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.

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		4 competitions 1 4 competitions, 1 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026 2026-07-01 Cheshire Novel Prize 2026 Cheshire Novel Prize 2026 1 July Cheshire Novel Prize 2026 Deadline: Midnight (UK time) 1st July 2026 Entry Fee: £29 per entry (includes feedback) Prizes: First prize: £1,000; Highly Commended Entry: £500 Word Limit: 5,000 words plus 500-word synopsis Judges: TBC Category: Novel Competitions Competition Website: cheshirenovelprize.com 2026-07-01 The Dorothy Dunnett Society / HWA Short Story Award 2026 The Dorothy Dunnett Society / HWA Short Story Award 2026 1 July The Dorothy Dunnett Society / HWA Short Story Award 2026 Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 1st July 2026 Entry Fee: £5 Prizes: Winner: £500 plus mentoring and publication Word Limit: 3,500 words Note: Stories must be set at least 35 years in the past Category: Short Story Competitions Competition Website: historicalwriters.org/awards/the-dorothy-dunnett-society-hwa-short-story-award-2026/ 2026-07-01 Ascent Children’s Book Prize Ascent Children’s Book Prize 1 July Ascent Children’s Book Prize Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) on 1 July 2026 Entry Fee: £29 Prizes: 1st Place: £1,000; Top 100 guaranteed a personalised paragraph of feedback. Word Limit: For Young Adult, middle grade and chapter books - the first 3,000 words plus a one-page synopsis and a one-line pitch (all on the same document); For picture books - the text of up to three books each with a one-line pitch Category: Novel Competitions Competition Website: ascentnovelprize.com/ascent-children-s-book-prize	1 competition 2 1 competition, 2 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026	1 competition 3 1 competition, 3 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026	1 competition 4 1 competition, 4 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026	1 competition 5 1 competition, 5 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026
1 competition 6 1 competition, 6 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026	1 competition 7 1 competition, 7 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026	1 competition 8 1 competition, 8 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026	1 competition 9 1 competition, 9 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026	1 competition 10 1 competition, 10 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026	1 competition 11 1 competition, 11 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026	2 competitions 12 2 competitions, 12 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026 2026-07-12 Scottish Wildlife Trust Words of the Wild Writing Competition Scottish Wildlife Trust Words of the Wild Writing Competition 12 July Scottish Wildlife Trust Words of the Wild Writing Competition Deadline: 11:59pm on 12 July 2026 Entry Fee: FREE Adult Prizes: Various prize bundles Word Limit: 1,000 words Theme: Changing seasons Categories: Short Story Competitions, Poetry Competitions, Non Fiction Competitions Competition Website: scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/wordsofthewild/competition
1 competition 13 1 competition, 13 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026	1 competition 14 1 competition, 14 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026	1 competition 15 1 competition, 15 2026-05-14 Featured New Writers Poetry Competition 2026	0 competitions 16 0 competitions, 16	0 competitions 17 0 competitions, 17	0 competitions 18 0 competitions, 18	0 competitions 19 0 competitions, 19
0 competitions 20 0 competitions, 20	0 competitions 21 0 competitions, 21	0 competitions 22 0 competitions, 22	0 competitions 23 0 competitions, 23	0 competitions 24 0 competitions, 24	0 competitions 25 0 competitions, 25	0 competitions 26 0 competitions, 26
0 competitions 27 0 competitions, 27	0 competitions 28 0 competitions, 28	4 competitions 29 4 competitions, 29 2026-07-29 Letter Review Prize for Books Letter Review Prize for Books 29 July Letter Review Prize for Books Deadline: 23.59 (ET) 29th July 2026 Entry Fee: $30; Additional entries $20 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 / Non-fiction competition / Poetry competition Competition Website: letterreview.com/information/ 2026-07-29 Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction 29 July Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction Deadline: 23.59 (ET) 29th July 2026 Entry Fee: $25 USD; Additional entries $15 Prizes: Two to four winners share in the $1,000 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: Short Story Competitions Competition Website: letterreview.com/information/ 2026-07-29 Letter Review Prize for Poetry Letter Review Prize for Poetry 29 July Letter Review Prize for Poetry Deadline: 23.59 (ET) 29th July 2026 Entry Fee: $20; Additional entries $15 Prizes: Two to four winners share in the $1,000 USD total prize pool. 10-20 writers Shortlisted. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart. Word Limit: Up to 70 lines Category: Poetry competition Competition Website: letterreview.com/information/ 2026-07-29 Green Dragon Guild of London Poetry Prize 2026 Green Dragon Guild of London Poetry Prize 2026 29 July Green Dragon Guild of London Poetry Prize 2026 Deadline: 23.59 (UK time) on Wednesday 29 July 2026 Entry Fee: FREE Prizes: The winning entrant will receive: 1. Cash prize of £100; 2. Your work set to music by composer David Yardley and performed by professional musicians at the “Of Carols & Chimeras” concert on Friday 20 November 2026; 3. Complimentary tickets to the concert; 4. Standard 50% royalties from any future performances or recordings of the musical work that uses your lyricsy Word Limit: 50 lines Theme: Chimeras Category: Poetry Competitions Competition Website: davidyardleymusic.com/green-dragon-guild-of-london-poetry-prize-2026	0 competitions 30 0 competitions, 30	4 competitions 31 4 competitions, 31 2026-07-31 Anthology Short Story Competition 2026 Anthology Short Story Competition 2026 31 July Anthology Short Story Competition 2026 Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 31 July 2026 Entry Fee: Early Bird fee – €15 (November 2025 - January 2026), Standard fee – €18 (February - July 2026) 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 2026-07-31 Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition 31 July Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition Deadline: Midnight on 31 July 2026 Entry Fee: €19 per entry Prizes: 1st Place: €2,000 plus featured reading at the Cork International Short Story Festival (with four-night hotel stay and full board); 2nd: €800; 3rd: €400. All winners will receive publication in Southword magazine. Word Limit: 3,000 words Judge: Louise Hegarty Category: Short Story Competitions Competition Website: munsterlit.ie/ofaolain-competition 2026-07-31 Winchester Poetry Prize 2026 Winchester Poetry Prize 2026 31 July Winchester Poetry Prize 2026 Deadline: 11.59 pm (UK time) on 31st July 2026 Entry Fee: £7 for first poem, £5 for subsequent poems Prizes: 1st Place: £1,000; 2nd Place: £500; 3rd Place: £250; winning and commended poems will be published in a competition anthology Word Limit: 40 lines maximum (excluding title) Judge: Julia Copus Category: Poetry Competitions Competition Website: winchesterpoetryfestival.org/wpp26 2026-07-31 Whispering Wisdom Children and Young People’s Poetry Contest 2026 Whispering Wisdom Children and Young People’s Poetry Contest 2026 31 July Whispering Wisdom Children and Young People’s Poetry Contest 2026 Deadline: 31st July 2026 Entry Fee: FREE Prizes: A beautiful notebook and publication Word Limit: Up to 12 lines (excluding title and line breaks) Theme: Connection Category: Poetry Competitions Competition Website: whisperingwisdom.co.uk/about-5

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

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Queen Mary Wasifiri New Writing Prize 2026

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

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The Dorothy Dunnett Society / HWA Short Story Award 2026

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

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New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

All day

Scottish Wildlife Trust Words of the Wild Writing Competition

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

14 May

All day

New Writers Poetry Competition 2026

There are no events on this day.

29 July

All day

Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction

All day

Letter Review Prize for Poetry

All day

Green Dragon Guild of London Poetry Prize 2026

There are no events on this day.

31 July

All day

Anthology Short Story Competition 2026

All day

Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition

All day

Whispering Wisdom Children and Young People’s Poetry Contest 2026

There are no events on this day.

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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Welcome to NewWriters.org.uk

Calendar of Writing Competitions

1 competition 29

1 competition, 29

Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) on Wednesday 15th July 2026

3 competitions 30

3 competitions, 30

Deadline: 23:59 on 30 June 2026

Deadline: 23.59 (UK time) on 30 June 2026

4 competitions 1

4 competitions, 1

Deadline: Midnight (UK time) 1st July 2026

Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 1st July 2026

Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) on 1 July 2026

1 competition 2

1 competition, 2

1 competition 3

1 competition, 3

1 competition 4

1 competition, 4

1 competition 5

1 competition, 5

1 competition 6

1 competition, 6

1 competition 7

1 competition, 7

1 competition 8

1 competition, 8

1 competition 9

1 competition, 9

1 competition 10

1 competition, 10

1 competition 11

1 competition, 11

2 competitions 12

2 competitions, 12

Deadline: 11:59pm on 12 July 2026

1 competition 13

1 competition, 13

1 competition 14

1 competition, 14

1 competition 15

1 competition, 15

4 competitions 29

4 competitions, 29

Deadline: 23.59 (ET) 29th July 2026

Deadline: 23.59 (ET) 29th July 2026

Deadline: 23.59 (ET) 29th July 2026

Deadline: 23.59 (UK time) on Wednesday 29 July 2026

4 competitions 31

4 competitions, 31

Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 31 July 2026

Deadline: Midnight on 31 July 2026

Deadline: 11.59 pm (UK time) on 31st July 2026

Deadline: 31st July 2026