Competitions and Submissions

Deadline: Wed 22 Apr 2026
Location: International

St John’s College, Cambridge, invites applications for the Harper-Wood Creative Writing & Travel Award for English Poetry and Literature.  Read more...

Deadline: Sat 25 Apr 2026
Location: London

Scratch Books are now open to submissions for the Scratch A4 1000 word short story competition until 25th April 2026. Read more...

Deadline: Mon 27 Apr 2026
Location: England

Word’s A Stage 2026 is Apples and Snakes’ performance poetry development programme for poets aged 21–30 based in England. This course is specifically geared towards improving both your writing and performance skills for poetry. Read more...

Deadline: Thu 30 Apr 2026
Location: International

100 words or less per entry. Any genre. No theme. All writers welcome. All ages. All genders. All nationalities. Prizes: 1st place: $1,000 USD. Total value of all prizes: over $15,000 USD. Read more...

Deadline: Thu 30 Apr 2026
Location: International

Are you ready to be published? Goldendark is looking for astounding short fiction for the forthcoming anthology of thrutopian fiction.So, not bland utopias or predictable dystopias, but stories that offer a ‘way through’ the multiple challenges we face (what has been called the ‘Age of Polycrisis’). Read more...

Deadline: Thu 30 Apr 2026
Location: International

The aim of the Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize is both to celebrate the best of new short fiction under 2000 words and to give winners the most visibility possible for their writing. Deadline extended to 30 April. Read more...

Deadline: Thu 30 Apr 2026
Location: International

The New Writers 100-Word Writing Competition 2026 is seeking imaginative, thought-provoking stories or poems of up to 100 words from writers aged 18 or above based anywhere in the world. Read more...

Deadline: Thu 30 Apr 2026
Location: Scotland

Polygon, an imprint of Birlinn, is currently seeking new submissions of romance fiction with a strong Scottish connection until 30 April 2026. Read more...

Deadline: Thu 30 Apr 2026
Location: International

Sunspot Lit is calling for single works of novella-length fiction or nonfiction in any category, including memoir, literary, genre, and historical. Read more...

Deadline: Thu 30 Apr 2026
Location: International

The Swaledale Festival is looking for unpublished poems that explore anything seasons-related! All entries will be considered for publication and celebration before and during Swaledale Festival 2026. Free to enter. Read more...