Matt Kendrick
Writer | Editor | Teacher
Welkin (noun, wel-kən):
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the vault of the sky, the heavens, the upper atmosphere, the firmament, the universe
About
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The Welkin "Micro" Press is a labour of love run on a shoestring by Matt Kendrick. The press is "micro", the budget is "micro", and the pieces the press looks to champion are also "micro." When it comes to those pieces, "micro" stands for "microfiction", pieces up to 100 words; these are also known as a "drabble." The press is open to all forms of narrative prose (fiction and non-fiction), be that flash fiction, short-short, vignette, haibun, hermit crab, prose poem or work that sits outside such labels. There's a whole universe (or welkin) of possibilities.
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Each year, the press hosts a free-to-enter "general" competition in December and January, and from 2026, there will also be a mid-year competition or other submission window. Mid-year competitions will be "genre" prizes that aim to spotlight writing about a particular theme or within a particular genre. In 2027, the press is also aiming to publish its first printed work, details of which will be coming soon.​
Forenote about competitions
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Writing competitions can often attract controversy when they don’t live up to the high standards we want to see in our literary community. While I hope to run the competition in the best possible manner, it is inevitable that not everyone will be happy with every detail or decision. Please note the following:
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The competition is run entirely by volunteers.
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Being free to enter, we are unable to offer all the bells and whistles you may want to see.
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For example, we are unable to provide feedback on unsuccessful entries.
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For example, we are unable to send individual emails to (a) confirm receipt of entries, or (b) announce the longlist, shortlist or final results.
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For example, we are unable to pay prize money to authors who don't have a Paypal account or who live in a country where Paypal isn't available. In such cases, we offer an in-kind alternative.
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Please carefully read the rules of the competition prior to entering and only enter if you are in full agreement.
Support
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If you'd like to support the press in its endeavour to be a welcoming space for all writers, wherever they are based and whatever their financial background, you can make a small contribution through my Ko-fi page. To make a larger contribution (i.e. to help fund website and email costs, administrative and editorial costs, or to boost competition prize funds), please get in touch at welkinprize@gmail.com
I am committed to opening up writing opportunities to people from all backgrounds based on ability to write rather than ability to pay. As mentioned above, the Welkin Press is a labour of love and, as such, I don't get paid for any of the time it takes to organise the competitions or to work with writers to edit their writing prior to publication. I also mostly fund the website, email and prize pots from my own resources. While it makes me very happy to do this, I would of course be grateful if you would consider buying me a virtual coffee to help support my work.
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*Since I also use my Ko-fi page to fund free and reduced price places for my Write Beyond The Lightbulb courses, as well as to provide free editing and mentoring opportunities for low-income writers, if you'd specifically like your donation to be used for the Welkin Press, please add this to your message when you donate.
