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Our current competition: New Writers Flash Fiction Competition 2026

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Non-fiction Competitions

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  • Letter Review

    Letter Review Prize for Reprints

    Deadline: 1st January 2024

    • Entry Fee: $25
    • Prizes: Three Winners share in the $1,000 USD total prize pool
    • Prizes: Three Winners share in the $1,000 USD total prize pool
    • Word Limit: First 5,000 words of your manuscript or up to 70 lines of poetry
    • Category: Various
    • Competition Website: letterreview.com/information/
  • Old Typewriter

    Prolitzer Prize for Prose

    Deadline: 21 January 2024

    • Entry Fee: £3 for one entry, £2 for each any subsequent entries
    • Prizes: 1st Place: £200; 2x runners-up prizes of £50 each; winners and runners-up will be published in Prole issue 35
    • Line Limit: 2,500 words
    • Category: Prose Competitions (fiction or creative nonfiction)
    • Competition Website: prolebooks.co.uk/competitions
  • Walk With Words

    Walk With Words Competition

    Deadline: 31 January 2024

    • Entry Fee: FREE
    • Prizes: 1st Place: £300; 2nd Place: £200; 3rd Place: £100
    • Line Limit: 250 words (for written entries)
    • Theme: Memories
    • Category: Various
    • Competition Website: walkwithwords.co.uk

  • Creative Future Writers’ Award 2024

    Creative Future Writers’ Award 2024

    Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) on 19 May 2024

  • Bridport Prize

    Bridport Prize – Memoir Award

    Deadline: 23.59 (UK time) on 31 May 2024

    • Entry Fee: £24 per entry
    • Prizes: First prize: £1,500; second prize: £750; three further prizes of £150; plus publication and manuscript/extract appraisal
    • Word Limit: 8,000 words max (5,000 minimum) plus 300-word overview. (Title not included in the word count.)
    • Judge: Kit de Waal, award-winning and Booker-shortlisted writer of six novels
    • Category: Non-fiction Competitions
    • Competition Website: bridportprize.org.uk/the-competition/memoir-award/
  • The Genesis Emerging Writers programme

    Genesis Emerging Writers Programme

    Deadline: 31 May 2024

    • Entry Fee: £8.50 (or three for £17). Students: £6 (or three for £12)
    • Prizes: 1st: £1500, 2nd: £300, 3rd: £200
    • Word Limit: Stories up to 3,000 words; poems up to 40 lines
    • Eligibility: Entrants must be aged 17 or older, but from anywhere in the world
    • Category: Short Story Competitions, Poetry Competitions
    • Competition Website: bedfordwritingcompetition.co.uk

  • Featured

    New Writers Book Review Competition 2024

    Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on Monday 30th September 2024

    • Entry Fee: FREE
    • Prizes: 1st Place: £50 and publication on the NewWriters.org.uk website
    • Word Limit: 1,000 words (excluding title)
    • Category: Non-fiction Competitions
    • How to Enter: Send your entry as an attachment (Word doc or Google doc please) to: competitions@newwriters.org.uk with the email subject "Book Review Competition".

  • Arkbound Writing Competition

    Arkbound Writing Competition

    Deadline: 31 December 2024

    • Entry Fee: £8
    • Prizes: Free copy of published book; cash prize TBD
    • Word Limit: 4,500
    • Judge: Bridget Reaume, Publishing Executive of Arkbound
    • Category: Poetry Competitions, Non-fiction Competitions
    • Competition Website: arkbound.com/writing-competitions

  • Write or Flight - Reality show for writers

    Write or Flight – the World’s First Reality Competition for Writers

    Deadline: 28th February 2025

    • Entry Fee: FREE
    • Prizes: Seven contestants will be flown to Cusco, Peru (from 1st to 6th May 2025). The winning writer (of the reality show) will be awarded a publishing deal to complete their memoir, a cash prize of $10,000, and a year-long coaching program from Memoir Writing for Geniuses valued at $15,000.
    • Category: Non-fiction Competitions
    • How to Apply: Writers must fill out the application by 28th February 2025. This includes submitting a writing sample and short informal video.
    • Website: writeorflightshow.com

  • DRF Writers Award 2025

    DRF Writers Award 2025

    Deadline: 31st March 2025

    • Entry Fee: FREE
    • Prizes: 1st Place: £10,000; Two runners-up: £1,000 each
    • Word Limit: 15,000-20,000 words of a work in progress, fiction or non-fiction
    • Eligibility: Entrants must reside within the British Commonwealth or Eire
    • Category: Novel Competitions, Non-fiction Competitions
    • Judges: Erica Wagner (chair), writer and literary critic; Inua Ellams, poet, playwright and curator; Natalie Haynes, writer and broadcaster
    • Competition Website:  deborahrogersfoundation.org/writers-award

  • Channel Islands LGBTQ Writing Competition

    Channel Islands LGBTQ+ Writing Competition 2025

    Deadline: Wednesday 30 April 2025

    • Entry Fee: Free
    • Eligibility: Entrants must be from the Channel Islands. You do not have to be LGBTQ+ yourself to participate.
    • Theme: LGBTQ+ theme, fiction or non-fiction and in any written literary form
    • Prizes: Winner of each category will receive a £100 voucher
    • Word Limit: 1,000 words
    • Age Categories: 'Under 18s' or '18 and Over'
    • Competition Website:  CLICK HERE for Entry Details

  • AWMA Writing Competition

    AWMA Writing Competition

    Deadline: Extended to 14th June 2025

    • Entry Fee: $10 (or $5 for under 16s)
    • Prizes: First: $200, Second: $100, Third: $50, & top three get a two-year digital subscription to Martial Arts Magazine (value $98)
    • Word Limit: 1,000 words
    • Theme: Martial Arts
    • Category: Short Story Competitions / Non-fiction Competitions
    • Competition Website: austwriters.com/awmacomp-info
  • Hastings Book Festival Writing Competition

    Hastings Book Festival Competition 2025

    Deadline: 10pm on 30 June 2025

    • Entry Fee: Single entry fee is £8.25; Two entries: £15; Three entries £21 (Max one entry for creative non-fiction)
    • Prizes: 1st prize £250, 2nd prize £100, and 3rd prize £50
    • Word Limit: Stories up to 2,500 words; poems up to 40 lines; creative non-fiction up to 1,000 words
    • Eligibility: Entrants to all competitions must be a minimum of 18 years old at time of entry, but the competition is open to all, including non-UK based writers.
    • Judges: Short Story, Jen Calleja (Poetry), Creative Non-Fiction
    • Category: James Young (Short Story), Poetry, Sam Davey (Creative Non-Fiction)
    • Competition Website: hastingsbookfest.org/competitions

  • Southlands Creative Writing Competition 2025

    Southlands Arts Creative Writing Competition 2025

    Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 31 July 2025

    • Entry Fee: £3.00 for a single submission. £5 if you submit to both life writing and creative writing
    • Prizes: Adults: First prize in each adult category is £100, second prize is £50, runners up will each receive £20. Under 18s: First prize in each under 18 category is £50, second prize is £25, runners up will each receive £10
    • Word Limit: 2,000 words (excluding title)
    • Eligibility: Prose only from writers resident in the UK at the time of submission
    • Judges: Jayne Towndrow, Paula O'Shea and Elizabeth Drummond (published author)
    • Categories: Fiction/Short Story / Life Writing
    • Competition Website: southlandsarts.co.uk/competition

  • Eyelands International Book Awards 2025

    Eyelands Book Awards 2025

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    Deadline: 20th October 2025

    • Entry Fee: €40
    • Prizes: Five-day stay in Athens (winners of the Published Books and Writers' Choice categories); lots more prizes for the various categories
    • Word Limit: 250,000 words / 250 pages (check by category)
    • Category: Novel, Non-fiction, Poetry Competitions
    • Charity: 1 euro from every submission will be donated to United Nations Refugee Agency Greece
    • Competition Website:  eyelandsawards.com
  • TogetherintheUK creative writing competition

    TogetherintheUK Then & Now Writing Competition

    Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 31 October 2025

    • Entry Fee: Free (multiple entries permitted)
    • Prizes: 1st Prize: £250.00 in each age category; 2nd Prize: A writing master class for each age category; 3rd Prize: A gift voucher for a bookstore or cinema near you for each age category
    • Word Limit: 1,500 words maximum (no minimum)
    • Eligibility: See competition site
    • Theme: Then & Now
    • Category: Story, Essay, Poetry or Song Lyric Competitions
    • Competition Website: togetherintheuk.co.uk/competition

  • Anthology Travel Writing Competition

    Anthology Travel Writing Competition 2025

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    Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 30th November 2025

    • Entry Fee: Very early bird: €10 per article (until 28th February 2025); Early bird: €12 per article (1st March to 30th April 2025); Standard fee: €15 per article (1st May to 30th November 2025)
    • Prizes: 1st Place: €300, plus publication in the Anthology magazine
    • Word Limit: 1,000 words
    • Category: Travel Writing Competitions
    • Competition Website: anthology-magazine.com/awards/travel-writing-competition

  • Letter Review

    Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction

    Deadline: 23.59 (ET) 29th December 2025

    • Entry Fee: $20; Additional entries $10
    • Prizes: 2-4 Winners are announced who are published and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. 10-20 writers Shortlisted. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart.
    • Word Limit: 5,000 words
    • Category: Nonfiction competition
    • Competition Website: letterreview.com/information/

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