Are you writing a poem, a short story, a play, a novel, a screenplay …?
Are you under 16, over 16, or even 16 exactly?
Would you like some amazing industry professionals to see your work, and possibly even publish or perform it? Lots of people are looking for new writers right now. Some great competitions end soon, so get your skates on …
I became a published author by winning a competition. It was the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition, and you can find out more about it here, including Barry Cunningham’s writing tips. He discovered JK Rowling, so he knows a thing or two … The competition is closed for this year, but if you’re still polishing your children’s manuscript, keep an eye on when it reopens later in the year for 2017.
If you can’t wait, ITV’s Lorraine has just launched a nation-wide hunt for the next bestselling author for 5-7s. You’ll need to send in the first 1000 words of your masterpiece by Monday, 29th February – so not long now – and may appear on TV.
There are loads of other writing competitions around meanwhile, and here are just some of them. Thanks to Joan Lennon on Girls Heart Books for the details on these two …
“The Betjamen Poetry Prize – it’s for poets aged 10 – 13 and the deadline for submissions is 31 July 2016, so you’ve got plenty of time. But there’s lots on the website to get your poetic juices going, courtesy of Indigo Williams, so have a look.
500 Words – a story writing competition for ages 5 – 9 and 10 – 13. The deadline for this one is much closer – 25 February 2016 – so you’ll need to get your skates on. There are some good prompts and interesting articles on this site too – well worth a visit.”
The BBC Writers Room is of course full of opportunities for plays, film scripts and comedy.
The Sky Blue Theatre Company even have a video about their British Theatre Challenge!
And finally, Creative Writing Ink has a wonderful list of competitions for everything from poetry to playwriting to fiction to sitcoms.
Whatever it is you’re working on, there is probably a competition you could enter it for, where you might be lucky and get shortlisted and get some invaluable feedback. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get far this time. Having the courage to polish your work and enter is what matters. You might at the very least make friends with fellow entrants (I did). And you’re bound to learn a lot from the process – even just imagining what the judges might be thinking, and making your work as great as it can be to impress them.
Good luck, and let me know what happens.
Sophia xxx
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