The Mogford Hotels and Restaurants Group is inviting entries for its sixth annual short story prize. The winner will receive £10,000 (approximately US$13,000) and the competition is open to writers worldwide.
The judges for the 2018 contest are bestselling travel writer Bill Bryson and celebrity television cook Lorraine Pascale.
According to the organisers:
Food and Drink must be at the heart of the tale. The story could, for instance, be fiction or fact about a chance meeting over a drink, a life-changing conversation over dinner, or a relationship explored through food and drink. It could be crime or intrigue; in fact any subject as long as it involves food and/or drink in some way.
Both published and unpublished writers are invited to enter but all stories must be previously unpublished. All entries must be accompanied by a £10 entry fee and a 2500 word limit applies.
In 2017 the contest attracted over 1000 entries. The overall winner was Nicky Winder for her story ‘Bait’ (download the story here (PDF) or listen to an audio version below).
Entries close at 12 noon (GMT) on Wednesday 3 January 2018. The winner will be announced at the Mogford Prize Party on 21 March. For further information and to enter visit the Mogford Short Story Prize website.
Listen to ‘Bait’, winner of the 2017 Mogford Food and Drink Short Story Prize
Written by Nicky Winder
Read by Claire Ottewell