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.
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Reedsy have been connecting authors with publishing professionals for more than a decade and now they’ve launched a new competition: the Reedsy Literary Prize. This competition asks participants to write a single short story, in any genre, based on a single prompt.
After the competition closes, longlisted entries will be assessed by a professional literary agent. The winner will receive $1,500, publication in Reedsy’s literary magazine Prompted, and recognition across Reedsy’s platforms, which host over 1 million monthly users. The inaugural Reedsy Literary Prize will be judged by Jon Michael Darga, a literary agent at Aevitas Creative Management. Jon represents a wide range of clients, including bestselling authors such as Tim Curry and Geena Rocero.
Eligibility
● Each submission must be between 2,000-5,000 words
● Only one submission allowed per entrant
● Writers must be aged 18 or over to enter
● Submissions must be original, standalone work. Artificial intelligence (AI) usage to create or revise stories will not be permitted.
● Submission fee is $20
The Reedsy website provides a wealth of useful information and resources for writers at various stages of their publishing journey. The editors at NewWriters.org.uk have long been admirers of Reedsy (and we feature them on our Resources page as a recommended site for writers). Whether you are seeking an editor to help shape your stories or an agent for your debut novel, it’s worth checking out the information available at Reedsy’s site.
Details