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Our current competition: New Writers 100-Word Writing Competition 2026 – Deadline: 30th Apr 2026. Prizes: 1st: £1,000; 4x Runners-up: £100.

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Writing Competitions

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  • Smokelong Quarterly 2026

    The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction 2026

    Deadline: Midnight (ET) on 10th May 2026

    • Entry Fees: 1st February to 31st March: One Entry, $15; Two Entries, $22; Up to Four Entries: $37 | 1st April to 10th May: One Entry, $17; Two Entries, $25; Up to Four Entries: $37
    • Prizes: Grand prize winner: $2,500; Second place: $1,000; Third place $500; Finalists: $150. All finalists and placers will be published in the June 2026 issue.
    • 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-2026
  • F(r)iction Contests

    F(r)iction Writing Contests – Spring 2026

    Deadline: 23:59 (Denver Time) on 15 May 2026

    • Entry Fee: $10 for Poetry or Flash, $15 for Short Story or Creative Nonfiction
    • Prizes: Short Story: $1,000; Creative Nonfiction: $500; Poetry: $300; Flash: $300; winners and selected finalists are considered for publication in F(r)iction
    • Word Limit: Short stories: 1,001–7,500 words; Poetry: up the three pages per poem; Creative Nonfiction: up to 6,500 words; Flash fiction: up to 1,000 words per piece
    • Judges: Manuel Aragon (Short Stories), Trish Broome (Poetry), Shannon Chen See (Creative Nonfiction), Brett Pribble (Flash)
    • Categories: Short Story | Poetry | Fiction | Creative Nonfiction
    • Competition Website:  frictionlit.org/contests/
  • Bath Novel Award 2026

    Bath Novel Award 2026

    Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) on 31 May 2026

    • Entry Fee: £33 (some sponsored places are available)
    • Prizes: 1st Place: £5,000 plus and a trophy; all shortlisted entrants win feedback on their full manuscript; online novel editing course (worth £1,980) for one longlisted entrant
    • Word Limit: Opening 5,000 words plus one page synopsis
    • Judge: Amanda Harris - Literary Agent
    • Category: Novel Competitions
    • Competition Website:  bathnovelaward.co.uk/the-bath-novel-award-international-writing-prize/
  • Whispering Wisdom Poetry Prize

    Whispering Wisdom Poetry Prize

    Deadline: 11.59 pm on Sunday 31st May 2026

    • Entry Fee: £5 per poem (additional entries £4 each)
    • Prizes: 1st: £250, 2nd: £50, 3rd: £50
    • Word Limit: Up to 40 lines (excluding title and line breaks)
    • Judges: Whispering Wisdom and Award-winning Poet and Screenwriter, Peter Devonald and Whispering Wisdom Founder, Chris Allen
    • Theme: A theme of your choice
    • Category: Poetry Competitions
    • Charity: 5% of profits will be shared between our two chosen charities for 2025/26 – Sarcoidosis UK and Narcolepsy UK.
    • Competition Website: whisperingwisdom.co.uk/competitions
  • Frogmore Poetry Prize 2026

    Frogmore Poetry Prize 2026

    VirtualLocation

    Deadline: 23.59 on Sunday 31 May 2026

    • Entry Fee: £4 per poem
    • Prizes: First prize: 250 guineas (£262.50) + 2-year subscription to The Frogmore Papers. Runners-up: 75, 50 guineas + one-year subscriptions
    • Word Limit: 40 lines
    • Theme/Genre: Any
    • Category: Poetry Competitions
    • Competition Website: frogmorepress.co.uk/frogmore-poetry-prize
  • Reedsy Literary Prize

    Reedsy Literary Prize

    Deadline: 23.59 (EST) on 31st May 2026

    • Entry Fee: $20
    • Prizes: 1st place: $1,500 + publication in Reedsy’s literary magazine Prompted + personalized feedback from the guest judge; 2nd place: a year-long Reedsy Learning membership; 3rd place: Reedsy Marketplace credit worth $100
    • Word Limit: Each submission must be between 2,000-5,000 words
    • Prompt: Write a story that includes change or transformation.
    • Guest Judge: Jon Michael Darga, a literary agent at Aevitas Creative Management
    • Category: Short Story Competitions
    • Competition Website: reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/reedsy-literary-prize/
  • Hay Festival Room to Write

    Hay Festival Room to Write

    Deadline: 12pm (BST) on 31st May 2026

    • Entry Fee: FREE
    • Eligibility: UK-based published writers of fiction or non-fiction or poetry (at least one book) aged 18+
    • Prizes: Eight writers will each win an Airbnb coupon worth £1,500
    • Word Limit: Entrants must provide a description of their work (max 500 words), a short writing sample (max 500 words), and a brief writer biography (max 200 words)
    • Prompt: Write a story that includes change or transformation.
    • Category: Short Story, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Novel, Non-Fiction Competitions
    • Competition Website: https://www.hayfestival.com/room-to-write
  • Stainsby Festival Poetry Competition

    Stainsby Festival National Poetry Competition

    Deadline: 23.59 (UK time) on 31 May 2026

    • Entry Fee: £6 each or £10 for two
    • Prizes: The winner will be invited to a paid residency
      at the 2027 festival; Three winning poems will be published online; Shortlisted poets will be invited to read their work at this year’s festival
    • Line Limit: 42 lines (Not including title)
    • Head Judge: Roger McGough
    • Category: Poetry Competitions
    • Competition Website: stainsbyfestival.org/poetry/
  • Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award

    BPA First Novel Award 2026

    Deadline: 31st May 2026

    • Entry Fee: £25 (some free places are available to writers on low incomes)
    • Prizes: Winner: £1,500 + Agent Introduction; Runner up: £500 + Agent Introduction; Most Promising Talent: £250
    • Word Limit: 5,000 words plus a 300 word synopsis and a covering letter
    • Judges: Olivia Maidment (Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency) and novelist Freya Bromley
    • Category: Novel Competitions
    • Competition Website:  bluepencilagency.com/blue-pencil-agency-annual-competitions/bpa-first-novel-award-2026

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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