Fair Submissions

  Full details  CAFE WRITERS POETRY COMPETITION 2025 IS NOW OPEN Closing Date 23rd November 2025 (Midnight GMT) PRIZES 1st £1000 2nd £300 3rd £200 Three Commended Prizes of £30 Norfolk Prize £50 For the best poem from a permanent Norfolk resident not winning another prize. ENTRY FEE £5 per poem; or £13 for 3 poems & £4 per poem thereafter. Concessions: We offer free entry of up to two poems to any UK resident with a total household income of less than £16,000. Your status to claim this will be taken on trust. See below for more details. Our Sole Judge: Jessica Mookherjee is a British poet of Bengali heritage. She grew up in Wales and London and now lives in Kent. She has been published in many print and online journals and anthologies and was twice highly commended for best single poem in the Forward Prize 2017 and 2021. She is author of three full collections from Nine Arches Press: ‘Flood’, ‘Tigress’ and ...

  Full details  Wildfire Words offers writers worldwide three cash prizes — £150, £75, or £35 — plus free publication of an audio book ONLINE. Up to 20 poems and/or stories as text with the author’s voice.     The judges are Dr Katherine Parsons, Marilyn Timms, Howard Timms All entries will be checked for anonymity, then read by Dr Katherine Parsons , who will produce a long list of potential prizewinners. Next, Wildfire’s publishing team of Marilyn and Howard Timms will join Katherine to read the long-listed entries and listen to a sample audio supplied with each. The three judges will vote for first, second, and third prize winners plus Highly Commended (shortlisted) entries. All long-listed writers will be invited to publish their work with audio of their voice in the ABC Anthology to be published by Wildfire Words. Sample audio books for you see and hear Preview of Tempo of Colour audio book Gain free access to Waves at the ...

  Full details  Sonnet or Not 2025   Poetry Competition is now open . The 2025 prizes remain the same as last year. First prize £500, Second prize £250 and third prize £125 The Fee is £6 for the first poem and £3 for all subsequent poems. On your first submission, when you enter on line, £3 will automatically be deducted from the total if you submit three or more poems [i.e the third poem you submit is free]. This year's sole Judge is Ian Duhig. Ian Duhig worked with homeless people for fifteen years before becoming a writer. He won the Forward Best Poem Prize once, the National Poetry Competition twice and his New and Selected Poems the 2022 Hawthornden Prize for Literature. 'An Arbitrary Light Bulb' was the Poetry Book Society 2024 Winter Choice. Entry Form: Please download the  Sonnet or Not 2025 leaflet   and read the rules before you enter. ...

 Full details  Music / Art / Film / Poetry/ Literature / Comedy/Theatre **** Our programme will soon be issued as a pull-out in the Excelle magazine. Keep an eye open for it. Copies will also be made available in the Library, Town Hall, Cinema and other spots about Wetherby. If you can’t wait here is a digital copy . More detail for each event is posted on the ‘What’s On’ and ‘Tickets’ pages. Click on the menu at the top of the page. ****  

Full details    The Paz Prize for Poetry Competition Guidelines Miami Book Fair will award one $2,000 prize every other year (in even years) for the publication of a previously unpublished book of poetry originally written in Spanish by an American resident.  The prize will recognize book-length manuscripts of poetry written in Spanish. Translations, works of literary criticism and scholarly texts do not qualify.  The next Paz Prize competition will open in May, 2026. The winner will be selected by an esteemed Spanish-speaking poet.  The chosen book will be translated into English by an experienced translator, and will be published in a bilingual edition. Eligible poets include: U.S. Citizens Residents of the United States for a ten-year period prior to January 1 of the prize year, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Legal Permanent Status (LPS), or any sub...

  Full details  The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award recognizes outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of cultural diversity. Awards are given for fiction, poetry, memoir and autobiography, and general nonfiction. For books published and copyrighted in 2025, the submission period begins April 10, 2025, and the deadline is December 31, 2025. The winners are traditionally announced in the spring. Eligibility The book must contribute to our understanding of racism and foster an appreciation of cultural diversity.  Books must be written in English and published and copyrighted in 2025 to be eligible for the 2026 prize. Awards are given in fiction, poetry, memoir and autobiography, and general nonfiction. All submitted materials become the property of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards and will not be returned. The deadline for submission is December 31, 2025. The following are NOT eligible for consideration: Plays Scree...

  Full details Write about a scar. Physical or invisible. This could be a scar you have, or one for a character you make up. You can do this in any form you like: story, song, script, or poem, as long as it's 250 words or fewer. The writer of the most compelling story will receive a $400 Gotham credit, a $50 gift certificate to Bookshop, and publication on our website. Plus bragging rights—you'll be the first winner of Gotham's inaugural teen writing contest. Two finalists will each receive a free Gotham class of their choosing and publication on our website.  Some examples: When I was nine, I cut my thumb on a paring knife. It didn’t hurt. Amazed, I watched the skin along my knuckle curl into itself like paper. If it was a second, it felt longer. Time stretched out before me as I peered inside myself. There was no blood. The bone was shiny and clean. I was surprised by how immaculate it looked. Then the flesh turned red and flooded out. Still, it...

Full details  Rules for the 2026 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition Sponsored by Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America (MWA) 1. The Competition is open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any Published Novel (in any genre), as defined by the guidelines below, (except that authors of self-published works only may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work) and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. Employees, and members of their immediate families living in the same household, of Minotaur Books or Mystery Writers of America (or a parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of either of them) are not eligible to enter. Only one manuscript entry (the “Manuscript”) is permitted per writer. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Please read all of the rules and guidelines before submitting your entry.  If you have q...

 Full details  Why Poetry? At Whispering Wisdom , we believe poetry invites a more reflective, contemplative way of engaging with the world — something increasingly rare in our fast-scrolling lives. This competition isn’t just about prizes. It’s about encouraging people to pause, reflect, and connect through words that carry depth, beauty, and meaning. ​ The winning poems can be found on our website and social media to create gentle moments of insight and inspiration for visitors — and next year, we hope to publish an anthology of collected works exploring themes like compassion, connection, and grace. ​ ​ Thank you for helping us build something slower, deeper, and more soul-nourishing. ​ The Whispering Wisdom Second Poetry Competition is now OPEN The theme is 'Love'. The deadline is 31st October 2025. Winners will be announced on 30th November 2025. ​ ​ Theme: Love Whispering Wisdom’s  second poetry competition invites you to explore t...

  Full details  The Jerwood Fellowships at New Writing North will be awarded to three early career published writers, currently living in the North of England. Each writer will receive a bursary of £10,000 and a bespoke package of support, including mentoring, over the course of a year, beginning in 2026. The fellowship will be open to writers of fiction, poetry or narrative non-fiction who have had work professionally published. With a focus on artistic excellence, this opportunity aims to support writers at a pivotal point in their careers, as they develop new work towards publication. The three writers will be invited to participate in at least one event scheduled towards the completion of the programme in late 2026. These Fellowships are generously supported by the Jerwood Foundation and managed by New Writing North.