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Writing Opportunities 2023

The Moth Poetry Prize 2023

Information
Closing date: 
31 December 2023
Entry: 
Open to all poets over 16 for an unpublished poem.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The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the biggest prizes in the world for a single unpublished poem. The prize is open to anyone, as long as the poem is previously unpublished, and each year it attracts thousands of entries from new and established poets from over 50 countries worldwide.The prize is for an unpublished poem, and entrants (over 16) are welcome from anywhere in the world.

The four shortlisted poems will be published in the spring 2023 issue of The Moth and the overall winner will be announced at a special award ceremony at Poetry IrelandThe website of the Irish National Poetry Organisation, offering a resource centre, introductions and readings from new and emerging poets resident in Ireland. www.poetryireland.ie in the spring.

There is an entry fee of €15 per poem and you can enter as many poems as you like.

The overall winner of €6,000 will be announced at a special award ceremony online in the spring of 2024.

This year's judge is Hannah Sullivan, who is an Associate Professor of English at New College, Oxford. Her debut collection, Three Poems, won the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2019. Her latest collection, Was It For This, was published by Faber earlier this year.

Closing 31 December 2023.

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National Novel Writing Month 2023

Information
Closing date: 
30 November 2023
Entry: 
Open to all writers No entry fee
Prize: 
You win by writing a 50,000 word novel

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, empowering approach to creative writing. The challenge: draft an entire novel in just one month. Why do it? For 30 wild, exciting, surprising days, you get to silence your inner critic, let your imagination take over, and just create!

• What's National Novel Writing Month?
• Set a Goal
• NaNo Prep 101 Resources
• Connect with Community
• Pep Talkers and NaNo Coaches
• NaNoWriMo Flair
• Events Calendar

Committed to writing 50,000 words in the 30 days of November?

National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with a first draft. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists.

On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought about writing a novel.

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The National Poetry Competition 2023

Information
Closing date: 
31 October 2023
Entry: 
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.

Ten Prizes

First Prize: £5000
Second Prize: £2000
Third Prize: £1000
Commendations: £200

Judges

Jane Draycott, Will Harris and Clare Pollard

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The Moth Nature Writing Prize 2023

Information
Closing date: 
30 September 2023
Entry: 
Open to anyone over the age of 16 with an unpublished piece of nature writing. Entry fee €15 per entry
Prize: 
First Prize €1,000 and a week-long stay at The Circle of Misse in France, Second Prize €500 and Third Prize €250

THE MOTH NATURE WRITING PRIZE

Kathleen Jamie, multi-award-winning author of numerous poetry collections, as well as three works of non-fiction, an acclaimed travel narrative and the groundbreaking nature books, Finding sand Sightlines, will judge The Moth Nature Writing Prize 2023.

The Prize will be awarded to an unpublished piece of writing - poetry or fiction - which best combines exceptional literary merit with an exploration of the writer's relationship with the natural world. The word limit is 4,000 words.

First Prize €1,000 and a week-long stay at The Circle of Misse in France, Second Prize €500 and Third Prize €250 The Moth Nature Writing Prize is open to anyone (over 16) as long as their piece is previously unpublished. There is an entry fee of €15. Closing 30 September 2023.

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Mslexia Women's Fiction Competitions 2023

Information
Closing date: 
18 September 2023
Entry: 
All women are eligible. Not clear whether there’s an entry fee
Prize: 
Various

The MslexiaStylish and lively site for quarterly UK literary magazine read by 12,000 'committed' women writers. Good range of quality writing, information and advice with news, reviews, competitions and interviews, all presented in a friendly fashion. Praised by Helen Dunmore as 'astute, invigorating and above all an excellent read.' www.mslexia.co.uk Women's Fiction Competition 2023 offer a Fiction Competition judged by Sophie Hannah and Natasha Onco with a First Prize of £5,000 and other prizes for all three shortlisted authors for unpublished novels for Adult and Young Adult novels of at least 50,000 words.

The Mslexia Women's Short Fiction Competition 2023 offer a Short Fiction Competition judged by Deborah Moggach with a First Prize of £3,000 and other prizes for all three shortlisted authors for unpublished short fiction.

The Mslexia Women's Flash Fiction Competition 2023 offer a Flash Fiction Competition for up to 300 words judged by Tania Hershman with a First Prize of £500 and other prizes for all three shortlisted authors for unpublished flash fiction.

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First Graphic Novel Award

Information
Closing date: 
14 September 2023
Entry: 
UK residents only. Entry fee £10
Prize: 
First option for publication

The Award is open to all UK comics creators, cartoonists, and artists and writers working as a team, who do not have an agent and have not had a full-length graphic work commercially published. You can be age 18 or 100, or anything in between. You must be resident in the UK.

Entries may be from a single creator, or an artist/writer team, or may be a collaboration between comics artists, writers, and those with a story to tell who may be unable to do so themselves. We are looking for a wide range of creators from different regions within the UK, and with different backgrounds. We want to reflect our society, inclusive of neurodivergent and disabled people, and those with the full rainbow of social, gender and ethnic identities.

If you have any access needs in making this application, please get in touch with us at hello@cartoonmuseum.org

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

A 15-30 page extract from a narrative work in progress - nonfiction or fiction, with words (in English) or without, in black and white or in colour.

We are looking for graphic nonfiction, reportage, fiction in any genre, with or without words, in black and white or colour. We cannot pair artists and writers, and we do not accept any scripts, with or without illustration samples. We want comics!

We need to see how YOU want your finished pages to look. We need to see at least eight pages of finished artwork. The rest of the pages are acceptable as readable roughs with text and images clearly sketched out.

We require the work to be submitted both DIGITALLY and as PRINTOUTS (in black and white or colour) to ensure that the judges have access to all the entries. If you have any access needs in making this application, please get in touch with us at hello@cartoonmuseum.org

The winning entrant[s] agree[s] to the use of his/her name[s] and photograph[s] in relation to publicity material. The winning entrant (or entrants) also agrees that SelfMadeHero has first option to consider the finished work for publication.

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2023 Manchester Writing Competitions

Information
Closing date: 
1 September 2023
Entry: 
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. Each year two £10,000 prizes are awarded: the Manchester Poetry Prize for best portfolio of 3-5 poems and the Manchester Fiction Prize for best short story up to 2,500 words. Designed to encourage and celebrate new writing across the globe, the competition is open internationally to new and established writers submitting unpublished poems.

Poetry Prize: £10,000

Entry fee: £18 Deadline for Entries: 1 September 2023

Chair of the judges: Malika Booker

£10,000 prize for the best portfolio of three to five poems (maximum combined length: 120 lines). Open internationally to new and established writers aged 16 or over (no upper age limit).

Fiction Prize: £10,000

Entry fee: £18 Deadline for Entries: 1 September 2023

Chair of the judges: Lara Williams

£10,000 prize for the best short story of up to 2,500 words. Open internationally to new and established writers aged 16 or over (no upper age limit).

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The Emma Press open submissions

Information
Closing date: 
8 August 2023
Entry: 
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.

Poetry, fiction and non-fiction pamphlets can be submitted, as well as children's fiction and children's poetry.

Please read the guidelines on their website carefully.

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Ledbury Poetry Competition 2023

Information
Closing date: 
10 July 2023
Entry: 
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.

Poet Philip Gross will be the judge. He said: "What I'll be looking for...? Poems that aren't whatever I might think I'm looking for. Poems intent on being wholly, intensely themselves, regardless of what a judge, the zeitgeist or even their author might want them to be. Poems that have to be poems because they couldn't be expressed in any other way."

The first prize for the competition is £1,000 cash and a week's poetry course at Arvon.
Second Prize is £500, and third prize is £250.

The winners will be invited to read at Ledbury Poetry Festival in 2024.

The Ledbury Poetry Festival runs 30 June - 9 July.

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Nosy Crow LGBTQ+ Open Submissions 2023

Information
Closing date: 
30 June 2023
Entry: 
Submissions from any writer over 18 must be in the English language and unpublished. No entry fee
Prize: 
Publication by Nosy Crow

We are looking for more LGBTQ+ authors!

Submissions open on Thursday the 1st of June. Authors can submit picture book stories, together with your own artwork (not someone else's) if you are an author-illustrator.

Before submitting your stories to us, we would like to ask that you familiarise yourself with current fiction picture books for children aged around 3-5, especially if you're new to writing for this age group.

Stories can be in prose or rhyme, and the themes and types of characters (magical, mythical, human, animal, and everything in-between!) are totally up to you. Stories informed by your LGBTQ+ identity and experience are especially welcomed.

Please send no more than three picture book texts to LGBTQPlus@nosycrow.com, along with a short biography in the body of the email. The window for submissions is for a limited time only, from the 1st of June 2022 to the 30th of June 2023. I'm afraid any submissions received after this time will not be considered.

It's free to submit stories, and we welcome submissions from around the world, but they must be in the English language and unpublished anywhere in any country. Authors and author-illustrators must be aged 18 or older.

If you have any questions, email LGBTQPlus@nosycrow.com. I'm looking forward to hearing from you, either via your agent, or directly from you if you don't have one.

Good luck!

Alice Bartosinski

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The Moth Short Story Prize 2023

Information
Closing date: 
30 June 2023
Entry: 
Open to all writers over 16. Entry fee €15 per story
Prize: 
1st prize €3,000, 2nd prize week-long writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France plus €250 travel stipend, 3rd prize €1,000

Every year, a single judge is asked to choose three winning stories to feature in the autumn issue of The Moth, the international art & literature magazine based in Ireland.

This year's judge is Ottessa Moshfegh. Her first novel, Eileen, was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Man Booker Prize and won the PENSupported by eminent writers, this is the English branch of International Pen, which has centres in nearly 100 countries. It fights for freedom of expression and against political censorship. It campaigns for writers harassed, imprisoned and sometimes murdered for their views. http://www.englishpen.org//Hemingway Award for debut fiction. Her next three novels were New York Times bestsellers. She is also the author of a novella, McGlue, and the short story collection Homesick for Another World.

1st prize €3,000
2nd prize week-long writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France plus open travel stipend
3rd prize €1,000

The Prize is open to anyone over 16, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. There is a word limit of 3,000. The entry fee is €15 per story. Closing 30 June 2023.

The winning story will be printed as part of the summer fiction series in the Irish Times, while the 2nd and 3rd-prize-winning stories will be published in the Irish Times online.

With thanks to Circle of Misse for the superb second prize of a week-long writing retreat in France and an open travel stipend, enabling the 2nd prize winner to travel to France from anywhere in the world.

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2023 Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition

Information
Closing date: 
1 June 2023
Entry: 
Open to unpublished, unagented children’s writers based anywhere in the world. Entry fee £20
Prize: 
First Prize: a publishing contract with Chicken House with an advance of £10,000, plus the offer of representation from literary agent Davinia Andrew-Lynch of Andlyn

Chicken House 'is thrilled to announce' the opening of its 2022 writing competition, in conjunction with The Times, and with a new prize sponsored by TV production company Lime Pictures. The deadline for submissions is 1 June 2023.

According to organisers: 'Now the biggest children's writing competition in the UK, the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition has been running for 13 years and has kickstarted the careers of many of the most established writers for both children and adults in the UK - including Jasbinder Bilan (Costa-winning author of Asha & the Spirit Bird), S.J. Bennett (The Windsor Knot) and Efua Traoré (Waterstones Prize-shortlisted Children of the Quicksands). Since the competition's inception, over half of shortlistees have gone on to be published, including winners.

'The competition is open to unpublished, unagented writers based anywhere in the world. We accept entries aimed at readers from age 7 all the way up to age 18 (Young Adult). The top prize is a publishing contract with Chicken House with an advance of £10,000, plus the offer of representation from literary agent Davinia Andrew-Lynch of Andlyn.

'This year also sees the introduction of the Lime Pictures New Storyteller Award, a bespoke prize sponsored by leading TV production company Lime Pictures, awarded to the submission which shows the greatest TV development potential and chosen by Chicken House Publisher Barry Cunningham and Lime Pictures' Tim Compton. The winner will receive a £7,500 publishing contract plus an offer of representation. Lime Pictures will receive an exclusive first look at all shortlisted manuscripts. The Lime Pictures New Storyteller Award will replace the Chairman's Choice Award.'

Barry Cunningham, Chicken House Publisher and MD, said: "I'm thrilled with how this special competition just grows and grows, welcoming new talent from around the world - and how it always manages to surprise and amaze the judges with fresh new writing!"

This year's competition will be judged by a panel of industry experts, including Cunningham, The Times Arts Editor Alex O'Connell, Lime Pictures' Co-Head of Kids and Family Tim Compton and literary agent Davinia Andrew-Lynch.

The competition costs £20 to enter and is open to writers from all over the world, as long as they write in English, are unagented and have not had a children's book published before.


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Now the biggest children's writing competition in the UK, the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition has been running for 12 years and has kickstarted the careers of many of the most established writers for both children and adults in the UK - including Jasbinder Bilan (Costa-winning author of Asha & the Spirit Bird), SJ Bennett (The Windsor Knot) and Nicki Thornton (The Last Chance Hotel series). Since the competition's inception, 62% of shortlistees have gone on to be published, including winners.

The competition is open to unpublished, unagented writers based anywhere in the world. We accept entries aimed at readers from age 7 all the way up to age 18 (Young Adult).

The top prize is a publishing contract with Chicken House with an advance of £10,000, plus the offer of representation from literary agent Louise Lamont at LBA Books, who will also be on this year's judging panel.

A second prize, the Chairman's Choice Award - awarded to the manuscript which shows the most potential - will win a £7,500 publishing contract plus an offer of representation.

Chicken House publisher Barry Cunningham said: "I'm thrilled with how this special competition just grows and grows, welcoming new talent from around the world - and how it always manages to surprise and amaze the judges with fresh new writing!"

This year's competition will be judged by a panel of industry experts, including Barry Cunningham, The Times Arts Editor Alex O'Connell, YA Book Prize-winning author Patrice Lawrence, author and booktuber Lucy Powrie, LBA Books literary agent Louise Lamont, bookseller Sanchita Basu de Sarkar from Children's Bookshop Muswell Hill, and literary scout Rosalind Ramsay.

The competition costs £20 to enter and is open to writers from all over the world, as long as they write in English, are unagented and have not had a children's book published before.

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