⏳ Weekly Writing Contest | March 30: Who Wants to Live Forever
Submit your entry to this week’s guest judge, author Hanna Thomas Uose, by Friday, April 4, 5pm BST / 12pm ET
Welcome to the Weekly Writers' Hour Contest!
This week's challenge invites you to imagine life without end, reflect on what we leave behind, or consider the desire to outlast time.
PROMPT
Who Wants to Live Forever: Write a story, essay, poem, or hybrid piece that explores the idea of living forever—literally or metaphorically.
Interpret “forever” in any way you like: immortality, legacy, memory, repetition, or something else entirely.
Unpublished pieces of 500 words or less in any genre are eligible.
Submissions are due by Friday, April 4th, at 5pm BST / 12pm ET.
Keep reading for more information on prizes and FAQs – plus an introduction to this week’s guest judge, author
.Happy writing!
The Writers’ Hour Magazine Team
(P.S. This April, we’re running a four-week Introduction to Creative Writing—designed to help you unlock your voice, experiment with form, and build a joyful writing practice. Details at the bottom of this post.)
Meet Our Guest Judge:
Hanna Thomas Uose was born in Tokyo and grew up in Essex, Birmingham, and Oxford. A graduate of the University of East Anglia with an MA in Prose Fiction, Hanna brings a rich background in storytelling and a unique global perspective to her work. Her debut book, Who Wants to Live Forever, won the Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour, was shortlisted for the Space to Write Project, and was selected for the Asian Women Writers mentorship programme. Hanna now lives in London, where she continues to craft captivating speculative worlds! She also writes on Substack.
This prompt was inspired by Hanna’s debut novel, Who Wants to Live Forever, out now from Hachette UK.
A Note from Hanna
There are so many ways to approach this prompt! First, take a beat and think about what you want to explore. If you’re keen to write in a particular genre, consider how this prompt may fit into that genre. For example, a sci-fi approach might explore the mechanics of a technology that allows us to live forever, while fantasy might ask what it’s like to be a divinity or part of an immortal species. A mystery could investigate why the protagonist has stopped aging, and a romance might look at the impact of immortality on a relationship.
Or perhaps you want to bring this prompt closer to home. How would your own life be changed, if you knew you would live forever? Would you think differently about your work, your friends, your home? And how might those thoughts or feelings change over time? You might want to play with where you locate your piece – at the start of someone’s immortal journey, or hundreds of years in.
Have fun! And I can’t wait to read what you come up with.
How to Submit:
Submissions should be made through our online submission platform, Submittable, and formatted as a Word Doc.
For more details, please read the full Contest Guidelines.
The winning entries will receive:
First Prize:
$65 USD (£50 GBP)
Publication in Writers’ Hour Magazine
3-months of London Writers’ Salon Silver Membership (£79 value)
*NEW* ProWritingAid 1-Year Premium Pro License (£115 value)
Commemorative Writers’ Hour trophy mug
Second Prize:
Publication in Writers’ Hour Magazine
1-month of London Writers’ Salon Silver Membership (£29 value)
Third Prize:
Publication in Writers’ Hour Magazine
FAQs:
What genres can I write in?
All genres - fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc - are welcome.Is there a word limit?
Your piece must be 500 words or less. Pieces that exceed this will not be considered. There is no minimum word limit.Do I need to submit in a specific format?
Please follow the instructions outlined in the Contest Guidelines.When is the deadline to submit?
Submissions are due by Friday, April 4 at 5pm BST / 12pm ET / 9am PT. Submissions received outside this window will not be considered.When will the winner be announced?
The winner will be contacted via Submittable, and the winning entries will be published in Writers’ Hour Magazine by Saturday, April 18th.Can I submit a piece I’ve already published?
Only previously unpublished pieces are eligible for this contest. (Published means anything that has already been made publicly available in print or online.)Can I use AI tools (like ChatGPT) to help write my contest submission?
No. We do not accept any AI-assisted writing for contest entries. All submissions must be the author’s original work and human-generated. Use of AI will disqualify you from this and any future contests.
Is there a fee to submit?
No, there is no fee to submit. However you must be subscribed to Writers’ Hour Magazine in order for your submission to be considered.
PS - Announcing: 🪄 Introduction to Creative Writing - A 4-Week Generative Writing Lab
On April 9th, we’re kicking off a new course: 🪄 Introduction to Creative Writing.
Join us for four weeks of live seminars and playful generative labs, and walk away with three new pieces of writing, instructor feedback on your work, and a stronger understanding of craft, voice, and the creative process. Plus – the chance to be published in a special issue of Writers’ Hour Magazine.
Whether you're completely new to writing or looking for fresh inspiration, this course invites you to write boldly, play with form, and connect with what moves you.
👉 Learn More & Join: 🪄 Introduction to Creative Writing
Space is limited – open to the first 30 writers who sign up.
 | A guest post by
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Hello! I had a story all ready for last week but I couldn’t work out how to load the thing onto this submittable site, is there a simple how-to guide somewhere? Thank you!