writing competitions uk 2021 under 18

This Is Fictional

The Big List of UK Writing Competitions & Awards 2024 (Part 1)

This one's a biggie.

Hello writery pals!

*Fanfare music* Welcome to the big list of 50 writing competitions and awards for UK writers in 2024.

Whether you write novels, short stories, flash fiction, poetry, prose poetry or anything in between , whether you’re unpublished or published, there’s something for everyone.

The opportunities below come along with some impressive prizes. From free places on writing retreats (I’m dying to go on one of these!) and mentoring with industry experts, to tens of thousands of pounds in cash prizes.

Disclaimers — sounds boring but, trust me, they’re worth reading

If you’re a new writer, I’d recommend going only with the free entry opportunities in the first instance. Tip: search this page for the word ‘free’ to find them quicker.

The more prestigious awards on this list are highly competitive and some have more expensive entry fees than others, so only go with what you can afford.

Most of the bigger competitions also offer a number of free or sponsored entries for writers on low incomes.

For any opportunities you’re particularly interested in, I’d recommend signing up to the organisation’s mailing list (most of them have one) and following them on social media for updates. I say this because some deadlines or competition details may change as organisations gear up for the 2024 round.

Always make sure you read the full T&Cs for any opportunity you enter.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are tons of other amazing opportunities out there, some still to be announced. If there are any you think should be added to this list, let me know in the comments.

Happy writing!

The Big List of UK Writing Competitions & Awards 2024 — Part 1

New Writers - Flash Fiction Competition

This flash competition is open to writers from around the world. Entries should be 300 words maximum. New Writers is offering a top prize of £1,000, a second prize of £300 and a third prize of £200. The deadline is midnight (UK time) on Wednesday 31st January 2024 and £1.00 from each entry will be donated to First Story.

Entry fee: from £10

Deadline: 31st January 2024

Story Unlikely - Short Story Contest

There are no restrictions on genre for this contest. Story Unlikely says, “we don't care as long as it's written and told with quality and care.” The word limit is 4,500. The competition is open to writers of any age and location. 

A prize package of $1,000- $1,500 will be divided up into: $750 first place, $500 second place, $250 third place. The winning story will be featured on Story Unlikely’s website and will be strongly considered for their annual print sample magazine.

Entry fee: unknown but looks like it’s free

Bath Flash Fiction Award

Submit your best flash fiction to this industry favourite award at 300 words or less. 50 longlisted writers will be offered publication in the end of year print and digital anthology. Longlistees will also receive a free print copy. £1,000 prize for the winner, £300 second and £100 third. Two commendations will receive £30 each.

Entry fee: from £7.50

Deadline: 4th February 2023

Curtis Brown Creative - Gillian McAllister Novel-Writing Scholarship for Disabled Writers

The Gillian McAllister Novel-Writing Scholarship for Disabled Writers awards one disabled writer a free place on their online Writing Your Novel – Three Months course. With weekly teaching and workshopping from author Christopher Wakling on CBC’s interactive platform, the winner will also receive one-to-one tutorials and advice from authors and literary agents. 

The course will help the winning writer hone your craft and develop their novel. 

Entry fee: free

Deadline: 11th February 2024

Writers' & Artists' Short Story Competition 2024

W&A’s free annual short story competition offers the winner a place on an Arvon Residential Writing Week (worth £850) as well as publication on our site.

To enter, all you have to do is submit a short story (for adults) of no more than 2,000 words on the theme of risk via our online competition form. Make sure you have a (free) account on their website. 

Deadline: 12th February 2024

The Watson, Little x Indie Novella Prize

Founded in 1971, Watson, Little Ltd is a long-established literary agency offering a full service to its clients across all aspects of media. 

Indie Novella is an online hub providing free advisory services to aspiring writers and a free online forum to help make novel writing and publishing more transparent and accessible. In celebration of this commitment, they are jointly launching a Fiction Prize for emerging writers.

The Prize is for fiction of all lengths (novels, novellas or stories), open to all unpublished (self-published also accepted) UK-based authors aged 16 and over. Writers are invited to write to fit one of three themes.

Deadline: 14th February 2024

The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition

The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition is a distinguished national writing competition for writers born or living in Wales. The first prize is £1,000 and publication in a short story anthology to be published by Parthian Books. 11 x finalists will win £100 each and publication in the anthology.

Entry fee: £8

Deadline: 15th February 2024

Next Generation Short Story Awards

The 2024 Next Generation Short Story Awards is open to all authors, even first time authors, in the USA, Canada or internationally, who have an original short story of 5,000 words or less. Entries should be previously unpublished and written in English.

Entry fee: from $20

Deadline: 28th February 2024

The London Library - Emerging Writers Programme

The London Library Emerging Writers Programme is a unique opportunity which offers writers, in all genres and disciplines, one year’s free membership of The London Library and includes writing development masterclasses, networking opportunities, peer support, access to and guidance in using all the Library’s resources and publication in the cohort anthology. 

The Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition

Every year since 2014, the CWA and the Margery Allingham Society have jointly held an international short story competition. The word limit on this one is 3,500.

The goal of this competition is to find the best unpublished short mystery, one which fits into Golden Age crime writer Margery Allingham’s definition of what makes a great mystery story.

Entries are welcomed from published and unpublished writers, written in English. The prize for the winner is £500. 

Entry fee: £18

Deadline: 29th February 2024

Scottish Arts Trust - Edinburgh Short Story Award 2024

The Edinburgh Short Story Award is open to writers everywhere with stories on any topic up to 2,000 words. The first prize is £3,000 and there’s a £750 prize for the top entry by an unpublished writer living in Scotland. 

Entry fee: £10 per story

Deadline: 29th February 2024 

P.S. Check out the other awards from the Scottish Arts Trust including the Write Mango Award and Isobel Lodge Award. Entries for these close at the same time as the Short Story Award.

The Kelpies Prize for Writing 2024

The Kelpies Prize for Writing is for writers in Scotland who are keen to start a career in children’s books. The prize package includes a mentorship with an experienced editorial team, consideration for a publishing deal and £500 cash, “which we hope will help our winner take their first steps as a children’s author.”

Anthology Poetry Competition

Established to recognise excellence in the craft of poetry writing and provide a platform for publication, the Anthology Poetry Competition is open to original and previously unpublished poems written in English. Entries are welcomed from poets of all nationalities, living anywhere in the world. 

There is no restriction on theme or style. Poems submitted should be 40 lines or less. There is no limit on the number of entries per person. Each submission requires a separate entry form and will be subject to a separate entry fee.

The winner will receive a €1,000 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology. The winner will also receive a one-year subscription to Anthology. Second place: €250. Third place: €150.

Entry fee: €10

Deadline: 27th February 2024 for very early bird entry fee

BBC National Short Story Award

This is one of the most significant short story competitions in the UK. The prize is awarded yearly by the BBC. Writers entering this award must have a prior record of publishing creative work in the UK (so this one is for established writers only). Stories up to 8,000 words are accepted and may be submitted by the author or by their agent. First place: £15,000.

Deadline: estimated March 2024

Tempest Prize

The Tempest Prize will award one unpublished LGBTQ+ writer based in the North of England a £1000 bursary, mentoring from Andrew McMillan and access to the Northern Writers’ Awards Talent Network. It will be open between February and March 2024 to submissions of poetry, fiction and narrative non-fiction. The prize will be judged by Andrew and a co-judge still to be announced.

Andrew McMillan is the writer of award-winning poetry collections physical, pandemonium and playtime and his highly anticipated debut novel, Pity, is due for publication by Canongate in 2024. The Tempest Prize is the second to be set up and funded by a previous award-winner, after author Benjamin Myers inaugurated the Finchale Prize for Short Fiction in 2022.

Entry fee: unknown

P.S. It looks like there’s no website yet so follow Andrew on social media and keep an eye out for this one. 

Forward Prizes for Poetry

This is the largest annual poetry competition in the UK. The prize recognises the best collection, best first collection and best single poem in the UK each year. All works put forward for the prize will also be considered for publication in The Forward Book Of Poetry, an annual anthology. Entries must be published works and individual poets cannot enter their own work. There’s up to £5,000 to be won depending on the category you enter.

The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction 2024

The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction (The Smokey) is a biennial competition celebrating excellence in flash.

The grand prize winner of The Smokey is automatically nominated for The Best Small Fictions, The Pushcart, Best of the Net and any other prize deemed appropriate. They’ll also pay the grand prize winner $2,500. Second place: $1,000. Third place: $500. Finalists: $100.

Entry fee: $14

Deadline: 1st March 2024

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize 2024

This prize is awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of the Alpine Fellowship 2024 – to be announced. The winner will receive a cash prize and the runners up will receive travel expense support to attend the 2024 symposium. First place: £3,000. Second place: £1,000. Third place: £1,000

Entry fee: unknown 

PFD Queer Fiction Prize

PFD (Peters, Fraser and Dunlop) runs a Queer Fiction Prize for new LGBTQIA+ writers to find emerging talent. Winners will be signed to PFD and supported in completing their novels. There are two separate categories: Adult and YA & Children’s Fiction.

Any un-agented LGBTQIA+ writer who is in the process of writing a piece of fiction is eligible to enter. Submissions do not necessarily have to be about LGBTQIA+ experiences, though they do especially want stories with LGBTQIA+ characters or themes.

Works do not need to be complete as the prize will provide representation and support in writing to the end of your novel.

The 2024 International Book & Pamphlet Competition

Poets with a collection drafted, this one is for you! This is The Poetry Business’s 38th International Book & Pamphlet Competition, judged by Jane Clarke.

The two winning collections will be beautifully produced and promoted widely and entered for all eligible awards and prizes. They will also be sold in bookshops throughout the UK and through online stockists of The Poetry Business publications.

Entrants should submit a collection of 20 pages of poetry. The two winners will receive £500 each, publication in The North magazine, a reading at The Wordsworth Trust and a place on a residential writing course. Two runners-up will receive publication in East of The North plus an online reading and an honorarium of £100 each.

Entry fee: £29

Deadline: 6th March 2024

Neil Gunn Writing Competition

Poetry and short story entries are welcome for the Neil Gunn Writing Competition. In their entry, writers should respond to this line from Bloodhunt by Neil Gunn: “Mystery. That was the last word, the word you came to at the end. No corner of its coverlet could you lift.”

Entry fee: £10 per single entry or £18 for both a poem and short story

Deadline: 8th March 2023

The Plaza Prose Poetry Prize

A rare one for all you prose poets! The Plaza Prose Poetry Prize aims to shine a light on this exciting hybrid form. They welcome prose poems, up to 50 lines, and encourage writers to be experimental and play with readers' expectations. First prize: £750. Second prize: £200. Third prize: £50

Entry fee: £11 (£5 per additional entry) 

Deadline: 31st March 2024

P.S. The Plaza Prizes has a host of other awards including crime, memoir, microfiction, audio poetry and much more. Check out the website for more information. 

Anthology Short Story Competition

The Anthology Short Story Competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories, written in English, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. 

There are no restrictions on theme or style. There is a maximum word count of 1,500 words. Writers can submit as many entries as they like. Each submission will require a separate entry form and entry fee.

The winner will receive €1,000 and the winning story will be published in a future issue of Anthology. Second place: €250. Third place: €150.

Entry fee: €15

Deadline: 31st March 2024 for early bird entry fee

Anne Brown Essay Prize 2024

The Anne Brown Essay Prize awards £1500 for the best literary essay by a writer in or from Scotland. Essays can be on any topic, with a maximum word count of 4,000. Unpublished essays are especially welcome.

The Deborah Rogers Foundation – The Writers Award

This writer’s award was the first initiative of the Deborah Rogers Foundation. It was set up in 2015 in memory of the much loved and respected literary agent, Deborah Rogers. 

In keeping with Deborah’s special talent for nurturing emerging writers, the Award offers a substantial prize. £10,000 will go to a previously unpublished writer whose submission of 15,000- 20,000 words demonstrates literary talent and who needs financial support to complete their first book. The submitted work can be fiction, non-fiction, children’s or short stories. Applicants must reside in the British Commonwealth or Eire. Two shortlisted authors will win £1,000 each.

Entry fee: estimated £6

Deadline: estimated 31st March 2024

Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize

The Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize was established in 2019 as a celebration of the short story form and the resilience of independent booksellers. Funded by Brick Lane Bookshop, the competition is open to all UK residents and seeks to discover, publish and promote new, exciting and diverse voices in fiction. The prize is run by former Brick Lane Bookseller, Kate Ellis.

Each year, they invite a writer, a publisher and a literary agent to judge the competition. From a longlist of 12, they select a shortlist of six and three prize winners. The first prize is £1,000.

The 12 longlisted stories are published in their anthology which is available to buy from their website, Brick Lane Bookshop and many other good bookshops.

Deadline: estimated April 2024 (check Brick Lane Bookshop to confirm)

Bristol Short Story Prize 2024

The Bristol Short Story Prize is an international writing competition based in Bristol, UK which aims to publish great short stories and promote writers as much as possible. Discovering previously unpublished writers is central to their mission. They are committed to celebrating the short story form and making it accessible and available to as wide an audience as possible.

First prize: £1,000.

Entry fee: £9

Deadline: estimated 26th April 2024 (check Bristol Short Story Prize to confirm)

Belfast Book Festival - Mairtín Crawford Award

The Mairtín Crawford Award invites writers working towards their first full collection of poetry, short stories or a novel. Both published and unpublished writers are welcome to submit between 3-5 poems for the poetry award and a short story of up to 2,500 words for the short story award. The only stipulation is you can’t already have a published collection of poetry, short stories or a novel.

The winner of each award will receive a £500 cash prize. Each winner will also receive a ‘Time to Write’ package which includes a 3-night stay at Bullitt Hotel Belfast and 4 days of dedicated writing space in The Crescent. Two finalists for each category will receive a £250 cash prize.

Deadline: estimated 1st May 2024

The Creative Future Writers’ Award

The Creative Future Writers’ Award (CFWA) is a national writing development programme celebrating talented, underrepresented writers who lack opportunities due to mental health issues, disability, health or social circumstance.

The prizes sound amazing! They include £20,000 and top writing development prizes supplied by publishers and development agencies. 

Deadline: estimated 14th May 2024

SI Leeds Literary Prize

The SI Leeds Literary Prize is for unpublished fiction by UK-based Black and Asian women, aged 18 and above. The aim of the prize is to act as a loudspeaker for fresh literary voices from under-represented groups and to help them reach new audiences in the mainstream.

The writer of the winning entry in 2022 was awarded of £4,000 and a range of additional valuable benefits through the prize’s unique writer development scheme, including: a free place at an Arvon creative writing course, free manuscript assessment of their work from The Literary Consultancy, an invitation to New Writing North’s London summer salon event for publishers and agents, workshops and support, speaking engagements and serious consideration for publication by Peepal Tree Press.

Entry fee: £10 but they do have a number of free entry bursaries for writers on a low income

Deadline: estimated 25th April 2024

Bridport Prizes - Short Story Competition

One of the largest short story prizes. The winning story will features in the Bridport Prize anthology, so you will see your words in print, maybe for the first time. The first place prize is £5,000. You will be invited to the awards celebration and get feedback from the judges and professional partners. Bridport will also champion you and your work. Second place: £1,000. Third place: £500. 

Entry fee: from £11

Deadline: May 31st 2024

BPA First Novel Award 2024

This award is open to unrepresented and unpublished authors for a novel in any adult fiction genre.

The winner receives £1,000 and an introduction with an agent. The runner up will get £500 and an introduction with an agent. And the highly commended writer will receive £150 and an introduction with an agent.

Entry fee: £24

Deadline: estimated 31st May 2024

Bath Novel Award 2024

The Bath Novel Award is an international writing competition based in Bath, UK for writers of novels in every genre. Now in its 10th year, the prize celebrates emerging authors who may be unpublished, self-published or independently-published. 

First prize: £5,000 with full manuscript feedback for shortlistees and extract feedback for all listees. Additional longlist prize of a £1,800 course with the Professional Writing Academy & Cornerstones Literary Consultancy 

Entry fee: £29.99 with sponsored places available for writers on a low income

Deadline: 31 May 2024

Jenny Brown Associates – Over 50 Award

Open to all writers over 50, this award was created to address the lack of literary opportunities available to older writers eager to break into the publishing industry. The award also aims to celebrate and value the collected, distilled wisdom and a lifetime of reading and experience of writers over 50. 

Debut novelists are invited to submit the first 5,000 words of their novels. The prize will consist of £1,000 and a week’s residential placement at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre (the dream!) for the winner. The runners up will receive mentoring sessions with experienced writers, editors and agents as appropriate.

Deadline: estimated 31st May 2024 (check the Jenny Brown Associates website for more details) 

As well as compiling this list, I’ve also created a deadline calendar for you, populated with all 50 opportunities! This will make it even easier to keep up to date with writing competitions and awards throughout the year and never miss a deadline.

The calendar link will be available for paid subscribers in Part 2, coming Friday 19th January.

Ready for more?

• Staff & students

Young Writer Competitions

Our writing competitions for young people aged 16-18 aim to uncover the next generation of writing talent.

Become the next Young Writer (a short story writing competition for creative writers) or Young Anthropologist (for writing about identity and culture). You can register to enter now!

Both competitions have a £1,000 first prize and two runner-up prizes of £50. All shortlisted entries will also receive a small prize.

If you register, you'll be invited to online workshops throughout the year delivered by our English and Creative Writing and/or Anthropology departments to help you hone your writing skills and learn from our academic staff. You’ll also receive information about upcoming Goldsmiths events, resources, recommendations and opportunities that will help your entry be the best it can be before submission.

You must register for the competition and submit your final entry by the 11.59pm (BST) on Friday 19 April 2024.

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Young Anthropologist

For those interested in writing about identity and culture.

Young Writer

A short fiction competition for creative writers and storytellers. Your story can be any genre or style.

Previous winners

If you are in need of some inspiration, read our previous winners' entries.

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Young writer competitions.

Quick links on this page:

• writing competitions for young writers and children
• poetry competitions for children
• one-off writing contests for kids
• other opportunities for young writers
• history of closed young writer competitions
• leave a comment

Last updated 21st March 2024

This resource lists many writing competitions, contests, prizes, awards and challenges for young writers and child authors. The competitions listed are often aimed at students in full-time education.

In the tables, you will find many publishing opportunities for young authors across a variety of age ranges, including children, kids, students and young writers up to around the age of 25 (please note, the upper age limit does vary depending on which competitions are open and their submission guidelines).

I will try and keep the lists on this page up-to-date, but please check the rules and terms & conditions on the different contest websites before entering. I'm not a legal expert, but if you have any questions relating to publishing terms and conditions please send me a message and I'll do my best to answer it.

PLEASE NOTE: Most of the young writer competitions listed on this page accept entries from authors living anywhere in the world . The country each award is run from is listed so you know which global market you are submitting to.

Each listing contains information about a contest's name, closing date, the date they announce winners, the maximum number of words accepted, the entry fee (if there is one - many of the competitions are free to enter) and the top prize. In the notes, I try to include details of the age young writers have to be to enter.

If you run a creative writing competition for young authors / children and would like me to add it to my lists, please contact me and provide ALL of the following information:

• How often you will be running the competition (eg, annually, quarterly, one-off)
• The name of your competition
• A link to your website
• The country you run the competition from
• Closing date
• Date you announce winners
• Maximum word count of stories
• Any other details, including how winning writers' stories will be published and any theme or limitation on style/genre of stories accepted - please also include details of how old writers have to be to submit

I will add more publishing opportunities / writing competitions for children to this page as I hear about them.

Writing Competitions for Young Writers & Children

The table below lists writing contests for young writers and children that run regularly (EG, annually, quarterly, biennially etc.). Some of them have different age categories, so click on the links and be sure to read all the rules before you enter.

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Poetry Competitions For Young Writers & Children

This table lists different poetry competitions specifically for young adults and children.

One-Off Young Writer Contests

Here is a list of one-off writing competitions for students.

Contests that have already taken place will be moved to the History of Closed Young Writer Competitions below.

Other Opportunities for Young Writers

There are sometimes other opportunities for young writers listed on my Flash Fiction competitions page and my non-fiction /essay competition lists .

On the non-fiction contests page, you will often find details of scholarships.

Here are details of other websites that list competitions for young writers:

• Imagination Soup
• School Reading List
• TCK Publishing
• The John Fox (a bit out of date, but still useful)
• Writers Write

A History of Closed Young Writer Competitions

For reference, here is a list of young writer contests that have run in the past but are now closed.

This page may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy .

Leave your comments

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Please prove you're a human by entering the security code in the box below: 5090, your comments:.

Ire B It's a good resource, thanks.

Chris Fielden Thanks Ire :)

Philbert M How can I get more competition links?

Chris Fielden Thanks for your message, Philbert.

You can check out the other competition lists and publishing opportunities on my website. You can also sign up to my email list . The newsletters I send out contain details of lots of contests.

I hope that helps :-)

Philbert M Thank you, Chris. This is Philbert. I am trying to get into writing as one of my passions that I had not taken time into. Bbeen spending a lot of precious time on social media. I think this time I can channel it into productive writings. Thanks.

Chris Fielden No problem, Philbert. I wish you all the best with your writing :)

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• Jess Lawrence
• Dec 21, 2020

21 Writing Competitions for 2021

Well, 2020 has been a wild ride, hasn't it? But let's put this mess of a year behind us and make 2021 the year you get your writing out there. There are loads of writing competitions and I've selected a handful that look particularly exciting. Whether you're in it for glory and financial reward, or you just want to have some fun and create based on prompts, take a look at the below list and see what sparks your creativity.

I've split the list into categories so it's easier to find the competitions you're most interested in. Click on any of the links below to jump to that section.

Short Stories and Flash Fiction Competitions

Novel competitions, poetry competitions, essay competitions, recurring competitions.

Cheshire Prize for Literature

Deadline: 31st January

Prize: £500

Entry Fee: Free

1500 words max

Entrants must have been born, lived, studied or worked in Cheshire

Open to all ages

Website: https://www1.chester.ac.uk/press-office/cheshire-prize-literature-2020

Paracombe Prize

Prize: £100, £50, £25

Entry Fee: £5

2020 words max

Open to all

Website: https://prize.parracombe.org.uk/

Elmbridge Literary Competition

Deadline: 5th February

Prize: £250, £150, £100

Entry Fee: £5 (free for under 18s)

1500 words max (for 14+), 1000 words max (for 8-13)

Theme: Music

Website: https://www.rcsherrifftrust.org.uk/copy-of-the-2020-elmbridge-literary

Bath Flash Fiction Award

Deadline: 7th February

Prize: £1000, £300, £100, £30

Entry Fee: £9

300 words max

Any theme or subject, adult and YA fiction

Website: https://bathflashfictionaward.com/

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

Deadline: 5th March

Prize: $1000 + 10-week Gotham Writers course

Entry Fee: $25

750 words max

Open to all.

Website: https://www.writingclasses.com/contest/stella-kupferberg-memorial-short-story-prize-2021

Bristol Short Story Prize

Deadline: 5th May

Prize: £1000, £500, £250, £100

4000 words max

Any theme, subject and genre

Website: https://www.bristolprize.co.uk/news/2021-bristol-short-story-prize-is-open

Zizzle Literary Flash Fiction Contest

Deadline: 15th March

Prize: $1000, $500, $150

Entry Fee: $5

1000 words max

Must include the dialogue prompt from Zizzle's social media

Website: https://zizzlelit.com/contest/

Anthology Magazine's Short Story Competition

Deadline: 30th April (Early Bird), 31st July (Final)

Prize: €500

Entry Fee: €10 (Early bird), €15

Theme: Memories

Website: https://anthology-magazine.com/short-story/

The Debut Dagger Crime Novel Award

Deadline: 26th February

Prize: Shortlisted entries are sent to select agents and publishers for review

Entry Fee: £36

3000 words max + 1500-word synopsis

Must be a crime novel (obviously)

Doesn't need to be completed work

Website: https://thecwa.co.uk/debuts/debut-dagger

Rubery Book Award

Deadline: 31st March

Prize: £1500

Entry Fee: £37

Books must be self-published or published by independent press

All genres welcome

Website: https://www.ruberybookaward.com/

Bridport Prize Novel Award

Deadline: 31st May

Prize: £1500, £750, £150

Entry Fee: £20

8000 words max + 300-word synopsis

Work need not be completed, but long-listed entrants will need to send 15,000 words, and short-listed entrants will need to send 30,000 words

Open to Brits only

Must not currently have representation

Any fiction for adults (including YA with adult crossover)

Website: https://bridportprize.org.uk/the-competition/novel-award/

Magma Poetry Competition

Deadline: 15th January

Prize: £1000, £300, £150

Judges' Prize: 11-50 lines

Editors' Prize: up to 10 lines

Website: https://magmapoetry.com/magma-2020-21-poetry-competition/

Sentinel Literary Quarterly

Prize: £250, £125, £75, £30

50 lines max

Website: https://sentinelquarterly.com/competitions/poetry/index.htm

Nature and Place Poetry Competition

Deadline: 1st March

Prize: £1000, £500, £250

Entry Fee: £7

40 lines max

Theme: any aspect of nature and place

Website: https://www.therialto.co.uk/pages/nature-poetry-competition-2021/

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

Deadline: 1st April

Prize: $2000, $500, $100

250 lines max

Inspired gibberish is allowed (what an excellent criterion!)

Must be humorous

Open to all (except Syria, Iran, North Korea and Crimea due to US restrictions)

Website: https://winningwriters.com/our-contests/wergle-flomp-humor-poetry-contest-free

Calibre Essay Prize

Prize: $7500 AUD

Entry Fee: $25 AUD

5000 words max

Essays of all kinds, including personal, political, literary and speculative

Website: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes-programs/calibre-prize/current-prize

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction and Essay Competition

Deadline: 30th April

Prize: $3000 USD

Entry Fee: $20 USD

6000 words max

Any theme or subject

Website: https://winningwriters.com/our-contests/tom-howard-john-h-reid-fiction-essay-contest

WriteTime Short Story Competition

Deadline: Quarterly (March, June, September, December)

Prize: £50, £25

Entry Fee: £3

Entrants must be aged 60 and over

Website: https://writetime.org/about-writetime/

Creative Writing Ink Competition

Deadline: Monthly

Prize: £10 Amazon voucher

Poems up to 40 lines

Website: https://creativewritingink.co.uk/competitions/free-to-enter-creative-writing-ink-competition/

Writing Prompt Competition

Deadline: Every two months

No word limit

Writing must be inspired by images shared on Creative Writing Ink account

Entry must be posted online (details in link)

Website: https://creativewritingink.co.uk/writing-prompts/

The Writing Quarter Competition

3000 words max

Open to all aged 18 and over

Website: https://writingquarter.com.au/the-writing-quarter-competition/

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Writing Competitions To Enter in 2021

The benefits of writing competitions.

For many budding writers, writing competitions offer you the chance to begin making a name for yourself in the literary world, whilst honing your skills. Irish literary sensation Sally Rooney scooped the Costa Novel Award in 2018 for her novel Normal People . Other big names, including Eavan Boland, Gail Honeyman and Kate Atkinson, have also previously won the coveted prize. But it’s not all about battling it out for the most prestigious writing competitions. Whilst the likes of the Costa Awards, The Bridport Prize and the Alpine Writing Fellowship provide fantastic opportunities for authors to establish themselves in the literary world, for many new or unpublished writers trying to get their foot in the door, such competitions might be intimidating.

Luckily, there’s plenty of other options out there. Whether you’re already a full-fledged novelist, or have yet to put pen to paper, let’s take a look at some of the most interesting (and accessible!) writing competitions running in 2021. All links are highlighted in blue.

Bridgend Writers’ Circle 2021 Short Story Competition

What You Need To Know:

Entry fee: £5 for one piece and £2.50 thereafter Prize: £30-100 Deadline: 1st of March 2021 Word-count: 1500-1800 words Ages: 18+

Besides entry fees, one of the things that puts new writers off entering writing competitions can be the rigidity surround the themes or genre. If your favourite genre to write is gothic fiction, you’re unlikely to be tempted by a competition demanding a 10,000 word-piece on historical fiction. So if you prefer to choose your own genre, the Bridgend Writers’ Circle 2021 competition might be the perfect one for you.

Whether you opt for sensation fiction, romance or a whodunit thriller, you will have complete autonomy over the themes and genre. Your piece must be between 1500-1800 words and can be submitted here. Although there’s an entry fee of £5, this is relatively low compared to many other competitions, and if you want to enter multiple pieces, each subsequent piece only costs £2.50 thereafter. If you are selected as one of the winners, you’ll receive between £30-£100 for your efforts.

If you’re keen to enter, you’d better be quick, as the competition closes on the 1st of March 2021, with winners set to be announced via email on the 1st of June 2021.

Entry fee: £5 for one story; £8 for two Prizes: £100-£300 Deadlines: March 31st, 30th of June, 30th of September, and December 31st. Word-count: Up to 500 words. Ages: 18+

Flash fiction is a rapidly growing genre, with magazines ranging from Brevity to Mslexia regularly publishing pieces written in this form. Sometimes called ‘micro fiction’ – a perfect example of flash fiction came from the inimitable Ernest Hemingway in: ‘For sale: baby shoes, never worn.’ Although writing up to 500 words might seem much simpler than churning out an entire novel, flash fiction requires a completely different talent – the art of brevity. Flash 500 is a fantastic opportunity for those of you who love this genre and – unlike many of the contests listed here – it is a quarterly competition, with the deadlines for each quarter being March 31st, 30th of June, 30th of September, and December 31st.

There’s an entry fee of £5 for one story or £8 for two stories – and you can opt to receive feedback on your story for £15. Whilst this may seem pricey, receiving feedback from a professional judge may be invaluable, helping you to become more aware of the strengths of your writing, as well as identifying any weaker points to work on. If flash-fiction isn’t your thing, you might also want to check out their short story and novel opening competitions.

Stellar Quines Theatre Company – How To Change The World

What You Need to Know

Entry fee: FREE Prize: £30 Waterstones’ book voucher and work published in How To Change The World magazine . Deadlines: February 5th-March 5th Word-count: Up to 500 words for written responses Ages: 14-24

If the fate of the world was in your hands, what would you wish to change about it? This is precisely the question that the Stellar Quines Theatre Company is asking young women aged 14-24. Through a series of weekly video prompts, participants will be invited to respond in whichever art form they choose: be it a piece of poetry, a monologue, or even visual art. This immersive and interactive competition is the perfect way to get young women communicating on the issues that really matter to them. With national lockdown restrictions ongoing, it is also an innovative way of maintaining an (albeit virtual) dialogue on issues that are important to young women.

The competition will run for five weeks – and every week three creatives will be selected, winning themselves a £30 Waterstones’ book voucher and the opportunity to be featured in their magazine, How To Change the World , set to be published on International Women’s Day (8th of March, 2021!) If you’re worried about producing perfect prose, fear not – the Stellar Quines Theatre Company is solely interested in your creativity and interests, so even if you’ve never written until now, it’s the perfect opportunity to flex your creative muscles. In the words of Gandhi, you can: “Be the change you want to see in the world” – and the Stellar Quines Theatre Company is providing the ideal stepping-stone to empower young women to do exactly this.

Check here to see the first prompt. You can submit your response in a word document format, or JPEG for illustrations, to [email protected] – And remember to include:

• Your name • Contact information (email address will do) • Your age

The Northern Writers’ Award and Young Northern Writers’ Award

Entry fee: FREE Prize: Up to £5000 to support your writing, professional development and mentoring for NWA and publishing contracts; up to £150 for YNWA. Deadline: 18th of February 2021 Word-count: Please check the specific category for details Ages: 18+ for NWA, 7-9 or 10+ for YNWA

The North of England certainly boasts a lot of talent – with writers from Alan Bennett to Angela Carter hailing from the region. Despite this, northern writers and artists are often under-represented in mainstream publishing.The Northern Writers’ Award is trying to change this. Much like northerners, the Northern Writers’ Award is incredibly versatile, with categories ranging from the Hatchett Children’s Novel Award to Northern Writers’ Awards For Poetry and Channel 4 Writing For Television Awards , as well as many more. The main stipulation is that you must be a permanent resident of the north, or intending to live in the North for at least the next twelve-months, to enter – It may be added that you should check the small print to see where The North “begins”!

Although the competition provides a financial award of up to £5000 to support participants’ writing journeys, this competition is also a great opportunity to develop as a writer, as some winners are invited to professional-development sessions, with the independent publisher Oneworld and the Madeleine Milburn Agency, as well as receiving a mentoring session from the Society of Authors.

The deadline for this competition is fairly imminent, closing on Friday the 18th of February 2021, with all winners slated to be announced on the 8th of June 2021. Winners in the fiction category will be invited to New Writing North’s Pitching Workshop and Talent Party. With strict social distancing measures currently in place, it’s unknown whether this will be of a virtual nature or in-person. Either way, you’ll have the opportunity to celebrate your success alongside many of your talented peers!

The Northern Writers’ Award also acknowledges that you don’t have to be over 18 to be the next big thing. Are you or do you know a talented young writer between the ages of 7-9 or 10+? All genres are accepted, but entrants must have been 18 or under on Thursday 26 November 2020 when the competition opened. Writers can apply through direct application themselves or via nomination from an adult . Like The Northern Writers Award, this competition closes on Friday the 18th of February 2021.

Creative Future Writers’ Award

Entry fee: FREE Prize: Various cash prizes, in addition to professional coaching and mentoring Deadline: See website, by clicking here. Word-count: Poetry – 42 lines, fiction – 2,000 words. Ages: 18+

There are thousands of talented writers out there, but sadly due to certain circumstances – be it poverty, mental health issues or disability – many struggle to be recognised as the extraordinary creatives they are. Founded in 2013, Creative Futures is the only national writing competition and award ceremony for under-represented groups. Winners receive various cash prizes, as well as unparalleled support, coaching and mentoring provided by esteemed publishers and literary agencies. Winning submissions will also be published in Creative Futures’ Anthology and participants will have the opportunity to read their winning submissions at the Showcase Event : a celebration of their hard work and perseverance.

This competition doesn’t open until the spring, but you can sign up to Creative Futures’ mailing list to stay up-to-date on all the key dates for your diary. Typically, a theme or ‘creative prompt’ is chosen by the Creative Futures’ team, and you can respond by submitting one piece of writing in one category (poetry or fiction) or one in each category. Poetry must not exceed 42 lines and fiction should be a maximum of 2,000 words (subject to change – please check the guidance when the competition re-opens in the spring).

How do I enter?

You can enter online – here. By completing the entry form and sending to [email protected] Or by completing the entry form and posting to:

Creative Future Writers’ Award Community Base 113 Queens Road Brighton BN1 3XG

Please remember, you must be over 18 and from an under-represented group to apply. Please see the full eligibility criteria .

Taking the first step to becoming a writer – and potentially a published author – is a brave one. But one of these writing competitions may just be the first step towards beginning to fulfil your potential.

See more by Jessica Beasley

Jessica is a freelance copywriter and content writer based in Richmond-Upon-Thames. With a degree in English Literature from University College London, she has experience as a private tutor for 14-18 years olds and adult learners. She has also worked in Widening Participation as a Mentor, Student Ambassador, and Student Leader. As someone who achieved A-Levels through distance-learning, Jessica has first-hand experience of the unique challenges and rewards that distance-learning offers. She regularly contributes content to educational websites including eNotes and Tutorful.

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Recognising young talent in political opinion writing

Am i eligible to enter.

You must be 16-25 to apply. This includes those aged 16 and those aged 25.

You must be resident in the UK to enter.

Only those from a state school background can apply. This criterion is included to ensure we are championing voices typically underrepresented in the media and achieving our aims as a charity. This means that you are either currently attending a state-funded school or have previously attended one.

This competition is about discovering new talent. If you are working as a journalist, freelance or otherwise, this competition is not for you.

£100 in book vouchers

a digital subscription to the Guardian for one year

your article published on the Guardian Foundation's website

a voucher for a Guardian Live event

a trophy presented at our annual event

a certificate presented at our annual event

a £1,000 prize

their article published in the Guardian

one week's work experience at the Guardian

a £200 prize

Previous winners

My mum’s death was slow and painful – she deserved the choice to end her life

Ella Creamer won our older age category award in 2023 with her article which focuses on the realities of palliative care. Following her work experience gained as part of her award win, Ella was offered a position on the Guardian books desk.

The truth about "regeneration" in London: I can’t afford to live where I grew up

Elsie McDowell won our younger age category with her article on gentrification. She went on to be commissioned for a further piece “What do young people want on coronation day? More teachers, climate action: start with that”.

Integrated education in Northern Ireland is urgent – why can’t our leaders see that?

Abby Wallace’s piece won our 2021 older age category award. She is now a reporter for the Financial Times.

I was vulnerable and wanted a home. What I got was a workhouse, Daniel Lavelle

Being a gay Christian can be hurtful and gruelling. But I refuse to lose faith, Lucy Knight

#MeToo changed Hollywood – but what about our schools, workplaces and homes?, Rosamund Cloke

If Ireland is to unite, it must reclaim its common past and build a shared future, Ian Johnston

Guidance and support

35 Writing Contests in October 2021 — No entry fees

Erica Verrillo

Curiosity Never Killed the Writer

T his October there are nearly three dozen contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and short plays. Prizes range from $60,500 to publication. None charge entry fees.

Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month’s contests go to Free Contests . Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline is past, you can prepare for next year.

__________________

Non-Binary Stars . Genre : Speculative fiction stories containing a character or characters that are representational of oppressed/under-represented groups, whether that be due to issues of gender, orientation, mental/physical health, body size, skin color, etc. Prize : $100, $50, $25. Deadline : October 1, 2021.

No Tokens: Young Writers’ Prize . Restrictions : Open to writers ages eighteen and under. Genre : Fiction, nonfiction and hybrid works. Prize : $300, $200, $100. Deadline : October 1, 2021.

The Furious Gazelle’s 2021 Halloween Writing Contest . Genre : Halloween-themed poetry, fiction, short plays and creative non-fiction. Prize : $50. Deadline : October 1, 2021.

International Booker Prize . The International Booker Prize for fiction translated into English is awarded annually by the Booker Prize Foundation to the author of the best (in the opinion of the judges) eligible novel or collection of short stories. The work must be published by a UK or Ireland publishing house. Authors are not permitted to enter their own works. Prize : £50,000 divided equally between the author and the translator. There will be a prize of £2,000 each of the shortlisted titles divided equally between the author and the translator. Deadline : October 1, 2021.

Furious Fiction . Genre : Flash fiction, 500 words max. Contestants have 55 hours to write a 500-word story based on the prompt. Prize : $500. Deadline : Opens October 1, closes October 3, 2021.

Women’s Prize for Fiction . Genre : Full-length novels (no short story collections or novellas) by women, first published in the UK. Prize : 30,000 pounds. Deadline : October 4, 2021.

#PassOrPages Query Contest . Participating agents give brief feedback on a handful of entries, explaining why they’re passing … or requesting pages! The queries and accompanying feedback are posted on our blog anonymously, which helps querying authors get a peek into agents’ minds as they go through their slush piles. Genre : Genre reveal September 21. Deadline : October 4–8, 2021.

American Antiquarian Society Fellowships for Creative Writers is calling for applications for visiting fellowships for historical research by creative and performing artists, writers, film makers, journalists, and other persons whose goals are to produce imaginative, non-formulaic works dealing with pre-twentieth-century American history. Successful applicants are those whose work is for the general public rather than for academic or educational audiences. The Society’s goal in sponsoring this program is to multiply and improve the ways in which an understanding of history is communicated to the American people. Prize : A stipend of $1,150 to $1,350 and on-campus housing is provided; fellows residing off-campus receive $1,850. Deadline : October 5, 2021.

Dream Foundry . Restrictions : Conditions: You have published a total of less than 4,000 words of paid or income-earning speculative fiction in English. You have earned a total of less than USD 320 from those words. You have never been nominated for any award listed here as a major award in speculative fiction. Genre : Short speculative fiction, up to 10,000 words. Prize : $1,000. Deadline : October 11, 2021.

The Lancaster Playwriting Prize . Restrictions : Open to anyone from the North West of England who identifies as LGBTQAI+ aged 16 and up to and including the age of 30. Genre : Script (for a play). Scripts must be a minimum of 30 minutes long. Prize : £1500. Deadline : October 11, 2021.

Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship . Restrictions : Open to fiction writers aged 21+ who have not yet published a book and have never been enrolled in an MFA program. Writer must not have a book under contract with an agent and/or publisher at time of application, and writer cannot have been published by One Story (or have a forthcoming publication with One Story). Genre : Short fiction that “speaks to issues and experiences related to inhabiting bodies of difference.” Prize : Free tuition for all of One Story’s online classes and programming, a travel stipend of $2,000 and tuition to attend week-long summer writers’ conference in Brooklyn, and a full manuscript review/consultation of a story collection or novel in progress with an executive editor. Deadline : October 11, 2021.

Tales from the Moonlit Path . Genre : Short story on theme of Halloween; 2000 words max. Prize : $50. Deadline : October 14, 2021.

Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship . Restrictions : Poet must be born in the United States. Genre : Poetry. The sample must not exceed either (1) 40 typed pages or (2) one printed volume plus no more than 20 typed pages of your most recent work. There is no minimum page requirement. Prize : $60,500 for a year of travel and study abroad. Deadline : October 15, 2021.

North Carolina State Fiction Contest . Restrictions : Open to residents of North Carolina with no published fiction books. Genre : Short stories. Prize : $500 for fiction (up to 5,000 words) and $250 for shorter fiction (up to 1,200 words). Deadline : October 15, 2021.

Apparition Lit . Genre : Speculative fiction; under 1,000 words. Prize : $30. Deadline : October 15, 2021. Opens October 1 .

John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize . Genre : Published book of poems. Publishers may submit four copies of a debut full-length poetry collection (or bound galleys) published originally in the English language between October 1st 2020 and October 18th 2021. Prize : €10,000 (approximately $11,400) Deadline : October 18, 2021.

Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction . Restrictions : Open to residents of UK. Genre : Short stories between 2000–6000 words on the theme “Crime.” Prize : £500 and 10 shortlisted authors will be published in an ebook anthology. Deadline : October 29, 2021.

The Funny Pearls Short Story Competition . Restrictions : Open to women of all nationalities. Genre : Humor. “Please send us your farce, satire, screwball, or any other subgenre that qualifies as comedy. We need the laughs.” Length: 1,000–2500 words. Prize : Amazon gift card to the value of £200. Deadline : October 30, 2021.

Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers . Restrictions : The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $750 in any single year. Genre : Travel Nonfiction. Prize : First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

The John Byrne Award . Restrictions : Open to residents of Scotland. Genre : A piece of creative work on a chosen theme or value (written work must be no more than 15,000 words in length). Prize : £7500. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

The Barbellion Prize . Genre : Fiction, memoir, biography, poetry, or critical non-fiction. “The Barbellion Prize is dedicated to the furtherance of ill and disabled voices in writing. The prize is awarded annually to an author whose work has best spoken of the experience of chronic illness and/or disability.” Prize : £600. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is the most prestigious literary award in the US. Restrictions : Authors must be living American citizens. Self-published works not accepted. Genres : Novels, novellas, and collections of short stories. Prize : $15,000. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

The Eric Gregory Awards . Restrictions : Applicants must be under 30 and a British subject by birth and must ordinarily be resident in the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland. Genre : Poetry collection. Previously published work accepted. Prize : £4,000.00. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

The Young Walter Scott Prize . Restrictions : Open to UK authors aged 11–19. Genre : Historical fiction between 800 and 2000 words. Prizes : £500 travel and research grant to further explore historical places in the UK, and an invitation to the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland. Two runners-up in each category receive a £100 book token, and all four winning stories are published in a special YWSP anthology book. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

Tom-Gallon Trust Award . Restrictions : Open to citizens of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland with at least one short story published or accepted for publication. Genre : Short story, maximum 5,000 words. May be unpublished. Prize : £1,000.00. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

Lex:lead Essay Competition . Restrictions : Candidates must show citizenship in an eligible country and be enrolled in studies with at least one law class in an eligible country at the time of the award. Genre : Essay: How can laws promoting gender and disability rights support economic development? Prize : $500 scholarship. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

The Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize . Restrictions : Entrants must be aged 18–25 years and living in the UK. Genre : Fiction and nonfiction. Each year a question or quote exploring Franklin’s relevance in our time is open for interpretation in 1000–1500 words. Prize : First prize of £750, second prize of £500. Winning entries will be posted on the website and also published online by The Telegraph . Deadline : October 31, 2021.

McKitterick Prize . Restrictions : Open to authors over age 40 on December 31, 2021. Genre : First novel. The work must have been first published in the UK in the year in which the deadline falls (and not first published abroad), or be unpublished. Prize : £4,000.00. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

Otherwise Award . Genre : Work that is changing the way we think about gender through speculative narrative. Prize : $500. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

The Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry , sponsored by the African Poetry Book Fund and in partnership with the literary journal, Prairie Schooner , is the only one of its kind in the world and was established to promote African poetry written in English or in translation and to recognize a significant book published each year by an African poet. A standard edition is 48 pages or more in length. Genre : Open to any book of original poetry, in English, published during 2015 in a standard edition by a full-length collection of poetry. Restrictions : African nationals, African residents, or poet of African parentage with roots from any country, living anywhere in the world. Prize : USD $5,000. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

Smokelong Comedy Prize . Genre : Comedy flash fiction and nonfiction up to 782 words. Prize : $400. Deadline : October 31, 2021. Entry fee waived for writers who are financially unable to pay an entry fee.

ECW Press Best New Speculative Novel Contes t. Restrictions : Open to Canadians. Genre : Speculative Novel. Prize : $3000 prize and a publishing contract. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

The Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest is sponsored by Hollins University. Restrictions : Open to young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. Genre : Poetry. Prize : Up to $5,000 renewable annual Creative Talent Scholarship in creative writing if winner enrolls at Hollins. Free tuition and housing for the university’s Hollins summer creative writing program. $200 cash prize. Publication in Cargoes, Hollins’ award-winning student literary magazine. Ten copies of Cargoes. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

Rune Bear Quarterly . Genre : Drabble of exactly 100 words on theme of “Last Bus to Station 9.” Prize : $10. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

Storyhouse . Genre : Nonfiction. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. 1000–10,000 words in length. Stories must be suitable for children. See themes. Prize : $200. Deadline : October 31, 2021.

Like this article? For more articles about the publishing world, useful tips on how to get an agent, agents who are looking for clients, how to market and promote your work, building your online platform, how to get reviews, self-publishing, as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers (no agent required) visit Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity.

Written by Erica Verrillo

Helping writers get published and bolstering their flagging spirits at http://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/

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Bafta rocliffe new writing competition.

The BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Competition is a platform for aspiring screenwriters to have their work showcased and a fantastic opportunity to take their writing career to the next level. 

The BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Competition, which runs twice a year, calls submissions for Film, Television Drama, Children, Family & YA Media, and Television Comedy scripts. In 2024, we will be running Television Comedy and Film.

Following a blind judging process, selected script extracts are performed by a professional cast to an audience of producers, development executives, directors, actors and literary agents, aiming to give a platform to emerging writing talent from across the country.

The benefits for a writer include: hearing their work read by professional actors, a development-focused discussion generated by the readings, feedback and advice from experienced industry members and an invaluable method to test out new concepts and material on an audience. 

Find out more and how to enter in FAQs below.

How to enter and FAQs Terms and Conditions

Dates and Deadlines:

TV Comedy  

Applications are now open. Apply here .

Bursary applications have now closed. 

The closing date for applications is March 21, 17:00 GMT.

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The ultimate guide to competitions for young writers 2023

Getting words down onto the page isn’t the hard part for many keen young writers, but making the time to polish a story or poem can be hard. That’s especially true if you’re in school and juggling other demands like exams or extracurricular activities. But entering a writing competition is a motivation to do the editing that will turn your inspired draft into a shining example of your craft. Here’s a list of competitions aimed at young writers and poets. We try and keep it as up to date as we can, but always take time to read and follow the guidelines and terms and conditions. And always check the closing date! Once you’ve found one that appeals, why not give it a go?

We are proud to run the Young Walter Scott Prize. It is the UK’s only creative writing prize for budding historical fiction authors. You can enter if you’re between 11 and 19 and live in the UK or Ireland. You could win a £500 travel grant, and a chance to see your own work in print. Entries must be between 800 and 2,000 words, set in a time before you were born. The deadline for this year’s competition is 31 st October 2023. Details of how to enter are here , and you’ll find some of the previous winning entries here .

You can also follow the YWSP on TikTok www.tiktok.com/@walterscottprizes  and YouTube www.youtube.com/c/walterscottprizes

Atom Learning Young Author Award

Open to young writers aged 7 to 11, the theme for 2023 year’s entries – which should be no longer than 500 words, is ‘If I Were In Charge for a Day… You’ll find the information you need here: https://atomlearning.com/young-author-award

Author of Tomorrow

The Author of Tomorrow prize is open to young writers in a range of age categories, from 11 and under, up to 21 years. The competition aims to find the adventure writers of the future and offers a cash award, book tokens, and digital publication in an anthology. Find out more at https://www.wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org/awards/author-of-tomorrow-2019

BBC 500 Words

Divided into two age categories – 5 to 7 and 8 to 11 – this popular competition invites entries of 500 words or less, written in prose. There are clear guidelines and resources for schools on the web page – https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/500-words/about-500-words – and the competition opens in September 2023.

CABB Publishing Writing Competitions

CABB Publishing runs two writing competitions, one for writers aged 8 to 12 and the other for writers aged 13 to 16. Visit the website for more information: https://www.caabpublishing.co.uk/submit-competitions

Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award

The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is the biggest poetry competition for 11-17 year olds in the world. Since it began 25 years ago, the Award has kickstarted the career of some of today’s most exciting new voices. Find out more here: https://poetrysociety.org.uk/competitions/foyle-young-poets-of-the-year-award/

Green Stories Writing Competitions

This is a series of free writing competitions across various formats inviting stories that showcase what a sustainable society might look like.  Entries must be in English and unpublished. The intention is to create a resource that entertains and informs about green solutions, inspires green behaviour and raises awareness of the necessary transformations towards a sustainable economy. You’ll find more information here: https://www.greenstories.org.uk/writing-competitions/

Hampshire Young Poets Prize

The age categories for this poetry competition span 4 to 16 years, and it is open to young people who live or study in Hampshire. For more information, this is the website: https://www.hampshireculture.org.uk/hantsyoungpoets23

Orwell Youth Prize

The Orwell Foundation’s Orwell Youth Prize is open to you if you’re between 8 and 13 years old. Write a story, essay or even your own game. The themes they’re looking for vary from year to year. Sign up for more information, including details of the next annual theme at  https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-youth-prize/

Royal Geographical Society Essay Competition

Organised in partnership with the Financial Times, entrants are asked to answer a question in a 1000-word essay. This year’s question is What risks are associated with climate change and what should we be doing about them?   You’ll find details – including lots of helpful resources to aid research – on the website: https://www.rgs.org/schools/competitions/school-essay-competition/

Solstice Prize

Organised by Writing East Midlands, this nature-themed writing competition is open to writers aged 7 to 17; you can submit a story or poem and the prizes on offer include a cash award and a book voucher for your school. Head for the website, which has examples of previous winning entries, for details of the next competition at https://writingeastmidlands.co.uk/young-writers-groups/solstice-writing-prize/

The Stephen Spender Prize

A prize for poetry in translation with categories for pupils, teachers and individual young people living in the UK and Ireland, as well as an Open category for adults from all over the world. The rules are simple: translate into English any poem from any language – from French to Farsi, from Spanish to Somali. Check out the details here: https://www.stephen-spender.org/stephen-spender-prize/

War Through Children’s Eyes

Organised by the Azerbaijani Community in the United Kingdom, this award is for art and creative writing and was set up as part of the 30th anniversary commemoration of the Khojaly massacre in Azerbaijan in 1992. If you are a UK resident aged between 7 and 17 (the award is divided into 7-11 and 12-17 age categories), you can enter with artwork or a written piece inspired by the themes of war and peace. Entry is free, although participants are encouraged to make a donation to War Child. For more information about how to enter, and a list of the judges, go to https://www.warthroughchildrenseyes.org.uk/competition_entries

HG Wells Short Story Competition

There is an annual theme for this short story competition – go to the website to find out more – https://hgwellscompetition.com .  The competition is free for entry for writers under 21.

Wenlock Olympian Society Writing Competition

This competition welcomes stories and poems and is open to young writers from around the world. There are awards in three medal categories — gold, silver and bronze — and all medallists receive their own Wenlock Olympian Society medal. Find copies of winning stories on their website, where details of the next competition are published. https://www.wenlock-olympian-society.org.uk/wenlock-olympian-society-arts/creative-short-story/

Yorkshire Festival of Story: Children’s Story Competition

Open to young writers aged 7 to 12 years, entrants are given a theme to inspire their story of up to 500 words. Find out more here: https://www.settlestories.org.uk/whats_on/childrens_story-comp/

Young Poets’ Competition

This competition is organised by the Wells Festival of Literature. First, second and third places all win cash awards, plus a year’s subscription to the Poetry Society. Find out more here: https://www.wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk/2023/02/2023-young-poets-competition/

Undergrowth Competition

Nature and our relationship to it, growth and regeneration – this is an opportunity for writers aged 16 to 19 – ‘the next generation of nature and wilderness lovers’ – to share their stories in fiction, poetry and non-fiction. Details can be found here: https://www.overgrowth.uk/writing-competition-2023-undergrowth

Write on Art

Write on Art is an annual national writing competition sponsored by Art UK and the  Paul Mellon Centre  to encourage an interest in art history among young people. To enter, you must be aged 15 to 18 and live in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland; choose one artwork from artuk.org that fascinates you. For details and guidelines see https://artuk.org/learn/what-is-write-on-art

Young Writers Awards

Goldsmiths University in London runs a series of writing competitions for 16- to 19-year-olds. Details can be found here: https://www.gold.ac.uk/schools-and-colleges/young-writer-competitions/

BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University

This writing prize, run by the BBC along with Cambridge University, could be for you if you’re aged 14 to 18 and live in the UK. Entries can be up to 1,000 words; the shortlist will be announced on Radio 1 and the winner will be announced live on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row. Find out more at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2cslf9QxZKznVCqplBS0SY0/the-2023-bbc-young-writers-award

The Young Muslim Writers’ Awards

The Young Muslim Writers’ Awards are open to entrants aged from 5 to 16 years. Short stories, poems, articles, screenplays and playscripts are welcome – all details can be found here: https://ymwa.org.uk/2023-competition-now-open/

Young Writers Annual Showcase

An opportunity for writers aged from 4 to 18 years – submit an entry of up to 1000 words for a chance to win, and to see your work in print. There’s more information on the webste – including a Story Generator to set you going! https://www.youngwriters.co.uk/competitions/all-ages/showcase-23?view=ind

You’ll never know how you’ll fare in a competition unless you enter, so give it a try! Whether you’ve ambitions to become an author or just enjoy working with words, it’s fun to take part.

And why not take a look at the YWSP YouTube channel where past winners talk about their experiences?

You’ll also find inspiration on our TikTok , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , and our Inspirations page.

And if you come across other competitions for young writers that should be included in this list, just let us know.

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