the 2021 prize is open for entries!
QUERIES/CONTACT
if you have any queries about the prize, please email: streetcakeprize@gmail.com
if you have any queries about the prize, please email: streetcakeprize@gmail.com
ABOUT THE PRIZE
this prize is aimed at writers based in the UK and EU who are responding creatively and experimenting with the literature mold. with this prize, we seek to identify, recognise and develop writers’ careers in the genres of short fiction and poetry. we are supported by Arts Council England, Writers’ Centre Kingston, and Selcouth Station Press. this will be our third year of running this amazing prize.
there are two age categories (18-30 and 31 and over) in each category of short fiction and poetry, which
means there are four overall first place winners. we also award second-fourth places in each category.
PRIZES
- 1st place: six personalised mentoring sessions, book bundles, networking and performance/exhibition opportunities.
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- 2nd place: two online personalised mentoring sessions from the streetcake editors, networking and book bundles.
- 3rd place: one email feedback session from the streetcake editors and book bundles.
- 4th place: book bundles.
- all winning entrants published in the anthology.
HOW TO ENTER
Entry is by email to streetcakeprize@gmail.com.
Entry is free but if you can support us with a voluntary donation of £1-2, we would appreciate your support!
(*please note, donations have no impact on whether you are placed or not)
Entry is by email to streetcakeprize@gmail.com.
Entry is free but if you can support us with a voluntary donation of £1-2, we would appreciate your support!
(*please note, donations have no impact on whether you are placed or not)
There is a limit of 2 pieces of short fiction (2500 words per story) per entrant and / or 3 poems (max 2 sides of A4 per poem) per entrant.
In the subject line, please state your age and write either “poetry” or “fiction”, depending on what you are submitting (this will allow us to enter you into the correct category). Please send all poems or stories in the same email with your files saved as the name of your piece/s.
If you are entering in both categories, please send two separate emails for each writing genre but with the same personal information.
In the body of the email, please state:
Please attach your entries as single WORD (.doc or .docx) or PDF files. Please read the rules for details about file formats for more visual works. Each poem/story should be submitted as a separate file and in a legible font (unless it is a visual piece and it is the intention to be unreadable). There should be no identifying features on the file other than the title of your work. If any personal details are left on the file, your entry will unfortunately be disqualified.
All entries must be received before 23:59 on MONDAY 20th SEPTEMBER 2021 (UK time).
Entries received after this time will be discarded.
***please read the FULL RULES before entering.
we also have some FAQs***
In the subject line, please state your age and write either “poetry” or “fiction”, depending on what you are submitting (this will allow us to enter you into the correct category). Please send all poems or stories in the same email with your files saved as the name of your piece/s.
If you are entering in both categories, please send two separate emails for each writing genre but with the same personal information.
In the body of the email, please state:
- Name (pseudonyms are allowed but you must enter with your legal name)
- Title of work/s
- Address (you must be living at a UK/EU address to enter but entry is not limited to UK/EU nationals)
- Nationality
- Date of birth and age (for category banding)
- Preferred phone number
- Where you heard about the prize
- If you are happy to tell us, please let us know if you belong to an underrepresented group. This is for monitoring purposes and will not be shared anywhere.
- Pen Name (if any)
Please attach your entries as single WORD (.doc or .docx) or PDF files. Please read the rules for details about file formats for more visual works. Each poem/story should be submitted as a separate file and in a legible font (unless it is a visual piece and it is the intention to be unreadable). There should be no identifying features on the file other than the title of your work. If any personal details are left on the file, your entry will unfortunately be disqualified.
All entries must be received before 23:59 on MONDAY 20th SEPTEMBER 2021 (UK time).
Entries received after this time will be discarded.
***please read the FULL RULES before entering.
we also have some FAQs***
JUDGES
our amazing 2021 judges and mentors:
our amazing 2021 judges and mentors:
poetry - karenjit sandhu
Karenjit Sandhu is a poet, artist and teacher. Her debut poetry collection young girls! will be released later this year by the 87 Press. Forthcoming publications include flowers won’t grow in collaboration with SJ Fowler (Sampson Low, 2021), and The Irritating Archive (Guillemot Press, 2022). Her poems have recently been published in the anthology Judith: Women Making Visual Poetry (Timglaset Editions, 2021). Her work has also appeared in Magma in collaboration with Ryan Ormonde (2020), Writing Utopia (Hesterglock Press, 2020), Nemeses (HVTN Press, 2019) and Para-text (2019). Karenjit’s poetry is available online at Digital Poetics (87 Press, 2020), Junction Box (2020) and DATABLEED (2019). She has collaborated with the Sir Denis Mahon Foundation, Institute of Contemporary Arts and Flat Time House (London), Arnolfini (Bristol) and Galerie Eric Dupont (Paris). She has also written for The Blue Notebook: Journal for Artists’ Books, and her artworks have been exhibited at The Showroom (London) and Galerie éof (Paris). She is currently working towards a PhD in irritating artistic and poetic practices.
W: https://linktr.ee/k_ren_s_ndhu
T: @k_ren_sandhu
Karenjit Sandhu is a poet, artist and teacher. Her debut poetry collection young girls! will be released later this year by the 87 Press. Forthcoming publications include flowers won’t grow in collaboration with SJ Fowler (Sampson Low, 2021), and The Irritating Archive (Guillemot Press, 2022). Her poems have recently been published in the anthology Judith: Women Making Visual Poetry (Timglaset Editions, 2021). Her work has also appeared in Magma in collaboration with Ryan Ormonde (2020), Writing Utopia (Hesterglock Press, 2020), Nemeses (HVTN Press, 2019) and Para-text (2019). Karenjit’s poetry is available online at Digital Poetics (87 Press, 2020), Junction Box (2020) and DATABLEED (2019). She has collaborated with the Sir Denis Mahon Foundation, Institute of Contemporary Arts and Flat Time House (London), Arnolfini (Bristol) and Galerie Eric Dupont (Paris). She has also written for The Blue Notebook: Journal for Artists’ Books, and her artworks have been exhibited at The Showroom (London) and Galerie éof (Paris). She is currently working towards a PhD in irritating artistic and poetic practices.
W: https://linktr.ee/k_ren_s_ndhu
T: @k_ren_sandhu
poetry - astra papachristodoulou
Astra Papachristodoulou is a poet, visual artist and curator with focus in the experimental tradition. She is currently a PhD researcher and tutor at the University of Surrey with a focus in Sculptural Poetics and Neo-Futurism, and her work has been published in various magazines including Ambit Magazine, The Times and Magma Poetry. Astra is the founder of Poem Atlas and has curated numerous online and in-gallery exhibitions of visual poetry in the UK. She is the author of several poetry books including Stargazing (Guillemot Press) and Bunnies Behind Bars (KFS Press).
Web: www.astranaut.co.uk
T: @heyastranaut
Astra Papachristodoulou is a poet, visual artist and curator with focus in the experimental tradition. She is currently a PhD researcher and tutor at the University of Surrey with a focus in Sculptural Poetics and Neo-Futurism, and her work has been published in various magazines including Ambit Magazine, The Times and Magma Poetry. Astra is the founder of Poem Atlas and has curated numerous online and in-gallery exhibitions of visual poetry in the UK. She is the author of several poetry books including Stargazing (Guillemot Press) and Bunnies Behind Bars (KFS Press).
Web: www.astranaut.co.uk
T: @heyastranaut
fiction - anita goveas
Anita Goveas is British-Asian, London-based, and fuelled by strong coffee and paneer jalfrezi. She was first published in the 2016 London Short Story Prize anthology, most recently in Little Fiction and Gone Lawn. She’s on the editorial team at Flashback Fiction, an editor at Mythic Picnic’s Twitter zine. She was a tutor on the 'A Brief Pause' programme from Dahlia Publishing Her debut flash collection, ‘Families and other natural disasters’, is available from Reflex Press.
Web: https://coffeeandpaneer.wordpress.com/
T: @coffeeandpaneer
Anita Goveas is British-Asian, London-based, and fuelled by strong coffee and paneer jalfrezi. She was first published in the 2016 London Short Story Prize anthology, most recently in Little Fiction and Gone Lawn. She’s on the editorial team at Flashback Fiction, an editor at Mythic Picnic’s Twitter zine. She was a tutor on the 'A Brief Pause' programme from Dahlia Publishing Her debut flash collection, ‘Families and other natural disasters’, is available from Reflex Press.
Web: https://coffeeandpaneer.wordpress.com/
T: @coffeeandpaneer
fiction - jarred mcginnis
Jarred McGinnis' debut novel ‘The Coward’ is published by Canongate (July 2021). Jarred is the co-founder of The Special Relationship, which was chosen for the British Council’s International Literature Showcase. He was the creative director for ‘Moby-Dick Unabridged‘, a four-day immersive multimedia reading of Herman Melville’s ‘Moby-Dick’ at the Southbank Centre, involving hundreds of participants. His short fiction has been commissioned for BBC Radio 4 and appeared in respected journals in the UK, Canada, USA and Ireland. He is or has been an Associate Writer for Spread the Word, a mentor for the Word Factory, a fellow of the London Library’s T S Eliot Emerging Writer Programme and a Writer-in-Residence for First Story. His debut will be published by Canongate in 2021. He also has a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, but mostly he inspires the able-bodied by using public transport and taking his daughters to the playground.
Web: https://jarredmcginnis.com
T: @JarredMcGinnis
Jarred McGinnis' debut novel ‘The Coward’ is published by Canongate (July 2021). Jarred is the co-founder of The Special Relationship, which was chosen for the British Council’s International Literature Showcase. He was the creative director for ‘Moby-Dick Unabridged‘, a four-day immersive multimedia reading of Herman Melville’s ‘Moby-Dick’ at the Southbank Centre, involving hundreds of participants. His short fiction has been commissioned for BBC Radio 4 and appeared in respected journals in the UK, Canada, USA and Ireland. He is or has been an Associate Writer for Spread the Word, a mentor for the Word Factory, a fellow of the London Library’s T S Eliot Emerging Writer Programme and a Writer-in-Residence for First Story. His debut will be published by Canongate in 2021. He also has a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, but mostly he inspires the able-bodied by using public transport and taking his daughters to the playground.
Web: https://jarredmcginnis.com
T: @JarredMcGinnis
ENTER OUR RAFFLE TO WIN AMAZING PRIZES!
A £3 DONATION COULD WIN YOU BOOKS, FEEDBACK, FREE TICKETS, WORKSHOP SPOTS, WRITING GUIDES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS!
A £3 DONATION COULD WIN YOU BOOKS, FEEDBACK, FREE TICKETS, WORKSHOP SPOTS, WRITING GUIDES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS!
CAN YOU HELP US?
To support the removal of the entry fee, we are looking for generous people to help us with raffle prizes! Raffle entrants will be able to win fab book prizes (e.g.: books, critiques, discounts on services, book merch) so if you can offer something, please fill in this form.
** 15% of proceeds will go to Booktrust, a book gifting charity who do amazing work! **
Transparency: the ACE funding we receive goes towards paying everyone on the prize for their time, as well as a small budget for marketing/accessibility. We are using some of our own money for the 10% required income that you need for ACE and this raffle is helping us to raise the remainder and support the previous sponsored spots.
To support the removal of the entry fee, we are looking for generous people to help us with raffle prizes! Raffle entrants will be able to win fab book prizes (e.g.: books, critiques, discounts on services, book merch) so if you can offer something, please fill in this form.
** 15% of proceeds will go to Booktrust, a book gifting charity who do amazing work! **
Transparency: the ACE funding we receive goes towards paying everyone on the prize for their time, as well as a small budget for marketing/accessibility. We are using some of our own money for the 10% required income that you need for ACE and this raffle is helping us to raise the remainder and support the previous sponsored spots.
BUY OUR 2020 ANTHOLOGY -
SEE PAST WORK WE'VE RECOGNISED
SEE PAST WORK WE'VE RECOGNISED
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please contact us for EU or international postage
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TESTIMONIALS
"Winning the prize has given me the confidence to devote myself to creative writing in a meaningful way. The mentoring I have received has been so crucial in helping me to expand my ideas and discover the direction I want to take my writing in."
-Alex Gray, Fiction 24-30 first place winner 2020
"Since completing the mentoring sessions, I have had my poetry accepted by a number of journals and am working towards my first collection—I don’t think I would have been able to achieve this without all the support from everyone at Streetcake Magazine."
-EJ Coates, 18-23 first place winner 2020
"The experimental nature of the prize creates a space where I found that I was able - and encouraged - to think of writing in new ways and take risks. Jarred and Streetcake have introduced me to many new authors and influences, and my confidence and abilities have only improved since winning the award last year. I would encourage anyone to apply."
-Beth Simcock, 18-23 first place winner 2020
"Winning the Streetcake Experimental Writing Prize has been the turning point in my writing career. I could never have imagined the opportunities it has given me in terms of performing and publishing my poetry. I think it is one of the most vital and forward-thinking writing prizes in the UK."
-Michael Sutton, Poetry 22-26 first place winner 2019
"The Streetcake Experimental Writing Prize has been such a huge boost in confidence as a writer starting out. It has been a big part of my journey as an emerging writer."
-Sarah Loverock (Dean), Fiction 18-21 first place winner 2019
"The Streetcake Experimental Writing Prize experience has encouraged me to be so much more creative than I ever thought I could be. It has pushed me to be bolder and experiment with my writing. I have found my voice and can’t wait to continue working on pieces that break the norms."
-Leia Butler, Poetry 18-21 first place winner 2019
"Winning the prize has given me the confidence to devote myself to creative writing in a meaningful way. The mentoring I have received has been so crucial in helping me to expand my ideas and discover the direction I want to take my writing in."
-Alex Gray, Fiction 24-30 first place winner 2020
"Since completing the mentoring sessions, I have had my poetry accepted by a number of journals and am working towards my first collection—I don’t think I would have been able to achieve this without all the support from everyone at Streetcake Magazine."
-EJ Coates, 18-23 first place winner 2020
"The experimental nature of the prize creates a space where I found that I was able - and encouraged - to think of writing in new ways and take risks. Jarred and Streetcake have introduced me to many new authors and influences, and my confidence and abilities have only improved since winning the award last year. I would encourage anyone to apply."
-Beth Simcock, 18-23 first place winner 2020
"Winning the Streetcake Experimental Writing Prize has been the turning point in my writing career. I could never have imagined the opportunities it has given me in terms of performing and publishing my poetry. I think it is one of the most vital and forward-thinking writing prizes in the UK."
-Michael Sutton, Poetry 22-26 first place winner 2019
"The Streetcake Experimental Writing Prize has been such a huge boost in confidence as a writer starting out. It has been a big part of my journey as an emerging writer."
-Sarah Loverock (Dean), Fiction 18-21 first place winner 2019
"The Streetcake Experimental Writing Prize experience has encouraged me to be so much more creative than I ever thought I could be. It has pushed me to be bolder and experiment with my writing. I have found my voice and can’t wait to continue working on pieces that break the norms."
-Leia Butler, Poetry 18-21 first place winner 2019
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING:
joe ruddock, sam ruddock, alec newman of kfs press, isabelle kenyon, haley jenkins, spread the word,
sj fowler, leone ross, the helpful staff at ACE, people who have given support to the prize, and our passionate judges.
joe ruddock, sam ruddock, alec newman of kfs press, isabelle kenyon, haley jenkins, spread the word,
sj fowler, leone ross, the helpful staff at ACE, people who have given support to the prize, and our passionate judges.
