For literature that doesn’t behave itself.
THE 2025 FOLLY PRIZE
George Titheridge
“I actually wrote this story in the bath. When I am stressed, I have excessive baths and feel totally relaxed. So I wrote this on my phone, chilling there.”
The 2025 Folly Prize
From the journal that sold out faster than dignity at our launch party comes a prize for writing that makes trouble worth reading.
PRIZE DETAILS:
Cash first prize of $1000 NZD
Publication in Issue 003 of our print only publication.
Two copies of Issue 003, sent anywhere in the world.
Two tickets to our Folly After Party, if you care to wing your way to NZ (or if you already live at the bottom of the world).
WHY ENTER:
Your words deserve more than your Notes app (such as our inaugural prize winner who wrote their story on the notes app while in the bath) and good trouble deserves recognition.
IMPORTANT DATES
Opens 13 January 2025
Long-listers notified within one month of entry.
Short-listers notified prior to 1 May 2025
Winner announced early June 2025
Our 2024 Prizewinner.
Melissa DaCosta Brown.
of New York City, for her darkly addictive, brilliantly executed story
‘The Prince of New York’
Our 2023 Prize winner.
George Titheridge.
Berlin Based New Zealander George Titheridge took out the 2023 prize with their brilliant short story "I'm Obsessed with You.”
George’s story mesmerized our judges with its fantastic voice and pacey vignette of a toxic relationship, filled with cutting dialogue and choke in your coffee hilarity.
In the words of ReadingRoom’s editor Steve Braunias:
“Sexy: tick (The female protagonist is brought to orgasm eight times by her partner: "He counted.") Fresh, funny, joyful, unaffected: tick. I absolutely loved it.”
Congratulations George!