Welcome to NewWriters.org.uk
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.
Our current competition: New Writers 100-Word Writing Competition 2026 – Deadline: 30th Apr 2026. Prizes: 1st: £1,000; 4x Runners-up: £100.
If you would like us to publish details of a competition you are running, please complete the Listing Request Form.
If you find this page and our site useful, please consider making a small donation through our Ko-fi page. This will help us offer regular free-to-enter competitions and free entries to our paid-entry competitions for those on low incomes.
Please sign up to our free monthly newsletter. Subscribers gain exclusive access to our free-to-enter competitions, entrance into free prize draws, latest writing competitions and events.
The Fish Short Story Prize is run by Fish Publishing and is open for entries until the end of November. Based in the west of Ireland they have been publishing The Annual Fish Anthology since 1994. This is a very well-respected prize and would look great on any writer’s CV.
The first prize is a very generous €3,000 and the winner also gets to attend a five-day workshop at the West Cork Literary Festival. The writers who finish second and third each get €300, seven honourable mentions will get €200 each, and the top 10 winners will also be published in the next Fish Anthology.
Although the entry fee of €24 is a little steep compared to some competitions, note that you will only be charge €16 for each subsequent entry. There is also an option to get a critique of your story (for €65), which could be of interest to those seeking advice about how to improve their writing.
Details