Everyone’s got a book in them – or at least, a short story. Writing can be wonderful for many reasons – it’s therapeutic, imaginative, and a great way to express yourself creatively. But it can also nab you some wonderful prizes, from expenses-paid writing retreats to massive cash prizes. The trouble is there are many writing contests that charge for entry. This makes it less of a good deal, especially if you enter loads every year without winning any. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best FREE writing contests based in the UK you can enter this year. They don’t cost anything to enter and you could be in line to win a valuable prize for your writing!.
Writing Magazine is the leading UK magazine for all things writing. A subscription opens up a bunch of free or reduced rate contests to win cash and publication, but of course that costs money. You can read issues without a subscription – or through a free two-month Readly trial – to get a feel of the kind of fiction that wins their contests. This is a good idea to do for any short story contest you want to enter, as reading the winners of past contests gives you an idea of the calibre, styles, and stories they like to publish. The first open contest, New Year New You, is for an 800-word story about someone wanting to make a change. It’s open to everyone and closes on 28th February, with the top prize being £150 and publication.
One of the biggest prizes available for short story contests and with a fantastic reputation for launching careers, the BBC Short Story Award is back for another year. With a maximum word count of 8,000 words, it’s also one of the few contests that allows longer short stories, so you’ve got time to let your characters develop and plots twist. Like all the contests in this article, it’s free to enter – but you could win a whopping £15,000 for first prize, or £600 if you’re one of the four runners-up. The BBC Short Story Award closes on 13th March, so you’ll need to get writing soon if you want to polish up an entry in time!.
A brand new prize for 2025, the New Writing Prize comes with some incredible possibilities for prizes. A partnership between the University of Oxford and media talent agency and production company, 42MP. It’s also a unique contest as it’s for multidisciplinary writers – that means novelists, screenwriters, and playwrights are invited to enter. They’re looking for exciting fresh voices and new undiscovered talent. They want to see either the first 10,000 words of a novel, or a screenplay or stage or radio play script. The winner receives £1500 and – this is the most exciting part – representation by an agent at 42. With more and more production companies looking for writers who can write across formats, such as books and TV, this is an exciting opportunity that closes on 30th April.
An institution in the writing world, the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook returns with its Working Class Writer prize this year. And you’ve got until November to perfect your story! This prize is for writers who identify as working class, who are underrepresented in the publishing industry. Previous winners have gone on to secure representation with agents, which is important for any writer seeking to be published.
They’re looking for a maximum of 2000 words of a work in progress – so that could be the opening chapter of a novel, for example. You also need to submit a covering letter explaining why the contest resonates with you and a one-page synopsis of the rest of the story. You could win £200 and publication on the W&A website. It closes on 4th November. Some paid writing contests can be worthwhile if you are talented – but starting off with free ones to practice your art is a great way to learn how to write winning stories. We’ve got an even more detailed list of free UK writing contests on the MoneyMagpie site, so if you’re motivated to write more make sure you check it out!.
