Skip to main content
2024 Wells Festival of Literature's Competitions
DescriptionThere are four competitions:
• Open Poetry Competition (£6 per entry; prizes: £1000, £500, £250);
• Short Story Competition (£6 per entry; prizes: £750, £300, £200);
• Book for Children Competition (£6 per entry; prizes: £750, £300, £200);
• Young Poets Competition (£3 per entry; prizes: £200, £150, £100).

Deadline: 30 June 2024

Poetry London Prize 2024
DescriptionThe competition is organized by Poetry London magazine.

Entries must be in English. The maximum length is 80 lines.

For Poetry London subscribers the entry fee is £5 per poem; for non-subscribers £10.

• 1st prize: £5,000
• 2nd prize: £2,000
• 3rd prize: £1,000

Deadline: 30 June 2024

The Moth Short Story Prize 2024
DescriptionThe Moth Short Story Prize is an international prize, open to anyone over the age of 16.

You can enter as many stories as you like.

The entry fee is 15 € per story.

• 1st prize: 3,000 €
• 2nd prize: a week-long writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France
• 3rd prize: 1,000 €

Deadline: 30 June 2024

Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize 2024
DescriptionThe competition is open to anyone who has not published a book-length work of fiction, life writing, or poetry.

The prize is judged in three categories: Fiction, Poetry and Life Writing.

A single entry costs ÂŁ12, two entries are ÂŁ16.

The winners of each category will receive a ÂŁ1,000 cash prize and publication in Wasafiri magazine.

Deadline: 1 July 2024

2024 HG Wells Short Story Competition
DescriptionThe competition is open to anyone.

This year’s theme is ''The Fool''. Your story can be set anywhere, feature any characters, and be written in any style.

There are two categories:
• Authors 21 years of age and under with a prize of £1,000. Entry is free.
• Authors aged 22 years and above with a prize of £500 (entry £10 or £5 with student id).

Deadline: 8 July 2024

Rattle Poetry Prize 2024
DescriptionThe competition is open to poets of any nationality writing in English.

You may submit up to four poems per entry.

The $30 USD entry fee is a one-year subscription to Rattle magazine.

The overall winner will receive a cash prize of $15,000 USD. Ten finalists will each receive $500 USD, and be eligible for the $5,000 USD Reader's Choice Award.

Deadline: 15 July 2024

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2024
DescriptionThe Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is an international literary prize for established and emerging poets and writers.

Entry fees:
• Poetry: £12
• Short fiction: £18

Prizes:
• £2,500 for the Poetry Winner
• £2,500 for the Short Fiction Winner

Deadline: 31 August 2024

Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest 2024
DescriptionYou may submit poems on any theme, up to 250 lines each.

Entry fee: $22 per submission of 1-3 poems.

Prizes:
• Tom Howard Prize : $3,000 for a poem in any style or genre
• Margaret Reid Prize: $3,000 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style
• Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $300 each (any style)

Deadline: 1 October 2024