'New Beginnings'

The Latest Issue of Superlative

About Superlative

Superlative, The Short Story Literary Journal, was founded by Ross Turner in 2020. It is edited by Ross Turner, Gemma Mainwaring and Rachel Wollaston, and illustrated by Emily Varnals.

We publish quality work by aspiring short story writers, in order to promote new, developing authors and the art of the short story to readers worldwide. We work closely with developing writers so that, when we publish their work, it is of the highest standard.

By providing free editing services, we hope to nurture emerging talent and newly-established writers, and to keep writing alive for future generations.

Our print journal is published annually, available each year from November.

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We also consider (where applicable) our contributors for the Pen America Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers – click here for more information.

PLEASE READ BACK ISSUES OF THE JOURNAL BEFORE SUBMITTING, TO GET A FEEL FOR THE TYPES OF PIECES WE PUBLISH.

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Submit to the journal here.

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Submit to a competition here.

SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED UNTIL JAN 2022

The theme for the 2022 edition of Superlative is:

FUTURES

Please think about the theme 'futures' as widely as possible. Here are a few ideas, although by no means is this list exhaustive: your plots' and characters' futures, potential future societies, utopias, dystopias, the future of fiction, the future of our planet, and, of course, science fiction!

Superlative is committed to being eco-friendly. We only print our journals sustainably, using recycled materials – we want to keep costs down for our readers, and for the planet. We work closely with eco-conscious printers to ensure that our journals are of the best quality and value, but also that they are made solely from sustainable materials.

Contributors will receive a free copy of the Superlative issue in which they have been published.

In a bid to keep our journal affordable, our editors are unpaid and our fees only cover printing and postage costs. Additional money from subscriptions and competitions is reinvested into competition prize funds and we hope, in future, into paying Superlative contributors.​

​Buy Superlative

Submit to the Journal

Submitted work should be:

• Fiction of any genre.

• Between 500 and 1500 words.

• Times New Roman, font size 12, 1.5 spacing.

• Written in standard British English.

• Edited and formatted correctly.

• Click here for more information on manuscript formatting.

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Additional information:

• Submission is free – 1 piece per edition.

• All work must be previously unpublished.

• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.

• We encourage writers to submit transgressive and experimental work.

• We accept extracts from longer pieces of work, provided they still meet the submission criteria and stand as a comprehensible piece of writing in their own right.

• Typical response times are up to 3 months from the submission deadline.

• We always endeavour to send individual rejection replies within the 3 month timeframe.

• The editors' decision is final.

• If you are unsuccessful, please do not be deterred from submitting new work for future issues – it may simply have been that your piece did not match the current theme. If this is the case, but the editors liked your work, they may request to hold it until the next issue.

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PLEASE READ BACK ISSUES OF THE JOURNAL BEFORE SUBMITTING, TO GET A FEEL FOR THE TYPES OF PIECES WE PUBLISH.

SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED UNTIL JAN 2022​

The theme for this issue is: FUTURES

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​The submission deadline for the 2022 issue is:

31st July 2022

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Submissions should be e-mailed to:

submissions@superlativelitjournal.com

The e-mail subject line should read:

2022 JOURNAL SUBMISSION, YOUR NAME, TITLE OF YOUR PIECE

The body of your e-mail should include:

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• A 2-3 line bio of yourself – should your submission be successful, this bio will be published along with your work.

• The reason you have chosen to submit your work to Superlative.

• If there is a theme, the reason why you believe your piece fits within it.

• Whether or not you are happy to receive editing suggestions.

• The complete address you would like your complimentary copy of Superlative posted to, should you be successful. If an incorrect/incomplete address is provided, we will be unable to send a second complimentary copy to another address.

Your piece should be attached to the e-mail as a word document (.doc or .docx), not included in the body of the e-mail. Aside from the title page, all submitted documents must be anonymous.

Competition Winners and Journal Contributiors

2020 Short Story Competition – CLICK HERE TO READ

Birdsong by Lui Sit – Winner

Mockingbirds by Faraaz Mahomed – Runner Up

Seven by Richard Hooton – Runner Up

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2020 Journal Contributors

Born Standing by Ed James

And the Stone Rolls On by Alex Blank

Did I do Something Wrong? by Harrison Lake

Crow Overlooking by M.M. Mancey

Circular Breathing by Becca Edwards

I'll Never Leave You by Asha Sutton

Saving Skyler by William Falo

The Perpetually Dying Woman by Mr Uku

Submit to a Competition

Superlative's annual short story competitions​ are a celebration of the art of the short story, with opportunities for cash prizes and free publication. There are currently three competitions:

• The Short Story Competition

• The Flash Fiction Competition

• The Mini Saga Competition

Please see below and across for submission guidelines.

PLEASE READ BACK ISSUES OF THE JOURNAL BEFORE SUBMITTING, TO GET A FEEL FOR THE TYPES OF PIECES WE PUBLISH.

SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED UNTIL JAN 2022

​

The theme for this issue is: FUTURES

​

​The submission deadline for the 2022 competition is: 31st July 2022

Submissions should be e-mailed to: submissions@superlativelitjournal.com

For short story competition submissions, the e-mail subject line should read:
2022 SHORT STORY COMPETITION SUBMISSION, YOUR NAME, TITLE OF YOUR PIECE(S)

For flash fiction competition submissions:

2022 FLASH FICTION COMPETITION SUBMISSION, YOUR NAME, TITLE OF YOUR PIECE(S)

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And for mini saga competition submissions:

2022 MINI SAGA COMPETITION SUBMISSION, YOUR NAME, TITLE OF YOUR PIECE(S)

The body of your e-mail should include:

• A 2-3 line bio of yourself – should your submission be successful, this bio will be published along with your work. If your pen name is different to the name you use when submitting your entry fee, please make us aware.

• The reason you have chosen to submit your work to Superlative's annual short story competition.​

• The complete address you would like your complimentary copy of Superlative posted to, should you be successful. If an incorrect/incomplete address is provided, we will be unable to send a second complimentary copy to another address.

Your piece(s) should be attached to the e-mail as word documents (.doc or .docx), not included in the body of the e-mail. Aside from the title page, all submitted documents must be anonymous.

The Short Story Competition

Winner receives £100, publication on our website and in the annual journal, promotion on Superlative's social media, and 5 hours' worth of bespoke editing/workshops with our editor-in-chief.

Runners-up receive publication on our website, in the annual journal , and promotion on Superlative's social media.

Submitted work should be:

• Fiction of any genre.

• Between 500 and 5000 words.

• Times New Roman, font size 12, 1.5 spacing.

• Written in standard British English.

• Edited and formatted correctly.

• Click here for more information on manuscript formatting.

Additional information:

• Entry fee is £5 per piece.

• Writers may submit up to 5 pieces per competition.

• All work must be previously unpublished.

• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere so that we can refund your entry fee.

• We encourage writers to submit transgressive and experimental work.

• We accept extracts from longer pieces of work, provided they still meet the submission criteria and stand as a comprehensible piece of writing in their own right.

• Typical response times are up to 3 months from the submission deadline.

• We always endeavour to send individual rejection replies within the 3 month timeframe.

• The editors' decision is final.

• If you are unsuccessful, please do not be deterred from submitting new work for future competitions. If you don't feel your work is quite ready, get in touch. Our editors are here to help – they'll point you in the right direction.

The Flash Fiction Competition

The winner receives publication on our website, in the annual journal, and promotion on Superlative's social media.

Submitted work should be:

• Fiction of any genre.

• Between 50 and 500 words.

• Times New Roman, font size 12, 1.5 spacing.

• Written in standard British English.

• Edited and formatted correctly.

• Click here for more information on manuscript formatting.

Additional information:

• Entry is free.

• Writers may submit up to 5 pieces per competition.

• All work must be previously unpublished.

• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.

• We encourage writers to submit transgressive and experimental work.

• We accept extracts from longer pieces of work, provided they still meet the submission criteria and stand as a comprehensible piece of writing in their own right.

• Typical response times are up to 3 months from the submission deadline.

• We always endeavour to send individual rejection replies within the 3 month timeframe.

• The editors' decision is final.

• If you are unsuccessful, please do not be deterred from submitting new work for future competitions. If you don't feel your work is quite ready, get in touch. Our editors are here to help – they'll point you in the right direction.

The Mini Saga Competition

The winner receives publication on our website, in the annual journal, and promotion on Superlative's social media.

Submitted work should be:

• Fiction of any genre.

• Exactly 50 words (including the title).

• Times New Roman, font size 12, 1.5 spacing.

• Written in standard British English.

• Edited and formatted correctly.

• Click here for more information on manuscript formatting.

Additional information:

• Entry is free.

• Writers may submit up to 5 pieces per competition.

• All work must be previously unpublished.

• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.

• We encourage writers to submit transgressive and experimental work.

• We accept extracts from longer pieces of work, provided they still meet the submission criteria and stand as a comprehensible piece of writing in their own right.

• Typical response times are up to 3 months from the submission deadline.

• We always endeavour to send individual rejection replies within the 3 month timeframe.

• The editors' decision is final.

• If you are unsuccessful, please do not be deterred from submitting new work for future competitions. If you don't feel your work is quite ready, get in touch. Our editors are here to help – they'll point you in the right direction.

Ross

Founder & Editor-in-chief

I am a professional academic, working as a creative and critical writer, editor, researcher, and private tutor. I have been in the Royal Air Force Reserves since 2014, and now work as a Media Operations Specialist. I study Creative and Critical writing at the University of Gloucestershire, and have been published by the likes of Indigo Dreams, Fragmented Voices and Snakeskin​.

I founded Superlative because I wanted to promote new authors, and work closely with them to help develop their writing. I'm looking for intriguing, well-crafted submissions that discuss big topics by saying little things. I like: clean, crisp prose; close, clever attention to detail; interesting settings; and complex, edgy characters.

Emily

Illustrator

I studied Zoology in Leicester, Applied Ecology in Cheltenham, and now work as an Ecologist. I also run my own business through Etsy called Pawkins Bazaar, which makes homemade, healthy pet treats and eco-friendly toys. In my spare-time I like keeping fit, reading, photography and drawing.

I want Superlative to stand out and be easily recognisable by its artwork.

Gemma

Editor

Hi! I'm Gemma! I study Creative and Critical Writing at the University of Gloucestershire and work within the University's Student's Union. I also run my own business, creating original artwork and fan merchandise, called Ethereal Night Creations.

Of course, I'm looking for unique, innovative writing, but even more I'm looking for evocative and moving pieces that really make me feel something.

Rachel

Editor

My name is Rachel and I study Creative and Critical Writing at the University of Gloucestershire. When I am not writing, you can find me enjoying my other hobbies: drawing, crafting, and dancing. I run my own editing, proofreading and artistry business called Rachel and the Pen.

I am looking for captivating voices and stories that are both poignant and introspective observations of life.

Gary

Social Media Manager & Content Creator

Hi, I’m Gary and manage the Social Media aspects of Ross Turner Academics and The Superlative Journal. A webmaster and content writer from the early days, I continue to keep up with the mercurial nature of Google SEO, the ever-changing platforms and device criteria.

Creating unique and engaging copy, researching new topics and providing suites of technical documentation is what brings me to RTA. I ghost-write autobiographical content and dabble with ‘rhymed’ poetry. My passion for language means I’m always on the lookout for a new word to slip into my copy, so read on!