Their website says, “A postcard is a simple thing: image on one side, writing on the other. But the relationship between image and text can be complex and teasing. Postcards always tell a story of some kind and are often glimpses into larger stories, inklings of whole lives...
We invite you to submit an imaginative short story, piece of text, or poem (up to 250 words) in response to a postcard image. The text need not necessarily correspond to the image on the postcard (it may even be more interesting if it doesn’t, as with many of the postcards we do send).” Select one of the postcards on their website when submitting your entry. There will be three winners, with each receiving a cash prize, publication of their story in The Observer, and a place on an Arvon Foundation online masterclass. Submission is via a form.
Value: £300 each and other non-cash prizes
Deadline: 1 September 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here.
 

Deadline: September 1st, 2026