Writing Competitions

Although I wrote this yesterday, I didn't have time to post it, so technically I've not really managed a post a day so far. However, this is not a hard and fast rule for participating and we are able to post a number of posts within the seven day frame.

So here goes. Today's theme is the fabulous creation - the writing competition. Many writers enter their work and often are able to supplement their income with the odd prize win or enhance their existences by winning a holiday (yay!) a meal out in a fancy restaurant (okay!) or chocolate (always acceptable.)

I've tried to include a range of subject focus, a range of cash prizes and have also ensured this list does not require a mad month of writing before January 31st 2012.

There may be something to tempt you. Good luck!

Newcastle Centre for Literary Arts Water Poetry Competition

Deadline: 13th January 2012.

Main Category (£5 entry fee for up to three poems):
1st Prize: £500
2nd Prize: £200
3rd Prize: £100

North East Young Adult Category (free entry for up to three poems):
1st Prize: £250
Five runners up will each receive £50

Judges: John Burnside and W N Herbert.

They want you to think about water in all its aspects and submit poems to us

which use it as a theme. For further details or if you’re looking for some

inspiration then visit our website to download our free prompts sheet:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ncla/projects/competitions/poetrycomp/ 

Theatre Trail Writers Competition 2012

Deadline: 31st January 2012.

The Arundel Festival Theatre Trail, conceived and presented by Drip Action Theatre Company, is now in its twelfth year. It performs for the last eight days of August, eight short plays at eight different venues all over Arundel – last year, for example, in a living room, a kitchen, an art gallery and a pub. 

Writers are invited to submit plays for next year’s Trail.

Plays should be between 30 and 40 minutes long, suitable for day-time performance, with practicable casting and props. All entries should be submitted to:

Drip Action Theatre Trail 2012
c/o SGIS Ltd.
65a High Street
Arundel
West Sussex
BN18 9AJ

One play only per entrant, in hard copy - no e-mails accepted. Please enclose SAE if you’d like your play returned.  There is no reading fee. 

Choc Lit Short Story Competition

Deadline: 31st January 2012

They’re looking for short stories of up to 1,500 words in which the central theme is chocolate – eating it, drinking it, cooking with it, or anything else.

PRIZES
1st prize £200, publication on Choc Lit’s authors corner blog and a box of chocolates from Plush Chocolates.
A Runner Up will receive £50 and a box of chocolates from Plush Chocolates.

RULES
1. Your entry must be a maximum of 1,500 words.
2. All work must be your own and not previously published.
3. Entry fee is £3 per story.
4. All entries must be received by 31st January, 2012.

JUDGES
Your judges are Choc Lit authors Margaret James and Sue Moorcroft. Both are experienced creative writing tutors. Margaret also writes the monthly Fiction Focus for Writing Magazine and Sue is a fiction judge for short story competitions at Writers Forum.
HOW TO ENTER
1. Please post your stories to: Short Story Competition, Choc Lit Ltd, Penrose House, Crawley Drive, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 2AB. Please enclose a cheque for £3 per story – i.e. to enter 3 stories would cost £9. Cheques are payable to ‘Choc Lit Ltd.’

2. Or email info@choc-lit.co.uk with the subject header ‘Short Story Competition’ and pay your entry fee by Paypal atorders@choc-lit.co.uk.

Visit: www.choc-lit.co.uk for a free taste of all our novels,
or simply scan the barcode with your smartphone QR reader.

2012 Bristol Short Story Prize

Deadline: March 31st 2012

2012 Bristol Short Story Prize is open to all writers, UK and non-UK based, over 16 years of age.
Stories can be on any theme or subject and
entry can be made online via the website or by
post. Entries must be previously unpublished
with a maximum length of 3,000 words (There is no minimum.
The entry fee is £7 per story.

Prizes:
1st £1000 plus £150 Waterstone’s gift card
2nd £700 plus £100 Waterstone’s gift card
3rd £400 plus £100 Waterstone’s gift card

17 further prizes of £100 will be presented to the writers whose stories appear on the shortlist. All 20 shortlisted writers will have their stories published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 5. The winning story will, also, be published in Bristol Review of Books and Venue magazine.

The 20 shortlisted writers will be invited to an awards ceremony in Bristol in July 2012 when the winners will be announced and the anthology launched.
The awards ceremony will be the final event of our 2nd ShortStoryVille festival.

Judging panel : Ali Reynolds (literary consultant, former Random House editor)
Bidisha (writer, broadcaster, critic) Anna Britten (writer, journalist at Venue Magazine)
Chris Wakling (novelist, Creative Writing tutor)

Full details at www.bristolprize.co.uk

The Sportswriter Competition 2012
Deadline: 1st July 2012

The Sportswriter Competition 2012 is the first of what we hope to be an annual writing competition that seeks to identify new sportswriting talent. Entries may be fiction or non-fiction, prose or poetry.

Prizes:
First place: £250
Second place: £75
Third place: £25
(paid in British Pounds Sterling by bank transfer, cheque or through PayPal)

The entry fee is £3.00, of which £1.00 will be donated to our chosen charity, Cyclists Fighting Cancer (http://cyclistsfc.org.uk/). The deadline for entries is midnight on the 1st July 2012, the day of the Euro 2012 Final.

The Sportswriter Competition 2012 is open to anyone aged 18 years or older.
Entries may be submitted directly through the form on the website, http://www.sportswriter.org.uk/writing-competition, or by email, info@sportswriter.org.uk.

Entries may be up to 2000 words (or 40 lines for poems) and should relate to sport in some way. Winning entrants will receive the cash prizes and their work will be published on the website, www.sportswriter.org.uk.

posted by
Davy Hackett
SportsWriter.org.uk