Open to all poets across the world over the age of 16, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished.
Entry fee €15 per poem
Prize:
First Prize €1,000 and a week-long stay at The Circle of Misse in France, Second Prize €500 and Third Prize €250
If you have written a poem you think would appeal to 7-11-year olds, then why not enter the The Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2024? The prize is open to anyone over 16, and the poem can be on any subject. Read more
Open to all poets over 16 for an unpublished poem.
Entry fee €15 per poem and you can enter as many poems as you like
Prize:
1st prize €6,000, plus three runner-up prizes of €1,000 and eight commended poets will each receive €250
The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the biggest prizes in the world for a single unpublished poem. The prize is open to anyone, as long as the poem is previously unpublished, and each year it attracts thousands of entries from new and established poets from over 50 countries worldwide.The prize is for an unpublished poem, and entrants (over 16) are welcome from anywhere in the world. Read more
Open to anyone 18 or over from all over the world to enter an unpublished poem of up to 40 lines.
Entry fee £8 for first entry, £5 for unlimited subsequent entries
Prize:
First Prize: £5,000, Second Prize £2,000 and Third Prize £1,000, Commendations £200
The National Poetry CompetitionAnnual poetry prize run by the UK-based Poetry Society established in 1978; accepts entries from all over the world; over 10,000 poems submitted each year
The 2023 National Poetry Competition is one of the world's most prestigious prizes for an unpublished poem of up to 40 lines, open to anyone internationally who is 18 or over. It is judged anonymously and has been won by celebrated poets and by newcomers.
Open internationally to those aged 16 or over.
Entry fee for both prizes £18
Prize:
Two £10,000 prizes are awarded: the Manchester Poetry Prize for best portfolio of poems and the Manchester Fiction Prize for best short story
The Manchester Writing Competitions offer the UK's biggest literary awards for unpublished work, offered by the country's most successful writing school. The Competition was established in 2008 by Carol Ann Duffy (UK Poet Laureate 2009-19) and has awarded more than £220,000 to writers. Read more
Non-agented submissions in English from anywhere in the world.
No entry fee
Prize:
Publication by The Emma Press and small advances
The Emma Press is an independent publisher specialising in poetry, short fiction and children's books. It was founded in 2012 and is based in Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, UK. We publish poetry, short-form prose, and books for children.
The Emma Press's open submission will run from 1 August to 8 August. Read more
All poets writing in English are eligible, no matter where they live.
Entry fee £6 per poem
Prize:
First prize £1,000 cash and a week's poetry course at Arvon, Second Prize £500 and Third prize £250
The Ledbury Poetry Competition has opened for entries, with a closing date of 10 July. All poets writing in English are eligible, no matter where they live. Read more
Open to all poets from across the world over the age of 18.
Entry fee: first submission £7 then £4 for each additional poem
Prize:
First prize £5,000, second prize £2,000 and third prize £1,000
The Ginkgo Prize for Ecopoetry is a major international award for poems embracing ecological themes.
The first prize is £5,000, second prize is £2,000 and third prize is £1,000, with an additional £500 prize for the ‘Best Poem of Landscape' sponsored by the AONB family. Read more
Open to all poets over 16 for an unpublished poem.
Entry fee €15 per poem
Prize:
1st prize €6,000, plus three runner-up prizes of €1,000 and eight commended poets will each receive €250
The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the biggest prizes in the world for a single unpublished poem. The prize is open to anyone, as long as the poem is previously unpublished, and each year it attracts thousands of entries from new and established poets from over 50 countries worldwide.The prize is for an unpublished poem, and entrants (over 16) are welcome from anywhere in the world. Read more
Open to anyone 18 or over from all over the world to enter an unpublished poem of up to 40 lines.
Entry fee £7 for first entry, £5 for unlimited subsequent entries
Prize:
First Prize: £5,000, Second Prize £2,000 and Third Prize £1,000, Commendations £200
The National Poetry CompetitionAnnual poetry prize run by the UK-based Poetry Society established in 1978; accepts entries from all over the world; over 10,000 poems submitted each year
The 2022 National Poetry Competition is one of the world's most prestigious prizes for an unpublished poem of up to 40 lines, open to anyone internationally who is 18 or over. It is judged anonymously and has been won by celebrated poets and by newcomers.
'The creative process is open to all. I don't believe in some magical creative gift, the exclusive possession of a few, nor need it concern big or sophisticated ideas. On the contrary, creativity may depend upon the recognition that our own thoughts and ideas are as valid as anyone else's; something which we knew as children, and which we were taught to unlearn. Read more
Open to unpublished and unagented writers from around the world.
No entry fee
Prize:
Prize of £3,000; publication with Tortoise Media; literary representation by RCW literary agent Laurence Laluyaux and other prizes
Fern Press and How to Academy have partnered on a new essay award worth £3,000, in association with Tortoise Media, for unpublished authors.
Fern Press was launched by Vintage last year, while the annual non-fiction essay prize is "for those working at the frontier of creativity and thought", organisers said. Read more
It's not a pretty word, 'blurb'; it smacks of nonsense, or slightly less than entirely honest marketing. Which is unfortunate, because a blurb is a useful and necessary thing; without it, your book is at risk of being a blank text, what you might call a closed book. Read more
'You want to write the twist so that it doesn't suddenly come out of nowhere. I tried to see a few things so that (the reader) thinks, of course! But it is hard to get that balance I think, of trying to get a twist in that is unguessable but not too "out there"... Writing in lockdown, 'So that was a bit of freedom in a way, I didn't have any expectations almost.
'You want to write the twist so that it doesn't suddenly come out of nowhere. I tried to see a few things so that (the reader) thinks, of course! But it is hard to get that balance I think, of trying to get a twist in that is unguessable but not too "out there". Read more
Waterstones managing director James Daunt said social media is reinforcing the reading of "proper" paper books among young people.
Mr Daunt, who is also chief executive of Barnes & Noble, said social media trends such as 'BookTok' on TikTok had been "hugely positive", as he was made a CBE for his services to publishing by the Princess Royal.
A new generation of romance novel consumers has moved a long-standing three-way conversation between reader, writer and publisher onto social media, industry insiders say, speeding up an already fast-moving segment of the publishing world.
When you are next visiting a bookstore, and find your way to the children's section, you might be forgiven for thinking that there is no longer such a thing as a children's author. Instead, you will be ambushed by piles of books blazoned with the names of actors, singers, comedians, DJs and people who generously exhibit themselves on social media.
A federal judge in California this week dismissed four of six claims made by authors in a now consolidated lawsuit alleging that Open AI infringes their copyrights. But the court gave the authors a month to amend their complaint, and the suit's core claim of direct infringement-which Open AI did not seek to dismiss-remains active.
For budding authors, the submissions process can be daunting. For anyone with little understanding of the publishing industry and how it works, it can be even more so. And for anyone whose writing sits outside of the established ideas of genre, style or content, it can be utterly baffling as to how to present that to an agent or publisher.
'Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must be cantankerous and objectionable in order to be bright; that ego is paramount over skill; that one can rise to a level from which one can tell the reader to go to hell. These myths, if believed, can ruin you. Read more
Children's creativity
'The creative process is open to all. I don't believe in some magical creative gift, the exclusive possession of a few, nor need it concern big or sophisticated ideas. On the contrary, creativity may depend upon the recognition that our own thoughts and ideas are as valid as anyone else's; something which we knew as children, and which we were taught to unlearn. Read more