2021 will see five winning plays produced by a professional cast & crew for a one week run of performances in London. Moreover, this opportunity will also see the winning works filmed in performance, given full written assessments by theatre professionals and considered for publication by our partnered publishers!

With over 50 of our previous winning plays having received offers of publication don’t miss the chance to see your work in motion!

Furthermore, we have been working hard over the last few months to future proof the Challenge against Covid-19 related disruption. If Covid-19 restricts live audience at the
time of performance, plays will be live-streamed (with live editing by Mini Mammoth Films).

https://skybluetheatre.com/playwriting-competition/#play-latest-news

Anthology Magazine Short Story Competition

Writers of short fiction are invited to enter the Anthology Magazine Short Story Competition.  Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, it is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Stories submitted must be on the theme of ‘Memories’ and not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words. Writers can submit as many entries as they wish.

It is not a requirement, but is advisable to refer to Anthology Magazine or purchase a copy before submitting your work, so that you can see the type of material we publish. Subscriptions and single copies are available to purchase through our online shop.

The winner will receive a €500 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology.

The winner will also receive a one year subscription to Anthology Magazine

Submission Deadline & Entry Fees:
Early Bird: 30 April 2021 – €10 per story
Deadline: 31 July 2021 – €15 per story

Website for details: https://anthology-magazine.com/short-story/

Fly on the Wall are a socially-conscious small press based in Manchester.
They are currently seeking submissions of poetry and short story manuscripts with a strong voice and style and elements of social engagement.
At the moment, they are particularly seeking submissions of single short stories (5,000 – 11,000 words) for ‘shorts’ season where they will publish a series of limited edition political short fiction pamphlets.

David Higham Associates: a literary agency based in central London will be running an online Open Week to support under-represented writers across the world.

“We are thrilled to be inviting all applicants to a series of events this October aiming to demystify the industry, including advice on writing submission letters, a look at the role of the agent, as well as the work of translation and film & TV rights teams. Twenty writers will then be selected to attend our DHA New Writers’ Open Week in January 2021, which will feature further exclusive talks from agents, authors and editors, and include an in-depth 1-1 feedback session on their submitted work with a DHA agent.

This open day will be an excellent opportunity for budding authors from under-represented backgrounds (LGBTQ+ writers, writers of colour, writers from working-class backgrounds, writers from ethnic, cultural and religious minorities and writers with a disability) to find out more about the industry and have their material looked at by a leading literary agent.”

For further information about the event and to apply, please see here: https://www.davidhigham.co.uk/dhaopenday/.

Wenlock Olympian Society

(providing access to sport and the arts since 1850)

Flash Fiction Competition
2020/2021

• Prizes: £150, £50 and £25 plus a Gold, Silver or Bronze Wenlock Olympian Society (WOS) medal
• Deadline for entries: 31 October 2020
• Length of story: max 1,000 words
• We are looking for flair and creativity on any one of the following themes:
  • Five Rings
  • Winning
  • Gold is Only a Colour
• All genres of stories are welcome (excluding Children’s and Young Adult Fiction)
  • Entry Fee: £5 (£8 for 2 entries,  £12 for three entries)

Winning stories will be published on the WOS website

First prize to be read at a WOS social evening in March 2021

The competition is UK based but International entries are welcome

To enter, please go to: Wenlock Olympian Society

Anthology Magazine Poetry Prize

Entries are now invited for the Anthology Magazine Poetry Prize. Established to recognise and encourage excellence in the craft of poetry writing and to provide a platform for publication, it is open to original and previously unpublished poems in the English language. Entries are invited from poets of all nationalities, living anywhere in the world. Poems submitted must be on the theme of ‘Expectations’ and should not exceed 40 lines. There is no limit to entries per person.

It is not a requirement, but is advisable to refer to Anthology Magazine or purchase a copy before submitting your work, so that you can see the type of material we publish. Subscriptions and single copies are available to purchase through our online shop.

The winner will receive a €500 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology Magazine.

The winner will also receive a one year subscription to Anthology Magazine

Submission Deadline & Entry Fees:
Early Bird: 30 September 2020 – €10 per poem
Deadline: 30 November 2020 – €15 per poem

Terms and Conditions

• To enter, submit an original, unpublished poem, written in English on the topic of ‘Expectations’ with a maximum of 40 lines.
• Entry fee: €10 per poem if you enter by midnight on 30 September 2020, or €15 per poem if you enter by midnight on 30 November 2020.
• There is no limit to the number of entries you can submit.
• There is no age limit.
• The closing date for receipt of entries is 30 November 2020 at midnight.
• Once selected, the winner will be contacted by email or telephone.
• Copyright remains with the author but Anthology Magazine reserves the right to be the first to publish or arrange a broadcast of selected works. The right to use the poems to further publicise this award is also retained.
• Submission of a written piece implies the author’s acceptance of the terms and conditions.
• Anthology Magazine reserves the right to change the prizes in the event of unforeseen circumstances.

Anthology Magazine Short Story Competition

Writers of short fiction are invited to enter the Anthology Magazine Short Story Competition.  Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, it is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Stories submitted must be on the theme of ‘Friendship’ and not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words. Writers can submit as many entries as they wish.

The winner will receive a €300 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology Magazine.

The winner will also receive:

• A two-night stay with one dinner at the iconic Montenotte Hotel in Cork City
• A limited edition pen created to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Weir & Sons
• Waterford Crystal engraved trophy
• A one year subscription to Anthology Magazine

Word limit: 1,500 words

Submission Deadlines & Entry Fees:
Early Bird: 31 May 2020 – €10 per story
Final Deadline: 31 July 2020 – €15 per story

Full details: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/

The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is an international literary prize that is a hotbed for new talent in Poetry and Short Fiction. Now in its 14th year, the Prize supports both emerging and established writers. By entering, writers can showcase their work to key industry figures and organisations including The Poetry Society, Granta, VINTAGE and more.

Winners are selected for both categories and awarded with £1,000. Publication within the Aesthetica Creative Writing Anthology, is also awarded to a further 60 writers whose works are highly commended.

Aesthetica is proud to champion new writing talent and supports its writing alumni beyond the Prize, offering print and digital publicity and continued exposure across our channels.

Poetry £12 | Short Fiction £18

Submissions close 31 August 2020

Website: https://aestheticamagazine.com/creative-writing-award/

When: Wednesday 10th June 2020

Where: Royal Station Hotel, Neville Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5DH

We’re hugely excited at David Higham to be taking our Open Days on the road! Our first stop is Newcastle where we will be offering ten writers the opportunity to meet with industry experts and receive tailored feedback on their work from top literary agents.

The Open Day will take place on Wednesday 10th June 2020 at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle and will focus on fiction-writing for adults*. There will be sessions throughout the day to answer questions about all aspects of the industry, from the role of an agent to the publishing process, as well as one-to-one sessions to provide tailored feedback on current writing projects.

Applications for this day are now open! We welcome applications from any writer living in the UK from an under-represented background including LGBTQ+ writers, BAME writers, writers from working-class backgrounds, writers from ethnic, cultural and religious minorities, and disabled writers. Writers must be un-agented.

As this event is in Newcastle, we strongly encourage under-represented writers from the North of England to apply. We have plans to run further open days across the UK in the future.

*We are not at this time looking for poetry, plays, screenplays or children’s fiction.

Visit their website for details

The Emma Press has announced that it is accepting poetry manuscripts submissions until 24th January 2020. There are two categories – pamphlets for adults and collections for children – which will be judged by publisher Emma Dai’an Wright and poet Edward van de Vendel.

The Birmingham-based publisher is inviting poets to submit 6 pages of poems for either or both categories. There is a £10 submission fee, which is limited to one per poet and allows the poet to submit a manuscript to one or both of the categories. The selected manuscripts will be published in 2021.

See more details on their website