JANUARY
Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize is for a novel by a woman over the age of 21 that marries literary merit with unputdownability. For unpublished writers only.
Deadline: 17 January 2020
Influx Press are open for submissions for non-fiction proposals from women and non-binary authors.
Deadline: 17 January 2020
Room 204 is Writing West Midlands writer development programme for emerging writers in the region. The programme includes mentoring and career development.
Deadline: 30 January 2020
The Gollancz and Rivers of London BAME SFF Award is looking for a self-contained short story or the opening of a novel which fits into the science fiction, fantasy or horror genres. Submit up to 10k words.
Deadline: 31 January 2020
City Lit’s Malorie Blackman Scholarships for Unheard Voices provide three annual awards worth up to £1000 each, to fund one year’s study within the Creative Writing department at City Lit.
Deadline: 31 January 2020
FEBRUARY
Papatango New Writing Prize is now open for entries for scripts. Offers feedback to all entries.
Deadline: 2 February 2020
Spread the Word Life Writing Prize aims to find the best life writing from emerging writers. Free to enter.
Deadline: 3 February 2020
Word Factory Apprenticeship is a programme offering creative inspiration, writer development and a unique community of supportive writers for unpublished writers of short stories.
Deadline: tba
Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook Short Story Competition is for short stories of no more than 2000 words.
Deadline: 13 February 2020
The White Review Short Story Prize is for short stories on any theme or subject up to 7000 words.
Deadline: 27 February 2020
MARCH
Comedy Women In Print Prize is a new literary award from Helen Lederer to bring female comedy writing the exposure and recognition it deserves. Open to published and unpublished writers writing a funny novel.
Deadline: 2 March 2020
The Women’s Prize for Playwriting is for scripts which are longer than one hour.
Deadline: 2 March 2020
The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize is an annual award for adventure writing.
Deadline: 2 March 2020
Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize is inviting proposals for a book-length essay (minimum 25,000) by a writer resident in the UK and Ireland who is yet to secure a publishing deal.
Deadline: 15 March 2020
The London Library Emerging Writers Programme offers a year of membership to The London Library
Deadline: closed
Jerwood Bursaries provide funding to help you explore and develop your next steps. Grants of up to £1,250.
Deadline: tba
Fowey Festival Adult Short Story Competition is for short stories up to 1500 words with the title ‘Rule Britannia’.
Deadline: tba
Writers Bureau Short Story Competition is for stories of up to 2,000 words on any theme.
Deadline: tba
APRIL
Royal Literary Fund Fellowships offer professional writers the opportunity to work in a university for two days a week helping students develop their writing.
Deadline: tba
The Bath Short Story Award is for short stories of up to 2,200 words.
Deadline: 20 April 2020
Bristol Short Story Prize is for published and unpublished writers and is for short stories of up to 4000 words.
Deadline: 30 April 2020
MAY
Tamasha and Hachette are inviting culturally diverse theatre writers interested in learning how to write prose fiction to apply for their creative writing programme.
Deadline: 5 May 2020
Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize is for new, exciting and diverse stories, between 1000-5000 words.
Deadline: 15 May 2020
Leicester Writes Short Story Prize is for short stories of up to 3000 words, on any theme or subject.
Deadline: 20 May 2020
Burnt Roti Short Fiction Story competition is for short stories between 1500 – 2000 words.
Deadline: 26 May 2020
Creative Futures Writers’ Award is for under-represented writers. The prize welcomes fiction and poetry on the theme of tomorrow.
Deadline: 31 May 2020
The Guardian Foundation is offering three bursaries to aspiring journalists to study for an MA in journalism.
Deadline: 31 May 2020
Penguin Write Now is a mentoring programme for underrepresented writers. To apply submit 1000 words.
Deadline: 31 May 2020
Neu Voices is looking to commission 2 x spoken word/poetry pieces of around 12-15 minutes on the theme Where are we now? £250 fee, plus £250 production cost available.
Deadline: 31 May 2020
JUNE
The Times/Chicken House Books Children’s Fiction Comp is looking for completed full-length children’s/YA novel. Prize: £10k advance and representation.
Deadline: 1 June 2020
Faber’s FAB prize is for BAME new writers and illustrators.
Deadline: 1 June 2020
The MM Mentorship is for unrepresented (un-agented) writers. Mentoring will include a structural edit, a meeting with a literary agent, and representation.
Deadline: 1 June 2020
Nature Writing Prize for Working Class Writers is for poetry, fiction, non-fiction or hybrid writing. Send up to 1000 words to workingclassnatureprize@gmail.com
Deadline: 7 June 2020
Sphinx Lab is a writers’ development programme for female playwrights which will conclude with a series of showcase events as a celebration of 30 years of Sphinx Theatre.
Deadline: 15 June 2020
The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting is the UK’s biggest national competition for playwriting.
Deadline: tba
Guardian and 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize is for short stories up to 6,000 words. Open to black, Asian, minority ethnic writers living in the UK or Ireland.
Deadline: tba
Wasafiri New Writing Prize is open for entries in three categories: fiction, poetry and life writing.
Deadline: 15 June 2020
The Willowherb Review is looking for previously unpublished prose-non fiction especially, but will consider fiction and poetry – on nature, place and environment.
Deadline: 30 June 2020
JULY
Streetcake Experimental Writing Prize is for short fiction and poetry by writers aged 18-30.
Deadline: 1 July 2020
Primadonna Prize is for unsigned and unrepresented new writing talent. Entrants must submit 500 words on the theme ‘the more things change.’
Deadline: 27 July 2020
Winchester Poetry Prize is for poetry of up to 40 lines. Prize fund: £ 1750
Deadline: 31 July 2020
The Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction is for short stories of up to 10,000 words.
Deadline: 31 July 2020
Poetry London Mentoring Scheme is offering talented poets free one-to-one mentoring.
Deadline: 31 July 2020
AUGUST
Novel London Literary Competition is inviting international writers to submit their opening chapter.
Deadline: 10 August 2020
The Women Poets Prize 2020 is for emerging and established poets. Three winners will receive £1000 bursary and mentoring.
Deadline: 14 August 2020
Richard & Judy’s Search For A Bestseller 2020 is accepting manuscripts from unpublished authors.
Deadline: 14 August 2020
Saqi Books is inviting poetry or prose submissions by female writers of Arab heritage on the subject of lust and erotica for an anthology edited by Selma Dabbagh. £200 fee.
Deadline: 15 August 2020
Costa Short Story Award is for short stories of up to 4000 words. Prize fund: £5000
Deadline: 28 August 2020
Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is open for entries in two categories: short fiction and poetry
Deadline: 31 August 2020
Becoming a writer is a 12-week course for writers of all abilities hosted by The Asian Writer. It is designed to help writers unlock their creativity and focus on their writing.
Deadline: 31 August 2020
Bookouture, in association with The Asian Writer and Dahlia Books, have put an exclusive call-out for commercial fiction submissions from unagented and unpublished writers from BAME backgrounds.
Deadline: 31 August 2020
SEPTEMBER
Gatehouse New Fiction Prize seeks to encourage new writers to explore the possibilities of length within the short fiction genre. For short fiction up to 8000 and 12,000 words.
Deadline: 4 September 2020
Manchester Writing Prizes is for fiction of up to 2500 words and poetry of between 3 – 5 poems, with a max. combined length of 120 lines.
Deadline: 18 September 2020
The Bodley Head/FT Essay Prize Competition 2020 is looking for dynamic, authoritative and lively essays of no more than 3,500 words in English, on any subject from writers aged 18-35.
Deadline: 24 September 2020
Dahlia Publishing is looking for original, new writing for children (9+) and young adults by writers of colour. Submit the first 2,000 words of your manuscript along with a synopsis and short covering letter
Deadline: 30 September 2020
The Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize is for both published and unpublished writers, writing original fiction in English, and from anywhere in the world. Short stories of up to 6000 words
Deadline: 30 September 2020
OCTOBER
London Short Story Prize is open to London-based writers, for short stories of up to 5000 words. 50 free entries to low-income writers.
Deadline: cancelled due to Covid-19
The Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction is for short stories of between 2000 and 6000 words.
Deadline: 23 October 2020
Bare Fiction Prize is for poetry of up to 40 lines, flash fiction of up to 500 words and short stories of up to 3000 words.
Deadline: tba
Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers’ Award is for a work in progress, which is not under option or contract.
Deadline: tba
The Poetry Society National Poetry Competition is for previously unpublished poems of up to 40 lines.
Deadline: tba
NOVEMBER
Commonwealth Short Story Prize is for short stories between 2000 – 5000 words, written in English.
Deadline: tba
The White Review’s Poet Prize is for poetry portfolios of up to 10 pages.
Deadline: tba
DECEMBER
Royal Society of Literature are inviting proposals for their Literature Matters Award. For writing, literary events or projects which either help connect with audiences or topics outside the usual reach of literature, and/or will help generate public discussion about why literature matters.
Deadline: tba
The Aleph Writing Prize is looking for innovative and creative writing that explores and expand the possibilities of the book.
Deadline: tba
ROLLING
Arts Council Developing your Creative Practice is a new fund of between £2000 and £10000 for individual artists and/or creative practitioners.
Deadline: Rolling – Check with ACE
Arvon Grants for Writers are for writers who are unable to afford Arvon’s full course fees and would be otherwise unable to attend an Arvon week.
Deadline: Rolling – Check with Arvon
TLC Free Reads Scheme is a manuscript reading scheme for writers on a low income.
Deadline: Rolling – Check with your regional writing partner
The Faber Academy Scholarship is intended to help someone who would not be otherwise able to attend their Writing a Novel course. The scholarship covers course fees only.
Deadline: Rolling – Check with Faber
Artists’ International Development Fund aims to offer artistic development for artists and creative practitioners. It seeks to develop a cohort of artists who have experienced the benefits of international working as well as increase the amount of international collaboration between the UK and other countries.
Deadline: Rolling – Check with British Council