Details

Details

UK Writing Competitions (currently 55)

Scribble Quarterly Short Story Competition .  This quarterly contest from Scribble magazine is for stories in any genre and on any subject, running to no more than 3,000 words.  Winners are chosen by the magazine’s readers.
    Closing: Quarterly.
    Prizes: £75, £25, £15.
    Entry Fee: £5.
    Comp Page: Scribble SSC.

Flash 500 Competition.  Here’s a quarterly flash fiction contest which offers higher prize money than many similar competitions. It is for stories of up to 500 words on any theme.
    Closing: Quarterly (end of March, June, September, December).
    Prizes: 1st - £300.  2nd - £200.  3rd - £100.  Winners will be published on the website.
    Entry Fee: £5 each, £8 for two.
    Comp Page: Flash 500 Story.

WriteTime Short Story Competition.  To enter this quarterly international contest from the WriteTime community you need to be aged 60 or older.
    Closing: Quarterly.
    Prizes: £100, £50, £50.  Unsuccessful entrants receive brief feedback on their work.
    Entry Fee: £5 for one, £10 for three.
    Comp Page: WriteTime Story

                         The Rules, the T&Cs, the Fine Print
When you submit a story or poem to a competition, you are entering into a contract with the promoter.  Make sure you know the terms.  It may be, for instance, that you are granting the promoter the right to publish your work without payment even if you don’t win.  This is often the price you pay for entering a contest with no entry fee.  If it bothers you, don’t participate.  But before you get sniffy about that 450-word story set in the sedate world of turnip farming, ask yourself this: Would I really be able to sell it to anyone else?  Publication, even without payment, might not be a bad thing if it gets you a healthy crop of readers.  And if it’s in a newspaper or magazine that carries some prestige ... well, there are plenty of struggling writers who would gift wrap and hand over their very souls for the privilege of being able to put that in their cv.  Only you can decide if it’s worth it.

My Writing Journey Contest.  I don’t often come across literary competitions from New Zealand where I went on a working holiday as a 17-year-old, so it is with great excitement that I give you the details of this one (which is free to enter and open worldwide).  Your task is write an original piece on the theme: The best writing tip I’ve ever received.  Here’s a tip from me: keep your entry down to 600 words as it will otherwise break the rules.
    Closing: 31.12.24.
    Prize: £100.
    Entry Fee: None - free entry.
    Comp Page: Writing Journey Comp

WoLF Poetry Competition.  You don’t have to write about a wild animal for this one, as the name merely refers to the Wolverhampton Literary Festival.   The contest, which is international in scope, is being run by the local Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists who have probably been known to howl at the moon on occasions.  They want poems that surprise, astound and enthral them - all within a 40-line limit.
    Closing: 31.12.24.
    Prizes: £400, £150, £25.  Local prize (WV postcode) - £50.
    Entry Fee: £4 for the first, £3 thereafter.
    Comp Page: WoLF Poetry

Moth Poetry Prize. This annual contest from Irish magazine The Moth is for poems of any length and on any subject.  I should perhaps mention that the magazine is not devoted to the subject of moths, fascinating though these may be.  It is an arts and literature magazine.  Presumably the name is a reference to the way artists and writers are attracted to the light of recognition only to beat their wings in vain against an invisible barrier until finally, broken and defeated, they slide down to the windowsill of despair.  You’d think the magazine people could have come up with something a bit more cheerful than that, wouldn’t you?
    Closing: 31.12.24.
    Prizes: 1st - 6,000 euros.  Runners-up (3) - 1,000 euros.  Commended (8) - 250 euros.
    Entry Fee: 15 euros.
    Comp Page: Moth Poetry Comp.

Letter Review Prizes.  Here’s a repeat of the contest from the USA with four categories: Poetry (all kinds, up to 70 lines), Short Fiction (up to 5,000 words), Nonfiction (up to 5,000 words) and Unpublished Books (first 5,000 words of a novel, nonfiction or collection of short stories, or 15 pages of poetry).  In the Unpublished Books category, self-published books are eligible.
    Closing: 1.1.25 (5am).
    Prizes: A share of the $1,000 prize pool in each category.  Poetry, Short Fiction and Nonfiction winners will be published, while Unpublished Book winners can choose to have an extract published and receive a letter of recommendation from the judges.  Winners in the first three categories will also be considered for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies.
    Entry Fee: Short Fiction - $20.  Poetry - $15.  Essays and Nonfiction - $20.  Unpublished Book - $20.
    Comp Page: Letter Review Prizes

Exeter Novel Competition.  To enter this annual contest from Creative Writing Matters of Exeter you submit a total of 10,000 words, this being the opening section of your unpublished novel and a synopsis.  All genres are welcome including Middle Grade children’s (9 to 12 years), Young Adult and New Adult.  Hellie Ogden, head of the book department at WME Agency’s London office will be the final judge.
    Closing: 1.1.25.
    Prizes: 1st - £1,000 plus a trophy.  Runners-up (5) - £100 and a paperweight.  There will be an Awards Ceremony in Exeter in April.
    Entry Fee: £20.
    Comp Page: Exeter Novel

Shepton Snowdrops Festival Poetry Competition.  Back again for another year is this poetry contest from Shepton Mallet.  This time round the theme is Treasures of Nature (geology, landscape and flora).  You have up to 30 lines in which to explore it.
    Closing: 6.1.25.
    Prizes: 18 and over - £300.  12 to 17 - £100.  Under 11 - £50.  Shortlisted poems will be published in a pamphlet.
    Entry Fee: 18 and over - £4.  Under 18s can enter free (only one per person).
    Comp Page: Shepton Snowdrops

Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. This lucrative biennial competition from property company Bruntwood and the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester is open to anyone aged 16 or over, resident in the UK, Ireland or the British Territories.  There is also an International Award, but for this you need to apply through the partner theatres listed on the competition page.  Plays must run for a minimum of one hour.
    Closing: 9.1.25 (6pm).
    Prizes: 1st - £20,000.  Judges’ Award - £10,000.  North West Original New Voice Award & Residency (for writers based in the North West of England who have not had a full-length play professionally produced for 12 performances or more at a venue) - £10,000.  Late Entry Award - £0 (they don’t notify the winners of this one).  All winning scripts except for the Late Entry Awards are automatically under option to the Royal Exchange Theatre for 24 months.  Feedback will be given on all longlisted scripts.  Shortlisted writers will be invited to the awards ceremony.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  Only one entry per person.
    Comp Page: Bruntwood Prize.

Dear Mr Michael
    I discovered your website back in November, then, in January, finally had the guts to enter the Whidbey Writers’ Competition, with the 'lazy' way of judging entries: stopping reading once they found 'the one'. The January theme was Villains, and, guess what, I won.
    Thank goody-goody gumdrops for Prizemagic.
    Keep Smiling
                                                   - Hannie Duncombe (The youngest ever Student Choice winner, at 13, thanks to you.)

Bournemouth Writing Prize.  Now an annual event, this international contest is for short stories of up to 3,000 words and poems of up to 30 lines.
    Closing: 15.1.25..
    Prizes: £500 per category plus a one-to-one session with the judges and the chance to perform in front of a live band during the Bournemouth Writing Festival in April 2025.  Shortlisted entrants will be published in a winner's anthology..
    Entry Fee: £10 (covers one short story or three poems).
    Comp Page: B’mouth Writing Prize

Poems on the Move Competition.  Poems of up to 14 lines that fit onto an A4 page are required for this international contest from the Channel Islands ... or rather one of them: Guernsey.  Twenty-one poems will be chosen to feature on the Guernsey buses, and the top 9 of these will be exhibited at Guernsey Airport and then at other sites all over the island.
    Closing: 15.1.25.  Opens for entries 15.9.24.
    Prizes: Open category: 1st - £1,000, £500, £250.  Channel Islands; 1st - £250, £50, £30.  Young Poets: 1st - £250, £50, £30.
   Entry Fees: Open and Channel Islands categories - £4 each,  Young Poets - Free.
    Comp Page: Guernsey Poetry

Arts Richmond Poetry Competition.  The theme for this one from Richmond in London is Changes.   You have up to 40 lines (200 words max) to play with.   Entries will be judged by the famous Roger McGough who, judging by his photo on the website, is not looking forward to it.  Think of the fee, Roger!
    Closing: 17.1.25 (12.30pm).
    Prizes: £250, £150, £75.  Winners will be invited to read their work at an event with Roger McGough.
    Entry Fee: £5 for one, £12 for three.
    Comp Page: Arts Richmond

Nine Dots Prize .  Are you 18 or over and up to a bit of lateral thinking, thinking that tackles contemporary issues?  If so, your initial task this year in this mega-lucrative annual freebie from the Kadas Prize Foundation (an English registered charity) is to produce a 3,000-word response to the question, ‘Is data failing us?’  To go with this you write an outline (up to 1,000 words) showing how you would expand your response into a book of between 25,000 and 40,000 words.  Along with your entry you need to include a Justification of up to 1,000 words regarding your previous experience in communicating effectively about evidence, and your ability to complete and submit the book within the seven month period.  Well, for a hundred grand you didn’t expect it to be easy, did you?
    Closing: 27.1.25 (11.59 in the morning).
    Prize: $100,000 and publication by CUP (Cambridge University Press).
    Entry Fee: None - free entry.
    Comp Page: Nine Dots

Ó Bhéal Five Words Poetry Challenge.  Don’t panic, your poem for this international contest from southern Ireland, can be longer than five words (up to 50).  It just needs to include the five new words posted on the website each Tuesday at 12pm (Irish time).  You will have a week after that to write and submit your entry.  Purely as an example, for the week I wrote this the words were: shadow, vivid, compose, petal, surround.
    Closing (final round): 28.1.25.
    Prizes (in euros): 750, 500, 250.  Winners also receive an invitation to the anniversary event in April 2025, with B&B accommodation plus 100 euros\ for travel.
    Entry Fee: 5 euros.
    Comp Page: Five-words

Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize.  This is the 15th of these novel-writing contests from the Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge.  Sponsored by top London literary agents Peters Fraser Dunlop, it is open only to women and non-binary writer aged over 21 and resident in the UK or Ireland, who have not had a full-length novel published.  It is for novels which combine literary merit with ‘unputdownability’.  These can be literary or genre fiction for adults, or novels for children (middle grade or above, mainly word-based).  To enter, you submit the first 10 pages of your finished or part-finished story, plus a single-paragraph pitch and a one-page synopsis.  If longlisted you will be required to submit a further 40 pages of your novel by April 4, 2025.
    Closing: 31.1.25 (noon) for paid entries.  Sponsored entries must be received by noon on 27.1.25.
    Prize: £1,500.  The shortlisted entrants will receive a one-to-one consultation with an agent at Peters Fraser Dunlop.
    Entry Fee: £12.
    Comp Page: Lucy Novel.

Parracombe Short Story Prize 2024.  This contest from Paracombe Community Trust in the hills of Exmoor National Park is for stories of up to 2,024 words on any subject.
    Closing: 31.1.25 (opens for entries on 1.11.24).
    Prizes: £150, £50, £25, £25.
    Entry Fee: £5.
    Comp Page: Parracombe Story

Kent & Sussex Poetry Society Open Competition .  This annual contest from Kent & Sussex Poetry Society is for poems of up to 40 lines on any subject and in any style.  The judge, poet and novelist Kit Fan, will read all the submissions.
    Closing: 31.1.25.
    Prizes: £1,000, £300, £100, 4 x £50.  Winners will be published in the society’s Poetry Folio.
    Entry Fee: £5 each.  Three or more £4 each.
    Comp Page: K&S Poetry.

Keats-Shelley Prize.  There are two categories in this annual contest from the Keats-Shelley Association: poems of up to 30 lines (one A4 page) on the theme of ‘Exile’, and essays running to no more than 3,000 words on any aspect of the work and lives of Keats, Shelley and their circle.  You can interpret the poetry theme freely, they say, but they also say poems that stray too far from the theme will not be considered ... so that’s more like loosely than freely.  Poems can be comic or serious, experimental or traditional.
    Closing: 31.1.25 (10am).
    Prizes (in each category): £1,000, £500.  Winning entries will be published in the Keats-Shelley Review and on the website.
    Entry Fees: Poetry - £10.  Essays - free (you can enter up to two).
    Comp Page: Keats-Shelley Prize

Bristol Short Story Prize.  Back for another year is this International competition from the English Department at the University of Bristol.  It is for stories of up to 4,000 words on any theme.  Any style is welcome including graphic, verse, or genre based.
    Closing: 31.1.25.
    Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250, 12x £50.  All shortlisted writers will receive a free copy of the anthology.
    Entry Fee: £12.
    Comp Page: Bristol Story Prize

The Young Romantics Prize.  Here’s a freebie from the Keats-Shelley Association for writers between the ages of 16 and 18.  It is for essays ranging between 750 and 1,000 words, and poems of up to 30 lines (one A4 page).  The poetry theme is ‘Exile’, while for the essay you have a choice of two questions to answer: ‘In what ways are Romantic-period writers relevant today?  And: ‘“Mad, bad and dangerous to know.”  How important is a knowledge of Byron’s Life to an understanding of his poetry?’
    Closing: 31.1.25 (10am).
    Prizes (in each category): £750, £300.  Entries will be published in the Keats-Shelley Review and on the website.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: Young Romantics

The Cheshire Prize for Literature.  This year’s contest from the University of Chester has five categories: Short Story (up to 1,500 words), Poetry (up to 100 lines), Flash Fiction (up to 360 words), Plays (up to 15 minutes, suitable for theatre, TV or radio),  Children’s Literature (story or poem with length limits as above but aimed at 7 to 14 age group),   There are three age categories: 6 to 11, 11 to 17, 18+.  To be eligible to enter you need to have lived, studied or worked at some point in Cheshire, Wirral, Warrington or Halton.  Documentary evidence may be requested, they say, so if nobody made a documentary about you while you were there, I’m afraid you’ve had it ... although it’s possible I’ve misunderstood this requirement.
    Closing: 31.1.25.
    Prizes (in each category): Cash prizes and book tokens (amounts unspecified at time of writing).
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter. You can submit up to 2 entries if they’re in different categories.
    Comp Page: Cheshire Prize.

Magma Poetry Competition.  Here’s another outing for a regular runner from the Carshalton-based poetry magazine Magma.  It has two categories: Judge’s Prize (for poems of 11 to 50 lines), and Editors’ Prize (poems of up to 10 lines).
    Closing: 31.1.25.
    Prizes (in each category): £1,000, £300, £150.
    Entry Fee: £5 for the first, £4 for the second, £3.50 thereafter.  It’s cheaper for subscribers.
    Comp Page: Magma Poetry.

Baen Memorial Short Story Award.  This intrnational freebie from American science fiction publisher Baen Books is for realistic science-based near-future space exploration stories soaring to no more than 8,000 words.  There are Do and Don’t lists that you would do well to peruse before entering if you want your chances to lift off (e.g. no fantastical elements, no galactic empires, no UFO abductions).
    Closing: 1.2.25 (12.01am U.S. Pacific Time).  Opens for submissions on 1.10.24.
    Prizes: 1st - Publication as the feature story on the Baen Books website at industry standard rates, an engraved award thingy, free entry into the 2025 International Space Development Conference, and a year’s membership of the (American) National Space Society.  Runners-up will receive free entry into the aforementioned Space Development Conference and a year’s membership of the National Space Society.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter (one per person).
    Comp Page: Baen Award.

Farnham Flash Fiction Competition.  Here’s a regular runner from the Farnham Literary Festival in Surrey.  As per last year it is for stories of up to 500 words on any subject.
    Closing: 1.2.25.
    Prizes: £100, £25, £25.  Selected longlisted stories will be published in the competition anthology.
    Entry Fee: £5.
    Comp Page: Farnham Flash

New Media Writing Prize.  Behold - another freebie!  Fiction or non-fiction written specifically for reading/viewing on electronic devices is required for this one which is facilitated and sponsored by Bournemouth University Higher Education Corporation Faculty of Media and Communications ... and various other organisations as listed on the website.  Interactivity is vital.  You can combine various digital media elements such as words, images and video clips, and I personally think that if you can include a comments section where bitter underachievers can slag off your efforts out of sheer spite, so much the better.  Short story, novel, poem, documentary, etc, are all acceptable.
    Closing: 1.2.25 (Noon).
    Prizes:  Chris Meade Memorial UK New Media Writing Prize - £1,000.  Opening Up Award - £500.  Digital Journalism Award - yet to be determined.  IDN for Social Good Award - £500.  Student Award - yet to be determined.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: NMWP

Bath Flash Fiction Award.  This recurring international contest from Bristol is for short fiction of up to 300 words.  There is no set theme.  You are probably wondering about the contest’s name: why Bath?  Well, it’s like this: I have no idea.
    Closing: 2.2.25.
    Prizes: £1,000, £300, £100, 2 x £30.
    Entry Fee: £9 for one, £15 for two, £18 for three.
    Comp Page: Bath Flash

Criminal Lines Crime Novel Competition.   Here’s a good one for budding crime novelists.  It comes from literary agent AM Heath.  To enter you submit the first 5,000 words of your novel plus a 1,000-word synopsis.
     Closing: 7.2.25.
     Prize: 1st - £3,500 and an offer of representation from AM Heath.  Runner-up - 12 months of mentoring from mainstream publisher Orion.
    Entry Fee: None - free entry.
    Comp Page: Criminal Lines.

Hi
    Before I discovered your website I’d never even thought of trying my luck in a writing competition. My stories were a very private part of my life, I was (and for the most of the time still am) very convinced that they are not good enough for the ‘outside world’.
     I don’t know what made me try - call it a crazy moment of self-confidence - but here I am the October winner of the Cazart short story competition. I haven’t felt so good about myself in months. It might not seem like a big deal to the world but for me it means everything. And it would not have happened if it wasn’t for your wonderful website.
     Thank You very much.                                         -  Dorota Nocun

Arundel Flash Fiction & Poetry Competition.  This contest from the annual Arundel Literary Festival (March 6 to 8) is for poems of up to 40 lines and stories of up to 500 words.  Patrick Osada will be judging the poetry, while Simon Brett will be sussing out the best of the stories.
    Closing: 9.2.25.
    Prizes (in each category): £200, £100.
    Entry Fee: £5 each.
    Comp Page: Arundel Flash & Poetry.

Next Generation Indie Book Awards. This international contest from Vancouver in Washington, USA is open to self-published authors of books and ebooks, as well as independent publishers of all sizes.  First-timers as well as seasoned authors are eligible to enter as long as they have a book, a manuscript or a galley proof written in English and published in 2023, 2024 or 2025, or with those copyright dates.
    Closing: 14.2.25.
    Prizes: $1,500, $750, $500.  Winners in each of the numerous categories - $100 plus a gold medal.  The top 80+ books will be sent to be reviewed by New York literary agent Marilyn Allen of the Allen Literary Agency for possible representation.
    Entry Fee: $75 for the first category entered, then $60 for any additional category entered.
    Comp Page: Indie Book Awards

Writers’ & Artists’ Short Story Competition.  This freebie from the venerable W&A Yearbook is for stories of up to 2,000 words on the theme of Wonder.  You must register with the site befioe you can enter.
    Closing: 14.2.25.
    Prize: A place on an Arvon Residential Writing Week, valued at £850.  The winning story will be published on the W&A website.
    Entry Fee: None - Free entry.
    Comp Page: W&A Story

Elmbridge Literary Competition.  The RC Sheriff Trust and Elmbridge Borough Council have teamed up again to present this annual multi-category contest for poetry and short stories.  The theme this year is The River.   So let’s dive in.  Short stories should be a maximum length of 1,000 words for writers aged between 8 and 13, and 1,500 words for those aged 14+.  Poems can be up to 30 lines.  There is a Little Rhymes and Stories category for youngsters aged 5 to 7, with the rhymes running to no more than 20 lines and the stories to 500 words.  There are strict entry instructions in the T&Cs.  Read ’em or weep.
    Closing: 24.2.25 (5pm).
    Prizes: 19+ age group poem - £250, £150, £100.  19+ short story - £250, £150, £100.  14 to 18 category - £35, £30, £25.  11 to 13 - £35, £25, £20.  8 to 11 - £25, £20, £15.  5 to 7 - £20, £15, £10.  Elmbridge Prize (for an Elmbridge resident) - £50 book token.  Adult prizes, with the exception of the Elmbridge Prize, are in cash, the rest are in book tokens.
    Entry Fee: Adults £5.  Under 18s free.  Optional feedback: £10.  Optional full critique: £25.
    Comp Page: Elmbridge Literary.

Next Generation Short Story Awards.  I don’t think I’ve ever come across as many categories in one competition as there are in this one from the USA.  There are too many to list here.  I’ll just say that there’s probably something to suit any story as long as it isn’t a serious one about a character identifying as non-human ... and even then you could enter it in the Wild Card category.  Aside from the categories by topic, there are others for students and seniors in different age groups.  And there’s a prize for a winner in all of them.
    Closing: 27.2.25.
    Prizes: 1st - $500 and a trophy engraved with your name,  2nd - $300.  3rd -  $200.  These three grand prize winners also get a gold medal and a free copy of the anthology in which their entry appears.  Category winners receive $75 plus a gold medal, plus publication in the anthology and a free  copy of same.
    Entry Fee: $25 for one category, $20 for each additional category.
    Comp Page  Next Gen Story:

Plaza Poetry Prize.  You have up to 60 lines to impress the judge in this annual contest from Plaza Prizes Ltd.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes: £4,000, £300, £100.  The ten shortlisted entries will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fee: £12 for the first, £9 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Plaza Poetry Prize.

Flash 500 Short Story Competition.  This annual contest from the Flash 500 website is for short stories of between 1,000 and 3,000 words on any theme.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes: £500, £200, £100.
    Entry Fee: £7 for one, £12 for two, £16 for three, £20 for four.
    Comp Page: F500 Short Story

Never Such Innocence Writing Competition.  Here we have an international freebie for youngsters between the ages of 9 and 18.  It has four categories - Poetry, Speech, Song and Art - but here I deal only with the first three.  Poems, which should run to no more than 40 lines, must answer the question: How Can We Prevent Future Wars?’  This question applies to the other categories too.  In the Speech category you are required to submit a speech of up to 5 minutes (750 words), in writing and with an audio or video recording.  If you are entering a song, submit a video or audio recording (maximum 4 minutes) plus the written lyrics.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes:  The prizes will be announced later in the competition, say the promoters, and will include some exciting opportunities.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  You can enter each category once.
    Comp Page: Innocence

Canterbury Tales Writing Competition.  Children aged 5 to 18 are invited to enter stories or poems in this freebie from the Chaucer Heritage Trust.  Entries do not have to be set in Canterbury but they must invoke the spirit of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.  The theme of the contest is Surprise, Surprise.  You can write a story/poem about a surprise, or a poem or story with a twist ending, or you can write a description of a character who was not what they appeared to be.  Limit your creative efforts to 500 words.  There are three age categories: 5 to 10, 11 to 14, and 15 to 18.  Winners are awarded prizes for themselves and their school’s library.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes (in each age category): 1st - £300, plus £1,000 for the library.  2nd - £150 plus £500 for the library.  3rd - £100  plus £250 for the library.
    Entry Fee: None - free entry (one per person).
    Comp Page: Canterbury Tales

Edinburgh Short Story Award.  Presented by the Scottish Arts Trust, this international contest is for stories of under 2,000 words on any subject.  There is also the Write Mango Short Story Award for bizarre, quirky stories that can sometimes make the reader laugh out loud.  And then there’s a prize (the Isobel Lodge Award) for the best story by an unpublished writer resident in Scotland.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes: 1st - £3,000.  2nd - £500,  3rd - £250.  Isobel Lodge Award - £750.  Write Flash Mango - £300.  The writers of at least 20 long-listed stories will be offered publication in the anthology
    Entry Fee: £11.
    Comp Page: Edinburgh Story Award

Edinburgh Essay Award.  Here’s another international contest from the Scottish Arts Trust.  It is for essays of up to 2,000 words on a broad range of subjects, including memoirs, travelogues,  philosophical reflections or insightful analyses of historic or contemporary issues, etc.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250.  Publication will be offered to the top 15 essayists.
    Entry Fee: £10.
    Comp Page: Edinburgh Essay

Charles Causley International Poetry Competition.  The contest this year from the Charles Causley Trust is for poems of up to 40 lines on the theme of Peace.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes: 1st - £1,000.  2nd - £200.  3rd - £100.
    Entry Fee: £8 for one, then an additional £5 each.  It is advisable to check your pulse before submitting your work as the rules state that posthumous entries are not allowed.
    Comp Page: Causley Poetry

Charles Causley Young Person’s Poetry Competition.  This one from the Charles Causley Trust is for poets aged 5 to 18 who live in the UK. The theme is Peace.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes: Unspecified prizes will be awarded in three age categories: 5 to 10, 11 to 15, 16 to 18.  There will also be a prize for a young poet from Charles Causley’s home county of Cornwall.
    Entry Fee: None - Free entry.
    Comp Page: Causley Poetry

Bardsy Publishable First Chapters Competition.  Here’s a contest from the USA that gives you feedback and the opportunity to revise your entry before the judging.  If you become a finalist, you get ‘a professional editorial experience which ends with publication.’  Sounds interesting ... although if you’re not used to ‘murdering your darlings’ as we say in the trade, you may need a stiff drink or three to get you though it.  Your entry (the first chapter of your novel) should run to between 1,500 and 2,500 words.
    Closing: 3.3.25.  Revisions due: 3.7.25. You are advised to submit your initial entry early to allow time for revision.
    Prizes: 1st - $1,000.  Runners up receive $50.  Winning entries will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fee: $20.
    Comp Page: Bardsy First Chapters

Dear Michael,
     Thank you for maintaining your informative and witty list of writing competitions.
     I entered loads of them last year and got precisely nowhere, but I ploughed on regardless and have just won second prize (£100) in the Flash 500 Humour Verse contest, which would suggest that your friend Percy Vere might be onto something.
                                                                             -  Melanie Branton

Dead Cat Poetry Prize.  I’m all-too familiar with the dead cat bounce (stock market), but this is the first time I‘ve come across a dead cat poetry contest.  But some people are understandably fond of writing about their dearly departed pets, and so it was inevitable that sooner or later someone would come up with a competition.  You can enter up to 60 lines, either as one poem or two.
    Closing: 17.3.25.
    Prizes: £75, £60, £15.
    Entry Fee: A donation (minimum £1).
    Comp Page: Dead Cat Poetry

Rubery Book Award.  This annual international award is for books of all genres published by independent publishers or self-published.  To enter, send a hardcopy of your book by post or submit an ebook electronically.
    Closing: 31.3.25.
    Prizes: 1st - £2,000.  Category winners - £200.  All winners receive a glass plaque.
    Entry Fee: £45.  If you are entering from outside the UK, see the website for pricing.
    Comp Page: Rubery Book .

Plaza Prose Poem Prize.  Prose poems of up to 750 words are requred for this annual contest.  Any theme is acceptable but poems must be written for adults.
    Closing: 31.3.25.
    Prizes: £750, £300, £100.
    Entry Fee: £10 for the first, £7.50 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Plaza Prose Poem.

Parsec SF/Fantasy/Horror Short Story Competition.  Here’s another freebie from Parsec in America.  It is, as it says on the tin, for science fiction, fantasy or horror stories.  Entries should be no longer than 3,500 words.  The theme is ‘AI Mythology.‘  You should try to incorporate both concepts into your entry.  This,’ say the promoters, ‘can be conveyed in the setting, plot, characters, dialogue ... but it must be integral to the story.’  Parsec, incidentally, is Pittsburgh’s premier science fiction & fantasy organisation.
    Closing: 31.3.25 (11:59pm EST).  Opens 1.1.25.
    Prizes: 1st - $200 and publication in the Confluence program book (and before you ask, Confluence is some sort of annual science fiction get-together).  2nd - $100.  3rd - $50.  Best Youth Story - $50.
    Entry Fee : None - free to enter.  Open worldwide.  One entry per person.
    Comp Page: Parsec S/F Story

Plaza Flash Fiction Prize.  Prose poems of up to 750 words are requred for this one.  Entries can be on any theme but must be aimed at adults.
    Closing: 31.3.25.
    Prizes: £750, £300, £100.
    Entry Fee: £10 for the first, £8 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Plaza Flas Fiction.

The Caterpillar Poetry Prize.  Before you clutter up your mind with ideas for poems about caterpillars, let me point out that the name of this annual contest is not intended to indicate the official subject, although if you wish to go that way, you are free to do so.  The only stipulations are that your poem must be suitable for children aged 7 to 11, and it must be written by someone aged over 16..  It can be any length and may have any number of legs, including none.  The Caterpillar, incidentally, is a children’s magazine based in Southern Ireland.
    Closing: 31.3.25.
    Prizes: 1st - 1,000 euros and a week at Circle of Misse in France.  2nd - 500 euros.  3rd - 250 euors.  Winners will be publishd in the Irish Times online.
    Entry Fee: 15 euros.
    Comp Page: Catmag Poetry.

Dear Michael,
     I love your website and its pertinent personal comments re the comps.
     I entered the Alexander Cordell one some months ago, the mini saga, and was short-listed to win. It was a 600 mile round trip with two toddlers but we had a really wonderful weekend. My husband is self employed and works really long hours so it was great to drag him away and out into the countryside. The people were lovely, the whole event was fascinating, and I was thrilled to get two books and a book token. My little girl age 3 gets excited every time Wales is mentioned on the news now! The greatest thrill was hearing the Director of Visit Wales read out my story so reverently, and with evident enjoyment. The organisers were delighted with the world-wide entries.  I don’t write for money - just as well - but for the love of the medium and the message.
     Keep up the good work!                                         -  Julie Noble

Wergle Flomp Humour Poetry Competition.  This annual freebie from Winning Writers in the USA is for published or unpublished humorous poems (including inspired gibberish) of up to 250 lines.  Before entering, it is advisable to read some of the past winning entries.
   Closing: 1.4.25.
    Prizes: 1st - $2,000 plus a gift certificate.  2nd - $500, $250.  Runners-up (10) - $100.  The top 12 entries will be published online.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  One entry per person.
    Comp Page: Wergle Flomp.

Plaza Short Story Prize.  You have up to 5,000 words to impress the judges in this contest from Plaza Prizes Ltd.  There is no set theme.
    Closing: 30.4.25.
    Prizes: £4,000, £300, £100.  The ten shortlisted entries will be published in the Plaza Prize Anthology which is scheduled for launch at an awards ceremony in 2025.
    Entry Fee: £15 for the first, £12 for the second.  Three entries for £22.50.
    Comp Page: Plaza Story 5000

Tom Howard/John H Reid Fiction & Essay Contest.  This regular visitor from Winning Writers in the USA is two competitions in one.  The first is for fiction running to no more than 6,000 words, while the second requires factual essays, also with a limit of 6,000 words.
    Closing : 1.5.25.  Opens for entries 15.10.25.
    Prizes: Story - $3,500 plus $100 gift certificate.  Essay - $3,500 plus $100 gift certificate. Honourable Mentions (10) - $500.  The top 12 entries will be published online.
    Entry Fee: $25.
    Comp Page: Tom H Comp.

Black Orchid Novella Award.  This is the 19th of these annual mystery story contests from The Wolfepack (the official Nero Wolfe Literary Society) in the USA.  It is open worldwide.  To enter, you submit an original detective story of between 15,000 and 20,000 words in the traditional deductive style exemplified by Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series.  Your story should contain no sex or violence and, presumably, no fat-shaming.
    Closing: 31.5.25.
    Prize: $1,000 and publication in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: Nero Wolfe Novella

Frogmore Poetry Prize.  This annual contest is run by Frogmore Press which was founded in 1983 in the Frogmore tearooms in Folkestone.  Well, what else can you do in Folkestone?  I’ll tell you what: you can fall in the sea - a feat I managed at the age of 8.  Will I ever forget that day?  Unlikely, for I had the misfortune to be rescued by my two sisters.  ‘No, no - let me drown!’ I cried.  ‘I’ll never be able to face my mates again.’  But I had the ice cream money in my pocket and so my pleas were ignored.  I later wrote a poem about the shame of it all but it would have been too long for this contest as it ran to 360 lines.  The line limit here is 40.
    Closing: 31.5.25.
    Prize: 1st - 250 guineas.  Classy.  You also get a two-year subscription to The Frogmore Papers.  2nd - 75 guineas and a year’s subscription.  3rd - 50 guineas and a year’s subscription.  Shortlisted poets also get copies of selected Frogmore Press publications, plus publicaion in the mag.
    Entry Fee: £4.
    Comp Page: Frogmore PP

To Hull and Back Humorous Writing Contest.  Would it surprise you to know that this one comes from Hull?  Well here’s the real surprise: it doesn’t.  It has its origina in Bristol.  Furthermore, the prize doesn't involve a trip to Hull.  But don’t worry: to ease your disppointment a copy of the anthology containing your winning entry will be taken to Hull on a Harley Davidson motorbike.  I assume there will be a video of that great event for you to enjoy.
    Closing: 30.6.25.
    Prizes: £1,000, £200, £100.  Highly Commended (3) - £70.  Shortlisted (14) - £35.  Winners and shortlistees will be published in a print anthology as well as a Kindle book.
    Entry Fee: £10.
    Comp Page: Hull & Back.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Competition.  This US contest is open worldwide and is for short stories of up to 17,000 words.  They should be science fiction, fantasy or horror with fantastic elements.
    Closing: Quarterly.
    Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500.
    Entry Fee: None.
    Website: Click Here.

Dear Michael
     Just to say a big ‘Thank You’ for your work on the website. I have been selected for publication in the Mirador competition which ran last year and have been awarded 3rd place in the Stringybark Speculative Fiction competition. To be published twice is like a dream for me, which the information found on your site made possible. Thanks again.
                                                                                    -   Pat Davies

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Notes: Unless otherwise stated in the rules, all poetry should be single-spaced.  The rest should be double-spaced (which is to say, double spacing between the lines, not the words!).  It is sometimes the case that your name shouldn’t appear on the manuscript.  Again, check the rules.  If you put your name on there after being told not to, you’re out.  Don’t use coloured paper or fancy fonts, and don’t send your manuscript done up like the Queen’s dinner menu with a fancy gold-tooled leather cover.  These things merely announce that you have no confidence in your submission or, worse, that you think the judges are shallow enough to judge on appearance rather than content.  Plain white A4 80gsm paper is the stuff to use, with plain black typing or print.  Write on one side of the sheet only (unless asked to put your address on the back).

        Before you start writing, allow me to introduce you to an old friend

                                       The Typo Goblin

  I am the Typo Goblin, my heart is made of flint,
  My role in life is simply this: to keep you out of print.
  I sneak into your manuscript and do my fiendish work,
  Adding errors guaranteed to make you look a berk.
  And then I cast the ‘Careless’ spell: you say, ‘Ah, what the heck!’
  And pop your script into the post without that final check.
  At length some hapless editor receives your golden wit,
  And after reading fifty words he writes it off as ... unpublishable.

                                                                            - Michael Shenton

Finally, as you sift through the remnants of your shattered dreams and wonder if it’s worth going on ... www.samaritans.co.uk/

   My Humorous Verse, Songs, Etc (sample)
     
                           This is the Prizemagic website
                            Email comps@prizemagic.co.uk
                           Copyright:  Michael Shenton  2024

                                                           Poem: Being a Writer

                             Romantic Poetry by Michael Shenton (sample)