[UPDATED 2/6] Is your novel finally finished, or as good as? Wondering what on earth to do with it next? One way of throwing it out into the world is to enter a novel competition. Even if you don’t win (it’s hard to), you may place and get some feedback on your entry, or a consultation with an agent, or a cash prize/writing retreat/fancy trophy for your sideboard. Indeed, making it onto a long- or shortlist – often the top dozen or so out of hundreds or even thousands of entries – is in itself a sign that you’re doing something right. And it may help to be able to mention it in your submission package to agents.
To that end, here is a list of the novel comps coming up this year in the UK and Ireland. As always, please read the entry guidelines before you enter. And good luck!
- Retreat West First Chapter Competition 2023
- Closing date: January 29
- Prizes: 1st place feedback and a submission package review (cover letter, synopsis and first three chapters) from a literary agent. 2nd place feedback on first three chapters from Amanda Saint, publisher at Retreat West Books. Shortlisted writers will receive short feedback from Rachel
- Judge: agent Rachel Mann with Jo Unwin Literary Agency
- Requirement: first chapter of up to 3,000 words, adult or YA
- Entry fee: £10 per entry, multiple entries permitted. Open internationally
- Reflex Press Novella Award 2023
- Closing date: January 31
- Prizes: 1st place £1,000, two runners-up will win £500 each. The three winners will be published by Reflex Press
- Judges: members of the Reflex Press team
- Requirement: a completed novella of 15,000-40,000 words
- Entry fee: £10 per entry, multiple entries permitted. Some free entry places available on request. Open internationally
- The Plaza Prizes Crime: First Chapters Competition
- Closing date: January 31
- Prizes: 1st place £1,500, publication on The Plaza Prizes website and a one-to-one tutorial and detailed feedback from judge Sam Blake (the pen name of Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin). 2nd place £300, 3rd place £100
- Judge: crime writer Sam Blake
- Requirement: first 5,000 words of a crime novel plus a synopsis of max 300 words
- Entry fee: £20 for one entry, £10 for any subsequent entries. There are up to 50 free entries available to low-income writers, on application. Open internationally
- Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize
- Closing date: February 10 (12 midday)
- Prizes: 1st place £1,500. The winner and shortlisted entrants will each receive a one-to-one consultation with the Peters Fraser + Dunlop literary agency
- Judges: panel includes novelist Rose Tremain, PFD agent Tim Bates, and Hodder & Stoughton publisher Phoebe Morgan
- Requirement: the first 40-50 pages and a synopsis of three-five pages long, anything from middle grade to adult
- Entry fee: £12 per entry, one entry only. Some subsidised places are available for low-income writers, apply by February 8. Open to unpublished women writers who live in the UK or Ireland
- Spotlight First Novel Award 2023
- Closing date: February 14
- Prize: a mentoring package with UK literary consultancy Adventures in Fiction worth up to £1,950, which will include a full manuscript appraisal, a development strategy and two consultations. The winner will also have a dedicated author profile page on the website
- Judges: doesn’t say
- Requirement: the first page of your novel and a one-page synopsis
- Entry fee: £16 per entry, multiple entries permitted. Open internationally
- The Watson, Little x Indie Novella Prize
- Closing date: February 14
- Prizes: winning entries will receive a one-page report and one-hour session with an agent at Watson, Little literary agency. Additionally, winners and commended entries will receive a written report from publisher and booksellers Indie Novella, and an extract of their novel will feature in an exclusive anthology
- Judges: Indie Novella will read all entries, then agents from Little, Watson will choose from the shortlist
- Requirement: the first 5,000 words and a 300-word synopsis. The contest is aimed at underrepresented writers and entries are invited on three themes – Community, Climate and Crime Fiction
- Entry fee: free to enter, multiple entries permitted. Open to writers living in Britain and Ireland
- Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award 2023
- Closing date: February 28 (6pm)
- Prizes: 1st place £500. Shortlisted authors will receive a brief professional assessment of their entry. The winning entries are sent to UK publishers and agents and will be given public exposure on the CWA platforms and in national media
- Judges: the longlisted submissions will be read by a judging panel comprising crime fiction editors from major publishing houses and literary agents
- Requirement: the first 3,000 words of a crime novel, and a synopsis of max 1,500 words
- Entry fee: £36 per entry (blimey!), multiple entries permitted. Open internationally
- Stockholm Writers Festival First 5 Pages Prize 2023
- Closing date: March 12
- Prizes: 1st place $1,000, a ticket to the Stockholm Writers Festival 2023 (August 18-20), two nights hotel accommodation, a pitch meeting with a relevant agent and a developmental edit courtesy of Reedsy. 2nd and 3rd place will receive tickets to SWF23 and a meeting with a relevant agent
- Judges: first-round judging will be done by the Stockholm Writers Festival, with final judging conducted by a guest judge tba
- Requirement: first five pages of a novel, book (I presume they mean non-fiction) or novella to a max of 1,700 words
- Entry fee: $20 per entry, multiple entries permitted. Open internationally
- Fiction Factory First Chapter + Synopsis Competition
- Closing date: March 31
- Prizes: 1st place £500. The winner and all shortlisted entrants will receive an appraisal. Winning entries will be published on the Fiction Factory website, subject to the author’s permission
- Judge: literary agent Joanna Swainson of Hardman & Swainson
- Requirement: first 5,000 words and a one-page synopsis
- Entry fee: £18 per entry, multiple entries permitted. Open internationally
- 2023 Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award
- Closing date: March 31
- Prizes: 1st place £10,000, two runners-up will receive £1,000. The winner will be announced in London late October at an event to which the three shortlisted authors will be invited
- Judges: winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature 2021 Abdulrazak Gurnah, novelist Claire Adam, writer and journalist Annalena McAfee
- Requirement: 15,000-20,000 words of a novel (children’s or adult) plus a synopsis and covering letter
- Entry fee: appears to be free to enter, one entry only. Open to writers living in the British Commonwealth or Ireland
- I Am Writing Competitions – various categories
- Closing date: March 31
- Prizes: 1st place £100 plus a 30-minute online consultation with the agent judging the category (there are separate prizes for each genre). 2nd place £50 and feedback. 3rd place £25 and feedback. This competition is part of the I Am Writing Festival, which takes place in Bristol, UK (May 19-20)
- Judges: each category has a specific agent attached, see site for the agencies involved
- Requirement: 3,500 words of a novel that fits into one of the categories listed – crime/thriller, historical, MG/young adult, picture book, romance or sci-fi/fantasy
- Entry fee: £11 per entry, up to five entries permitted. Open internationally
- Cheshire Novel Prize
- Closing date: April 1
- Prizes: 1st place £1,500, one Highly Commended writer will receive £500. Shortlisted writers will be invited to a lunch in Cheshire in August. The top hundred entries will be featured in a showcase read by agents. It’s also worth noting that they offer a line or two of feedback to every single entrant – I entered last year and was sent a full page!
- Judges: literary agents Nelle Andrew from Rachel Mills Literary Agency, Katie Fulford from Bell Lomax Moreton and Honor Spreckley from RCW, publisher with Penguin Michael Joseph Clio Cornish, editorial director with Sphere Darcy Nicholson, writer Nikki May, and book doctor Sally O-J
- Requirement: first 5,000 words of your novel and a 500-word synopsis
- Entry fee: £27 per entry, multiple entries permitted. Sponsored places are available for underrepresented writers, on application by March 28. Open internationally
- Wilbur Smith Best Unpublished Manuscript/New Voices Award
- Closing date: April 30
- Prizes: five writers will receive support in developing their manuscript over the course of eight months, with regular one-to-one mentoring and editorial guidance from an editor. Writers must be prepared to commit time over those eight months to complete their draft. Once finished, each manuscript will be considered by publisher Bonnier Books UK and all writers will receive guidance on seeking a literary agent
- Judges: doesn’t say
- Requirement: first three chapters of up to 10,000 words and an outline of max 1,000 words detailing where you imagine the story will go
- Entry fee: early-bird fee of £20 until January 31, thereafter £30 per entry. Some free places available, on application. Open internationally
- BPA First Novel Award 2023
- Closing date: May 31
- Prizes: 1st place £1,000, runner-up £500, highly commended £150. All three finalists will receive an agent introduction via literary consultants Blue Pencil Agency
- Judges: literary agents Eve White and Ludo Cinelli of the Eve White Literary Agency, and author Luan Goldie
- Requirement: an opening chapter or chapters of up to 5,000 words plus a 300-word synopsis and a covering letter
- Entry fee: £24 per entry, multiple entries permitted. There are 20 free entries available for UK-based writers on low incomes. Open internationally
- The Yeovil Literary Prize for Novel
- Closing date: May 31
- Prizes: 1st place £1,250, 2nd place £500, 3rd place £125
- Judge: author Victoria Howard
- Requirement: opening chapters and a synopsis, coming to a combined total of 10,000 words max
- Entry fee: £14.50 per entry, multiple entries permitted. Open internationally
- The Bath Novel Award 2023
- Closing date: May 31
- Prizes: 1st place £3,000 and a trophy. Shortlisted writers will have their excerpts published on the website. The writer of the most promising longlisted novel will receive a Cornerstones Literary Consultancy online course Edit Your Novel the Professional Way, worth £1,800
- Judge: literary agent Kate Barker
- Requirement: first 5,000 words plus a one-page synopsis of a novel for adults or YA
- Entry fee: £29 per entry, multiple entries permitted. Some sponsored places are available for low-income writers. Open internationally
- The Bridport Prize / Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel Award
- Closing date: May 31
- Prizes: 1st place £1,500, mentoring by The Literary Consultancy, and consultations with London literary agency AM Heath and publisher Tinder Press. One runner-up will win £750 and a manuscript assessment by The Literary Consultancy. Three shortlisted writers will receive £150. All finalists will be featured in the Bridport Prize annual anthology
- Judge: novelist Sarah Hall
- Requirement: opening chapters of 5,000-8,000 words plus a 300-word synopsis
- Entry fee: £24 per entry, multiple entries permitted. Open to writers resident in UK or Ireland, and British writers living overseas
- First Novel Prize 2023
- Closing date: May 31
- Prizes: 1st place £1,000, 2nd place £500. The competition is run by UK literary consultants Daniel Goldsmith Associates
- Judges: publisher with Swift Press Mark Richards, literary agent Hellie Ogden and literary consultant Lorena Goldsmith
- Requirement: opening chapters plus a synopsis coming to a combined total of max 5,000 words (include your contact details for this one)
- Entry fee: £25 per entry, multiple entries permitted. A number of free places are available. Open internationally
- Novel London Literary Competition 2023
- Closing date: May 31
- Prizes: 1st place £500, a trophy and an assessment on the winner’s first three chapters, synopsis and cover letter by editor and founder of Blackbird Books, Stephanie Zia. 2nd place £350 and lunch with literary agent Elise Dillsworth at The Ivy, London, or online equivalent. 3rd place £100 and a literary walk/ coaching or mentoring session (TBC)
- Judges: publisher and teacher Stephanie Zia, writer and coach Diane Chandler
- Requirement: first 3,000 words of a complete novel, a short synopsis and a biog
- Entry fee: £11 per entry, multiple entries permitted. Open internationally
- 2023 Page 100 Competition
- Closing date: August 20
- Prizes: 1st place a full manuscript editorial report by editor and indie publisher Louise Walters. Two runners-up will receive a submission package report. The three winners will receive a box of books published by Louise Walters Books. Three shortlisted writers will receive feedback on their entries
- Judge: Louise Walters
- Requirement: page 100 only of an unpublished novel or novella
- Entry fee: £5 per entry, multiple entries permitted. Open internationally
- Mslexia Women’s Fiction Competition – Adult Novel
- Closing date: September 18
- Prizes: 1st place £5,000. Finalists receive manuscript feedback from The Literary Consultancy and personal introductions to literary agents arranged in partnership with New Writing North
- Judges: novelist Sophie Hannah, associate editor of The Bookseller Natasha Onwuemezi, Conville & Walsh agent Sophie Lambert
- Requirement: first 5,000 words of a novel (longlisted entrants will be asked to submit their finished manuscripts along with a synopsis)
- Entry fee: £26 per entry, multiple entries permitted. Open to women internationally
- Novel Fair 2024
- Closing date: September 30 (opens for entries September 1)
- Prizes: twelve finalists will be selected to take part in the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair in Dublin in February 2024, where they will pitch to agents, publishers and agents. They will also receive a place on a seminar on ‘How to Pitch Your Novel’ in advance of the Fair. Applicants who are longlisted and who do not proceed to make the final twelve will receive feedback report from the judging panel
- Judges: TBA
- Requirement: first 10,000 words of a novel (an additional 50,000 words will be requested if successful) and a synopsis
- Entry fee: €55 per entry, one entry only. Twenty free submission places will be available for writers from backgrounds underrepresented in Irish literature, on application in July. Open internationally
- Writers & Artists Yearbook Working-Class Writers’ Prize 2023
- Closing date: October 2
- Prizes: 1st place £200, mentoring sessions with judge Kasim Ali, access to a number of W&A writing and publishing events, one year’s membership to The Society of Authors, a writing guide bundle, and a selection of Bloomsbury fiction and non-fiction books. Four shortlisted entries will receive a writing guide bundle, one year’s membership to The Society of Authors, as well as support from the W&A team. All entries will receive feedback on their entry from the W&A team
- Judge: novelist Kasim Ali
- Requirement: first 2,000 words and a one-page synopsis. You must also include a short piece of writing (200 words) in the covering letter section of the online entry form about yourself and why this prize speaks to you
- Entry fee: free to enter. Open to writers in the UK and Ireland
- Flash 500 Novel Opening & Synopsis Competition
- Closing date: October 31
- Prizes: 1st place £500, 2nd place £200
- Judges: judged by Headline Publishing, which publishes Maggie O’Farrell, Neil Gaiman and Martina Cole, among others
- Requirement: first 3,000 words and a synopsis of max 750 word
- Entry fee: £10 for one entry, £18 for two, £26 for three. There is also an option to receive feedback for £35 per entry. Open internationally
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Photo: Herman Traub/Pixabay; Kira/Pixabay; Sharon Ang/Pixabay
Word herding 
