Writing Competitions List

This writing competitions list will give you a huge number of competitions for authors to enter.

Winning a writing competition is a fantastic way to get your novel, short stories or poetry noticed by a wider audience. Here you will find a link on how to win writing contests, and free poetry competitions, free short story contests and a list of other UK writing competitions.

It gives a great feeling of validation that you are on the right path and your hard work is worth it, whether you win a writing contest, get shortlisted, or even an honourable mention.

One of the things I love most about writing competitions is that it provides me with focus and motivation to not only write a story, but to edit it to my highest ability. Win or lose, I always gain some of my best work.

BOOKMARK this huge writing competitions list and enter contests at your leisure. Regularly updated, this big list is a fantastic author resource!

This BIG list of writing competitions for authors and poets features writing contests accepting submissions, organised by month. Submit your poetry, short stories, flash fiction and book chapters to be in with a chance of becoming a prize-winning writer. The regularly updated contests on this list cater for unpublished authors, self-published writers and other creative individuals and their manuscripts.

My advice would be to simply pick a UK or worldwide writing competition that you like the sound of and enter it. And to help you do that, I’ve compiled a list of my favourite writing contests, most of which are based in the UK. These generally run annually, have prestigious awards or great prizes, and most are open to international authors too.

If you’d like a few tips on how to win writing competitions, then have a look at my guide on How To Win Writing Competitions.

I have ordered the competitions by their usual closing date months, see individual websites for specific details:

January Writing Competitions

Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Closing date varies each year)
Prizes: 1st: £5,000, Regional winners £2,500 each
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: Short stories from 2,000 to 5,000 words
Website: www.commonwealthwriters.org

Mogford Prize
Prizes: 1st: £10,000
Entry fee: £10
Looking for: Short stories up to 2,500 words about food
Website: www.mogfordprize.co.uk

Perito Writing Prize
Prizes: 1st: £500, inclusion in anthology and exposure through website, podcast and social media
Entry fee: Free
Looking for: Short stories between 1,000 and 2,000 words on theme of accessibility
Website: www.weareperito.com

The Darling Axe: Clash of the Query Letters
Prizes: 1st: $700, 2nd: $200, 3rd: $100 CAD
Entry fee: $5 CAD
Looking for: A contest for querying novelists and memoirists.
Website: www.darlingaxe.com

February Writing Competitions

WOW! Women on Writing Competitions (Various)
Prizes: $$$, publication, interview and Amazon Gift Certificates (Prizes and entry fees for their competitions vary, please see their website for regular competitions).
Entry fee: Varies
Looking for: Short Fiction (250-750 words) or Creative Non-Fiction (200-1,000 words)
Website: www.wow-womenonwriting.com

Green Stories: Adult Short Stories Competition
Prizes: 1st: £200
Entry fee: Free (submission survey requires you to have read an extract)
Looking for: Short story between 2,000 and 5,000 words (green issues/sustainability)
Website: www.greenstories.org.uk

ChipLitFest Short Story Competition
Top 3 stories read by professional at the ChipLitFest awards evening in April.
Prizes: 1st: £500, 2nd: £100, 3rd: £50.
Entry Fee: £5 up to 3,000 words, £8 up to 5,000 words.
Looking for: Short stories up to 5,000 words
Website: www.chiplitfest.com

Flash Fiction Award
Prizes: 1st: £1,000, 2nd: £300, 3rd: £100. Two commendations £30 each.
50 long-listed entrants offered publication in end of year print and digital anthology.
Entry fee: £9.00 for one entry; £15.00 for two entries; £18.00 for three entries.
Looking for: Short Stories up to 300 words.
Website: www.bathflashfictionaward.com

Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook Annual Short Story Competition
Prizes: Place on a retreat at Arvon Clockhouse.
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: Stories up to 2,000 words on any theme.
Website: www.writersandartists.co.uk/competitions

The Desperate Literature Prize for Short Fiction
Prizes: €1,000 plus a week’s residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation. A consultation with a US Literary Agent from Foundry Literary + Media. Plus: 2 x €250.
Entry fee: €20 for first entry, €10 for each further entry, maximum of five entries.
Looking for: Fiction short story up to 2,000 words.
Website: www.desperateliterature.com

Scottish Arts Club Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £1,000, 2nd: £500, 3rd: £250.
Entry fee: £10
Looking for: Short stories up to 2,000 words.
Website: www.storyawards.org/shortstoryaward

Exeter Writers Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £700, 2nd: £250, 3rd: £100, plus £100 for a Devon writer.
Entry fee: £7
Looking for: Short stories up to 3,000 words, any genre and theme except
Website: www.exeterwriters.org.uk

Flash 500 Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £500 plus a two-year Duotrope Gift Certificate, 2nd: £200, 3rd: £100
Entry fee: £7, £12 for two, £16 for three, £20 for four.
Looking for: Short stories between 1,000 and 3,000 words.
Website: www.flash500.com

Crime Writers Association Margery Allingham Short Story Competition
Prizes: £500
Entry fee: £12
Looking for: Short stories up to 3,500 words based on Margery Allingham’s definition of a mystery: “The Mystery remains box-shaped, at once a prison and a refuge. Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it.”
Website: www.thecwa.co.uk

Fish Flash Fiction Prize
Prizes: 1st: €1,000, 2nd: €300, 3rd: Online Writing Course with Fish. Top ten stories will be published in the FISH ANTHOLOGY 2019.
Entry fee: €14 (€8 subsequent entries).
Looking for: Short stories up to 300 words.
Website: www.fishpublishing.com/competition/flash-fiction-contest/

First Pages Prize
Prizes: 1st – $2,000, 2nd – $1,250, 3rd – $750, 4th – $500, 5th – $500 in US dollars. Plus developmental editing and agent consultation.
Entry fee: $20 per entry
Looking for: The first 5 pages of a longer work of fiction or creative non-fiction. Open to un-agented writers worldwide.
Website: www.firstpagesprize.com

A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”

— Richard Bach

March Writing Competitions

Exisle Academy Writing Competition
Prizes: Win publishing opportunities
Entry fee: Standard $15 Assessed $75 (all fees include a $15 book coupon)
Looking for: 1,500 words on ‘how my book changed the world’
Website: www.exisleacademy.com

Green Stories: Under 18’s Short Stories Competition
Prizes: 1st: £200 (11-18yr olds only)
Entry fee: Free (submission survey requires you to have read an extract)
Looking for: Short story between 2,000 and 5,000 words (green issues/sustainability)
Website: www.greenstories.org.uk

The White Review Short Story Prize
Prizes: £2,500 for the best piece of short fiction by a writer resident in Britain & Ireland who has yet to secure a publishing deal.
Entry fee: £15
Looking for: Short stories from 2,000 to 7,000 words
Website: www.thewhitereview.org

Neil Gunn Writing Competition
Prizes: 1st: £500, 2nd: £300 and 3rd: £200 in each category.
Entry fee: £8
Looking for: Short stories up to 2,500 words and poetry up to 40 lines, interpreting one of three quotes from Scottish writer Neil Gunn.
Website: www.highlifehighland.com/neilgunn

BBC National Short Story Award
Prizes: Award of £15,000 for the winner, £600 for four further shortlisted stories.
Entry fee: Not stated.
Looking for: Stories with a maximum of 8,000 words. One entry per author.
Website: www.bbc.co.uk

Desperate Literature Prize for Short Fiction
Prizes: 1st: €1,500, Runner Up: €750 (2 Prizes), residency, reading and submission prizes
Entry fee: €20 for first piece, then €10 for each further entry up to a maximum of 5 entries.
Looking for: Previously unpublished short stories up to 2,000 words.
Website: www.desperateliterature.com

Rhys Davies Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £1,000, Runner Up: £100 (10 Prizes), plus publication
Entry fee: £8. Entrants must have been born in Wales, or live or have lived there for 2 years.
Looking for: Any style or subject up to 5,000 words.
Website: www.swansea.ac.uk

Harpers Bazaar Short Story Competition
Prizes: In 2018 it was a two-night stay at Brownber Hall, Yorkshire, and the chance to see their work published.
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: Short stories up to 2,500 words on a specific theme.
Website: www.harpersbazaar.com

Fowey Festival Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £100, 2nd: £75
Entry fee: £5
Looking for: Short stories up to 1,500 words on a specific theme.
Website: www.foweyfestival.com 

Eyelands International Flash Fiction Contest
Prizes: 1st: Usually a holiday, gift certificate and publication. Shortlisted stories get publication in their anthology.
Entry fee: 10€
Looking for: Up to 500 words on a specific theme.
Website: www.eyelands.gr

Evesham Festival of Words Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £150, 2nd: £30
Entry fee: £5
Looking for: Short stories on any theme up to 2,500 words.
Website: www.eveshamfestivalofwords.org

Limnisa Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st prize is a one week, all inclusive, writers’ retreat.
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: Short stories up to 1,500 words. Must be original, unpublished work of fiction in English, on a specific theme.
Website: www.limnisa.com

Writers’ HQ Flash Quarterly Competition
Prizes: 1st place: 12 months Writers’ HQ membership + 3 one-day writing retreats, 2nd place: 6 months Writers’ HQ membership + 3 one-day writing retreats, 3rd place: 3 months Writers’ HQ membership + 3 one-day writing retreats.
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: Flash fiction up to 500 words.
Website: www.writershq.co.uk

Writers Bureau Annual Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £300, 2nd: £200, 3rd: £100, 4th: £50. All winners receive a Writers Bureau Course of their choice.
Entry fee: £5
Looking for: Short stories up to 2,000 words.
Website: https://www.wbcompetition.com/index.html

The Henshaw Competition
Prizes: 1st: £200, 2nd: £75, 3rd: £25. Winning stories published on the Henshawpress website. Commended stories offered the opportunity of inclusion in their anthology.
Entry fee: £6. Optional critiques a further £12.
Looking for: A short story on any subject up to 2000 words.
Website: www.henshawpress.co.uk

Cymera
Prizes: £75 and publishing opportunities
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: Short stories on a specific theme up to 2,000 words.
Website: www.cymerafestival.co.uk

Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize
Prizes: £15,000
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: A novel about fictional adventure writing, best published and best unpublished categories
Website: www.wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org

Creative Writing Ink Poetry Prize
Prizes: €1000, a free creative writing course of the winners choice and publication on their website
Entry fee: €6 for first entry, €5 for each subsequent entry
Looking for: Poetry of 42 lines maximum
Website: www.creativewriting.ie

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”

― Terry Pratchett

April Writing Competitions

Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize
Prizes: 1st: £10,000, 2nd: £3,000, 3rd: £2,000
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: Short stories up to 2500 words on specific theme. One entry per person. Text must not have been published, self-published or accepted for publication in print or online, or have won or been placed in another competition at any time. All genres permitted.
Website: www.alpinefellowship.com

Edge Hill Short Story Prize
Prizes: 1st: £10,000 plus £1,000 Readers’ Prize
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: Single-author short story collections published in previous year.
Website: www.edgehill.ac.uk

Leicester Writes Short Story Prize
Prizes: 1st: £100 and bundle of books, 2nd: £50 and books, 3rd: books.
Entry fee: £7. Max three entries per person. Writers submitting from within Leicestershire can submit for a discounted fee of £3.
Looking for: Short stories up to 3,000 words
Website: www.leicesterwrites.co.uk

Bath Short Story Award
Prizes: 1st: £1200, 2nd: £300, 3rd: £100 third prize, plus £100 for the Acorn Award (for an unpublished writer), £50  for the local prize.
Entry fee: £8
Looking for: Short stories up to 2,200 words, in any style and on any subject Website: www.bathshortstoryaward.org

ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize
Prizes: 1st: Aus$5,000, 2nd: Aus$3,000, 3rd: Aus$2,000, plus 3 commended stories will share the remaining Aus$2,500 in prize money.
Entry fee: Aus$25
Looking for: Short stories between 2,000 and 5,000 words.
Website: www.australianbookreview.com.au

Shooter Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £500 and publication, 2nd: £100 plus publication.
Entry fee: £7 (or £10 for two stories).
Looking for: Stories may be any theme or genre, and any length up to 5,000 words.
Website: www.shooterlitmag.com

Momaya Press Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £110, 2nd: £55, 3rd: £25, winners and shortlisted authors will be published.
Entry fee: £11
Looking for: Short stories up to 3,000 words on a specific theme.
Website: www.momayapress.com

Earlyworks Press Poetry Competition
Prizes: 1st: £100, 2nd: £25, 3rd: £5, for each poem on the website.
Entry fee: £4 per poem, £16 for up to six entries.
Looking for:  Poems up to 40 lines.
Website: www.earlyworkspress.co.uk

Write By The Sea
Prizes: 1st: €1000 and €500 for each category winner
Entry fee: €10 per entry or €25 for three entries
Looking for:  Short stories (3,0000 words), Flash (700 words) and Poems (40 lines)
Website: www.writebythesea.ie

May Writing Competitions

Creative Future Writers’ Award
Prizes: 1st: £20,000 and professional development
Entry fee: Free (or pay what you can)
Looking for: Poetry (50 lines) Fiction (2,000 words) Creative Non-Fiction (2,000 words)
Website: www.creativefuture.org.uk

Bristol Short Story Prize
Prizes: 1st: £1,000, 2nd: £500, 3rd: £250. 17 prizes of £100 for shortlisted authors. All shortlisted writers will receive 2 free copies of the anthology.
Entry fee: £9
Looking for: Stories up to 4,000 words on any theme or subject and in any style, including graphic, verse or genre-based.
Website: www.bristolprize.co.uk

Frome Festival Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £400, 2nd: £200, 3rd: £100, plus additional prizes for local entries.
Entry fee: £8. Multiple entries permitted.
Looking for: Short stories from 1,000 to 2,200 words on any theme.
Website: www.fromeshortstorycompetition.co.uk

The Darling Axe: The Synopsis Skirmish
Prizes: 1st: $700, 2nd: $200, 3rd: $100 CAD
Entry fee: $5 CAD
Looking for: Summarize your novel or memoir in 500 words.
Website: www.darlingaxe.com

Bridport Prize
Prizes: Novels: 1st: £1,000, 2nd: £500, 3 Shortlisted authors receive £100. Poems: 1st: £5,000, 2nd: £1,000, 3rd: £500, 10 x £100 for highly commended. Short Stories: 1st: £5,000, 2nd: £1,000, 3rd: £500. Flash Fiction: 1st: £1,000, 2nd: £500, 3rd: £250.
Entry fee: Various.
Looking for: Short stories up to 4,000 words. Novels, Poetry and Flash Fiction.
Website: www.bridportprize.org.uk

Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award
Prizes: 1st: £1,000 and agent introduction
Entry fee: £20 per entry
Looking for: Unrepresented and unpublished authors for a novel in any adult fiction genre
Website: www.bluepencilagency.com

Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize
Prizes: 1st: £1,000
Entry fee: £8
Looking for: Short stories
Website: www.bricklanebookshop.org

The Writing District Prize
Prizes: 1st: $1,000 and publication on website, 2 runners-up $100 each
Entry fee: $15
Looking for: Short stories of 3,000 words maximum, any subject, genre or theme
Website: www.thewritingdistrict.com

June Writing Competitions

Bath Novel Award
Prizes: 1st: £2,500
Entry fee: £25
Looking for: First 5,000 words of a manuscript of at least 50,000 words.
Website: www.bathnovelaward.co.uk

Aurora Prize for Writing
Prizes: 1st: £500
Entry fee: £9
Looking for: Short fiction (up to 2,000 words) and poetry (up to 60 lines)
Website: www.writingeastmidlands.co.uk

Mslexia Magazine Competitions
Prizes: Varies by competition
Entry fee: Check website for details
Looking for: Fiction and Poetry (Women Only entrants)
Website: www.mslexia.co.uk

“Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens. Most of my friends who are put on that diet have very pleasant careers.”

— Ray Bradbury

July Writing Competitions

Anthology Magazine Short Story Competition
Prizes: €500 and one year subscription to Anthology Magazine
Entry fee: Early Bird €10, Standard €15
Looking for: Themed short stories up to 1,500 words
Website: www.anthology-magazine.com

The To Hull And Back Humorous Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £1,000 and some random bits, 2nd: £500, 3rd: £250, 3 x Highly Commended £100, 14 x Shortlisted: £50. All short listed writers published in their anthology.
Entry fee: Early bird: £11 for one story, £18 for two stories and £22 for three stories. Then £13 for one story, £21 for two stories and £26 for three stories.
Looking for: Short stories up to 2,500 words. No limitation on style or genre, but must contain some element of humour.
Website: www.christopherfielden.com

The Not Quite Write Prize
Prizes: $300 AUD
Entry fee: Free
Looking for: You have 60 hours to write 600 words Flash Fiction.
Website: www.notquitewritepodcast.com

London Magazine Poem Competition
Prizes: £500
Entry fee: £10
Looking for: Poetry up to 40 lines
Website: www.thelondonmagazine.org

Costa Awards
Prizes: £30,000 top prize
Entry fee: Unknown
Looking for: Many categories for novels and short stories, publishers must enter books
Website: www.costa.co.uk

August Writing Competitions

Sean O’Faolain Prize
Prizes: 1st: €2,000
Entry fee: €18
Looking for: Short stories up to 3,000 words
Website: www.munsterlit.ie

September Writing Competitions

Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize
Prizes: 1st: £1,000 or one year’s editorial support, plus smaller prizes
Entry Fee: £10
Looking for: Short stories
Website: www.galleybeggar.co.uk

Manchester Writing Competition
Prizes: 1st: £10,000 in each category
Entry Fee: £17.50
Looking for: Short stories up to 2,500 words. A portfolio of 3 to 5 poems up to a maximum of 120 lines.
Website: www.mmu.ac.uk

Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £1,000, a free creative writing course and publication on website, Runners-up: £200
Entry Fee: £9
Looking for: Short stories up to 3,000 words
Website: www.creativewritingink.co.uk

The Darling Axe: The First Page Challenge
Prizes: 1st: $700, 2nd: $200, 3rd: $100 CAD
Entry fee: $5 CAD
Looking for: Immerse and engage us with the first page from your novel or memoir.
Website: www.darlingaxe.com

October Writing Competitions

Bare Fiction Competitions
Prizes: 1st: £500
Entry fee: £5-£8
Looking for: Short stories up to 3,000 words, Poems up to 40 lines, Flash Fiction up to 500 words.
Website: www.barefictionmagazine.co.uk

F(r)iction Contests
Prizes: 1st: Short Story $1,000, Flash Fiction $300, Poetry $300
Entry fee: $2.50 per submission
Looking for: Short stories between 1,001 and 7,500 words, Poetry up to 3 pages per poem, Flash Fiction up to 1,000 words. Work that pushes boundaries, questions traditions and tastes.
Website: www.frictionlit.org

Scribble Competitions
Prizes: £75. £25, £15 for top 3 stories
Entry fee: £5 per story
Looking for: Short stories up to 3,000 words.
Website: www.parkpublications.co.uk

November Writing Competitions

London Magazine Short Story Competition
Prizes: 1st: £500
Entry fee: £10
Looking for: Short stories
Website: www.thelondonmagazine.org

William Soutar Writing Prize
Prizes: Writing Retreat (run by Culture Perth and Kinross)
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: Poetry, story or spoken performance 
Website: www.culturepk.org.uk

Anthology Magazine Poetry Competition
Prizes: €500 and one year subscription to Anthology Magazine
Entry fee: €15 per poem
Looking for: Themed poetry up to 40 lines
Website: www.anthology-magazine.com

December Writing Competitions

Orna Ross Green Stories Novel Prize
Prizes: 1st: £1000, 2nd: £500, plus publishing support
Entry fee: Free (submission survey requires you to have read an extract)
Looking for: Full length novel that showcases sustainable societies or green issues
Website: www.greenstories.org.uk

Magic Oxygen Literary Competition
Prizes: 1st: £1000
Entry fee: £5
Looking for: Short stories up to 4,000 words and poetry up to 50 lines
Website: www.magicoxygen.co.uk

Moth Magazine Competition
Prizes: 1st: €10,000 Poem / €3,000 Short Story
Entry fee: €15
Looking for: Short stories up to 5,000 words and poetry
Website: www.themothmagazine.com

RSL Ondaatje Prize
Prizes: 1st: £10,000
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: Short fiction, non-fiction or poetry evoking the spirit of a place
Website: www.rsliterature.org

V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize
Prizes: 1st: £1,000
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: Short stories
Website: www.rsliterature.org

Ongoing Writing Competitions…

The John Byrne Award
Prizes: Award £500 quarterly, £7,500 annually, plus other prizes
Entry fee: Free!
Looking for: Short stories up to 4,000 words and poetry up to 50 lines
Website: www.johnbyrneaward.org.uk

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Good luck with your submissions!

Want support with writing, editing, publishing and marketing your book, short story or poetry? Visit my Resources for Authors page for lots more useful links, tips, tricks and advice.

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Aaron Mullins (@DrAaronMullins) is an award winning, internationally published psychologist and Amazon bestselling author. Aaron has over 15 years experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in business strategy for authors and publishers. He started Birdtree Books Publishing where he worked as Editor-in-Chief, partnered with World Reader Charity and taught Academic Writing at Coventry University. Aaron’s book How to Write Fiction: A Creative Writing Guide for Authors has become a staple reference book for writers and those interested in a publishing career.