Competitions, Submissions & Opportunities

Deadline: 20 December 2024

The Griffin Poetry Prize

The Griffin Poetry Prize is awarded annually for the best collection of poetry written in, or translated into, English. A longlist of 10 books is announced annually in March, and a shortlist of 5 books is announced annually in April. The winner is announced at the Griffin Poetry Prize readings held in Canada annually in June.

The Griffin Poetry Prize is pleased to announce that Nick Laird (Northern Ireland), Anne Michaels (Canada), and Tomasz Różycki (Poland) are the judges for the 2025 Griffin Poetry Prize. Entries must come from publishers only. Inquiries about entries must also come from publishers only. Publishers are welcome to enter an unlimited number of titles.

Prize Money: C$130,000 and the other shortlisted poets each receive C$10,000.

More Information here:

Deadline: 23 December 2024

FFF Competition Twenty-Five

FFF Competition Twenty-Five is looking for submissions of flash fiction, between 100 and 300 words, on any theme.

First Prize £150.00 and publication. Highly Commended receive £60.00 and publication and those Shortlisted receive £50.00 and publication.

More Information here:

Deadline: 21 December 2024

Abridged 0 – 104: Legion Submission Call

Legion, the host, the multitude. The questions raised by Legion are the questions of collectivity, individuality, power, possession, control, responsibility, ethics and voice.

Abridged is looking for poetry and art that explores the fear of difference, the tyranny of common sense and the voice of the crowd. You may submit up to three poems in a Word or PDF format. Art should be 300dpi or above and in jpeg or similar format.

More Information here:

Deadline: 30 December 2025

Anthropocene

Anthropocene is an online poetry journal, a space for poetry and translations from any language, publishing new poems every Wednesday and Sunday. Anthropocene is edited by Charlie Baylis. The guest editor for December 2024 is Shannon Clinton-Copeland. Free submissions for the month of December.

More Information here:

Deadline: 30 December 2024

Writing Magazine Grand Flash Prize 2024

The Writing Magazine Grand Flash Prize 2024 is open for your short stories in any form, on any topic. The only stipulation is that your story should be a maximum 500 words. Stories will be judged by the Writing Magazine editorial team and the winner published in Writing Magazine in 2025.

First prize is £1,000. Runners-up: £150 for second. £50 for third

Entry Fees £16 or £10 for subscribers to Writing Magazine.

More Information here:

Deadline: 1 January 2025

Ropes 2025

ROPES, the Review of Postgraduate English Studies at the University of Galway, is a literary journal produced annually by MA literature and publishing students. The theme for ROPES issue 33 is roots.

They accept a variety of written and visual work, including, but not limited to, fiction, flash fiction, poetry, memoire and essays. Art, and photography has a deadline of 21 Feb 2025. All submissions should be original, previously unpublished work.

More Information here:

Deadline: 3 January 2024

Public Art Commission for Esker Arts, Offally County Council

Offaly County Council Arts Office is seeking proposals from professional artists for a public art commission for Esker Arts, in conjunction with Lough Boora Sculpture Park. Proposals will be accepted from all art disciplines and practices including; visual arts, dance, film,  literature, music, theatre, digital arts, performance, live art, multimedia, video art, sound art, socially engaged practice, participatory, research-based. Engagement with stakeholders and community is a prerequisite and every effort should be made to involve communities as some aspect of the proposal.

The total budget for the project is 20,000 euro, Ex VAT, inclusive of all costs, expenses, insurance and other charges or contingencies.

More Information here:

Deadline: 5 January 2025

New Isles Press: Psychopomp Sìopomp Beayntee Issue 4 Anthology

Submissions for the fourth issue, themed “Psychopomp,” open on December 1st and close on January 5th. This edition promises a fantastic lineup of special featured authors and a refreshed look and format for 2025. They are looking for short stories and poetry.

New Isles Press are an independent Irish publisher, entirely funded by their patrons and readers., committed to providing a platform for writers work without external influence. Their submissions are exclusively open to writers residing in Ireland and the UK, with a dedicated focus on works in the shared national languages: Irish, Scots Gaelic, Ulster Scots, Welsh, Kernewek, and Manx.

Issue 4 will feature Kate O’Shea, Wendy Erskine, Dr. Arthur Broomfield and Jordanne Kennaugh.

More Information here:

Deadline: 15 January 2024

The Bournemouth Writing Prize

The Bournemouth Writing Prize is an annual international short story and poetry competition. Winners of this writing contest receive personal feedback from industry professionals and there is a cash prize for each category. Run by the staff and students of the MA in Creative Writing and Publishing at Bournemouth University the competition is entering its ninth year. April 2025 will see the winners and anthology edited and published by the Dorset-based indie publisher Dithering Chaps.

The Prizes; Short Story £500 cash prize, plus an hour-long consultation with our short story judge, Greene and Heaton agent, Laura Williams. Poetry; £500 cash prize, plus an hour-long consultation and feedback session with our poetry judges, indie publisher Dithering Chaps.

For both categories: the winners will each have 2 free tickets and an Open Mic slot of up to 10 minutes at the Bourn Jammy event on Saturday 26th April at the Pavilion Dance. Each of the overall winners will receive 2 free tickets to any talk or workshop taking place at the Pavilion Dance over the course of the three-day festival. Each winner selected for the anthology will receive a free, printed copy of the resulting anthology. Prizes are non-transferable and no alternative (cash or otherwise) will be given.

More Information here:

Deadline: 25 January 2024

The Nine Dots Prize

The Nine Dots Prize is a writing prize which seeks to reward original thinking in response to contemporary societal issues. It is judged anonymously and seeks submissions from both established writers and emerging talent. Entrants must respond with 3,000 words. The winner receives $100,000, editorial support and their book published by Cambridge University Press, plus the opportunity to spend a term at the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) at Cambridge University. This competition is free to apply.

More Information here:

Deadline: 28 January 2025

The Calibre Essay Prize

The Calibre Essay Prize is one of the world’s leading prizes for a new essay. It is open to all essayists writing in English. They seek essays of between 2,000 and 5,000 words on any subject and welcome essays of all kinds: personal or political, literary or speculative, traditional or experimental.

Entry fees; current ABR subscribers: $20. Standard/non subscribers: $30

Total Prize money: $10,000

28 October 2024 – 28 January 2025, 11:59 pm AEST

Judges: Georgina Arnott, Theodore Ell, and Geordie Williamson

More Information here:

Deadline: Friday 31 January 2025

The Cúirt New Writing Prize 2025

The Cúirt New Writing Prize, kindly sponsored by Tigh Neachtain in memory of Lena McGuire, is now open for submissions. There are three categories: poetry, short fiction, and short fiction and poetry in Irish. This year Wendy Erskine is the short fiction judge, Victoria Kennefick is the poetry judge, and Liam Carson is the Irish language poetry and short fiction judge. Poetry entries must consist of three poems under 50 lines each. Short stories should be no longer than 2,000 words.

Entry fee €10.

The winner in each category will be awarded a €500 cash prize and the opportunity to read at the 40th annual Cúirt International Festival of Literature which will take place in Galway between 8th – 13th April 2025.

More Information here:

Deadline: 31 January 2025

Druid’s annual New Writing Script

Founded in 1975, Druid is a touring theatre company, anchored in the West of Ireland and looking to the world, led by Tony Award-winning director Garry Hynes.

Druid’s annual New Writing Script Submission Window is now open for 2024-2025. The company accepts plays in the English language. For the purposes of clarity: Druid accepts translations of original plays into English which meet our criteria. For the open submission process, a reading panel assists the Artistic Director in assessing the play and ensures that a range of perspectives are brought to bear on each submission.

Submit only one script per submission window. Once submitted a new draft cannot be resubmitted. Submit original work only. Scripts can only be accepted from playwrights based on the island of Ireland.

The aim of the New Writing process in Druid is to find new writers and voices that can be nourished rather than a finished polished piece of work. Druid looks forward to collaborating, guiding and nurturing writers, building a relationship with those voices who will grace our stages for years to come.

More Information here:

Deadline: 31 Janurary 2025

New Writers Flash Fiction Competition 2025

The New Writers Flash Fiction Competition 2025 is open to writers from around the world. This year’s head judge is Shreya Sen-Handley (Author, Columnist, Playwright and Illustrator). The three winning entries will be published on the NewWriters.org.uk website and in a future New Writers Anthology. the word limit: 300 (excluding title and line spaces)

Prizes: 1st Place: £1,100; 2nd Place: £300; 3rd Place: £200

Entry Fee: £10 (one entry), £19 (two entries), £27 (three entries) and £1.00 from each entry will be donated to First Story (England’s leading creative writing charity for young people).

More Information here:

Deadline: 31 January 2025

2025 International One-Act Playwriting Competition

The Carlow Little Theatre Society 2025 International One-Act Playwriting Competition is now open. In addition to the final three shortlisted scripts, there will be a separate category and a monetary prize for the ‘Best Irish Play’. The competition is open to all writers over 18 years old, both members and non-members, local and international. The play submitted must be in English and be an original work of the entrant that has not yet been published, nor performed on stage previously, nor received any awards previously. The script length / duration of the play should be between 20 and 40 minutes.

Entry fee of €15

Prizes: €500 for 1st place, €300 for 2nd place, €200 for 3rd place and €300 for Best Irish Play. The winning play will potentially be performed to an audience later in 2025, depending on circumstance.

More Information here:

Deadline: 31 January 2025

The 2025 Bristol Short Story Prize

The 2025 Bristol Short Story Prize is open to all published and unpublished writers. There is no geographical restriction on entry–the 2025 Bristol Short Story Prize is open to everyone, whether they are based in the UK or outside the UK. The maximum length of submissions is 4,000 words (not including the title); there is no minimum length. Stories can be on any theme or subject and are welcome in any style including graphic, verse or genre-based (e.g. Crime, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Horror, Romance, Children’s, etc.).

1st prize is £1,000, 2nd prize is £500, 3rd prize is £250. 12 further prizes of £50 will be presented to the remaining shortlisted writers. All shortlisted writers will receive a free copy of the anthology. Prizes will be sent to any writer on the shortlist who is unable to attend the awards ceremony.

Entry fee is £12 per story. There are 250 free online entries available to those for whom the entry fee is a barrier to submission – for instance, those on low income or without paid employment.

More Information here:

Deadline: 31 January 2025

New Writers Flash Fiction Competition 2025

The New Writers Flash Fiction Competition 2025 welcomes entries of up to 300 words on any theme and from anywhere in the world. The head judge is Shreya Sen-Handley, an award-winning author, columnist, playwright and illustrator.

The winner will receive £1,100, with £300 for second place and £200 for third. The three winning entries will be published on the New Writers site and in a future New Writers Anthology. Entry fee is£10 with £1 from each entry donated to First Story, a creative writing charity for young people.

More Information here:

Deadline: 31 January 2024

The 4th Dolors Alberola International Poetry Prize

The 4th Dolors Alberola International Poetry Prize aims to promote poetry reading from around the world. Poets may enter the competition with an unpublished collection of poems (500-800 lines). Poems may be on any subject and in any form or style. Entry is FREE, but limited to one collection per entrant.  The jury of honor will include Dolors Alberola, a renowned Spanish poet.

Winner: Translation into another European language. Publication of the collection (bilingual edition) plus 50 copies of the book with royalties on the publisher’s edition and subsidiary rights.

Finalists: Publication of the collection (Spanish edition) and 10 copies of the book with royalties on the publisher’s edition and subsidiary rights.

More Information here:

Deadline; 10 February 2025

Unapologetic magazine

Unapologetic magazine is a multidisciplinary, literary, cultural, and artistic response to the social issues and creative opportunities in contemporary Ireland. They centralise academics, creatives and activists from marginalized communities. Founded in 2020, they have just released the call for contributors for our fourth issue.

The theme is “What is a Home.” They are looking for poetry, prose and visual arts. See full submissions guidelines on their website.

More Information here:

Deadline: 28 February 2025

Dingle Lit Short Story Competition

The short story entered must be unpublished and not scheduled for publication in print or online. This includes personal blogs and self-published collections. The award is open to all writers who are resident on the island of Ireland at the time of submission.

Entry fee €15. 1st Prize – €500. Runner-up – €250. Highly Commended – €100

In addition, winners, runners-up, and highly commended stories will be published on the Dingle Lit website, and the winners will also be invited to the 2025 Dingle Literary Festival to read from their work.

More Information here:

Deadline: 28 February 2025

Edinburgh Short Story Award

Entries open now for writers worldwide and stories on any topic up to 2,000 words. Additional awards for unpublished writers and most amusing/bizarre story. Publication for top twenty stories in The Edinburgh Anthology. The Scottish Arts Trust honors writers globally with its prestigious Edinburgh Awards for short stories, flash fiction, true flash, young adult fiction and essays.

First Prize £3,000 Entry fee: £11.

Other prizes include: The First Write Award for the top story entered in the short story competition by an unpublished writer living anywhere in the world. The Isobel Lodge Award for the top story entered by an unpublished writer living in Scotland. The Write Mango Short Story Award for the most amusing, bizarre story.

More Information here:

Deadline: 1 April 2025

Nature and Place Poetry competition 2025

The RSPB and The Rialto are additionally working with BirdLife International, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative and the University of Leeds Poetry Centre. There’s a fantastic range of prizes on offer and prizewinners will be invited to read their poems at an event with Helen Mort at CCI in summer 2025. As well as offering poets the chance to win considerable cash prizes and publication of their poems, the competition supports conservation and poetry.

The entry fee is £7 for the first poem and £4 for each subsequent poem. Full details can be found on The Rialto website with link below. Prizes – 1st PRIZE £1000, 2nd PRIZE £500, 3rd PRIZE £250

More Information here:

Deadline: 1 April 2025

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

This is a contest for humor poems, not serious poems. Serious poems will not be judged. The poem you submit should be in English. No fee to enter. Judge: Jendi Reiter, assisted by Lauren Singer. One poem only, please. Length limit: 250 lines maximum. No restriction on age of author. Both unpublished and previously published work accepted. Authors from all countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to US government restrictions). First Prize: $2,000 plus a two-year gift certificate from our co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value). Second Prize: $500. Third Prize: $250. Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $100 each. Top 13 entries published online

More Information here:

Deadline: 31 July 2025

Anthology Short Story Competition

The Anthology Short Story Competition is now open for submissions of original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. There is no restriction on theme or style. Stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words. Writers can submit as many entries as they wish. Each submission will require a separate entry form and is subject to a separate entry fee of €12.

First prize of €1,000 and the winning story published in Anthology magazine. Second prize: €250 and third prize: €150

More Information here:

Deadline: 25 May 2025

Oxford / 42 New Writing Prize

The Faculty of English at the University of Oxford is delighted to announce the launch of a multi-disciplinary storytelling competition in conjunction with management and production company, 42. The Oxford/42 New Writing Prize is looking for talented new voices in storytelling, and is open to aspiring novelists, playwrights, and screenwriters

The competition is open to anyone over the age of 18 living, working or studying in the UK and Ireland at the closing date for submissions.

Prize: £1500 along with professional representation by 42.

More Information here:

Opens Spring 2025

Royal Society of Literature Scriptorium Awards

The RSL is set to launch a new prize for writers founded and generously supported by its President Bernardine Evaristo. The RSL Scriptorium Awards will provide free writing residencies in a cottage in Ramsgate owned by Evaristo.

The residencies, which can be for up to a month at a time,  will offer uninterrupted time for professionally active writers to focus on their projects. They could be finishing a manuscript against a deadline or starting a new commission and they will have exclusive use of the house for the duration of their retreat so they can focus solely on the task of writing.

Winning writers will not be permitted to bring guests, and the property has been designed to be as free from distractions as possible.

More details coming in 2025. Opens Spring 2o25

More Information here:

Deadline; 1 October 2025

Irish Writer Retreat: Yeats Experience

Located amidst the serene beauty of Yeats’ beloved Sligo, this exclusive retreat offers a perfect blend of creativity, history, and relaxation. Whether you’re a Yeats’ expert or simply curious and seeking inspiration, this experience will guide you through the landscapes that fuelled Yeats’ greatest works.

Each day of the retreat will include specially crafted workshops and activities, offering a unique opportunity to connect with nature, explore Yeats’ legacy, and channel your own creative spirit. Mornings will begin with an invigorating movement session by the lake, inspired by Yeats’ deep connection to the natural world. In the afternoons, you will join a guided coach tour through Yeats’ County, visiting iconic sites such as Innisfree, Glencar Waterfall, and Drumcliffe, where Yeats is laid to rest.

See website for full details and prices

More Information here:

Deadline: Ongoing

Guernica / a magazine of art & politics

Founded online in 2004, Guernica is an award-winning 501(c)3 non-profit magazine focused on the intersection of arts and politics. A home for incisive ideas and necessary questions, Guernica publish memoir, reporting, interviews, commentary, poetry, fiction, and multimedia journalism exploring identity, conflict, culture, justice, science, and beyond. They offer honoraria of $50 for poetry, $100 for original essays, and $150 for original fiction and for reportage/journalism.

More Information here:

Deadline: Ongoing

PN Review

PN Review considers submissions in hard copy form only (unless you are an individual subscriber to the magazine, in which case electronic submissions, word files rather than PDFs, will be considered). Writers wishing to send work should familiarise themselves with PN Review. Submissions should generally not exceed fifteen double-spaced pages of work (prose) or four poems/five pages (verse in English or translation). Copies of the original texts should accompany translations where possible. We discourage simultaneous submissions. Writers wishing to propose projects should send a synopsis and covering letter, with sample pages, having first ascertained from the website that the kind of proposal is suitable for PN Review.

We publish no short stories, children’s prose/poetry and very little non-poetry related work (academic, biography etc.) at the current time. We are not considering fiction in English or in translation at this time.

More Information here:

Deadline: Ongoing

Poetry Ireland Review

Poetry Ireland Review is published three times annually. Poetry Ireland welcome unsolicited submissions of poems, and proposals for articles and reviews, from Ireland and abroad, in Irish or English.

Cuireann Éigse Éireann fáilte roimh iarratais i nGaeilge. Is féidir iad a sheoladh go díreach chuig pir@poetryireland.ie i gceangaltán Word.

More Information here:

Deadline: Ongoing

The Poetry Review

The Poetry Review, founded in 1912, is the magazine of the Poetry Society, UK, and has a long-standing policy of publishing the very best work by new, up and coming poets, and established poets. All submissions are read by the editor and considered on an equal basis. Unfortunately, due to the volume of submissions we receive, we cannot offer any individual criticism. Our aim is to accept or reject work within three months – but please read, and follow, the submission guidelines below, in order to facilitate our response.

More Information here:

Deadline: Ongoing

The Orphic Review

The Orphic Review (Orphic Press) formerly known as Crow of Minerva was created as a blog featuring monthly interviews with women artists. It was created in 2019 by the artist Roisin Ní Neachtain with the aim of supporting and promoting emerging women artists working in any medium. It closed temporarily in March 2023 and reopened January 2024. It is currently running as a poetry journal and micropress.

More Information here:

Deadline: Ongoing

The Dublin Review

The Dublin Review welcomes submissions of fiction and non-fiction previously unpublished in the English language. We do not accept poetry submissions. We especially encourage submissions from members of groups traditionally underrepresented in literary magazines and other cultural forums.

More Information here:

Ongoing

The 12th Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition

Every Tuesday at 12pm (Irish time) from 9th April 2024 – 28th January 2025, five words are be posted on their competition page. Entrants have one week to compose and submit one or more poems which include all five words given for that week. The winners & shortlist are announced around the first week of March 2025.

More Information here:

Deadline: Ongoing

Spellweaver

Spellweaver is a new Cork based online and print journal dedicated to supporting new and emerging writers, particularly in the Fantasy genre. We accept stories and poetry, anything with a hint of the unreal. Submissions are open year-round. Contributors will be paid.

More Information here: