Bag of Bones Press is inviting submisisons of 206-word horror/ dark fiction, for an anthology based on the idea that there are 206 bones in the human body. Successful submissions will be published and writers of the editors’ three favourite pieces will each be paid £15. The closing date is 28 February. Details: www. bagofbonespress. com The Woke Babies Book Awards, run in partnership with Booktrust and the National Literacy Trust, are new prizes for books for children aged 3-6, with uplifting themes, created by either a black author or illustrator. Submissions are open from publishers and selfpublished writers up to 11 February: https://wokebabies. co.uk/
The shortlist for the 2022 Portico Prize is Ghosted, Jenn Ashworth; The Outsiders, James Corbett; The Family Tree, Sairish Hussein; Sea State, Tabitha Lasley; Toto Among the Murderers, Sally J Morgan; Mayflies, Andrew O’Hagen. The winner was announced on 20 January, after WM had gone to press.