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Our current competition: New Writers 100-Word Writing Competition 2026 – Deadline: 30th Apr 2026. Prizes: 1st: £1,000; 4x Runners-up: £100.
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At NewWriters.org.uk, we curate the best and most trusted current and upcoming writing competitions for writers in the UK and internationally — including flash fiction, short stories, poetry, novels, and non-fiction. Each competition listing includes the deadline, prize details, word limit, entry fee, and eligibility so you can quickly decide which contests fit your writing goals.
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Competition Details
The Caledonia Novel Award is open to entries from 15th May 2025 and will close to entries at midnight UK time on 15th October 2025.
Technically this is the 2026 competition (as the shortlist will be announced in February 2026 and the winner announced later in the same month). You can see details of the 2025 winner and shortlist at their website.
As mentioned, the entry fee is £28 and the top prize is £1,500, plus there’s a free place on a residential writing course up for grabs for the top entry from the UK or Ireland. The week-long writing course would take place at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre which is based in the Scottish Highlands. There’s also a £500 prize for a Highly Commended entry.
Other Things To Note
There is no restriction in terms of genre as long as the novel is aimed at adults or young adults. The finished novel must be at least 50,000 words, though you should only send in the first 20 pages (plus a synopsis) when entering. The competition is open to unpublished and self-published novelists only and also only those who don’t have an agent at the time of entry.
The longlist will be announced on 2 December 2025. Longlisted authors will be invited to submit the full manuscript of their novel by 8 December 2025.
Details