Competitions and Submissions

Deadline: Mon 7 Sep 2026
Location: Instagram

Write a flash fiction story inspired by one of our prompts to be in with a chance of winning a writing course place.  Read more...

Deadline: Mon 7 Sep 2026
Location: UK, Republic of Ireland

The Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award invites submissions of full-length fiction, non-fiction or poetry from British or Irish authors aged 18-35. Read more...

Deadline: Sat 12 Sep 2026
Location: North of England

This Award is for playwrights from the North of England who are yet to have a full-length play performed professionally. Read more...

Deadline: Sun 13 Sep 2026
Location: International

The BPA Short Story Award is a competition created to discover emerging voices. Short stories are often a gateway to novel writing, and agents are always looking for exciting new talent. Read more...

Deadline: Fri 18 Sep 2026
Location: UK

Over 170,000 are reported missing in the UK each year. The Missing People charity is looking for contributions to an anthology of poetry and prose that reflects the experience of having a loved one go missing. Read more...

Deadline: Mon 21 Sep 2026
Location: International

The Mslexia fiction competition is open with categories for novel, short story, and flash fiction. The judges this year are Sarah Moss, Ingrid Persaud, and Sherrie Flick respectively. The winning entry receives £5,000 for novel, £3,000 for short story and £1,000 for flash fiction, as well as a host of other prizes including publication and feedback.  Read more...

Deadline: Mon 21 Sep 2026
Location: UK

The Sareeta Domingo Prize is a free-to-enter writing prize created to discover and support unpublished writers from Black and Global Majority backgrounds, founded by bestselling author Dorothy Koomson in association with Sareeta Domingo’s family, Hachette UK, Jacaranda Books and David Higham Associates. Read more...

Deadline: Mon 28 Sep 2026
Location: England, Scotland, and Wales

Disabled artists across England, Scotland, and Wales can now apply for Unlimited’s Partner Awards, made available through partnerships with organisations across the UK. Apples and Snakes is one of the partners in this year's round of funding. Read more...

Deadline: Wed 30 Sep 2026
Location: UK

Arvon’s Screenwriting Programme is a new talent development programme for emerging screenwriters from working-class and lower socio-economic backgrounds. Read more...

Deadline: Wed 30 Sep 2026
Location: International

Established to inspire creativity, great writing and to provide a platform for publication. The Anthology Flash Fiction Competition is open to original and previously unpublished flash fiction pieces on any theme or genre in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Read more...