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
Job Vacancy: Creative Support – 5 May
Permanent, part-time role (flexible hours, average of 22.5 hours per week)
To start as soon as possible
Salary: £24,500 pro rata
Closing Date: Monday 5 May 2025. Interviews*: Thursday 15 May 2025
Location: We are a collaborative team that works across Wales, with offices in Llanystumdwy and Cardiff. We work in a hybrid fashion; attendance at one of the offices is occasionally required but a large proportion of this role can be delivered whilst working from home. If attendance at the office might prevent you from applying for any reason, please email us to discuss your situation further.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic and creative team to support the administration and delivery of Llenyddiaeth Cymru | Literature Wales’ projects and wider programme, which aims to create a Wales where literature empowers, improves, and brightens lives. Current Vacancies and Opportunities – Literature Wales
Work Opportunities
The Aloud Charity: Development Manager (Maternity Cover) – 7 May
The Aloud Charity is looking for a Development Manager (Maternity Leave) to implement and deliver its fundraising and communications strategies. The Development Manager is responsible for establishing and maintaining income streams from a wide range of sources including Trusts and Foundations, Individual Giving, and Corporate Sponsorship. This includes ensuring that the communication with funders, stakeholders and potential stakeholders is of the highest quality and is appropriate in regularity, tone and content. Development Manager (Maternity Leave) | Arts Council of Wales
Poetry Wales: Freelabce Reviews Editor – 7 May
Poetry Wales is looking for their next Freelance Reviews Editor. Poetry Wales is a tri-annual journal publishing contemporary poetry by some of the most exciting names in poetry from around the world. We are currently recruiting for a Reviews Editor on a freelance contract to join us in our 60th year of publication. The Reviews Editor will contribute to our journey over the next three years as we continue to grow and change as a journal dedicated to making poetry accessible and spotlighting Welsh writers.
Fee: £350 per issue. Term: Three years from 1 August 2025. No. Hours: A total of no more than 17 hours (2 x full working days) per issue, to be spread out across the four month production time between issues. Work With Us | Reviews Editor – Poetry Wales
Artes Mundi: Assistant Curators – 16 May
We are seeking to appoint two Assistant Curators.
The Assistant Curators will work with the Artes Mundi team to plan and deliver the forthcoming biennial exhibition, AM11. Specifically, they will assist the Director in all aspects of the programme delivery, in particular exhibition coordination and preparation, installation planning, monitoring budgets and contribute to events and public programming initiatives. Assistant Curators | 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 publishes a small selection of literary criticism in each print issue, as well as online book reviews and regular round-ups of new releases. We are interested in English-language fiction and non-fiction, published by Welsh or Wales-based authors and/or publishers, as well as those with a Welsh theme, setting or connection. If you’re a publisher, publicist or author and would like to flag a book you think we should know about, you can do so via the form here: Tell Us About a Book – Folding Rock: New Writing from Wales and Beyond
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 OXFORD/42 NEW WRITING PRIZE – 30 April
The Oxford/42 New Writing Prize is looking for talented new voices in storytelling, and is open to aspiring novelists, playwrights, and screenwriters. They are interested in experimental writing as well as work that would appeal to a broad audience.
The competition is open to anyone over the age of 18 living, working or studying in the UK and Ireland at the closing date for submissions. The winner will receive £1500 along with professional representation by 42.
To enter the competition, you need to submit a synopsis (up to 300 words) and an elevator pitch of no more than two sentences for a work of fiction, along with one of the following:
Novel – the first 10,000 to 15,000 words
Stage or radio play – a complete script of between 30 and 90 pages
Screenplays – a script of between 30 and 60 pages for episode one of a TV show or a complete feature-length film script of 90 pages.
They are now accepting entries. Please email them to: Oxfordwritingprize@42mp.com
The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation: The New Voices Award – 30 April
The New Voices Award supports writers to develop an idea they’ve yet to commit to paper, or those in the very early stages of their work in progress. The Award provides mentorship and editorial guidance for aspiring authors and encourages entries from all writers, including those from underrepresented backgrounds with a new story to tell.
The prize is exclusively for unpublished writers. Writers must not be represented by a literary agent, or be under an existing or future contract to any publisher. The work submitted must not have been previously self-published, or have been published in full or in part through any publisher or other media.
To participate, writers must submit their opening three chapters totalling no more than 10,000 words and a full plot outline of no more than 1,000 words detailing where they imagine the story will go. New Voices Award | Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation
THE KIPLING SOCIETY: The John McGivering Writing Prize 2025 – 1 May
Judges: Jan Montefiore, Mary Hamer, Sarah LeFanu. Entries on the subject of the Sea are now invited. The Competition is open to poems of up to 30 lines about any aspect of the sea and/ or sailing.
First Prize £350. Second prize £100. Third Prize £50. Writing Prize 2025 – The Kipling Society
Wirral Poetry Festival Open Poetry Competition 2025 – 30 May
Poems on any subject, of not more than 40 lines, in English. Open prizes adjudicated by Helen Ivory and Martin Figura; Wirral Prizes by Pauline Rowe.
Open prizes:1st prize £250, 4 £25 runner-up prizes. Wirral prizes (for entrants living/working in Wirral): 1st Prize £100, 2 £25 runner-up prizes. Entry: £4 per poem / £10 for 3 poems. Full details and online entry at www.wirralpoetryfestival.org.uk .
Winners to be notified by 11 July 2025 and invited to a competition celebration during the Wirral Poetry Festival in October. Competition results posted online on 18 July 2025.
Never Too Late 60+ award – 31 May
This £500 award is for the highest placed writer aged 60+ across poetry, short story, novel or flash fiction.
The Never Too Late Award unlocks the hidden talent of older writers. Writers in later life often struggle to be seen despite a wealth of experience, creativity and stories to tell.
Championed by best selling author Kit de Waal (aged 64) and London Literary Agent, AM Heath (in business for over a century), this award aims to recognise success over sixty and a ‘never give up’ resilience that is the mainstay of writers. The winner will receive a Zoom session with Mary-Anne Harrington from Tinder Press (part of Hachette) about the publishing industry and two signed copies of Kit de Waal’s books.
Never Too Late 60+ award – Bridport Prize
The 2025 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize - 30 June
The 2025 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize which is now open for entries, and this is a very special year for Wasafiri as we open the prize to entries in translation for the first time in its fifteen year history.
The prize supports writers who have not yet published a book-length work, with no limits on age, gender, nationality, or background. The winners of each category (Fiction, Life Writing and Poetry) will receive a £1,000 cash prize and will be published in Wasafiri’s print magazine. The deadline for entries is 11.59pm BST on 30 June. Full details, including how to apply, can be found here.
Wells Festival of Literature – 30 June
This year’s winners stand to walk away with some £5,000 between them! There are four categories, Open Poetry, Short Stories, A Book for Children and Young Poets aged 16 -22 and all the information can be found on the website: Competitions | Wells Festival of Literature
Next Generation Story Awards – February 26 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