Wells Festival of Literature takes place from 27th October to 4th November 2023, but before that they hold their annual writing competitions, with entries accepted until 30th June 2023.
The categories are open poetry, short stories, poetry and children’s books, as well as poetry by anyone aged 16-22 inclusive.
The fee for each separate entry is £6. Each poem must be under 36 lines long, and may be on any subject.
First Prize is £1,000. Second prizes is £500. Third prize is £250. There’s also a £100 prize for a local poet.
The judge is William Sieghart, founder of the Forward Prizes, the UK’s biggest poetry prizes. William also instigated National Poetry Day which is now celebrated in the UK every October.
The fee for each separate entry is £6. Stories should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length. They can be on any subject.
First Prize is £750. Second prize is £300. Third prize is £200. There’s a £100 prize for a local writer.
The judge is Claire Fuller, an author whose much anticipated fifth novel The Memory of Animals was published in April this year and her fourth, Unsettled Ground, won the Costa Novel Award 2021 and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
The fee for each separate entry is £6. The competition will judge writing for children, age 7 and up. This includes writing for young adults
You’ll need to submit either the first two chapters or first twenty pages, whichever is the shortest, together with the synopsis of up to two pages.
First Prize is £750. Second prize is £300. Third prize is £200. There’s a £100 prize for a local writer.
The judge is Rachel Hamilton, a part-time literary agent, a lecturer in Creative Writing and the author of six books. Rachel’s experience includes editing and mentoring and, as a literary consultant, she loves helping authors refine their manuscripts and find their voice. She holds a first-class degree in English Literature & Language, as well as Creative Writing qualifications from St Martin’s College and London School of Journalism.
The fee for each separate entry is £3. Each poem must be under 36 lines long, and may be on any subject.
First Prize is £150. Second prizes is £75. Third prize is £50. All three prize-winners also get a year’s subscription to the Poetry Society.
The judge is Deanna Rodger, Deanna won the UK Poetry Slam when she was 18. She curates spoken word events, facilitates workshops, writes commissions, and mentors. Most recently, her reimagined version of Kipling’s If was read by Serena Williams on BBC Sport.
The closing date for all entries is 30th June 2023. Prizes for all four competitions will be presented on Monday 30th October 2023 during the Festival.
Find the full rules and details of how to enter.
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