Details

Details

UK Writing Competitions (currently 50)

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.

Bath Children's Novel Award.  This annual international contest, which is open to unpublished and self-published emerging authors, is for novels and chapter books of any length (but see recommendations) aimed at children or young adults.  It is also for picture books. To enter a novel or chapter book, you send the first 5,000 words plus a one-page synopsis.  For picture books, you submit up to three complete stories in the same document with short summaries of each story (without pictures).
     Closing: 30.11.24.
     Prizes: 1st - £5,000 and a Minerva trophy.  The writer of the most promising longlisted novel will receive an online place on Edit Your Novel the Professional Way from co-sponsors Professional Writing Academy and Cornerstones Literary Consultancy.  Shortlisted entrants will receive feedback on their work.
     Entry Fee: £29.99 (for picture books, this covers up to three stories in the same document).
     Comp Page: BCN Award.

Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize.  This free annual contest, which is for fiction or non-fiction of between 1,000 and 1,500 words, is for young writers aged between 18 and 25 living in the UK.  Entries should interpret the following Benjamin Franklin quote for its relevance today: ‘Truth will be truth tho’ it sometimes prove[s] ... distasteful.'
    Closing: 30.11.24.
    Prizes: £750, £500.  Winners will be published on the promoter’s website and on The Telegraph.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  One entry per person.
    Comp Page: BenFrankLit.

Paul Cave Prize for Literature.  Here’s a repeat of the new contest from Tim Saunders Publications of Southampton.  It is for novellas running to no more than 10,000 words, short stories of up to 1,000 words, flash fiction up to 300 words and poems of no more than 30 lines.
    Closing: 30.11.24.
    Prizes: Novella - £150.  Short story - £75.  Flash Fiction - £35.  Poem - £35.  Winners will receive a free copy of the anthology.
    Entry Fees: Novella - £26 for one, £42 for two.  Short story - £13 for one, £20 for two.  Poem/Flash Fiction - up to 3 for £10, up to 8 for £20.
    Comp Page: Paul Cave Prize

Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition.  This annual contest from the Munster Literature Centre in Cork, Ireland, is for poems of up to 40 lines in English on any subject.
    Closing : 30.11.24.  Opens for entries 1.9.24.
    Prizes: 1st - 2,000 euros, featured reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival (with 4-night hotel stay and full board), plus publication in the Southword journal and featured in the Southword Poetry Podcast.  2nd - 500 euros and publication in Southword.  3rd - 250 euros and publication in Southword.  Runners-up (10) - 50 euros and publication in Southword
    Entry Fee: 7 euros each, 30 euros for five.
    Comp Page: Greg OD Poetry.

Plaza Short Story Prize.  Here is the lastest short story contest from Plaza Prizes Ltd.   It is for tales of up to 2,500 words on any theme.  Your story must be aimed at adults.
    Closing: 30.11.24.
    Prizes: £1,000, £300, £100.  The top ten shortlisted entriea will be published in the Plaza anthology.
    Entry Fee: £12.  Single additional entry: £9.
    Comp Page: Plaza Short Story.

Cafe Writers Open Poetry Competition.  This annual contest from Cafe Writers of Norwich (where the Man in the Moon was keen to go, according to a report I read as a child) is for poems of up to 40 lines.
    Closing: 30.11.24.
    Prizes: £1,000, £300, £200.  Runners-up (5) - £50.  Norfolk Prize (for a permanent Norfolk resident) - £100.
    Entry Fee: £5 each, £13 for three, £4 each thereafter.
    Comp Page: Cafe Poetry.

Bardsy Ultimate 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: 2.12.24.  Revisions due: 6.12.24.  You are advised to submit your initial entry early to allow time for revision..
    Prizes: 1st - $1,000.  Finalists receive $50.  Winning entries will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fee: $20.
    Comp Page: Bardsy First Chapters

Edward Thomas Poetry Competition 2025.  The Edward Thomas Fellowship is running another of its annual poetry contests.  As usual, entries are limited to 40 lines, and there is no set theme.  Prize-winning poet Jane Draycott will be judging.
    Closing: 3.12.24 (extended from 3.11.24).
    Prizes: £250, £100, £100.
    Entry Fee: £3 each (maximum three entries).
    Comp Page: ETF Poetry.

Ringwood Short Story Competition.  The Ringwood in the title is not the market town in Hampshire but an independent publishing company based in Glasgow.  The contest is for short fiction of up to 3,000 words.  To be eligible you have to be Scottish - or identify as Scottish.  It is therefore open to anyone who wants to enter (but if you’re not actually Scottish, brush up on your fake Scottish accent in case they phone you with the news that you’ve won).
     Closing: 6.12.24.
     Prize: £100.  The winner and up to one other will be published online.
     Entry Fee: £2.
     Comp Page: Ringwood Story

George Eliot Fellowship Essay Prize.  Essays on Victorian poet, novelist and journalist George Eliot’s life and work are required for this contest from the George Eliot Foundation.  Your entry can run to as many as 4,000 words if required.
    Closing: 12.12.24.
    Prizes: £500 plus honorary membership of the George Eliot Foundation.  The winning entry will be published in the George Eliot Review.
    Entry Fee:None - free entry.
    Comp Page: George Eliot

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

St Martins/Minotaur/MWA First Crime Novel Competition.  If you happen to have, or can arrange to have in the near future, an unpublished debut novel featuring a serious crime, it could be just what The Mystery Writers of America in conjunction with St Martins Minotaur Books are looking for in this freebie annual international contest.  Just be sure your story runs to a minimum of 60,000 words.  To be eligible, you must not have had a novel published in any genre (self-published doesn’t count, although you can’t enter a self-published story).
    Closing: 15.12.24 (11.59pm EST).
    Prize: A standard publishing contract with a $10,000 advance.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: MWA Minotaur.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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)