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Our current competition is the New Writers Historical (Pre-1960) Flash Fiction Competition 2025.

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Tadpole Press 100 Word Writing Contest

Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest

Deadline: 30th April 2025

  • Entry Fees: $15
  • Prizes: 1st place: $2,000 USD; 2nd place: Publishing and marketing package with Compassiviste Publishing ($6,000 USD value); 3rd place: Manuscript assessment package with Compassiviste Publishing ($1,500-$3,000 USD value); 4th place: Editing package with Tadpole Press ($1,450 USD value); 5th place: Writing coaching package with Tadpole Press ($600 USD value); 6th place: $100 USD.
  • Word Limit: 100 words or fewer (including title)
  • Category: Flash Fiction Competitions
  • Competition Website: tadpolepress.com/100-word-writing-contest
Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition

Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition 2025

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

  • Entry Fee: £5.00 per poem
  • Prizes: First prize £800, Second prize £400, Third prize £200, Sonnet prize £200
  • Word Limit: 50 lines maximum
  • Judge: Hannah Copley, TS Eliot Prize shortlisted poet, editor of Stand literary magazine, creative writing lecturer at Westminster University
  • Category: Poetry Competitions
  • Competition Website: warepoets.org/competition-2025
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

Smokelong Quarterly Competition 2025

The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction 2025

Deadline: Midnight (ET) on 10th May 2025

  • Entry Fees: 1st February to 31st March: One Entry, $14; Two Entries, $21; Up to Four Entries: $36 | 1st April to 10th May: One Entry, $16; Two Entries, $24; Up to Four Entries: $39
  • Prizes: Grand prize winner: $2,500; Second place: $1,000; Third place $500; Finalists: $150. All finalists and placers will be published in the special competition issue in June 2025.
  • Word Limit: 1,000 words or fewer (excluding title)
  • Judges: SmokeLong editors
  • Category: Flash Fiction Competitions
  • Competition Website: smokelong.com/the-smokelong-quarterly-award-for-flash-fiction-2025
New Writers Poetry Competition 2025
Featured

New Writers Poetry Competition 2025

Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) on Thursday 17th July 2025

  • Entry Fee: £10 per entry; (£18 for two entries, £26 for three entries, when submitted together)
  • Prizes: 1st: £1,200; 2nd: £300; 3rd: £150; 4th to 6th: £50 each
  • Publication: The six winning entries will be published on the NewWriters.org.uk website and in the next New Writers Anthology
  • Word Limit: 42 lines (excluding title and line spaces)
  • Head Judge: Katrina Moinet (Prize-winning writer of poetry & prose)
  • Charity: 10% of all proceeds will be donated to charity (split between First Story and the Funzi & Bodo Trust)
  • Category: Poetry Competitions
  • Competition Website: newwriters.org.uk/poetry-competition
Goldfinch Novel Award

Goldfinch Novel Award 2025

Deadline: 23.59 (UK time) 31st May 2025

  • Entry Fee: £10 per entry
  • Prizes: First prize: £500
  • Word Limit: 3,000 words from the beginning of a completed novel plus one-page synopsis
  • Judge: James Mustelier, Literary Agent and Editorial Consultant at The Bent Agency
  • Category: Novel Competitions
  • Competition Website: goldfinch-books.com/novel
Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award

BPA First Novel Award 2025

Deadline: 31st May 2025

  • Entry Fee: £25 (some free places are available to writers on low incomes)
  • Prizes: Winner: £1,000 + Agent Introduction; Runner up: £500 + Agent Introduction; Highly Commended: £150 + Agent Introduction
  • Word Limit: 5,000 words plus a 300 word synopsis and a covering letter
  • Judges: Hellie Ogden and Suzannah Ball from WME Agency and author Samuel Burr
  • Category: Novel Competitions
  • Competition Website:  bluepencilagency.com/bpa-first-novel-award-2025

New2theScene

New2theScene Flash Fiction Competition 2025

Deadline: 1st June 2025 (opens 6th April 2025)

  • Entry Fee: £5
  • Prizes: First prize: Interview for the New2theScene podcast; £50 New2theScene vouchers; ‘Spotlight author’ and winner’s blog, with the story featured on the New2theScene website (and possibly an anthology); Notable mentions: £15 New2theScene vouchers; possible publication in anthology
  • Word Limit: 999 words
  • Theme/Genre: Any - let your imagination free!
  • Judge: Guest author
  • Category: Short Story Competitions
  • Competition Website: new2thescene.co.uk/new2thecomp
The Writers' HQ Write A Novel Festival

The Writers’ HQ Write A Novel Festival

Festival Dates: 1st to 30th June 2025

  • Fee: Free to Writers' HQ Gold Star Members
  • What is it?: Workshops, write-alongs, the Wild Draft Challenge and more
  • Workshops: Twelve workshops hosted by a specially curated gang of writers and authors who will teach and inspire you
  • Courses: Access to all Writers' HQ novel plotting, editing and troubleshooting courses
  • Category: Writing Courses & Opportunities
  • Festival Website: writershq.co.uk/the-writers-hq-write-a-novel-festival
Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition

Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition 2025

Deadline: 2 June 2025

  • Entry Fee: £5 for each poem
  • Prizes: Winner: £300 (and named Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year(; Second place: £150; Third place: £75
  • Word Limit: 60 lines maximum (excluding title and line breaks)
  • Judges: Luigi Marchini (Chair, SaveAs Writers Group), Kerry Rawlinson (Joint Winner, Poet of the Year 2024) and Gary Michael Studley (Joint Winner, Poet of the Year 2024)
  • Category: Poetry Competitions
  • Competition Website: canterburyfestival.co.uk/poet-of-the-year-competition-2025
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
Featured

New Writers Hopeful Haiku Competition 2025

Deadline: 23.59 (UK time) on Tuesday 17th June 2025

  • Entry Fee: FREE
  • Prizes: 1st Place: £50 plus one free entry to the New Writers Poetry Competition 2025, publication on the NewWriters.org.uk website and in the next New Writers Anthology
  • Word Limit: three lines with a total of 17 syllables (excluding title)
  • Theme: Hope
  • Category: Poetry 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 "Haiku Competition".
To Hull and Back Writing Competition 2025

To Hull And Back – A Humorous Short Story Competition

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

  • Entry Fee: Early bird (until 31st March 2025): £10 for 1 story, £17 for 2 stories, £20 for 3 stories. From 1st April 2023 to 30th June 2025: £12 for 1 story, £20 for 2 stories, £24 for 3 stories
  • Prizes: 1st Prize: £1,000, your face on the To Hull And Back Anthology cover and a trip to Hull on a Harley Davidson; 2nd Prize: £200; 3rd Prize: £100; 3 x Highly Commended: £70; 14 x Shortlisted: £35
  • Word Limit: 2,500 words maximum including the title (no minimum)
  • Judges: Christopher Fielden and others
  • Category: Short Story Competitions
  • Competition Website:  www.christopherfielden.com/short-story-competition
Flash 500 Novel Opening Competition

Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition

Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 30 June 2025

  • Entry Fee: £5 for one story, £8 for two stories, £11 for three stories, £14 for four stories
  • Prizes: 1st Place: £300; Runner-up: £200; Third: £100
  • Word Limit: 500 words (not including title)
  • Category: Flash Fiction Competitions
  • Competition Website:  flash500.com/flash-fiction
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

Globe Soup

Flashback Fiction Challenge 2025

VirtualLocation

Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) 21st July, 2025

  • Entry Fee: Lucky Dip Tickets:- Early Bird: £4, General: £8, from 23rd April: £9; Golden Tickets:- Early Bird: £15, General: £20
  • Prizes: 1st Place: £1000
  • Word Limit: 3,000 words max
  • Category: Short Story Competitions
  • Competition Website:  globesoup.net/2025-flashback-fiction-challenge
Anthology Short Story Competition

Anthology Short Story Competition 2025

Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 31 July 2025

  • Entry Fee: Very Early Bird – €12 (September-October 2024), Early Bird fee – €15 (November 2024-January 2025), Standard fee – €18 (February - July 2025)
  • Prizes: 1st Place: €1,000 plus publication in Anthology magazine and a one-year subscription; 2nd: €250; 3rd: €150
  • Word Limit: 1,500 words
  • Category: Short Story Competitions
  • Competition Website:  anthology-magazine.com/awards/short-story-competition
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

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