These major national prizes and competitions may be of interest to new writers. Even if you don’t win, your work may be read.

www.societyofauthors.org/prizes_grants_and_awards
For a list of prizes and competitions. The Society administers the The Olive Cook and Tom-Gallon Awards for a short story, The Eric Gregory Awards to British poets under the age of 30 on the basis of a submitted collection, The McKitterick Prize for a first novel by an author over the age of 40, The Sagittarius Prize for a first published novel by an author over the age of 60 and The Betty Trask Prize and Awards to authors under the age of 35 for a first novel, published or unpublished.

Royal Society of Literature http://www.rslit.org/awards.htm
Administers the Ondaatje Prize, the RSL/Jerwood Awards for non-fiction, and the VS Pritchett Prize for a previously unpublished short story.

BBC Writersroom
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/
Features competitions organised by the BBC

Competition alert
Poets & Writers magazine www.pw.org
Feeling overwhelmed by the number of writing contests? Having trouble deciding which ones to enter? Are deadlines passing you by? Every two months Poets & Writers Magazine publishes for its subscribers a listing of US competitions for grants and contest awards whose deadlines are due soon. It only lists competitions that will benefit a writer's career and only those (with a few exceptions for prizes of stature) that offer $1,000 or more.

Ask about writing
www.askaboutwriting.net/competitions.htm
A good selection of regularly updated writing competitions

Writers Reign
http://www.writersreign.co.uk/Competitions/competitions.html
Details of competitions and contests for the short story, poetry and non-fiction, including rolling monthly/quarterly competitions.

Writing Contests www.freelancewriting.com
Database of writing competitions and contests, mainly American.

The National Association of Writers’ Groups www.nawg.co.uk
List of writing competitions.

Poetry
Arvon Foundation International Poetry Competition www.arvonfoundation.org
Cardiff International Poetry Competition www.academi.org
Fish Prizes
National Poetry Anthology www.unitedpress.co.uk
National Poetry Competition www.poetrysociety.org.uk
Kent & Sussex Poetry Society Open Poetry Competition The Organiser, 13 Rushcombe Close, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, KENT TN4 0SG
The Eric Gregory Awards www.societyofauthors.org
New Writing Ventures tarryn@booktrust.org.uk
www.newwritingpartnership.org.uk
Peterloo Poets Annual Poetry Competition For full details and rules of entry www.peterloopoets.com
Strokestown International Poetry Prize
pbushe@eircom.net or pat.compton@anpost.it or www.strokestownpoetry.org
Templar Poetry Pamphlet and Collection Competition www.templarpoetry.co.uk
The Biscuit International Poetry Competition www.biscuitpublishing.com/comp/competitions.htm
The Bridport Prize www.bridportprize.org.uk
The Petra Kenney Poetry Competition
The Writers' Bureau Poetry Competition
www.writersbureau.com/competition
Writers' Week Poetry Competition www.writersweek.ie
The New Writer http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizes.htm

Short fiction
Asham Award (for unpublished women writers) www.ashamaward.com
Biscuit International Short Fiction Prize www.biscuitpublishing.com/comp/competitions.htm
Bryan MacMahon Short Story Award www.writersweek.ie
Fish Prizes (micro-fiction) www.fishpublishing.com/writing-contests.php
National Short Story Prize story@booktrust.org.uk
www.theshortstory.org.uk/prizes
miniWORDS (very short stories, biographies, monologues, verse or haiku) www.miniwords.charnwoodarts.com
The Biscuit International Poetry and Short Story Competition www.biscuitpublishing.com
The Bridport Prize www.bridportprize.org.uk
The Writers' Bureau Short Story Competition www.writersbureau.com/competition
VS Pritchett Memorial Prize www.rslit.org
The Olive Cook and Tom-Gallon Awards for a short story www.societyofauthors.org
The New Writer http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizes.htm

Fiction
Charles Pick Fellowship www1.uea.ac.uk/cm/home/schools/hum/lit/awards/pick
The Dundee Book Prize
Fish Prizes (crime, historical fiction) www.fishpublishing.com/writing-contests.php
The Debut Dagger (crime)
Impress Books/Centre for Creative Writing and the Arts Prize for Fiction www.impress-books.co.uk
New Writing Ventures tarryn@booktrust.org.uk
www.newwritingpartnership.org.uk
The McKitterick Prize www.societyofauthors.co.uk
For the best first-published novel a writer under 40.
The New Writer http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizes.htm
The Sagittarius Prize (first published novel by an author over the age of 60) www.societyofauthors.co.uk
The Betty Trask Prize and Awards (authors under the age of 35 for a first novel, published or unpublished) www.societyofauthors.co.uk

Non-fiction
Charles Pick Fellowship www1.uea.ac.uk/cm/home/schools/hum/lit/awards/pick
Impress Books/Centre for Creative Writing and the Arts Prize for Non-fiction www.impress-books.co.uk
New Writing Ventures tarryn@booktrust.org.uk or
www.newwritingpartnership.org.uk
Annual Daily Telegraph Science Writing competition (backed by Bayer and the Royal Society) www.science-writer.co.uk

Theatre/screenwriting
Euroscript Screen Story Competition (launched in 1994 under the auspices of the European Union’s Media II programme) Call +44 (0) 7958 244 656 or e-mail: competition@euroscript.co.uk
Red Planet Prize (annual competition from Red Planet Pictures, Tony Jordan's production company) http://www.redplanetpictures.co.uk/
Summer Challenge (RISE films, Casarotto Ramsay & Associates in association with Sight & Sound) www.risefilms.com/summer
George Devine Award Contact Christine Smith 020 7267 9793 (evenings only)
Verity Bathgate Award www.sohotheatre.com
King's Cross Award
THE COURTYARD
55 EAST ROAD
LONDON N1 6AH
Oscar Moore Screenwriting Prize annmarie.oconnor@media.emap.com or www.screendaily.com
Protect the Human national playwriting competition (Amnesty International and Iceandfire Theatre) www.amnesty.org.uk

Journalism
Laurence Stern Fellowship Awarded to a young journalist experienced enough to work on national stories – win a chance to work on the national desk of the Washington Post.
Contact Anna McKane: a.r.mckane@city.ac.uk or 020 7040 4036