that persuaded me to choose it as my winner with its ironic allusion to Wilfrid Owen’s poem ‘Futility’ where this time it is the girl-soldier being moved in vain into the sun where she will never again smell ‘the honeysuckle and the yellow rose’ nor hear ‘the maudlin requiem of the whippoorwill’. An outstanding and thought-provoking poem; a perfect winner.
For more information about this competition, including the winning poems, see Web poetry competition results 2015.
Highly commended: Mark A Murphy, Harriet MacMillan, Dana Andersen
Competition anthology: Journeys Beyond
Short Story competition
Winner: Joan Christie
The shortlist: Fiona Armstrong, Tony Axelrad, Joan Christie, Anita Davie, Ruko Kitamaro, Brian Lockett, Ann Butler Rowlands, Yvonne Mallett, L F Roth, Mark Sheeky, Janet H Swinney
Flash Fiction competition
Winner: Catherine Edmunds
This was a strong list and contained a wide range of ideas about what flash fiction ought to be. A real pleasure to read. Congratulations to Catherine, and to the other authors whose stories were in a hotly contested final round: Susan Carey, Paul Dawson, Sue Hoffmann, J A Holland, Barbara Lorna Hudson, Mandy Pannett, L F Roth, Pat Simmons and Malcolm Sinclair
The shortlist: Susan Carey, Paul Dawson, Sue Hoffmann, J A Holland, Barbara Lorna Hudson, Mandy Pannett, L F Roth, Pat Simmons, Malcolm Sinclair, Brian Webster, Brock James Davies, Rhona Gorringe, Ingrid Jendrzejewski, Ben Howels, Kate Ashlin, Emma Heath, Anne Elder, Katrina Collett, Andrew Irvine, Frances Colville, Edmund Piper, Ren Watson, Jeanne Davies, Fred Canavan, Hilary Hopker
Biography challenge
Winner: Brian Harwood for his historical biography Fixer and Fighter - the tumultuous life of Hubert de Burgh (1170–1243)
The shortlist: Christine Collette, Michelle Crowther, Pam Eaves, Catherine Edmunds, Brian Harwood, Maureen Hibbert, Charles Neyra, Carole A Ridge
Poetry collection competition
Winner: Caron Freeborn, who receives a £100 advance and a contract for a poetry collection with Circaidy Gregory Press | Runners-up: Mick Evans, Andie Lewenstein and June Wentland
The shortlist: Angela Arnold, Rata Gordon, Eilidh Thomas, Anthony Watts and John Wilks.
Short story competition
Winner: Julian Holt for The several deaths of Finbar’s father
Judge's comments: the depth and craft of the winning story by Julian Holt leaves me delighted that we still do high quality books of our shortlists. This is going to be a super anthology – well done to Julian, and to the shortlisted authors.
Shortlist: RJ Allison, Stephen Atkinson, Anne Ayres, Jane Borges, Michael Davis,Sarah Evans, Michael Fowler, Andrew Hanson, Colin Hefferman, Robert Holtom, Paul Houghton, Yvonne Mallett, Rob Percival, L F Roth, Susan Smith, Martin Tyrrell
Competition anthology: The several deaths of Finbar's father
Comedy competition
Winner: Phil Berthoud for Atmosphere
Shortlist: Dave Bryan, David Clemson, Liz Crosby, Maureen Cullen, John Holland, David Houston, Felicity Knight, Melissa Lawrence, Gillian Leaver, Lorna Liffen, Bill Lythgoe, Yvonne Mallett, Tony Noon, Tony Oswick, Angela Perkins, L F Roth, Pippa Sherman, Eddie Summers, Livia Varju, Heather Wastie and William Wood
Competition anthology: 'ell oh 'ell - You have to laugh it says so
Poetry competition
Winner: Jacqui Rochford for Mooring
Shortlist: Heather Buswell, Jan Harris, Michael Law, Jonathan Payne, Caroline Stockford, Andrea Tang, Roger Elkin, Terence Kenehan, Caroline Oakley, L F Roth, Emma Teichmann, Marilyn Francis, Phil McNulty, Mandy Pannett, Keith Shaw, Heather Williams
Flash fiction competition
Winner: Jeanne Davies for Stag Night
Shortlist: R J Allison, Antony N Britt, Sasha Brown, Sue Clark, Jill Clough, Frances Colville, Dave Drummond, Bronwen Griffiths, Laura Guthrie, John Holland, Jeff Jones, Meredith Jones, Patricia Leake, Phil McNulty, Mark Nightstone, Emily Price, Ian Shine, Andrea Tang, Maree Teychenné and Jax Vincent
Short story competition
Winner: Lance Hanson for Sleeping Jesus and the Green Goblin | Runners-up: Sarah Evans and Chris Franks
Shortlist: Steve Atkinson, Richard Awdry, Sharon Boyle, Joanna Campbell, S M H Davies, Helen Holmes, Julian Holt, L F Roth, Siobhan O'Tierney, Janet H Swinney
Competition anthology: Significant Spaces
Web poetry competition
Winner: Roger Elkin for Zulu Dancing | Runners-up: Sheila Wild, Jacqui Rochford and Keith Shaw
Shortlist: Alyson Morris, Andria Cooke, Daniel Gustaffson, Jocelyn Simms, Ginna Wilkerson
Competition anthology: This is a book about Alice
Flash fiction competition
Winner: Vivien Jones for Shooting Game | Runners-up: Charles Menzinger, Sue Hoffmann and Gaynor Jones
Shortlist: Steve Atkinson, Luke Bowden, Gary J Dooley, Cedric Fox-Kirk, Deborah Heath, Susan Mazzotta, L F Roth, Janet Turner.