RIVER
June 2026 Short-Form Writing Challenge
The June River challenge runs from 1–30 June. Sign up in advance and, at midnight on 1 June (London time), you’ll receive the prompts. From there, you have one month to write and submit a 1,000–6,000 word unpublished story by 23:59 on 30 June.
Taking part means committing to the full process: writing your story in June and reviewing two other submissions in July. This isn’t just about producing work, it’s about showing up for each other’s craft as well.
How it works
Sign Up
June– Writing Month
On 1 June 2026 at 00:00 (London Time), you will receive an email containing the River prompts and a link for submission.
From that moment, you have until 23:59 on 30 June to write and submit your story.
Stories must be between 1,000 and 6,000 words.
Choose a prompt. Write the story. Send it in before the deadline.
Possible prompts for this event:
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Silt Memory: Write a story about a character who mudlarks (hunts for treasure on the riverbank) and finds an object.
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Frozen Flow: a river that has completely frozen over for the first time in centuries.
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The River's Voice: a river is communicating a warning.
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Draught or Deluge: A town’s water supply dries up, or breaks its banks.
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Riverbank Denizens: Write a story from the perspective of an animal associated with rivers (otter, vole, heron)
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Underneath: A diver finds something they were not expecting.
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Upstream: A character retraces the path of a river to find its source.
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Fresh Water: In a post-apocalyptic world, there is only one unpolluted river.
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The Current: In a futuristic city, all rivers are controlled by technology. When it fails, the river begins to act with a terrifying, unpredictable "nature" of its own.
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Time Flows: A river flows backward, bringing artifacts from the future.
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Confluence: Two rivers meet, and with them histories, peoples, or realities collide.
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Disorienteering: Someone follows a river for reasons they do not fully understand.
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Oops: a journey by river goes wrong.
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Evil may not cross: your character refuses to cross the river.
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Pandora’s Stream: something is taken from the river that should have been left there.
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On the Edge: the river serves as a boundary, e.g. political, spiritual, emotional, or physical. the river separates two people, places, or ways of life, or between the living and the dead.
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Lost to the Current: someone uses the river to hide evidence, escape pursuit, or conceal the truth.
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Pooh Sticks: the river is central to a tradition, ritual, or annual event.
Format
All submissions must be written in English.
Please use Times New Roman or Arial, size 10 or 12, single spaced, with standard margins on all four sides. Paragraphs should be indented (except for poetry), and scene breaks marked with one empty line. Keep the formatting simple and readable.
Place the title at the top left of the first page.
File Types
You may submit a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file, or provide a Google Docs link with download access enabled.
We do not accept .pdf files, locked or permission-restricted documents, or submissions pasted into the body of an email. If we cannot download and open your file, we cannot consider it.
Name your file using this format: Title of Piece – June 2026 River (for example: Pride and Prejudice – June 2026 River.docx)
Submit one piece per file.
Content
All work must be original and written by you. Stories must be previously unpublished. “Unpublished” includes personal blogs, social media, Wattpad or similar platforms, online magazines or journals, and any publicly accessible website. If it has appeared anywhere before, it is not eligible for this challenge.
We do not accept fanfiction, religious or political writing, erotic content, or AI-generated material for this challenge.
July– Review Month
July is review month. Writers who submit a story will read and review two other submissions.
Each review should be between half and one page in length and follow the JCW review structure.
The review stage is part of the challenge. It strengthens both your own craft and the wider group. Please do not sign up if you are unable to complete the required reviews in July.
Redraft
After review, we encourage you to redraft your story and bring it to a Pterosaur Table session for further feedback before final collation. This stage is optional.
Collation and Publication
In the final quarter of the year, stories from all three events — March Rain, June River, and September Ocean — will be collected with a view to publication. (The platform for publication will be confirmed after a member vote later in 2026). Writers retain full rights to their work and are free to publish elsewhere after the challenge. Any money generated will go back into Jurassic Coast Writers to support admin, upkeep, and future events.
