Writers & Artists are thrilled to confirm that our Working-Class Writers’ Prize returns for the sixth consecutive year with The Society of Authors, Open University and The Ruppin Agency as additional prize partners.

This competition is both a celebration of stories as a mode of communication, and a reminder of how vital it is that everyone can share their ideas and experiences via the written word. This year's judge is author Ashley Hickson-Lovence.

The winner of the 2025 prize will receive the following:

• A fully-catered 5-day Little Goat Barn writing retreat in North Wales hosted by the Ruppin Agency, with return travel included
• Mentoring sessions with judge Ashley Hickson-Lovence and OU Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing Emily Bullock
• One-to-one with Jonathan Ruppin, director of the Ruppin Agency and former literary agent
• A year-long membership to The Society of Authors
• A £200 cash prize
• A place at a Writers & Artists writing and publishing event
• A bundle of creative writing books, including the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook

Two runners-up will also receive mentoring support from Emily Bullock and a one-to-one with Jonathan Ruppin. All shortlisted writers will be gifted a year-long membership to The Society of Authors

To Enter
Simply submit a sample of your writing, which must be the beginning of an unpublished work-in-progress no more than 2,000 words in length and a one-page synopsis for the full manuscript. You must also include a short piece of writing (200 words) in the Covering Letter section of our online entry form about yourself and why this prize speaks to you.

Eligibility
To enter this competition, all entrants must:
Consider yourself from a working-class background
Be over 18 and living in the UK or ROI
Not have a publishing contract or agent
Submit a piece of unpublished writing

Opens for entries on 1st November.

Find out more here

Deadline: 1 December 2025