The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition is a distinguished national writing competition for writers born or living in Wales. Originally established in 1991, we are delighted to manage this prestigious award on behalf of The Rhys Davies Trust and in association with Parthian Books.

About Rhys Davies

Rhys Davies as a young man

Born in Blaenclydach, near Tonypandy in the Rhondda, in 1901, Rhys Davies was among the most dedicated, prolific, and accomplished of Welsh prose-writers in English. With unswerving devotion and scant regard for commercial success, he practised the writer’s craft for some fifty years, in both the short story and the novel form, publishing in his lifetime a substantial body of work on which his literary reputation now firmly rests. He wrote, in all, more than a hundred stories, twenty novels, three novellas, two topographical books about Wales, two plays, and an autobiography. 

Awards

  • 1st Prize - £1,000 sterling and publication in a short story anthology to be published by Parthian Books in 2024.

  • 11 x Runners-up/Finalist Prizes - £100 each and publication in a short story anthology to be published by Parthian Books in 2024.

How to enter

Open for entries: THURSDAY 9th NOVEMBER 2023
Deadline for receipt of entries: THURSDAY 15th FEBRUARY 2024 AT MIDNIGHT

How to enter:

  1. Read the Entry Rules, Terms and Conditions - 2024 Rhys Davies Short Story Competition
  2. Pay the entry fee and receive your unique reference number CLICK HERE. For details of eligibility for free entry, please consult the terms and conditions
  3. Please complete the entry form CLICK HERE.

 

Competition Guidelines FAQs

Rebecca F. John

We are delighted to announce that Rebecca F. John will be guest judge for the 2024 competition

Rebecca F. John is the author of five books for adults – Clown’s Shoes, The Haunting of Henry Twist, The Empty Greatcoat, Fannie, and Vulcana. She has previously been shortlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award, the Costa First Novel Award, and the Wales Book of the Year Award. In 2022, she published her first children’s book, a middle-grade novel called The Shadow Order, with Firefly Press.

Rebecca lives in Swansea with her partner, their son, and their dogs. She loves walking, the sea, and reading about as many different worlds as possible.

@Rebecca_Writer | Instagram @rebeccafjohnwww.rebeccafjohn.com