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Opportunities

The Jane Gregory Bursaries

Applications are now open for the Jane Gregory Bursaries which offer three under-represented writers a unique opportunity to attend the Creative Thursday writing day at the 2026 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, the world’s largest and most prestigious celebration of crime fiction, taking place in Harrogate on 23-26 July 2026. The bursaries will support the next generation of crime writers and offer recipients a life-changing opportunity to access the Festival and build connections in the literary world. All three bursaries are centred around Creative Thursday and include a contribution towards travel costs, with one bursary incorporating a Weekend Break Package with accommodation and tickets to all Festival main stage events. Closing date: 22 March

The Northern Writers’ Awards: Arvon Award

In conjunction with Arvon, New Writing North are offering a prose writer the chance to undertake an Arvon course. This may be either a tutored or untutored retreat, depending on what you think will be of most benefit to you. To enter writers should submit a sample of 3000–6000 words and a synopsis of up to 600 words. You must over the age of 18, living in the North of England, and be working towards a full-length work of fiction or narrative fiction to enter this award. Both children’s writers and writers for adults may apply for this award. Closing date: Tuesday 10 March

BBC Short Story Awards 2026

Entries are now being accepted for the 2026 BBC National Short Story Awards with Cambridge University. The Award, now in its 21st year, is worth £15,000 and will be given to one writer demonstrating exceptional skill and artistry in the short story form. The Award is for a single story of up to 8,000 words, written by an established author. Submissions for the 2026 BBC National Short Story Award close on Monday 16th March 2026.

The Brotherton Poetry Prize 2026

The Brotherton Poetry Prize 2026 celebrates and promotes poetry and supports new poets. The Prize is open to anyone in the world over the age of 18 who hasn't yet published a full collection of poems. The winner receives £1,000. Four runners-up each receive £200. The poems of the five shortlisted poets are published as an anthology by Carcanet Press. This year’s judges are Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, Kimberly Campanello, Anthony Vahni Capildeo, Helen Mort, Zaffar Kunial, Matthew Treherne, Emma Trott, and John Whale. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm 8 April 2026.

The Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2026

Have you written a poem you think would appeal to children? The Caterpillar Poetry Prize is for unpublished poems written by adults for children aged 7–11. Entrants are welcome from anywhere in the world. There is an entry fee of €16 per poem. The closing date is 31 March 2026

Arvon Fiction and Non-Fiction Writing Day with Helen Gordon

Arvon has partnered with the RWA to launch a series of Writing Days, using the RWA’s lead exhibitions as a stimulus for different forms of writing. The next workshop, focused on fiction and creative non-fiction, is led by writer and editor Helen Gordon. Her most recent book, The Meteorites, combines nature and science writing with memoir and biography, and is one of Waterstones’ Best Books of 2025. Friday 13 March, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol

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 £300 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. The competition opens on 30th March 2026, and closes at midnight UK time on 25th May 2026.

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.

Write Across Bradford

Write Across Bradford is an eight-week development programme designed to support emerging writers who are at the early stages of their writing careers. Through a series of engaging workshops, expert-led sessions and networking opportunities, you'll explore the art of crafting compelling stories for television, empowering participants to develop their own new original series idea. The programme is led by BBC Writers in collaboration with Word Up North, Bradford Producing Hub, New Writing North, Bradford Arts Centre and Screen Yorkshire.

There Is Only Narrative

There Is Only Narrative is a new programme run by Spread the Word in partnership with the Eve White Literary Agency to find and develop new non-fiction writers from diverse backgrounds. 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. It has an access fund in place for disabled writers. 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, including: an Editors' Panel, A survey for writers on support they need to write, three free masterclasses, Agents' Panel, competition for writers underrepresented in UK publishing.

The Tom Grass Spirit of Adventure Literary Prize

The Tom Grass Spirit of Adventure Literary Prize aims to encourage committed, emerging writers from around the world, and to celebrate the spirit of adventure in life and in the shared love of books. Open to emerging writers aged 25+, the prize welcomes short pieces of stand-alone prose in either Fiction or Non-Fiction (1,500 - 3,000 words). The prize invites writers from all walks of life, whether writing a short story, essay, memoir, piece of reportage, historical investigation, or other hybrid form, as long as the writer reflects the sensibility of the prize. The Prize is open for Year 2 and submissions will close on 31st March 2026. The winner receives £1000 and the runners-up receive £500 each.