Collated Resources
https://www.christopherfielden.com/#Competitions – Regularly updated comprehensive list of fiction and non-fiction contests, including flash, short stories, poetry, novels, essays.
https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/company-article/writing-prizes-and-opportunities – List of opportunities for writers including contests, mentorship programmes, bursaries.
https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/non-fiction/ – Non-fiction
https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/novel/ – Novels
Contests, Awards & Prizes
https://anthology-magazine.com/category/awards/ – includes short story, flash, poetry, personal memoir, travel writing, nature writing
https://bathnovelaward.co.uk/ – adult novel and children’s novel
https://bridportprize.org.uk/ – novel, short story, flash, poetry, memoir, bursaries and writers-in- residence programme
https://www.bristolprize.co.uk/ – short story
https://www.chickenhousebooks.com/ – Annually, the prestigious Times Chicken House Children’s fiction contest, sometimes other children’s contests and open submission windows.
https://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/breakthrough-writers-programme – various mentoring and other opportunities for writers
https://www.fishpublishing.com/writing-contests/ – short story, short memoir, flash, poetry
https://flash500.com/ – flash, short story, novel opening
https://www.iaminprint.co.uk/ – (formerly Winchester Writers Festival) – various including crime/thriller, historical fiction, romance, sci-fi, children’s, poetry
https://leapfrogpress.com/2023-contest-information-2/ – novel
https://www.mmu.ac.uk/writingcompetition/fiction-prize – short story
https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/ – for women writers – novel, children’s novel, flash, poetry, short story, poetry pamphlet, memoir
https://pageturnerawards.com/2024-award-categories – novels, screenplays
https://theplazaprizes.com/about-us/# – crime, memoir, short story, poetry, flash
https://www.scottishartstrust.org/ – short story
https://www2.societyofauthors.org/prizes/the-soa-awards/ – various including the McKitterick Prize (1st novel, over 40), Betty Trask (1st novel, under 35), Paul Torday (1st novel, over 60) short story, poetry, translation, illustrated children’s, travel writing, audio drama
https://stroudshortstories.blogspot.com/
https://write-mentor.com/writing-award-write-mentor/ – children’s novels and picture books
Agents and publishers occasionally run awards for certain groups of writers or specific genres, and publishers also sometimes open up their submission windows to unagented authors, so keep an eye out for these opportunities in the Bookseller and on Social Media.