An overview of novel competitions across the UK with closing dates for submissions.
Good luck
| Competition | What they say | Closing Date | Website
Link |
| Bridport Prize
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Each year our excellent judges hand out over £18,000 in prize money for your best submissions in poetry, short stories, flash fiction and first novels. | 31st May 2020 | Bridport Prize |
| The Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award for a First Novel | The award is run in conjunction with industry partners The Literary Consultancy, – the UK’s first and leading editorial and manuscript assessment service, A. M. Heath Literary Agents and Tinder Press. Submissions are welcome in any adult fiction genre including fiction for young adults (YA) providing there is a genuine crossover for adult readership. Non-fiction and fiction for children is not eligible. | 31st May 2020 | Bridport Prize |
| Bath Novel Award | The Bath Novel Award is a prize for unpublished, self-published and independently published novelists.
Caroline Ambrose from the Bath Novel Award is a guest speaker at Novel Nights in Bath on 6th Sept 2019 Novel Nights is sponsoring three reduced places in 2020 Entry Fee: £28 |
31st May 2020 | Bath Novel Award |
| Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award | The Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award is open to unrepresented and unpublished authors for a novel in any adult fiction genre. Prizes: Winner: £1,000 + agent introduction. Runner up: manuscript review + agent introduction Highly commended: agent introduction Judges: Literary Agents: Caroline Wood and Carrie Plitt Author: Anna Hope Entry fee: £20 for each submission. Online entry only. Up to 10 free entries to UK based writers on low incomes. |
May 31st 2020 | Blue Pencil Award First Novel Award |
| Bristol Short Story Prize |
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April 30th 2020 | Bristol Short Story Prize |
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- Inevitably, this list will be incomplete. If there are other competitions for novelists you think should be on the list, please let me know and email grace@novelnights.co.uk
- Colette Hill is a reader for the Bridport Prize and co-hosts Novel Nights Bath. Read her blog here on what she looks for in a manuscript.
