Fair Submissions

  Full details  Introduction The Chaucer Heritage Trust is very pleased to launch its ninth annual writing competition for schools and home educated students inspired by the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, considered by many England’s greatest medieval poet. The special theme of the competition is ‘Happily ever after?’ Who can take part? 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 three age groups are: Junior – 5-10 years old Intermediate – 11-14 years old Senior – 15-18 years old Age on 28 February 2026. Competitors must include their date of birth on the entry form. Competition Guidelines Choose ONE of the following: Write a poem or story that ends happily Write a poem or story that ends happily, but not for everyone Write a description (in verse or prose) of a chara...

  Full details  See site  

  Full details  THEME: IN THE GARDEN To enter the competition use link below The prize giving ceremony for the competitions will take place in the town centre (venue to be confirmed) on Saturday 21st February 2026 at 2pm. PRIZE FOR 3 CATEGORIES  18 & Over – £300 12 to 17 – £100 11 & Under – £50 WE’RE DELIGHTED TO WELCOME BACK WENDY PRATT AS OUR JUDGE FOR 2025  Wendy is a published author and poet living on the North Yorkshire coast. Her latest poetry collection, Blackbird Singing at Dusk, was published in November 2024. She has won or been placed in many competitions, and her work is widely published in magazines and anthologies. Speaking about what she hopes to see for 2026, Wendy said: “I want to see poems that explore more than the patch of grass at the front or back of your home. I want you to tell me how you connect through your own garden, or what the public gardens of your town or city say to you. I want you to explore the concept o...

  Full details  Welkin (noun, wel-kən):  ​ the vault of the sky, the heavens, the upper atmosphere, the firmament, the universe About ​ The Welkin Writing Prize is an annual competition for microfiction up to 100 words. It is free to enter and aims to be a welcoming space for all writers. The competition is open to all forms of narrative prose (fiction and non-fiction), be that flash fiction, short-short, vignette, haibun, hermit crab, prose poem or work that sits outside such labels. There is a whole universe (or welkin) of possibilities. ​ Mailing List ​ If you'd like updates about The Welkin Writing Prize, why not join my mailing list ? Forenote ​ Writing competitions can often attract controversy when they don’t live up to the high standards we want to see in our literary community. While I hope to run the competition in the best possible manner, it is inevitable that not everyone will be happy with every detail or decision. Please note the ...

 Full details  ontest Details The goal of Do Wha(TS) Write is to fundraise for Tourette Canada , a national charity that provides support for individuals with TS. For more information on Tourette Syndrome, visit our About TS page. Please note that Do Wha(TS) Write is in no way affiliated with Tourette Canada.  ​ ​ The 2025 contest is open! Please review the rules below before submitting your entries. Entry rules Contest entries should be flash fiction or short stories, with an absolute word limit of 1000 words. There is no required prompt or topic. Write whatever you'd like! We want to see you get creative! There is no preferred genre or format of story. Longer stories will not be granted an advantage. Poetry is not permitted. This contest is international - you do not have to reside in Canada to participate. You may submit as many entries as you would like. However, the entry fee will be applied individually to each entry. So if, for example, you submi...

  Full details ⚽❤️ When passion for the game collides with passion of the heart, sparks fly. The Love at First Kick Writing Contest invites you to craft romances where soccer isn’t just the backdrop—it’s the heartbeat of the story. Whether it’s rivals from opposing teams falling in love, teammates realizing their bond runs deeper, or a journalist caught between truth and desire, we want romances that capture the high stakes and high passion of the world’s most popular sport. 💘 From small-town fields to championship arenas, we’re looking for romances that blend ambition, rivalry, and irresistible chemistry into binge-worthy arcs. Need inspiration? Here are a few story sparks: A striker and goalkeeper from rival teams fall for each other during a title race. A sports journalist finds herself drawn to the team’s star captain. Two childhood teammates reunite as pros and discover their spark never died. 📅 Submission Deadline: Decembe...

  Full details  LILITH’S ANNUAL FICTION CONTEST Deadline: December 31, 202 5 Gifted fiction writers! Lilith magazine—independent, Jewish & frankly feminist—seeks quality short stories with heart, soul, and chutzpah, 3,000 words or under, for our Annual Fiction Contest. First prize: $300 and publication. We especially like fresh fiction with feminist and Jewish nuance and are eager to read submissions from writers of color and emerging writers of any age. Submit to  info@lilith.org  with the subject line “Fiction Contest” and your surname.  Include full contact information on manuscript . And check out FRANKLY FEMINIST : Short Stories by Jewish Women from Lilith Magazine, available now wherever you buy books, or at  bit.ly/FranklyFeminist .  

 Full details  More Prizes. More Winners. More Chances to Win! 🏆 £2,000 Grand Prize for the Best Story 🥈 £1,000 Second Place 🥉 £500 Third Place 🎁 And don’t forget: your ticket also gets you into a £1,500 Bonus Prize Draw — packed with writing-related goodies and vouchers, shared across multiple winners. Reserve Your In-Depth Story Critique! Take your writing to the next level with a personalised, detailed critique of your contest entry. You’ll receive comprehensive feedback based on the judges’ scores and comments, actionable guidance to strengthen your story, and insights on how your entry ranked. Plus, get free resources to help develop your storytelling skills. Feedback will be delivered after the contest results are announced , typically within 14 days, or sooner if the judges finish scoring early. Slots are limited, so reserve yours today! ...

  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,...

 Full details  Deadline:  7th December 2025 Entry Fee: £5 Prizes:  First prize: Interview for the New2theScene podcast; £50 New2theScene vouchers; ‘Origins’ blog’; author bio and work featured on the New2theScene website; social media promotion; publication in an anthology; possible future projects not advertised on the site. Notable mentions: £15 New2theScene vouchers; possible publication in anthology Word Limit: 400 words Theme/Genre: Any – let your imagination free! Category:  Poetry Competitions Competition Website: new2thescene.co.uk/new2thecomp New2theScene is a platform for the discovery of new or not yet familiar literary talent. They sell the books of authors who aren’t bestsellers (yet), promoting them through their podcast, articles, blogs, social media and so on. They have now launched their latest poetry competition (it opens for entries on 5th October 2025). It’s open to published poets to amateurs from around the world and it will b...

 Full details  At the edge of another summer. At the edge of a fallow field. At the edge of day. Waiting For last light of dusk To call all the children Home. from Summer (16’) by Rachel Tzvia Back  You might have heard Vivaldi's Four Seasons , but did you know that the musician wrote sonnets to help him map out his seasonal concertos? Or that nearly 300 years later, composer Max Richter released a new version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons as a modern retelling? In 2026 Swaledale Festival will explore the four seasons through music, visual art, words and more.  What do the seasons mean to you? We want to hear! Swaledale Festival invites you to share your poetry inspired by the seasons. This exciting open call brings together and celebrates the creativity of people of any age, stage, background or experience level - from longstanding professionals to total newbies - putting new work at the heart of the Festival. Everyone is welcome. What are ...

 Full details  The Kelpies Prize for Writing and Illustration 2026 is now open for entries! Are you a writer or illustrator based in Scotland? Do you have a passion for children’s books and stories to tell? Then we want to hear from you! The Kelpies Prize for Writing and Illustration is for writers and illustrators in Scotland who want to start a career in children’s books. Our prize package includes a mentorship with our experienced editorial or design team, consideration for a publishing deal, plus £500 cash, which we hope will help our winner take their first steps as a children’s author or illustrator! If that sounds like you, click the relevant button for full details on how to enter the Kelpies Prize for Writing or the Kelpies Prize for Illustration . We welcome entries to the Kelpies Prizes from people whose backgrounds are not well represented in children’s books , including under-represented ethnic backgrounds, disabled, neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+, minor...

 Full details  About the Magazine Visible is an experimental, open-ended magazine. From personal to systemic challenges, creatives share the invisible parts of their lives — and offer hope for change. Philosophical and theoretical discourse are welcomed but not required. These are the stories from the makers on the vanguard of culture. About the 2025 Visible Mag Contemporary Art Essay Prize Writers play a critical role in the art and culture ecosystem. They help us make sense of who we are, how we live, and the goals we aspire to. The 2025 Visible Mag Contemporary Art Essay Prize looks for unexpected insights on art and culture today. In line with the Magazine’s experimental nature, we are happy to accept short essays that reference photography in any way for this year’s prize. The Essay Prize is a celebration of the diverse perspectives in the arts. You are welcome to address the topic of the Prize from any perspective, such as economic, financial, sociological...

  Full detail  Single works of fiction or nonfiction, including scripts and screenplays, from 17,501 to 29,000 words should be submitted using this form.  Graphic novels should run 41 to 85 pages.  A single poem between 16 and 20 pages is also accepted.  Story, essay, and poetry collections are not accepted in this category. Submissions that do not meet these guidelines will be declined without review.  

  Full details  eadline: Wednesday 31 December 2025 Farnham Literary Festival presents Farnham’s First Five Pages writing competition. Entrants to submit the first 5 pages of their novel and a 250-word synopsis, your work does not have to be finished. There is no set theme or style of writing however your entry should be an unpublished, original story. The judges will agree on a longlist of 20 submissions and 10 will be shortlisted. Awards: First place – THE PARIS PRIZE FOR FICTION – £1000 and a critique Second place – £300 Third place – £200 T he Paris Prize for Fiction: The Farnham Literary Festival is immensely grateful for the generosity of B.A. Paris, the New York Times and Sunday Times best-selling author, who has offered this substantial prize. B.A. Paris says, ‘I am very grateful to those who supported me early in my writing career and want to show my gratitude by encouraging new authors. Writing competitions play an important role in building a debut...

 Full details  Please note that we have additional perks and leeway for WRITER LEVEL MEMBERS , highlighted in GREEN , granting access to special content and bonuses in the submission process, plus it helps keep the lights on and pay all yee writers! Speaking of 'Members', (Imagine some yokel hollering from the back of city council meeting, "Point of clarity!") we have two terms that you should note the difference: "Subscriber" means our free, basic subscription. "Member" means our paid, annual membership. Click on our Member's page to learn more about the different tiers and perks for each. Boom, now you're informed. Story Guidelines:       Attention storytellers: we just want good stories! There are no restrictions on genre: fantasy, sci fi, memoir, fiction/nonfiction, etc - we don't care as long as it's written and told with quality and care. The story itself cannot exceed 7,000 words (except for WRITER level Memb...