The annual Lacuna Writing Competition is now open for entries. The competition invites entries from all current undergraduate and postgraduate students at Warwick Law School and the Warwick Writing Programme.
COMPETITION GUIDELINES:
Write a short story (or the beginning of a story) on a current issue that includes themes of injustice and human rights. Your story must be no longer than 800 words and we’re not looking for an academic essay but a piece of journalism, creative writing, memoir or some other artistic expression that appeals to the general public. You choose the topic and the style. You may choose to write a journalistic feature, a piece of creative non-fiction, a short fictional story, an opinion piece or some other creative response. We are looking for potential, not perfection! Your aim is to:
- challenge indifference to suffering,
- inspire action for change,
- promote wider understanding of complex rights issues and/or
- shine a light on injustice.
You can find out more about Lacuna’s various writing styles here. The best entry will receive valuable feedback from our editors and, where feasible, the opportunity to develop their story for publication by Lacuna Magazine*.
For more information about Lacuna, visit our site, read our stories and find our writing guidelines. You can find some previous competition submissions below. Your submission must be your own original work. It must not have been published anywhere else and cannot be (or have been) submitted in any form to a university assignment. The competition is open to all current UG and PG students studying law and all UG and PG students of the Warwick Writing Programme.
How to enter
Complete the form here.
Deadline
All entries must be submitted by midday on Monday 17th November 2025.
*Publication of winning entries may not always be possible and will be considered on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of editors.
The far-right racist riots of summer 2024: Britain’s hidden bigotry
First-year student Nasha Salahudeen recalled the experience of living through the racist riots of summer 2024.
Bisan Owda: Palestine’s Cultural Vlogger Turned War Reporter
Eli Langfere wrote a winning story about Bisan Owda, one of Palestine's most well-known and influential voices.
Resistance is existence: The defiant Palestinian art of the West Bank Separation Wall
2023's joint-winner Jaskiran Sandhu wrote this memoir from a summer spent working in Palestine's West Bank.
The right to health in times of crisis: ‘Necropolitics’ in Brazil’s favelas during the Covid-19 pandemic
Runner-up Maria Weickardt Soares wrote this story after visiting the Complexo do Alemão favelas in Rio de Janeiro.
MOVE: A Rohingya child dances for hope in the world’s largest refugee camp
Undergraduate student, Amber Shah, wrote creatively about a child's experience of living in a refugee camp.
Teaching in lockdown: Emergency English classes for refugee children
Postgraduate student Ruby Turok-Squire wrote a story inspired by her experience of volunteer teaching.
‘Window dressing’ in the COVID-19 pandemic: The troubling story behind the rainbows in the windows
Postgraduate student Amanda Kowalczyk write about her experience of parenting during the Covid lockdown.
Fleeing Palestine – and what happened next
Salma Eleyan’s memoir of fleeing Palestine with her mother was highly-commended for its powerful storytelling.
Reopening old wounds: The never-ending tale of police brutality in Kenya
This well-researched blog post by Anokhee Shah, explored how Covid curfews exacerbated police brutality in Kenya.