Helen Richards Creative Writing Award open for submissions

This year, the College will again offer a short story prize, established through a generous donation from alumna Kate Morrison in February 2020, in memory of Helen Richards (1998, English). The prize of £100 will go to the Murray Edwards College student who submits the best short story under 4,000 words to a panel of judges made up of Fellows and alumnae.

Helen Richards died in 2017 on her 38th birthday, after five years living with the blood cancer myeloma. She achieved a great deal in her life, including a double First from Murray Edwards. Her family and friends have given generously to set up this prize in her memory.

Last year’s winner, Marlene Rees, MST in History of Art and Visual Culture, said:

“I was honoured to have won the Helen Richards short story prize last year, and so very happy my story won in memory of such a beloved member of the college, who achieved so much in her life.

To all students thinking of entering the competition this year I would say don’t worry if you’ve done any fiction/short story writing before, writing is something anyone can do regardless of experience. Just go for it! William Trevor said once that short stories are like ‘impressionist paintings, explosions of truth with the complete absence of meaninglessness’.

For me, to create beautiful pictures, an entire world in a reader's mind, something meaningful using only your words… it's the closest thing to magic that still exists.” 

Raphael Lyne,  Professor of Renaissance Literature in the Faculty of English and Murray Edwards College, is one of the judges and helps to coordinate the prize. He said:

“We're interested in all kinds of short stories, from ones that are using classic techniques to ones that are experimenting with form. We're hoping to draw in people working on their first story as well as those who have been doing it for a while.”

Students wishing to enter the competition should email a short story under 4,000 words to rtrl100@cam.ac.uk by January 31, 2026. Your entry must be submitted as a PDF document, in Times New Roman, 12pt, double spaced and page numbered. You should also submit a coversheet with your name and the title of the story. Please ensure your name does not appear on the story document, as entries will be judged anonymously. Submissions must be original and previously unpublished works of fiction.

The winning writer will be notified by mid-March 2026 and an extract of the story will be featured on the College website, social media and in alumnae e-news.