Presented by the PEI Writers' Guild | Sponsored by The Gallery Coffee House & Bistro
Battle Tales is BACK!
Our annual high-fun, low-stakes, one-week writing contest will be taking place Saturday, May 16th - Saturday, May 23rd and is proud to be sponsored again by The Gallery Coffee House & Bistro!
Here's how this year's Battle Tales ELEVEN will work:
We'll issue the contest writing prompts at 8:00pm on Saturday, May 16th across all of our social media (Facebook & Instagram) and on our website (www.peiwritersguild.com).
The prompts will detail a few items that your short story or essay MUST include—these could be anything from “a worn down tire” or “creaky floor boards” to “a character who sees a photo they shouldn’t have seen”. Whatever the 3 prompts are, they MUST be included in your story! Use of the prompts can be literal, or as more subtle references, but please keep in mind that it will be up to the judge to determine how well you weaved them throughout your story.
Once the prompts are released, it's off to the literary races! You’ll officially have ONE WEEK to create and submit your wonderful and exciting stories!
Anything received by 8:00pm on Saturday, May 23rd will be accepted.
Rules, regulations, and all of that fun stuff:
Stories must be a MAXIMUM of 2500 words and written by residents of PEI.
Stories must be submitted by 8:00pm on Saturday, May 23rd to be accepted.
All stories must be submitted in PDF form via a submission form that will be shared alongside the prompts on May 16th. If you experience any issues with the form, stories may be emailed as a backup to battletales@peiwritersguild.com in PDF form.
PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME on the story you submit, as all judging will be made ENTIRELY on the quality and creativity of the stories!
Entries will be accepted and organized by a PEIWG employee, who will ensure that all criteria has been met, and that all submissions are anonymous before being submitted to the guest judge for review.
All stories will be judged and our finalists chosen solely by our GUEST JUDGE, the 2025 Battle Tales Champion JENNIFER PLATTS-FANNING!
This annual writing contest is open to everyone! PEIWG members may submit for free, while non-members are welcome to enter for a $15 submission fee, payable by e-transfer to payments@peiwritersguild.com. Please note that payment must be received before a submission can be judged.
Not a member yet? We'd love to have you! Read more about membership @ www.peiwritersguild.com
J.M. Platts-Fanning is an award-winning poet, prose writer, and playwright from Prince Edward Island, whose work has earned numerous accolades. Winner of multiple PEI Writers’ Guild Island Literary Awards, her work appears in The Dalhousie Review, White Wall Review, and other journals and anthologies. Her restless, empathetic voice explores memory, nature, and belonging. Her forthcoming book, Dandelion Rebellion, will be released in June 2026 by Pownal Street Press. A forest steward and volunteer with PEI Ground Search and Rescue, she lives by the motto: “That Others May Live.”