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.
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Run by Manchester Metropolitan University and established by former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy back in 2008, The Manchester Writing Competition (incorporating the Poetry Prize and the Fiction Prize) is one of the most generous you will find anywhere for unpublished writers. Let’s cut right to the chase: winning £10,000 would be a good day at the office for most established authors, but for an unpublished writer with aspirations to make it in the literary world, it could certainly open doors.
For the Poetry Prize, entries should consist of a portfolio of 3 to 5 poems with a combined maximum length of 120 lines and can be on any theme or subject. The chair of the judges for the Fiction Prize is poet and artist, Malika Booker.
Details