Details

Details

UK Writing Competitions (currently 44)

Scribble Quarterly Short Story Competition .  This quarterly contest from Scribble magazine is for stories in any genre and on any subject, running to no more than 3,000 words.  Winners are chosen by the magazine’s readers.
    Closing: Quarterly.
    Prizes: £75, £25, £15.
    Entry Fee: £5.
    Comp Page: Scribble SSC.

Flash 500 Competition.  Here’s a quarterly flash fiction contest which offers higher prize money than many similar competitions. It is for stories of up to 500 words on any theme.
    Closing: Quarterly (end of March, June, September, December).
    Prizes: 1st - £300.  2nd - £200.  3rd - £100.  Winners will be published on the website.
    Entry Fee: £5 each, £8 for two.
    Comp Page: Flash 500 Story.

WriteTime Short Story Competition.  To enter this quarterly international contest from the WriteTime community you need to be aged 60 or older.
    Closing: Quarterly.
    Prizes: £100, £50, £50.  Unsuccessful entrants receive brief feedback on their work.
    Entry Fee: £5 for one, £10 for three.
    Comp Page: WriteTime Story

                         The Rules, the T&Cs, the Fine Print
When you submit a story or poem to a competition, you are entering into a contract with the promoter.  Make sure you know the terms.  It may be, for instance, that you are granting the promoter the right to publish your work without payment even if you don’t win.  This is often the price you pay for entering a contest with no entry fee.  If it bothers you, don’t participate.  But before you get sniffy about that 450-word story set in the sedate world of turnip farming, ask yourself this: Would I really be able to sell it to anyone else?  Publication, even without payment, might not be a bad thing if it gets you a healthy crop of readers.  And if it’s in a newspaper or magazine that carries some prestige ... well, there are plenty of struggling writers who would gift wrap and hand over their very souls for the privilege of being able to put that in their cv.  Only you can decide if it’s worth it.

Ware Poets Poetry Competition.  Ware Poets of Hertfordshire are running their annual international contest again, and as before it is for poems of up to 50 lines on any subject.  There is a separate category for sonnets.  The prize money in both categories has been increased significantly this year. Winning poems will be published in the 2025 anthology, with a free copy going to each writer.  The best poem will be entered for the Forward Prize.
    Closing: 30.4.25.
    Prizes: £800, £400, £200.  Ware Sonnet Prize - £200.
    Entry Fee: £5.
    Comp Page: Ware Poets

New Writers 100-Word Writing Competition.  What can I say about this?  Oh yes - it’s for short fiction of up to 100 words.  I’ll just add that the words can prose or poetry.  Also, there is no theme, and it’s open worldwide.
    Closing: 30.4.25.
    Prizes: £500, £200, £100.  Shortlisted writers receive £50.  The top ten winning entries will be published on the website and in the anthology.
    Entry Fee: £8 for one, £15 for two, £21 for three.  A tenth of the proceeds will be donated to charity.
    Comp Page: New Writers 100

The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award.  This recurring contest from American website The Ghost Story is for tales of between 1,500 and 10,000 words.  Stories needn’t be about ghosts (on the website they mention supernatural, paranormal, magic realism ... that sort of thing).
    Closing: 30.4.25.
    Prizes: 1st - $1,500 plus online and print publication.  Runners-up (2) - $300 and online publication.
    Entry Fee: $20.
    Comp Page: Supernatural Story

Plaza Short Story Prize.  You have up to 5,000 words to impress the judges in this contest from Plaza Prizes Ltd.  There is no set theme.
    Closing: 30.4.25.
    Prizes: £4,000, £300, £100.  The ten shortlisted entries will be published in the Plaza Prize Anthology which is scheduled for launch at an awards ceremony in 2025.
    Entry Fee: £15 for the first, £12 for the second.  Three entries for £22.50.
    Comp Page: Plaza Story 5000

Oxford/42 New Writing Prize 2025.   The writing in question for this freebie is novels, stage plays, radio plays and screenplays for TV or film.  To enter you have to be at least 18, unagented and living, studying or working (legally) in the UK or Ireland.   For novels you enter the first 10,000 to 15,000 words.  For a stage or radio play you submit the complete script of 30 o 90 pages.  For screenplays the requirement is 30 to 60 pages for the first episode of a TV show, or 90 pages for a complete feature-length film script.  You also need to send a synopsis of up to 300 words, plus and elevator pitch of two sentences for a work of fiction.
    Closing: 30.4.25.
    Prize: £1,500 and agency representation.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: Oxford 42

Adventure Writers Competition.  Sponsored by the Clive Cussler family and others, this international contest is for adventure novels of between 50,000 and 200,000 words by authors aged over 18 (real authors, not pretend ones using AI to do the plotting, writing, etc).  Details of what qualifies as an adventure story for the purpose of this competition can be found on the website.  New as well as published novels can be entered, but in the case of the latter, there are rules about how many copies can have been sold or given away.  There are also rules about script formatting and, unusually for novel manuscripts, the requirement here is for single-spaced lines (read the rest on the website before entering).
    Closing: 30.4.25.
    Prizes: 1st - $1,000.  Runners-up (2) - $500.  Winners also get a free video book trailer (whatever that is), and interview by the AWC.  All finalists will receive a ‘Clive Trophy’.
    Entry Fee: $50.
    Comp Page: Adventure Novel.

Indigo Open Poetry Prize 2025.  Here we have another contest from Indigo Dreams Publishing in Devon.  It is for poems of up to 40 lines on any subject.
    Closing: 30.4.25.
    Prizes: £250, £100, £50.  Plus magazine publication.
    Entry Fee: £5 esch, £9 for two, £12 for three.
    Comp Page: Indigo Dreams.

Ver Poets Open Competition.  Here’s a repeat of the annual contest from Ver Poets of St Albans in Hertfordshire.  It is for poems of up to 30 lines on any subject.  The judge this year is Rory Waterman.
    Closing: 30.4.25.
    Prizes: £600, £300, £100.  Winning and selected poems will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fee: £4 each, £10 for three, £3 each thereafter.
    Comp Page: Ver Poets.

Baen Fantasy Adventure Award.  This freebie from American science fiction publisher Baen Books is for fantasy stories running to no more than 8,000 words.  All fantasy genrea are eligible.
    Closing: 30.4.25 (11.59pm EDT).
    Prizes: 1st - Publication as the feature story on the Baen Books website at industry standard rates, an engraved award thingy and $500 worth of Baen books.  2nd - $500 in Baen books.  3rd - $300 worth of Baen books.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  Only one entry per person.
    Comp Page: Baen Award.

Tom Howard/John H Reid Fiction & Essay Contest.  This regular visitor from Winning Writers in the USA is two competitions in one.  The first is for fiction running to no more than 6,000 words, while the second requires factual essays, also with a limit of 6,000 words.
    Closing: 1.5.25.
    Prizes: Story - $3,500 plus $100 gift certificate.  Essay - $3,500 plus $100 gift certificate. Honourable Mentions (10) - $500.  The top 12 entries will be published online.
    Entry Fee: $25.
    Comp Page: Tom H Comp.

F(r)iction Writing Competition.  This international contest from the USA has three categories: Short Story (1,001 to 7,500 words), Poetry (up to three pages per poem), and Flash Fiction (up to 1,000 words, Creative Nonfiction up to 6,500 words).
    Closing: 2.5.25.
    Prizes: Short Story - $1,000.  Creative Nonfiction - $500.  Flash Fiction - £300.  Poetry - $300.
    Entry Fees : Short Story and Creative nonfiction - $15.  Poetry and Flash Fiction - $10.
    Comp Page: F(r)iction Comps

Wigtown Poetry Prize.  This annual international contest from Wigtown in Scotland is for poems of up to 40 lines on any subject (although I would suggest NOT wigs - too obvious).  Entries can be in English or, for shy writers who prefer not to have too many readers, Scottish Gaelic or Scots.
    Closing: 7.5.25 (noon).
    Prizes: English - £1,500, £200.  Scottish Gaelic - £500, £200.  Scots - £500, £200.  Dumfries & Galloway Fresh Voice Award - A package of professional support including mentoring and a retreat at Moniak Mhor Creative Writing Centre.  There is also the Alastair Reid Pamphlet Prize: submit 8 - 12 poems (limit 12 pages) to win 30 copies in pamphlet form.
    Entry Fees: English - £10.  Scots and Gaelic - £10.   Dumfries & Galloway Fresh Voice Award - £10.  Pamphlet Prize - £25.
    Comp Page: Wigtown.

Ironclad Creative Short Story Competition.  The judges of this international contest will be looking for stories of any length up to 6,000 words that respond in any way to the prompt ‘Planted.’
     Closing: 10.5.25.
     Prizes: £100, £50, £25.  Winners will be published in an anthology.  Other selected entrants will be offered publication.  The anthology will be available on Amazon.
    Entry Fee: £9.
    Comp Page: Ironclad Story

Creative Future Competition .  The Creative Future Awards for under-represented writers over 18 are back again.  There are three categories: Poetry up to 50 lines, Fiction up to 2,000 words, and Creative Non-fiction up to 2,000 words.  The theme this year, (‘a creative prompt,’ they say, ‘not a requirement’) is ‘Wild’.
    Closing: 18.5.25.
    Prizes: (Poetry) 1st - £75, a Chapter and Verse Mentorship, manuscript assessment and a year’s Being A Writer membership, plus a Faber Academy online masterclass.  2nd - £50 plus other writing-relatesd items.  3rd - £25 plus other Writing-related items.  There are also prizes for fourth place and runners-up.  (Fiction): 1st - £75, a Curtis Brown mentorship and agent meeting, one year’s Being A Writer membership, Faber Academy Writing a Novel course,  a year’s membership of the Society of Authors.  2nd - £50 plus writing-related items.  3rd - £25 plus other items.  There are also prizes for fourth place and runners-up. (Creative Non-fiction): 1st - £75 plus mentoring and manuscript assessment, plus Faber Academy’s Memoir and Life Writing course.  2nd - £50, manuscript assessment and an online writing course from Writing Magazine, plus Society of Authors membership.  3rd - £25 plus manuscript assessment and coaching, and a copy of the W&A Yearbook.  There are also prizes for Highly Commended and Commended.  In addition to the main category prizes there are ‘Joint prizes’, presumably so you can smoke away the blues after not winning the top prize ... oh, hang on, it seems these prizes are something extra that all winners get jointly.  Winners will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fee: Free to enter, or pay what you can.
    Comp Page: Creative Future Award

Wirral Poetry Festival Open Poetry Competition.  Poems of up to 40 lines are invited for this long-running contest from the Wirral (where Vikings once settled ... before being moved on by the council following complains of antisocial behaviour).
    Closing: 30.5.25.
    Prizes: £250, 4 x £25.  Wittal Prize (for people living or working in Wirral): £100, 2 x £25.
    Entry Fee: £4 each, £10 for three.
    Comp Page: Wirral Poetry

Black Orchid Novella Award.  This is the 19th of these annual mystery story contests from The Wolfepack (the official Nero Wolfe Literary Society) in the USA.  It is open worldwide.  To enter, you submit an original detective story of between 15,000 and 20,000 words in the traditional deductive style exemplified by Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series.  Your story should contain no sex or violence and, presumably, no fat-shaming.
    Closing: 31.5.25.
    Prize: $1,000 and publication in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: Nero Wolfe Novella

Yeovil Literary Prize.  This is the 24th of these annual international contests from Yeovil, the literary capital of the West Country where even the sheep appreciate poetry.  There are five categories: Short Story, Poetry, Novel, Children’s & YA Novel, and Unrestricted.  The short stories can run to 2,000 words, while poems should be no more than 40 lines.  Adult Novels have a limit of 10,000 words for the opening chapters and synopsis.  Children’s & YA entries should be no more than 3,000 (opening) words with a 500-word synopsis, and can include one illustration.  The final category is unusual in that it’s for anything you have written - as long as it has ‘the Wow! factor’ (they mean ‘Wow - that’s brilliant!’ rather than, ‘Wow - you’ve really plumbed the depths with that one!’).  Your entry could be a particularly creative tax return, a witty note to the milkman (if there are such people these days), or that hilariously scathing critique of your former best friend’s novel, etc.
    Closing: 31.5.25.
    Prizes: Short Story - £625, £275, £150.  Poetry - £625, £250, £150.  Novel - £1,350, £450, £200.  Children’s & YA Novel - £625, £275, £150.  Writing Without Restrictions - £275, £150, £100.  In addition there is the Western Gazette Best Local Writer Award for a shortlisted writer living in the Western Gazette distribution area (mainly Dorset and Somerset).  It isn’t worth moving down there however as the prize is only £100.
    Entry Fee: Short Story - £10.50  Poetry - £8.  Novel - £18.50.  Children’s & YA Novel - £15.  Writing Without Restrictions - £10.
    Comp Page: Yeovil Lit Prize.

First Novel Prize 2025.  From The Literary Studio of London comes this annual international contest for first novels in any adult genre.  To enter you send in an extract from your novel plus a synopsis and your contact details.  The total submission must not exceed 5,000 words.  Extracts from self-published or independently published novels are admissible.
    Closing: 31.5.25.
    Prizes: 1st - £1,000.  Runner-up - £500.
    Entry Fee: £25.
    Comp Page: First Novel.

Slipstream Poets Open Poetry Competition.  Here we have another contest from Slipstream Poets of West Sussex.  It has a line limit of 40 but no theme.  The judge this time is poet Catherine Smith.
    Closing: 31.5.25.
    Prizes: £300, £175, £75.  There is also £50 for the best West Sussex entry.  Winning poems will be published on the Slipstream website.
    Entry Fee: £5 for the first, £4 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Slipstream Poets.

Frome Festival Short Story Competition.  Here it comes again - the annual contest from Froooom (as the locals like to pronounce it).  And as usual, it’s for stories of between 1,000 and 2,200 words.  There is no theme.
    Closing: 31.5.25.
    Prizes: £400, £200, £100.  There are in addition prizes for local authors, defined as those living within 25 miles of the local library.  Damn - missed out by only 95 miles.
    Entry Fee: £6 up to March 31st, then £8.
    Comp Page : Frooom Story.

Hi
    Before I discovered your website I’d never even thought of trying my luck in a writing competition. My stories were a very private part of my life, I was (and for the most of the time still am) very convinced that they are not good enough for the ‘outside world’.
     I don’t know what made me try - call it a crazy moment of self-confidence - but here I am the October winner of the Cazart short story competition. I haven’t felt so good about myself in months. It might not seem like a big deal to the world but for me it means everything. And it would not have happened if it wasn’t for your wonderful website.
     Thank You very much.                                         -  Dorota Nocun

Frogmore Poetry Prize.  This annual contest is run by Frogmore Press which was founded in 1983 in the Frogmore tearooms in Folkestone.  Well, what else can you do in Folkestone?  I’ll tell you what: you can fall in the sea - a feat I managed at the age of 8.  Will I ever forget that day?  Unlikely, for I had the misfortune to be rescued by my two sisters.  ‘No, no - let me drown!’ I cried.  ‘I’ll never be able to face my mates again.’  But I had the ice cream money in my pocket and so my pleas were ignored.  I later wrote a poem about the shame of it all but it would have been too long for this contest as it ran to 360 lines.  The line limit here is 40.
    Closing: 31.5.25.
    Prize: 1st - 250 guineas.  Classy.  You also get a two-year subscription to The Frogmore Papers .  2nd - 75 guineas and a year’s subscription.  3rd - 50 guineas and a year’s subscription.  Shortlisted poets also get copies of selected Frogmore Press publications, plus publicaion in the mag.
    Entry Fee: £4.
    Comp Page: Frogmore PP

Bridport Prize.  This famous international competition from the Bridport Arts Centre is one of the most prestigious writing contests in the British literary calendar.  Everyone in the trade whose mind is not addled by drugs has heard of it, and they will be impressed if you can claim to have won it.  The good news is that winning it is easy.  All you have to do is submit the best poem, short story or flash fiction, the poem having no more than 42 lines, the short story running to no more than 5,000 words.  For those who find 5,000 words too tiring to write, the flash fiction category is ideal as it has a word limit of only 250 (if that’s too much, consider becoming a poet).
    Closing: 31.5.25.
    Prizes: Short Stories, Poems (in each category) - £5,000, £1,000, £500, and ten @ £100.  Flash Fiction - £1,000, £500, £250, and five @ £100.  Winning entries will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fees:  Poem - £12.  Short Story - £14.  Flash Fiction - £11.
    Comp Page: Bridport Prize.

The Peggy Chapman-Andrews Novel Award.  This annual contest, which honours one of the founders of the Bridport Prize, is for novels by writers over 16 who are resident in the UK or R.o.I, or are British citizens living overseas, or writers living in any of the 14 British Overseas Territories.  To be eligible you must not have had a novel published (self-published excepted).  To enter, you submit the first chapters of your story (5,000 to 8,000 words), plus a synopsis of up to 300 words.  Three hundred words?  That’s more a blurb than a synopsis.  Warning: You need to have 15,000 words of the novel available at the longlist stage and 30,000 for the shortlist.
    Closing: 31.5.25.
    Prizes: 1st - £1,500 plus mentoring from The Literary Consultancy, and a consultation with London literary agents AM Heath and Publisher Headline.  2nd - £750 plus full manuscript appraisal.  Runners-up (3) - £150 plus a 15,000-word manuscript appraisal.  The winning novel extracts will be published in the anthology.
    Entry Fee: £24.
    Comp Page: Chapman-Andrews Award.

Dear Michael,
     I love your website and its pertinent personal comments re the comps.
     I entered the Alexander Cordell one some months ago, the mini saga, and was short-listed to win. It was a 600 mile round trip with two toddlers but we had a really wonderful weekend. My husband is self employed and works really long hours so it was great to drag him away and out into the countryside. The people were lovely, the whole event was fascinating, and I was thrilled to get two books and a book token. My little girl age 3 gets excited every time Wales is mentioned on the news now! The greatest thrill was hearing the Director of Visit Wales read out my story so reverently, and with evident enjoyment. The organisers were delighted with the world-wide entries.  I don’t write for money - just as well - but for the love of the medium and the message.
     Keep up the good work!                                         -  Julie Noble

Bath Novel Award.  This well-known international competition for unagented emerging novelists, now in its eleventh year,  has a prize fund of £10,000.  To enter, you submit the first 5,000 words of your completed novel aimed at adults or young adults.  Also required is a one-page synopsis.
    Closing: 31.5.25.
    Prizes:  1st - £5,000 and an exclusive trophy.  Shortlistees receive a compilation of award readers’ comments on their entry, while all listees receive feedback on their opening pages.  One longlistee will also win a place on the online course, Edit Your Novel the Professional Way, from Professional Writing Academy and Cornerstones Literary Consultancy.
    Entry Fee: £29.99
    Comp Page: Bath Novel

Canterbury Poet of the Year Competition.  It’s back again: the annual international poetry contest from Canterbury Festival.  As usual, it is for poems of up to 60 lines.  Shortlisted poets will be asked to read their work att the awards evening on October 2, but they can if they wish nominate someone else to do this, including one of the judges.
    Closing: 2.6.25.
    Prizes: £300, £150, £75.  Longlisted entries will be published in an anthology.  All longlistees will receive a free copy.
    Entry Fee: £5.
    Comp Page: Canterbury Festival Comp

MTP Short Story Competition.  Here we have a repeat of last year’s contest from Michael Terence Publishing of Oxford.  Now open to all authors worldwide, it is for fiction, flash fiction, science fiction, children’s and non-fiction (biography, memoir, true story, etc) running to no more than 3,000 words.   In the email they sent me this year they say they are looking for powerful simplicity as ‘even the shortest of tales can hold immense depth, emotion and meaning.’
    Closing: 10.6.25.
    Prizes: 1st - £1,000.  2nd - £500.  3rd - £250.  Runners-up (5) - £50. Winners will be published online and in a print and e-book anthology (the title of this will be based on the title of the winning story).
    Entry Fee: £9.  Early Bird Entries (up to 10.3.25) - £6.
    Comp Page: MTP Story Comp.

McLellan Poetry Competition.  Arran Theatre and Arts Trust is looking for poems of up to 80 lines in English for its latest poetry contest.  There is a separate contest for the best poem in the Scottish language.
    Closing: 15.6.25.
    Prizes: English - £1,000.  Scots language - £1,000.
    Entry Fee: £6 for the first, £5 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Arran Poem

International Welsh Poetry Competition.  I know what you’re thinking: you’ll have to write a poem in Welsh for this one.  Not so, because there are only four poets in the entire world who write in Welsh, so the promoters are wisely asking for entries in English.  They’re also asking for no more than 50 lines.  These lines can be in any style and on any subject.  Mike Jenkins will be judging.
    Closing: 29.6.25.
    Prizes: £500, £250, £100.  Winners and 17 runners-up will be published in a future anthology.
    Entry Fee: £6.
    Comp Page: Welsh Poetry.

Moth Short Story Prize. Back again for another flutter around the street lamps is this annual contest from Irish magazine The Moth.  It is for stories of up to 3,000 words on any subject.  I should perhaps mention that the magazine is not devoted to the subject of moths, fascinating though these may be.  It is an arts and literature magazine.  Presumably the name is a reference to the way artists and writers are attracted to the light of recognition, only to beat their wings in vain against an invisible barrier until finally, broken and defeated, they slide down to the windowsill of despair.  You’d think the magazine people could have come up with something a bit more cheerful than that, wouldn’t you?
    Closing: 30.6.25.
    Prizes: 1st - 3,000 euros.  2nd - A week’s writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France, with an open travel stipend.  3rd - 1,000 euros.  The winning story will be published in the Irish Times while the 2nd and 3rd entries will be published in the Irish Times online.
    Entry Fee: 15 euros.
    Comp Page: Moth Short Story.

To Hull and Back Humorous Writing Contest.  Would it surprise you to know that this one comes from Hull?  Well here’s the real surprise: it doesn’t.  It has its origina in Bristol.  Furthermore, the prize doesn't involve a trip to Hull.  But don’t worry: to ease your disppointment a copy of the anthology containing your winning entry will be taken to Hull on a Harley Davidson motorbike.  I assume there will be a video of that great event for you to enjoy.
    Closing: 30.6.25.
    Prizes: £1,000, £200, £100.  Highly Commended (3) - £70.  Shortlisted (14) - £35.  Winners and shortlistees will be published in a print anthology as well as a Kindle book.
    Entry Fee: £10.
    Comp Page: Hull & Back.

Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize.  ‘Wasafiri’, according to the website, ‘is a literary magazine at the forefront of mapping new landscapes in international literature.’  Try saying that in Kiswahili, the language from which the magazine’s title comes.  Now, you are probably thinking that the magazine itself must hail from Africa, but this is not so.  It was born at the University of Kent in 1984 and, as far as I know. it has no African connection at all.  Nor, I might add, has the contest.  This has three categories (Poetry, Fiction, Life Writing) and is open to anyone anywhere in the world who has not published a complete book in their chosen category.  The word limit for the Fiction and Life Writing is 3,000.  In the poetry category, you can submit up to three poems (total words 3,000 max) for the same entry fee (start each poem on a separate page in the same document).  You can enter more than one category, but only once each.  Incidentally, ‘wasafiri’, in case your Kiswahili is a bit rusty, means ‘cultural traveller’.  Incidentally, if you are stuck for inspiration, you can now translate someone else’s work into English and enter that.  Do remember to credit the original creator though.
    Closing: 30.6.25.
    Prize (in each category): £1,000 and publication in the mag.  Winners and shortlisted writers will  be offered Chapter & Verse or Free Reads mentoring in partnership with The Literary Consultancy.  Shortlisted entries will be published on the website.
    Entry Fee: £12.  If you enter two separate categories it’s £16.
    Comp Page : Wasafiri Prize.

Hastings Book Festival Competitions.  Short stories and poetry are the order of the day here, the former having a word allowance of up to 2,500, the latter a line allowance of up to 40.
    Closing: 30.6.25 (10pm).
    Prizes (in each category): £250, £100, £50.
    Entry Fee: £8.25 for one, £15 for two, £21 for three.
    Comp Page: Hastings Bookfest Comp

Dear Michael,
     Thank you for maintaining your informative and witty list of writing competitions.
     I entered loads of them last year and got precisely nowhere, but I ploughed on regardless and have just won second prize (£100) in the Flash 500 Humour Verse contest, which would suggest that your friend Percy Vere might be onto something.
                                                                             -  Melanie Branton

Writers’ College Short Story Competition.  I won’t bore you by listing all the things we didn’t learn.  I only mention it because it’s the theme of this year’s international short story contest from The Writers’ College in New Zealand.  The exact words ‘all the things we didn’t learn’ must appear in the story (but not as the title).  Stories should run to no more than 2,000 words.  To be eligible to enter you need to be 16 or over and unpublished or published no more than four times.  Stories can be in any genre, although they say literary fiction tends to do best with the judges.
    Closing: 30.6.25 (free entry - one per person).  Paid entries have a deadline of 30.9.25
    Prizes: $1,000, $500, $250.
    Entry Fee : Free to enter up to 30.6.25, then it’s 15 New Zealand dollars.
    Comp Page: Writers College Story

Wells Festival of Literature Competitions.  Here we have a return of the famous Wells Litfest and its various competitions: Poetry, Short Story, Book for Children, Young Poets.  I should mention before we go any further that we are talking about Wells in Somerset, not Wells in Norfolk which also has an annual litfest (I wouldn’t want you turning up at the wrong event to receive your prize or to berate the judges for not awarding you anything).  Anyway, back to business.  For the Poetry you are allowed up to 35 lines, while the Short Stories should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words.  For the Book for Children, which must be suitable for youngsters aged 7+ (includes YA), you need to submit the first three chapters (or first 30 pages, this being the maximum) plus a synopsis of up to 2 pages.   If shortlisted, you may be asked to submit the complete manuscript.  The Young Poets category, for budding bards aged between 16 and 22, requires poems of no more than 35 lines.
    Closing: 30.6.25 (5pm).
    Prizes: Poetry - £1,000, £500, £250.  Short Story, Book for Children (in each category) - £750, £300, £200.  Young Poets - £200, £150, £100.  Additional prizes: Local Prize for poetry, short story - £100 in each category.  Book for Children Local Prize - £100.
    Entry Fee: Adult categories - £6.  Young Poets - £3.
    Comp Page: Wells Litfest.

HG Wells Short Story Competition.  Here’s a welcome reappearance for the annual contest from the H.G.Wells Festival in Folkestone, which mysteriously disappeared after last year’s event.  As usual it is for stories of between 1,500 and 5,000 words in any genre.  The stated theme this year is ‘The Middle Ground’.
    Closing: 8.7.25 (11pm BST).
    Prizes: Adult (22 or over) - £500.  Junior (21 or under) - £1,000.  All shortlisted entries will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fee: £10 if you are over 21.  Free if you are 21 or under.  If you are a student who is over 21 (with ID to prove it), it’s £5.
    Comp Page: HG Wells.

Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition.  Here we have another annual contest, this time from Wrekin Writers of Shropshire.  Stories can be on any subject but must not exceed 1,200 words.  At least 50% of profits will be donated to Severn Hospice.
    Closing: 14.7.25.
    Prizes: £200, £100, £50.
    Entry Fee: £5.
    Comp Page: Gooderson Story.

Seán O'Faoláin International Short Story Competition.  Here’s another international contest from the Munster Literature Centre in Cork, Ireland.  It is for stories up to 3,000 words on any subject and in any style.  Entries must be in English.
    Closing: 31.7.25 (opens for entries 1.5.25).
    Prizes: 1st - 2,000 euros, a featured reading at the Cork International Short Story Festival, with four-night hotel stay and full board, plus publication in Southword.  2nd - 500 euros and publication in Southword.  3rd - 300 euros and publication in Southword.
    Entry Fee: 19 euros.
    Comp Page: Southword Story.

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award.  The writing in question for this contest from Aesthetica Magazine is short fiction running to no more than 2,000 words, and poetry of up to 40 lines.  Submissions can be on any subject and may have been previously published.
    Closing: 8.9.25.
    Prize (in each category): £2,500 plus other writing related prizes.  Finalists will be published in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual.
    Entry Fee: Up to 31.8.25 - £18 for fiction, £12 for poetry.  Between 1.9.25 and 8.9.25 - £24 for fiction, £18 for poetry.
    Comp Page: Aesthetica Award . 

Bedford Writing Competition.  This annual not-for-profit contest from Bedfordshire, home of the famous Shuttleworth Collection (old aeroplanes and cars) is for stories of up to 3,000 words and poems running to no more than 40 lines.  There is also the Cygnature story and poetry contest, open to young writers aged 17 to 25.  Plus there is the Bedford Prize for Bedford residents.
    Closing: 31.10.25 (opens for entries 1.5.25).
    Prizes in each category (Poetry, Short Story): £1,500, £300, £200.   Cygnature Short Story and Poetry - £200 in each category.  In addition there is £100 in each category for the Bedford Prize..  Shortlisted and winning entries will be published in an anthology (e-book and hardcopy).
    Entry Fee: £8.50 each, £17 for three.  Full-time students: £6 each, £12 for three.
    Comp Page: BWC.

Bath Children's Novel Award.  This annual international contest, which is open to unpublished and self-published emerging authors, is for novels and chapter books of any length (but see recommendations) aimed at children or young adults.  It is also for picture books. To enter a novel or chapter book, you send the first 5,000 words plus a one-page synopsis.  For picture books, you submit up to three complete stories in the same document with short summaries of each story (without pictures).
     Closing: 30.11.25.
     Prizes: 1st - £5,000.  The writer of the most promising longlisted novel will receive an online place on Edit Your Novel the Professional Way from co-sponsors Professional Writing Academy and Cornerstones Literary Consultancy.  Shortlisted entrants will receive feedback on their work.
     Entry Fee: £29.99 for a novel or chzpter book (for picture books, the fee covers up to three stories in the same document).
     Comp Page: BCN Award.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Competition.  This US contest is open worldwide and is for short stories of up to 17,000 words.  They should be science fiction, fantasy or horror with fantastic elements.
    Closing: Quarterly.
    Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500.
    Entry Fee: None.
    Website: Click Here.

Dear Michael
     Just to say a big ‘Thank You’ for your work on the website. I have been selected for publication in the Mirador competition which ran last year and have been awarded 3rd place in the Stringybark Speculative Fiction competition. To be published twice is like a dream for me, which the information found on your site made possible. Thanks again.
                                                                                    -   Pat Davies

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Notes: Unless otherwise stated in the rules, all poetry should be single-spaced.  The rest should be double-spaced (which is to say, double spacing between the lines, not the words!).  It is sometimes the case that your name shouldn’t appear on the manuscript.  Again, check the rules.  If you put your name on there after being told not to, you’re out.  Don’t use coloured paper or fancy fonts, and don’t send your manuscript done up like the Queen’s dinner menu with a fancy gold-tooled leather cover.  These things merely announce that you have no confidence in your submission or, worse, that you think the judges are shallow enough to judge on appearance rather than content.  Plain white A4 80gsm paper is the stuff to use, with plain black typing or print.  Write on one side of the sheet only (unless asked to put your address on the back).

        Before you start writing, allow me to introduce you to an old friend

                                       The Typo Goblin

  I am the Typo Goblin, my heart is made of flint,
  My role in life is simply this: to keep you out of print.
  I sneak into your manuscript and do my fiendish work,
  Adding errors guaranteed to make you look a berk.
  And then I cast the ‘Careless’ spell: you say, ‘Ah, what the heck!’
  And pop your script into the post without that final check.
  At length some hapless editor receives your golden wit,
  And after reading fifty words he writes it off as ... unpublishable.

                                                                            - Michael Shenton

Finally, as you sift through the remnants of your shattered dreams and wonder if it’s worth going on ... www.samaritans.co.uk/

   My Humorous Verse, Songs , Etc (sample)
     
                           This is the Prizemagic website
                            Email comps@prizemagic.co.uk
                           Copyright:  Michael Shenton  2025

                                                           Poem: Being a Writer

                             Romantic Poetry by Michael Shenton (sample)