If you’re anything like us, you probably have a stack of stories and piles of poems languishing on your laptop, waiting for the right moment to be submitted – but somehow, that moment never seems to come…
If that’s the case, why not make 2022 the year you let your stories see the light of day?
Competitions are a great way to get your writing out into the world, and there are so many to choose from that you’re bound to find the right fit for your writing. They also provide handy deadlines for those of us who need a little extra motivation – and some of the prizes are pretty mind-blowing! However, even the more modest prizes can provide a real confidence- boost (for both you AND publishers), if your story is chosen as a winner.
Don’t know where to start? Well, that’s where we come in. Writing Voices have done the research, and put together a list of competitions that will hopefully motivate your muse. Some competitions are yet to be confirmed for 2022, but we’ve covered you for the first half of the year, and tried to include as many genres and forms as possible. We’ll update the list in June to cover the second half of the year.
Tips:
Before you enter, make sure you read the publication you are submitting to, and any past winning pieces, to ensure that your work is a good fit.
Proof-read carefully, and make sure you read all submission and entry guidelines before submitting.
Keep track of how much you’re spending on entry fees. Set yourself a budget, and remember that there are plenty of free-to-enter competitions that will help to keep the costs down.
All it remains for us to say now is good luck!
January
Manchester Poetry Prize
Submit a portfolio of 3-5 poems, with a maximum combined length of 120 lines.
Theme: Open
Entry Fee: £18
Prize: £10,000
Deadline: 28/1/2022
Flash Fiction 101
Submit stories of no more than 101 words in length.
Theme: Flowers/Romantic Comedy (this changes monthly, so check the website when you’re ready to submit).
Entry Fee: Free to enter
Prize: Winning entries are put forward for the annual competition in June, with the overall prize being publication in Chiasmus journal.
Deadline: 31/1/2022
February
Northern Writers Award 2022
Open for Northern English writers to submit poetry, all genres of fiction, creative non-fiction and writing for television.
Entry Fee: Free to enter
Prize: The prize fund is used to provide financial support for the winning writers in the form of cash prizes, residential courses, bursaries, etc.
Deadline: To be announced February 2022 – please check the website.
Bag of Bones Horror / Dark Flash Fiction Competition
Submit flash fiction of up to 206 words.
Theme: Dark / Horror
Prize: Top three submissions will win £15. Selected stories will appear in the Bag of Bones Anthology print and e-book.
Deadline: 28/2/2022
Green Stories
Submit short stories of 2000-3000 words.
Theme: Stories of hope for a greener and more sustainable future, or stories with an underlying theme that includes environmental solutions. Include a synopsis of 300-800 words.
Entry Fee: Free to enter
Prize: £200
Deadline: 21/2/2022
Lindisfarne Prize
Open to writers from the North East of England, or whose work celebrates the North East of England. Submit a short story up to 10,000 words or two chapters of an unpublished novel.
Theme: Crime / Thriller
Entry Fee: Free to enter
Prize: £2,500
Deadline: 28/02/2022
March
Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Competition 2022
Submit short stories of up to 2200 words.
Theme: Treasure
Entry Fee: Free to enter
Prize: Two nights stay for two at Billesley Manor Hotel and Spa, Stratford.
Deadline: 15/3/2022
BBC Short Story Prize 2022
Submit one short story of up to 8000 words. This competition has strict guidelines and requires an entry form to be submitted along with your entry. See the below for full details on how to enter.
Theme: Open
Entry Fee: Free to enter
Prize: £15,000 top prize, and three prizes of £600.
Deadline: 28/3/2022
April
Ver Poets Open Competition 2022
Poems of no more than 30 lines in length.
Theme: Open
Entry fee: £4 per poem, three poems for £10 and £3 a poem thereafter.
Prize: £600 top prize, £300 and £100 runners up, plus the winner and selected poems selected for publication in the competition anthology.
Deadline: 30/4/2022
May
Bristol Short Story Prize
Submit short stories of up to 4000 words.
Theme: Open
Entry fee: £9
Prize: 1st prize £1000, further prizes of £500 and £250
Deadline: 4/5/2022
The Bridport Prize
Short stories of up to 5000 words in length. (Also, competitions for poetry, flash fiction, novel and memoir – see bridportprize.org.uk for details).
Theme: Open
Entry fee: £12 per story.
Prize: £5000 for winning short story; further prizes of £1000 and £500. Winner will also be published in the Bridport Anthology.
Deadline: 31/5/2022
Yeovil Literary Prize
Theme: Five Categories – so there should be something to suit everyone
Entry fee: Novel - £14.50 / Short Story - £8 / Poetry - £5 per poem / Children’s or Young Adult Novel - £12.50 / Writing Without Restrictions - £6
Prize: TBC
Deadline: 31/5/2022
June
The Times / Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition
Submit a full-length children’s novel for readers aged between 7 and 18. Open to 18+ only.
Entry fee: £20 per story
Prize: A worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House, plus a £10,000 royalty advance
Deadline 1/6/2022
Cover image by Thom Milkovic via Unsplash
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