(b) Critique and Proofreading Services
Would you like feedback on your short story, poetry, script or book? Check out our critique service and proofreading service.
Critique Ireland
Proofreading Ireland
Critique UK
Proofreading UK
(c) No Fee Creative Writing Ink Monthly Competition
Many thanks to everyone who entered our free to enter March writing competition. Congratulations to Ruth Taaffe, the winner of our March competition. You can read all winning entries here.
(d) Writing Prompt Competition
Our free to enter writing prompt competition is open and closes on May 31, 2020. Please visit our writing prompts page if you'd like to enter the current competition.
2. Writing Competitions
Here are some other free to enter writing competitions.
Use information listed at your own risk. Creative Writing Ink gives no warranty to completeness, accuracy, or fitness of the markets, competitions, publishers or agents although research is carried out to the best of our ability. Note that some of these competitions have residency requirements,so check the terms and conditions of the competitions to see if your country is eligible.
(a) The Creative Future Writers’ Award 2020 is open until May 31, 2020.
Free to enter.
This competition is for under-represented writers in the UK only. To find out more, visit their website.
Theme: Tomorrow
Submit poems of up to 42 lines or fiction of up to 2,000 words.
Prizes: 12 winners will receive £13,000 in cash/professional development, plus publication.
More here.
(b) The John McGahern Award 2020 is open until July 31, 2020.
Free to enter.
The recipient of the award will receive a two-week fully resourced residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre and a stipend of €1,000.
Open to early career writers of fiction resident in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. Applicants must have had some fiction or short stories published in a recognised journal or anthology selected by an established publisher or editor.
More here.
(c) The Bring Your Limericks to Limerick Competition 2020 is open until July 31, 2020.
Free to enter. Submit up to 3 limericks.
They will select a long list of 25 limericks. The authors of those limericks chosen will be given the opportunity to compete in the final of the competition in August in Limerick. The final prize and runner up prizes will only be available to those who attend the Festival. Finalists can nominate someone to read their limerick on the night but they themselves must be present in the room.
The winner will receive €500. More here.
(d) The MK LitFest Flash Fiction and Poetry Competition is open until May 31, 2020.
Free to enter.
Open to anyone living in Buckinghamshire (Milton Keynes’ home county) or in the neighbouring counties of Northamptonshire or Bedfordshire.
Submit flash fiction of up to 500 words in any genre, or poems up to 14 lines. The theme for both is ‘City of Dreams’. Work must be previously unpublished. There is a prize of £25 for the best story and best poem in each of two age categories: a) 14 – 19 and b) 20+. In addition, they will select at least 20 stories and 20 poems for publication in an anthology.
More here.
(e) The Tourist Trail Writing Competitions are open until May 15, 2020.
Both competitions are free to enter.
The Young Persons’ Writing Competition is open to 6-14 year olds. Submit at least 400 words describing your dream UK holiday.
More here.
Prizes: £75, £50, and £25 towards a day out at a UK attraction.
For the Parents’ Writing Competition, submit at least 400 words describing your dream day out with the family. Selected entries will be published on the site and their top 3 favourite entries will also win a Disney soft toy.
More here.
(f) The Thanet Writers Short Story Competition is open until May 31, 2020.
Free to enter.
Submit short stories, 500-5000 words.
The Grand Prize is £1,000. All longlisted entries receive a payment of £10 and are published online.
Shortlisted entries are published in a print anthology. Entrants need some sort of link or connection to Thanet to enter. All short stories must be set somewhere in Thanet and be weird, strange, or unusual in some way. One entry per writer.
The judging panel will comprise of the Thanet Writers Editorial Team and a Guest Judge, Catherine Law.
More here.
(g) The erbacce-prize for poetry 2020 is open until May 1, 2020.
Free to enter.
The winner will be given a publishing contract with erbacce press who will publish a collection of the winner’s book. Two runners-up will also be considered.
Four other poets will be chosen to be the ‘Featured Poet’ in each of the quarterly copies of their journal ‘erbacce’.
More here.
There are dozens of other open writing competitions over on our websites. Many are free to enter. You can check out Creative Writing Ink UK or Creative Writing Ink Ireland for further details. In addition, The Writing District publishes even more new writing competition listings several times a week. You can check out the listings here.
3. Submission Opportunities
(a) Bad Betty are looking for poems of any length on the theme of survival for a Bad Betty anthology. Successful poets will have their work published in the book, receive a £50 fee, and be invited to perform at the launch, with travel reimbursement and a small performer fee.
Submission guidelines here
Deadline: midnight, Sunday 10 May 2020
(b) The Climate Matters Anthology 2020- Questioning Capitalism are looking for new writing by established and emerging writers. They're looking for: Poems – Stories – Science Writing – Images.
Read the Submission Guidelines here
Deadline: 30 May 2020
(c) Dwell time are open for submissions on mental well being in the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In these unprecedented and worrying times, our mental wellbeing and creativity is paramount. Whilst we are confined with limited social interaction, we want to offer online space to explore our responses to the pandemic and social isolation."
Dwell Time is a not-for-profit arts publication reflecting on mental wellbeing.
Deadline: June 30, 2020.
More here.
(d) InkyLab are now accepting short story and poetry submissions for their upcoming anthologies. The next theme will be Books/Literature. Stories must be 5000-10000 words in length or equivalent 10-20 A4 pages. No min/max word limit for poetry submissions.
More here.
Deadline: June 30, 2020.
(e) The Coachella Review is the literary arts journal of the University of California Riverside–Palm Desert Graduate Center and the MFA program in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts. They say: “We accept original work that is vibrant, thoughtful, and precise. Whether your work is innovative or traditional, we strive to celebrate writing that holds readers in awe.” They publish two issues a year, in June and December. Submit nonfiction, poetry, fiction, drama and blog content.
For full details, visit their website.
That's it for this month. If you decide to enter any writing competitions or submit to magazines and journals - best of luck with your submissions! And many thanks to everyone for letting us know if you've won a competition or if you've been published, it's great to hear!
Creative Writing Ink Team
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