Our current competition: New Writers Novel Prize 2026 – Deadline: 31st October 2026. Top Prize: £1,000 + Lifetime Access to The Novel Factory (Version 3).
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Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) on Saturday 31st October 2026
Entry Fee:£12 per entry; (£22 for two entries, £31 for three entries, when submitted together)
Prizes:1st: £1,000 + Lifetime Access to The Novel Factory (Version 3); 2nd: £300 + 12-month Standard Subscription to The Novel Factory; 3rd: £200 + 12-month Basic Subscription to The Novel Factory
All entrants: 30% discount off The Novel Factory* writing software (annual or lifetime subscriptions)
Publication: The three winning entries will be published on the NewWriters.org.uk website and in the next New Writers Anthology
Word Limit: The opening 500 words of your unpublished novel or novella
Head Judge:Katja Kaine, award-winning author and The Novel Factory founder
Prizes: Winner: £500, Second: £250, Third: £125; the three winning entries will be published in an anthology and will receive editorial comments on their submitted works
Word Limit: 2,000 words
Theme: ‘The End of the Line’
Judges: Arja Salafranca, Sonny Whitelaw and Andrew Salomon
Prizes: 1st prize: £1,000 plus a one-to-one call with the agent judge; shortlisted entries will feature in Searchlight’s Agent/Publisher Pitch Book of winning stories
Word Limit: Pitch: 175 words, novel extract: the first 3,000 words, synopsis: 500 words
Entry Fee: $25 per submission (one submission may contain up to 3 poems)
Prizes: TOM HOWARD PRIZE: $3,500 for a poem in any style or genre; MARGARET REID PRIZE: $3,500 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style; The top two winners will also receive two-year gift certificates from co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value); Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $500 each (any style); Top 12 entries published online
Word Limit: 250 lines maximum
Category: Poetry Competitions
Final Judges: Michal 'MJ' Jones, assisted by Briana Grogan and Dare Williams
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on 1 October 2026
Entry Fee: $30
Prizes: $1,000 and publication at the magazine’s website as a special online supplement to the subsequent Spring edition; second prize is $500; and third prize is $250
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 a one-page synopsis
Prizes: 1st Place: £2,000 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 and Sabhbh Curran, literary agents at Curtis Brown
Deadline: 23.59 (UK time) on Friday 16 October 2026
Entry Fee: £3 (Free to conference participants)
Prizes:The three winning entries will be published in the 2026 Conference Special edition of the NAWE magazine, Writing in Education (publication January 2027). The first place winner will also receive a copy of the 2027 Writers' & Artists' Yearbook, generously donated by Bloomsbury.
Word Limit: 200
Theme: ‘Writing Worlds’ (theme of NAWE Online Conference 2026)
Deadline: 11.59 pm (AEDT) Sunday 25th October 2026
Entry Fees: AU$35 per entry (PayPal) (approximately £17)
Prizes: Total prize pool: AU$4,000 (everyone on the shortlist wins a cash prize); Winner: AU$1,500; 2nd place: AU$1,000; 3rd place: AU$500; 4th place: AU$350; 5th place: AU$250; 6th place: AU$200; 2 x Wildcard prizes: AU$100 (all winners also receive print publication in the Not Quite Write anthology and are read aloud on the podcast)
Prizes: Winner: £100; four shortlisted poets will each receive a £25 National Book Token. The winning and shortlisted poems will be published in issue 120 of Happiful. Every entrant will be invited to an exclusive free online poetry webinar led by poet Sophie Dumont, delivered in partnership with the Rebecca Swift Foundation.
Line Limit: 25 lines max (excluding title)
Theme: Poems must be on the topic of mental health or wellbeing
Eligibility: The competition is open to anyone based in the UK or NI aged 18 or over
Judges: Two special guest judges, Deborah Alma and Richard Tyler, will join the Happiful editorial team to pick the winning and shortlisted poems
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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