The TGEP Literary Network
Writing Competitions, Prizes & Awards Around the World
A working directory of credible opportunities for fiction writers, novelists, memoirists, poets, nature writers and young writers. TGEP checks dates, entry terms and official organiser pages so that a useful opportunity is not confused with an expired advertisement.
A prize is worth considering only when the rules, rights, cost and deadline are clear.
Entry fees do not make a competition unreliable, and free entry does not make one worthwhile. Read the official rules, understand what happens to your work, and enter because the competition fits the writing rather than because a deadline happens to be near.
Deadlines to notice now
Current and forthcoming writing competitions
These are brought forward because timing matters. Where an exact closing date is known, the status badge updates automatically in the reader's browser and expired cards disappear from this deadline board.
Wild Muse Nature Writing Prize 2026
First prize £750, with second and third prizes. Entries must be unpublished, anonymous and human-authored.
Official prize pageMslexia Women's Fiction Competition 2026
A significant current fiction opportunity for women writers, with publication and additional industry benefits in several categories.
Official competition pageBridport Prize Memoir Award 2026
For an unpublished memoir centred on the entrant's own life and experiences. Works in progress may be entered.
Official memoir awardCreative Writing Ink Short Story Competition 2026
Anonymous judging. The organiser expressly requires identifying details to be kept out of both the manuscript and filename.
Official competition pageBath Flash Fiction Award
The current international round is open. One entry is £9, with discounted multiple-entry options published by the organiser.
Official award pageNew Writers Novel Prize 2026
A useful low-extract route for unpublished novelists who want to test the strength of an opening rather than submit a long manuscript.
Official prize pageNo entry fee
Free Writing Competitions
No entry fee does not mean no restrictions. Age, residence, genre, publication status, word count and authorship rules can still determine whether an entry is eligible.
Happiful Poetry Prize 2027
A free poetry competition on mental health and wellbeing. One unpublished poem of no more than 25 lines.
Official Prize PageWrite the World Monthly Competitions
Free recurring competitions for young writers, with genres and prompts changing through the year.
Current CompetitionsCommonwealth Short Story Prize 2027
A major international prize worth monitoring, but the 2027 opening has been postponed while the organiser reviews its processes and submission rules.
Official Prize UpdateRead the label properly
Four things that change the value of a competition
The cash prize is only one part of the decision. Publication, rights, professional access and entry restrictions can matter just as much.
Free Entry
No fee is charged, but eligibility may be narrow. Check nationality, residence, age, publication history and language before preparing the work.
Paid Entry
Compare the fee with the prize, publication offer, judging record and organiser history. A credible paid competition should make its rules easy to find.
Industry Access
Some prizes include mentoring, manuscript appraisal, agent introductions or publication. For an emerging writer, these may be more useful than cash alone.
Restricted Eligibility
A competition may be for women, teenagers, UK residents, Commonwealth citizens, unpublished writers, or a particular manuscript category. Never assume 'international' means open to everybody.
TGEP curated directory
Selected writing competitions and literary prizes
The directory includes open, recurring and forthcoming opportunities. By default, expired competitions are hidden. Select “Closed / reference” under Timing if you need to inspect an earlier listing.
Nature Writing · Closing September
OpenWild Muse Nature Writing Prize 2026
The organiser accepts several literary forms where the natural world is an active part of the work. Entries must be unpublished and submitted anonymously.
Women's Fiction · Three Categories
OpenMslexia Women's Fiction Competition 2026
A substantial set of fiction prizes from an established magazine for women who write, with publication and professional-development benefits attached to the finalist structure.
Memoir · International
OpenBridport Prize Memoir Award 2026
A memoir-specific route within the long-running Bridport Prize programme. The memoir need not be finished at the initial-entry stage, but longer material is required if the work advances.
Short Story · Open Theme
OpenCreative Writing Ink Short Story Competition 2026
An international-style short story competition for unpublished work on any subject, theme or genre, entered through the organiser's submission platform.
Flash Fiction · International
OpenBath Flash Fiction Award
A recurring international flash-fiction competition running three rounds per year, making it useful both for immediate entry and for writers who need another cycle to revise.
Poetry · Free · UK
OpenHappiful Poetry Prize 2027
The winner receives £100 and four shortlisted poets receive book tokens. The winning and shortlisted poems are scheduled for publication in Happiful.
Novel Opening · Worldwide
OpenNew Writers Novel Prize 2026
An opening-pages competition that asks writers to demonstrate control immediately. The winning entries are also published by New Writers.
Children's & YA Manuscripts
OpenBath Children's Novel Award 2026
A manuscript prize focused specifically on books for younger readers, with staged judging and feedback benefits for listees.
Short Story · Established Prize
OpenFish Short Story Prize
A long-running short story prize with anthology publication and direct agent-facing benefits for the selected writers.
Women's Poetry · Two Routes
OpenMslexia Women's Poetry Competitions 2026
Two separate poetry competitions under the Mslexia programme, one for individual poems and one for a short collection.
2027 Awards · Worldwide
OpenNext Generation Short Story Awards 2027
A broad category-based awards programme for short stories. Writers retain copyright under the published rules.
Young Writers · Monthly
Monthly · freeWrite the World Monthly Competitions
Write the World continues to run free monthly competitions for teenagers and has published a 2026–27 competition programme for educators and young writers.
Forthcoming · 2027 Cycle
Opens 15 Nov 2026Bridport Prize 2027 Main Competition
The organiser's 2026 key-date pages state that the 2027 competition will open on 15 November 2026.
Important Schedule Change
Returns Jan 2027Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2027
This major free-entry international prize is not following its usual autumn opening timetable for the 2027 cycle.
A material change in 2026
Read the AI and authorship rule before you enter
Competition rules are increasingly specific about generative AI. The wording is not uniform, and a rule that permits spell-checking may still prohibit rewriting, paraphrasing or creative development by an AI system.
Do not assume one rule fits all
Bridport states that creative work must not be written, rewritten, paraphrased or creatively developed with generative AI, while allowing limited factual research and basic spelling or grammar checking under its current rules.
Human-authored can be an eligibility condition
Wild Muse requires entries to be entirely human-authored and says substantially AI-assisted work is not eligible. Happiful likewise prohibits generative AI in writing or rewriting the poem.
Rules themselves are changing
The Commonwealth Foundation has moved the opening of its 2027 Short Story Prize to January 2027 while reviewing processes and submission rules following AI-related concerns around the 2026 prize.
Before paying or uploading
How TGEP suggests judging a writing competition
A competition should be treated as a publishing decision. Read the terms with the same care you would give a submission agreement.
Check the organiser
Look for a real organisation, named judges, previous winners, contact details, a record of results and a rules page that can be read before payment.
Read the rights clause
Copyright should not be confused with publication permission. Understand exactly what licence you grant if shortlisted or selected and whether exclusivity is involved.
Respect anonymity
Where judging is blind, a name in the manuscript, header, filename or embedded document metadata can cause problems. Follow the organiser's precise instruction.
Check simultaneous submissions
Some prizes permit the same work elsewhere provided it is withdrawn after acceptance or a win. Others prohibit simultaneous entry or prior publication.
Compare fee with benefit
Consider the prize, publication, judging, mentoring, agent contact and entrant restrictions together. Do not enter simply because the fee appears modest.
Submit finished work
A deadline is not an editorial schedule. Revision, proofreading and compliance should be complete before the final day wherever possible.
Competition submission checklist
Keep one clean master file of the work, then create a competition-specific copy only after you have read the current organiser's rules.
Practical questions
Writing competition questions
Are paid writing competitions legitimate?
Many established competitions charge entry fees, but the fee itself proves nothing either way. Check the organiser's identity, previous results, named judges, rights terms, prize structure and whether the entry conditions are available before you pay.
Can I submit the same story to more than one competition?
Only if the relevant rules permit simultaneous submissions. Some organisers allow them on condition that you withdraw the piece if it wins or is accepted elsewhere. Always follow the rule of each competition separately.
Does entering a competition transfer my copyright?
Not necessarily. Many reputable prizes leave copyright with the author but require a licence to publish winning or shortlisted work. The exact scope and duration of that licence should be read before entry.
Can I use AI to edit a competition entry?
There is no universal answer. Some current competitions prohibit generative AI for drafting, rewriting, paraphrasing or substantial editing while permitting limited spelling, grammar or factual-research assistance. The organiser's current rule controls.
Should I wait until the closing day to submit?
No advantage should be assumed. Earlier submission gives you time to resolve file, payment or platform problems. Enter only after the work and the competition-specific formatting are final.
Why does TGEP keep closed competitions in the directory?
Some recur annually or several times a year. Closed entries are hidden by default but retained as reference so writers can identify established programmes and monitor the next cycle without mistaking an old deadline for a current one.
Be cautious of prizes that sell certainty.
Guaranteed awards, pressure to pay immediately, vague organisers, excessive rights demands, unexplained additional fees, no named judging process, or a requirement to purchase expensive services after “winning” should be examined carefully. A polished advertisement is not evidence of a credible literary prize.
How TGEP maintains this page
The Good Earth Publishers checks the organiser or official programme page before listing time-sensitive details and provides a direct link so the writer can verify the current rules independently. Deadlines, fees, judges, prizes and eligibility may change after our verification date. TGEP does not administer the third-party competitions listed here and inclusion does not constitute a guarantee, endorsement or legal opinion.
Enter because the work is ready, not because the clock is running.
Use the TGEP Literary Network to research competitions, residencies, grants, publishers, agents and magazines before deciding where your writing belongs.
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