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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 [email protected](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
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 [email protected]
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
October
Made to Last: ESEA Heritage Month Zine Commission
As part of Glasgow Zine Library's Made to Last: Connecting Communities Through Collections programme, the library is commissioning the production of one new zine by a zine-maker of East or South East Asian heritage, in celebration of ESEA Heritage Month. The zine can be on aything that you find meaningful and it doesn’t have to be in the English language. The successful applicant will receive £450 for production costs (including your time) as well as support from Glasgow Zine Library's team.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Tuesday 1 October
Caledonia Novel Award 2025
The Caledonia Novel Award is now open for entries from unpublished and self-published novelists in all genres, across adult fiction & YA. Entries are open internationally. This year, the award will be judged by Alice Lutyens, literary agent at Curtis Brown.
The winner will receive £1,500; Highly Commended will receive £500. A free place on a writing course at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre will be offered to the writer of the best novel from the UK and Ireland.
Entry fee: £28 per entry
Deadline: Tuesday 15 October
PENning Magazine
The theme for the next edition of PENning magazine is ‘Change’ . Writers are invited to submit up to 3 poems of no more than 50 lines each or one prose or non-fiction piece of no more than 2,000 words. Writing can be in any language, provided that they are accompanied by a translation into English or Scots.
To be eligible to submit, you must be either a member of Scottish PEN, or a person living in Scotland whose first language is not English, Scots and Gaelic.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Tuesday 15 October
New Writing Scotland
For New Writing Scotland 43, submissions of any form are invited by writers resident in Scotland or Scots by birth, upbringing or inclination. A maximum length of 3,500 words is suggested.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Thursday 31 October
Middleground - submissions
Middleground is a literary and art magazine for mixed-race people and their identities, stories and voices. They are looking for art, photography, fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry for their eighth issue.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Thursday 10 October
Autumn Voices Poetry Competition 2024 – ‘Counting’
Autumn Voice is open to entries on the theme of Counting, entrant must be 60 or over. There are prizes of £200 and £100 to be won, and the winning poems as well as any ‘Commended’ entries will be published on on the Autumn Voices website.
Entry fee: £5 for one poem (discounts for further entries)
Deadline: Thursday 31 October
Dust & Dark submissions call
Dust & Dark is a new quarterly magazine showcasing the best in original horror fiction currently accepting submissions for an upcoming issue. They're looking for horror and dark fiction with an emphasis on subtle menace and expertly rendered dread rather than shock and violence.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Thursday 31 October
November
Commonwealth Short Story Prize
Commonwealth citizens aged 18 and over are invited to submit a short story of 2,000-5,000 words. Writing must be unpublished.
Five regional winners will receive £2,500 and will be published in Granta; one of the regional winners will be selected as the overall winner, receiving £5,000.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Saturday 2 November
2025 Disabled Poets Prize
The 2025 Disabled Poets Prize is now open for entries from deaf and disabled people aged 18+ based in the UK. It has categories for best single poem and best unpublished pamphlet.
Entry fee: No entry fee, but a donation of £7 is appreciated for those who can afford it
Deadline: Monday 4 Novemeber, 1pm
Wellcome Collection Non-Fiction Awards
The Wellcome Collection Non-Fiction Awards aims to find and support writers from underrepresented groups, who have a big idea for a non-fiction book for general readers, that engages with the themes of health and being human. The Awards will support 6 writers in 2025.
Entry fee: None
Deadline: Monday 11 November, 5pm
Find out more about the Wellcome Collection Non-Fiction Awards
December
The Ringwood Short Story Competition 2024
The winning writer will receive a prize of £100 and publication on our website; up to two runners-up will also receive acknowledgement and publication on the website.
Entry fee: £2
Deadline: Friday 6 December
June
Heroines Anthology - Volume 6 & Writing Prize
Submissions are open for the volume 6 of the Heroines Anthology and the 2025 Heroines Women's writing prize. Volume 6 is a special witchcraft-themed edition. The anthology is accepting poems and short fiction from women across the globe.
All submisssions will be considered for the prize; the winner will receive $500.
Entry fee: $15 per entry
Deadline: Monday 30 June 2025
Call for Submissions
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.
Autumn Voices
Autumn Voices seeks submissions by those aged over 60 years for their monthly newsletter.