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Memoir

The Selfies Book Awards UK 2021

Information

Closing date: 
1 January 2021
Entry: 
Authors who have self-published adult fiction, children’s books or adult memoirs/autobiography in the UK between January and December 2020. Entry fee: £25 per title to include a six-month subscription to Bookbrunch
Prize: 
£750 cash prize for each category plus a profile in BookBrunch and the option of a special publishing deal provided by sponsors IngramSpark

Back for the third year, the hugely popular UK Selfies book awards - powered by BookBrunch - is adding for 2021 a third category, adult memoirs/autobiography, to the existing categories of adult fiction and children's books.  Read more

Mslexia Fiction & Memoir Competition 2020

Information

Closing date: 
21 September 2020
Entry: 
Open to women writers only from across the world with unpublished manuscripts (self-published work allowed) Entry fees - various
Prize: 
Various


Short Story

For complete short stories in any genre for adult /young adult women writers.
First Prize 3,000 plus optional week at an Arvon writing centre
Entry fee 310

Flash Fiction

Fr complete short fiction narratives in any genre for adults and/or young adult readers
First Prize £500
Entry fee £5

Children's & YA novel  Read more

The Spread the Word Life Writing Prize 2020

Information

Closing date: 
3 February 2020
Entry: 
Open to writers who have yet to publish a full-length work or have a literary agent, living in the UK and aged 18 or over. No entry fee
Prize: 
£1,500, an Arvon course, a writing mentor, two years' membership of the Royal Society of Literature

Kerry Hudson, Nell Stevens and Sathnam Sanghera are to judge Spread the Word

London organisation running creative writing workshops for writers at all stages, with a focus on new writing and live literature, and encouraging innovation and experimentation. www.spreadtheword.org.uk

's 2020 Life Writing Prize.  Read more

The Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize 2019

Information

Closing date: 
28 June 2019
Entry: 
All new writers of Fiction, Poetry and Life Writing Entry fee £6, 2 entries £10 and 3 entries £15
Prize: 
£1,000 for each category

The Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize 2019 is open for submissions in the categories of Fiction, Poetry, and Life Writing. The prize was launched ten years ago to support new writers, with no limits on age, gender, nationality or background. In this birthday year we are excited to announce that we are increasing each prize sum from £300 to £1,000.  Read more

The Spread the Word Life Writing Prize 2019

Information

Closing date: 
1 February 2019
Entry: 
Open to emerging writers living in the UK aged 18 or over No entry fee
Prize: 
£1,500 and other prizes

The Spread the Word

London organisation running creative writing workshops for writers at all stages, with a focus on new writing and live literature, and encouraging innovation and experimentation. www.spreadtheword.org.uk

Life Writing Prize in association with Goldsmiths Writers' Centre was established in 2016.

Open to emerging writers living in the UK aged 18 or over, the Prize was established to celebrate and develop life writing in the UK thanks to a generous donation from Joanna Munro.

Blake Morrison is Patron of the Prize.  Read more

Myriad’s First Drafts Competition 2018

Information

Closing date: 
6 July 2018
Entry: 
Open to unpublished women writers of any nationality and of African heritage or descent.
Prize: 
Publication in the forthcoming anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby and a week's writing retreat

Myriad EditionsOnline image bank of infographics from The State of the World Atlas by Dan Smith. Useful resource for students, academics, teachers, journalists and businesses, the store will soon contain maps and graphics from their entire State of the World Atlas series. Download via Paypal, low resolution images start at $1 and high resolution images from $50. is now seeking entries for a special edition of its annual First Drafts award, now in its ninth year, to launch unpublished writers. This year, the Competition will be in celebration of Myriad's forthcoming publication New Daughters of Africa edited by Margaret Busby OBE.  Read more

Booklife Prize 2018

Information

Closing date: 
31 August 2018
Entry: 
Open to all in six categories - Romance/Erotica; Mystery/Thriller; Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror; General Fiction; Memoir/Autobiography; YA/Middle Grade Entry fee $99
Prize: 
Grand Prize $5,000

The BookLife Prize is an annual writing contest sponsored by BookLife and Publishers WeeklyInternational news website of book publishing and bookselling including business news, reviews, bestseller lists, commentaries http://www.publishersweekly.com/. The Prize seeks to support independent authors and discover great books in six categories: Romance/Erotica; Mystery/Thriller; Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror; General Fiction; Memoir/Autobiography; YA/Middle Grade.  Read more

Winchester Writers Festival 2018 Writing Competitions

Information

Closing date: 
11 April 2018
Entry: 
Open to all, no requirement to attend the Festival £6 per entry, +10 for feedback
Prize: 
Various prizes

Our 2018 Writing Competitions are now open!

For full details on our ten writing competitions, please visit www.writersfestival.co.uk/competitions  Read more

The Booklife Prize in Fiction 2017

Information

Closing date: 
31 August 2017
Entry: 
Unpublished or self-published novels in the English language are eligible Entry fee $99
Prize: 
Grand Prize $5,000

The BookLife Prize

Discovering Great Books, Supporting New Authors  Read more

Winchester Writers Festival Competitions 2017

Information

Closing date: 
15 May 2017
Entry: 
Open to all writers across the UK and around the world regardless of whether or not you attend the Festival Entry fees mostly £6
Prize: 
Various

The Festival's ten writing competitions are now open for submissions!

The competitions are open to all writers across the UK and around the world regardless of whether or not you attend the Festival in June.

Closing date: 15 May 2017. All entries must be submitted online. Winners will be announced at the Festival and on our website on Saturday 17 June.  Read more

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Linked items...

'Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.'

— Neil Gaiman

'Poetry is definitely having a renaissance'

22 February 2021

‘Poetry is definitely having a renaissance.There's been a real sea-change in terms of how it's seen, especially in lockdown. Poetry is the perfectly transportable art form. Owning a book is all you need to experience it. Poetry doesn't necessarily give us the answers, but it does give us the tools to think with and helps us process issues.  Read more

8 February 2021 - What's new

February 2021
  • 'It is all for the taking. All the manuals by frustrated fictioneers on how to write can't give you the first syllable of reality, at any cost, that any common conversation can.
  Read more