Craft Chat New Competitions for Poetry and Novel

[Pamela Jo]

[td] [td] [td] “The only obligation to which in advance we may hold a novel, without incurring the accusation of being arbitrary, is that it be interesting.” ― Henry James​ ​ ​ [td] [td] August 2026 Newsletter ​ ​

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Greetings writers.

We're delighted to announce the launch of our first New Writers Novel Prize. Run in association with The Novel Factory, the winner will receive £1,000 plus lifetime access to The Novel Factory writing software (you can read our review HERE).

We're seeking just the opening 500 words of your unpublished novel or novella, and every entrant will receive a 30% discount code to redeem when purchasing an annual or lifetime subscription to The Novel Factory*.

The judging process for the New Writers Poetry Competition is well underway, and we've been wowed by the standard of the poems we've received, so thank you. The competition raised more than £600 for charity, which we've split between the Funzi & Bodo Trust and Duchenne UK.​

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*Affiliate links: if you click through and make a purchase, New Writers UK may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.​

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[td] ​ [td] [td] [td] New Writers Novel Prize 2026​ ​ ​ ​

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Here's the first-ever New Writers Novel Prize, in association with The Novel Factory. We are seeking the first 500 words of your unpublished novel or novella. The winner will receive £1,000 plus Lifetime Access to The Novel Factory (Version 3) writing software (worth $649). Here are the key details:

• Deadline: 23.59 (UK time) on Saturday, 31st October 2026
• Entry Fee: £12 (one entry), £22 (two entries), £31 (three entries)
• Prizes: 1st: £1,000 + Lifetime Access to The Novel Factory (Version 3); 2nd: £300 + 12-month Standard Subscription to The Novel Factory; 3rd: £200 + 12-month Basic Subscription to The Novel Factory
• All entrants: 30% discount off The Novel Factory writing software (annual or lifetime subscriptions) - details in confirmation email upon entry
• Head Judge: Katja Kaine, award-winning author and founder of The Novel Factory
• Publication: The three winning entries will be published on the NewWriters.org.ukwebsite and in the New Writers Anthology
• Word Limit: The opening 500 words of your unpublished novel or novella
• Eligibility: Open to writers aged 18+ from anywhere in the world; entries must be written in English
• Theme/Genre: Open to any theme or genre written for adults or young adults
• Charity: 10% of entry fee proceeds will be donated to charity, split equally between First Story and The Funzi & Bodo Trust
• Low-income entries available; see website for details.

Thank you in advance to everyone who enters.​

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ENTER NOW​

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[td] ​ [td] [td] [td] New Writers Logline Competition 2026​ ​ ​ ​

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To get you in the mood for the New Writers Novel Prize 2026, our latest free-to-enter competition is seeking just the logline for your unpublished (and perhaps unwritten!) novel, novella or film script.

What is a logline?

In essence, a logline is a very brief summary that answers the question: “what is it about?” Consisting of one or two sentences, it is also known as the “elevator pitch”.
The idea of the logline is to pique the interest of potential readers, and the art is to summarise the premise of your book using very few words, ideally around 25 or 30 (but we’ll give you up to 50 words, to be nice!).

Key details:

• Deadline: 23.59 (UK time) on Monday 31st August 2026
• Entry Fee: FREE to newsletter subscribers
• Prizes: Winner: £50 plus one free entry to the New Writers Novel Prize 2026
• Publication: On the NewWriters.org.uk website and in the next New Writers Anthology
• Word Limit: 50 words (excluding title)
• Category: Novel Competitions
• How to Enter: Sign up to our free monthly newsletter (if you haven’t already), and then submit your logline through the entry form.
• Eligibility: Open to writers aged 18+ from anywhere in the world; entries must be written in English

Thank you in advance to everyone who enters.​

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ENTER NOW​

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[td] ​ [td] [td] [td] The Novel Factory Writing Software - 20% Discount​ ​ ​ ​

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VISIT THE NOVEL FACTORY​

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We've recently reviewed the impressive Plottr* writing software, but The Novel Factory might have pipped it to the top spot in our eyes. It incorporates so many useful features for any aspiring novelist, from the initial planning stages all the way through to eventual publication.

We've written a detailed Review of The Novel Factory to explain what we love about it. But highlights include:

• extensive, intuitive plot management tools
• features that enable you to create deep, interesting characters and locations
• the company places a strong emphasis on ethical practices and does not use AI software
• a step-by-step novel-writing guide is included
• free 30-day trial (without having to add your card details)

If you plan to enter our Novel Prize, you'll receive a 30% discount at The Novel Factory. If not, subscribers to this newsletter can still claim a 20% discount using the following code: NEWWRITERS26**

*Affiliate links: if you click through and make a purchase, New Writers UK may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
**Applies to standard prices for Annual Subscriptions (Basic or Standard) or Lifetime licence to The Novel Factory (version 3)​

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[td] ​ [td] [td] [td] Recommended Writing Contests​ ​ ​ ​

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Here are some of the biggest and best writing competitions with deadlines approaching. Click on the competition titles below for further details.

Our current competitions:
New Writers Novel Prize 2026
Deadline: 31st October 2026

New Writers Logline Competition 2026 - free
Deadline: 31st August 2026

Competitions from other organisations:
Bournemouth Writing Prize
Deadline: 15th August 2026

• Entry Fee: £10 (for three poems or one short story)
• Prizes: First prize: £1,000; second prize: £300; third prize: £200; published in Dorset Magazine, read at the 2026 Bournemouth Writing Festival celebration event
• Line/Word Limit: Poetry - 30 lines; Short Story - 3,000 words
• Categories: Poetry and Short Story Competitions
• Judges: Ed Wood (Short Story) and Matthew West (Poetry)

Niagara Falls Poetry Project 25th Anniversary Poetry Competition
Deadline: 23:59 on Saturday, 15 August 2026

• Entry Fee: $5 (Canadian)
• Prizes: 1st Place $200, 2nd Place $100, 3rd Place $25; Spirit of Niagara Award $200 (Canadian); All entries eligible to be added to the Niagara Falls Poetry Project website & the anniversary anthology
• Word Limit: 100 lines maximum
• Theme/Genre: Niagara Falls - The cities and/or the waterfalls
• Category: Poetry Competitions

Ink of Ages Fiction Prize 2026
Deadline: 22nd August 2026

• Entry Fee: FREE
• Prizes: $1,000 USD cash prize to the first place winner of the adult contest. Various other prizes from World History Encyclopedia and Oxford University Press
• Word Limit: 1,500 to 2,000 words for adults (800 to 1,000 for the Youth Prize, for those aged 13 to 17)
• Genre Guidelines: Historical Fiction or Mythological Fiction (see site for details)
• Category: Short Story Competitions

FFF Competition Thirty-Five
Deadline: 10 pm (UK time) on Tuesday 25th August 2026

• Entry Fee: £4.95 per entry (PayPal/Stripe) or £3.50 per entry via BACS (UK bank account)
• Prizes: Winner: £200; 2x Highly Commended: £100; 3x Shortlisted: £80 (all winners will receive publication)
• Word Limit: 300 maximum, 100 minimum (excluding title)
• Category: Flash Fiction Competitions

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award – Poetry
Deadline: 31 August 2026

• Entry Fee: £12
• Prizes: Winner: £2,500, publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual and an Arvon writing course
• Word Limit: 40 lines
• Category: Poetry Competitions

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award – Short Fiction
Deadline: 31 August 2026

• Entry Fee: £18
• Prizes: Winner: £2,500, publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual and an Arvon writing course plus more
• Word Limit: 2,000 words
• Category: Short Story Competitions

Oxford Poetry Prize 2026
Deadline: 11.59 pm (UK time) on 31st August 2026

• Entry Fee: £10
• Prizes: 1st Place: £2,000; 2nd Place: £1,000; 3rd Place: £500
• Publication: All winning poets are offered publication in the print magazine Oxford Poetry.
• Word Limit: 60 lines
• Judge: Rowan Ricardo Phillips
• Category: Poetry Competitions

The Observer / Redstone Press Postcard Story Prize 2026
Deadline: 1 September 2026

• Entry Fee: FREE
• Prizes: Three winners will receive £300, publication of their story in The Observer, and a place on an Arvon Foundation online masterclass
• Word Limit: 250 words
• Judging panel: Julian Barnes, Tom Gatti, Jan Carson, Ardashir Vakil
• Category: Flash Fiction Competitions

Southam Book Festival Flash Fiction Competition 2026
Deadline: 12.00 noon on Sunday 5th September 2026

• Entry Fee: £3 per story, or up to five stories for £10
• Prizes: Winner - £60, Second - £30, Third - £20
• Word Limit: 100 words (including title)
• Category: Flash fiction competition

Clapham Book Festival Writing Competition
Deadline: 11.59 pm on 5 September 2026

• Entry Fee: £5
• Prizes: 1st £200, 2nd £50, 3rd £50
• Word Limit: 1,000 words
• Theme: Absent Friends
• Eligibility: Entrants must live in the United Kingdom
• Category: Short Story Competitions

New2theScene Summer Short Story Competition 2026
Deadline: 6th September 2026

• Entry Fee: £5
• Prizes: Interview for the New2theScene podcast; £50 New2theScene vouchers; ‘Origins’ blog’; author bio and work featured on the New2theScene website; social media promotion; publication in an anthology; possible future projects not advertised on the site. Notable mentions: £15 New2theScene vouchers; possible publication in anthology
• Word Limit: 4,000 words
• Theme/Genre: Any - let your imagination free!
• Category: Short Story Competitions

Cheltenham Poetry Festival International Poetry Competition
Deadline: 23.59 (UK time) 6th September 2026

• Entry Fee: £4 per poem or £10 for 3 poems or £15 for 5 poems
• Prizes: 1st Prize: £300; 2nd Prize: £100; 3rd Prize: £50
• Publication: Winners' poems to be published on the Festival website
• Word Limit: 50 lines
• Category: Poetry Competitions

Good luck to anybody who enters any of these competitions.​

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If you like what we do at NewWriters.org.uk, please consider donating at our Ko-fi page. We'll use any donations to offer more free-to-enter competitions and provide free entries to those on low incomes for our paid-for competitions.

Best wishes,
The NewWriters.org.uk Team​

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[Sarit]

Thank you for posting these, all these comps are like looking for a needle in a haystack, I would never have the time or patience to look for them.