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Irish Writers Centre International Debut Novel Competition

Irish Writers Centre International Debut Novel Competition

Deadline: 14th September 2025

  • Entry Fee: €65 (or €58.50 Irish Writers Centre members)
  • Prizes: 12 winners are given the opportunity to skip the queue and pitch their novels face-to-face or zoom-to-zoom to publishers and agents
  • Word Limit: submit a 5,000-word extract of their novel, as well as a 500-word synopsis
  • Category: Novel Competitions
  • Competition Website:  irishwriterscentre.ie/international-debut-novel-competition
Letter Review

Letter Review Prize for Books

Deadline: 23.59 (ET) 30th September 2025

  • Entry Fee:  $25; Additional entries $15
  • Prizes: 2-4 Winners are announced who share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Winners may choose to have an extract published, and receive a letter of recommendation from our Judges. 10-20 writers are Shortlisted.
  • Word Limit: First 5,000 words of your manuscript or 15 pages of poetry(see Letter Review site for full details)
  • Category: Novel competition
  • Competition Website: letterreview.com/information/

New2theScene

New2theScene Novel Competition 2025 – Part 2

Deadline: 5th October 2025

  • Entry Fee: £18
  • Prizes: A professional line edit on the first 3,000 words of your submission; a developmental workshop to structure your novel; a podcast interview, discussing your story, journey and ambitions; first 3,000 words published in an anthology; your entry submitted to a literary professional, bypassing the slush pile; an 'Origins' blog, introducing you to an audience; a relationship with New2theScene – supporting any publication, introducing you to a community through blogs/posts, and potential future projects; £50 vouchers for the New2theScene bookstore.
  • Word Limit: First 3,000 words of a novel and one-page synopsis
  • Judge: Guest author
  • Category: Novel Competitions
  • Competition Website: new2thescene.co.uk/competition-information/novel
The Caledonia Novel Award

Caledonia Novel Award 2026

Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 15 October 2025

  • Entry Fee: £28
  • Prizes: 1st Place: £1,500 plus an exclusive framed award (designed by Edinburgh artist Lucy Roscoe); Special Prize: a free place on a residential writing course (best novel from the UK and Ireland); Highly Commended: £500
  • Word Limit: First 20 pages + 200-word synopsis
  • Judge: Alice Lutyens, literary agent at Curtis Brown
  • Associate Judge: Rosie Pierce, associate agent at Curtis Brown
  • Category: Novel Competitions
  • Competition Website:  thecaledonianovelaward.com
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
Flash 500 Novel Opening Competition

Flash 500 Novel Opening Competition 2025

Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 31 October 2025

  • Entry Fee: £10 for one novel, £18 for two novels, £26 for three novels (plus £25 per story for an optional critique)
  • Prizes: 1st Place: £500; Runner-up: £200
  • Word Limit: Opening 3,000 words plus a synopsis (of up to 750 words)
  • Category: Novel Competitions
  • Competition Website:  flash500.com/novels

Ascent Novel Prize
Featured

Ascent Novel Prize

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Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) on 1 November 2025

  • Entry Fee: £29
  • Prizes: 1st Place: £1,000; Every entry is guaranteed a personalised paragraph of feedback.
  • Word Limit: Opening 3,000 words plus a one-page synopsis and a single-line pitch (all on the same document)
  • Judges: Ajebowale Roberts (Senior Commissioning Editor, Tor UK); Liza DeBlock (Literary Agent, Greenstone Literary)
  • Category: Novel Competitions
  • Competition Website:  ascentnovelprize.com
Bath Children's Novel Award

Bath Children’s Novel Award 2025

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Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) on 30 November 2025

  • Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) on 30 November 2024
  • Entry Fee: £29.99
  • Prizes: 1st Place: £5,000; all shortlisted entrants win feedback on their full manuscript; all longlisted entrants win extract feedback; online novel editing course worth £1,800 for one longlisted entrant.
  • Word Limit: Opening 5,000 words plus one page synopsis of children's or YA novel manuscripts, or up to three picture book texts
  • Category: Children's Novel Competitions
  • Competition Website:  bathnovelaward.co.uk/childrens-novel-award

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