Details

Details

UK Writing Competitions (currently 47)

Writers’ Forum Short Story Competition.  There is a new contest in each issue of this glossy writers’ mag.  All types of stories are accepted, from horror to romance, with a length of between 1,000 and 3,000 words.
    Closing: Monthly.  Entries arriving too late for one comp automatically go into the next.
    Prizes: £300, £150, £100.
    Entry Fee: £6, or £3 for subscribers to the magazine.  Critique - £5 (enclose sae if entering by post).
    Comp Page: WF Story Comp.

Writers’ Forum Poetry Competition.  This monthly contest from the glossy magazine Writers’ Forum is for poems of up to 40 lines on any thme.
    Closing: Monthly.  Entries arriving too late for one month automatically go forward to the next.
    Prize: £100 and a Chambers dictionary.
    Entry Fee: £7 (includes a short critique).
    Comp Page: WF Poetry Contest.

Hour of Writes Competition.  To enter this weekly peer-reviewed contest from Manchester you submit a piece of writing of any type you choose running to no more than 2,000 words. There is a different theme every week.
    Closing: 11pm every Friday.
    Prize: £50 (usually the minimum, they say; prize increases if more entries are received).
    Entry Fee: £3.
    Comp Page: Hour of Writes

Hello again!
     Thanks for all you've done. I've had another two wins recently - Concrete Cow and UPLI - and I've actually had my book How to Win Writing Competitions accepted by a publisher! Your website gets a mention in it, of course.
     Best wishes,  Cathy Bryant

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: £3.
    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: 30.9.23, 31.12.23.
    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.

                         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.

St Martins/Minotaur/MWA First Crime Novel Competition.  If you happen to have, or can arrange to have in the near future, an unpublished debut novel featuring a serious crime, it could be just what The Mystery Writers of America in conjunction with St Martins Minotaur Books are looking for in this freebie international contest.  Just be sure your story runs to a minimum of 60,000 words.  To be eligible, you must not have had a novel published in any genre (self-published doesn’t count, although you can’t enter a self-published story).
    Closing: 17.12.23 (11.59pm EST).
    Prize: A standard publishing contract with a $10,000 advance.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: MWA Minotaur.

Prole Laureate Poetry Competition.  Literary print journal Prole is running its annual Laureate competition again, and as usual there is no limit on length, style or subject.  The judge will be looking for poems that are engaging, accessible, challenging and entertaining.
    Closing: 20.12.23.
    Prizes: £200, £50, £50.  Winners will be published in Prole issue 35.
    Entry Fee: £3 for the first, £2 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Prole Laureate

Creative Mind Writing Competitions 2024.  This year’s main contest from Creative Mind of Horwich in Lancashire has two categories: stories (up to 900 words) and poems (up to 40 lines).  The theme is Environment.  The second contest has the theme: Art & Society.  All other details are the same except for the closing date which is 29.3.24.
    Closing: 29.1.24 and 29.3.24.
    Prizes (in each category): £50, £30, £20.  Everyone whose work  appears in the competition anthology will receive a free copy and will be invited to the book launch.
    Entry Fee: £4, £7 for two, £9 for three.
    Comp Page: Creative Mind

The Screw Turn Ghost Story Competition.  This recurring contest from American website The Ghost Story is for spooky tales of between 250 and 1,000 words.
    Closing: 31.1.24. 
    Prizes: 1st - $1,000 plus online and print publication.  Runners-up (2) - $200 plus print and online publication.
    Entry Fee: $15.
    Comp Page: TST Ghost Story

My Writing Journey Contest.  I don’t often come across literary competitions from New Zealand where I went on a working holiday as a 17-year-old, so it is with great excitement that I give you the details of this one (which is free to enter).  Your task is to write an original piece on the theme: The best writing tip I’ve ever received.  Here’s a tip from me: keep your entry down to 600 words as it will otherwise break the rules.
    Closing: 31.12.23.
    Prize: $200.
    Entry Fee: None - free entry.
    Comp Page: Writing Journey Comp

Moth Poetry Prize. This annual contest from Irish magazine The Moth is for poems of any length and 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: 31.12.23.
    Prizes: 1st - 6,000 euros.  Runners-up (3) - 1,000 euros.  Commended (8) - 250 euros.
    Entry Fee: 15 euros.
    Comp Page: Moth Poetry Comp.

Enfield Poets Poetry Competition.  Poems of up to 50 lines are required for this one from Enfield Poets who are - surprise, surprise - based in Enfield.  The judge is David Constantine.
    Closing: 31.12 23.
    Prizes: £500, £350, £125.
    Entry Fee: £4 each, £10 for three.
    Comp Page: Enfield Poetry.

Letter Review Prize.  This international contest from the USA is for short fiction of up to 5,000 words, non-fiction of up to 5,000 words, poetry of up to 70 lines and unpublished books (novels, novellas, short story collections, poetry collections and non-fiction books).  There is also a Reprints category for previously-published short stories, poetry and non-fiction of up to 5,000 words.
    Closing: 31.12.23 (11.59pm ET).
    Prizes: There is a  prize pool of $1,000 per category.  This will be shared between the top three winners.  Winners can opt to have a short extract from their entries published on the website. 
    Entry Fee: Poetry - $15.  Other categories $20.
    Comp Page: Letter Review Prize

Exeter Novel Competition.  To enter this annual contest from Creative Writing Matters of Exeter you submit a total of 10,000 words, this being the opening section of your unpublished novel and a synopsis.  All genres are welcome including Middle Grade children’s (9 to 12 years), Young Adult and New Adult.  Hellie Ogden, head of the book department at WME Agency’s London office will be the final judge.
    Closing: 1.1.24.
    Prizes: 1st - £1,000 plus a trophy.  Runners-up (5) - £100 and a paperweight.  There will be an Awards Ceremony in Exeter in April.
    Entry Fee: £20.
    Comp Page: Exeter Novel

Shepton Mallet Snowdrop Poetry Competition,  Let me be clear, this is not a contest for poems about snowdrops specifically.  The name derives from the Shepton Mallet Snowdrop Festival.  The actual these of the competition is Nature Unbound.  There could be a place for a snowdrop or two in that, but it isn’t compulsory.  You have up to 30 lines to tackle this.  There is also a photography category.  For details, see website.
    Closing: 7.1.24.
    Prizes:  18 and over - £300.  12 to 17 - £100.  11 and under - £30.  There will be readings and a Prizegiving Ceremony at the Festival on Saturday, 17.1.24.
    Entry Fee: 18 and over: £4.  Under 18s can enter one poem free of charge.
    Comp Page: Shepton Poetry:

The Latin Programme Poetry Prize.  Don’t panic - you don’t have to write in Latin if you don’t want to.  But you do have to take your inspiration from the Latin term: ‘terra firma’ (solid ground).  You have up to 40 lines to work that one out.  The Latin Programme, incidentally, is a registered charity with a mission to improve literacy in London state schools.  The contest judges are Clare Pollard, Antony Makrinos and Jonathan Goddard.
    Closing: 14.1.24.
    Prize: £200.  Shortlisted poems will be published in the 2024 Poetry Prize Anthology.
    Entry Fee: £14.
    Comp Page: Latin Programme

Prolitzer Prize for Prose.  Don’t worry if you missed out on the Pulitzer Prize this year, there’s still the Prolitzer from literary print journal Prole.  This is for fiction or creative non-fiction running to no more than 2,500 words.  This should be engaging, accessible, challenging and entertaining.
    Closing: 21.1.24.
    Prizes: £200, £50, £50.  Winners will be published in Prole issue 35.
    Entry Fee: £5 for the first, £3 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Prole Laureate

Lancashire Authors’ Association Open Competition.  Appearing annually, this contest from Lancashire where I spent two happy years as a child  (I was there for three, but let’s not go into that) is for stories running to exactly 100 words excluding the title.  For those of you who adopt a flexible approach to our laguage allow me to warn you that in Lancashire they don’t.  Therefore the word ‘exactly’ will not be interpreted by the judges as meaning ‘give or take one or two’.
    Closing: 31.1.24.
    Prize: £100.
    Entry Fee: £2 each or £5 for three.
    Comp Page: LAA 100 Contest.

Magma Poetry Competition .  Here’s another outing for a regular runner from the Carshalton-based poetry magazine Magma.  It has two categories: Judge’s Prize (for poems of 11 to 50 lines), and Editors’ Prize (poems of up to 10 lines).  This year’s judge is prizewinning writer Raymond Antrobus.  It is not stated who the editors are.  The editorship rotates, they say.
    Closing : 31.1.24.
    Prizes (in each category): £1,000, £300, £150.  Winners will have their poems published in the magazine and will, along with commended poets, be invited to read at the prize-giving event.
    Entry Fee: £5 for the first, £4 for the second, £3.50 thereafter.  It’s cheaper for subscribers.
    Comp Page: Magma Poetry.

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

Plaza Crime First Chapters Prize.  Here we have a crime-writing contest from Plaza Prizes Ltd.  To enter you submit the first 5,000 words of your novel plus a one-page plot synopsis (300 words).
    Closing: 31.1.24.
    Prizes: £1,500, £300, £100.  The first prize winner will also receive one-to-one tutoring and detailed feedback from the judge David Mark.  The ten shortlisted entries will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fee: £20 for the first, £10 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Plaza Crime Story.

Teignmouth Poetry Festival Open Poetry Competition.  This annual contest from Teignmouth (pronounced Tin-mth) in Devon is now open again.  It is for poems of up to 36 lines on any subject.
    Closing: 31.1.24.
    Prizes: Open - £600, £300, £200, £25 x 3.  Graham Burchell Award (for Devon residents only) - £200, £100, £50, £25 x 3.
    Entry Fee: Online - £5.50 for the first, £3.50 thereafter.  Postal - £5 for the first, £3 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Teignmouth Poetry

The Cheshire Prize for Literature.  This year’s contest from the University of Chester and Storyhouse has four categories: Short Story (up to 1,500 words), Poetry (up to 100 lines), Children’s Literature (story or poem with length limits as above but aimed at 7 to 14 age group) and Plays (up to 15 minutes, suitable for theatre, TV or radio).  To be eligible to enter you need to have lived, studied or worked at some point in Cheshire, Wirral, Warrington or Halton.  Documentary evidence may be requested, they say, so if nobody made a documentary about you while you were there, I’m afraid you’ve had it ... although it’s possible I’ve misunderstood this requirement.
    Closing : 31.1.24.
    Prizes (in each category): Cash prizes and book tokens (amounts unspecified at time of writing).
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter. You can submit up to 2 entries if they’re in different categories.
    Comp Page: Cheshire Prize

Plaza Memoir First Chapters Prize.  To enter this memoir-writing contest from Plaza Prizes Ltd you submit the first 5,000 words plus a one-page synopsis (300 words).
    Closing: 31.1.24.
    Prizes: £1,500, £300, £100.  The first prize winner will also receive one-to-one tutoring and detailed feedback from the judge Nicole Treska.  The ten shortlisted entries will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fee: £20 for the first, £10 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Plaza Memoir.

Parracombe Short Story Prize 2023.  This contest from Paracombe Community Trust in the hills of Exmoor National Park is for stories of up to 2,023 words on any subject.
    Closing: 31.1.24.
    Prizes : £150, £50, £25, £25.
    Entry Fee: £5.
    Comp Page: Parracombe Story

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

Fish Short Memoir Competition. This annual contest from Fish Publishing in Ireland is for memoirs of up to 4,000 words.
    Closing: 31.1.24.
    Prizes: 1st - 1,000 euros.  2nd - A writing course and 300 euros.  3rd - A writing course and 300 euros.  The best 10 entries will be published in the Fish Anthology 2023.
    Entry Fee: 18 euros for the first, 11 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Fish Memoir.

New Media Writing Prize.  Fiction or nonfiction written specifically for reading/viewing on electronic devices is required for this one.  Interativity is vital.  You can combine various digital media elements such as words, images and video clips, and I peronally think that if you can include a comments section where bitter under-achievers can slag off your efforts out of sheer spite, so much the better.  Short story, novel, poem, documentary, narrative game, etc, are all acceptable.
    Closing: 1.2.24 (Noon).
    Prizes:  Chris Meade Memorial UK New Media Writing Prize - £1,000.  Opening Up Award - £500.  Digital Journalism Award - £500 and a year’s FIPP membership.  IDN for Social Good Award - £500.  Student Award - TBD.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: NMWP

Baen Memorial Short Story Award.  This freebie from American science fiction publisher Baen Books is for realistic science-based near-future space exploration stories soaring to no more than 8,000 words.  There are Do and Don’t lists that you would do well to peruse before entering if you want your chances to lift off (e.g.no fantastical elements, no galactic empires, UFO abductions, etc).
    Closing: 1.2.24 (12.01am U.S. Pacific Time).
    Prizes: 1st - Publication as the feature story on the Baen Books website at industry standard rates, an engraved award thingy, free entry into the 2024 International Space Development Conference, and a year’s membership of the (American) National Space Society.  Runners-up will receive free entry into the aforementioned Space Development Conference and a year’s membership of the National Space Society.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: Baen Award.

Bath Flash Fiction Award.  This recurring international contest from Bristol is for short fiction of up to 300 words.  There is no set theme.  You are probably wondering about the contest’s name: why Bath?  Well, it’s like this: I have no idea.
    Closing: 4.2.24.
    Prizes: £1,000, £300, £100, 2 x £30.
    Entry Fee: £9 for one, £15 for two, £18 for three.  There are reductions for early enteries (offer ends 17.12.23)
    Comp Page: Bath Flash.

Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize.  This is the fourteenth of these novel contests from the Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge.  Sponsored by top London literary agents Peters Fraser Dunlop, it is open only to women over 18, resident in the UK or Ireland, who have not had a full-length novel published.  It is for novels which combine literary merit with ‘unputdownability’.  These can be literary or genre fiction for adults, or novels for children (middle grade or above, mainly word-based).  To enter, you submit the first 40 to 50 consecutive pages of your finished or part-finished story’s opening, plus a synopsis of 3 to 5 pages.
    Closing: 7.2.24 (noon).
    Prize: £1,500. The shortlisted entrants will receive a one-to-one consultation with an agent at Peters Fraser Dunlop.  They will also be invited to the prize-giving dinner at the College along with a bunch of book trade freeloaders such as editors, agents, publishers and journalists.  Each shortlistee will be able to bring a guest (I’d suggest a teetotaller with a car, as there will be free drinks and if my experience is anything to go by you will be consuming this in unwise quantities when that gormless individual sitting opposite you is named as the winner).
    Entry Fee: £12.
    Comp Page: Lucy Novel.

Valentines Poetry Competition.  Here we have a free-to-enter romantic poetry contest from Tree2MyDoor, a firm which, as the name indicates, can deliver trees to your door.  You can enter your poem (witty, soppy,romantic or silly) in writing or as a video clip.  Videos should be no longer than 60 seconds, while written poems can be up to 150 words.
    Closing: 14.2.24 at midday (opens for entries 1.2.24).
    Prizes : 1st - £100 in Tree2MyDoor vouchers.  The first 50 customers who have had a poem published on the website will received a 50% discount on the item purchased (Valentine's order).
    Entry Fee: None - free entry.
    Comp Page: Valentine Poem.

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

Elmbridge Literary Competition.  The RC Sheriff Trust and Elmbridge Borough Council have teamed up again to present this annual multi-category contest for poetry and short stories.  The theme this year is Fame, seeking which is like sitting on a beehive to take a selfie: eventually you will wish you hadn’t.  Short stories should be a maximum length of 1,000 words for writers aged between 8 and 13, and 1,500 words for those aged 14+.  Poems can be up to 30 lines.  There is a Little Rhymes and Stories category for youngsters aged 5 to 7, with the rhymes running to no more than 20 lines and the stories to 500 words.  There are strict entry instructions in the T&Cs.  Read ’em or weep.
    Closing: 23.2.24 (5pm).
    Prizes: 19+ age group poem - £250, £150, £100.  19+ short story - £250, £150, £100.  14 to 18 category - £35, £30, £25.  11 to 13 - £35, £25, £20.  8 to 11 - £25, £20, £15.  5 to 7 - £25, £15, £10.  Elmbridge Prize (for an Elmbridge resident) - £50 book token.  Adult prizes, with the exception of the Elmbridge Prize, are in cash, the rest in book tokens.  Winning entries will be published in a chapbook with an ISBN.  Each writer will receive 60 copies.
    Entry Fee: Adults £5.  Under 18s free.
    Comp Page: Elmbridge Literary.

Fish Flash Fiction Competition.  News Flash: It’s time for the annual Fish Publishing competition is for stories running to no more tnual Fish Publishing competition is for stories running to no more than 300 words.
    Closing: 28.2.24.
    Prizes: 1st - 1,000 euros.  2nd - An online writing course and 300 euros.  3nd - 300 euros.  The best 10 entries will be published in the Fish Anthology 2023.
    Entry Fee: 14 euros for the first, 9 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Fish Flash.

Flash 500 Short Story Competition.  This annual contest from the Flash 500 website is for short stories of between 1,000 and 3,000 words on any theme.
    Closing: 28.2.24.
    Prizes: £500, £200, £100.
    Entry Fee: £7 for one, £12 for two, £16 for three, £20 for four.
    Comp Page: F500 Short Story.

Paul Cave Prize for Children’s Literature.  The contest, which comes courtesy of Tim Sannders Publications, is for writing aimed at youngsters aged between 5 and 12.  It has three categories: Short Story (up to 5,000 words), Flash Fiction (up to 500 words), and Poetry (all forms, up to 50 lines).  Illustrations as specified on the website can be submitted, but these are not obligatory (a suitable illustration might be chosen for the front cover of the book).
    Closing: 28.2.24.  Open for entries from 30.11.23.
    Prizes: Best story - £75.  Best Flash Fiction - £10.  Best poem - £20.  Winners will be published in the Paul Cave Prize for Children’s Literature 2024 book, with a free copy going to each of the contributors.  Extracts will be published on the website.
    Entry Fee: Short stories - £30 each, £40 for two.  Poems and Flash Fiction - Up to three £10, up to 8  £15.
    Comp Page: Paul Cave Prize

Plaza Poetry Prize.  You have 60 lines to impress the judge in this poetry contest from Plaza Prizes Ltd.
    Closing: 29.2.23.
    Prizes: £1,000, £300, £100.  The ten shortlisted entries will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fee: £12 for the first, £6 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Plaza Poetry.

Margery Allingham Short Story Competition.  Open to published and unpublished writers, this contest from the Crime Writers’ Association celebrates the author of the Albert Campion detective novels.  It is for stories of up to 3,500 words.  These must comply with Margery Allingham’s own definition of a mystery, which is basically as follows: a crime, a mystery, an enquiry and a conclusion, the conclusion providing reader satisfaction (so your investigator can’t end up thumping his/ her desk in frustration and muttering, ‘Damn - the bastard’s got away with it!’).
    Closing: 29.2.24 (6pm).
    Prize: £500 plus two tickets to Crimefest 2025.
    Entry Fee: £18.
    Comp Page: Allingham Story

Observer/Anthony Burgess Prize for Arts Journalism.  This annual international contest from the Observer newspaper is for reviews of new work in the arts.  Entries should be limited to 800 words.
    Closing: 29.2.24.
    Prizes: 1st - £3,000 plus publication in the Observer.  Runners-up (2) - £500.  There will be an awards ceremony in London (usually at the Guardian Media Group headquarters).
    Entry Fee: £10.
    Comp Page: AB Arts Journalism

British Theatre Challenge.  This is the tenth of these contests from London’s Sky Blue Theatre Company.  The contest was apparently due to open in November last year and close on 30.3.23, but due to tragic circumstances it’s been put back a year.  The challenge is to write a play with a running time of up to 30 minutes, with more than one actor.
    Closing: 30.3.24.  Not open for entries until 1.11.23.
    Prize: Five plays will receive a week’s performance with preofesional directors and actors at the Jack Studio Theatre in London.  The plays will be filmed by Mini Mammoth Films.
    Entry Fee: £16.
    Comp Page:  SB Theatre Co

Rubery Book Award.  This annual international award is for books of all genres published by independent publishers or self-published.  To enter, send a hardcopy of your book by post or submit an ebook electronically.
    Closing: 31.3.24.
    Prizes : 1st - £2,000.  Category winners - £200.  All winners receive a glass plaque.
    Entry Fee: £45.  If you are entering from outside the UK, see the website.
    Comp Page: Rubery Book.

Parsec SF/Fantasy/Horror Short Story Competition.  This freebie from Parsec in America is, as it says on the tin, for science fiction, fantasy or horror stories.  Entries should be no longer than 3,500 words.  The theme is ‘AI Mythology.‘  You should try to incorporate both concepts into your entry.  This,’ say the promoters, ‘can be conveyed in the setting, plot, characters, dialogue ... but it must be integral to the story.’  Parsec, incidentally, is Pittsburgh’s premier science fiction & fantasy organisation.
    Closing: 31.3.24 (11:59pm EST).  Opens 1.1.24.
    Prizes: 1st - $200 and publication in the Confluence program book (and before you ask, Confluence is some sort of annual science fiction get-together).  2nd - $100.  3rd - $50.  Best Youth Story - $50.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  Only one submission per person allowed.
    Comp Page: Parsec S/F Story

Wergle Flomp Humour Poetry Competition.  This annual freebie from Winning Writers in the USA is for published or unpublished humorous poems of up to 250 lines.  Before entering, it is advisable to read some of the past winning entries.
    Closing: 1.4.24.
    Prizes: 1st - $2,000 plus a gift certificate.  2nd - $500, $250.  Runners-up (10) - $100.  The top 12 entries will be published online.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  One entry per person.
    Comp Page: Wergle Flomp.

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 Merryn Williams.
    Closing: 30.4.24.
    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.

Dear Mr Michael
    I discovered your website back in November, then, in January, finally had the guts to enter the Whidbey Writers’ Competition, with the 'lazy' way of judging entries: stopping reading once they found 'the one'. The January theme was Villains, and, guess what, I won.
    Thank goody-goody gumdrops for Prizemagic.
    Keep Smiling
                                                   - Hannie Duncombe (The youngest ever Student Choice winner, at 13, thanks to you.)

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: 1.5.24.  Opens for entries 15.10.23.
    Prizes: Story - $3,500 plus $100 gift certificate.  Essay - $3,500 plus $100 gift certificate. Honourable Mentions (10) - $300.  The top 12 entries will be published online.
    Entry Fee: $22.
    Comp Page: Tom H Comp.

Never Such Innocence Poetry Competition.  Here we have a freebie for youngsters between the ages of 9 and 18.  It has four categories - Poetry, Art, Speech and Song - but here I deal only with the first.  Your poem, which should run to no more than 40 lines, must answer the question: How does war affect people’s lives?
    Closing: 24.5.24.
    Prizes: Prizes will be announced later in the competition, they say.  These will include some exciting experiences.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  You can enter each of the four categories once.
    Comp Page: Innocence

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: 31.5.24.
    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

Bath Novel Award.  This well-known international competition for unagented emerging novelists is celebrating its tenth anniversary with an increased prize fund of £10,000.  To enter you submit the first 5,000 words of your completed novel (minimum 50,000 words) aimed at adults or young adults.  Also required is a one-page synopsis.
    Closing: 31.5.24.
    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

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  2023

                                                           Poem: Being a Writer

                             Romantic Poetry by Michael Shenton (sample)