Novel Writing Competitions List for 2024

Novel Writing Competitions List updated 2 April 2024. These competitions are for unpublished or self-published novels and novellas for international writers, plus a few for UK or US residents only. It’s a long list and accurate as far as possible, updated monthly, so bookmark this page! I can’t vouch for all these comps personally, but if you have experience of them, let us know in the comments. Good luck! Please be sure to check the websites for more information, submission requirements and deadlines. Adventures in YA Publishing Regular Contests and Workshops open to young adult, middle grade, and new adult writers. 1st Five Pages workshops run every month, and the contests are annual. Receive constructive feedback. Submissions are sent during specific time windows to be read by agents. Many contestants are asked to submit full manuscripts. Entry Fee: Free Deadline: ongoing – see website Submit: varies per contest but you’ll need a strong pitch. Check website for full submission details and rules. Adventure Writer’s Competition Sponsored by the Clive Cussler Collector’s Society. Annual competition to recognise and celebrate adventure writing. Open to unpublished novels and published novels that have sold no more than 10,000 copies. Must be an action-adventure novel. Win $1,000 plus marketing help with your novel, and more. Opens for entries on 1 January. Entry Fee: $50 Deadline: 30 April 2024 Submit: complete manuscript. Check website for full submission details and rules. Amazon Literary Contests Amazon KDP runs regular contests for authors self-publishing on their KDP platform in various territories, such as Kindle Storyteller and Pen to Publish. Each contest has specific rules for entry and usually involves publishing within a particular period covered by the contest. Prizes vary and can include cash advances, publishing contracts with Amazon, and mentoring from top authors. Entry Fee: Free Deadline: varies by contest – see website Submit: published book. Check website for full submission details and rules. A Woman’s Write International prize for an unpublished novel written in English. Open to women only. All submissions receive a critique. Prize $500 and certificate! Runs every year and opens on 1st January. Entry Fee: $40 Deadline: 30 November 2024 Submit: first 50 pages, a detailed synopsis and bio. Check website for full submission details and rules. Bath Novella-in-Flash Award Annual prize for novellas of between 6,000 and 18,000 words, where each flash (or chapter) is no more than 1,000 words. Win £300 plus publication in print and digital anthology. Two runners up receive £100 each. Any subject or theme, but must be in English and written for adults or young adults. Opens in summer 2024. Entry Fee: £16 Deadline: TBC Submit: full manuscript via email. Check website for full submission details and rules. Bath Novel Award International prize for aspiring and self-published novelists. Win £5,000, plus literary agent introductions. Long-listed entrants will be asked to submit their complete manuscript (min. 50,000 words). One long-listed entrant also gets access to an online editing course worth £1,800 from Cornerstones Literary Consultancy. Entry Fee: £29 Deadline: 31 May 2024 Submit: first 5,000 words and 1 page synopsis. Check website for full submission details and rules. Bath Children’s Novel Award International prize for aspiring and self-published writers of children’s fiction. This competition runs in rotation every other year with the Bath Novel Award for adult fiction. Win £3,000. For all genres of chapter, middle grade and young adult novels. Entry Fee: £29 Deadline: 30 November 2023 *CLOSED* Submit: first 5,000 words and 1 page synopsis. Check website for full submission details and rules. Big Moose Prize Run by independent publisher Black Lawrence Press for an unpublished novel. Open to new, emerging and established writers with an innovative and intoxicating manuscript. Win $10,000 and publication. Opens for entries in November each year. Entry Fee: $27 Deadline: 31 January 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: full manuscript. Check website for full submission details and rules. Book Pipeline Contests Two competitions, one for unpublished and one for established writers. Win $2,500 in the Unpublished Contest, plus circulation of your manuscript to publishers and agents. Win $5,000 in the Adaptation Contest for published novels, plus film/TV industry circulation and development. Entry fee depends on deadline. New contests open in November 2023. Entry Fee: $20 – $50 Deadlines: Unpublished – Early 24 May 2024; Regular 20 August 2024 Adaptation – Early 20 May 2024; Regular 15 August 2024 Submit: first 5,000 words plus synopsis for both contests. Check website for full submission details and rules. BPA First Novel Award Blue Pencil Agency competition for unrepresented and unpublished authors of any genre, including YA if there’s an adult crossover. They’re looking for a strong voice and an original, unforgettable story. Win £1,000 and introduction to literary agent. Shortlisted entrants will be asked to submit 20,000 words. Entry Fee: £24 Deadline: TBC Submit: first chapter (up to 5,000 words) plus 300 word synopsis and covering letter. Check website for full submission details and rules. Bridport Prize Novel Award Win £1,500 plus mentoring and other prizes. Open to UK residents only. For a complete or nearly complete (min. 15,000 words) novel in any adult or young adult fiction genre. Shortlisted entrants will have to submit at least 30,000 words for final judging. Opens for entries November 2023. Entry Fee: £20 Deadline: 31 May 2024 Submit: the first 5,000 to 8,000 words, plus a 300 word synopsis. Check website for full submission details and rules. Caledonia Novel Award International competition for unpublished and self-published novels in any genre for adults or YA. Win £1,500, plus a free place on a week-long residential writing course in Scotland (for the best novel from the UK & Ireland). Long-listed entrants will be asked to submit their complete manuscript (min 50,000 words). Entry Fee: £25 Deadline: TBC Submit: the first 20 pages plus 200 word synopsis. Check website for full submission details and rules. Chanticleer Book Awards International book awards to discover outstanding works by published and self-published authors. Win cash prizes, promotional materials and reviews for fiction and non-fiction. There are multiple awards for different genres and deadlines vary by contest. Fees are high but so are the cash prizes, and both vary by contest. Entry Fee: $99 – $199 for non-members Deadlines: check site for latest Submit: full manuscript in pdf or Word doc. Check website for full submission details and rules. Cheshire Novel Prize Open to unpublished and self-published authors without an agent for a novel of at least 60,000 words in length and any genre for adults or young adults. Win £1,500 and a runner up prize of £500, plus mentoring and feedback on your work. Shortlisted writers will be invited to a lunch in London, plus all entrants have the chance to win feedback on their manuscript worth £895. Opens for entries on 1 January 2024 Entry Fee: £29 Deadline: 1 April 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: first 5,000 words and one page synopsis. Check website for full submission details and rules. Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition Annual competition open to unpublished and unagented writers of fiction for 7-18 year olds. Win publication with Chicken House plus advance of £10,000. All long-listed entrants receive a reader’s report. Entries should be a minimum of 30,000 words and no more than 80,000 words. Entry Fee: £20 Deadline: 1 June 2024 Submit: full manuscript, 1 page synopsis, and cover letter. Check website for full submission details and rules. Cinnamon Literature Award Annual competition open to all writers, both debut and established. Submit either poetry, short stories, or a novel. The winner will have their book published by Cinnamon Press. The Literature Award is closed but you can also submit your work to New Voices 2025 until 28 February 2024. Entry Fee: £18 Deadline: TBC Submit: first 10,000 of your novel. Check website for full submission details and rules. Claymore Award Open to unpublished manuscripts in thriller, mystery, crime, Sci-Fi, fantasy, and more. Win possible publication and agent representation. This is an international competition but many of the prizes require your presence in the USA. Entry Fee: $40 Deadline: 1 April 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: first 50 pages and online submission form. Check website for full submission details and rules. Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award International annual competition for unpublished crime writers. Self-published writers can enter if they’ve never been traditionally published. Win £500. All shortlisted entrants receive a professional assessment of their work. Opens for entries on 1 October. Entry Fee: £36 Deadline: 29 February 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: first 3,000 words, a 1,500 word synopsis, plus entry form. Check website for full submission details and rules. Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award An award of £10,000 for a first-time prose writer whose work shows literary talent and who would benefit from financial support in order to complete their work. Open to residents of the British Commonwealth and Eire only who haven’t published or self-published a full-length book of prose. The entry can be fiction or non-fiction. Three runners-up will receive £1,000. Next competition in 2025. Entry Fee: Free Deadline: TBC Submit: 15-20,000 words, plus brief synopsis and bio. Check website for full submission details and rules. Dogberry Books Writing Prize Annual UK memoir writing prize for memoir, literary novel or autobiographical novel of 70 – 90k words. Win £500 and an offer of publication. Your book must be previously unpublished but publication ready. Entry Fee: £25 Deadline: 1 May 2024 Submit: complete manuscript and synopsis and bio. Check website for full submission details and rules. Exeter Novel Prize International annual competition open to writers who don’t have an agent and are not currently under contract with a publisher. Win £1000. Five runners up receive £100. All genres except children’s, but they will accept YA. Entry Fee: £20 Deadline: 1 January 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: first 10,000 words, including 500 word synopsis. Check website for full submission details and rules. Fiction Factory Chapter Novel Competition Enter the first chapter of your unpublished novel (max 5000 words) to win £500 plus an appraisal of your work. All genres except Children and Young Adult. All shortlisted entrants receive an appraisal, and the winning entry will be read by a literary agent. There are also competitions for short stories and flash fiction here. Entry Fee: £18 Deadline: 29 February 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: first chapter and one page synopsis. Check website for full submission details and rules. First Novel Prize Daniel Goldsmith Associates literary prize for unpublished and self-published novelists. Win £1,000 for a novel of at least 50,000 words in any adult genre. Opens for entries 1 February 2024. Entry Fee: £25 Deadline: 31 May 2024 Submit: full manuscript plus synopsis. Check website for full submission details and rules. Flash 500 Novel Opening Chapter Competition Annual competition for unpublished novels to be judged by senior editors at Accent Press. Win £500. Runner up £200. Entry Fee: £10 / £18 for 2 novels Deadline: 31 October 2024 Submit: opening chapter of no more than 3,000 words, plus 1 page synopsis. Check website for full submission details and rules. Green Stories Novel Competition Open to any full-length novel written in English that uses ideas of building a sustainable society or environmental sustainability. Your story should offer a positive vision of the future rather than a dystopian one. Win £1000 plus manuscript appraisal and mentoring from an agent. Next competition TBC. Entry Fee: Free Deadline: TBC Submit: first 4,000 to 10,000 words and one page synopsis. Check website for full submission details and rules. Grindstone International Novel Prize Competition for unpublished writers without an agent, or previously published but no longer represented. Any genre, including Young Adult, but except Children’s. Win £1500, or £500 runner up, and four shortlists £125. All longlisted entries are forwarded to UK agencies. Fee depends on deadline. Entry Fee: £16 – £20 Deadline: Final 1 October 2023 *CLOSED* Submit: first 5000 words plus brief synopsis. Check website for full submission details and rules. Gutsy Great Novelist Prizes Gutsy Great Novelist Chapter One Prize for an unpublished novel for adults or YA. Win a mention on the website plus $1000 for an outstanding first chapter. Gutsy Great Novelist Page One Prize for an unpublished novel in any genre. Win a mention on the website plus $1000 for an outstanding first page. Chapter One Prize opens 1 February 2024. Page One Prize opens 15 June 2024. Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: 1 March 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: first chapter. Check website for full submission details and rules. Immigrant Writing Prize Prize run by Restless Books for an outstanding literary debut by a first-generation immigrant. Awarded for fiction and non-fiction in alternate years – this year the prize is for fiction. Win $10,000 and publication by Restless Books. Your entry should address issues of identity, culture and immigration, and you must be a first-generation resident of your country. The 2024 Prize is for poetry – details here. Entry Fee: Free Deadline: 31 March 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: manuscript plus cover letter and CV. Check website for full submission details and rules. Jhalak Prize Annual prize for a published or self-published book by a BAME writer. Open to UK residents only. All genres including fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, children’s and YA. The aim is to find the best writers of colour in the country. Win £1,000. Entry Fee: Free Deadline: 8 December 2023 *CLOSED* Submit: two copies of the book by post or ebook via email. Check website for full submission details and rules. Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize Open to women novelists over the age of 21 for unpublished novels, including children’s and YA, but not picture books. UK residents only. Win £1500 and the opportunity to attend a networking dinner plus editorial consultation. All shortlisted entrants also receive the editorial consultation. Entry Fee: £12 Deadline: 9 February 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: first 50 pages, plus a 3-5 page synopsis. Check website for full submission details and rules. Mslexia Adult Novel Competition  Open to women only. For unpublished novels by women for adults, at least 20,000 words. Win £5,000, all finalists get feedback on their manuscript plus invite to networking event in London. Alternates with the Children’s Novel Competition. Entry Fee: £26 Deadline: 18 September 2023 *CLOSED* Submit: first 5,000 words. Check website for full submission details and rules. Mslexia Children’s & YA Novel Competition Open to women only. For unpublished novels of at least 20,000 words in any genre for children and/or young adults. Win £5,000 and manuscript feedback, a pitch training day and a networking event in London. Alternates with Adult Novel Competition and there are other competitions too – check the link. Entry Fee: £26 Deadline: TBC Submit: first 3,000 words. Check website for full submission details and rules. MWA First Novel Competition St Martin’s Minotaur is open to any crime writer who has never been published in any genre. Open to US writers only. Your novel must include murder or serious crime as the heart of the story and be at least 60,000 words in length. Win $10,000 advance and possible publication by Minotaur Books. Entry Fee: Free Deadline: 17 December 2023 *CLOSED* Submit: full manuscript and entry form. Check website for full submission details and rules. New Media Writing Prize For innovative and interactive storytelling using new media to engage the audience. Could be a novel, short story, poem, narrative game, documentary – anything that tells a story. Win £1000, plus various other awards. Entry Fee: Free Deadline: 1 February 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: active url for your work plus entry form. Check website for full submission details and rules. New Voices Competition Open to novelists in all genres. Win a mentoring package worth £550, including manuscript appraisal and guidance from Adventures in Fiction. Designed for first time writers in the early stages of a novel. Entry Fee: £10 Deadline: 14 September 2024 Submit: one page synopsis and first page of the novel. Check website for full submission details and rules. North Street Book Prize For self-published books in various categories: Mainstream/Literary fiction, Genre fiction, Creative Non-fiction and Memoir, Poetry, and Children’s Picture Book. Win up to $5,000 plus marketing services and advice. Open to ebooks and print books. Opens for entries 15 February 2024. Entry Fee: $79 Deadline: 1 July 2024 Submit: details on opening. Check website for full submission details and rules. Orison Prizes in Poetry and Fiction Annual competition run by Orison Books for a spiritually engaged book-length manuscript of short stores, novella, or novel. One prize for poetry and another for fiction – both win $1,500 plus publication. Fiction manuscripts must be a minimum of 30,000 words and written in English. Opens for entries 1 December. Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: 1 April 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: full manuscript. Check website for full submission details and rules. Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest Run by FC2, a not-for-profit publisher of adventurous, non-traditional fiction. Submissions must be in English and can be of any length: a collection of short stories, novella or novel, as long as it hasn’t been previously published. Win $1,500 and publication by FC2. Opens for entries in August 2024. Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: 1 November 2024 Submit: full manuscript plus cover letter and bio. Check website for full submission details and rules. Rubery Book Award International book award for independent and self-published books of poetry, fiction, or creative non-fiction. All genres including children’s and young adult. Win £1,500, plus three category winners of £150 each. The winning book will be read by a leading literary agency. Entry Fee: £37 or $60 USD Deadline: 31 March 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: one copy of the book, plus book blurb and entry form. See website for full submission details and rules. SI Leeds Literary Prize Biennial competition for Black and Asian women writers. UK Residents only. Win £4,000 for a finished novel or collection of short stories. The winner also receives a free place on an Arvon creative writing course. Loads of other prizes for runners-up, and the winner’s book will be considered for publication by Peepal Tree Press. Opens 1 April 2024. Entry Fee: £10 Deadline: 13 May 2024 Submit: full manuscript, plus 500 word synopsis. Check website for full submission details, rules and eligibility. Society of Authors Awards and Prizes Various competitions run by the Society of Authors. The Betty Trask Prize is for traditional or romantic novels by authors under the age of 35 and open to Commonwealth citizens only. Prize money of £20k to be used for foreign travel. CLOSED. The McKitterick Prize is for first novels by international writers over the age of 40, published or unpublished. Win £4,000 or £1,000 for runner up. Your novel must be complete before entry. CLOSED. The Young Writer of the Year Award is for published or self-published fiction, non-fiction or poetry by writers aged 18-35. Open to UK and Irish writers only. Win £5,000 for a work of outstanding literary merit. CLOSED. Entry Fee: Free Deadlines: All competitions *CLOSED* Submit: copies of the book (varies by prize) or manuscript, for McKitterick unpublished novels send the first 30 pages. Check the website for full submission details and rules. Spotlight First Novel Competition Open to international unpublished novelists in all genres. Win a mentoring package from Adventures in Fiction worth up to £1950, and a page featuring your work on their website. Entry Fee: £16 Deadline: 14 February 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: one page synopsis and first page of the novel. Check website for full submission details and rules. Virginia Prize for Fiction International competition open to women novelists only. Win editorial guidance and possible publication by Aurora Metro Press. Your novel must be complete (at least 45,000 words) and never have been published or self-published. Runs every two years. Fee depends on deadline. Entry Fee: £15 – £25 Deadline: Late 31 October 2023 *CLOSED* Submit: completed novel. Check website for full submission details and rules. Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize Annual award for the best published and unpublished adventure novels. Winner of unpublished novel receives £15,000 advance for a publishing deal. Self-published e-books are eligible. Winner of published novel receives £10,000. Entries must be longer than 50,000 words. Entry Fee: £20/£30 Deadline: Published – 16 February 2024 *CLOSED* New Voices – 30 April 2024 Submit: full manuscript for Best Published, or 10,000 words plus synopsis for New Voices. Check website for full submission details and rules. Women’s Fiction Writers Association Awards Two competitions for women writers. The Star Award is for published and self-published novels: win a trophy and $500. The Rising Star Award is for unpublished novels and open to writers without an agent and you can win feedback from industry professionals. Star Award opens on 1 February 2024 for members of WFWA and 12 February for non-members. Entry fee depends on membership status. Entry Fee: $45 / $60 Deadline: Star – 29 February 2024 *CLOSED* Submit: EPUB of novel for Star, or first 3000 words plus synopsis and pitch for Rising Star. Check website for full submission details and rules. Yeovil Literary Prize International writing competition judged by professional writers aimed at aspiring novelists. Win first prize £1,000, second £250, third £100. Your novel must be unpublished and must not be under consideration in any other competition. Opens 1 January each year. Entry Fee: £12 Deadline: 31 May 2024 Submit: synopsis and first 3 chapters (up to a total of 15,000). Check website for full submission details and rules. More competitions here: Screenwriting Competitions for Scripts and Stage Plays Resources and Advice for Writers Competition List from Christopher Fielden Check the comments below for more competitions Before entering any competition make sure you check the entry requirements and rules. If I’ve missed any good novel competitions, please let me know in the comments below… Note: This is a list of competitions I’ve compiled from information available online. I have no connection to any of the companies. Any problems or queries should be directed to the companies concerned.