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Donate nowOpportunities for writers
There are lots of opportunities for writers in Scotland. We've collected and listed the current crop below.
We curate this list but don't run the opportunities listed. Want to share one with us? Email lynsey.may@scottishbooktrust.com You might also want to look into our support programmes for writers; the New Writers Award, Ignite Fellowship and the Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship. If you're under 18, why not check out What's Your Story?
August
Call for submissions: The Writer's Cafe magazine
The Writers’ Cafe Magazine is open for submissions to poetry (up to 5 previously unpublished) and prose (word count limit 1000), that adhere to the theme 'Masks'.
Deadline: Sunday 18 August
Entry fee: None
University of Hertfordshire single poem prize
Open to anyone in the UK over the age of 16, send in poems of up to forty-two lines in length.
Deadline: Thursday 1 August
Entry fee: None
Find out more
Call for submissions: Celebrating Change
Send up to three poems that celebrate difference and defiance. BBC Slam winner Jess Green is the guest editor.
Deadline: Friday 16 August, 10am
Entry fee: None
Find out more
Translation residencies at Cove Park
Two fortnight-long residencies are available to writers through Publishing Scotland. Applicants must have translated at least one book from English into their working language, and be contracted to translate a Scottish book (a book by a Scotland-based author, preferably a living author, or published by a Scottish publisher).
Deadline: Sunday 18 August
Entry fee: None
Fine out more
Call for works in progress: Scratch That!
A call out for ideas for a short performance piece aimed at children aged between 0-18 years that can be performed in the the Traverse 2 space at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.
Deadline: Monday 19 August
Entry fee: None
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Call for flash fiction submissions: Reflex Fiction
Reflex Fiction are trialling a choose your own fee system for entries to the flash fiction competition.
Deadline: Sunday 31 August
Entry fee: Pay what you choose
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Competition: Biggar Science Festival
Biggar Science Festival is looking for poetry and short stories on the theme of 'Elements'.
Deadline: Sunday 31 August
Entry fee: Yes, see link for details
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The Jack Grapes Poetry Competition 2019
Free to enter U.S. based poetry competition welcomes international applicants. Unpublished poems only.
Deadline: Sunday 31 August (Pacific time zone)
Entry fee: None
Find out more
September
The Nan Shepherd Prize for nature writing
Canongate has partnered with the Nan Shepherd Estate and the University of Aberdeen to launch a competition to find the next big voice in nature writing, from communities underrepresented in the genre. The prize is inspired by, and in memory of, writer Nan Shepherd, whose masterpiece The Living Mountain remained unpublished for almost forty years and is now hailed as a modern classic.
The winner will receive a book deal with Canongate – including editorial mentoring and an advance of £10,000 – and the option of literary representation with Jenny Brown Associates.
Deadline: Tuesday 10 September
Entry fee: None
Call for submissions: Seahorse Publications
Seahorse Publications are looking for poems and short stories inspired by your relationship with Glasgow.
Deadline: Sunday 15 September
Entry fee: None
Find out more
Workshop: Crossing Thresholds, Lapidus Scotland
A Lapidus Scotland residential workshop for facilitators and organisers of reading, writing and storytelling for wellbeing with Valerie Gillies and Larry Butler at Whatton Lodge, East Lothian.
Date: 20 - 22 September 2019
Attendance fee: see link for details
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Call for proposals: Paisley Book Festival
Paisley Book Festival is looking for venues, local organisations and artists to take part in the 2020 festival (21 February – 01 March).
Deadline: Sunday 1 September
Entry fee: None
Find out more
October
Call for submissions: Stirling Publishing
Stirling Publishing are looking for book submissions between 1 August and 1 October. Please visit their website to see what genres they're looking for.
Deadline: Tuesday 01 October
Entry fee: None
Find out more
Creative writing masterclasses
Three monthly creative writing workshops - attend all three or drop into one - in Glasgow.
Dates: 05 October, 02 November, 07 December (all Saturdays, 11am - 1pm)
Fee: Yes, see link for details
Find out more
The Dinesh Allirajah prize for short fiction
Free to enter short story competition on the theme of artificial intelligence, organised by Comma Press and the University of Central Lancashire.
Deadline: Friday 25 October
Entry fee: None
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The national poetry competiton
The Poetry Society's annual competition, open to anyone aged 17 or older. The competition is for previously unpublished poems of up to 40 lines in length.
Deadline: Thursday 31 October
Entry fee: Yes, see link for details
Find out more
January 2020
Write Mentor: Writing for children workshop
Have you ever considered writing for children but didn't know where to begin? Or have you written a first draft and are not sure how to continue? #WriteMentor are pleased to host a writing weekend in Glasgow with author Maisie Chan and picture book writer and illustrator Tita Berredo.
Date: Saturday 11 January, Sunday 12 January
Attendance fee: Yes, see link for details
Ongoing Opportunities
Weekly creative writing classes
Join like-minded wordsmiths to share ideas, work in progress and receive useful tips. The classes are suitable regardless of whether it is the first time you have put pen to paper, or you have been scribing away for years. Age 16 years+. These classes run broadly in line with the school terms and will finish mid-July.
Wednesday: 5.15pm – 6.45pm at Airdrie Library Wednesday: 1.00pm – 3.00pm at Bellshill Cultural Centre
Entry fee: £5.00/Concession £4.50
The John Byrne award
The John Byrne Award is an online exhibition and competition exploring personal and societal values, open to 16-30 year olds in Scotland. Creative writing & illustration welcomed. Each month, the best entry is awarded £250. All entries from the year are submitted to the annual John Byrne Award competition where the best entry wins £2,500. All entries are eligible for all prizes and all entries will be considered for posting on the John Byrne Award social media pages.
Entry fee: Free
The Zooker award
A new literary award that aims to encourage disadvantaged authors and reward works of social value. Single prize of £500, plus embossed certificate and featuring. Open to anyone who has published a book through Arkbound or any other publisher.
Entries can be made between 19th May and 10th October each year.
Entry Fee: £7.50 (concessions available)
Æther & Ichor submissions open
Æther & Ichor are looking for inspiring and imaginative fantasy stories, particularly character-driven works with consistent, inventive worldbuilding. They publish a wide range of styles from urban fantasy to twisted fairy tales to swashbuckling adventures and tend towards darker, slicker, more challenging works with a bit of grit.
Deadline: Rolling
Entry fee: Free
Shift: Call for short form YA submissions
Shift are searching for original fiction and non-fiction for their next and future issues! Fiction and non-fiction submissions welcome. Your piece should be suitable for a YA audience.
Entry fee: Free
Stories from the OCD community
The International OCD Foundation is looking for insightful, compelling stories from those living with OCD or a related disorder, their family/friends, researchers, and medical professionals. Stories should be 1000 words or less and IOCDF publish one per month.
Entry fee: Free
The Weekend Read
The Weekend Read will publish outstanding fiction by women every Friday. We’ll feature prize-winning stories, stories from published collections and brand new work by established authors as well as showcasing new, emerging voices from across the globe. Read online, or listen to our podcast.
Entry fee: Free
Nosy Crow: Open call for children's fiction from debut BAME writers
An open call for children’s fiction submissions (anything in the 5 – 12 age range, but especially 9 – 12, aka “middle grade”) from BAME writers.
Nosy Crow are happy to receive submissions from agented and un-agented authors.
Entry fee: Free
The Gaelic Book Council: Commission grants
The Gaelic Books Council offers assistance to authors who wish to write in Scottish Gaelic. Priority is given to writers who have a publishing agreement in place, as well as to projects that contain a high percentage of Scottish Gaelic content. They support a wide variety of literary genres, and are open to applications in support of digital titles and other formats, as well as traditional printed books.
Entry fee: Free
International travel fund
This fund has been established by Scottish Books International to support writers who have been invited overseas to promote their work, including trips to festivals, publicity events and more.
Entry fee: Free
Twenty-Six Letters: Writing and editing services
For creative writers of all abilities – Victoria at Twenty-six Letters can help you take your novel, memoir or collection of stories/poetry to the next level:
Editing and manuscript appraisal – for complete manuscripts, whether you need a detailed report on structure, characterisation, plot etc, or a full line-edit to polish the final draft. Mentoring – for works-in-progress that need a little guidance.
Ghostwriting – for anyone with a good idea, but lacking the time/skills to write a full-length book (fiction and non-fiction).
For 14+ years, Victoria has worked between the advertising and publishing industries, writing for some of the world's best-known brands and helping to craft both biographical and fictional stories
Invisible Ink
Invisible Ink is an Edinburgh-based literary consultancy offering advice, support and expertise to writers all over the world. We specialise in ghostwriting, mentoring, manuscript assessment, and teaching and workshops, and are keen to collaborate with you at any stage of your writing project. More information can be found on our website, and please don’t hesitate to get in touch—we’d love to hear your stories.
Masterclass: Text into performance
Anita Govan, Performance poet, Teaching Artist & Co-founder of Scottish Youth Poetry Slam, offers sessions with individual, constructive feedback on ‘text in performance’. Giving tips and tricks on how to tackle blocks and confidence issues, through to practical voice & performance exercises.
Former Stirling Makar (2012-15) with thirty years of experience behind her in the creative industries (inc. drama, directing & producing), across Scotland. Anita has trained internationally with Keith Johnstone (Canada 2000) Goat Island Performance Company (Chicago) and performed at Glastonbury and the Nuyorician (New York).
Rates: £50 – ½ day up to 3 hrs, 4 spots per session (for individuals or shows, quotes available).
For more details or to sign up to the waiting list contact: anitagovan@gmail.com
Helen Boden: Reading, editorial and tuition services
Writer, editor and experienced arts educator Helen offers the following services for individuals:
Editing and reading - including manuscript appraisal, development editing and proof-reading; student essay and dissertation reading
Tuition and mentoring – from a couple of meetings or conversations to a longer-term programme involving regular submission of work and critique
If you are looking for an objective, professional assessment of your writing, I provide a customised and client-focused approach. We develop a schedule that reflects the client’s needs and is appropriate to the nature of their project. This can include checking for clarity, flow, structure and readability. I work on poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Feedback by mark-up on electronic or hard copy can be supplemented by written reports, or given in person, by telephone or online.
Rates: My guideline rates are £45ph, but this varies according to the nature of the project.
Contact: helenboden@talktalk.net
Third Thursday Writers
Ekphrastic (using visual art as a prompt) writing group, facilitated by Helen Boden, which meets once a month in a different Edinburgh gallery or exhibition. Each two-hour workshop moves between viewing, discussion, writing, and constructive critique. We visit most of the free exhibitions at National Galleries Scotland, and have also formed relationships with Fruitmarket Gallery, City Art Centre, Talbot Rice Gallery and Dovecot Studios. Using specially-devised exercises, we respond to art-forms from a range of mediums – painting, drawing, sculpture, video, installation, print-making . . . and from all historical periods.
This supportive tutored group is suitable for all levels of experience, and meets 10.30am-12.30pm on the third Thursday of each month.
More information: contact helenboden@talktalk.net
Entry fee: £12 per session
Creative Coach Philippa Johnston: Professional development planning for writers
Are you keen to make this year your year for moving forward as a writer? I work with writers in Scotland and further afield, helping them to define and prioritize their goals, explore options and then map out a plan of action. I offer two one-to-one services: Professional Development Planning which consists of one (or sometimes two) face-to-face two-hour sessions and Coaching which is available by Skype or telephone (or face-to-face, location permitting) and comprises five or more one-hour sessions. (Some writers like to combine the two services and have a PDP session followed by a coaching series.) I’m an accredited coach and my coaching practice is informed by my work specialising in writer development with NAWE (National Association of Writers in Education) and my 30 years of experience working in the arts sector in Scotland and England. I also offer Application Guidance, detailed advice on how to make your application for an award or funding the best it can be, drawing on my extensive experience as a funding assessor and applicant.
Complete book marketing toolkit
This is an online course for anyone who would like to create a clear and comprehensive strategy to reach more readers. It includes professional feedback on your author website and social media accounts as well as dedicated support to help you come up with an effective and achievable marketing plan. The course is run by experienced literary consultant Claire Wingfield, who is on hand to guide and support you throughout. The marketing toolkit can be undertaken at your own pace, and gives you access to a supportive Facebook group upon completion, where Claire will continue to share updates to the course and new ways to sell more books.
Rates: Usually £279, but Claire is offering a £50 discount for participants via Scottish Book Trust using the code FRIEND 50.
Liminal Residency: Alternative writing retreat
The Liminal Residency is a series of alternative writers' retreats which take place in neglected and unusual spaces. Most ordinary retreats and residencies depend on isolation and the removal of distractions. The Liminal Residency depends on lived experience, random chance and shared adventure.
If you’re interested in attending a Residency, please get in touch with a bit about yourself and your work. You can specify an interest in a particular Residency, or make a general application.
Deadline: Rolling
Entry free: Free to apply, although you would need to cover your costs of transport, accommodation and food during the residency
{Find out more](http://www.liminalresidency.co.uk/)