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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 andrew.blair@scottishbooktrust.com (this will open in a new window)
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?
January
The League of Poets
Songs of Peace: World’s Biggest Anthology of Contemporary poetry is part of a project for global peace. The competition will see over one thousand poets worldwide have their poems published in the biggest ever anthology of contempoary poetry ever published.
Deadline: Friday 31 January
Entry fee: None
Bad Betty Press
London-based poetry press looking to publish pamphlets and collections. Please send a sample by email. Submission details in link below.
Deadline: Friday 31 January
Entry fee: None
The Gollancz and Rivers of London BAME SFF Award
Gollancz the UK’s oldest science fiction and fantasy imprint, and Ben Aaronovitch, author of the Sunday Times bestselling Rivers of London series, are launching a new writing prize to champion underrepresented BAME voices in the genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror.
Deadline: Friday 31 January
Entry fee: None
Polari Press
Polari Press are looking UK-based LGBTQ+ illustrators, writers, photographers, playwrights, poets and artists for their new zine, Polari.
Deadline: Friday 31 January
Entry fee: None
Lies, Dreaming
A podcast looking for work inspired by the prompt "E•mo•tion by Carly Rae Jepsen".
Deadline: Friday 31 January
Entry fee: None
February
Life Writing Prize
"Life writing" prize open to writers over 18 based in the UK who have yet to publish a full-length work or to have a literary agent.
Deadline: Monday 03 February
Entry fee: None
Finished Creatures
Finished Creatures is looking for unpublished poems for its third issue. The theme for the issue is 'Balance'.
Deadline: Sunday 9 February
Entry fee: None
Dial-a-Poem
Dial-a-Poem celebrates 50 years since John Giorno’s public art project launched in New York City. The competition invites students enrolled at a UK institute of higher or further education to enter a poem on the theme of calling.
Deadline: Monday 10 February
Entry fee: None
Writers & Artists Short Story Competition
A short story competition for published and aspiring writers with a residency as a prize.
Deadline: Thursday 13 February
Entry fee: None
SICK Magazine
SICK is now accepting pitches and submissions from chronically ill and disabled people for our second issue.
Deadline: Friday 14 February
Entry fee: None
The Winnow Magazine
Looking for art, prose and poetry on the theme 'Mood board'.
Deadline: Saturday 15 February
Entry fee: None
Scottish Arts Club Short Story Competition
Looking for short stories of up to 2000 words. Cash and membership prizes available. You can send up to five stories.
Deadline: Saturday 29 February
Entry fee: £10 per story.
Southword Journal
Looking for poems for the September issue.
Deadline: Saturday 29 February
Entry fee: None
March
Impossible Archetype
Impossible Archetype is a journal looking for poetry from LGBTQ+ poets of all genders.
Deadline: Sunday 01 March,
Entry fee: None
The Edwin Morgan Poetry Award
An award for the best unpublished collection of poems by a Scottish poet aged 30 or under. See website for full details and criteria.
Deadline: Monday 02 March, 5pm
Entry fee: None
CYMERA 2020
A speculative fiction competition asking writers to respond to the theme 'Scotland in 2030'.
Deadline: Sunday 15 March, 6pm
Entry fee: None
The Writers' Cafe Magazine
The Writers’ Cafe Magazine is open for submissions to poetry and prose responding to the theme “Can you dig it?”
Deadline: Wednesday 18 March
Entry fee: None
Poetry & Words at Glastonbury
A call out for experienced writers and performers interested in performing at Glastonbury Festival in June 2020.
Deadline: Friday 20 March, 5pm
Entry fee: None
Renfrewshire Mental Health Arts Festival
An open call for submissions to a Poetry Exhibition which will be displayed across station platforms in Renfrewshire and Inverclyde as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF). Anyone with an interest in exploring mental health and wellbeing is welcome to submit work.
Deadline: Friday 20 March
Entry fee: No
Federation of Writers: Vernal Equinox 2020
Competition looking for poetry, short stories, flash fiction/mini-story, Gaelic (poems and/or flash fiction) and Scots (poems and/or flash fiction).
Deadline: Tuesday 31 March,
Entry fee: Various, see link below.
April
Sunspot: Single Word Contest
Submit the single word you feel is the most important in today’s world. You’ll have 1,000 words to describe why using any form of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.
Deadline: Sunday 01 March,
Entry fee: $10
Ongoing Opportunities
Awards
The John Byrne award
The John Byrne Award is an online exhibition and competition exploring personal and societal values, open to anyone over 16 years old 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)
Luna Press Publishing
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy publisher who accept submissions on specific days each year.
Speculative Scotland (all writers born in Scotland): 25 January, 30 November Speculative Scottish Diversity (writers who identify as BAME (Black, Asian, minority ethnic), mixed-race or POC (people of colour) with a connection to Scotland either by birth or residency): 18 July, 02 October Speculative Novella: (all writers): 15 April
Entry Fee: None
Call for Submissions
Æther & Ichor
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
Clover and White
Clover and White are looking for poems, flash fiction and short stories (especially from unpublished and emerging writers).
Deadline: Rolling
Is there a fee to enter? No.
The Dark Horse
The Dark Horse Magazine is accepting unsolicited submissions of poetry by post only.
Entry fee: None
Glasgow Review of Books
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
Little Stone Journal
Little Stone Journal is an e-zine looking for poetry, essays and reviews.
Is there a fee to enter? No.
Loss Lit
A Twitter writeclub on the theme of Loss hosted every first Wednesday of the month between 9 and 11pm UK time. Three submission windows are open annually for poetry, fiction and non-fiction.
Is there a fee to enter? No.
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
Nosy Crow: Call for 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
Ó Bhéal: Five Words Poetry Competition
Running weekly until January 2020: five words will be posted on the competition page. Entrants have one week to compose and submit one or more poems which include all five words given for that week.
Is there a fee to enter? Yes.
Poetry London
Poetry London are looking for up to six poems, and are now taking submissions online.
Deadline: Rolling
Is there a fee to enter? No.
Product Magazine
Product Magazine is currently looking for fiction, art and photography.
Entry fee: None
Rattle: Ekphrastic Challenge
A monthly competition inviting poets to respond to visual art (and occasionally looking for artists to supply images).
Is there a fee to enter? No.
Rattle: Poets Respond
A weekly competition inviting poets to respond to recent events. The deadline for each week is Friday at midnight PST. The poems must respond to news that occurred since the previous Friday, and have been written in the time since.
Is there a fee to enter? No
The Selkie
The Selkie is looking for fiction, non-fiction, poetry and features. The Selkie is committed to working with marginalised and/or underrepresented voices. Please visit the link below for more information.
Entry fee: None
Shift
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
Shoreline of Infinity
Shoreline of Infinity is looking for science-fiction poetry and book reviewers.
Entry fee: None
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
Thi Wurd
Thi Wurd is a fiction magazine based in Glasgow. Submissions of short fiction and illustrations are welcome.
Entry fee: None
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.
Is there a fee to enter? No