The Big Finish Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trip Opportunity honours the memory of our much-loved colleague and friend, a stalwart of the Big Finish production office who passed away suddenly on 8 May 2014.

We're searching for an emerging talent to write a Doctor Who short story that will be released as an audiobook at Christmas – and this year, the topic is "The First Doctor".

The competition runs for five weeks, starting today and closing in the middle of June.

Commemorating Paul

Big Finish's Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs said: "It's always a special time to remember our dear friend Paul. It's particularly exciting for me this year as we're focussing on the First Doctor, who has been something of a passion of mine recently. Can't wait to read the story submissions for this!"

The First Doctor

Range producer Peter Anghelides said: "In the ten years since we launched this memorial competition, we've never had a winning story featuring the First Doctor. This is the year we're changing that.

"We want to read your proposal for a standalone Short Trip with a brand new idea that showcases him in a short story for a single reader that we'll publish at the end of this year.

"Your story will be inspired by the character of the First Doctor as we saw him on TV. It's an era when each story naturally offered a new perspective on the continuing series – so we want your proposal to demonstrate that kind of originality and inventiveness. What fresh characters, adversaries, locations, concepts and perspectives can you devise for a compelling short story?"

In addition to naming a winner, Big Finish will also identify a shortlist of commendations. "In recent competitions, the standard of entries has been wonderful," said Peter Anghelides. "Although we will have only one winner, we thought it appropriate this year to name and commend other strong contenders."

Before you enter the competition, please carefully read the 2026 guidelines below and the accompanying terms and conditions on the Big Finish website. They contain important information that explains eligibility, theme, word count, deadline, and how to submit your story idea.

We look forward to reading your entries. Good luck!

Helpful advice from previous winners

You can get a feeling for what a successful competition entry looks like by checking out the previous ten winners.

Recordings of each are available on the Big Finish website as free downloads, along with the final script and the original winning submissions from each year.

The Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trip Opportunity 2026 Guidelines

The competition is to identify talent, enthusiasm, and ability to write to a specification – so everything you need to know is in these guidelines and the accompanying terms and conditions. Please note that no correspondence will be entered into, either during the entry period or afterwards, and the judges' decision is final.

Entry into this competition requires that you have read and accepted the full terms and conditions. By entering, you indicate that you have done so.

SUBMISSION PROCESS: 

All entries must be submitted electronically to [email protected], either as a Word-compatible document or a PDF document, formatted as per these guidelines, and received by Big Finish before 23:59 (UK time) on Thursday 11 June 2026.

YOUR EMAIL MESSAGE: 

• Include the entrant’s full name and a contact email address only in the body of your email.  
• Include your title (e.g. Attack of the Glurgs) in the Subject line. 
• Don’t include any details of your background or previous writing experience – your submission should speak for itself. 
• Attach your anonymised entry document to the email. 

THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT: 

• The document must consist of two parts in a single document: a one page synopsis that is no more than 500 words, and a one-page excerpt from your story of a further 500 words maximum (prose, not drama script). This is to give an indication of the writer’s ability and intentions for a 4,500-word story, which can change if the full story is commissioned. These word count limits for the synopsis and extract are a strict requirement this year. 
• Name the attached file only with your story title (e.g. Attack of the Glurgs.PDF) 
• Do NOT include personally identifying details in your document (for example, name or email address), or the entry will be disqualified. 

THEME AND CONTENT: 

Submissions should propose a short story featuring the First Doctor and set at any time in the universe of the Doctor Who television series between An Unearthly Child and The Tenth Planet.

THINGS YOU MAY DO:  

• You may use any of the First Doctor's regular companions (or none of them) as they appeared in TV episodes: Susan, Ian, Barbara, Vicki, Steven, Katarina, Dodo, Ben and Polly.
• Your story should feature the character of the First Doctor as we saw him on TV. We want your proposal to wow us with its originality and inventiveness. So what fresh characters, adversaries, locations, concepts and perspectives can you devise for a compelling short story?

THINGS TO AVOID:  

• Do NOT create a new companion for the Doctor, nor use other companions from TV or elsewhere.  
• Do NOT include other Doctors or Time Lords. 
• Do NOT include any established creatures (e.g. Voord, Sensorites, etc.) or established characters (e.g. Mavic Chen, the Toymaker, etc.) or established Doctor Who organisations (e.g. Coal Hill School, Space Security Service, etc.).  
• Do NOT base any fictional characters on any real living person; you may include real historical people as characters, so long as they lived and died before the year 1900.

EXAMPLES:  

If you've never heard a Doctor Who Short Trips story before, we recommend that you listen to some examples, to get a sense of how they sound and what can be done in the format.  

Each of the previous winning stories is available as a free download. When you add them to your Big Finish account, you also unlock bonus content that includes downloads of the original winning submissions and the final studio scripts. 

• 2016: Forever Fallen by Joshua Wanisko (Seventh Doctor) 
• 2017: Landbound by Selim Ulug (Third Doctor) 
• 2018: The Last Day at Work by Harry Draper (Second Doctor) 
• 2019: The Best Laid Plans by Ben Tedds (Twelfth Doctor) 
• 2020: Free Speech by Eugenie Pusenjak (Tenth Doctor) 
• 2021: The Lichyrwick Abomination by Joe Vevers (Ninth Doctor) 
• 2022: The World Tree by Nick Slawicz (Eleventh Doctor) 
• 2023: The Hoxteth Time Capsule by Paul Davis (Sixth Doctor) 
• 2024: War Stories by Patrick Ross (Twelfth Doctor) 
• 2025: The Wednesday that Wasn’t by Luke Hollands (Thirteenth Doctor)