Novel Writing Competitions 2021

Last updated: 6th January 2021

We have gathered a list of the best Novel Writing Competitions in 2021 for unpublished / unagented authors.

Each of these is handpicked, with all the data checked on a regular basis (see date above for last time it was reviewed).

Many of these novel writing competitions are very prestigious, and highly likely to lead to agent representation and / or publication. We have not included any competitions that do not present a satisfactory level of credibility and authority.

For each competition we have collated the following information into an easy to access format:

Name of competition, with a link to the website
Deadline
Entry fee
Details of 1st Prize
Eligibility - the writer (any limitations placed on who can enter)
Eligibility - the submission (details about what sort of work is appropriate for this competition)
Genre - which genres are accepted

Please note that as these are annual competitions, those with later deadlines may not have opened for submissions yet.

Entry fees vary from £10 to £20, and 1st prizes average about £1000. There are some exceptional ones, with cash prizes of £20,000. Several offer publication deals and agent representation as their first prize and even for runners up.

Most are open to entrants worldwide, but some have slightly more limited eligibility criteria, such as being only open to UK residents, people of colour, or women.

If you have a novel writing competition that you would like added to this list, please get in touch. Or, if you notice any errors in the data, please do let us know so we can correct them.

We aim to update this post regularly, to add new competitions as we discover them. If a listing is in italics, it indicates that the deadline has passed, so please scroll down past those.

Please leave your comments below and share and bookmark this page if you find it useful!

Name	Deadline	Entry Fee	First Prize	Eligibility (writer)	Eligibility (submission)	Genre
Exeter Novel Prize	1st Jan	£18	£500 plus trophy	Authors currently without representation, whether or not they have been published.	The competition is for the first ten thousand words (including synopsis) of a novel.	All genres excluding children’s, but including Young Adult and New Adult, are acceptable.
Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize	17th January	£12	A networking dinner plus editorial consultation	Women over 21 resident in the UK, who have not had a full length novel previously published.	Unpublished, and must not have been accepted for future publication or self-published.	All genres except picture books
First Pages Prize	7th Feb (extended deadline 21st Feb)	$20/$35	$2,000, agent consultation and developmental editing	Any writer worldwide over 18 years of age who is currently un-agented	First 5 pages (1,250 words max) of a longer fiction or creative non-fiction manuscript	All genres
Northern Writers Awards	6th Feb	FREE	Various	Writer must be based in Northern England at the time of submission.	Various	Various
David Higham Open Day for Under Represented Writers	24th Feb	Free	Attendance at an Open Day meeting industry experts and receiving tailored feedback.	Any un-agented writer living in the UK from an under-represented background (see website for details).	None	Any
Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award	28th February 2020	£36	Shortlisted entries are presented to publishers and agents	Unpublished and unagented writers	The opening of a proposed crime novel (up to 3,000 words) and a synopsis (up to 1,500 words) outlining its further development.	Crime
Kelpies Prize	29th Feb	N/A	Win £1,000 plus mentoring and publication, and a week-long writing retreat.	You must live or work in Scotland	The book must be set mainly in Scotland	Children's
The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize	1st March	TBC	£15,000 advance and publication	Unpublished and unagented writers (self pub okay)	Adventure writing only	Adventure
Claymore Award	1st April	$40	Possible publication and agent representation. Networking opportunities (in the US)	No limitations	Unpublished novels containing elements of thriller, mystery, crime, or suspense. Self-published manuscripts are not eligible.	Action, Adventure, Alternate History, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Thriller, Western.
Adventure Writer's Competition	30th April	$25	$1000	No limitations	Novels in the genre 'Adventure' only	Adventure
Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition	4th May	£18	Royalty advance of £10,000, publishing contract and agent representation	Unpublished and unagented writers over 18	A full-length novel for children/young adults aged between 7 and 18 years.	Children's
First Novel Prize	31st May	£25	£1,000	Unpublished writers	English, unpublished or self-published	Adult fiction genres only (no children or young adult)
Bridport Prize Novel Award	31st May	£20	£1000 plus mentoring	Writers in Britain and the Republic of Ireland	Full or part-written novel	Any adult fiction genre including fiction for young adults (YA) providing there is a genuine crossover for adult readership. Non-fiction and fiction for children is not eligible.
Impress Prize for New Writers	Awaiting announcement of 2021 submission date.	£25	£500 advance plus publication by Impress Books	16 years of age and over	A book proposal and a sample chapter of no more than 6,000 words	Fiction and non-fiction across most genres (excluding poetry and children’s fiction, however we will consider Young Adult submissions)
Page Turner Awards	31st May	£30 (£20)	Various	Over 18	Unpublished, complete fiction or non-fiction	Any
Bath Novel Award	31st May	£28	£3,000	Writers should be yet to accept a traditional publishing deal.	Novels may be unpublished, self-published or independently published. At least least 50,000 words in length.	Any genre for adults or young adult (13+)
The Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award	31st May	£20	£1,000 and agent introduction	Unpublished authors without an agent	First chapter of your novel up to 5000 words along with a 300 word synopsis and cover letter	Any adult fiction genre
North Street Book Prize	15th June	$65	$5,000 plus perks	Self- published authors	200,000 words maximum.	For self-published books
Staunch Book Prize	31st July	FREE or £65 with feedback report	International publicity	No limitations	Completed novel - can be traditionally published, self-published or unpublished.	A a thriller in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered
Kindle Storyteller	31st August	Free	£20,000	Over 18s	You must publish your book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon	Any genre
Book Pipeline Adaptation Contest	August 31st (early deadline May 20th)	$55 - $70	$10,000 + Film/TV Industry adaptation consideration /circulation	Self-published authors (and trad published authors)	Published (including self-pub) books, graphic novels, short stories (trad published / produced plays also accepted)	Any genre
The Query Letter	15th September	Free	$500	No restrictions	100 words blurb. The novel does NOT need to be written.	Any genre
Mslexia Children's and YA Novel Competition	21st September	£25	£5,000	Unpublished women writers of any nationality from any country.	All entries must be in English, not previously published and not under consideration in other fiction competitions.	Childrens and Young Adult
Grindstone Literary International Novel Prize	28th September	£16	£1,000	No limitations	Previously unpublished completed manuscripts exceeding 50,000 words in total length.	All genres, but not middle grade or younger.
The First Page Challenge (The Darling Axe)	30th September	$5 CAD	$200	No limitations	First page of a novel	Any genre
Pitchwars	4th June / 1st October	Free	Mentoring for your novel submission	Unagented anywhere in the world	Unpublished, including self-publishing	Middle Grade, Young Adult, New Adult, or Adult
Book Pipeline Unpublished Competition	5th October (Early deadline June 1st)	$45 - $60	$2,500 for each of six winners and industry circulation	Any writer worldwide over 18 years of age	Unpublished, full-length manuscripts of fiction and nonfiction	Young Adult, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, Mystery / Thriller, Literary, Outsider / Experimental, and Nonfiction
Flash 500 Novel Opening Chapter & Synopsis Competition	31st October	£10	£500	No limitations	The only stipulation is that the entry must be unpublished.	Any genre
Cinnamon Press Annual Debut Fiction Prize	31st October	£16	Book published by Cinnamon Press	Open to those who have not had a novel or full-length short story collection previously published through a press. (Those who have self-published novels or collections may enter.)	Unpublished	Adult and crossover novels only (no children's fiction)
The Caledonia Novel Award	1st November	£25	£1,500	Open to unpublished and self-published novelists over 18	Original work at least 50,000 words	Any genre for adults or young adults
William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition	1st November	$45	$7,500	No limitations	An original novel, previously unpublished	Adults or Young Adults
QuoScript NaNoWritMo Challenge	16th November 2021 (for registration)	£30	Publication Contract (all entrants receive a critique)	Writers in UK and USA	10,000 words plus synopsis	Crime Fiction and Young Adult Fiction
Bath Children's Novel	29th November	£25	£2,500	Unpublished and independently published novelists	Novel written for children aged 7 to 17.	Children's
Betty Trask Prize	30th November	Free (as far as we can tell)	£10,000	Under 35. British National or resident (see comp page for more details)	First novels (published in the last year, or unpublished (see comp for more details)	Traditional or romantic but not experimental style
Daisy Pettles Writing Contest for Women	12th December	$0-25-45 (sliding income waivers)	$1,000 plus a month-long free residency in the Daisy Pettles' Writer's House	Women writers, aged 40+, published OR unpublished	20 pages of sample writing	Fiction or non-fiction. Not poetry.

Defunct Competitions

The competitions listed below do not appear to be currently running, but are being kept for our records, and in case they start up again. If your competition is below and it has relaunched, please let us know so we can integrate it back into the main listings.


Katherine Paterson Prize TEMP CLOSED - RECORD KEPT FOR CLARITY ONLY	No information	$20	$1,000	No limitations	Original, unpublished piece under 10,000 words. May be a short story or a book/novel excerpt.	Young Adult and Children’s Literature
Commonword Diversity Young Adult Fiction Prize (DEFUNCT)	TBC (possibly defunct)	£10	£1000, professional mentoring, Arvon Course	All entrants must be unpublished authors over the age of 16 and a permanent resident in the United Kingdom.	Writing or writers must embrace ethnic diversity either through their own ethnicity and culture and/or in their writing.	Middle Grade or Young Adult Fiction
HASTINGS Litfest Novel Competition (defunct)	TBC	£10	£150 plus publication by Crooked Cat Books	Previously unpublished authors, or by authors previously published only in other genres	None stated	Crime