The Bridport Competition closes on May 31st for Short Stories (up to 5,000 words), Poetry (up to 42 lines) and Flash Fiction (up to 250 words). Prizes are £5,000, £1,000 and £500, plus 10 x £50 highly commendeds for short stories and poetry; £!,000, £500, £250, plus 3 x £25 highly commendeds for flash fiction. Anthology publication for all. Entry fees: £7 per flash fiction, $8 per poem, £9 per short story. Website: http://www.bridportprize.org.uk
The Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award (organised by the Bridport Prize) for the first 5,000-8,000 words of an unpublished debut novel. Prizes £1,000 and mentoring; £500, 3x£100. Entry fee: £20. Deadline 31st May. Website as above.
Liverpool Hope Playwriting Prize. One comedy writer will win £10,000 and the opportunity to have their play considered for production by Liverpool’s Royal court, while up to two Highly Commended awards of £1,500 will be on offer.
Open to anyone over the age of 18 in any UK territory or the Republic of Ireland. There is a £20 entry fee. Deadline 31st May. Details from http://www.playwritingprize.com
Criminal Lines 2016. The first 15,000 words plus synopsis of a crime novel by an unagented, unpublished or self-published author. Prizes: £500 plus ticket to The Writers’ Workshop Festival of Writing. £500 runner-up. Possible representation from agent A M Heath. FREE ENTRY. Deadline 4th May. Website: http://amheath.com/blog/criminal-lines/
Page to Stage 2016. Playscripts of up to 20 pages or 20 minutes. Prizes: total of £300, professional reading, bursary. Entry fee: £10 Closing date 6 May. Website: http://tacchi-morris.com
Frome Festival Short Story. Short stories 1,000-2,200 words, any theme. Prizes: £300, £150, £75. Winning entrants also published on the website and may be sent to Women’s Weekly for consideration. Closing date 31st May. Website: http://www.fromeshortstorycompetition.co.uk
Yeovil Literary Prize. For novels (opening chapters and synopsis, up to 15,000 words), short stories (max. 2,000 words), poems (up to 40 lines) and ‘writing without restrictions’. Prizes: for novels, £1,000, £250 and £100; for poems/short stories: £500, £200, £100; for ‘writing without restriction’ £200, £100, £50. Entry fee: £11 for novels, £6 for short stories, £6 for one poem, £100 for three ‘writing without restriction’. Deadline 31st May. Website: http://www.yeovilprize.co.uk
Cinnamon Press Short Story Prize. Stories 2,000-5,000 words. Prizes: £500, £100, £50, winners and runners-up published in anthology. Entry fee: £12. Deadline 31st May. Website: http://www.cinnamonpress.com
Writersreign Short Story Competition. 1,000-1,500 words, open theme. Prizes, £100, £50, 3x£10 Highly Commendeds. Entry fee: £3.50, £6 for two. Deadline 31st May. Website: http://www.writersreign.co.uk
Winchester Writers’ Festival. Poems, any subject, 40 lines max for each entry. Prizes £125, £75 and £50. Childrens’: a picture book, up to 600 words, prose or verse, aimed at ages 3-6, or funny fiction up to the first 1,000 words, for ages 8-12, and synopsis of the remainder. Editorial meeting with Little Tiger for first place. Flash Fiction: up to 500 words; consultation with Janklow & Nesbit agents for first placed. Crime: the first 500 words of a short story or novel with a murder thriller theme; prizes, £60, £40, £20. Memoir: up to 2,500 words, self-contained or the first chapter; attendance at a Writers & Artists’ conference for first. Novel: the first three pages, plus a synopsis of 600 words max. (any theme or period); consultation with Little, Brown for first place. Short story: 1,500-3,000 words; Writing Magazine Creative Writing Course for first, critiques for second and third. TV Drama: submit a one-page proposal for a TV drama or comedy series; prizes Final Draft software. Closing date 13 May. Website http://www.writersfestival.co.uk
2016 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest. International entries sought for Carve magazine’s pretigious competition, now in its 16th year. Literary fiction up to 6,000 words. First prize $1,500. Second and third prizes of $500 and $250 and two Editor’s Choice prizes of $125. The winners will be published in the October edition of Carve and winning entries will be read by three literary agencies. Deadline 15th May. Details http://www.writers-online.co.uk/Writing Magazine/
PLEASE check details are correct before entering! Some of the deadlines are SOON.