More Writing competitions

Here is a selection of writing competitions in closing date order. Please email details (no attachments, thank you) of any competitions you are organising so we can promote them on NAWG's website.

When entering competitions do not forget to mention you found out about them on the NAWG website.

Theatre Royal Onwards want your stories! Cash prizes for winners and publication for all runners up. Entries not to exceed 1200 words. For more information and competition rules and entry form, please go to www.theatreroyalhyde.org. Closing date 31st January 2010.

DAW’S 2010 ONE-ACT PLAYWRITING COMPETITION. The competition aims to encourage the writing of plays for amateur theatre in English and Welsh. In addition to cash awards, prize-winning plays will be considered for publication. Previous prizewinners have been published and performed as a result of promotion through our New Writing Scheme. THE WINNING PLAY IN EACH CATEGORY WILL RECEIVE A CASH PRIZE OF £250 AND WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION. PLAYING TIME: 20-50 MINS. MINIMUM CAST OF TWO. An Adjudicating Panel appointed by the Drama Association of Wales will read and consider the plays entered into the Competition and will award the following prizes: Best Play for a Youth Cast (16-25 years) - £250; Best Play in the Open Category - £250; Best Play in the Welsh Language - £250; plus commemorative Prizewinners Medals. The above plays will be considered for publication by DAW Publications. Also: The Best Play from a Wales Based Playwright will be awarded a bursary to Tŷ Newydd, the National Writers’ Centre for Wales. For application forms, please contact Teresa at the Drama Association of Wales (DAW) on Cardiff +44 (0) 29 2045 2200 or email: teresa@dramawales.org.uk. The competition is held to promote the writing of One Act plays in English and Welsh. The closing date for entries to the competition is 31^st January 2010. THE COMPETITION IS OPEN TO EVERYONE. DON'T BE DISCOURAGED FROM ENTERING IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE WALES WE RECEIVE ENTRIES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. SPONSORED BY TECHNOCOVER.

The Fylde Brighter Writers are running their second short story and poetry competition. Prizes are £200 for the first placed story, £50 for the second place and three runners up of £25 each. First prize in the poetry competition is £100 with second prize of £50 and two runners up of £25 each. The closing date is 27th February 2010. Reductions are available for multiple entries and entry on-line and by post is available. The winners will be published in our Summer 2010 anthology. Full details are available on our website at: http://www.brighterwriters.org.uk/

Grace Dieu Writers' Circle 2010 Writing Short Story Competition: 1st Prize: £350; 2nd Prize: £150; 3rd Prize: £75; 4th Prize: £50; 5th Prize: £25. Entry Fees: £5 for first and £3 for additional stories. Full details and entry forms can be found on our website at www.gracedieuwriterscircle.co.uk. Deadline: 28th February. Alternatively to receive a competition leaflet, please send a SAE to: The Competition Organiser, 23 Henson Way, Sharnford, Leicestershire, LE10 3PN.

The Harry Bowling Prize 2010. Entries from unpublished novelists are invited for the Harry Bowling Prize 2010. Entrants must not have published a novel for adults, but may be published in any other field, such as short stories, non-fiction or children’s books. The first prize is £1,000, with a runner up prize of £100. The entry fee is £10. Please post the synopsis and first 5,000 words of your novel, which must be set in London, but can be in any genre and set in any period, to: Margaret James, Administrator, Harry Bowling Prize, 16 St Briac Way, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 5RN. Closing date: 31 March 2010. For further information, rules and an entry form please see the Harry Bowling Prize website at www.harrybowlingprize.net or email mail@margaretjames.com.

Cooldog Publications Short Story & Poetry Competitions. Cooldog Publications run regular short story and poetry competitions with prizes of £100, £50 and £25, with the best six entries published in its E-Mag – an electronic magazine published three times a year. Entry fee is £3 with a maximum length of 3,000 words for short stories and 40 lines for poems. It also runs the annual Cooldog Prize competition with a top prize of £500 and publication in its anthology for the best entries. Competitions now open. Website: www.cooldog.co.uk.

The Spinetinglers Short Story Competition. This is a free to enter monthly competition. The closing date is the 15th of every month, as soon as one competition closes the next one opens. Prizes are £100.00 for first place, £50.00 for second place and £25.00 for third, fourth and fifth place. The competition is open worldwide and entries can be made online http://www.spinetinglerspublishing.com/index.php?page=cdetail&id=6

www.spinetinglers.co.uk. Closing date: Monthly. Launched by writers in Northern Ireland to give aspiring horror and dark fiction authors a chance to get their foot on the first rung of the publishing ladder. Every month there will be a competition and the top five stories will be selected and published on the website. The one judged best by their panel will win £50.

www.firstwriter.com's fully searchable database of writing competitions contains details and contact information for writing contests from around the English-speaking world, including dozens which are FREE to enter

Writers' Forum short story competitions. Closing date: Each month. www.writers-forum.com

The David Thomas Charitable Trust Prizes. Closing date: Monthly. Writers News and Writers Magazine run several competitions for the David Thomas Charitable Trust. Story categories include: ghost, adult fairy, love, country, sea, crime, children's. There are several different poetry categories and This Britain in poetry, prose and pictures. Full details can be found in Writers' News magazine or from The David Thomas Charitable Trust, PO Box 6055, Nairn IV12 4YB. Full details of the Writers' News and Writing Magazines competitions are also available on their website: www.writersnews.co.uk

Competition tops £2,500 prize money. The Global Short Story Competition, which is run from North East England, has topped £2,500 in prize money awarded. Run by Certys Limited, based in Darlington, County Durham, the competition runs every month and was established eighteen months ago. The competition, which numbers among its supporters the best-selling author, and Durham University Chancellor, Bill Bryson, attracts entries from around the planet. Stories have been submitted from everywhere from the United States and Canada to Australia and New Zealand, as well as the likes of India and Singapore. There have also been entries from the United Kingdom and all the way across Continental Europe. Certys director and competition administrator, the crime novelist John Dean, said: “Every month we uncover exciting new stories from writers keen to have their voice heard. “We know from the feedback that we receive that our writers appreciate the boost that success in the competition gives them.“ The monthly first prize is £100 with £25 for runners-up. The judge is North-East writer Fiona Cooper. There is also an annual prize for the best story submitted during the year. Writers wishing to find out more about the competition, or send entries electronically, should visit www.globalshortstories.net. Those who would rather post their entries, rather than go through the website, can send them to the Certys office at Livingstone House, 29 High Northgate, Darlington, Co Durham, England DL1 1UQ, marked Global Short Story Competition, and containing a £5 entry fee. NB Editors John can be contacted on 01325-463813, 07889 554931 or emailed at john.dean@certys.co.uk