Upcoming poetry and literary competitions to put in your diary
By Tom Bullingham | Featured image: Vadim Koza via Pexels
Are you sitting on pages of unpublished poems? Storing short stories? Or simply keeping your written work to yourself?
Well, hide no more! Literary competitions are a great way to start getting your work out there. They’re often open for submissions and the winning entries are usually published. Plus, there are some nice cash incentives, including prizes of up to £5,000!
aAh! has done the hard work for you and compiled a list of 20 competitions currently open for submissions, as well as a few set to open soon. This is by no means not an exhaustive list, and we encourage writers to get online and look around for further opportunities. These competitions are a wonderful way for unpublished writers to break into the world of publishing.
Most charge a small entry fee, but there are plenty of free competitions, and several offer reduced entry or concessions.
We’ve gathered the most vital information for you, but only you can actually submit! Act quickly, as some of the deadlines are fast approaching.
Run by The Poetry Society, this competition is open to anyone over the age of 18 and is one of the foremost awards for unpublished poems. This year’s judging panel features Manchester Metropolitan University’s Creative Writing lecturer and poet Malika Booker. The three winning poems will be published in the spring issue of The Poetry Society’s journal, The Poetry Review.
Criteria: Unpublished poem of up to 40 lines
Deadline: 31 October 2026
Entry: £9 for the first entry; £6 for each subsequent entry (the second entry is free when you join The Poetry Society)
Prizes: 1st place £5,000; 2nd place £3,000; 3rd place £2,000; commended entries £500
Based in the Republic of Ireland, the Anthology Poetry Competition is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. It’s run by Anthology magazine, which will also publish the winning poem.
Criteria: Unpublished poems of up to 40 lines
Deadline: 31 October 2026.
Entry: €18 per entry
Prizes: 1st place €1,000; 2nd place €250; 3rd place €150
In its inaugural year, New Writers has teamed up with The Novel Factory, to present the New Writers Novel Prize. It is open to writers over the age of 18 from anywhere in the world. The novel does not have to be complete, as entrants only need to submit the first 500 words. The three winning entries will be published on the New Writers’ website and in the New Writers Anthology. 10% of entry proceeds will be donated to charity.
Deadline: 31 October 2026
Criteria: First 500 words of an unpublished novel or novella
Entry: £12 for one entry; £22 for two; £31 for three
Prize: 1st place £1000; 2nd place £300; 3rd place £200 (all prizes include subscriptions to Novel Factory)
The London Writers Awards aims to increase in the number of new writers from under-represented communities who are published and secure literary agents. Focusing on adult prose fiction writing, the 2027 award is open to London-based prose writers from under-represented communities, including Black, Asian and Global Majority, D/deaf and disabled, LGBTQIA+ and working-class writers, as well as those from low-income backgrounds.
Deadline: 3 November 2026
Criteria: For writers from under-represented communities writing adult prose fiction (excluding short stories)
Entry: Free
Prize: One of 12 spaces on a programme of one-to-one professional development sessions
Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for Disabled Writers
Run by Curtis Brown Creative, this programme aims to get writers with disabilities equal opportunities. Entrants must have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010. Places will be offered to applicants whose material shows the greatest potential. Applicants must complete a form, submit 3,000 words of a story alongside a one-page synopsis, and explain why you should be accepted onto the programme.
Deadline: 9 November 2026
Criteria: 3,000 words of a novel, accompanied by a one-page synopsis
Entry: Free
Prize: Nine months of one-to-one tutoring with a published author and literary agent (four places available)
Cafe Writers Poetry Competition
Cafe Writers is a Norwich based organisation that promotes new writers through live events and competitions. Its poetry competition began in 2008 and is open to any poet worldwide who is over the age of 18. The poem itself must be unpublished, and the competition includes a special prize for a poet who is a permanent Norfolk resident.
Deadline: 13 November 2026
Criteria: Unpublished poem of up to 40 lines
Entry: £5 entry for one entry or £13 for three; concessions available for those on low incomes
Prize: 1st place £1000; 2nd place £300, 3rd place £200; three additional prizes of £30
Stage Write – Comedy Special – BBC Scripts
A new stage writing programme from Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre in conjunction with BBC Comedy. It is an open call to all writers in the Liverpool city region to apply for a place on a programme designed to nurture and develop their existing writing skills, culminating in the creation of a full-length comedy stage script.
Deadline: 23 November 2026
Criteria: Ten-page sample of comedy writing
Entry: Free
Prize: A place on the development programme
Wildfire Words Audiobook Competition
This competition is a little different, as at least two of the submitted works must be provided as audio files, with writers recording themself reading the work. Each submission must contain at least six pieces of creative writing, each no more than 300 words or 60 lines, depending on format. Writers can submit a collection of six or more poems and/or flash fiction. This competition is also open to writers worldwide, although there are several rules and eligibility criteria to check before entering.
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Criteria: Multiple pieces required for entry
Entry: £12
Prize: 1st place £150; 2nd place £75; 3rd place £35 (all winning prizes include audiobook publication)
The Bath Children’s Novel Award
A widely regarded and prestigious international prize for children’s authors, the Bath Children’s Novel award features a wonderful twist: submissions are shortlisted by a panel of junior judges aged between seven and 17. It is open to unpublished writers of any age or nationality who are writing for young adults, chapter-book readers or early readers, or creating picture-book texts.
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Criteria: Up to 5,000 words, plus a one-page synopsis
Entry: £33; sponsored and free entries are available
Prize: £5,000 and a Minerva trophy
After the End Poetry Competition
Created as part of a research project exploring what it means for something to have ‘ended’, this competition is open to unpublished poets worldwide. Submissions must explore the themes of time, temporality and the question of endings. Only one entry is permitted per poet.
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Criteria: Poem of up to 40 lines on the theme ‘After the End’
Entry: Free entry
Prize: 1st place £200; 2nd and 3rd places £100 each. All winners will be featured on the After the End website and social media channels.
BBC Open Writers Call – Scripts
Similar to the Liverpool city region script open call, this opportunity is run directly by the BBC and covers a wider range of genres, including drama and comedy drama.
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Criteria: Ten-page script in the drama or comedy-drama genre
Entry: Free entry
Prize: A place on the development programme
Mslexia is a magazine that aims to help women express themselves and get their writing noticed. It also hosts events to encourage creativity and runs annual competitions across various formats. This competition is particularly open, with the only stated requirement being that submissions must be unpublished. Poems can be of any length and on any subject.
Deadline: 7 December 2026
Criteria: Open to women only; no other stated criteria
Entry: £12 for three poem entries
Prize: 1st place £2,000; 2nd place £500; 3rd place £250. All winning poems will be published in Mslexia.
The Aurora Prize is a national writing competition based in the East Midlands and run in partnership with the Society of Authors. It is open to writers worldwide.
Deadline: 13 January 2027
Criteria: Short stories of fewer than 2,000 words or poems of fewer than 60 lines, in any genre and on any subject
Entry: £9 for the first entry; £7 per each additional entry
Prize: 1st place £500; 2nd place £150
Run by the Lucy Cavendish College at the University of Cambridge, this competition is open exclusively for women and non-binary people. Entrants must be over the age of 18 and live in the UK, Ireland or the Channel Islands. Submissions must be unpublished and can be in any style of fiction, except picture books. Only one entry is permitted per person.
Deadline: 10 February 2027
Criteria: First ten pages of your novel, accompanied by one-paragraph pitch.
Entry: £15
Prize: £1,500
The Mairtín Crawford Award is aimed at writers working towards their first full collection of literary work. Both published and unpublished writers are invited to enter, but they must be residents of Ireland or the UK.
Deadline: March 2027 (Opens January 2027)
Criteria: Three to five poems and/or a short story of up to 2,500 words
Entry: To be announced
Prize: 1st place £500; two runners-up £250 each
The Bridport Prize is host of four separate competitions, all open to writers worldwide. It was established to champion emerging writers across poetry, short story, flash fiction, novels and memoir.
Deadline: 31 May 2027
Criteria: Poetry – up to 42 lines; short story – up to 5,000 words; flash fiction – up to 250 words; novel – 5,000-8,000 words
Entry: Flash fiction £12; poetry £5, short story £15; novel £26
Prizes: £5,000-£1,000
Commonwealth Short Story Prize
Open to all Commonwealth citizens over the age of 18, this prize aims to support literary talent and amplify less-heard voices across the Commonwealth. Submissions can be short fiction in any genre but must be unpublished. The competition is currently postponed until January.
Deadline: Opens January 2027
Criteria: Short stories of between 2,000-5,000 words
Entry: To be announced
Prize: To be announced
Running since 2019, the Emerging Writers Programme is organised by the London Library. It aims to nurture early-career writers across all disciplines and is open to anyone over the age of 18.
Deadline: Opens January 2027
Criteria: To be announced
Entry: Free
Prize: A place on the programme
Fronted by City Lit, the Dame Malorie Blackman Scholarships for Unheard Voices offer three annual awards for writers to fund one year’s study within City Lit’s Creative Writing Department. The award winners are selected by Dame Malorie Blackman herself.
Contact City Lit to register your interest.
The Society of Authors Awards encompasses numerous competitions and awards across a range of categories, each with its own eligibility requirements and criteria. Visit the website for further details.
