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The Big List of UK Writing Competitions & Awards 2024 (Part 1)

This one's a biggie.

Hello writery pals!

*Fanfare music* Welcome to the big list of 50 writing competitions and awards for UK writers in 2024.

Whether you write novels, short stories, flash fiction, poetry, prose poetry or anything in between , whether you’re unpublished or published, there’s something for everyone.

The opportunities below come along with some impressive prizes. From free places on writing retreats (I’m dying to go on one of these!) and mentoring with industry experts, to tens of thousands of pounds in cash prizes.

Disclaimers — sounds boring but, trust me, they’re worth reading

If you’re a new writer, I’d recommend going only with the free entry opportunities in the first instance. Tip: search this page for the word ‘free’ to find them quicker.

The more prestigious awards on this list are highly competitive and some have more expensive entry fees than others, so only go with what you can afford.

Most of the bigger competitions also offer a number of free or sponsored entries for writers on low incomes.

For any opportunities you’re particularly interested in, I’d recommend signing up to the organisation’s mailing list (most of them have one) and following them on social media for updates. I say this because some deadlines or competition details may change as organisations gear up for the 2024 round.

Always make sure you read the full T&Cs for any opportunity you enter.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are tons of other amazing opportunities out there, some still to be announced. If there are any you think should be added to this list, let me know in the comments.

Happy writing!

The Big List of UK Writing Competitions & Awards 2024 — Part 1

New Writers - Flash Fiction Competition

This flash competition is open to writers from around the world. Entries should be 300 words maximum. New Writers is offering a top prize of £1,000, a second prize of £300 and a third prize of £200. The deadline is midnight (UK time) on Wednesday 31st January 2024 and £1.00 from each entry will be donated to First Story.

Entry fee: from £10

Deadline: 31st January 2024

Story Unlikely - Short Story Contest

There are no restrictions on genre for this contest. Story Unlikely says, “we don't care as long as it's written and told with quality and care.” The word limit is 4,500. The competition is open to writers of any age and location. 

A prize package of $1,000- $1,500 will be divided up into: $750 first place, $500 second place, $250 third place. The winning story will be featured on Story Unlikely’s website and will be strongly considered for their annual print sample magazine.

Entry fee: unknown but looks like it’s free

Bath Flash Fiction Award

Submit your best flash fiction to this industry favourite award at 300 words or less. 50 longlisted writers will be offered publication in the end of year print and digital anthology. Longlistees will also receive a free print copy. £1,000 prize for the winner, £300 second and £100 third. Two commendations will receive £30 each.

Entry fee: from £7.50

Deadline: 4th February 2023

Curtis Brown Creative - Gillian McAllister Novel-Writing Scholarship for Disabled Writers

The Gillian McAllister Novel-Writing Scholarship for Disabled Writers awards one disabled writer a free place on their online Writing Your Novel – Three Months course. With weekly teaching and workshopping from author Christopher Wakling on CBC’s interactive platform, the winner will also receive one-to-one tutorials and advice from authors and literary agents. 

The course will help the winning writer hone your craft and develop their novel. 

Entry fee: free

Deadline: 11th February 2024

Writers' & Artists' Short Story Competition 2024

W&A’s free annual short story competition offers the winner a place on an Arvon Residential Writing Week (worth £850) as well as publication on our site.

To enter, all you have to do is submit a short story (for adults) of no more than 2,000 words on the theme of risk via our online competition form. Make sure you have a (free) account on their website. 

Deadline: 12th February 2024

The Watson, Little x Indie Novella Prize

Founded in 1971, Watson, Little Ltd is a long-established literary agency offering a full service to its clients across all aspects of media. 

Indie Novella is an online hub providing free advisory services to aspiring writers and a free online forum to help make novel writing and publishing more transparent and accessible. In celebration of this commitment, they are jointly launching a Fiction Prize for emerging writers.

The Prize is for fiction of all lengths (novels, novellas or stories), open to all unpublished (self-published also accepted) UK-based authors aged 16 and over. Writers are invited to write to fit one of three themes.

Deadline: 14th February 2024

The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition

The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition is a distinguished national writing competition for writers born or living in Wales. The first prize is £1,000 and publication in a short story anthology to be published by Parthian Books. 11 x finalists will win £100 each and publication in the anthology.

Entry fee: £8

Deadline: 15th February 2024

Next Generation Short Story Awards

The 2024 Next Generation Short Story Awards is open to all authors, even first time authors, in the USA, Canada or internationally, who have an original short story of 5,000 words or less. Entries should be previously unpublished and written in English.

Entry fee: from $20

Deadline: 28th February 2024

The London Library - Emerging Writers Programme

The London Library Emerging Writers Programme is a unique opportunity which offers writers, in all genres and disciplines, one year’s free membership of The London Library and includes writing development masterclasses, networking opportunities, peer support, access to and guidance in using all the Library’s resources and publication in the cohort anthology. 

The Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition

Every year since 2014, the CWA and the Margery Allingham Society have jointly held an international short story competition. The word limit on this one is 3,500.

The goal of this competition is to find the best unpublished short mystery, one which fits into Golden Age crime writer Margery Allingham’s definition of what makes a great mystery story.

Entries are welcomed from published and unpublished writers, written in English. The prize for the winner is £500. 

Entry fee: £18

Deadline: 29th February 2024

Scottish Arts Trust - Edinburgh Short Story Award 2024

The Edinburgh Short Story Award is open to writers everywhere with stories on any topic up to 2,000 words. The first prize is £3,000 and there’s a £750 prize for the top entry by an unpublished writer living in Scotland. 

Entry fee: £10 per story

Deadline: 29th February 2024 

P.S. Check out the other awards from the Scottish Arts Trust including the Write Mango Award and Isobel Lodge Award. Entries for these close at the same time as the Short Story Award.

The Kelpies Prize for Writing 2024

The Kelpies Prize for Writing is for writers in Scotland who are keen to start a career in children’s books. The prize package includes a mentorship with an experienced editorial team, consideration for a publishing deal and £500 cash, “which we hope will help our winner take their first steps as a children’s author.”

Anthology Poetry Competition

Established to recognise excellence in the craft of poetry writing and provide a platform for publication, the Anthology Poetry Competition is open to original and previously unpublished poems written in English. Entries are welcomed from poets of all nationalities, living anywhere in the world. 

There is no restriction on theme or style. Poems submitted should be 40 lines or less. There is no limit on the number of entries per person. Each submission requires a separate entry form and will be subject to a separate entry fee.

The winner will receive a €1,000 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology. The winner will also receive a one-year subscription to Anthology. Second place: €250. Third place: €150.

Entry fee: €10

Deadline: 27th February 2024 for very early bird entry fee

BBC National Short Story Award

This is one of the most significant short story competitions in the UK. The prize is awarded yearly by the BBC. Writers entering this award must have a prior record of publishing creative work in the UK (so this one is for established writers only). Stories up to 8,000 words are accepted and may be submitted by the author or by their agent. First place: £15,000.

Deadline: estimated March 2024

Tempest Prize

The Tempest Prize will award one unpublished LGBTQ+ writer based in the North of England a £1000 bursary, mentoring from Andrew McMillan and access to the Northern Writers’ Awards Talent Network. It will be open between February and March 2024 to submissions of poetry, fiction and narrative non-fiction. The prize will be judged by Andrew and a co-judge still to be announced.

Andrew McMillan is the writer of award-winning poetry collections physical, pandemonium and playtime and his highly anticipated debut novel, Pity, is due for publication by Canongate in 2024. The Tempest Prize is the second to be set up and funded by a previous award-winner, after author Benjamin Myers inaugurated the Finchale Prize for Short Fiction in 2022.

Entry fee: unknown

P.S. It looks like there’s no website yet so follow Andrew on social media and keep an eye out for this one. 

Forward Prizes for Poetry

This is the largest annual poetry competition in the UK. The prize recognises the best collection, best first collection and best single poem in the UK each year. All works put forward for the prize will also be considered for publication in The Forward Book Of Poetry, an annual anthology. Entries must be published works and individual poets cannot enter their own work. There’s up to £5,000 to be won depending on the category you enter.

The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction 2024

The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction (The Smokey) is a biennial competition celebrating excellence in flash.

The grand prize winner of The Smokey is automatically nominated for The Best Small Fictions, The Pushcart, Best of the Net and any other prize deemed appropriate. They’ll also pay the grand prize winner $2,500. Second place: $1,000. Third place: $500. Finalists: $100.

Entry fee: $14

Deadline: 1st March 2024

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize 2024

This prize is awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of the Alpine Fellowship 2024 – to be announced. The winner will receive a cash prize and the runners up will receive travel expense support to attend the 2024 symposium. First place: £3,000. Second place: £1,000. Third place: £1,000

Entry fee: unknown 

PFD Queer Fiction Prize

PFD (Peters, Fraser and Dunlop) runs a Queer Fiction Prize for new LGBTQIA+ writers to find emerging talent. Winners will be signed to PFD and supported in completing their novels. There are two separate categories: Adult and YA & Children’s Fiction.

Any un-agented LGBTQIA+ writer who is in the process of writing a piece of fiction is eligible to enter. Submissions do not necessarily have to be about LGBTQIA+ experiences, though they do especially want stories with LGBTQIA+ characters or themes.

Works do not need to be complete as the prize will provide representation and support in writing to the end of your novel.

The 2024 International Book & Pamphlet Competition

Poets with a collection drafted, this one is for you! This is The Poetry Business’s 38th International Book & Pamphlet Competition, judged by Jane Clarke.

The two winning collections will be beautifully produced and promoted widely and entered for all eligible awards and prizes. They will also be sold in bookshops throughout the UK and through online stockists of The Poetry Business publications.

Entrants should submit a collection of 20 pages of poetry. The two winners will receive £500 each, publication in The North magazine, a reading at The Wordsworth Trust and a place on a residential writing course. Two runners-up will receive publication in East of The North plus an online reading and an honorarium of £100 each.

Entry fee: £29

Deadline: 6th March 2024

Neil Gunn Writing Competition

Poetry and short story entries are welcome for the Neil Gunn Writing Competition. In their entry, writers should respond to this line from Bloodhunt by Neil Gunn: “Mystery. That was the last word, the word you came to at the end. No corner of its coverlet could you lift.”

Entry fee: £10 per single entry or £18 for both a poem and short story

Deadline: 8th March 2023

The Plaza Prose Poetry Prize

A rare one for all you prose poets! The Plaza Prose Poetry Prize aims to shine a light on this exciting hybrid form. They welcome prose poems, up to 50 lines, and encourage writers to be experimental and play with readers' expectations. First prize: £750. Second prize: £200. Third prize: £50

Entry fee: £11 (£5 per additional entry) 

Deadline: 31st March 2024

P.S. The Plaza Prizes has a host of other awards including crime, memoir, microfiction, audio poetry and much more. Check out the website for more information. 

Anthology Short Story Competition

The Anthology Short Story Competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories, written in English, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. 

There are no restrictions on theme or style. There is a maximum word count of 1,500 words. Writers can submit as many entries as they like. Each submission will require a separate entry form and entry fee.

The winner will receive €1,000 and the winning story will be published in a future issue of Anthology. Second place: €250. Third place: €150.

Entry fee: €15

Deadline: 31st March 2024 for early bird entry fee

Anne Brown Essay Prize 2024

The Anne Brown Essay Prize awards £1500 for the best literary essay by a writer in or from Scotland. Essays can be on any topic, with a maximum word count of 4,000. Unpublished essays are especially welcome.

The Deborah Rogers Foundation – The Writers Award

This writer’s award was the first initiative of the Deborah Rogers Foundation. It was set up in 2015 in memory of the much loved and respected literary agent, Deborah Rogers. 

In keeping with Deborah’s special talent for nurturing emerging writers, the Award offers a substantial prize. £10,000 will go to a previously unpublished writer whose submission of 15,000- 20,000 words demonstrates literary talent and who needs financial support to complete their first book. The submitted work can be fiction, non-fiction, children’s or short stories. Applicants must reside in the British Commonwealth or Eire. Two shortlisted authors will win £1,000 each.

Entry fee: estimated £6

Deadline: estimated 31st March 2024

Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize

The Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize was established in 2019 as a celebration of the short story form and the resilience of independent booksellers. Funded by Brick Lane Bookshop, the competition is open to all UK residents and seeks to discover, publish and promote new, exciting and diverse voices in fiction. The prize is run by former Brick Lane Bookseller, Kate Ellis.

Each year, they invite a writer, a publisher and a literary agent to judge the competition. From a longlist of 12, they select a shortlist of six and three prize winners. The first prize is £1,000.

The 12 longlisted stories are published in their anthology which is available to buy from their website, Brick Lane Bookshop and many other good bookshops.

Deadline: estimated April 2024 (check Brick Lane Bookshop to confirm)

Bristol Short Story Prize 2024

The Bristol Short Story Prize is an international writing competition based in Bristol, UK which aims to publish great short stories and promote writers as much as possible. Discovering previously unpublished writers is central to their mission. They are committed to celebrating the short story form and making it accessible and available to as wide an audience as possible.

First prize: £1,000.

Entry fee: £9

Deadline: estimated 26th April 2024 (check Bristol Short Story Prize to confirm)

Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Short Story Competition

The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Short Story Writing Competition is an international competition for new and experienced writers.

Three winning stories, selected by a panel including Jane Austen’s family, will be recorded as an audiobook by multi-award-winning narrator, Alison Larkin, and published worldwide to raise money for literacy projects in developing communities.

Deadline: 28th April 2024

Belfast Book Festival - Mairtín Crawford Award

The Mairtín Crawford Award invites writers working towards their first full collection of poetry, short stories or a novel. Both published and unpublished writers are welcome to submit between 3-5 poems for the poetry award and a short story of up to 2,500 words for the short story award. The only stipulation is you can’t already have a published collection of poetry, short stories or a novel.

The winner of each award will receive a £500 cash prize. Each winner will also receive a ‘Time to Write’ package which includes a 3-night stay at Bullitt Hotel Belfast and 4 days of dedicated writing space in The Crescent. Two finalists for each category will receive a £250 cash prize.

Deadline: estimated 1st May 2024

The Creative Future Writers’ Award

The Creative Future Writers’ Award (CFWA) is a national writing development programme celebrating talented, underrepresented writers who lack opportunities due to mental health issues, disability, health or social circumstance.

The prizes sound amazing! They include £20,000 and top writing development prizes supplied by publishers and development agencies. 

Deadline: estimated 14th May 2024

SI Leeds Literary Prize

The SI Leeds Literary Prize is for unpublished fiction by UK-based Black and Asian women, aged 18 and above. The aim of the prize is to act as a loudspeaker for fresh literary voices from under-represented groups and to help them reach new audiences in the mainstream.

The writer of the winning entry in 2022 was awarded of £4,000 and a range of additional valuable benefits through the prize’s unique writer development scheme, including: a free place at an Arvon creative writing course, free manuscript assessment of their work from The Literary Consultancy, an invitation to New Writing North’s London summer salon event for publishers and agents, workshops and support, speaking engagements and serious consideration for publication by Peepal Tree Press.

Entry fee: £10 but they do have a number of free entry bursaries for writers on a low income

Deadline: estimated 25th April 2024

Bridport Prizes - Short Story Competition

One of the largest short story prizes. The winning story will features in the Bridport Prize anthology, so you will see your words in print, maybe for the first time. The first place prize is £5,000. You will be invited to the awards celebration and get feedback from the judges and professional partners. Bridport will also champion you and your work. Second place: £1,000. Third place: £500. 

Entry fee: from £11

Deadline: May 31st 2024

BPA First Novel Award 2024

This award is open to unrepresented and unpublished authors for a novel in any adult fiction genre.

The winner receives £1,000 and an introduction with an agent. The runner up will get £500 and an introduction with an agent. And the highly commended writer will receive £150 and an introduction with an agent.

Entry fee: £24

Deadline: estimated 31st May 2024

Bath Novel Award 2024

The Bath Novel Award is an international writing competition based in Bath, UK for writers of novels in every genre. Now in its 10th year, the prize celebrates emerging authors who may be unpublished, self-published or independently-published. 

First prize: £5,000 with full manuscript feedback for shortlistees and extract feedback for all listees. Additional longlist prize of a £1,800 course with the Professional Writing Academy & Cornerstones Literary Consultancy 

Entry fee: £29.99 with sponsored places available for writers on a low income

Deadline: 31 May 2024

Jenny Brown Associates – Over 50 Award

Open to all writers over 50, this award was created to address the lack of literary opportunities available to older writers eager to break into the publishing industry. The award also aims to celebrate and value the collected, distilled wisdom and a lifetime of reading and experience of writers over 50. 

Debut novelists are invited to submit the first 5,000 words of their novels. The prize will consist of £1,000 and a week’s residential placement at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre (the dream!) for the winner. The runners up will receive mentoring sessions with experienced writers, editors and agents as appropriate.

Deadline: estimated 31st May 2024 (check the Jenny Brown Associates website for more details) 

As well as compiling this list, I’ve also created a deadline calendar for you, populated with all 50 opportunities! This will make it even easier to keep up to date with writing competitions and awards throughout the year and never miss a deadline.

Read Part 2 and get the deadline calendar link

Ready for more?

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Writing prizes and opportunities

There are many awards and development schemes available for authors at all stages of their careers. Below is a list of monetary awards, sponsored retreats, mentorships and training opportunities.

If you're looking for help both in development or funding from organisations near you, find information about local support here.

Take a look through the opportunities for new writers:

- Opportunities from Penguin - From other organisations - For published writers - Writing retreats

For new writers

From Penguin

WriteNow is run by Penguin Random House and aims to find, nurture and publish new writers from communities under-represented on the nation's bookshelves. It offers workshops and feedback, and includes the chance to join a year-long programme.

#Merky New Writers' Prize

#Merky Books is a home for underrepresented voices and provides a platform where their stories can be told, heard and uplifted. The winner of the New Writers’ Prize receives a publishing contract. All longlisted writers are invited to our Writers’ Camp, where they participate in writing workshops, panel talks, editorial one-to-ones, and meet the #Merky Books team.

Harvill Secker Young Translators' Prize

The Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize aims to recognise the achievements of young translators at the start of their careers and to encourage and support the next generation of literary translators. It focuses on a different language each prize year and is open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 34, with no more than one full-length translation published.

Fern Academy Prize

The Fern Academy Prize, in association with Tortoise Media, is designed to find and nurture emerging non-fiction talent and will be awarded to an essay of literary merit with an international and multicultural interest. The prize is open to unagented and unpublished writers from around the world, writing in the English language.

From other organisations

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize

Awarded for the best piece of writing on an annual theme. The winner of the Writing Prize receives a cash prize, and the runners-up receive travel expense support that must be used to attend their annual symposium which is hosted in a European country. All genres of writing are permitted, including fiction, non-fiction and non-academic essays. Open to unpublished writers only.

Anthology Poetry Competition

Established to recognise and encourage excellence in the craft of poetry writing and to provide a platform for publication, the Anthology Poetry Competition is open to original and previously unpublished poems in the English language.

Anthology Short Story Competition

Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, the Anthology Short Story Competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. 

Aurora Prize For Writing

The Aurora Prize for Writing is a national competition run by Writing East Midlands, in partnership with the Society of Authors. It seeks outstanding new writing in short fiction and poetry.

The Bracken Prize

The Financial Times and McKinsey want to encourage young authors to tackle emerging business themes and ask entrants to submit a business book proposal. The prize aims to encourage a new generation of business writers and has already seen a number of shortlisted and longlisted proposals emerge as published books. 

The Bath Novel Awards

The Bath Novel Award and The Bath Children’s Novel Award spotlight emerging writers, and are open to unpublished and independently published novelists worldwide.

Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award

The First Novel Award is open to unrepresented and unpublished authors for a novel in any adult fiction genre.

Breakthrough Writers' Programme

Curtis Brown Creative, supported by the Curtis Brown and C&W agencies, run a programme of creative writing courses, mentoring opportunities and scholarships for under-represented writers – with all opportunities fully funded for the writers taking part.

Breakthrough scholarships

Curtis Brown Creative, supported by the Curtis Brown and C&W agencies, regularly offer funded places on their courses to talented writers facing barriers to entry.

Breakthrough Mentoring Programme

This mentoring programme is for talented writers who fulfil the eligibility criteria and are seeking targeted, detailed one-to-one feedback on a work-in-progress, plus industry advice. You can apply to be mentored for a project at any writing stage.

Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize

Entries of original short fiction between 1000 and 5000 words can be entered into the Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize. The winner will receive £1,000 and 12 shortlisted writers will be included in an anthology. 

The Bridport Prize

The Bridport Prize has a number of categories: novel, poetry, short story and flash fiction. All the awards are for work which has not previously been published, while the novel award is only open to writers who are not represented by a literary agent.

The Bristol Short Story Prize

This is an annual international writing competition open to all published and unpublished, UK and non-UK-based writers.

The Caledonia Novel Award

An Edinburgh-based, international writing competition for unpublished and self-published novelists in all genres for adults and YA.

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize

The prize is open to all Commonwealth citizens aged 18 and over entering a story of between 2,500 and 5,000 words. The regional winners receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives a total of £5,000. The winning stories are published online by  Granta  and in a special print collection by Paper + Ink.

Creators of Justice Literary Awards

The Creators of Justice Literary Awards is an annual, international contest featuring works which highlight the struggle for human rights and social justice across the world. Writers can submit one poem, essay, or short story on an annual theme.

The Creative Future Writers’ Award

The Creative Future Writers’ Award (CFWA) is a national writing development programme which celebrates talented, underrepresented writers who lack opportunities due to mental health issues, disability, health or social circumstance. Prizes include £20,000 of cash and top writing development prizes supplied by prominent publishers and development agencies.

Criptic x Spread The Word

CRIPtic Arts x Spread the Word collaboratively produce a range of activities including salons, a retreat and research for deaf and disabled writers. Their work together aims to offer a range of activities to support, develop and empower deaf and disabled writers.

Discoveries

The Women’s Prize Trust, NatWest, Curtis Brown Literary Agency and Curtis Brown Creative Writing School have partnered to create Discoveries, a unique initiative searching for the most talented and original new female writing voices in the UK and Ireland. The winner will be offered representation by Curtis Brown Literary Agency and a cash prize of £5,000.

Footnote x Counterpoints Writing Prize

Footnote Press and Counterpoints Arts have partnered to launch the Footnote x Counterpoints Writing Prize for writers from refugee and migrant backgrounds. The £15,000 award, which includes an advance of £5,000 and a publication agreement with Footnote Press, is for narrative non-fiction centred around themes of displacement, identity and/or resistance. Writers can be published or unpublished.

Green Stories Writing Competitions

Green Stories writing competitions are a series of free writing competitions open to all across various formats to solicit stories that showcase what a sustainable society might look like. 

Grindstone Literary International Novel Prize

The 2023 Novel Prize is open to authors from all countries, provided their submissions are in English. To be eligible to enter, authors must be unrepresented .  Entrants are asked to submit the first 5,000 words of their manuscript.

The London Library Emerging Writers Programme

Geared towards supporting writers at the start of their careers, the programme includes writing development masterclasses, literary networking opportunities, peer support and guidance in use of the Library’s resources. With its extensive open-access book collection, dedicated writing spaces and diverse community of established writers, the benefits of Library membership are very valuable. 

The London Writers’ Awards

This is a development programme run by Spread the Word which aims to increase the number of writers from under-represented communities being taken up by agents and publishers. The awards support  30  London-based writers of  colour  and working class, LGBTQ+ and disabled writers  each year, and bursaries are available for writers in need. There is also an Access Fund for disabled writers. Writers on the awards scheme take part in group feedback sessions on their work and also attend one-to-one professional development sessions.

Mairtín Crawford   Awards

The Mairtín Crawford   Awards are aimed at writers working towards their first full collection of poetry, short stories, or a novel. Both published and unpublished writers are invited to submit between 3-5 poems for the poetry award, and a short story of up to 2,500 words for the short story award, with the only stipulation being that they have not yet published a full collection of poetry, short stories, or a novel.

The Malorie Blackman Scholarships for Unheard Voices

City Lit’s Malorie Blackman Scholarships for Unheard Voices provide three annual awards worth up to £1000 each, to fund one year’s study within the Creative Writing department at City Lit. 

The Manchester Writing Competition

The Manchester Writing Competition for poetry and fiction, offers the UK’s biggest literary awards for unpublished work, with each category awarding £10,000.

Mogford Prize for Food and Drink Writing

The Mogford Prize for Food and Drink Writing is an annual short story competition open to writers across the globe. The prize awards £10,000 to the best short story that has food and drink at its heart.

Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour

Jointly run by Morley College London and the Rachel Mills Literary Agency, the prize is awarded to unpublished aspiring authors of colour. There are two prizes – one for works of fiction and one for Life Writing and Creative Non-fiction.

The Moth Prizes

The Moth Magazine runs an annual short story prize, nature writing prize and poetry prize open to anyone from anywhere in the world, as long as their writing is original and previously unpublished.

The National Poetry Competition

The National Poetry Competition is one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for an unpublished poem of up to 40 lines, open to anyone 18 or over.

New Writers Poetry Competition

Open to poets from around the world, the winner receives £1,000, with a second prize of £300 and a third prize of £200. 

The Nine Dots Prize

The Nine Dots Prize is a prize for creative thinking that tackles contemporary societal issues. Entrants are asked to respond to a question in 3,000 words, with the winner receiving $100,000 to write a short book expanding on their ideas. The aim of the Prize is to promote, encourage and engage innovative thinking to address problems facing the modern world. Its name references the nine dots puzzle – a lateral thinking puzzle which can only be solved by thinking outside the box.

The Oxford Poetry Prize

The winner of the Oxford Poetry Prize receives £1,000, the runner-up £200, and third place £100. The winning poets are also offered publication in Oxford Poetry.

Poetry London Prize

The Poetry London Prize is a major, internationally renowned award for a single outstanding poem. The first prize is £5,000.

Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize

Run by Wasifiri , the magazine of international literature, in conjunction with Queen Mary University, this prize supports new writers.

Rhys Davies Short Story Competition

The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition is a distinguished national writing competition for writers born or living in Wales. The first prize is £1,000 and publication in a short story anthology to be published by Parthian Books.

The Royal Society of Literature V. S. Pritchett Short Story Prize

The annual prize of £1,000 goes to the best unpublished short story of the year. The winning entry is also published in  Prospect  magazine and the  RSL Review.

Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awards

The New Writers Awards is an annual awards programme supporting individuals committed to developing their writing. The award includes a cash award, a week-long retreat, training and mentoring.

Scottish Book Trust Next Chapter Award

The Next Chapter Award is an annual award supporting an emerging writer over the age of 40. The Award includes a cash reward, 2-week writing retreat, training and mentoring.

The Society of Authors' Awards

The Society of Authors runs annual awards, which are open to writers at all stages of their careers. Among them is The ALCS Tom-Gallon Trust Award for a short story (applicants need to have had at least one short story accepted for publication); and The McKitterick Prize, which is given annually to an author over the age of 40 for a first novel, published or unpublished.

Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition

The competition is open to original, unpublished and unbroadcast short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or fewer. The first prize is €2,000 and a one-week residency at Anam Cara Retreat.

Searchlight Awards

Searchlight Writing for Children Awards is an international competition for aspiring authors writing for children or young adults. Categories are 'Best Children’s Picture Book Text' and 'Best Novel Opening for Children or Young Adults'.

The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition

Chicken House are looking for original ideas, a fresh voice, and a diverse range of entries and stories that children will love! They'd particularly like to encourage entry from writers from underrepresented backgrounds. The first prize is a worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House with a royalty advance of £10,000, plus an offer of representation from an agent.

The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize

The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize is an international prize that supports and celebrates the best adventure writing today. The Prize is open to writers of any nationality, writing in English. Awards are presented in three categories: Best Published Novel, New Voices and Author of Tomorrow.

W&A Working-Class Writers' Prize

Writers & Artists run the W&A Working-Class Writers' Prize – a celebration of stories as a mode of communication, and a reminder of how vital it is that everyone can share their ideas and experiences via the written word. The prize includes a cash prize and mentoring sessions with an acclaimed author.

The Writers Award

Run by The Deborah Rogers Found - set up in memory of a late literary agent - The Writers Award gives £10,000 to an unpublished writer to enable them to complete a first book. It is run biannually.

For published writers

These awards are for published writers only, and in order to be considered books must be nominated by their publisher or agent - authors cannot usually enter themselves (with the exception of the fellowships). However, as a writer looking to get published, it's always worth taking stock of the titles being longlisted and shortlisted for some of the top literary awards to give you a sense of which types of books are receiving critical acclaim. We've included prizes for fiction and non-fiction titles here. 

Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction

The Baillie Gifford Prize rewards excellence in non-fiction writing across current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts.

BBC National Short Story Award

An annual prize, entrants must have a prior record of publishing creative work in the UK. Stories up to 8,000 words are accepted and may be submitted by the author or by their agent. Shortlisted stories are awarded a prize of £600.

The Booker Prize

The leading literary award in the English-speaking world, which has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over 50 years. Awarded annually to the best novel of the year written in English and published in the UK or Ireland. Although you have to be nominated by your publisher, many debut novels have been longlisted and shortlisted in the past.

The Desmond Elliot Prize

The Desmond Elliott Prize encourages publishers from across the UK and Ireland to submit literary fiction debuts for consideration, awarding one winning author £10,000 to shape their developing career.

Forward Prizes for Poetry

The Forward Prizes for Poetry honour excellence in contemporary poetry published in UK and Ireland.

FT & McKinsey Business Book of the Year

This prestigious £30,000 prize goes to the book that is judged to have provided the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues, with £10,000 awarded to each runner-up.

Nero Book Awards

Celebrating outstanding writing by great authors living in the UK and Ireland, these awards list the best books of the year for their quality of writing and readability. There are four categories: Children’s Fiction, Debut Fiction, Fiction and Non-Fiction. An overall winner, given the Nero Gold Prize for the “Book of the Year”, is also be named.

Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize

Awarded for the best published literary work in the English language, written by an author aged 39 or under, the prize celebrates the international world of fiction in all its forms including poetry, novels, short stories, and drama. The winner receives a prize of £30,000.

The Royal Society of Literature Christopher Bland Prize

The RSL Christopher Bland Prize is an annual award of £10,000 to a debut novelist or non-fiction writer first published aged 50 or over.

The Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize

The annual award of £10,000 for a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, evoking the spirit of a place.

Scottish Book Trust Ignite Fellowship

The Ignite Fellowship supports established writers who are embarking on or working through a significant project. You can apply whether the project is in its very earliest stages or already a work in progress.

Women's Prize for Fiction

The Women's Prize for Fiction is the UK's most prestigious annual book award celebrating and honouring fiction written by women.

Writing retreats

Arvon runs an annual programme of creative writing courses and retreats for schools, groups and individuals. Their courses, tutored by leading authors, are held at three rural centres and include a mix of workshops and individual tutorials, with time and space to write, free from distractions of everyday life. Arvon courses are in a range of genres and they have different styles of courses. Grants are available to help with course fees.

The Garsdale Retreat

The Garsdale Retreat is a creative writing centre in the Yorkshire Dales. It provides inspirational courses tutored by professional writers, enabling participants to develop their individual creativity in a place of peace and tranquillity, away from the distractions and stresses of everyday life.

Gladstone's Library

Gladstone's Library is a residential library and meeting place which is dedicated to dialogue, debate and learning for open-minded individuals and groups, who are looking to explore pressing questions and to pursue study and research. They offer a programme of courses and events that keep them connected with a wide range of writers and thinkers.

Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre

Moniack Mhor is Scotland’s National Writing Centre. Based in the Scottish Highlands, they run courses in a range of genres tutored by some of the finest authors in the UK and beyond. They also sponsor awards, bursaries, and professional residencies to develop works in progress and a programme for young writers.

The River Mill

This former flour mill in South Down, Northern Ireland is now a boutique reading and writing retreat. They offer individual residencies and workshops. 

Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre

Tŷ Newydd is the National Writing Centre of Wales, run by Literature Wales specialising in residential creative writing courses.

Urban Writers Retreat

Providing residential retreats in Devon and one-day courses in London, they offer guidance and space away from everyday life.

We will keep this page updated with new opportunities as and when they become available. If you want to let us know about a new opportunity, please email us: [email protected]

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Summer 2024 Admissions Open Now. Sign up for upcoming live information sessions here (featuring former and current Admission Officers at Havard and UPenn).

Discourse, debate, and analysis

Cambridge re:think essay competition 2024.

Competition Opens: 15th January, 2024

Essay Submission Deadline: 10th May, 2024 Result Announcement: 20th June, 2024 Award Ceremony and Dinner at the University of Cambridge: 30th July, 2024

We welcome talented high school students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Entry to the competition is free.

About the Competition

The spirit of the Re:think essay competition is to encourage critical thinking and exploration of a wide range of thought-provoking and often controversial topics. The competition covers a diverse array of subjects, from historical and present issues to speculative future scenarios. Participants are invited to engage deeply with these topics, critically analysing their various facets and implications. It promotes intellectual exploration and encourages participants to challenge established norms and beliefs, presenting opportunities to envision alternative futures, consider the consequences of new technologies, and reevaluate longstanding traditions. 

Ultimately, our aim is to create a platform for students and scholars to share their perspectives on pressing issues of the past and future, with the hope of broadening our collective understanding and generating innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. This year’s competition aims to underscore the importance of discourse, debate, and critical analysis in addressing complex societal issues in nine areas, including:

Religion and Politics

Political science and law, linguistics, environment, sociology and philosophy, business and investment, public health and sustainability, biotechonology.

Artificial Intelligence 

Neuroengineering

2024 essay prompts.

This year, the essay prompts are contributed by distinguished professors from Harvard, Brown, UC Berkeley, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT.

Essay Guidelines and Judging Criteria

Review general guidelines, format guidelines, eligibility, judging criteria.

Awards and Award Ceremony

Award winners will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony and Dinner hosted at the King’s College, University of Cambridge. The Dinner is free of charge for select award recipients.

Registration and Submission

Register a participant account today and submit your essay before the deadline.

Advisory Committee and Judging Panel

The Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition is guided by an esteemed Advisory Committee comprising distinguished academics and experts from elite universities worldwide. These committee members, drawn from prestigious institutions, such as Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT, bring diverse expertise in various disciplines.

They play a pivotal role in shaping the competition, contributing their insights to curate the themes and framework. Their collective knowledge and scholarly guidance ensure the competition’s relevance, academic rigour, and intellectual depth, setting the stage for aspiring minds to engage with thought-provoking topics and ideas.

We are honoured to invite the following distinguished professors to contribute to this year’s competition.

The judging panel of the competition comprises leading researchers and professors from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Cambridge, and Oxford, engaging in a strictly double blind review process.

Keynote Speeches by 10 Nobel Laureates

We are beyond excited to announce that multiple Nobel laureates have confirmed to attend and speak at this year’s ceremony on 30th July, 2024 .

They will each be delivering a keynote speech to the attendees. Some of them distinguished speakers will speak virtually, while others will attend and present in person and attend the Reception at Cambridge.

Why has religion remained a force in a secular world? 

Professor Commentary:

Arguably, the developed world has become more secular in the last century or so. The influence of Christianity, e.g. has diminished and people’s life worlds are less shaped by faith and allegiance to Churches. Conversely, arguments have persisted that hold that we live in a post-secular world. After all, religion – be it in terms of faith, transcendence, or meaning – may be seen as an alternative to a disenchanted world ruled by entirely profane criteria such as economic rationality, progressivism, or science. Is the revival of religion a pale reminder of a by-gone past or does it provide sources of hope for the future?

‘Religion in the Public Sphere’ by Jürgen Habermas (European Journal of Philosophy, 2006)

In this paper, philosopher Jürgen Habermas discusses the limits of church-state separation, emphasizing the significant contribution of religion to public discourse when translated into publicly accessible reasons.

‘Public Religions in the Modern World’ by José Casanova (University Of Chicago Press, 1994)

Sociologist José Casanova explores the global emergence of public religion, analyzing case studies from Catholicism and Protestantism in Spain, Poland, Brazil, and the USA, challenging traditional theories of secularization.

‘The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere’ by Judith Butler, Jürgen Habermas, Charles Taylor, and Cornel West (Edited by Eduardo Mendieta and Jonathan VanAntwerpen, Columbia University Press, 2011)

This collection features dialogues by prominent intellectuals on the role of religion in the public sphere, examining various approaches and their impacts on cultural, social, and political debates.

‘Rethinking Secularism’ by Craig Calhoun, Mark Juergensmeyer, and Jonathan VanAntwerpen (Oxford University Press, 2011)

An interdisciplinary examination of secularism, this book challenges traditional views, highlighting the complex relationship between religion and secularism in contemporary global politics.

‘God is Back: How the Global Rise of Faith is Changing the World’ by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge (Penguin, 2010)

Micklethwait and Wooldridge argue for the coexistence of religion and modernity, suggesting that religious beliefs can contribute to a more open, tolerant, and peaceful modern world.

‘Multiculturalism’ by Tariq Modood (Polity Press, 2013)

Sociologist Tariq Modood emphasizes the importance of multiculturalism in integrating diverse identities, particularly in post-immigration contexts, and its role in shaping democratic citizenship.

‘God’s Agents: Biblical Publicity in Contemporary England’ by Matthew Engelke (University of California Press, 2013)

In this ethnographic study, Matthew Engelke explores how a group in England seeks to expand the role of religion in the public sphere, challenging perceptions of religion in post-secular England.

Gene therapy is a medical approach that treats or prevents disease by correcting the underlying genetic problem. Is gene therapy better than traditional medicines? What are the pros and cons of using gene therapy as a medicine? Is gene therapy justifiable?

Especially after Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, gene therapy is getting more and more interesting approach to cure. That’s why that could be interesting to think about. I believe that students will enjoy and learn a lot while they are investigating this topic.

The Hall at King’s College, Cambridge

The Hall was designed by William Wilkins in the 1820s and is considered one of the most magnificent halls of its era. The first High Table dinner in the Hall was held in February 1828, and ever since then, the splendid Hall has been where members of the college eat and where formal dinners have been held for centuries.

The Award Ceremony and Dinner will be held in the Hall in the evening of  30th July, 2024.

Stretching out down to the River Cam, the Back Lawn has one of the most iconic backdrop of King’s College Chapel. 

The early evening reception will be hosted on the Back Lawn with the iconic Chapel in the background (weather permitting). 

King’s College Chapel

With construction started in 1446 by Henry VI and took over a century to build, King’s College Chapel is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and is a splendid example of late Gothic architecture. 

Attendees are also granted complimentary access to the King’s College Chapel before and during the event. 

Confirmed Nobel Laureates

Dr Thomas R. Cech

The nobel prize in chemistry 1989 , for the discovery of catalytic properties of rna.

Thomas Robert Cech is an American chemist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman, for their discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. Cech discovered that RNA could itself cut strands of RNA, suggesting that life might have started as RNA. He found that RNA can not only transmit instructions, but also that it can speed up the necessary reactions.

He also studied telomeres, and his lab discovered an enzyme, TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), which is part of the process of restoring telomeres after they are shortened during cell division.

As president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, he promoted science education, and he teaches an undergraduate chemistry course at the University of Colorado

Sir Richard J. Roberts

The nobel prize in medicine 1993 .

F or the discovery of split genes

During 1969–1972, Sir Richard J. Roberts did postdoctoral research at Harvard University before moving to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he was hired by James Dewey Watson, a co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and a fellow Nobel laureate. In this period he also visited the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology for the first time, working alongside Fred Sanger. In 1977, he published his discovery of RNA splicing. In 1992, he moved to New England Biolabs. The following year, he shared a Nobel Prize with his former colleague at Cold Spring Harbor Phillip Allen Sharp.

His discovery of the alternative splicing of genes, in particular, has had a profound impact on the study and applications of molecular biology. The realisation that individual genes could exist as separate, disconnected segments within longer strands of DNA first arose in his 1977 study of adenovirus, one of the viruses responsible for causing the common cold. Robert’s research in this field resulted in a fundamental shift in our understanding of genetics, and has led to the discovery of split genes in higher organisms, including human beings.

Dr Aaron Ciechanover

The nobel prize in chemistry 2004 .

F or the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation

Aaron Ciechanover is one of Israel’s first Nobel Laureates in science, earning his Nobel Prize in 2004 for his work in ubiquitination. He is honored for playing a central role in the history of Israel and in the history of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Dr Ciechanover is currently a Technion Distinguished Research Professor in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute at the Technion. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Russian Academy of Sciences and is a foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences. In 2008, he was a visiting Distinguished Chair Professor at NCKU, Taiwan. As part of Shenzhen’s 13th Five-Year Plan funding research in emerging technologies and opening “Nobel laureate research labs”, in 2018 he opened the Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen campus.

Dr Robert Lefkowitz

The nobel prize in chemistry 2012 .

F or the discovery of G protein-coupled receptors

Robert Joseph Lefkowitz is an American physician (internist and cardiologist) and biochemist. He is best known for his discoveries that reveal the inner workings of an important family G protein-coupled receptors, for which he was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Brian Kobilka. He is currently an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as well as a James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke University.

Dr Lefkowitz made a remarkable contribution in the mid-1980s when he and his colleagues cloned the gene first for the β-adrenergic receptor, and then rapidly thereafter, for a total of 8 adrenergic receptors (receptors for adrenaline and noradrenaline). This led to the seminal discovery that all GPCRs (which include the β-adrenergic receptor) have a very similar molecular structure. The structure is defined by an amino acid sequence which weaves its way back and forth across the plasma membrane seven times. Today we know that about 1,000 receptors in the human body belong to this same family. The importance of this is that all of these receptors use the same basic mechanisms so that pharmaceutical researchers now understand how to effectively target the largest receptor family in the human body. Today, as many as 30 to 50 percent of all prescription drugs are designed to “fit” like keys into the similarly structured locks of Dr Lefkowitz’ receptors—everything from anti-histamines to ulcer drugs to beta blockers that help relieve hypertension, angina and coronary disease.

Dr Lefkowitz is among the most highly cited researchers in the fields of biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical medicine according to Thomson-ISI.

Dr Joachim Frank

The nobel prize in chemistry 2017 .

F or developing cryo-electron microscopy

Joachim Frank is a German-American biophysicist at Columbia University and a Nobel laureate. He is regarded as the founder of single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 with Jacques Dubochet and Richard Henderson. He also made significant contributions to structure and function of the ribosome from bacteria and eukaryotes.

In 1975, Dr Frank was offered a position of senior research scientist in the Division of Laboratories and Research (now Wadsworth Center), New York State Department of Health,where he started working on single-particle approaches in electron microscopy. In 1985 he was appointed associate and then (1986) full professor at the newly formed Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University at Albany, State University of New York. In 1987 and 1994, he went on sabbaticals in Europe, one to work with Richard Henderson, Laboratory of Molecular Biology Medical Research Council in Cambridge and the other as a Humboldt Research Award winner with Kenneth C. Holmes, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg. In 1998, Dr Frank was appointed investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Since 2003 he was also lecturer at Columbia University, and he joined Columbia University in 2008 as professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and of biological sciences.

Dr Barry C. Barish

The nobel prize in physics 2017 .

For the decisive contributions to the detection of gravitational waves

Dr Barry Clark Barish is an American experimental physicist and Nobel Laureate. He is a Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus at California Institute of Technology and a leading expert on gravitational waves.

In 2017, Barish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne “for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves”. He said, “I didn’t know if I would succeed. I was afraid I would fail, but because I tried, I had a breakthrough.”

In 2018, he joined the faculty at University of California, Riverside, becoming the university’s second Nobel Prize winner on the faculty.

In the fall of 2023, he joined Stony Brook University as the inaugural President’s Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics.

In 2023, Dr Barish was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Biden in a White House ceremony.

Dr Harvey J. Alter

The nobel prize in medicine 2020 .

For the discovery of Hepatitis C virus

Dr Harvey J. Alter is an American medical researcher, virologist, physician and Nobel Prize laureate, who is best known for his work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Alter is the former chief of the infectious disease section and the associate director for research of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In the mid-1970s, Alter and his research team demonstrated that most post-transfusion hepatitis cases were not due to hepatitis A or hepatitis B viruses. Working independently, Alter and Edward Tabor, a scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, proved through transmission studies in chimpanzees that a new form of hepatitis, initially called “non-A, non-B hepatitis” caused the infections, and that the causative agent was probably a virus. This work eventually led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1988, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 along with Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice.

Dr Alter has received recognition for the research leading to the discovery of the virus that causes hepatitis C. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award conferred to civilians in United States government public health service, and the 2000 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research.

Dr Ardem Patapoutian

The nobel prize in medicine 2021 .

For discovering how pressure is translated into nerve impulses

Dr Ardem Patapoutian is an Lebanese-American molecular biologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel Prize laureate of Armenian descent. He is known for his work in characterising the PIEZO1, PIEZO2, and TRPM8 receptors that detect pressure, menthol, and temperature. Dr Patapoutian is a neuroscience professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. In 2021, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with David Julius.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I participate in the Re:think essay competition? 

The Re:think Essay competition is meant to serve as fertile ground for honing writing skills, fostering critical thinking, and refining communication abilities. Winning or participating in reputable contests can lead to recognition, awards, scholarships, or even publication opportunities, elevating your academic profile for college applications and future endeavours. Moreover, these competitions facilitate intellectual growth by encouraging exploration of diverse topics, while also providing networking opportunities and exposure to peers, educators, and professionals. Beyond accolades, they instil confidence, prepare for higher education demands, and often allow you to contribute meaningfully to societal conversations or causes, making an impact with your ideas.

Who is eligible to enter the Re:think essay competition?  

As long as you’re currently attending high school, regardless of your location or background, you’re eligible to participate. We welcome students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Is there any entry fee for the competition? 

There is no entry fee for the competition. Waiving the entry fee for our essay competition demonstrates CCIR’s dedication to equity. CCIR believes everyone should have an equal chance to participate and showcase their talents, regardless of financial circumstances. Removing this barrier ensures a diverse pool of participants and emphasises merit and creativity over economic capacity, fostering a fair and inclusive environment for all contributors.

Subscribe for Competition Updates

If you are interested to receive latest information and updates of this year’s competition, please sign up here.

Essay  COMPETITION

2024 global essay prize, registrations are now open all essayists must register  here  before friday 31 may, 2024.

The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics that turn good students into great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style. Our Essay Competition invites students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the confines of the school curriculum.

Entering an essay in our competition can build knowledge, and refine skills of argumentation. It also gives students the chance to have their work assessed by experts. All of our essay prizes are judged by a panel of senior academics drawn from leading universities including Oxford and Princeton, under the leadership of the Chairman of Examiners, former Cambridge philosopher, Dr Jamie Whyte.

The judges will choose their favourite essay from each of seven subject categories - Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law - and then select the winner of the Grand Prize for the best entry in any subject. There is also a separate prize awarded for the best essay in the junior category, for under 15s.

Q1. Do we have any good reasons to trust our moral intuition?

Q2. Do girls have a (moral) right to compete in sporting contests that exclude boys?

Q3. Should I be held responsible for what I believe?

Q1. Is there such a thing as too much democracy?

Q2. Is peace in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip possible?

Q3. When is compliance complicity?

Q1. What is the optimal global population?  

Q2. Accurate news reporting is a public good. Does it follow that news agencies should be funded from taxation?

Q3. Do successful business people benefit others when making their money, when spending it, both, or neither?

Q1. Why was sustained economic growth so rare before the later 18th century and why did this change?

Q2. Has music ever significantly changed the course of history?

Q3. Why do civilisations collapse? Is our civilisation in danger?

Q1. When, if ever, should a company be permitted to refuse to do business with a person because of that person’s public statements?

Q2. In the last five years British police have arrested several thousand people for things they posted on social media. Is the UK becoming a police state?

Q3. Your parents say that 11pm is your bedtime. But they don’t punish you if you don’t go to bed by 11pm. Is 11pm really your bedtime?

Q1. According to a study by researchers at four British universities, for each 15-point increase in IQ, the likelihood of getting married increases by around 35% for a man but decreases by around 58% for a woman. Why?

In the original version of this question we misstated a statistic. This was caused by reproducing an error that appeared in several media summaries of the study. We are grateful to one of our contestants, Xinyi Zhang, who helped us to see (with humility and courtesy) why we should take more care to check our sources. We corrected the text on 4 April. Happily, the correction does not in any way alter the thrust of the question.

Q2. There is an unprecedented epidemic of depression and anxiety among young people. Can we fix this? How?

Q3. What is the difference between a psychiatric illness and a character flaw?

Q1. “I am not religious, but I am spiritual.” What could the speaker mean by “spiritual”?

Q2. Is it reasonable to thank God for protection from some natural harm if He is responsible for causing the harm?

Q3. Does God reward those who believe in him? If so, why?

JUNIOR prize

Q1. Does winning a free and fair election automatically confer a mandate for governing?

Q2. Has the anti-racism movement reduced racism?

Q3. Is there life after death?

Q4. How did it happen that governments came to own and run most high schools, while leaving food production to private enterprise? 

Q5. When will advancing technology make most of us unemployable? What should we do about this?

Q6. Should we trust fourteen-year-olds to make decisions about their own bodies? 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS & FURTHER DETAILS

Please read the following carefully.

Entry to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition 2024 is open to students from any country.

Registration  

Only candidates who registered before the registration deadline of Friday, 31 May 2024 may enter this year's competition. To register, click here .  

All entries must be submitted by 11.59 pm BST on  the submission deadline: Sunday, 30 June 2024 .  Candidates must be eighteen years old, or younger, on that date. (Candidates for the Junior Prize must be fourteen years old, or younger, on that date.)

Entry is free.

Each essay must address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, endnotes, bibliography or authorship declaration). 

The filename of your pdf must be in this format: FirstName-LastName-Category-QuestionNumber.pdf; so, for instance, Alexander Popham would submit his answer to question 2 in the Psychology category with the following file name:

Alexander-Popham-Psychology-2.pdf

Essays with filenames which are not in this format will be rejected.

The candidate's name should NOT appear within the document itself. 

Candidates should NOT add footnotes. They may, however, add endnotes and/or a Bibliography that is clearly titled as such.

Each candidate will be required to provide the email address of an academic referee who is familiar with the candidate's written academic work. This should be a school teacher, if possible, or another responsible adult who is not a relation of the candidate. The John Locke Institute will email referees to verify that the essays submitted are indeed the original work of the candidates.

Submissions may be made as soon as registration opens in April. We recommend that you submit your essay well in advance of th e deadline to avoid any last-minute complications.

Acceptance of your essay depends on your granting us permission to use your data for the purposes of receiving and processing your entry as well as communicating with you about the Awards Ceremony Dinner, the academic conference, and other events and programmes of the John Locke Institute and its associated entities.  

Late entries

If for any reason you miss the 30 June deadline you will have an opportunity to make a late entry, under two conditions:

a) A late entry fee of 20.00 USD must be paid by credit card within twenty-four hours of the original deadline; and

b) Your essay must be submitted  before 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 10 July 2024.

To pay for late entry, a registrant need only log into his or her account, select the relevant option and provide the requested payment information.

Our grading system is proprietary. Essayists may be asked to discuss their entry with a member of the John Locke Institute’s faculty. We use various means to identify plagiarism, contract cheating, the use of AI and other forms of fraud . Our determinations in all such matters are final.

Essays will be judged on knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the competent use of evidence, quality of argumentation, originality, structure, writing style and persuasive force. The very best essays are likely to be those which would be capable of changing somebody's mind. Essays which ignore or fail to address the strongest objections and counter-arguments are unlikely to be successful .

Candidates are advised to answer the question as precisely and directly as possible.

The writers of the best essays will receive a commendation and be shortlisted for a prize. Writers of shortlisted essays will be notified by 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 31 July. They will also be invited to London for an invitation-only academic conference and awards dinner in September, where the prize-winners will be announced. Unlike the competition itself, the academic conference and awards dinner are not free. Please be aware that n obody is required to attend either the academic conference or the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London.

All short-listed candidates, including prize-winners, will be able to download eCertificates that acknowledge their achievement. If you win First, Second or Third Prize, and you travel to London for the ceremony, you will receive a signed certificate. 

There is a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category, and the winner of the Junior category, is a scholarship worth US$2000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute programme, and the essays will be published on the Institute's website. Prize-giving ceremonies will take place in London, at which winners and runners-up will be able to meet some of the judges and other faculty members of the John Locke Institute. Family, friends, and teachers are also welcome.

The candidate who submits the best essay overall will be awarded an honorary John Locke Institute Junior Fellowship, which comes with a US$10,000 scholarship to attend one or more of our summer schools and/or visiting scholars programmes. 

The judges' decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

R egistration opens: 1 April, 2024.

Registration deadline: 31 May, 2024. (Registration is required by this date for subsequent submission.)

Submission deadline: 30 June, 2024.

Late entry deadline: 10 July, 2024. (Late entries are subject to a 20.00 USD charge, payable by 1 July.)

Notification of short-listed essayists: 31 July, 2024.

Academic conference: 20 - 22 September, 2024.

Awards dinner: 21 September, 2024.

Any queries regarding the essay competition should be sent to [email protected] . Please be aware that, due to the large volume of correspondence we receive, we cannot guarantee to answer every query. In particular, regrettably, we are unable to respond to questions whose answers can be found on our website.

If you would like to receive helpful tips  from our examiners about what makes for a winning essay or reminders of upcoming key dates for the 2024  essay competition, please provide your email here to be added to our contact list. .

Thanks for subscribing!

The John Locke Institute's Global Essay Prize is acknowledged as the world's most prestigious essay competition. 

We welcome tens of thousands of submissions from ambitious students in more than 150 countries, and our examiners - including distinguished philosophers, political scientists, economists, historians, psychologists, theologians, and legal scholars - read and carefully assess every entry. 

I encourage you to register for this competition, not only for the hope of winning a prize or commendation, and not only for the chance to join the very best contestants at our academic conference and gala ceremony in London, but equally for the opportunity to engage in the serious scholarly enterprise of researching, reflecting on, writing about, and editing an answer to one of the important and provocative questions in this year's Global Essay Prize. 

We believe that the skills you will acquire in the process will make you a better thinker and a more effective advocate for the ideas that matter most to you.

I hope to see you in September!

Best wishes,

Jamie Whyte, Ph.D. (C ANTAB ) 

Chairman of Examiners

Q. I missed the registration deadline. May I still register or submit an essay?

A. No. Only candidates who registered before 31 May will be able to submit an essay. 

Q. Are footnote s, endnotes, a bibliography or references counted towards the word limit?

A. No. Only the body of the essay is counted. 

Q. Are in-text citations counted towards the word limit? ​

A. If you are using an in-text based referencing format, such as APA, your in-text citations are included in the word limit.

Q. Is it necessary to include foo tnotes or endnotes in an essay? ​

A. You  may not  include footnotes, but you may include in-text citations or endnotes. You should give your sources of any factual claims you make, and you should ackn owledge any other authors on whom you rely.​

Q. I am interested in a question that seems ambiguous. How should I interpret it?

A. You may interpret a question as you deem appropriate, clarifying your interpretation if necessary. Having done so, you must answer the question as directly as possible.

Q. How strict are  the age eligibility criteria?

A. Only students whose nineteenth birthday falls after 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation. In the case of the Junior category, only students whose fifteenth birthday falls after 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation. 

Q. May I submit more than one essay?

A. Yes, you may submit as many essays as you please in any or all categories.

Q. If I am eligible to compete in the Junior category, may I also (or instead) compete in another category?

A. Yes, you may.

Q. May I team up with someone else to write an essay?  

A. No. Each submitted essay must be entirely the work of a single individual.

Q. May I use AI, such as ChatGPT or the like, in writing my essay?

A. All essays will be checked for the use of AI. If we find that any content is generated by AI, your essay will be disqualified. We will also ask you, upon submission of your essay, whether you used AI for  any  purpose related to the writing of your essay, and if so, you will be required to provide details. In that case, if, in our judgement, you have not provided full and accurate details of your use of AI, your essay will be disqualified. 

Since any use of AI (that does not result in disqualification) can only negatively affect our assessment of your work relative to that of work that is done without using AI, your safest course of action is simply not to use it at all. If, however, you choose to use it for any purpose, we reserve the right to make relevant judgements on a case-by-case basis and we will not enter into any correspondence. 

Q. May I have someone else edit, or otherwise help me with, my essay?

A. You may of course discuss your essay with others, and it is perfectly acceptable for them to offer general advice and point out errors or weaknesses in your writing or content, leaving you to address them.

However, no part of your essay may be written by anyone else. This means that you must edit your own work and that while a proofreader may point out errors, you as the essayist must be the one to correct them. 

Q. Do I have to attend the awards ceremony to win a prize? ​

A. Nobody is required to attend the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London. But if we invite you to London it is because your essay was good enough - in the opinion of the First Round judges - to be at least a contender for First, Second or Third Prize. Normally the Second Round judges will agree that the short-listed essays are worth at least a commendation.

Q. Is there an entry fee?

A. No. There is no charge to enter our global essay competition unless you submit your essay after the normal deadline, in which case there is a fee of 20.00 USD .

Q. Can I receive a certificate for my participation in your essay competition if I wasn't shortlisted? 

A. No. Certificates are awarded only for shortlisted essays. Short-listed contestants who attend the award ceremony in London will receive a paper certificate. If you cannot travel to London, you will be able to download your eCertificate.

Q. Can I receive feedba ck on my essay? 

A. We would love to be able to give individual feedback on essays but, unfortunately, we receive too many entries to be able to comment on particular essays.

Q. The deadline for publishing the names of short-listed essayists has passed but I did not receive an email to tell me whether I was short-listed.

A. Log into your account and check "Shortlist Status" for (each of) your essay(s).

Q. Why isn't the awards ceremony in Oxford this year?

A. Last year, many shortlisted finalists who applied to join our invitation-only academic conference missed the opportunity because of capacity constraints at Oxford's largest venues. This year, the conference will be held in central London and the gala awards dinner will take place in an iconic London ballroom. 

TECHNICAL FAQ s

Q. The system will not accept my essay. I have checked the filename and it has the correct format. What should I do?  

A. You have almost certainly added a space before or after one of your names in your profile. Edit it accordingly and try to submit again.

Q. The profile page shows my birth date to be wrong by a day, even after I edit it. What should I do?

A. Ignore it. The date that you typed has been correctly input to our database. ​ ​

Q. How can I be sure that my registration for the essay competition was successful? Will I receive a confirmation email?

A. You will not receive a confirmation email. Rather, you can at any time log in to the account that you created and see that your registration details are present and correct.

TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR SUBMISSION

If you are unable to submit your essay to the John Locke Institute’s global essay competition, your problem is almost certainly one of the following.

If so, please proceed as indicated.

1) PROBLEM: I receive the ‘registrations are now closed’ message when I enter my email and verification code. SOLUTION. You did not register for the essay competition and create your account. If you think you did, you probably only provided us with your email to receive updates from us about the competition or otherwise. You may not enter the competition this year.

2) PROBLEM I do not receive a login code after I enter my email to enter my account. SOLUTION. Enter your email address again, checking that you do so correctly. If this fails, restart your browser using an incognito window; clear your cache, and try again. Wait for a few minutes for the code. If this still fails, restart your machine and try one more time. If this still fails, send an email to [email protected] with “No verification code – [your name]” in the subject line.

SUBMITTING AN ESSAY

3) PROBLEM: The filename of my essay is in the correct format but it is rejected. SOLUTION: Use “Edit Profile” to check that you did not add a space before or after either of your names. If you did, delete it. Whether you did or did not, try again to submit your essay. If submission fails again, email [email protected] with “Filename format – [your name]” in the subject line.

4) PROBLEM: When trying to view my submitted essay, a .txt file is downloaded – not the .pdf file that I submitted. SOLUTION: Delete the essay. Logout of your account; log back in, and resubmit. If resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “File extension problem – [your name]” in the subject line.

5) PROBLEM: When I try to submit, the submission form just reloads without giving me an error message. SOLUTION. Log out of your account. Open a new browser; clear the cache; log back in, and resubmit. If resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “Submission form problem – [your name]” in the subject line.

6) PROBLEM: I receive an “Unexpected Error” when trying to submit. SOLUTION. Logout of your account; log back in, and resubmit. If this resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “Unexpected error – [your name]” in thesubject line. Your email must tell us e xactly where in the submission process you received this error.

7) PROBLEM: I have a problem with submitting and it is not addressed above on this list. SOLUTION: Restart your machine. Clear your browser’s cache. Try to submit again. If this fails, email [email protected] with “Unlisted problem – [your name]” in the subject line. Your email must tell us exactly the nature of your problem with relevant screen caps.

READ THIS BEFORE YOU EMAIL US.

Do not email us before you have tried the specified solutions to your problem.

Do not email us more than once about a single problem. We will respond to your email within 72 hours. Only if you have not heard from us in that time may you contact us again to ask for an update.

If you email us regarding a problem, you must include relevant screen-shots and information on both your operating system and your browser. You must also declare that you have tried the solutions presented above and had a good connection to the internet when you did so.

If you have tried the relevant solution to your problem outlined above, have emailed us, and are still unable to submit before the 30 June deadline on account of any fault of the John Locke Institute or our systems, please do not worry: we will have a way to accept your essay in that case. However, if there is no fault on our side, we will not accept your essay if it is not submitted on time – whatever your reason: we will not make exceptions for IT issues for which we are not responsible.

We reserve the right to disqualify the entries of essayists who do not follow all provided instructions, including those concerning technical matters.

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Manchester Writing Competition

The 2023 Manchester Writing Competition shortlists will be revealed in mid-November and the £10,000 Poetry and Fiction Prize winners announced on 8th December.

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Celebrating Manchester as an international city of writers, finding diverse new voices, and creating opportunities for writer development.

The Manchester Writing Competition offers the UK’s biggest literary awards for unpublished work, offered by the country’s most successful writing school. The Competition was established in 2008 by Carol Ann Duffy (UK Poet Laureate 2009-19) and has awarded more than £220,000 to writers. Each year two £10,000 * prizes are awarded: the Manchester Poetry Prize for best portfolio of poems and the Manchester Fiction Prize for best short story. Designed to encourage and celebrate new writing across the globe, the competition is open internationally to new and established writers.

For news and updates about the Competition join our mailing list  or follow us on Twitter @McrWritingSchl .

Manchester Poetry Prize

How to enter the annual Manchester Poetry Prize for the best portfolio of poems.

Manchester Fiction Prize

How to enter the annual Manchester Fiction Prize for the best short story.

Competition Archive

View all our winners and short listed entries since 2008.

FAQs and Contact

Frequently asked questions about the Manchester Writing Competition and contact details

Latest competition news

Manchester writing competition 2023 winners revealed as tracey slaughter and april yee.

Manchester Writing Competition 2023 shortlists announced

Manchester Writing Competition 2021 winners revealed as Peter Ramm and Leone Ross

Manchester Writing Competition 2021 shortlists announced

To find out more about the UK’s biggest and most successful postgraduate literary community, and our events, courses and competitions, visit the  Manchester Writing School website  or contact  [email protected] .

* Terms and conditions apply

Writing Competitions

Patricia Eschen Prize for Poetry: Children’s Poetry Competition

The Patricia Eschen Prize for Poetry

FFF Competition Twenty Two

The Europe Challenge Writing Competition

The Bedford Competition

The Moth Short Story Prize 2024

New Voices Award

Cheshire Novel Prize 2024

PICK OF THE POPS RADIO SHORT STORY COMPETITION 

Scratch A4 short story competition 

21 Futures Anthology Series

Southport Writers’ Circle Annual International Poetry Competition 2024

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Recognising young talent in political opinion writing

Georgia Mealings (19-25 age category): The families at the heart of our alcoholism epidemic

Saoirse Williams (16-18 age category): Feminism Vs. the Andrew Tate epidemic and what it has shown us

Tiara Ekanayake Goonasinghe (16-18 age catgory): Reflecting on a childhood lived under the Conservatives

Am I eligible to enter in 2025?

You must be 16-25 to apply. This includes those aged 16 and those aged 25.

You must be resident in the UK to enter.

Only those from a state school background can apply. This criterion is included to ensure we are championing voices typically underrepresented in the media and achieving our aims as a charity. This means that you are either currently attending a state-funded school or have previously attended one.

This competition is about discovering new talent. If you are working as a journalist, freelance or otherwise, this competition is not for you.

Previous winners

My mum’s death was slow and painful – she deserved the choice to end her life

Ella Creamer won our older age category award in 2023 with her article which focuses on the realities of palliative care. Following her work experience gained as part of her award win, Ella was offered a position on the Guardian books desk.

The truth about "regeneration" in London: I can’t afford to live where I grew up

Elsie McDowell won our younger age category with her article on gentrification. She went on to be commissioned for a further piece “What do young people want on coronation day? More teachers, climate action: start with that”.

Integrated education in Northern Ireland is urgent – why can’t our leaders see that?

Abby Wallace’s piece won our 2021 older age category award. She is now a reporter for the Financial Times.

I was vulnerable and wanted a home. What I got was a workhouse, Daniel Lavelle

Being a gay Christian can be hurtful and gruelling. But I refuse to lose faith, Lucy Knight

#MeToo changed Hollywood – but what about our schools, workplaces and homes?, Rosamund Cloke

If Ireland is to unite, it must reclaim its common past and build a shared future, Ian Johnston

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Writing competitions

A comprehensive list of writing competitions and other opportunities in the UK and worldwide

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Cambridge Essay Competitions

Essay competitions are brilliant for a number of reasons!

You can use them to:

The essay competitions usually become open for submissions after the winter holidays. Be sure to check any eligibility criteria, requirements and deadlines. This page will be updated when new competitions are announced, and when deadlines are passed, so check back regularly! All essay competitions and events at Cambridge (both online and in-person) can be found here 🔗 🌟.

Magdalene College Arts and Humanities Essay Competition 2024 🔗 🌟 Any student in their penultimate year at a state school can enter this competition, which will open in early 2024. Last year, there were 12 questions covering a variety of topics within the arms and humanities - you can read the winning entries here 🔗. To register your interest in this competition for 2024, fill in this form 🔗.

Fitzwilliam College Essay Competitions: various subjects 🔗 🌟 Fitzwilliam College runs a variety of competitions in Ancient World and Classics, Archaeology, History, Land Economy, Medieval World, Architecture, and Economics (this last one is for state-school UK students only). All competitions are open to Year 12 students and are designed to encourage students to pursue their interests in subjects they might not be able to study in depth at school. Last year, the deadline for all competition entries was the 1st of March, so make sure to check back in early 2024 for updates.

Newnham College Woolf Essay Prize 🔗 🌟 The Woolf Essay Competition is focussed on women in literature, history, society and culture. There are also competitions for other subjects - more information these will be coming soon. Webinars to help support your entry can be found here 🔗 . The deadline for the Woolf Prize last year was the 14th of July.

Girton College Humanities Writing Competition 🔗 An opportunity for students interested in pursuing any humanities subject to write creatively! Year 12 students may enter with an essay or piece of creative writing using an object from Girton College’s small antiquities museum, the Lawrence Room, as their prompt.

Robinson College Essay Prize: various subjects 🔗 Year 12 students may submit an essay of up to 2,000 words in response to one of the set questions, which cover a wide variety of academic subjects. The prize did not run in 2023, but may in 2024.

Trinity College Essay Prizes 🔗 These competitions give entrants the opportunity to write an essay of up to 2,000 words in response to the set question/(s). Last year there were competitions for English Literature, Launguages, Linguistics, Philosophy, Politics, Law, and History.

Did you spot a typo or formatting issue? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected] .

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Home → Study Here → Outreach → Essay Competitions

St Hugh’s essay competitions are open to Sixth Formers from the UK and across the world. These are a fantastic opportunity to explore a topic of interest in a particular subject in more depth, whether something you have studied at school has inspired you, or whether you are keen to broaden your horizons in a new academic discipline.

All four competitions are now open: the deadline for submissions is 5pm (GMT) on Friday 26th July 2024.

To find out more about these competitions please click on the links below:

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Goldfinch Novel Award

Deadline:  23.59 (uk time) 15th may 2024.

• Entry Fee: £10 per entry
• Prizes: First prize: £300
• Word Limit: 5,000 words plus one-page synopsis
• Judge: Kiya Evans Associate Agent at Mushens Entertainment
• Category:  Novel Competitions
• Competition Website: goldfinch-books.com/novel

Creative Future Writers’ Award 2024

Deadline:  23:59 (uk time) on 19 may 2024.

• Entry Fee: Free (or pay what you can)
• Eligibility:  The competition is only open to underrepresented writers in the UK who are over 18 years old.
• Theme: The theme for the 2024 Awards is ‘Reveal’
• Prizes:  £23K in cash and professional development (see the Creative Future website for full details)
• Word Limit:  Poetry: 50 lines, Fiction: 2,000 words, Creative Non-Fiction: 2,000 words
• Judges: Wayne Holloway-Smith, Nina Mingya Powles
• Categories:  Short Story, Poetry, Creative Non-Fiction
• Competition Website:   creativefuture.org.uk/for-writers/creative-future-writers-award/how-to-enter

Bridport Prize – Short Story

Deadline:  23.59 (uk time) on 31 may 2024.

• Entry Fee: £14 per entry
• Prizes: First prize: £5,000 ; second prize: £1,000; third prize: £500; highly commended: 10 x £100
• Word Limit: 5,000 words (no minimum, title not included in the word count)
• Judge: Wendy Erskine
• Category: Short Story Competitions
• Competition Website: bridportprize.org.uk/the-competition/short-story

Bridport Prize – Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel Award

• Entry Fee: £24 per entry
• Prizes: First prize: £1,500 ; second prize: £750; three further prizes of £150; plus publication and manuscript/extract appraisal
• Word Limit: 8,000 words max (5,000 minimum) plus 300-word synopsis. (Title not included in the word count.)
• Judge: Ross Raisin
• Category: Novel Competitions
• Competition Website: bridportprize.org.uk/the-competition/novel-award

Bridport Prize – Poetry

• Entry Fee: £12 per entry
• Line Limit: 42 lines (Not including title)
• Judge: Liz Berry
• Category:  Poetry Competitions
• Competition Website: bridportprize.org.uk/the-competition/poetry

Bridport Prize – Flash Fiction

• Entry Fee: £11 per entry
• Prizes: First prize: £1,000 ; second prize: £500; third prize: £250; highly commended: 5 x £100
• Word Limit: 250 words (no minimum, title not included in the word count)
• Judge: Jasmine Sawers

Bridport Prize – Memoir Award

• Word Limit: 8,000 words max (5,000 minimum) plus 300-word overview. (Title not included in the word count.)
• Judge: Kit de Waal , award-winning and Booker-shortlisted writer of six novels
• Category: Non-fiction Competitions
• Competition Website: bridportprize.org.uk/the-competition/memoir-award/

Sapere Books Writing Competition

Deadline:  31 may 2024.

• Entry Fee: Free
• Prizes: First prize: Publishing contract for a five-book series
• Word Limit: First three chapters plus a synopsis of up to 2,000 words
• Competition Website: saperebooks.com/writing-competition

Bath Novel Award 2024

Deadline:  23:59 (uk time) on 31 may 2024.

• Entry Fee: £29.99 (some sponsored places are available)
• Prizes:  1st Place: £5,000 plus and a trophy; all shortlisted entrants win feedback on their full manuscript; online novel editing course (worth £1,800) for one longlisted entrant
• Word Limit:  Opening 5,000 words plus one page synopsis of novel manuscripts
• Judge: Catherine Cho (founder of  Paper Literary )
• Competition Website:   bathnovelaward.co.uk/the-bath-novel-award-2024

Victory Radio Pick of the Pops Story Competition

• Entry Fee: £5
• Prizes: Top 10 shortlisted stories will be broadcast on air. In addition, the winner and two runners-up receive a variety of prizes sponsored by Victory and Portsmouth Authors Collective.
• Word Limit: 600 words
• Eligibility: Entrants must reside in the UK, over 18s only
• Theme: Use a song title from the 1950s to 2000 to inspire your story
• Category:  Short Story Competitions
• Competition Website: victoryonline.co.uk/pick-of-the-pops/

Genesis Emerging Writers Programme

• Entry Fee: £8.50 (or three for £17). Students: £6 (or three for £12)
• Prizes: 1st: £1500, 2nd: £300, 3rd: £200
• Word Limit: Stories up to 3,000 words; poems up to 40 lines
• Eligibility: Entrants must be aged 17 or older, but from anywhere in the world
• Category:  Short Story Competitions, Poetry Competitions
• Competition Website: bedfordwritingcompetition.co.uk

Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition 2024

Deadline:  7 june 2024.

• Entry Fee: £5 for each poem
• Prizes: The Winner will be named Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year and receive £200. £100 will be awarded for the second place and £50 for the third place
• Word Limit: 60 lines maximum (excluding title and line breaks)
• Judges: Luigi Marchini (Chair, SaveAs Writers Group), Derek Sellen (Poet of the Year 2023) and Mara Adamitz Scrupe (Award Winning Poet and Artist)
• Category: Poetry Competitions
• Competition Website: canterburyfestival.co.uk/canterbury-festival-poet-of-the-year-competition-2024/

Writing Peers Summer Short Story Competition

Deadline:  21 june 2024.

• Entry Fee: $14.99 per entry
• Prizes: $1,000 ($500 for the winner of each genre)
• Word Limit: 2,000 words
• Judge: Judged by fellow competition entrants
• Themes/Genres: Receive 5 writing prompts, choose one and turn it into a story in an original and compelling way.
• Competition Website: writingpeers.com/summer-short-story

The Dorothy Dunnett Society / HWA Short Story Award 2024

Deadline:  1 july 2024.

• Prizes:  Winner: £500 plus mentoring and publication
• Word Limit: 3,500 words
• Note: Stories must be set at least 35 years in the past
• Competition Website: historicalwriters.org/awards/ddshwass-award-2024

Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction

Deadline:  midday (sydney, australia time) friday 19th july 2024.

• Entry Fees: AU$25 per entry (PayPal) (approximately £13); Personalised feedback is available for an additional fee
• Prizes: Total prize pool: AU$2,000 (everyone on the shortlist wins a cash prize); Winner: AU$1,000; 2nd place: AU$500; 3rd place: AU$200; 4th place: AU$100; 2 x HM: AU$50; 2 x Wildcard prizes: AU$50 (all winners will receive publication on the Not Quite Write website and are read aloud on the podcast)
• Word Limit: 500 words or fewer (excluding title)
• Judges: Ed and Amanda (Hosts of the Not Quite Write Podcast)
• Category: Flash Fiction Competitions
• Competition Website:  notquitewritepodcast.com/prize

Anthology Short Story Competition

Deadline:  midnight (uk time) on 31 july 2024.

• Entry Fee: Early Bird:  €15 – until 31 March 2024, Standard: €18 – until 31 July 2024
• Prizes:  1st Place: €1,000 plus publication in Anthology magazine and a one-year subscription; 2nd: €250; 3rd: €150
• Word Limit:  1,500 words
• Competition Website:   anthology-magazine.com/awards/short-story-competition

Inspiring Fiction Special Edition Short Story Contest

Deadline:  31 july 2024.

• Prizes:  Winner: The winner receives £100, publication, and a published comment from the editor about why the story won. Shortlisted stories are also published.
• Word Limit: 1,000 to 2,500 words
• Contest Prompt: ‘Freedom’

August 2024

Anthology personal memoir competition, deadline:  midnight (uk time) on 31 august 2024.

• Entry Fee: Very early bird: €10 per article (until 31 January 2024); Early bird: €12 per article (1 February to 30 April 2024); Standard fee: €15 per article (1 May to 31 August 2024)
• Prizes: 1st Place: €500 , plus publication in the Anthology magazine
• Word Limit: 1,500 words
• Category: Travel Writing Competitions
• Competition Website: anthology-magazine.com/awards/memoir-competition

21 Futures: Financial Fallout Anthology Competition

Deadline:  31 august 2024.

• Entry Fee: purchase of previous anthology 'Tales from the Timechain' - €7 for ebook, €15 for paperback
• Prizes:  Winner: $1,000 , Second: $100, Third: 3rd: Book haul, 4-21st: Publication and copy of anthology
• Word Limit: 3,000 words (not including title)
• Theme: ‘Financial Fallout’
• Competition Website: 21futures.com/submissions/

September 2024

Anthology flash fiction competition, deadline:  midnight (uk time) on 30 september 2024.

• Entry Fee: Early Bird: €10 per entry (until 31 May 2024); Standard fee: €12 per entry (1 June–30 September 2024)
• Prizes: 1st Place: €300 , plus publication in the Anthology magazine
• Word Limit: 250 words
• Competition Website: anthology-magazine.com/awards/flash-fiction-competition

Anthology Nature Writing Competition

• Entry Fee: Very early bird: €10 per article (until 29 February 2024); Early bird: €12 per article (1 March to 31 May 2024); Standard fee: €15 per article (1 June to 30 September 2024)
• Competition Website: anthology-magazine.com/awards/nature-competition

UK Writers College Short Story Competition

Deadline:  30 september 2024.

• Prizes:  Winner: NZ$1,000 , Second: NZ$500, Third: NZ$500; the three winning entries will be published in an anthology
• Theme: ‘It didn't have to be this way’
• Competition Website: ukwriterscollege.co.uk/the-uk-writers-college-annual-short-story-competition

October 2024

Anthology poetry competition, deadline:  midnight (uk time) on 31 october 2024.

• Entry Fee: Very Early Bird: €10 – up to 28 February 2024; Early Bird: €15 – 1st March to 30 June 2024; Standard fee: €18 – up to 31 October 2024
• Prizes: 1st Place: €1,000 , plus a one-year subscription to Anthology magazine and publication in the magazine; 2nd Place: €250; 3rd Place: €250
• Word Limit: 40 lines maximum
• Competition Website: anthology-magazine.com/awards/poetry-competition

The Bedford Competition – Short Story and Poetry Awards

Deadline:  31 october 2024, november 2024, anthology travel writing competition, deadline:  midnight (uk time) on 30 november 2024.

• Entry Fee: Very early bird: €10 per article (until 31 March 2024); Early bird: €12 per article (April to 31 July 2024); Standard fee: €15 per article (1 August to 30 November 2024)
• Word Limit: 1,000 words
• Competition Website: anthology-magazine.com/awards/travel-writing-competition

Bath Children’s Novel Award 2024

• Deadline:  23:59 (UK time) on 30 November 2024
• Entry Fee:  £29.99
• Prizes:  1st Place: £5,000 ; all shortlisted entrants win feedback on their full manuscript; all longlisted entrants win extract feedback; online novel editing course worth £1,800 for one longlisted entrant.
• Word Limit:  Opening 5,000 words plus one page synopsis of children's or YA novel manuscripts, or up to three picture book texts
• Judges: Shortlist chosen by Junior Judges aged 7-17 years. Winner chosen by a leading children's literary agent
• Category:  Children's Novel Competitions
• Competition Website:   bathnovelaward.co.uk/childrens-novel-award
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The following pages contain information about our Essay Prizes run for Lower and Upper 6th Students internationally, including how to apply.

The Robson History Prize will not run in 2024 but we are expecting to run it again in 2025.

Gould Prize for Essays in English Literature

Languages and Cultures Essay Prize

Linguistics Essay Prize

Philosophy Essay Prize

R.A. Butler Politics Prize

Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law

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2024 Mason Institute Essay Competition

The Mason Institute (MI) is pleased to invite undergraduate and postgraduate students to submit an essay for its annual Essay Competition.

The essay competition has a submission deadline of 23:59 BST (UK time) on Friday 31 May 2024 . Winners will be announced by the end of June 2024.

For each of the undergraduate and postgraduate category, there will be a cash prize to the winning essays at the undergraduate and postgraduate level: £200 (Winner) . The winners and runners-up (i.e. the top 3) in both categories will be published on the  Mason Institute website . Winning essays and runners-up at the undergraduate and postgraduate level will be invited to publish their essays on the Mason Institute blog.

For the essay competition, you are invited to submit an essay, either newly written or previously written and submitted to one of your courses within the past academic year, that falls within the broad scope of the MI’s work  on ethics and law at the interface between health, medicine and the life sciences at a national and global scale.  You can read more about the MI’s work  here . 

To be eligible to participate in the MI Essay Competition, you must be either:

• Currently enrolled as an undergraduate at a University, or
• Currently enrolled as a postgraduate (e.g. Masters or PhD student) at a university

Essays must   be submitted through your institutional email account.

Please submit your essays via email to the Mason Institute administrator:  [email protected]

The essay should be accompanied with a cover note which clearly indicates: 

• your name as the essay competition entrant;
• the degree for which you are studying;
• your institution; and
• that the submitted essay is being entered into the competition either as part of the undergraduate or postgraduate essay category.
• All essays should be between 2,000 and 4,000 words, excluding essay title, cover note, and references/footnotes (note: the reference style is at your discretion) 
• All essays must be written in English
• Submitted work must be single authored
• Essays should be submitted as Word (.docx) or PDF (.pdf) files
• You are allowed to submit to the competition one paper only  in any given year

From the pool of submitted essays in each category, a shortlist of three candidates will be made based on an assessment by an academic panel (the MI Essay Panel). Both undergraduate and postgraduate essays will be judged on the level of knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the clarity and style of writing, critical analysis and quality of argumentation, relevance, persuasive force, and originality of approach. The potential to significantly expand, challenge, or critique existing approaches of the topic which might lead to rethinking of the issue shall be considered a merit. The winner for each category will be decided by the MI Essay Panel. The Panel’s decision will be final; any feedback or comments will be at the Panel’s discretion.

The MI Essay Panel will consist of up to four members of the Mason Institute Executive Committee. The Panel will strive to have a gender balance and reflect different disciplinary backgrounds.

Any and all questions regarding the competition may be sent to the Mason Institute Administrator:  [email protected]

Mason Institute

About the Mason Institute

Student opportunities

Essay Competitions Deadline

Each year, Fitzwilliam College runs essay competitions in a variety of subjects, allowing talented pupils to explore their interests beyond the school curriculum.

The University of Cambridge seeks out students with a passion for their subject and who have investigated it outside the classroom. Our essay competitions provide students with an opportunity to engage with their interests in this way, allowing them to demonstrate their enthusiasm for their subject.

2024 Competitions

This year we will be running essay competitions in Ancient World and Classics, Archaeology, Economics, History, Land Economy, Medieval World and Slavonic Studies. We will additionally be running an Architecture design competition. Further particulars and this year's questions can be found at the links below. Please read the competition rules and submission guidelines carefully before entering a competition.

Ancient World and Classics

Archaeology

Economics (for state-school UK students only - please see link for details on eligibility)

Land Economy

Medieval World

Slavonic Studies

Architecture – students wishing to enter the Architecture Design Competition may find this plan of Fitzwilliam College and information on the history of Fitzwilliam’s buildings useful

The deadline for all competitions is  6pm on  Friday 1st March 2024 .

Competition rules

These essay competitions are exclusively for students in their penultimate year of education (Year 12 in England and Wales, S5 in Scotland, Year 13 in Northern Ireland). They are open to students in any country but submissions must be written in English.

Submissions should strictly adhere to the word limit set out in the subject brief (2500 words for Archaeology, Classics & Ancient World, History, Land Economy, Slavonic Studies and Medieval World; 1500 words for Economics; 500 words for the Architecture narrative), and contain a bibliography at the end. The word count should exclude the bibliography, but include any footnotes. Each page should be numbered and contain the applicant's full name.

We understand that not all students will have previous experience of writing a bibliography, and may not have equal access to advice on doing so. We therefore include this link to guidance on how to correctly use the Harvard referencing system. Anyone who wishes to use a different referencing system is free to do so.

Students are only permitted to enter one competition and may only submit one entry to that competition. There is a strict limit of five submissions per school for each competition. If more than five students from the same school enter the same competition, a teacher from that school will be contacted and asked to select the five entries; failure to do so will result in all submissions from the school to that competition being disqualified. Please note that this limit does not apply to Sixth Form Colleges where year groups are over 1000 students in size. When submitting an essay, the student will be asked to provide the name and email address of a teacher who may be contacted in order to verify the submission.

The submission must be entirely the individual student's work and must not be submitted or have been submitted to an exam board as part of any coursework or extended essay, either in part or in full.

Submission guidelines

Anyone who wishes to enter an essay competition must complete the online form .

Submissions can be uploaded to the online form in a PDF format. If the file size is too big to upload to the form, please email your submission to [email protected] . We can also accept entries by post. Please address postal submissions to: Schools Liaison Officer, Fitzwilliam College, Storey's Way, Cambridge, CB3 0DG.

You should receive an email confirmation after submitting the form. If you do not receive confirmation within 24 hours, please contact us at the email address below. Any technical difficulties will be dealt with on the next day, and students affected may be allowed to submit late in some circumstances.

Writing Webinars

Students preparing submissions who would like advice on essay writing may wish to seek advice from our two essay writing webinars:

•   Webinar 1 - Initial Preparation - 12th January 2024  at 6pm

**Please note, due to an issue with recording, this is last years webinar. All the information is the same bar these two changes**:

• The deadline for the competition is Friday 1 st of March 2024 at 6pm
• We are running a Slavonic studies competition this year, in addition to the competitions listed in this webinar
• Webinar 2 - Finalising your Essay - 16th February 2024 at 2pm

The webinars are delivered by the Schools Liaison Officer - the first webinar focuses on initial planning, research, and structuring of an academic essay, while the second provides advice on how to finalise arguments, edit, and reference your essays. Please email [email protected] with any questions about this event. 

If you have any questions relating to the competitions please contact us on  [email protected]

Click here to start your application. Apply now

The Essay Competition is now closed.

Northeastern University London is inviting competition entries from students who are currently in their penultimate year of secondary education (equivalent to Year 12 in the English education system, or Grade 11 in India).

Our selection of essay titles engage across a broad range of technology, social science and humanities topics and we look forward to receiving entries from talented and intellectually curious students who show passion in their subject area. We welcome entries from students located anywhere in the world.

If you have any further questions please see our  FAQ page before contacting us.

Choose your essay question

Applied Digital & Technology Solutions: Discuss the societal risks and rewards associated with generative AI (such as ChatGPT). 

Business: Is it possible to reconcile the cost-of-living crisis consumers are experiencing with the need for sustainable consumption?

Computer & Data Science: Describe a modern application of data science based on machine learning, generative AI or data analytics. Discuss its context in terms of topic, domain, and societal implications. 

Economics: Does the expanding gig economy contribute positively to sustainable economic growth? 

English: Is it fair to say that literature is another name for language which has no practical use? 

History: How have empires throughout history shaped the societies we live in today? 

Law: Ed Sheeran said “Defending copyright infringement lawsuits has become as much a part of the job description for top musicians as the performance of hits”. Discuss whether UK copyright laws are out of date and should be reviewed by Parliament. 

Philosophy: To what extent, and in what ways, can the past be a good guide to the future? 

Politics & IR: Is environmental degradation a greater threat to the international community than war? 

Psychology: Discuss to what extent mental factors impact ageing.

The following prizes will be awarded:

Overall winner across all essay subjects- £1000

Winner in a subject category- £500

Runner up in a subject category- £250

How to enter

1. Register for the competition – After registering you will be emailed detailed instructions on how to enter.

2. Choose one of the titles

3. Write your 1,500-word essay

4. Submit your essay via our online form (URL will be emailed to you after you register) by 1pm GMT Sunday 31st December 2023 .

If you have any further questions please see our FAQ page before contacting us.

Who can enter?

The Northeastern University London Essay Competition is open to students who are currently in their penultimate (second to last) year of secondary education (Year 12 in England or Grade 11 in India). This is a global competition, so we encourage entries from those studying anywhere in the world. Find full competition rules here .

Register here

We are no longer accepting registrations for the essay competition. If you have any questions please refer to our FAQ .

Bookings Open for Online Summer Courses

Watch our Explainer Video

How Our Essay Competition Works

Submit your entry.

Research and write your essay and then submit it, along with your references, via our short form below.

Entries close at 9pm UK time on 15th April 2024 !

Awards Ceremony

All shortlisted entrants and their parents and teachers will be invited to attend our Awards Ceremony in May 2024, where the winners will be announced.

Over £100,000 Worth of Academic Prizes

Free Conference place

The first thousand students who are successfully shortlisted will be awarded a free place at one of our OxBright Conferences (worth £95) in the autumn. Alternatively, you can put this credit towards an Online Course or Online Internship .

All shortlisted entrants and their parents and teachers will be invited to attend our online Awards Ceremony in May 2024, where the winners will be announced.

Matilda Winner, History, 2023

I’m both thrilled and flabbergasted at the outcome of the competition.

Winning this competition undoubtedly made me feel much more confident in researching and writing in my field from now on, opening a lot of new doors for me!

Regina Winner, Psychology, 2023

I’m very happy and grateful to win such a meaningful competition. I truly learned a lot.

My advice to anyone considering entering is to try to think deeper and further about your chosen topic.

Alex Winner, Philosophy, 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

Entering the essay competition, how will entering the oxbright essay competition help me in the future, why do you run an essay competition.

OxBright is about giving students the edge to help them to succeed, find their purpose and make a difference in the world.

We think it’s the greatest time to be alive, but we’re aware that young people face challenges their predecessors didn’t. We’re passionate about encouraging students to be optimistic about the future by being active thinkers interested in collaborating to create a better future for the long-term. You can read more about this in our Worldview .

Our essay competition combines these two elements – encouraging students to think actively about the future, and giving them tools to help them to succeed.

Who can enter?

Anyone can enter – the only eligibility criteria is that you must be aged between 15-18. You don’t need to have previously joined an OxBright programme in order to take part.

Kindly be aware that to be eligible to take up any of the free places offered as prizes, such as our online courses/internships, winning students must be between the ages of 15 and 18 at the commencement of the programme.

Can I write more than one essay?

Sorry, we only accept one essay per student in each Essay Competition. This is due to the volume of essays we receive.

Can I enter jointly with a friend?

No, we can only accept entries from individuals, and it’s important to make sure that your work is entirely your own.

Is there a fee to enter the OxBright Essay Competition?

No, the essay competition is completely free to enter.

When is the entry deadline?

The deadline has been extended, and is now the 15th April 2024, at 9pm.

Are you connected to any university?

No, OxBright is an independent education organisation which is not connected to any university.

Where can I see the results of the Essay Competition 2023?

You can see the results of our previous Essay Competition, including the winning essay in full, here .

Writing Your Essay

What are the subject categories i can enter for, how long should my essay be.

There are three parts to the essay:

• Essay title: the title of your essay can be up to 100 characters long, including spaces
• Essay: your essay can have up to 3,800 characters , including spaces (this is about 500 words). This includes everything you write, like the main text and in-text citations. In-text citations are little notes you put in your essay to show where your information came from. For example, if you quote something from a book by John Smith, you would add (Smith, 2010, p. 50) right after the quote. These citations are part of your word count, so make sure to include them
• References: as for references, there’s no word limit – you can include as many as you need! These are important for showing where your information came from. Please use the Harvard Referencing Style for your references (you can find how to do this in the guidelines provided here ). This won’t count towards your essay character limit, so please list all the sources you used

What are the evaluation criteria?

We’ll be assessing essays on the following criteria:

• Fluency of written English
• Relevance to the question
• Creativity and originality of ideas
• Use of evidence or examples
• Relevance to the OxBright Worldview

Should I use references?

Please make sure to include references to your sources, using the Harvard Referencing Style (guidelines here ).

What makes a good essay?

Make sure to read our criteria carefully (you can find it in the FAQ above).

We want essays that are thoroughly researched, packed with examples and solid evidence. What really catches our attention are essays with unique analysis. So, we’re not just interested in essays that simply describe things – we want your thoughts, analysis, and fresh ideas.

Don’t forget, it’s crucial to use and mention trustworthy sources for the evidence you provide.

Do you accept personal or descriptive essays?

We’re looking for clear, concise and compelling answers to the question above, written and formatted in an academic style. Please don’t submit personal essays or creative writing samples.

What Happens Next?

When will i hear the results.

We’ll be in touch within two weeks of your entry to let you know whether or not you’ve been shortlisted (all entrants who meet our core standards of relevance and coherence will be shortlisted).

All shortlisted entrants and their parents and teachers will be invited to our Awards Ceremony in May 2024, when the winners in each subject category will be announced.

How are essays assessed?

You can read about the criteria we use to assess your essay in the FAQ above (“What are the evaluation criteria?”).

Essays are assessed using our proprietary system which combines a mixture of technology and personal assessment. Essays which are deemed to be plagiarised or be written by AI will be rejected and our decision on this is final.

There are two stages to our assessment process:

Shorlisting Our first stage assessment reviews whether the essay is relevant and coherent. If so, your essay will be shortlisted, you will be offered a free place at an OxBright Conference and you will be invited to the Awards Ceremony.

Awards Shortlised essays are then given further assessment by our panel. This includes a review of the References. In the application form, we ask for a the name of a teacher who is familiar with your academic work. If your essay is nominated for an Award, we will ask this teacher to confirm that the essay was genuinely written by you.

What are the prizes?

Please click here for more information about the prizes and awards.

Why is the overall prize a place at Oxford Scholastica in 2025, not 2024?

Will i receive feedback.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of entries received, we are unable to provide feedback on essays.

Does everyone who enters get a free place at a Conference?

The first thousand students to who make a valid submission and are shortlisted will be invited to attend an OxBright Conference of their choice, free of charge (worth £95). Conference subjects include Business, Medicine, Law and Psychology. It is optional to attend a Conference.

Alternatively, you’ll be able to choose to apply the £95 credit toward another programme with us.

Does everyone receive a certificate?

Only students who win one of the awards receive a certificate. Certificates are issued in online format.

Do you publish the names of the award winners?

Yes, award winners will be published on our website after the Awards Ceremony.

How can I pass on some feedback about the essay competition?

The Big List of UK Writing Competitions

When it comes to getting your work noticed, there’s little better than winning or being shortlisted for a writing competition… and the odds of that happening aren’t as long as you think. Every competition listed here produces one or more winners every year, as well as numerous honourable mentions and shortlisted writers.

But in order to be selected, your first have to pick a competition to enter. Thus we present our list of excellent writing competitions based in the UK. To appear here a competition must run at least every year , and must have a prize that justifies the entry fee .

If you want to suggest an addition or correction for this list, you can do so using the Big List Update Form .

Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize

[ Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize Website ]

Awarded for the best piece of previously-unpublished writing on the topic of “Forgiveness and Retribution” – the theme of the 2020 Alpine Fellowship Annual Symposium. In addition to the main prize, the winner and two runners up will be invited to attend the symposum in Venice.

Anansi Archive Writing Awards

[ Anansi Archive Website ]

Anansi Archive is a new website dedicated to supporting writers with their endeavours. It runs three quarterly competitions in Flash Fiction, Poetry (no more than 500 words) and Short Story (no more than 3000 words). It offers free entry for a chance to win some small, yet worthwhile cash prizes.

The Annual Wenlock Olympian Society Short Story Competition

[ Wenlock Olympian Website ]

The Wenlock Olympian Society, in collaboration with Much Wenlock and District U3A ‘Writers on the Edge’, has arranged this creative writing competition. Stories can be on any theme, and no more than 2500 words.

Anthology Poetry Prize

[ Anthology Magazine Website ]

Established to recognise and encourage excellence in the craft of poetry writing and to provide a platform for publication, this competition is open to original and previously-unpublished poems in the English language. Entries are invited from poets of all nationalities, living anywhere in the world. Each competition has a theme to which entries must conform.

Anthology Short Story Competition

Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, this competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Stories submitted must conform to a specific theme, which changes each year.

Aurora Prize for Writing

[ Aurora Prize for Writing Website ]

The winners, in each category, will receive a cash prize of £500, feedback on a piece of work of their choice from a leading literary agent (or Editor as appropriate) and a year’s free membership to the Society of Authors, which includes access to advice and resources on all aspects of the business of writing.

Bare Fiction Competitions

[ Bare Fiction Website ]

* CURRENTLY SUSPENDED* A yearly set of competitions administered by the literary magazine Bare Fiction . There are 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes in each category, and the winners are published in an issue of the magazine. Different guest judges are bought in each year to select the winners. *CURRENTLY SUSPENDED*

Bath Flash Fiction Award

[ Bath Flash Fiction Award Website ]

The goal of this contest is to promote flash fiction for both writers and readers, and to bring the genre to a wider audience. Running three times a year, it has substantial prizes and the chance of publication for winning writers. There is also a novella-in-flash award.

Bath Novel Award

[ Bath Novel Award Website ]

An award for unpublished or independently-published novelists. Send along the first 5,000 words of a manuscript of a minimum of 50,000 words in length. A large percentage of shortlisted novelists have gone on to secure a publishing deal. There is a separate competition strand for children’s novels .

Bath Short Story Award

[ Bath Short Story Award Website ]

An international competition that welcomes stories of up to 2,200 words on any theme or subject. Stories must be previously unpublished. The prizes available are £1,200 for 1st place, £300 for 2nd place, and £100 for 3rd place, as well as a special award for the best story by a writer who does not yet have any publications.

BBC National Short Story Award

[ BBC Short Story Award Website ]

One of the most significant short story competitions in the UK, this prize is awarded yearly by the BBC. Entrants must have a prior record of publishing creative work in the UK. Stories up to 8,000 words are accepted, and may be submitted by the author or by their agent. Shortlisted stories are awarded a prize of £600.

Beechmore Books Annual Writing Competition

[ Beechmore Books Website ]

A free writing competition from London-based stationary brand, Beechmore Books. It has a different theme each year and this year (2021), the theme is PERSPECTIVE. It is open to writing of any form. Monetary awards and (some beautiful) writing journals are given to the top two placed entries.

Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award

[ Blue Pencil Agency Website ]

The Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award is open to unrepresented and unpublished authors for a novel in any adult fiction genre. The competition was founded in 2017, and is overseen by the Blue Pencil Agency. The winning writer receives a cash prize and an introduction to an agent.

Bridport Prize

[ Bridport Prize Website ]

A prestigious annual competition with different strands for novels, short stories, memoirs, flash fiction and poetry. As well as the prize money there are several supplementary awards, including one for young writers. Selected entries are published in an anthology. They have a bursary scheme for under represented writers.

Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize

[ Brick Lane Bookshop Website ]

This prize, run by Brick Lane Bookshop , is open to all UK residents for original short stories between 1,000 and 5,000 words. Its aim is to celebrate short stories and to give emerging writers encouragement and a little financial space to write. Winners are published in an anthology in addition to receiving prize money.

Bristol Short Story Prize

[ Bristol Short Story Prize Website ]

 An international short story competition opened to published and unpublished writers anywhere in the world. In addition to the main prize, all shortlisted writers are published in an anthology distrubuted by Tangent Books, and receive £100 in prize money. Stories must be under 4,000 words in length.

Caledonia Novel Award

[ Caledonia Novel Award Website ]

Now in its ninth year, this competition is for unpublished and self-published novelists in all genres for adults and YA. They are Edinburgh-based but open to international submissions. As well as the cash prize, the winner of the best novel in the UK & Ireland, will receive a free place on a writing course at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre.

CAS Short Story Competition

[ CAS Short Story Website ]

This bi-annual competition is to celebrate the best short stories from across the world. It is open to published and unpublished authors, and entries must be between 2000-4000 words. Each of ten shortlisted stories will be published on this site, and there are three cash prizes of £800, £400 and £200.

Commonwealth Short Story Prize

[ Commonwealth Short Story Prize Website ]

A competition run by Commonwealth Writers, designed to reward and promote the best new writing from across the Commonwealth. Prizes are awarded for the best stories overall, as well as the best stories from a given region. Stories must be 2,000 – 5,000 words in length and previously unpublished.

Costa Awards

[ Costa Awards Website ]

A series of book and short story awards for authors from the UK and Ireland (previously known as the Whitbread Book Awards). One of the only UK awards open to children’s books as well as adult. The short story strand is narrowed down by judges and then decided by a popular vote.

Cranked Anvil Flash Fiction Competition

[ Cranked Anvil Website ]

A quarterly flash fiction competition open to any theme or genre. There is a maximum word limit of 500 words. Monetary prizes for the top two placed flash fictions as well as (online) publication.

Cranked Anvil Short Story Competition

A quarterly short story competition that is open to any theme or genre. There is a maximum of 1,500 words and you can enter three stories each quarter. Monetary prizes and (online) publication for the top three placed stories.

Creative Future Writers’ Award

[ Creative Future Writers’ Award Website ]

The Creative Futures Writers’ Award is an annual national writing competition and development programme which celebrates talented, underrepresented writers – including those who lack opportunities due to mental health, disability, health, and from working class, LGBTQIA+, and Black, Asian and other global majority backgrounds. 2023 is the 10 th  awards and the theme is ‘X’.

Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition

[ Creative Writing Ink Website ]

Creative Writing Ink’s short story competition is looking for stories on any topis of no more than 3000 words; prizes include the £1000 top prize but also publication on Creative Writing Ink’s website and a free creative writing course of the winner’s choice. Submissions must be made through Submittable

Edinburgh Award for Flash Fiction

[ Story Awards Website ]

Open to writers worldwide and stories on any topic up to 250 words. Top 20 stories offered publication in an annual anthology. Top 20 writers awarded free ticket to the annual Flash Bash awards event at the Scottish Arts Club in Edinburgh. Managed by the Scottish Arts Trust. All proceeds used to support the arts in Scotland.

Elmbridge Literary Competition

[ Elmbridge Literary Comp. Website ]

Jointly run by the R. C. Sherriff Trust and Elmbridge Borough Council, Elmbridge Literary Competition is now in its 17th year. This year, they are looking for short stories and poems on the them of ‘Enigma’ from people of all ages. There are a wide range of age categories and prizes of cash and publication.

Encore Award

[ Encore Award Website ]

This prize is awarded annually for the best second novel published in the UK. The organisers say, “The award fills a niche in the catalogue of literary prizes by celebrating the achievement of outstanding second novels, often neglected in comparison to the attention given to promising first books.”

Exeter Writers Short Story Competition

[ Exeter Writers Website ]

Exeter Writers runs an annual short story competition. The competition began in 2009 and is very popular, receiving entries from all over the world. You can consult anthologies from previous competitions to get a sense of what judges are looking for, and to read winning entries.

Fiction Factory Short Story Competition

[ Fiction Factory Website ]

Fiction Factory are welcoming stories of all genres (excluding Children’s and Young Adult Fiction) for their short story competition. The maximum word limit is 3000 words; entries should be on a Word document, and there is the optional critique of your work for an additional £20.

First Drafts

[ First Drafts Website ]

Previously unpublished writers are invited to submit entries of up to 5,000 words from a novel, narrative nonfiction or short story collection in progress. The prize is a week-long writing retreat at West Dean College, a centre of creativity and tranquillity near Chichester in West Sussex, plus detailed editorial feedback from the judges and six months’ mentoring from a Myriad author.

Forward Poetry Prize

[ Forward Poetry Prize Website ]

The largest annual poetry competition in the UK, this prize rewards the best collection, best first collection, and best single poem in the UK each year. All works put forward for the prize will also be considered for publication in  The Forward Book Of Poetry , a yearly anthology. Entries must be published works, and individual poets cannot enter their own work.

Frogmore Poetry Prize

[ Frogmore Press Website ]

The Frogmore Poetry Prize (sponsored by the Frogmore Foundation) was founded in 1987 and has been awarded annually since then. The Prize is set at 250 guineas… but the true Prize is the kudos of joining a select band of winners which includes many notable poets.

Frome Festival Short Story Competition

[ Frome Festival Website ]

The Frome Festival Short Story Competition is an annual, international short story competition looking for the best unpublished stories between 1,000 and 2,200 words. There are cash prizes for the top three stories and an additional prize for the best story by a local writer under the age of 21. For an additional fee, the competition also offers a critique service for your short story.

Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize

[ Galley Beggar Press Website ]

Galley Beggar Press is an independent publisher committed to publishing daring, innovative fiction creative non-fiction. Their annual prize has a top award of £2,000, along with several other smaller prizes, including cash, books and book vouchers.

Globe Soup Poetry Competition

[ Globe Soup Website ]

Globe Soup are looking for the best poem of up to 50 lines. The theme for Globe Soup Poetry Competitions is always, “Poetry with a Sense of Place”. They accept all forms and styles of poetry.

Globe Soup Short Story Competition

Globe Soup are looking for the best short story of no more than 5,000 words. Every Globe Soup short story competition features a different country which all participants must set their story in. Entrants only find out which country after they enter!

Globe Soup 7 Day Story Writing Challenges

Globe Soup are running a programme of 7-day writing challenges to which writers sign up. At an unspecified time, the registered writer receives a secret theme, a randomly assigned genre and just 7 days to write a story of no more than 2000 words.

Green Stories Writing Competitions

[ Gree n Stories Website ]

Organised by the University of Southampton, Green Stories is a ‘free’ writing competition project with a range of categories for novelists and short story writers. Entries should conform with positive visions of more sustainable futures and/or the inclusion of green solutions but needn’t have an explicitly green theme.

Grindstone International Novel Prize

[ Grindstone Literary Website ]

This competition is open to writers from anywhere in the world, writing in any genre other than children’s literature. Entries are judged by a literary agent, and all longlisted and shortlisted entries are packaged in a chapbook and sent to a selection of literary agencies. Feedback is available on entries for an extra fee.

Hastings Literary Festival Competition

[ Hastings Literary Festival Competition Website ]

This competition is a little different: yes, a monetary prize (£100) but up to 12 competition winners will be invited to an all-day workshop in Hastings on September 23 to work with editors to complete their pieces ready for the printers. The resulting anthology will then be launched at a special event less than two days after the workshop.

Hysteria Writing Competition

[ Hysteria Writing Competition Website ]

This competition offers 3 x £300 cash prizes for each of the overall category winners, with this year’s theme being ‘peace’. Any genre is accepted (except erotica or horror), and there are word limits in place: short story – 1000 words / flash fiction – 250 words / poetry – 12 lines. Winners are published in Hysteria 9 alongside 9 runners-up from each category.

Impress Prize for New Writers

[ Impress Prize Website ]

Impress Prize is an annual literary prize run by Impress Books for writers who have not been traditionally published before. They are looking for manuscript samples from a variety of genres within fiction and non-fiction (but no poetry please!).

Indigo International Wild Nature Poetry Award

[ Indigo Int. Wild Nature Poetry Awar d Website ]

Indigo Dreams Publishing are running a competition in conjunction with the League Against Cruel Sports to find the best poetry on the themes of: Cruel Sports (Hunting/Shooting/Animal Fighting); Wildlife; the Natural World and the Environment. A top prize of £200 and anthology publication. League Against Cruel Sports members are also eligible for the League Prize, £75 and a goodie bag!

Ironbridge Festival of Imagination Open Poetry Award

[ Ironbridge Poetry Competition Website ]

Ironbridge Festival of the Imagination is holding its first ever poetry competition to poets from across the globe, welcoming poems on any and every subject. First prize in our competition will win £300, with a second prize of £125, and three third prizes of £25 each. In addition, poems sent in by people living in a TF postcode will also be eligible for our local prize of £50. Poems will be read, and winners chosen, by our judge Simon Fletcher.

Kent & Sussex Poetry Society Open Competition

[ Kent & Sussex Poetry Society Website ]

Run each year by the Kent & Sussex Poetry Society, this competition offers a top prize of £1,000 and several runner-up prizes. Poems can be in any form or style, but must be previously-unpublished and under forty lines in length. Postal and online entries are accepted.

La Piccioletta Barca Competition

[ La Piccioletta Barca Website ]

La Piccioletta Barca is an independent arts magazine pursuing the essence of human thought. Their goal is to embrace and promote substantive creative work produced by both emerging and established artists. They run an annual competition which seeks work in response to a given theme or stimulus.

Ledbury Poetry Competition

[ Ledbury Poetry Festival Website ]

The Ledbury Poetry Festival Poetry Competition has been an important first step in many poets’ careers. The Competition is increasingly international with several international winners. The Festival prides itself on a lasting relationship with its competition entrants and winners: many are asked back for performances, residencies and workshops.

Letter Review Prize for Short Stories

[ Letter Review Prize Website ]

The Letter Review Prize is a short story competition seeking 200-4000 word entries. It is open to writers from across the world and there are no genre or theme restrictions; three winners receive publication within the Letter Review as well as cash prizes.

Live Canon Poetry Competition(s)

[ Live Canon Website ]

Live Canon are an ensemble performing poetry (from memory) at theatres, festivals and events throughout the UK, recording poetry for radio and CDs, and creating poetry installations and digital projects. They have three poetry competitions across April and May: a poetry collection (35+ poems) competition where three winners are selected for publication and promotion; a single poem competition where first prize is £1,000 and a pamphlet (18-35 poems) competition where three winners are offered a publication contract.

London Magazine Competitions

[ London Magazine Website ]

The London Magazine ‘s annual competitions seek to recognise new talent, and promote unpublished poems and stories from around the world. Winning entries appear in the magazine, and authors and poets are invited to a London-based networking drinks reception.

Mairtín Crawford Award

[ The Mairtín Crawford Award Website ]

These Awards are aimed at writers working towards their first full collection of poetry, short stories, or a novel. Both published and unpublished writers are invited to submit between 3-5 poems for the poetry award, and a short story of up to 2,500 words for the short story award, with the only stipulation being that they have not yet published a full collection of poetry, short stories, or a novel.

Manchester Cathedral 600 Poetry Competition

[ Manchester Cathedral Website ]

This year’s (2021) competition celebrates the 600 year anniversary of the founding of the Collegiate Church, the precursor to the Manchester Cathedral. Poems must reflect, express or connect to the cathedral in some way and be broadly religious or spiritual in nature; poetry from all faiths is encouraged. There is a maximum line length of 15 lines. There will be 10 winners awarded £100 and publication in a booklet of the winning poems.

Manchester Writing Competition

[ Manchester Writing Competition Website ]

Each year this competition awards a prize of £10,000 for the best short story and best short portfolio of poems submitted. It is run by the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University. The compeition is open to anyone over the age of sixteen.

Mogford Food And Drink Short Story Prize

[ Mogford Food and Drink Website ]

This annual prize is open worldwide. Sponsored by the Mogford Hotels And Restaurants Group, it seeks to reward the writer of an unpublished short story not longer than 2,500 words which revolves in some way around food. The winner is announced at an annual prize-giving event and as well as the monetary reward, will receive online and (mini) print publication and their story professionally recorded by The Story Player.

Moth Prizes

[ Moth Prizes Website ]

These international prizes are open to everyone over the age of sixteen, and awards a top prize of €10,000 for the best poem and €3,000 for the best short story submitted. It is run by The Moth Magazine , with winners published in the magazine and invited to special prize-giving events.

National Poetry Competition

[ National Poetry Competition Website ]

One of the biggest single poem competitions in the world, the National Poetry Competition is open to anyone aged 17 or older. The competition is for previously unpublished poems of up to 40 lines in length. As well as the top prize, there are nine other small prizes for second place, third place, and commended entries.

New Writers Flash Fiction Competition

[ New Writers Website ]

The inaugural New Writers Flash Fiction Competition is seeking entries of imaginative and thought-provoking flash fiction of up to 300 words. Entries must be in English but can be on any subject. The competition is open to writers from anywhere in the world. £1 from each entry will be donated to First Story, England’s leading creative writing charity for young people.

Outsideleft Short Story Competition

[ Outsideleft Short Story Competition Website ]

This is the first annual short story writing competition from Outsideleft – an online midland’s based magazine where pop culture writing matters. This year’s theme is ‘Concrete’; it is free to submit and the upper word limit is 1000 words.

Ovacome Writing Competition

[ Ovacome Writing Competiton Website ]

Ovacome – the UK’s national ovarian cancer support charity – are running a short story competition on the theme of ‘Connected’ with a word limit of 2000 words. They can’t wait to read inspiring and creative stories from writers whatever their previous experience.

Oxford Poetry Prize

[ Oxford Poetry Prize Website ]

This is the inaugural Oxford Poetry Prize, and will be awarded to the best single poem in the English language. The guest judge for 2022 is Emily Berry and first place will receive £700, second place, £200, and third place, £100. All winning poets will be offered publication in Oxford Poetry. The competition closes at midnight GMT on Wednesday, August 31st, 2022. Submissions are welcome from poets worldwide.

Parracombe Prize

[ Parracombe Prize Website ]

The Parracombe Prize is in its second year and looking for the best short stories that weigh in at under 2022 words. Winners are awarded cash prizes and will feature in their second anthology of short stories.

Patricia Eschen Prize for Poetry

[ Patricia Eschen Prize Website ]

The inaugural Patricia Eschen Prize for Poetry 2022 is sponsored by the Dennis Myner Trust in collaboration with Cornwall’s only independent library, the Morrab Library in Penzance.

The competition will open for entries from Friday 1st July 2022. Both the adult’s and children’s categories will be judged by Katrina Naomi and Penelope Shuttle, two multi-award winning poets based in Cornwall.

The 2022 competition does not have a theme; poems can be on any subject to a maximum line length of 40 lines for each poem. The competition is open to international entries, entry is free and limited to one poem per individual. Poems must be written in the English language.

PBS/Mslexia Women’s Poetry Competition

[ PBS Website ]

The Poetry Book Society and Mslexia have teamed up for two competitions for women poets. The Women’s Poetry Competition offers a £2,000 prize, a mentorship with PBS Book Selector Sandeep Parmar and a Cove Park writing retreat. The winner of the Women’s Pamphlet Competition will receive publication by independent UK publisher Seren.

Pen to Print Competitions

[ Pen to Print Website ]

The Pen to Print is a creative writing network, funded by Arts Council England and run out of Barking and Dagenham Library Services. They host free writing events, classes and competitions. The competitions are held annually, and prizes range from audio recordings of the winning entries to tablets and electronic publication.

Perito Prize

[ Perito Website ]

This annual competition is run by an inclusive environment consultancy, and seeks stories that touch on the theme of accessibility. Entry is free, and there’s a top prize of £500. More specific information on what they’re seeking – and the wider work of Perito – can be found on the website.

Poetry Book Awards

[ Poetry Book Awards ]

The series of awards is looking to recognise the best independently published and self-published poetry books from across the globe. The winner also receives a year-long subscription with PN Review and some promotion from the team behind the awards.

Poetry London Prize

[ Poetry London Website ]

The Poetry London Prize is a major international award for a single outstanding poem. The total prize fund is £8,000, with all prize-winning entries published in Poetry London magazine. The organisers provide a number of free entries for people on low incomes, and discounted entries for subscribers to Poetry London .

Prole Laureate Competition

[ Prole Website ]

This competition welcomes entries of previously-unpublished poems, with a particular focus on poems that are engaging, accessible, challenging and entertaining. Guidelines are open regarding length, style and content. Winners and runners-up are published online.

Prole Poetry Pamphlet Prize

This competition seeks a poetry collection that epitomises the values of Prole : writing that engages, challenges and entertains the reader. The winning entry will receive publication as well as the prize money. Collections should be less than 35 pages in length.

Reader’s Digest 100-Word Story Competition

[ Reader’s Digest Website ]

The Reader’s Digest 100-Word-Story Competition is a chance to show the world your story-telling talents. There are three categories—one for adults and two for schools: one for children aged 12–18 and one for children under 12. Stories should be original, unpublished, and exactly 100 words.

RSL Christopher Bland Prize

[ RSL Christopher Bland Prize Website ]

The RSL Christopher Bland Prize is an annual award of £10,000 to a debut novelist or non-fiction writer first published aged 50 or over. The Prize was launched in 2018 by the Bland family and friends, with the RSL, in memory of Sir Christopher Bland who died in 2017.

RSL Literature Matters Awards

[ RSL Literature Matters Awards Website ]

The RSL’s Literature Matters Awards aim to reward and enable literary excellence and innovation. Each year, after an open call for proposals, the Awards are given to individual writers or other literary creators, recognising their past achievements and providing them with financial support to undertake a proposed new piece of writing or literary project. A total of £20,000 is available. Priority will be given to proposals which (a) will help connect with audiences or topics outside the usual reach of literature, and/or (b) will help generate public discussion about why literature matters

RSL Ondaatjee Prize

[ RSL Ondaatjee Prize Website ]

An annual award administered by the Royal Society for Literature which goes to the work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry that judges feel best evokes the spirit of a place. All prize winners also receive a paperweight clock, which they are awarded at a celebratory dinner.

Rhys Davies Short Story Competition

[ Rhys Davies Competition Website ]

The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition recognises the very best unpublished short stories in English in any style and on any subject up to a maximum of 5,000 words by writers in/from Wales. Entrants must have been born in Wales, have lived in Wales for two years or more, or currently be living in Wales.

Saveas Writers’ International Writing Competition

[ Saveas Writers Website ]

To celebrate the centenary of TS Eliot’s visit to Margate, Saveas Writers are looking for the poems (60 lines maximum) and short stories (3500 words maximum) on the theme of “horizons”. There are three prizes available in both categories and a reduced entry fee for three pieces in either category.

Scottish Arts Club Short Story Competition

Open to writers worldwide and stories on any topic up to 2,000 words. Chief judge Ian Rankin. Top 20 stories offered publication in an annual anthology. Top six writers awarded free ticket to the annual Story Awards Dinner at the Scottish Arts Club in Edinburgh. Managed by the Scottish Arts Trust. All proceeds used to support the arts in Scotland.

Sean O’Faolain Short Story Competition

[ Sean O’Faolain Short Story Competition Website ]

Winners are published in Southword . Previous prizes have also included a week-long residency and an expenses-paid trip to the Cork International Short Fiction Festival. The organisers say, “The Sean O’Faolain Short Story Competition […] is dedicated to one of Ireland’s most accomplished story writers and theorists, sponsored by the Munster Literature Centre.”

Searchlight Awards

[ Searchlight Awards Website ]

Searchlight Writing for Children Awards 2022 is open for entries. There are two competition categories: Best Picture Book (text only) and Best Novel Opening for Children or Young Adults. Winners will be chosen by BBC Children’s Writer and Director Kayleigh Keam and Literary Agent Amber Caravéo. The top ten stories in both categories will feature in an agent/publisher pitch book, as well as published in an annual anthology.

Sentinel Literary Quarterly Poetry Competition

[ Sentinel Literary Quarterly ]

This quarterly poetry competition seeks out original, previously unpublished English-language poems on any subject. Prizes of £250, £125 & £75 for the top-three placed poems, and 3 x £30, 3 x £20 and 3 x £10 for Highly Commended, Commended and Special Mentioned poems, respectively.

Southport Writers’ Circle Annual Short Story Competition

[ Southport Writers’ Circle Website ]

With an upper limit of 2000 words, SWC are looking for original, unpublished short stories on any theme. They encourage online entries and winners will be published on SWC’s website.

Stroud Book Festival Writing Competition

[ Stroud Book Festival Website ]

In addition to the main strands of poetry and flash fiction, this competition also has a mainstream fiction category, which seeks a synopsis and extract from a longer work of mainstream fiction. The prize for this category includes a five-day writing retreat.

Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award

[ Sunday Times EFG Award Website ]

One of the most valuable short story prizes in the UK. “The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Award honours the finest writers of short stories in the UK and Ireland. Worth £30,000 to the winning author, it is open to anyone with a previous record of publication in creative writing in the UK or Ireland.”

Sussex Poetry Competition

[ Brighton + Hove Arts Council Website ]

Split between its ‘main’ competition and student competition, the Sussex Poetry Competition is held in conjunction with the Sussex Poetry Festival. Its organisers are looking for poems on any subject that are not more than 40 lines in length. Entrants must have a link to Sussex – either having lived, studied, worked or been born in the county.

The Anne Marie Gracie Memorial Poetry Competition

[ The Anne Marie Gracie Memorial Website ]

The Anne Marie Gracie Memorial Poetry Competition was launched in 2022 to celebrate the life of Anne Marie Gracie, who sadly died of cancer in the May of that year. The link above allows people to read her work and enter the poetry competition in her memory. All profits go to Ayshire Cancer Support.

The Bedford Competition

[ The Bedford Competition Website ]

The Bedford Competition is looking for poems (of 40 lines) and short stories (up to 3000 words) on any theme; they are a non-profit group with all net proceeds from the competition going to charities that support and promote literacy/literary skills.

The Bi-monthly Free Flash Fiction Competition

[ The Free Flash Fiction Website ]

The Bi-monthly Free Flash Fiction Competition promotes the work of flash fiction authors, offers a cash prize to one winner, gives book prizes to two highly commended, and publishes all the stories that make the shortlist on its website. In a novel twist, the winner of the current competition is then be invited to be the judge for the next competition.

The Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award

[ The Blue Pencil Website ]

The Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award is open to unrepresented and unpublished authors for a novel in any adult fiction genre. To submit for the competition, they require the first chapter(s) of the novel – up to 5000 words -, a 300-word synopsis and cover letter. There are also up to 20 free entries to UK based writers on low incomes.

The Canterbury Tales Writing Competition

[ Canterbury Tales Comp Website ]

This competition was set up by the Chaucer Heritage Trust to create further interest, understanding and appreciation of the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, his life and times and influence. This year’s theme is  promises, promises ! The competition is open to all students of school age including not only those in schools and college communities, but also students who are home educated and in any other young people’s community organisations.

The Liverpool Poetry Prize

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• Writing Tips

7 Essay Writing Contests to Look Out For in 2023

7-minute read

• 28th December 2022

Essay contests are not only a great way to exercise your essay-writing skills but also an awesome way to win cash prizes, scholarships, and internship or program opportunities. They also look wonderful on college applications as awards and achievements.

In this article, you’ll learn about 7 essay writing contests to enter in 2023. Watch the video below, or keep reading to learn more.

1. Tom Howard/ John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest 

Deadline: Now–April 30, 3023

Who may enter:

This is an international contest for people of all ages (except for residents of Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus due to US government restrictions).

Contest description:

●  The contest is organized by Winning Writers, located in MA, USA.

●  They accept stories and essays on any theme, up to 6,000 words each. This contest defines a story as any short work of fiction and an essay as any short work of nonfiction.

●  Your stories and essays must be submitted in English.

●  You may submit published or unpublished work.

Entry fee: USD 22 per entry

●  Story: First Prize is USD 3,000.

●  Essay: First Prize is USD 3,000.

●  10 Honorable Mentions will receive USD 300 each (any category).

●  The top 12 entries will be published online.

Official website

Please visit the competition’s official website for more information on judges and submissions.

2. 2023 Calibre Essay Prize 

Deadline: Now–January 15, 2023, 11:59 pm

Who may enter: All ages and any nationality or residency are accepted.

●  This contest is hosted by the Australian Book Review.

●  Your essay must be between 2,000 and 5,000 words.

●  You may submit nonfiction essays of all kinds, e.g., personal, political, literary, or speculative.

●  You may enter multiple essays but will need to pay separate fees for each one.

●  Your essay must be unpublished.

Entry fee: AU 30 for non-members

Prize: AU 7,500

Official website:

For more information on this contest, please visit its official website.

3. John Locke Institute Essay Competition 

Deadline: June 30, 2023

●  Students from any country.

●  Students aged 15 to 18 years by the competition deadline.

●  Students aged 14 years or younger by the competition deadline are eligible for the Junior prize.

●  The contest is organized by the John Locke Institute.

●  Your essay cannot exceed 2,000 words.

●  There are seven subjects or categories for essay submissions: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law.

Entry fee: Free to enter

●  The best overall essay winner receives an honorary John Locke Fellowship, which comes with a USD 10,000 scholarship to attend one or more summer schools or gap year courses.

●  There is also a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category and the Junior category is a scholarship worth USD 2,000 toward the cost of a summer program.

●  All winning essays will be published on the Institute’s website.

For more information about this competition and the John Locke Institute, please visit the official website . Also, be sure to check out our article on all you need to know about this contest.

4. The American Foreign Service Association 2023 Essay Competition 

Deadline: April 3, 2023

●  Students in grades 9–12 in any of the 50 states, DC, the US territories, or if they are US citizens or lawful permanent residents attending high school overseas.

●  Students attending a public, private, or parochial school.

●  Home-schooled students.

●  Your essay should be 1,000–1,500 words.

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●  You will select a country or region in which the United States Foreign Service has been involved at any point since 1924 and describe how the Foreign Service was successful or unsuccessful in advancing American foreign policy goals – including promoting peace – in this country or region and propose ways in which it might continue to improve those goals in the coming years.

●  Your essay should follow MLA guidelines.

●  Your essay should use a variety of sources.

●  The first-place winner receives USD 2,500, a paid trip to the nation’s capital from anywhere in the U.S. for the winner and their parents, and an all-expense-paid educational voyage courtesy of Semester at Sea.

●  The runner-up receives USD 1,250 and full tuition to attend a summer session of the National Student Leadership Conference’s International Diplomacy program.

Please visit the American Foreign Service website for more information.

5. The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) 2023 Essay Contest 

Deadline: Mid-February 2023–June 1, 2023

Who may enter: High school (including homeschooled), college, and graduate students worldwide.

●  The 2023 essay contest topic is marriages and proposals.

●  High school students may focus on Pride and Prejudice only or bring in other Austen works.

●  Undergraduate and graduate students should discuss at least two Austen novels of their choice.

●  Your essay must be in MLA format and 6 to 8 pages (not including your Works Cited page).

●  Your essay must be written in English.

●  First place wins a USD 1,000 scholarship.

●  Second place wins a USD 500 scholarship.

●  Third place wins a USD 250 scholarship.

●  Winners will also receive one year of membership in JASNA, publication of their essays on this website, and a set of Norton Critical Editions of Jane Austen’s novels.

For more information and submission guidelines, please visit JASNA’s official website .

6. 2023 Writing Contest: Better Great Achievements by EngineerGirl

Deadline: February 1, 2023

●  Students in Grades 3–12. If international or homeschooled, please select your grade level based on if you were attending a public school in the U.S.

●  This contest is organized by EngineerGirl.

●  Students should write a piece that shows how female or non-white engineers have contributed to or can enhance engineering’s great achievements.

●  You should choose one of the 20 Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century as a topic and explore the technologies developed in the last century and the new ones being developed today. Make sure to follow the specific guidelines for your grade level.

●  Essays should be 650–750 words based on your grade level.

●  Please visit the contest’s website to see specific requirements based on your grade.

Winners in each grade category will receive the prizes listed below:

●  First-place winners will be awarded USD 500.

●  Second-place entries will be awarded USD 250 .

●  Third-place entries will be awarded USD 100 .

For more information and submission guidelines, please visit the official website .

7. World Historian Student Essay Competition

Deadline: May 1, 2023

Who may enter: Students enrolled in Grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools and home-study programs worldwide.

●  Your essay must address the following issue: In what way has the study of world history affected my understanding of the world in which I live?

●  Your essay should be 1,000 words.

Prizes: USD 500

For more information and submission requirements, please visit the contest’s official website.

Essay contests are a great way to expand your writing skills, discuss a topic that is important to you, and earn prize money and opportunities that will be great for you in the long term. Check out our articles on writing thesis statements, essay organization, and argumentative writing strategies to ensure you take first place every time.

If you need help with your essays and would like to make sure that every comma is in place, we will proofread your first 500 words for free !

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