Details

Details

UK Writing Competitions (currently 32)

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, £11 for three, £14 for four.
    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.

Poetry Business International Book & Pamphlet Competition.  For this annual contest, now in its 40th year, you submit a collection of your poetry running to no more than 20 pages.
    Closing: 2.11.25.
    Prizes: There are two first prizes of £500 plus publication in The North magaxine, and readings at The Wordsworth Trust.  Runners-up (2) will receive £100 and online publication.
    Entry Fee: £29.
    Comp Page: PB Book & Pamphlet

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).
    Closing: 7.11.25.
    Prizes: Short Story - $1,000.  Flash Fiction - £300.  Poetry - $300.
    Entry Fees: Short Story - $15.  Poetry and Flash Fiction - single entry $10, three-pack $12.
    Comp Page: F(r)iction Comps

Happiful Poetry Prize 2026.   It’s back - the free competition that celebrates the best of mental health writing.  The promoters are seeking unique voices and fresh perspectives.  To enter, submit up to 24 lines on the topic of mental health.
     Closing: 14.11.25.
     Prizes:  1st - £100.  Runners-up (4) - £25 in book tokens.  The five winning poems will be published in  the Happiful magazine.
     Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
     Comp Page: Happiful

First Chapters Competition.  To enter this annual contest from the Historical Novel Society you submit the first three chapters (up to 3,000 words) of a historical novel set before 1974.  Include with your entry a one-page synopsis of the story (up to 800 words).
    Closing: 17.11.25.
    Prizes: First - £1,000 and a trophy.  Category Winners  (9) - £500 and a HNS Conference 2026 ticket.
    Entry Fees: £25 for HNS members, £35.for non-members.
    Comp Page: Historical Novel

Cafe Writers Open Poetry Competition.  This annual contest from Cafe Writers of Norwich (where the Man in the Moon was keen to go, according to a report I read as a child) is for poems of up to 40 lines.
    Closing: 23.11.25.
    Prizes: £1,000, £300, £200.  Runners-up (3) - £50.  Norfolk Prize (for a permanent Norfolk resident) - £50.
    Entry Fee: £5 each, £13 for three, £4 each thereafter.
    Comp Page: Cafe Poetry.

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 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.

Paul Cave Prize for Literature.  Here’s a repeat of the new contest from Tim Saunders Publications of Southampton.  It has six categories: novellas of up to 10,000 words, novelettes of up to 7,500 words,, short stories of up to 1,000 words, flash fiction up to 300 words, micro fiction of up to 100 words, and poems of no more than 30 lines.
    Closing: 30.11.25.
    Prizes: Novella - £200.  Novelette - £100.  Short story - £75.  Flash Fiction - £35.  Micro Fiction - £25.  Poem - £35.  Winners in each category will receive feedback, and publication in the anthology and on the website.  A free copy of the anthology will go to all contributors.
    Entry Fees: Novella - £26 for one, £42 for two.  Short story - £15 for one, £25 for two.  Poem/Flash Fiction - up to 3 for £15.  Micro Fiction - up to 8 for £25.
    Comp Page: Paul Cave Prize

Inkspot Short Story Competition.  Inkspot Publishing’s inaugural contest is open to all writers, published or unpublished.  There is no theme, but stories must be aimed at adults.  The judge is London literary agent Kate Nash.
    Closing: 30.11.25.
    Prizes: £1,000, £250, £100.  The winning entries will be published on the Inkspot website.
    Entry Fee: Up to 2,500 words - £10.  Up to 5,000 words - £15
    Comp Page: Inkspot Story

Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition.  This annual contest from the Munster Literature Centre in Cork, Ireland, is for poems of up to 40 lines in English on any subject.
    Closing: 30.11.25.
    Prizes: 1st - 2,000 euros, featured reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival (with 4-night hotel stay and full board), plus publication in the Southword journal.  2nd - 500 euros and publication in Southword.  3rd - 250 euros and publication in Southword.  Runners-up (10) - 50 euros and publication in Southword .
    Entry Fee: 7 euros each, 30 euros for five.
    Comp Page: Greg OD Poetry.

Ruth Rendell Short Story competition.  Back again for another round is  the biennial contest from InterAct Stroke Support.  It is for positive stories of up to 1,000 words that can be read in the sensitive environment of a hospital   Any genre is acceptable.  Well-known author Dame Margaret Drabble will be judging.
    Closing: 21.12.25 (5pm).
    Prize: £1,000.  The top three stories will be performed by professional actors.  The winner will be commissioned by InterActive Stroke Support to write four more stories in 12 months.
    Entry Fee: £15.
    Comp Page: Ruth Rendell

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: 31.12.25.
    Prizes: 1st - 6,000 euros.  Runners-up (3) - 1,000 euros.  Commended (8) - 250 euros.
    Entry Fee: 16 euros.
    Comp Page: Moth Poetry Comp.

Exeter Novel Competition.  To enter this annual contest now being run by Word Kitchen you submit a total of 10,000 words, this being the opening section of your unpublished novel and a synopsis of up to 500 words.  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: 1.1.26.
    Prizes: 1st - £1,000.  Runners-up (5) - £100.
    Entry Fee: £20.
    Comp Page: Exeter Novel

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

Shepton Mallet Snowdrop Poetry Competition.  The theme for this annual contest from Shepton Mallet in Somerset is.... wait for it, drum roll, please ... NOT snowdrops.  It is in fact ‘In The Garden’.  There could be snowdrops in the garden but they are not compulsory.  Ditto hedgehogs.  The contest has three age categories: 18 and over, 12 to 17, and  11 and Under.  Poems should be limited to 30 lines.
    Closing: 4.1.26 (11pm).
    Prizes: Age 18 and Over - £300.  12 to 17 - £100.  11 and Under - £50.
    Entry Fee: 18 and Over - £4 each.  Under 18s - free.  There are limits on how many entries you can submit.  See website for details.
    Comp Page: Shepton Snowdrop Poetry

Poems on the Move Competition.  Poems of up to 14 lines that fit onto an A4 page are required for this international contest from the Channel Islands ... or rather one of them: Guernsey.  Twenty-one poems will be chosen to feature on the Guernsey buses, and the top 9 of these will be exhibited at Guernsey Airport and then at other sites all over the island.
    Closing: 15.1.26.  Opens for entries 15.9.25.
    Prizes: Open category: 1st - £1,000, £500, £250.  Channel Islands; 1st - £250, £50, £30.  Young Poets: 1st - £250, £50, £30.
   Entry Fees: Open and Channel Islands categories - £5 each, £12 for three,  Young Poets - Free.
    Comp Page: Guernsey Poetry

Kent & Sussex Open Poetry Competition. A poem of up to 40 lines could win you a useful wedge in this contest from the Kent & Sussex Poetry Society. There is no theme.
    Closing: 31.1.26.
    Prizes: £1,000, £300, £100, 4 x £50.
    Entry Fee: £5 each, £4 each for three or more.
    Comp Page: Kent & Sussex Comp

Slipstream Poets Open Poetry Competition.  Here we have another contest from Slipstream Poets of West Sussex.  It is open only to residents of East or West Sussex.  There is a line limit of 40 but no theme.  The judge this time is poet and playwright Ted Gooda.
    Closing: 31.1.26.
    Prizes:  1st - The Chanctonbury Cup and £100.   Best unpublished poet - £25.  Winning poems will be published on the Slipstream website.
    Entry Fee : £4 each.
    Comp Page: Slipstream Poets

Writers’ & Artists’ Short Story Competition.  This freebie from the venerable W&A Yearbook is for stories of up to 2,000 words for adults, on the theme of Play.  You must register with the site before you can enter.
    Closing: 13.2.26.
    Prize: A place on an Arvon Residential Writing Week, valued at £955.  The winning story will be published online.
    Entry Fee: None - Free entry.
    Comp Page: W&A Story

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: 14.2.26 at midday (opens for entries 1.2.26).
    Prizes: 1st - a £100 Tree2MyDoor voucher.  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.

Farnham Flash Fiction Competition.  Here’s a regular runner from the Farnham Literary Festival in Surrey.  As per last year it is for stories of up to 500 words on any subject.
    Closing: 15.2.26.
    Prizes: £100, £25, £25.
    Entry Fee: £5.
    Comp Page: Farnham Flash

Tower Poetry Contest.  Open to students aged 16 to 19 who are in part- or full-time secondary education, the 25th Christopher Tower Poetry Competition is for poems of up to 48 lines.  This year’s theme is ‘A Riddle’
    Closing: 19.2.26 (noon).
    Prizes: £5,000, £3,000, £1,500, and ten at £100.  The top three winners will be offered a place on the Tower Poetry Summer School.
    Entry Fee: None - free entry.
    Comp Page: Tower Poetry

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

Next Generation Short Story Awards.  Here’s a new international competition from America, with more than 30 cash prizes.  The promoters seem to be aiming for a world record for the most categories in any single contest.  There are 34 - too many to list here.  You can enter your story for more than one category if you wish, but you have to pay extra.   Stories should not exceed 5,000. words.
    Closing: 26.2.26.
    Prizes: $500, $300, $200.   The top three winners also receive  a gold medal and an invitation to the Awards Gala, plus their entry will be published in the Anthology of Winners.  Other winners receive  $75 and a gold medal, plus publication in the Anthology.
    Entry Fee: $25 for the first category entered, $20 dollars each for any additional categories entered for the same story.
    Comp Page: Next Generation Story

Never Such Innocence Writing Competition.  Here we have a repeat of the international freebie from the charity Never Such Innocence.  It is for youngsters between the ages of 9 and 18.  It has three categories - Poetry, Songwriting, Art - but here I deal only with the first two.  Entries must respond to the theme: ‘In Someone Else’s Shoes.’  If you are entering a song, submit a video or audio recording (maximum 4 minutes) plus the written lyrics.
    Closing: 27.2.26.
    Prizes:  Winners have their work published in a digital booklet, and will receive an NSI Prize Pack.  They will also be invited to take part in special opportunities.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  You can enter each category once.
    Comp Page: Innocence

Margery Allingham Short Mystery 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: 27.2.26 (6pm).
    Prize: £500.
    Entry Fee: £25.
    Comp Page: Allingham Story

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: 28.2.26.
    Prizes: £500, £200, £100.
    Entry Fee: £7 for one, £12 for two, £16 for three, £20 for four.
    Comp Page: F500 Short Story

Edinburgh Short Story Award.  Presented by the Scottish Arts Trust, this international contest is for stories of up to 2,000 words on any subject.  There is also the Write Mango Short Story Award for bizarre, quirky stories that can sometimes make the reader laugh out loud.  And then there’s the First Write Award for the best story by an unpublished writer.
    Closing: 28.2.26 (opens for entries after 1.11.25).
    Prizes: 1st - £3,000.  2nd - £500,  3rd - £250.  First Write Award - £300 plus publication.  Write Mango Short Story Award - £300 plus publication.  The writers of the top 20 stories will be offered publication in the anthology.
    Entry Fee: £11.
    Comp Page: Edinburgh Story Award

Fish Poetry Prize.  Poems of up to 60 line in any style are invited for this annual international contest from Fish Publishing based in southern Ireland.   Billy Collins will again be judging.
    Closing: 31.3.26.
    Prizes: 1st - 1,000 euros.   2nd - 300 euros plus a Fish writing course.  3rd - 300 euros.  Ten poems will be published in the Fish Anthology 2026.  The writers will each receive five free copies and will be invited to read at the launch ceremony at the West Cork Literary Festival in July 2026.
    Entry Fee: 16 euros, for the first, 11 euros thereafter.
    Comp Page: Fish Poetry.

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: 1.4.26.
    Prizes: 1st - $2,000 plus a gift certificate.  2nd - $500, $250.  Runners-up (10) - $100.  The top 13 entries will be published online.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  One entry per person.
    Comp Page: Wergle Flomp.

Black Orchid Novella Award.  This is the 20th 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: 31.5.26.
    Prize: $1,000 and publication in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: Nero Wolfe Novella

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

*********************************************************************************
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)