Welcome to NewWriters.org.uk
Our current competition: New Writers Poetry Writing Competition 2026 – Deadline: 15th July 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.
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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Founded in 2005, the Wigtown Poetry Prizes are some of the UK’s best established writing competitions, offering awards in all three of Scotland’s languages with a prize pot of over £3,000. The 2026 prizes mark more than two decades of Wigtown Poetry Prizes and over £50,000 awarded to emerging and established poets.
The competition closes on 6th May 2026, with a prize-giving at Wigtown Book Festival in the autumn.
Note that in addition to the International Prize, the following prizes are also available (check the site for the relevant entry fees):
– Wigtown Scots Prize: £500, Runner-up: £200 (Supported by Saltire Society)
– Wigtown Scottish Gaelic Prize: £500, Runner-up: £200 (Supported by The Gaelic Books Council)
– Dumfries & Galloway Fresh Voice Award: Professional support including mentoring by Wigtown Festival Company and a retreat at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre
– Alastair Reid Pamphlet Prize: 30 copies of a pamphlet of your work set by Gerry Cambridge (Supported by The Dark Horse Magazine)
Check out the competition website for the full details of how to enter.
Details