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Opportunities for writers
There are lots of opportunities for writers in Scotland. We've collected and listed the current crop below.
For more opportunities (including workshops, retreats and advice), you might also want to look into our resources for writers, and our writing programmes; the New Writers Award and Ignite Fellowship. If you're under 18, why not check out our offering for Young Writers.
Please note that we curate this list but don't run the opportunities listed. You can find free guidance on copyright and other issues on the Society of Authors' (this link will open in a new window)advice page.
Always read the organiser's submission criteria.
Want to share an opportunity with us? Email eilidh.akilade@scottishbooktrust.com(this link will open in a new window).
No Deadline
The White Pube Creatives Grant
A one-off £500 grant to be given out to a different working class creative practitioner based in the UK once every month. It is run by The White Pube and funded by Creative Debuts. Open to those working on writing, art, performance, sound, music, craft, comedy and games.
Primo Poetica
Looking for football poetry that will strike a chord across Europe.
Entry fee: None
Scottish Women's National Team Poets Society
Julie McNeill – the First Makar of the Scottish Women's National Team Poets Society - is looking for poetry inspired by the national women's team.
Entry fee: None
Find out more about Scottish Women's National Team Poets Society
Loud Coffee Press
Currently open to flash fiction, poetry and art submissions.
Entry fee: None
page one mentoring scheme - Johnson & Alcock
The Johnson & Alcock Agency are offering an online mentoring programme to underrepresented writers (including - but not limited to - Black, Asian, and minority ethnic candidates, those living outside of London and the South East, people with disabilities, and those from low-income families), with the aim of demystifying their industry.
Kalopsia Literary Journal
Looking for poetry, prose and visual art. Feedback will be offered where possible.
Entry fee: None
Bella Caledonia
Bella Caledonia is currently looking for essays, articles, reviews, analysis and features.
Entry fee: None
Tether's End Magazine
Tether's End are looking for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, photography and art for their first issue.
Entry fee: None
Creatives - Scottish Mountaineering Press
Looking for fiction, non-fiction, poetry and visual arts inspired by the Scottish landscape.
Entry fee: None
Find out more about Creatives - Scottish Mountaineering Press
Kelso Writers: Creative Writing for Well-being
Kelso Writers is offering an opportunity for people over the age of 16 who live in the Scottish Borders. As a result of funding from the Communities Mental Health and Well-being Fund, Kelso Writers is able to offer a series of twelve free online workshops and two in-person workshops designed to help people develop and improve their creative writing skills. The course will look at all kinds of writing including short stories, poetry, flash fiction and life writing. Topics covered will include the writing process; creating characters; use of dialogue; how to structure and plot a story; nature writing; and editing and presentation. To register interest and find out more please email kelsowriters@gmail.com
Entry fee: None
Find out more about Kelso Writers: Creative Writing for Well-being
Interpret Magazine
Interpret are open to any genre or form of poem or short story. More details at the link below.
Entry fee: None
Leopard Arts
Looking for poetry, prose, non-fiction, visual arts and music from the North East of Scotland.
Entry fee: None
September
V. S. Pritchett Short Story Prize
The V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize is an annual award for unpublished short stories between 2000 to 4000 words in length. The winner will receive £1,000 and their entry will be published in both Prospect magazine and the RSL Review. This year's competition will be judged by Julia Armfield, Fred D’Aguiar and Juliet Jacques.
Entry fee: £7.50
Deadline: Friday 1 September, 5pm
Case Closed First Chapter Competition
The Case Closed First Chapter Competition is open to unpublished and unagented writers from diverse backgrounds. The competition focuses on Crime, Thriller and Mystery Fiction.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Thursday 15 September
Find out more about the Case Closed First Chapter Competition
Mslexia Women's Fiction Competition 2023 - Short Story
Mslexia invites submissions of unpublished short fiction up to 3,000 words for the 2023 Women's Fiction Competition.
Entry fee: £12
Deadline: Monday 18 September, 23:59GMT
Bold Types Scottish Women’s Creative Writing Competition 2023
This year's Bold Types Scottish Women’s Creative Writing Competition welcomes submissions around Book Week Scotland's theme of Adventure. Submissions should be short stories and poems of up to 1000 words.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Friday 29 September, 5pm
Find out more about the Bold Types Scottish Women’s Creative Writing Competition
Bloomsbury Mentorhsip Programme 2023
Bloomsbury are currently accepting submissions for their inaugural Mentorship Programme, focusing on fiction writing. The winner will receive a year-long mentorship from the Bloomsbury editorial team.
Applicants must be un-agented and must not have published a full-length work of fiction previously.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Friday 29 September
Novel Fair - Irish Writers Centre
The Irish Writers Centre is hosting its 12th annual Novel Fair, a competition which introduces emerging writers to publishers and literary agents. Applicants must submit a 10,000 word manuscript sample.
Entries are welcome internationally, but applicants must be able to attend the Novel Fair on 16 and 17 February 2024, either in-person or remotely.
Entry fee: €55
Deadline: Saturday 30 September
October
Prototype Development Programme
Prototype Publishing have announced their inaugural Development Programme. The programme is open to writers and artists who have not yet had a book published, and are at a formative stage in their careers. It especially seeks to support hybrid, interdisciplinary writing.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Monday 23 October
The National Poetry Competition
The National Poetry Competition is open to all poets internationally, aged 18 or over. The prize welcomes unpublished poems of up to 40 lines.
Entry fee: £8 per first poem, £5 per subsequent poem Deadline: Tuesday 31 October
Footnote x Counterpoints Writing Prize
Submissions are now open for the inaugural 2023-24 Footnote x Counterpoints Writing Prize for writers from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
The winner will be awarded £15,000, alongside a publishing agreement with Footnote Press. The prize is open to narrative non-fiction centred around themes of displacement, identity and/or resistance
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Sunday 1 October, 5pm
Find out more about the Footnote x Counterpoints Writing Prize
Book Edit Prize Writers' Prize
Aimed at talented writers who might not otherwise have access to the industry, the prize is open to all unpublished British and/or UK-based novelists from backgrounds and communities under-represented in UK publishing. Eight writers will be selected to read their work at a live Zoom showcase event for invited industry guests taken from The Book Edit’s wide industry network.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: 23 October 2023
November
Stuart Hall Essay Prize
The inaugural Stuart Hall Essay Prize is open to submissions from UK-based entrants aged 18 to 30 inclusive. The prize invites new and unpublished writing that connects with Stuart Hall’s ideas and impacts broad public discourse.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Monday 6 November, 5pm
Project 514 415
Project 514 415 invites art & literature submissions from those impact by endometriosis. All submissions will be included in a publication, documenting the project.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Thursday 30 November
December
Ringwood Short Story Competition 2023
Ringwood Publishing's Short Story Competition 2023 is open for applications. The competition especially seeks to support writers from underrepresented communities and writers who are at the beginning of their writing journey. Three prizes are available.
Entry fee: £2 per short story
Deadline: Friday 1 June
Call for Submissions
Deadline
Paperboats
Submissions are now open for Issue 2 of Scotland-based e-zine, Paperboats. The zine has a focus on nature and environment in a time of climate and ecological breakdown.
Deadline: Monday 25 September
PENning
PENning, the Writers in Exile Committee’s biannual online journal, presents work by Scottish PEN’s member-writers alongside writing from people living in Scotland who are from other parts of the world. Submissions are now open for their 'Arrival' issue.
Deadline: 30 October
No deadline
Speculative Books
Speculative Books is currently accepting unsolicited submissions of poetry. Send in a maximum of two poems.
Entry fee: None
The Dark Horse
The Dark Horse Magazine is accepting unsolicited submissions of poetry by post only.
Entry fee: None
Thi Wurd
Thi Wurd is a fiction magazine based in Glasgow. Submissions of short fiction and illustrations are welcome.
Entry fee: None
Eemis Stane
Published digitally three times a year, Eemis Stane furthsets poetry, fiction, essays and polemics in Scots o ony and ilka variety, frae ilka airt and pairt. Poetry submissions can consist o up tae three poems, totallin up tae 75 lines. Prose submissions, o baith fiction and non-fiction, should be nae langer than 2000 wirds.
Entry fee: None
Glasgow Review of Books
Glasgow Review of Books is looking for translations and poetry.
Entry fee: None
Lallans
Lallans is published twice a year and is the journal of the Scots Language Society. It includes poetry, fiction, reviews and articles in Scots.
Entry fee: None
The New Shetlander
The New Shetlander is a bi-annual publication looking for contributions of prose and poetry with a Shetland interest: all will be considered for publication.
Entry fee: None
Product Magazine
Product Magazine is currently looking for fiction, art and photography.
Entry fee: None
Shoreline of Infinity
Shoreline of Infinity is looking for science-fiction poetry and book reviewers.
Entry fee: None
SNACK Magazine
SNACK Magazine are regularly seeking poetry submissions.