Competitions and Submissions

Deadline: Mon 12 Jan 2026
Location: UK, Republic of Ireland

Curtis Brown Creative and the Curtis Brown literary agency are partnering with the Women’s Prize Trust and Audible to deliver the Discoveries writing development programme and prize for unpublished women writers aged 18 years and upwards currently residing in the UK or Ireland. Free to enter. Read more...

Deadline: Mon 12 Jan 2026
Location: East of England

Each year National Centre for Writing partners with The Literary Consultancy to provide up to ten low-income writers with expert advice and support on their manuscript. Read more...

Deadline: Mon 12 Jan 2026
Location: Argyll and Bute

Funded residencies for artists based in Scotland whose careers have been impacted by a breast cancer diagnosis and who have undergone successful treatment and are up to five years in remission. Read more...

Deadline: Mon 12 Jan 2026
Location: North of England

The Hachette Children's Novel Awards are open to debut writers of middle-grade children’s fiction and early teen fiction aged over 18 and living in the North of England. Part of the first submission window of the Northern Writers' Awards 2026. Read more...

Deadline: Wed 14 Jan 2026
Location: International

$5,000 prize package. No genre restrictions; open to fiction and creative non-fiction. 7,000 word limit (or 10,000 for Members). NO entry fee. Read more...

Deadline: Thu 15 Jan 2026
Location: International

Every January, the world tells you to go fix yourself. New Year, New You. Rise and grind. Detox, optimize, and #lifehack your way to a better life. Ads and influencers tell you that your current self is outdated, and the cult of productivity steps into the spotlight. But what if you refuse to listen? Read more...

Deadline: Mon 19 Jan 2026
Location: UK

The Guild of Food Writers is inviting aspiring food and drink writers to enter its Newcomer Award, part of the Guild of Food Writers Awards 2026. Read more...

Deadline: Fri 23 Jan 2026
Location: UK

The Jerwood Royal Court Commissioning Scheme is a new national fund to unlock risk and investment in commissioning new plays. Read more...

Deadline: Sat 31 Jan 2026
Location: International

Calling all writers and writing groups! Submit your short stories to the Bristol Short Story Prize 2026. We accept entries of up to 4,000 words from any genre and from published and unpublished authors alike. Enter by 31 January 2026 for the chance to win £1,500 and publication in the Bristol Short Story anthology. Read more...

Deadline: Sat 31 Jan 2026
Location: UK

Presence seeks poems – haiku (including senryu), tanka, renga and related forms – haibun, and relevant essays for its March 2026 issue. Read more...