Submissions closed

Take us
somewhere special
in under 1000 words*

The September round of The Coop is now closed. Winners will be announced on October 1st. Thank you to everyone who submitted!

See previous winners Results announced: 1st October 2026
Submissions are now closed. Winners announced 1st October.

What's at stake

Word count

1000 words*

Entry fee

Free to enter

Open to

All writers, English speaking

Genres

Any — no restrictions

Status

Submissions closed

Next round

October — opening soon

Prizes

1st place Grand Prize €88
+ The winner and their story will be immortalised in our Hall of Fame

Previous winners

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How to enter

01

Word count: *Your story should be under 1000 words but take a few more if you need them.

02

Format: Paste your story directly into the submission form. Use plain text only.

03

Originality: Work must be your own, previously unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere. No AI generated content.

04

Limit per person: One submission per author. Please see FAQ for more thoughts on this.

05

Rights: Authors retain full copyright. We ask for first publication rights for winning entries only.

06

Questions? Reach us at hello@chickenblue.com

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Who we are

Chickenblue believes there are many great writers in the world who are not published — and plenty of published fiction that frankly should never have made it that far.

The ambition is to build a credible space for new voices where they can get their first leg up. Winners are chosen on the strength of their work, not the size of their social media following.

Questions? Reach us at hello@chickenblue.com

Common questions

No — if it's been publicly posted, it doesn't qualify. Although to be honest there's not enough bandwidth to check every entry. I'm not even sure where I'd start. I might google the winner if I remember.

One entry per person per competition. This competition runs monthly so you can post another story next time.

Yes. If you opt in for our drumstick rating you'll recieve some feedback from our judge a few days after the winner is announced. One drumstick = Needs more work. Two drumsticks = You're on to something. Three drumsticks = Well done sir or madam.

Winners will be announced on the 1st of the following month via our Bluesky, Substack and Instagram pages.