An inspiration event for people thinking of entering a short story writing competition will shine a light on some of Mansfield’s more ‘horrible histories’.

Mansfield’s Townscape Heritage Project has launched Mansfield’s Short Story Competition 2025.

Writers can explore any subject, theme, or genre up to a maximum of 3,000 words. The competition is open to anyone aged 16 or over and all stories must be submitted by 31st July.

Anyone seeking guidance and ideas for how to write their own story can sign up for an inspiration evening at Mansfield Museum on Wednesday, 4th June.

Stacey Moon-Tracy, a local writer and practitioner, will lead the short story writing workshop and Chapter 4 Young Actors Company will present tales from Mansfield’s darker past to help fire up imaginations.

Places are free but strictly limited. Seats can be booked at www.mansfield.gov.uk/museum/events/event/6146/short-story-inspiration-evening.

First prize in the competition is £100 in Amazon vouchers. There will also be Amazon voucher prizes for second- and third-place winners.

All entries will be judged anonymously by a judging panel comprising organiser Theresa Workman, Townscape Heritage activities co-ordinator; Paul Williams, of Brunts Charity; and Allan Barham, of The Old Mansfield Society. The winners will be announced on Monday, 18th August.

Theresa said: “We hope this competition will draw wide interest and maybe even unearth some new writing talent.

“It is part of the broader Townscape Heritage Project, which seeks to enhance the architectural quality of Mansfield’s historic centre while fostering educational opportunities and community engagement. The townscape project is supported by players of The National Lottery via The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which celebrates local heritage and creativity.”

All entries must be no more than 3,000 words (excluding the title), written in English, double-spaced typed at 12pt size in either Arial or Times New Roman fonts, submitted as a PDF or Microsoft Word file with no reference to the author’s name anywhere in the file, and have a name and phone number of the author added to the body of the entry email, which should be sent to [email protected]

More details of the competition and how to submit an entry are at mansfieldtownscape.org.uk and also on leaflets in Mansfield Museum, Mansfield Library, or Toffee Hut coffee shops on Regent Street and in the Four Seasons Shopping Centre. They can also be provided in PDF form by emailing [email protected]