Another leap year and another BFFA Award completed. Thank you all those who entered. 34 countries this time and 1010 entries.

Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Zambia

As usual, there was a flood of stories near the end and a lot of writers picked up the Last Minute Club Badge on the final day, February 5th. Someone said it was the colour of a Cadbury’s Caramac bar. Tasty!
We appreciate everyone for submitting, early or later. Read in Full

Read in Full

The weather where we were at the launch of BFFA Volume eight was stormy, but the party in St James Wine Vaults, Bath, where we launched both anthologies was wonderful. Seventeen people came to read. We heard winning, shortlisted and longlisted stories from The Weather Where You Are by Sara HIlls, Mairead Robinson, James Ellis, Mark Barlex, Kathryn Eldridge-Morris, Nick Havergal, Lotty Talbutt, Alison Woodhouse and Sophie Hampton

Stories in the Flash Fiction Festival Anthology Vol Six, were read by authors Michael Loveday, Kathryn Aldridge Morris, Grace Palmer, Jude Higgins, John Wheway, Damhnait Monaghan, Diane Simmons, Sara Hills Cole Beauchamp, Sara Hills and Anna M Wang. So many brilliant stories in both anthologies and it was so good hearing them read out loud.

As you can see from these lists some authors had a story in both anthologies and read them both and Mark Barlex read two of his stories which were listed in different rounds of the 2023 BFFA Awards.

We had a cake (pictured above ) with a cover showing part of the cover of each anthology to celebrate, along with wine and snacks. There was also a raffle of festival anthologies and other Ad Hoc Fiction books plus two bottles of Argentinian red wine kindly donated by Cole Beauchamp.

The twenty sixth round of BFFA is being judged this month and the new Award will open March 1st. Everyone longlisted in this and the other two awards in 2024 will be offered publication and a free copy of the book when it is printed at the end of the year. Everyone coming to the 2024 Flash Fiction Festival will also be able submit stories to be considered for publication in the seventh (violet coloured) edition of the rainbow series of Festival anthologies.

Booking for the 2024 Flash Fiction Festival weekend we sponsor, 12-14th July is open now. More details at flashfictionfestival.com

The Last Minute Club is open! Our 26th Award closes today, Sunday 4th February at midnight. Prizes £1000 first, £300 second, £100 third prize £30 for two runners up. One entry £9.00. Two entries £15.00, Three entries £18.00. Anthology publication offer for all fifty longlisted in our 2024 BFFA Anthology. Up to 300 words. Judge Susmita Bhattacharya from the Uk. Read her judge’s interview here. Results out by end of Feb. Enter here.

Here is the last minute club badge that John at Ad Hoc Fiction created again for the 26th Award. Green and pale brown Anyone entering today should get one with their entry confirmation.

Read in Full

Thanks again to all flash fiction writers, for your support for our Bath Flash Fiction Awards. Our readers are very busy reading your entries for the 26th Award which closes this Sunday 4th February at midnight GMT. For up to 300 word flash fiction. Entry costs: £9.00 one entry £15 two entries £18 three entries. Prizes £1000 first prize, £300 second prize, £100 third prize, £30 each for two runners up. All fifty longlisted stories are offered publication in our 2024 print anthology and posted world wide. Top stories are always nominated for Best Small Fictions The Best of the Net and The Pushcart Prize.This round is being judged by award winning writer Susmita Bhattacharya

To remind everyone, The Last Minute Club, for intrepid flash fictioneers is only open on the final day. Anyone entering on Sunday 4th February will receive a (virtual) Last Minute Club badge. Everyone loves badges don’t they? Our mini-competition to guess the colour of the badge is open on X and Facebook tomorrow, Saturday 3rd Feb. The first person to guess the colour (or colour comibation of the new badge will receive either one of the 2023 Bath Flash Fiction anthologies Vol 8. Or the new Flash Fiction Festival Anthology. We often give prizes to two people for near guesses. You won’t know the colour until first thing on Sunday morning. Read in Full

Two weeks to go until the deadline our 26th Award on Sunday February 4th. (Judge Susmita Bhattacharya) and the first chance to be offered pubication in our 2024, anthology, the ninth one in the series. Fifty longlisted authors are offered publication in each round of the award. Feb, June and October and then the book is compiled.

We’ve published nearly 900 stories since the first volume was published. Cover images and links to picture galleries of all eight anthologies are below with links to pictures of the books when they arrived with the authors, or to book launches and interviews.

Our eighth anthology from the 2023 Awards The Weather Where You Are is still on its way to some people and we’ll post a gallery up soon!

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There’s just under three weeks left before Sunday February 4th, the deadline of our 25th Award judged by UK based writer, Susmita Bhattacharya, and I’m reposting a list I made a couple of years ago of all our first prize wins, linked to judge’s comments and author interviews and put into categories of subject matter and theme. There are four more first prize wins now. One other thing to consider if you read the stories — our Award word limit is 300 words but we welcome very short micros too. This might be of interest to those who recently subbed 100 word pieces for the Welkin prize. One of our first prize winners, Tying the Boats by Amanda 0’Callaghan from 2017 is just 180 words long. Read in Full