Too many options when it comes to submitting your work? Here’s our top five comps and subs for November 2025.
Name: The Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize
Deadline: 8th November (Midnight UK time)
Wordcount: up to 6,000 words
Genre: Short Story
Description: The judges for this year’s Galley Beggar Short Prize are literary agents and publishers Sebastian Godwin, Sam Mills and Selby Wynn Schwartz. The winner will receive £2500, shortlisted authors will receive £200 each, and each longlisted author will receive £50 of bookshop vouchers and a 4-book subscription to Galley Beggar Press.
Entry fee: £11 per story (there are also 200 low-earner free entries).
Website: galleybeggar.co.uk/prize
Name: Happiful Poetry Prize 2026
Deadline: 14th November 2025 (Midday UK time)
Wordcount: under 25 lines
Genre: Poetry
Description: The aim of the Happiful Poetry Prize is to celebrate mental health and wellbeing writing of the highest standard. They are looking for poems that explore the topic of mental health and wellbeing in unique, engaging and powerful ways. The winner will receive £100, and four shortlisted poets will receive a £25 National Book Token. All five entries will be published in issue 108 of Happiful.
Entry fee: Free
Website: happiful.com/poetry-prize
Name: Aayo Magazine
Deadline: n/a
Wordcount: Fiction: 500-2000 words; Poetry: up to three poems; Creative Non-Fiction (memoir): up to 2,000 words.
Genre: Fiction, poetry, and memoir.
Description: Aayo is an online literary magazine that aims to publish new writing from emerging as well as established writers. On their website they state: “Aayo in Bété, a language from the west of the Ivory Coast, is a multilayered and positive word. It is used to greet, welcome, express gratitude and to congratulate. Its spelling with the emphasis on the letter A is to address more than one person.” They are looking for previously unpublished work of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction.
Entry fee: Free
Website: https://aayomagazine.com
Name: Inkspot Publishing Short Story Competition
Deadline: 30th November 2025 (Midnight UK time)
Wordcount: Two categories: 2,500 words and 5,000 words
Genre: Short Story
Description: Inkspot Publishing Short Story Competition is judged by literary agent Kate Nash. First prize is £1,000, second Prize is £250, and third prize £100. The authors of the top 12 stories with have an opportunity to feature on FictionJunkies.com, a website that publishes short stories of all genres online.
Entry fee: £10 for up to 2,500 words and £14 for up to 5,000 words (writers on low income are encouraged to email @inkspotpublishing.com to enter their stories for free).
Website: https://inkspotpublishing.com/competition/2025-short-story-competition/
Name: The Emerging Writer Award
Deadline: 30th November 2025 (23:59pm UK time)
Wordcount: 2,000 words
Genre: Novel and Short Story
Description: The Emerging Writer Award is run by Moniack Mhor in partnership with Bridge Awards. The Award is open to unpublished fiction writers living in the UK with a collection of short stories or novel in development. The award winner will receive a tailor-made package of up to £2,000 including tuition via open courses, retreat time and/or mentoring at Moniack Mhor.
Entry fee: Free
Website: https://www.thebridgeawards.co.uk/
