New year! New writing! New subs habit!
2020 is almost here – or already here, depending on when you’re reading these listings – and hoo boy it’s time to up our submissions game.
We’ve put together over 70 writing competitions, opportunities, and excellent things with deadlines in January, many of them free-to-enter, most of ’em with cash prizes or other great boons and bonuses.
But hey, the most important thing is to get your work out there; to build off every rejection and get better and better. And maybe – just maybe – you’ll be celebrating a publication soon… In the meantime, if you need a helping hand, we’ve got your back.
So go forth and submit with fortitude and tenacity, fine writers!
Stories of the Nature of Cities
Deadline: 1st January 2020
Word Limit: 750 words
Prizes: 1st prize: $2,000 / 2x 2nd prizes: $1,000 / 3x 3rd prizes: $500
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: City in a wild garden
More details and submissions info HERE
THINK Winter/Spring 2020
Deadline: 1st January 2020
Requirements: Up to 5 poems or one piece of prose
Entry fee: FREE
More details and submission info HERE
BatCat Open Submissions
Deadline: 2nd January 2020
Requirements: Poetry, fiction, creative non fiction, collections of short pieces or single works of any length
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: All genres are welcome, but BatCat are generally most interested in what might be described “literary” writing.
More details and submission info HERE
Chicken House Open Coop
Deadline: 2nd January 2020
Requirements: A 500-word pitch + the first 1,500 words/3 chapters of a novel for children aged 7-17
Prizes: Feedback and mentoring from the Chicken House editorial team
Entry fee: FREE
Notes: Open Coop is open to submissions for one day only
More details and submission info HERE
Gemini Poetry Open
Deadline: 2nd January 2020
Line Limit: No limit
Prize: 1st prize: $1,000 / 2nd prize: $100 / 4x honourable mentions: $25
Entry Fee: $8 for up to 3 poems
More details and submissions info HERE
Northern Book Prize 2020
Deadline: 2nd January 2020
Requirements: Novels or ‘non-fiction of literary quality’
Prize: Prize and advance worth £5,000 + creative editorial support + publishing contract
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: The Northern Book Prize is open to unpublished, completed book-length works of literary merit written in English by a writer, of any nationality or descent, who lives in the North of England or who has a strong connection to the North.
More details and submissions info HERE
The Disquiet Prize
Deadline: 3rd January 2020
Word Limit: Fiction & non fiction: 25 (double-spaced) pages / Poetry: up to 6 poems (10 pages total)
Prize: A full fellowship (airfare stipend, tuition, and housing included) to the 2020 DISQUIET International Program in Lisbon, Portugal
Entry Fee: $15
Notes:Runners-up and other outstanding entrants will be considered for financial aid
More details and submissions info HERE
The Emerging Writer Award
Deadline: 3rd January 2020
Requirements: A CV + a summary of your WIP + a 2,000 writing sample
Prize: A tailor-made package worth up to £2,000 including tuition via open courses, retreat time and/or mentoring
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: The Emerging Writer Award is open to unpublished prose writers (fiction) living and working in the UK with a collection of short stories or novel in development.
More details and submissions info HERE
St Martin’s Minotaur / Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition
Deadline: 3rd January 2020
Word Limit: A completed crime novel manuscript of at least 60,000 words (220 pages)
Prize: A $10,000 advance and publishing contract with Minotaur Books
Entry Fee: FREE
More details and submissions info HERE
ScreenCraft Animation Screenplay Competition
Deadline: 3rd January 2020 (early deadline*)
Requirements: Animated feature screenplays: 100-120 pages / Adult TV pilots and kids’ TV pilots: 22-35 pages for half-hour pilots, 46-65 pages for hour-long pilots
Prize: $1,000 in each category + circulation of winning screenplays to industry professionals + development support from ScreenCraft
Entry Fee: $49
Notes: *Deadline extends to 29th Feb with increased entry fees.
More details and submissions info HERE
Novel Noctule
Deadline: 5th January 2020
Word Limit: Micro fiction: 250 words / Flash fiction: 1,000 words / Short fiction: 1,250-10,000 / Poetry: up to 3 poems, 10 pages total
Entry Fee: FREE
Payment: $10
Notes: Theme: Misfortune (Novel Notule is a publisher of horror)
More details and submission info HERE
BBC Writersroom Script Room Drama 2020
Deadline: 6th January 2020
Requirements: Drama scripts (TV, film, radio, stage or online) of at least 30 pages
Prize: A group of writers (usually between 10 and 15) will be selected to join the BBC Drama Room writer development group for 2020/21
Entry fee: FREE
More details and submission info HERE
The Henshaw Short Story Competition
Deadline: 6th January 2020
Word limit: 2,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £200 / 2nd prize: £100 / 3rd prize: £50
Entry fee: £6
Notes: Optional critique for £12
More details and submissions info HERE
It’s My Shout
Deadline: 6th January 2020
Requirements: an A4 page pitch of your story
Prizes: Script development meetings, workshops, and support from experienced industry screenwriters
Entry Fee: FREE
More details and submissions info HERE
Mslexia: March 2020
Deadline: 6th January 2020
Requirements: Fiction, non-fiction & poetry: various word limits (send a 200 proposal for non-fiction)
Payment: £25
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Mslexia is open to submissions from women writers
More details and submission info HERE
92Y Discovery Poetry Contest
Deadline: 10th January 2020
Requirements: Up to 10 pages of poetry
Prize: Four winners receive $500 + a reading at 92Y + publication in The Paris Review Daily + a two-night residency at the ACE Hotel
Entry Fee: $15
Notes:The contest is open to poets who have not published a full-length poetry collection
More details and submissions info HERE
A3 Press Chapbook Submission
Deadline: 10th January 2020
Requirements: 12-14 connected pieces of prose, poetry, or illustrated pieces
Payment: £200 + 10 copies of the chapbook
Entry Fee: £20
Notes: Chapbooks are presented on an A3 map fold format
More details and submissions info HERE
Escalator 2020
Deadline: 10th January 2020
Requirements: 2,000 word writing sample + 200 word proposal + 200 word bio
Prize: 5 one-to-one mentoring sessions + a retreat at Norwich UNESCO City of Literature + workshops and development sessions + a showcase event with an audience of invited guests and industry professionals + space on the National Centre for Writing website to showcase your work
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Escalator encourages under-represented writers who self-identify as from a working-class background, who haven’t undertaken any formal creative writing qualifications, or whom wouldn’t ordinarily have the opportunity to benefit from this kind of support. You must live in the East of England (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk or Suffolk) to apply.
More details and submissions info HERE
Soho Theatre Verity Bargate Award 2020
Deadline: 10th January 2020
Requirements: 100 word summary + full-length play scripts of at least 60 minutes
Prizes: £7,500 + an option for Soho Theatre to produce your play
Entry Fee: FREE
More details and submissions info HERE
Dancing Bear Books: Womxn
Deadline: 11th January 2020
Word Limit: Short fiction & essays: 6,000 words / Poetry: 600 words
Payment: Unstated one-time fee
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Womxn will be a collection all about the experience of being female and must be linked to some kind of fairy tale, historical or mythological female figure. You do not have to be a woman to submit work.
More details and submissions info HERE
Magma Poetry Competition
Deadline: 11th January 2020
Line Limit: Short poems: up to 10 lines / Longer poems: 11-50 lines
Prizes: 1st prize: £1,000 / 2nd prize: £300 / 3rd prize: £150 in each category
Entry Fee: £5 for the first poem, £4 for the second, £3.50 thereafter
More details and submission info HERE
Mogford Food & Drink Writing Prize 2020
Deadline: 13th January 2020
Word Limit: 2,500 words
Prize: £10,,000
Entry Fee: £10
More details and submission info HERE
Nesta Alternarratives
Deadline: 13th January 2020
Requirements: 2 examples of existing work + a short story which will form the basis of your project + a proposal to explain the idea behind the work you would like to create through Alternarratives and how you will do this
Prize: 1st prize: £15,000, 10x shortlisters: £1,000
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Nesta wants to unearth the future of cutting-edge short-form storytelling, encouraging writers based in the UK to think beyond the word document and use all the tools we have at our disposal to tell stories in new and exciting ways. Alternarratives is asking writers/creators to develop work for a young audience between 11-16.
More details and submissions info HERE
Keats-Shelley Prize 2020
Deadline: 14th January 2020
Word Limit: Poetry: 30 lines / Essays: 3,000
Prizes: Combined prizes over £5,000
Entry Fee: Poetry: £10 for 2 poems / Essays: fee not stated
Notes: The theme for poetry and short story entries is: Songbird. Essays may be on any aspect of the works or lives of the Romantics and their circles.
More details and submissions info HERE
Chicken Soup For The Soul
Deadline: 15th January 2020
Word Limit: Inspirational true stories and poems of up to 1,200 words
Payment: $200
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Themes: The magic of dogs / The magic of cats
More details and submissions info HERE
The Cosmos Prize
Deadline: 15th January 2020
Requirements: An alternative final chapter of Cosmos
Prizes: 1st prize: $300 / 2nd prize: $100 / 3rd prize: $50
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: All prize winners will also receive FFE’s publications + an FFE T-shirt + lapel pin. Submissions must fit with the overall narrative of Cosmos, bring the story to a compelling, meaningful, exciting and/or evocative conclusion, and capture the style and sensibility of science fiction of the 1930s.
More details and submission info HERE
The Ellen Meloy Desert Writers Award
Deadline: 15th January 2020
Requirements: A project proposal + a biographical statement + a writing sample of up to 10 pages
Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $15
Notes: The Fund supports writing that combines an engaging individual voice, literary sensibility, imagination and intellectual rigour to bring new perspectives and deeper meaning to the body of desert literature.
More details and submissions info HERE
Hektoen International Writing Contest
Deadline: 15th January 2020
Word Limit: Essays of up to 1,600 words
Prizes: 1st prize: $3,000 / 2nd prize: $800
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Blood. Submissions must include at least one image.
More details and submissions info HERE
Kanstellation: The Dark Side of Science
Deadline: 15th January 2020
Word Limit: Poetry: up to 4 poems / Flash fiction & non-fiction: up to 2 pieces of 500-1,000 words / Essays: up to 2 essays of 1,000-2,500 words
Payment: Poetry: $60 / Flash: $100 / Essays: $120
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: The dark side of science
More details and submissions info HERE
Literal Latte Fiction Awards
Deadline: 15th January 2020
Word Limit: 10,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: $1,000 / 2nd prize: $300 / 3rd prize: $200
Entry Fee: $10 for 1 entry, $15 for 2
More details and submissions info HERE
Writers Online Historical Fiction Competition
Deadline: 15th January 2020
Word Limit: 1,500-1,700 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £200 / 2nd prize: £50
Entry Fee: £6 for non-subscribers, £4 for subscribers
Notes: Entries must be historical fiction (over 50 years ago)
More details and submissions info HERE
UEA New Forms Award
Deadline: 17th January 2020
Requirements: A 2,000 word writing sample + 250 word supporting statement
Prize: £4,000 + a bespoke period of development, which may include mentoring, learning opportunities and promotional platform.
Entry Fee: $10
Notes:The UEA New Forms Award seeks fiction that explores the boundaries of possibility.
More details and submissions info HERE
Influx Press Non-Fiction Open Call
Deadline: 5th – 19th January 2020
Requirements: Non-fiction proposals: 2 sample chapters/10,000 words + examples of previous works
Entry fee: FREE
Notes: Open to submissions from women and non-binary writers
More details and submission info HERE
Iota Shot Pamphlet Awards 2020
Deadline: 20th January 2020
Requirements: 16-20 pages of poetry, max 40 lines per page
Prize: Up to three I_SHOT Pamphlets will be published by Templar Poetry
Entry Fee: £20
Notes: Winners will also have the option to submit a full collection for publication at a later date.
More details and submission info HERE
Poets & Players Competition 2020
Deadline: 21st January 2020
Line Limit: 40 lines
Prizes: 1st prize: £600 / 2nd prize: £200 / 3rd prize: £100
Entry fee: £4 per poem, or 3 for £10
More details and submission info HERE
Puchi Award
Deadline: 23rd January 2020
Requirements: Entry form + CV + 2,000 word book summary + completed book manuscript
Prize: An €8,000 advance + publication by Fulgencio Pimentel + 25 copies of the book
Entry fee: FREE
Notes: The Puchi Award is looking for books in any genre or form: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, novels, comics, picture books, essays, cookbooks, geography books, combinations of the above or any other type imaginable.
More details and submission info HERE
Emma Press Poetry Pamphlets for Adults & Children’s Poetry Collections
Deadline: 24th January 2020
Requirements: The first 6 pages of a poetry pamphlet for adults and/or a poetry collection for children
Prize: Publication + 10 free copies + royalties
Entry Fee: £10 (enables you to enter one or both categories)
More details and submissions info HERE
A3 Review (RECURRING)
Deadline: 25th January 2020
Word Limit: 150 words (not incl title)
Prize: 1st prize: £250, 2nd prize: £150, 3rd prize: £75
Entry Fee: $5/£3
Notes: Theme: Thanatos. 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
BMA Writing Competition 2020
Deadline: 25th January 2020
Word Limit: 700 words
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Sorry
More details and submissions info HERE
Vassar Review: Protest, Prophecy, Play
Deadline: 26th January 2020
Word Limit: Fiction & literary non-fiction: 30 pages / Poetry: 6 poems or 10 pages
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Protest, prophecy, play
More details and submissions info HERE
Retreat West First Chapter Competition
Deadline: 27th January 2020
Word Limit: The first chapter of a novel up to 3,500 words
Prizes: 1st prize: Submission package review and feedback from literary agent Carrie Plitt / 2nd prize: Submission package review and feedback from Amanda Saint / 3rd prize: Short feedback from Carrie Plitt
Entry fee: £10
Notes: The competition is not accepting children’s fiction
More details and submissions info HERE
The Fresher Writing Prize 2020
Deadline: 27th January 2020
Word Limit: Short fiction: 3,000 words / Poetry: 42 lines
Prizes: £200 in each category + feedback
Entry Fee: £7 (entry is free for staff and students of Bournemouth University)
More details and submissions info HERE
The Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship
Deadline: 22nd January 2019
Requirements: A writing CV + application + writing sample (2,000 words of fiction, 90 lines of poetry, 10 pages of a script)
Prize: A month-long retreat at the Hôtel Chevillon International Arts Centre at Grez-sur-Loing in France + £1,200 stipend + travel expenses
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: You must be over 18 and based in Scotland with a publication record to apply
More details and submissions info HERE
Chicken Soup For The Soul
Deadline: 30th & 31st January 2020
Word Limit: Inspirational true stories of up to 1,200 words
Payment: $200
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: 30th Jan theme: Christmas / 31st Jan theme: Be you
More details and submissions info HERE
Room 204 Writer Development Scheme
Deadline: 30th January 2020
Requirements: A 2-year writing history + up to 3 writing examples, max 3,000 total + a statement of demonstrable need
Prizes: A small number of emerging writers from the West Midlands will receive support, mentoring and career development from Writing West Midlands worth over £1,000
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Room 204 is for emerging writers living, working or studying in the West Midlands who are looking for career development.
More details and submissions info HERE
Arundel Festival Theatre Trail Writers’ Competition
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Requirements: Plays of 30-40 minutes for a max of 5 performers
Prizes: 1st prize: £250 + all successful playwrights will receive a £200 writer’s fee
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: 8 short plays will be performed at 8 venues across Arundel during the festival
More details and submissions info HERE
Bad Betty Press: Pamphlet & Collection Manuscripts
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Requirements: 10 pages of poetry from a full collection/pamphlet manuscript
Prize: Successful manuscripts will be accepted for publication in 2021
Entry Fee: FREE
More details and submissions info HERE
Cranked Anvil Short Story Competition
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Word Limit: 1,500 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £150 / 2nd prize: £75 / 3rd prize: £30
Entry Fee: £5 for first entry / £3 for the second / £2 for the third
More details and submissions info HERE
Cúirt New Writing Prize 2020
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Word Limit: Fiction: 2,000 words / Poetry: 50 lines
Prizes: €500 in each category
Entry Fee: €10
Notes: Winners will also have the opportunity to read at the Cúirt / Over the Edge Showcase event
More details and submissions info HERE
Fish Short Memoir Prize
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Word Limit: 4,000 words
Prize: 1st prize: €1,000 / 2nd prize: A week’s writers’ retreat at Casa Ana, La Alpujarra, Spain + €300 / 3rd prize: €200
Entry Fee: €17 for first entry, €11 thereafter
Notes: The best 10 memoirs will be published in the FISH ANTHOLOGY 2020
More details and submissions info HERE
The Gollancz & Rivers of London BAME SFF Award
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Word Limit: 5,000-10,000 words
Prize: 1st prize: £4,000 + critique + 1 year mentoring programme / 2nd prize: £2,000 + critique / 5x runners-up: £800 + Gollancz books
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: The prize is open to BAME writers. Submissions must be either a self-contained short story or the opening of a novel that fits into the science fiction, fantasy or horror genres.
More details and submissions info HERE
Hashtag Queer: LGTBQ+ Creative Anthology
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Word Limit: Fiction & non-fiction: 7,500 words / Poetry: 5 pages / Scripts: 10 pages
Payment: $5 per printed page
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Entries must be by and/or about LGTBQ+ themes
More details and submissions info HERE
The International Radio Playwriting Competition 2020
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Requirements: A script for a 53 minute radio play with up to 6 central characters + a 400 word synopsis
Prizes: 2 winners will receive £2,500 + a travel expenses and accommodation to London to see their winning plays being recorded for broadcast on the BBC World Service and attend a prize-giving event
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: The competition is open to new and established writers over the age of 18 who live outside the UK. There are two categories for entry – one for entrants who speak English as a first language and one for entrants with English as a second language.
More details and submissions info HERE
Into the Void Poetry Prize
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Line Limit: 60 lines
Prizes: 1st prize: $500 / 2nd prize: $100 / 3rd prize: $50
Entry Fee: $6
Notes: Each entry comes with a free one-year online subscription to Into the Void
More details and submissions info HERE
The John Byrne Award
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Requirements: A piece of creative work up to 15,000 words + 200 word entry statement
Prizes: £7,500
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Entrants must be over 16 and living in Scotland. There are also quarterly awards of £500.
More details and submissions info HERE
The Kent & Sussex Poetry Society Open Competition
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Line Limit: 40 lines
Prizes: 1st prize: £1,000 / 2nd prize: £300 / 3rd prize: £100 / 4x runners-up: £50
Entry Fee: £5 for 1 poem / £10 for 2 / £12 for 3 / 4 for £16 / 5 for £20
More details and submissions info HERE
Little Tokyo Historical Society Short Story Contest
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Word Limit: Fiction: 5,000 words / Poetry: single poems or multi-poem cycles
Prize: $500 in each category
Entry Fee: FREE (but contributions welcome)
Notes: Stories must be set in a current, past or future Little Tokyo in the City of Los Angeles, California. There are 3 categories: English language, Japanese language and youth (18 and younger)
More details and submissions info HERE
The Masters Review Winter Short Story Award For New Writers
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Word Limit: 6,000 words
Prize: 1st prize: $3,000 + agency review / 2nd prize: $300 / 3rd prize: $200
Entry Fee: $20
More details and submissions info HERE
The 2019 Plough International Poetry Prize
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Line Limit: 40 lines
Prizes: 1st prize: £1,000 / 2nd prize: £500 / 3rd prize: £250
Entry Fee: £5
More details and submissions info HERE
Prole Laureate Poetry Competition 2020
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Line Limit: no limit
Prizes: 1st prize: £200 / 2x runners-up: £50
Entry Fee: £3 for first entry, £2 thereafter
More details and submissions info HERE
Pure Slush: The Beautifulest
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Word Limit: Stories, essays and poetry of 50-1,000 words
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Beauty
More details and submissions info HERE
Room: Neurodivergence
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Word Limit: Fiction and creative non-fiction: 3,500 words / Poetry: up to 5 poems
Payment: $50 CAD for one page, $60 for two pages, $90 for three pages, $120 for four pages, $150 for five or more pages
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Neurodivergence. Room publishes fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and art by women (cisgender and transgender), transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people.
More details and submissions info HERE
ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship
Deadline: 31st January 2019 (*regular deadline)
Requirements: Feature screenplays: 70-140 pages / Comedy TV pilot scripts: 25-40 pages / Drama TV pilot scripts: 45-65 pages
Prize: Up to 4 winners will receive all-expenses paid trip to LA to meet with industry professionals + creative development mentorship
Entry Fee: $49
Notes: *Deadline extends to 29th Feb with increased submission fees
More details and submissions info HERE
Teignmouth Poetry Festival 2020 Competition
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Line Limit: 36 line
Prizes: 1st prize: £500 / 2nd prize: £250 / 3rd prize: £100
Entry Fee: £4.50 for first poem, £3,50 thereafter
Notes: There are also prizes for local poets
More details and submissions info HERE
The Winter Anthology
Deadline: 31st January 2020
Word Limit: Poetry or prose of any length
Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $11
Notes: Entries must not have been written before 1999
More details and submissions info HERE
Ad Hoc Fiction (RECURRING)
Deadline: Various (weekly)
Word Limit: 150 words
Prize: Free entry to the Bath Flash Fiction Award
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Entries must include the prompt word (see website for latest deadline). Once submissions are closed, entries are published for public voting on the Ad Hoc site.
More details and submissions info HERE
Faber Academy QuickFic (RECURRING)
Deadline: Weekly (new prompt every Friday)
Word Limit: 250 words
Prize: A selection of books
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Stories must be in response to a weekly prompt posted each Friday at 9.50am
More details and submissions info HERE
Third Word Press Great Eighty Challenge (RECURRING)
Deadline: Rolling
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
If you have a writing competition or opportunity to add to our February listings, contact [email protected] before the 31st of January.
Please note: We rarely list contests with an entry fee of over £20 (with the exception of scriptwriting and chapbook competitions) unless they also offer free entries for low income writers.
