Opportunities Archive

Frome Festival Short Story Competition

The Frome Festival Short Story Competition 2026 is open for entries. Submit a short story (1,000–2,200 words) for a chance to win up to £400. Open to writers worldwide, with unpublished work only. The deadline is May 31st, 2026.

The Polka Playwriting Award 2026

The Polka Playwriting Award will champion exceptional playwriting and the important creation of new work for Young Audiences. Through this award they want to draw attention to the quality, rigour and imagination needed to write for and inspire such an exciting audience base, who are so often overlooked, and the wonderful rewards that can come from this process. You can also join them for Zoom Masterclasses with renowned playwrights to learn more about writing and creating plays for Young Audiences. All sessions are free, and available to book. Submit your scripts by 19 July 2026.

Arvon Poetry and Creative Prose Writing Day with Vanessa Kisuule

Following a number of successful 'Writing Day' collaborations with national creative writing charity Arvon, the RWA is thrilled to once again be partnering with them, using the RWA's lead exhibitions as a stimulus for different forms of writing. The next workshop, focused on poetry and creative writing, is led by writer and performer Vanessa Kisuule. In this welcoming and energising Writing Day for writers of all levels, Vanessa Kisuule will invite participants to explore the relationship between language and the body, taking inspiration from the artworks on display in the RWA's Dance Out exhibition to create written pieces of their own that reflect a sense of movement, connection and joy. The event will include free exhibition entry throughout the day, a guided tour of the exhibition, and a delicious lunch provided by Spicer + Cole. Friday 17 July 2026, 10am - 4pm

Call for Applications: Writer in Residence – Blooming Bloomsbury and the Modernist Archives Publishing Project

The University of Reading is seeking to appoint a Writer in Residence to respond to The Modernist Archives Publishing Project (MAPP) and the archives of Leonard and Virginia Woolf’s Hogarth Press (1917-46), in preparation for a forthcoming major exhibition which will celebrate the University’s holdings relating to The Bloomsbury Group (Feb-May 2027). The selected writer will spend the summer months (June—September 2026) drawing inspiration from MAPP to develop new creative work. From September to December, they will build on this research to support community and youth engagement, leading monthly workshops with our Youth Panel. The Writer in Residence will work with young people aged 14-18 to explore and connect with the publishing stories and materials in MAPP in imaginative and accessible ways, encouraging fresh perspectives and new interpretations.

SI Leeds Literary Prize

SI Leeds Literary Prize is an award for unpublished fiction by Black and Asian women resident in the UK aged 18 years and over. They aim to act as a loudspeaker for fresh and original literary voices from an underrepresented group, and to help them reach new audiences in mainstream culture. £4,000 for the 1st Prize, plus a free place on an Arvon Residential Writing Course, and manuscript assessment through The Literary Consultancy. The manuscript will be given serious consideration for publication through Peepal Tree Press, should this be considered the best fit for the book.

There Is Only Narrative

There Is Only Narrative aims to demystify the process of writing a non-fiction from a craft and career perspective and encourage and support more writers from backgrounds underrepresented in UK publishing to write a non-fiction project. Running across 2025-26, There Is Only Narrative will provide free and accessible opportunities for unpublished and unagented writers to gain the skills and insight to develop their non-fiction project. Closing date: Tuesday 23 June 2026.

The Moth Short Story Prize 2026

The Moth Short Story Prize is an international prize, open to anyone from anywhere in the world, as long as your story is original and previously unpublished. The winners are chosen by a single judge each year, who reads the stories anonymously. The Prize is open to anyone over 16, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. There is a word limit of 3,000. Closing date: 15 June

Room to Write

Room to Write is a new literary award developed by Hay Festival, in partnership with Airbnb, designed to support UK-based writers at a critical stage in the creation of new books. Eight selected writers will be awarded an Airbnb coupon worth £1,500, enabling them to stay in a UK location of their choosing. Whether that’s a coastal escape or a city with literary resonance, the chosen space becomes the writer’s “room” – both literal and imaginative. Deadline for submissions is Sunday 31 May at 12pm.

The Book Market, Exeter City of Literature

Exeter City of Literature hosts a free Book Market, working with independent bookshops across Devon to bring Exeter an exciting afternoon of activities. The Book Market returns to Exeter Cathedral Green on Sunday 7th June, bringing with it some of Devon’s best independent bookshops, local authors, an afternoon of free literary activities, and tasty food and drink!

Mythos Manchester – Film & TV x Finance Event

Mythos Manchester is an exciting new event bringing together producers, financiers, creatives and cultural thinkers working across film and television. Explore how stories are being financed, developed and brought into the world - and how the industry is shifting in response to culture, technology and power. The focus is on brilliant stories and funding opportunities that can bring projects to life. Mythos is designed as a gathering: a space to listen, think, and connect with people actively shaping the future of film and television. Thu 11 Jun 2026 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM, Manchester

Matthew Lanyon Poetry Prize

The Matthew Lanyon Archive is delighted to announce a new national poetry prize, celebrating the life and creative legacy of Matthew Lanyon (1951-2016). The prize is free to enter, and will open for submissions from UK residents only on 30th March 2026. For the inaugural Matthew Lanyon Poetry Prize, entrants are invited to submit poems that interpret or respond to Matthew’s work and interests in new and intriguing ways. The theme for this year’s competition is ‘The Archaeology of Tomorrow’. Poets are encouraged to interpret the theme widely. A prize of £500 will be awarded to the overall winner. . The winner and 5 highly commended poets will have their poems published on the Matthew Lanyon website and print copies will be kept in the Archive. An additional prize is available for a poet from or living in Cornwall; they will receive £200, and have the opportunity to be published in the Guillemot Press online journal.

Bridport Prize for Short Story, Poetry, Flash Fiction

Bridport Prize is committed to discovering new writers in poetry, short story, flash fiction, the novel and memoir. Their alumni reads like a Who’s Who of the literary world: Kate Atkinson MBE, Gail Honeyman and Kit de Waal. Deadline is 31 May 2026.

External Opportunities for Writers