Opportunities
Welcome to Literature Wales’ opportunities page where we share internal and external literary opportunities, from competitions to residencies, from Wales and beyond. If you have any opportunities you’d like us to feature, please email us on: post@literaturewales.org
Literature Wales Opportunities
Writer Development Programme
Literature Wales is proud to launch a programme of FREE virtual talks to inspire and educate the writers of Wales over the coming months. You’ll meet editors, publishers, successful authors and those who work within the literature and publishing industries in Wales and beyond. Browse our programme and register today!
Representing Wales 2026-2027 – 11 November (5.00pm)
This is Literature Wales’ flagship writer development programme. Each year, Representing Wales supports a cohort of writers currently underrepresented in the literature sector in Wales.
Writers are selected through an open call-out process by an external independent panel. The programme will run from April 2026-March 2027. Representing Wales 2026-2027 – Literature Wales
Work Opportunities
Theatr Clwyd: Venue Technician – 17 October
We are looking for someone to join our multi-skilled team of Venue Technicians who look after the technical presentation needs of events that take place in our spaces. Overseen by the Venue Technical Manager, they will assist with both our produced and receiving work to deliver a service for all Theatr Clwyd and visiting productions of the highest possible standards.
For this role, we are looking for any combination of skills across the areas of Stage Operations, Counterweight Flying, Lighting, Sound & AV, but we are particularly interested in meeting people who have skill in stage operations. Applicants with particular strengths in just one or two areas are welcome as training will be available to address other skills needs where necessary. Venue Technician | Arts Council of Wales
Call-outs
Black Bee Call for Submissions – Rolling
Black Bee Books is currently open for submissions from under-represented voices in Wales. As a new publishing house based in West Wales, the company want to be reflective of a wide variety of experiences and are actively seeking those who are under-served by the industry.
They are looking to publish both adult and young adult fiction and non-fiction, but not children’s books.
For submission guidelines please see: www.blackbeebooks.wales/contact
Hack Publishing – Rolling
Hack Publishing are looking for 10 writers to join us an exciting project that will explore work now and imagine working culture in the future. This will be a collection of essays with 10 different perspectives, although writers are encouraged to experiment with genre.
In addition, they are also looking for writers to contribute to their upcoming magazine. The first issue’s theme is: resilience. Writers can submit any genre of up to 3,500 words. It is a chance for new writers to see their work published alongside one another.
Find the full details on their website.
Folding Rock – Rolling
Folding Rock is always on the hunt for the best new creative fiction and non-fiction in, from and connected to Wales. We accept work by writers at any stage and age, and we pay for every piece we publish. Submissions are always open but specific themed call-outs for each issue will be made three times a year. We also take pitches for translations, visual essays and multi-media work – check out our website for more details: https://foldingrock.com/submit-your-work/
If you’re an author or publisher with a book out that’s connected to Wales, tell us about it here: https://foldingrock.com/tell-us-about-a-book/
Callout: Richard Burton 100 Seeks Young Poet – 10 October
2025 marks the Richard Burton Centenary, 100 years since the iconic actor was born to a mining family in Pontrhydyfen, Neath Port Talbot.
Richard Burton 100 “RB100” is the campaign to celebrate the incredible life and legacy of the once-in-a-generation performer, whose voice became synonymous with Wales ¾ and took the nation to the world.
To celebrate Philip Burton’s legacy, a Blue Plaque will be unveiled at his home in Taibach, Port Talbot, during Centenary Week (commencing 10th Nov 2025).
At the Blue Plaque unveiling, RB100 would like a young poet (under 25) to read an original poem inspired by the story of Philip Burton, in recognition of the impact he had on young Richard’s life. Celebrating the impact teachers and mentors can have on young people, your poem should be completely original and can be presented in English or Welsh.
To submit your poetry entry, please email DramaticHeartofWales@rethinkprm.com with the subject line ‘Centenary Poem’. Please include a description of the poem you will write, and either share previous examples of work or write one verse of your poem to show a stylistic example.
Entries may be sent in English or Welsh and can be sent as written or spoken poetry. Please include a short bio as part of your entry, and include what you found inspirational about Richard and Philip Burton.
The winning commission will be selected by 24th October. Fee: £500.00
Entry criteria: Poets submitting their work must be available on Monday 10th November to read their poem at the Blue Plaque unveiling. Entrants must be aged 16 – 25.
Call for submissions: Woman, Mapped: A Rebecca Swift Foundation Anthology – 12 October (midnight)
The Rebecca Swift Foundation and Fly on the Wall Press invite submissions for a powerful new anthology celebrating the complexity, resilience, and creativity of women’s lives today. We’re excited to hear from poets whose voices are under-represented in publishing, including working-class writers and those who’ve faced barriers to participation. This opportunity is open to anyone for whom woman is a meaningful identifier or lived experience.
Curated by acclaimed poet and critic Jennifer Wong, the anthology will feature twelve UK-based poets, from emerging voices to established names. Each will contribute a portfolio of up to ten poems and/or a reflective essay.
This collection will explore the journey of becoming a woman: the joys, the pain, and the defining moments that shape us. We are seeking work that speaks honestly to what it means to live as a woman — politically, bodily, emotionally — and to be seen in our own voices, on our own terms. Each contributor will receive a fee of £300 and a copy of the anthology Call for submissions – Rebecca Swift Foundation
Open Call for Disabled Artists: Disability Arts Cymru National Exhibition (2025–26) – 22 October (12pm)
Our friends at Disability Arts Cymru @DACymru are inviting disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent artists from across Wales to apply to their upcoming national touring exhibition: Effaith 🍃
Effaith (Impact) will explore themes of nature, landscape and climate justice through the lens of disability. The exhibition offers audiences across Wales an opportunity to engage with disabled perspectives on one of the most urgent issues of our time.
Two additional commission opportunities – supported by Amgueddfa Cymru and Corsydd Calon Môn – will also be included in the exhibition. Open Call for Disabled Artists: Disability Arts Cymru National Exhibition (2025–26)
Competitions
Eisteddfodau Cymru – Ongoing
There are several literary competitions held by various Eisteddfod events across Wales annually.
All the closing dates can be found here. For further information, visit the Cymdeithas Eisteddfodau Cymru website.
The Book Edit Writers’ Prize – 13 October (5.00pm)
The aim of the Writers’ Prize is to help talented writers, who might not otherwise have access to the industry, get their work in front of an audience of top literary agents.
The competition will select eight writers to read their work at a live Zoom showcase event for invited industry guests taken from The Book Edit’s wide industry network. After the event, an anthology of the readings and recordings from the showcase will be published on The Book Edit’s website.
The Book Edit Writers’ Prize — The Book Edit
National Poetry Competition 2025 – 31 October
The 2025 National Poetry Competition is now open for entries!
This year’s judges are Denise Saul, Ian Duhig and Susannah Dickey. The National Poetry Competition is one of the world’s biggest prizes for a single poem, and all entries are judged via an anonymised process, so put your best poem forward! National Poetry Competition – from The Poetry Society
- Best Welsh poem: – 1st prize £150; 2nd prize a £20 book token.
- Best English poem: – 1st prize £150; 2nd prize a £20 book token.
- Best poem in either language from a contributor resident in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion or Powys: – 1st prize £100; 2nd prize a £10 book token.
2025/26 Nature Chronicles Prize – 31 January 2026
The prize is a global, biennial competition originating in the Lake District for essay-length, non-fiction – proudly regional yet international in scope. The winner will receive £10,000 and five runners up £1,000 each. The winning and shortlisted entries will be included in The Nature Chronicles Prize: 3 anthology, published by Saraband.
The competition is open to any work of non-fiction prose between 2,000 and 8,000 words long on a topic the writer considers to be contemporary nature writing. Entries must not have been published, self-published or accepted for publication in print or online. Essays, standalone extracts from unpublished books, and diaries may all be submitted. The Nature Chronicles Prize | An Award for Nature Writing
The Keats-Shelley Memorial Association’s Poetry and Essay Prizes 2025-26 – 2 February 2026 (10am)
The Keats-Shelley Memorial Association’s Poetry and Essay Prizes 2025-26 are open. As in previous years there are two competitions. The Keats-Shelley Prize, which is open to all, and the Young Romantics Prize, aimed at anyone aged between 16-18yrs. The Chair of this year’s judging panel is author, critic and journalist Rupert Christiansen.
Poets are asked to write a new work inspired by this year’s prize theme of “Dystopia” or “Utopia”, chosen to mark the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s novel, The Last Man.
Keats-Shelley essayists are invited to write on any aspect of the work and/or lives of the Romantics and their circles. Young Romantic essayists can respond to one of two questions set by the judges.
Keats-Shelley Prize winners receive £1000. Two highly commended entrants in each category will receive £500. Young Romantics winners receive £700. Two highly commended entrants in each category will receive £300. All finalists’ poems and essays will be published on the Keats-Shelley website and Keats-Shelley poetry and essay prize finalists will also be published in The Keats-Shelley Review. More information and how to enter both prizes: Keats-Shelley Memorial Association
Next Generation Story Awards – 26 February 2026
A not-for-profit awards program open to authors writing short stories worldwide is now accepting entries written in English.
Enter by February 26, 2026 to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to have your short story considered for cash prizes, awards, exposure, and recognition as one of the top short stories written this year! Next Generation Short Story Awards – Welcome