Oxford Independent Authors

Sharing expertise and preserving independence in all our books

⚫

Home Events Authors Books Short Stories Member login

The OxIA Short Story Collection

OxIA (Oxford Independent Authors) curates a Short Story Collection as part of our literary festival programme, open to local writers of all ages who would like to see their work in print.

First launched at the Wolvercote Literary Festival in 2026, the collection will be edited and published on-line, on the OxIA web site, around each of OxIA’s local literary festivals. Ultimately we hope to bring out internationally available e-books and print on-demand paperbacks featuring the pick of the crop in each age group from each local OxIA literary festival.

Read the Collection

The current edition of the Collection is available here:

Short Story Collection: June 2026 (Wolvercote Festival) edition

Collection Guidelines

Entries are invited in three age categories:

Members of Oxford Independent Authors read every entry received.

Reviewing

Submissions in each age-group will be reviewed by a panel of experienced writers, editors and teachers with relevant expertise.

The main criteria will be:

All stories that meet these criteria and are in line with the guidelines below will be included in the collection.

Results

The Short Story Collection for each festival will be published for all to read and enjoy on the OxIA web site on or around the festival date. Each age group’s collection will be available as a PDF download, and a limited number of printed copies will be available for browsing on the stage at the festival venue.

The collection will include all the entries that ‘hang together as a story’, make ‘a decent read’, and are in line with the entry guidelines below.

At some point we hope to have enough really good quality stories to justify publishing a ‘crème de la crème’ selection as internationally available e-books and print-on-demand paperbacks. At this point we will contact the authors of selected stories individually to check on permissions etc.

Entry Guidelines

Please note:

  • Entries must be the writer’s own original work, and must not be published elsewhere in print or on-line on or before submitting to us.
  • Entries are invited from writers of any age who live or work in Oxfordshire.
  • Entries should be emailed to shortstory@oxia.org.uk by a due date for each festival.
  • Entries are free. No more than one entry per person to the Collection.
  • Entries that exceed the maximum word count or do not conform to other specified requirements will be disqualified.
  • Entries will be assessed using a plagiarism and AI content checker. If in the opinion of the judges there is evidence that such methods have been used in an entry, it will be disqualified.
  • Entries should avoid content or language likely to give offence, such as hate speech or obscenity. Any entry that contains anything of that nature will be assessed by the judges as to whether its inclusion is justified in the context of the story, and if in their opinion it is not justified, the entry will be disqualified.
  • Adult and 12-17 entrants, and a parent or responsible adult in the case of up to 11 years old entrants, should please proofread and check spelling and grammar before submitting.
  • Entrants should ensure that the story is all their own and is not influenced or improved by help from others (especially parents, in the case of younger entrants). Enthusiasm and originality is essential.
  • OxIA reserve the right to edit entries accepted into the collection, in a sensitive manner, for consistency and correct grammar, punctuation, layout, etc., before publication.
  • Entries should include a declaration as follows:
    “This entry to the OxIA Short Story Collection is all my own work, has not been published elsewhere, is not liable to give offence to any potential readers, and contains no material that is copyright, AI-generated, or AI-supported in any way.”

    • Entry Checklist

    Example Story Header

    Please edit in your own details and copy in to the start of your story:

    Story Title: Threadbare
    Writer’s Name: Frederica Bloggins
    Email address: fblogg2010@gloop.com
    Home address: 987 Woodstock Road Oxford OX2 9ZZ
    Word count: 495
    Age: 16 [Age is only required for entrants aged 17 or under]
    Writer’s declaration: This entry to the OxIA Short Story Collection is all my own work, has not been published elsewhere, is not liable to give offence to any potential readers, and contains no material that is copyright, AI-generated or AI-supported in any way
    Oxford Independent Authors - © 2026 OxIA