It’s April, you fools! A quarter into the literary year! And what have you done so far? Have you been taking part in our #Submit2019 challenge? Do you even sub, bro?
It’s time to step up your game and send your beautiful words out into the world with the help of our expansive and exhaustive and all-round-excellent list of writing opportunities and competitions to enter in April 2019.
Whether you’re into flash or have a novel ready to query or are more inclined to short fiction or poetry’s more your thang or just finished an award-winning screenplay, there’s something here for you. So you have literally no excuse not to pick AT LEAST ONE LISTING AND SEND SOMETHING OUT. #Submit2019, baby!
(But for the love of all that’s shiny, read this first…)
The Authors’ Foundation: Grants for Works-In-Progress
Deadline: 1st April 2019
Requirements: 80-100 word summary of your work-in-progress, a brief outline of your financial position and grant amount needed.
Grant amount: Up to £6,000
Entry fee: FREE
Notes: Open to authors who are currently working on a project and have, or are likely to have, interest from a British publisher. All applicants will also be considered automatically for specific grants offering funding for writing in the fields of biography about women, the environment and natural history, philanthropy, poetry, racial understanding, Scandinavia, science fiction, fantasy and magical realism (open to adult and children’s writers), spy thrillers and crime.
More details and submission info HERE
Gemini Magazine Short Story Contest
Deadline: 1st April 2019
Requirements: Open to any subject, style, genre or length
Prizes: 1st prize: $5,000 / 2nd prize: $250 / 3x honourable mentions: $25 each
Entry fee: $10
Notes: Stories must be unpublished but work on personal blogs is eligible.
More details and submission info HERE
K Blundell Trust: Grants for Works-In-Progress
Deadline: 1st April 2019
Requirements: 80-100 word summary of your work-in-progress, a brief outline of your financial position and grant amount needed
Grant amount: Up to £6,000
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: The K Blundell Trust gives grants of up to £6,000 to British authors under the age of 40 whose work aims to increase social awareness. Projects can be fiction or non fiction.
More details and submission info HERE
The Pinch Literary Awards
Deadline: 1st April 2019
Word limit: Up to 3 poems of any length / short stories and essays up to 5,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: $1,000 in each category
Entry fee: $20 ($10 for each additional entry)
Notes: All entries are considered for publication.
More details and submission info HERE
Saturnalia Books Poetry Prize
Deadline: 1st April 2019
Requirements: A poetry collection of at least 48 pages
Prizes: Poetry prize: $1,500 + publication / Editor’s prize: $500 + publication
Entry Fee: $30
Notes: Judged by Patricia Smith
More details and submission info HERE
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
Deadline: 1st April 2019
Line limit: 250 lines
Prizes: 1st prize: $1,000 + one-year subscription to Duotrope / 2nd prize: $250 / 10x honourable mentions: $100 each
Entry fee: FREE
Notes: The top 12 entries will be published online. One submission per author.
More details and submission info HERE
Essay Collection Competition
Deadline: 5th April 2019
Requirements: A poetry collection of approx 100-300 pages
Prize: $1,000 + publication + royalty contract
Entry Fee: $28
Notes: Judged by Hanif Abdurraqib
More details and submission info HERE
New Deal Writing Competition
Deadline: 5th April 2019
Word limit: Short stories up to 10,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: $200 / 2nd prize: $100 / 3rd prize: $50
Entry fee: $5 per story (up to 3 stories)
Notes: Stories must be inspired by the painting ‘Fountain, Central Park’ by Jacques Zucker (see site for details)
More details and submission info HERE
New Writing South Best New Play Award
Deadline: 7th April 2019
Requirements: An original play written within the last 12 months (max 10 performances), at least 40 minutes long, performed at Brighton Fringe 2019
Prize: £250 + free registration to Brighton Fringe 2020
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: This award is presented to a playwright in recognition of an outstanding, original theatre script produced at Brighton Fringe.
More details and submission info HERE
Great Eighty Challenge (RECURRING)
Deadline: 8th & 22nd April 2019
Word Limit: Exactly 80 words
Prize: royalties on publication
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Title not included in word count (but limited to 6 words).
More details and submissions info HERE
Academy Nicholl Fellowships Competition
Deadline: 10th April* 2019 (regular deadline)
Word Limit: Feature film screenplays of 70-160 pages
Prize: Up to 5 x $35,000 fellowships
Entry Fee: $60
Notes: *Deadline extends to 1st May with increased fees.
More details and submissions info HERE
The Alpine Fellowship
Deadline: 10th April 2019
Word Limit: 2,500 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £10,000 / 2nd prize: £3,000 / 3rd prize: £2,000
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: ‘identity’
More details and submissions info HERE
Oberon Poetry Prize
Deadline: 10th April 2019
Requirements: A single, unpublished poem in any style
Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $18 for up to 3 poems
Notes: Entry fee includes a copy of Oberon
More details and submission info HERE
Queer Sci Fi Flash Contest
Deadline: 10th April 2019
Word limit: 300 words
Prize: 1st prize: $75 / 2nd prize: $50 / 3rd prize: $25
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Open to sci fi, fantasy, paranormal or horror LGBTIQA stories on the theme of ‘migration’.
More details and submissions info HERE
Alternative Apocalypse
Deadline: 15th April 2019
Word limit: 500-5,000 words
Payment: 2 cents per word + royalties
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: “Stories of endings, beginnings, and change. As always, a political bent doesn’t hurt but not required. The apocalypse can be big or small, personal or world shattering. Humor is always good. Satire is excellent.”
More details and submission info HERE
Alternative Bedtime Reading For Progressive Parents
Deadline: 15th April 2019
Word limit: Short stories: 500-3,000 words / nursery rhymes & poetry: no lower word limit
Payment: 2 cents per word + royalties OR a flat fee of $25 for very short fiction, poems, and nursery rhymes.
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Nursery rhymes, poetry, and stories that can be read and enjoyed by children of all ages.
More details and submissions info HERE
Bath Short Story Award
Deadline: 15th April 2019
Word limit: 2,200 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £1,200 / 2nd prize: £300 / 3rd prize: £100 / Local prize: £50 / Acorn Award: £100
Entry Fee: £8
More details and submission info HERE
Cinestory Feature Retreat
Deadline: 15th April 2019
Requirements: Feature film screenplays of 85-125 pages
Prize: Grand prize: $10,000 + free tuition and accommodation at the Feature Retreat / 2nd prize: $1,000 + discount on retreat tuition / 3rd prize: $500 + discount on retreat tuition
Entry Fee: $80
More details and submissions info HERE
Leicester Writes Short Story Prize
Deadline: 15th April 2019
Word limit: 3,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £100 + a bundle of books / 2nd prize: £50 + a bundle of books / 3rd prize: a bundle of books
Entry Fee: £7 (max 3 entries)
Notes: A longlist of up to 20 stories will be published in an anthology.
More details and submission info HERE
The PAGE Awards
Deadline: 15th April 2019
Word Limit: Full-length features: 80-120 pages, Short film scripts: 30 pages, TV drama pilots: 50-70 pages, TV comedy pilots: 25-45 pages
Prize: Grand prize: $25,000, Gold prize: $1000, Silver prize: $500, Bronze prize: $250 (gold, silver and bronze prizes will be awarded in each category)
Entry Fee: $75
More details and submissions info HERE
Panther Creek Book Award in Non Fiction
Deadline: 15th April 2019
Requirements: An original, unpublished, book-length work of non-fiction + synopsis + brief biography
Prizes: $1,000 + publication
Entry Fee: $22
Notes: All forms of non fiction are welcome, including creative non fiction, memoir and biography.
More details and submission info HERE
Parsec Sci Fi/Fantasy/Horror Short Story Contest
Deadline: 15th April 2019
Word Limit: 3,500 words
Prize: 1st prize: $200, 2nd prize: $100, 3rd prize: $50
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: ‘noir’, max 2 entries
More details and submissions info HERE
Tales From The Space Force
Deadline: 15th April 2019
Word limit: 500-5,000 words
Payment: 2 cents per word + royalties
Entry fee: FREE
Notes: “Now that America has an official Space Force, we need to incorporate it into literature. What to do we want? Camp? Satire? Bug Eyed Monsters? All good. We’ll do serious stories, too. Mostly we want good stories. And if I am to confess, we want campy stories. We want the golden age of pulp to live again. Political bends are allowed. Poetry and essays are allowed.”
More details and submission info HERE
Writers Online 750-Word Competition
Deadline: 15th April 2019
Word Limit: 750 words
Prize: 1st prize: £200, 2nd prize: £50
Entry Fee: £6 (non-subscribers) / £4 (subscribers)
More details and submissions info HERE
Pen Parentis Writing Fellowship
Deadline: 17th April 2019
Word limit: 750 words
Prize: $1,000 + a year of mentorship
Entry fee: $15 ($20 for two entries)
Notes: Entrants must be a parent to a child under the age of 10.
More details and submission info HERE
Austin Film Festival Playwriting Competition
Deadline: 19th April 2019* (early deadline)
Requirements: Full-length plays (60-90 pages)
Prize: 1st prize: $1,000 / 3 finalists will have live readings during the festival
Entry Fee: $15
Notes: *Late deadline extends to 15th May with increased fees.
More details and submissions info HERE
Austin Film Festival Scripted Digital Series Competition
Deadline: 19th April 2019* (regular deadline)
Requirements: 1-3 scripted episodes, totalling no more than 30 pages
Prize: 1st prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $40
Notes: *Late deadline extends to 15th May with increased fees.
More details and submissions info HERE
Purple Breakfast Review
Deadline: 19th April 2019* (early deadline)
Word limit: 2,000 words of prose / 6 pages (1,800 words) of poetry
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: ‘nightmares & daydreams’
More details and submissions info HERE
Emma Press: Call For Picture Book Submissions
Deadline: 20th April 2019
Requirements: Picture books suitable for 4-11-year-olds (no specified word count)
Prize: The editors will select 1-4 manuscripts to publish in 2020-2021
Entry Fee: FREE, but entrants must have bought a book or e-book from Emma Press since January 2019
Notes: Emma Press are particularly keen to see picture book manuscripts from authors who are underrepresented in publishing. We are keen to see submissions from BAME writers, from writers with immigrant backgrounds, from LGBTQ+ writers, and from disabled writers.
More details and submissions info HERE
Launchpad Pilots Competition
Deadline: 21st April 2019* (regular deadline)
Requirements: Pilot scripts of under 70 pages
Prizes: 3 grand prize winners will have their work showcased to industry professionals and be invited to the annual Launch Pad Party to meet with agents, managers and producers.
Entry Fee: $75
Notes: *Deadlines extend to 31st May with increased entry fees.
More details and submissions info HERE
Shooter Short Story Competition
Deadline: 21st April 2019
Word limit: 5,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £500 / 2nd prize: £100
Entry Fee: £7 (or £10 for two stories)
Notes: All entrants will receive an e-copy of Shooter‘s summer issue
More details and submissions info HERE
NonBinary Review: The Works of H G Wells
Deadline: 22nd April 2019
Word limit: 5,000 words (fiction and non fiction) / 1,000 words (flash fiction, up to 5 pieces) / 3 pages (poetry)
Payment: 1 cent per word (fiction and non fiction) / $10 per poem
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Submissions must relate to four of H. G. Wells’s best-known books: The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).
More details and submissions info HERE
Sixfold Summer 2019
Deadline: 23rd April 2019
Word Limit: 5,000 words of fiction, 1-5 poems
Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $5
Notes: Stories are submitted into 3 rounds of voting by participating writers (more on how it works here).
More details and submissions info HERE
Beyond Writing Creative Writing Competition
Deadline: 26th April 2019
Word limit: 1,000 words
Prize: Two free weekend passes to our Beyond Borders International Festival 2019 + feedback from the judges
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Submissions may be fiction, non fiction, poetry or essays on the theme of “inspirational women in people’s lives, celebrated historical or political figures, and galvanizing women who have changed the world.”
More details and submissions info HERE
Cast Iron Shorts Competition
Deadline: 26th April 2019
Word Limit: 1,500 words
Prize:The six winning stories will be read live on stage at the Cast Iron Shorts event at Sweet Werks, Brighton in June.
Entry Fee: £5.50
Notes: Theme: ‘sanctuary’
More details and submissions info HERE
A3 Review (RECURRING)
Deadline: 27th April 2019
Word Limit: 150 words (not incl title)
Prize: 1st prize: £250, 2nd prize: £150, 3rd prize: £75
Entry Fee: $5/£3
Notes: Monthly theme: ‘normal’. Two winning entries from each month will appear in The A3 Review (published every 6 months). From this shortlist of winners, 3 will be chosen to win cash prizes.
More details and submissions info HERE
Planet In Peril Anthology
Deadline: 28th April 2019
Requirements: Poetry designed to increase public awareness of the complex issues surrounding climate change.
Prize: £50
Entry Fee: £5 per poem (£3 for students and low wage earners, free for under-18s)
Notes: All contributors will receive a copy of the anthology.
More details and submissions info HERE
CRAFT Short Fiction Prize
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Word Limit: 3,000 words
Prize: 1st prize: $2,000, 2nd prize: $500, 3rd prize: $300
Entry Fee: $20
Notes: All entrants will receive a digital copy of the compilation. Judged by Elizabeth McCracken.
More details and submissions info HERE
Culpepper’s Remedy Poetry Competition
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Requirements: Poems on any length or theme
Prizes: 1st prize: £100, 2nd prize: £50
Entry Fee: 1 poem: £4 / 2 poems: £7 / 3 poems: £10 / 5 poems: £14
Notes: All poems will be considered for the 2019 anthology.
More details and submissions info HERE
Edinburgh International Flash Fiction Award
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Word Limit: 250 words
Prize: 1st prize: £500
Entry Fee: £5
More details and submissions info HERE
The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Word limit: 1,500-10,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: $1,000 / 2x honourable mentions: $250
Entry Fee: $20
Notes: Submissions may involve any paranormal or supernatural theme, as well as magic realism.
More details and submissions info HERE
Glimmer Train Family Matters Contest
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Word Limit: 500-5,000 words (recommended) – stories up to 12,000 are welcome
Prizes: 1st prize: $2,500 + publication + 10 copies / 2nd prize: $500* / 3rd prize: $300* (*or, if accepted for publication, $700 + 10 copies)
Entry Fee: $18
Notes: “We are looking for stories about families of all configurations. It’s fine to draw heavily on real-life experiences, but the work must read like fiction and all stories accepted for publication will be presented as fiction.”
More details and submissions info HERE
Glimmer Train Short Story Award For New Writers
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Word limit: 500-4,000 words (recommended, but stories up to 12,000 are welcomed)
Prizes: 1st prize: $2,500 + publication + 10 copies / 2nd prize: $500* / 3rd prize: $300* (*or, if accepted for publication, $700 + 10 copies)
Entry Fee: $18
Notes: Open only to emerging writers who haven’t had fiction appear in any print publication with a circulation over 5,000. (Previous online publication is fine.)
More details and submissions info HERE
The Grey Hen Poetry Competition
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Line Limit: 40 lines
Prizes: 1st prize: £100 / 2nd prize: £50 / 3rd prize: £25
Entry Fee: £3 per poem, or 4 for £10
Notes: Open to women over the age of 60
More details and submissions info HERE
Mudfish Poetry Prize
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Requirements: Poems of any length
Prize: $1,200
Entry Fee: 3 poems for $20 ($3 for additional poems)
Notes: Judged by John Yau. Submit by post.
More details and submissions info HERE
Nimrod Literary Awards
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Word limit: 7,500 words (fiction) / 3-10 pages (poetry)
Prizes: 1st prize: $2,000 / 2nd prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
More details and submissions info HERE
‘The Once And Future Moon’
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Word limit: 1,000-5,000 words
Payment: £10 + contributor copy
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: ‘the moon’
More details and submissions info HERE
Screencraft Comedy Screenplay Competition
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Requirements: Comedy feature film scripts of 100-120 pages / Comedy feature concepts of 1-5 pages
Prizes: 1st prize: $1,000 / 2nd prize: $500 / Concept category: $500
Entry Fee: $69
More details and submissions info HERE
Thousand Films TV Pilot Call For Submissions
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Requirements: Up to 2 pilot TV scripts of 30-60 pages
Prizes: Shortlisted scripts will be judged by a panel of TV industry experts. Thousand Films will offer to option selected scripts and the offer will include a development prize package (see site for details).
Entry Fee: FREE to unrepresented female scriptwriters
Notes: Entrants must identify as female.
More details and submissions info HERE
Tom Howard / John H Reid Fiction & Essay Contest
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Word limit: 6,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: $2,000 in each category + 1-year subscription to Duotrope / 10x honourable mentions: $100
Entry Fee: $20
Notes: The top 12 entries will be published online.
More details and submissions info HERE
Ver Poets Open Competition
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Line limit: 30 lines
Prizes: 1st prize: £600 / 2nd prize: £300 / 3rd prize: £100
Entry Fee: £4 per poem / £10 for 3 poems
Notes: 30 poems will be selected for the anthology
More details and submissions info HERE
Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Line limit: 50 lines
Prizes: 1st prize: £600 / 2nd prize: £300 / 3rd prize: £150 / Ware sonnet prize: £150
Entry Fee: £4 per poem / £12 for 4 poems / £3 thereafter
Notes: Submit by post
More details and submissions info HERE
WrEN Award For Poetry
Deadline: 30th April 2019
Prizes: Best in show prize: $200 / 1st prize in each category: $25
Entry Fee: $15 for 3-5 poems within one category
Notes: Categories include Traditional Forms, Free Verse, and Poetry for Children.
More details and submissions info HERE
If you have a writing competition or opportunity to add to our May listings, please contact jo@writershq.co.uk before the 14th April.
