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
Tŷ Newydd Creative Writing Courses
We have a range of creative writing courses and retreats available at Tŷ Newydd – the National Writing Centre of Wales. Why not have a look and discover what’s on offer.
Writer Development Webinar Series
A new programme of free virtual talks designed to inspire writers and deepen their knowledge of the literary and publishing landscape in Wales. Browse through the events and book your space today!
Work Opportunities
1 Full-time role, 37 hours per week, Permanent. 1 Full-time Maternity Cover role, 37 hours per week (for up to 12 months).
Salary: £28,902 – £32,322 per annum, pro rata. Location: Any of the Arts Council of Wales offices (Cardiff, Colwyn Bay or Carmarthen) with Hybrid Working.
Do you want to work in the arts and help support theatre, performing arts and touring, or visual and applied arts that make Wales’s culture what it is? If the arts inspire you, we’d love to hear from you. Arts Enabler (2 Roles) | Arts Council of Wales
Literature Wales: Tŷ Newydd House Chef – 18 November (midday)
We’re looking for a House Chef to provide delicious home-cooked family-style meals and a warm welcome to the writers and guests who stay at Wales’ National Writing Centre. Full Time | Permanent contract | £30,000 pro rata. Current Vacancies and Opportunities – Literature 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
- General Submissions (rolling): Full-length manuscripts in any of the following genres or hybrids: Queer Fiction, Horror/Gothic, Mystery/Thriller, Sci-fi, Fantasy, & Creative Non-Fiction.
Link for both: https://hack-publishing.co.uk/submissions/
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/
New Croton Review – Rolling
While the New Croton Review seeks poetry, fiction and non-fiction in English, we welcome the submission of translations of work written in other languages (as long as, if the author of the translated work is still entitled to copyright, the author has given permission for the translation). Those who submit English translation of their own work in Welsh may also submit the original Welsh version and should indicate whether they prefer that, if the translation is accepted for publication, the original version be included.
There are no geographical or age limitations. Click here to read the submission guidelines on our website. If your work is accepted, we’ll ask you to grant us the right to publish it, but you retain the copyright and the right to publish it elsewhere.
Broken Sleep Books – various closing dates
Broken Sleep Books are a working-class, small, innovative press, who publish a range of poetry and prose, from a range of writers. Our primary focus is in increasing access to the arts, in ensuring more people are able to engage with creativity regardless of their socioeconomic status. ABOUT US & SUBMISSIONS | Broken Sleep Books
Open Call: Supernova
Sunspot Lit’s open call for very long fiction, CNF, poetry and graphic novels closes November 22. Accepting all genres and categories. See guidelines and submission form, along with the journal’s other open calls (including art), here: https://sunspotlit.submittable.com/submit.
GB-wide Writers’ Circle – 1 December
The Writers’ Circle brings together a select group of 6-8 talented writers dedicated to advancing their own work, and the work of the group. The Circle offers writers a high level of sustained support, providing consistent guidance and development throughout rather than the more flexible, informal or occasional support typically available elsewhere. The Circle is an open, competitive application process, with places offered to writers whose work stands out. Writers Circle — Accidental Theatre
Discovery 2027 – 11 January
Discoveries is the Women’s Prize Trust’s transformative writer development programme designed to address the specific challenges that women face as writers.
Set up in 2020 in partnership with Audible, the Curtis Brown Group and Curtis Brown Creative writing school, and supported in 2026 by The Marks Family Charitable Trust, Discoveries aims to seek out, inspire and support unagented and unpublished women in the UK and Ireland to write their first novels, supporting them from those early pages to long-term careers.
Discoveries is completely free, and writers in the UK and Ireland are not required to have finished their novel to enter, but are instead invited to submit the opening of their novel in English (up to 10,000 words) along with a synopsis and a bit about them.
Enter your submission here. If you have any queries about the programme, please see the FAQs here.
Competitions
Eisteddfodau Cymru – Ongoing
There are several literary competitions held by various Eisteddfod events across Wales annually.
For further information and closing dates, visit the Cymdeithas Eisteddfodau Cymru website.
Writory – Monthly
Writory, a monthly international poetry contest. Any language, and every entrant gets a judged score on a published five-criteria rubric plus a certificate, win or not. Winners get cash prizes, and past winners are published openly with their poems and scores. The deadline returns on the 25th of every month.
National Poetry Competition – 31 October
Open to all poets worldwide aged 18 or over, submit an unpublished poem of up to 40 lines.
Judges: Niall Campbell, Malika Booker & Luke Kennard,
Prizes:
First Prize: £5,000
Second Prize: £3,000
Third Prize: £2,000
Commendations: £500
For further details and to enter visit: npc.poetrysociety.org.uk
W&A Working-Class Writers’ Prize 2026: 1 December
Are you a writer who identifies as working-class? If you’re looking for an opportunity to hone your writing craft and let your work take centre stage, then this prize is for you.
The W&A Working-Class Writers’ Prize – arranged in partnership with the Open University, the Ruppin Agency, and the Society of Authors – returns for 2026, and we are delighted to reveal Jon Doyle as this year’s judge. Simply submit a sample of your writing (which must be the beginning of an unpublished work-in-progress no more than 2,000 words in length) and a one-page synopsis for the full manuscript. You must also include a short piece of writing (200 words) in the Covering Letter section of our online entry form about yourself and why this prize speaks to you.
W&A Working-Class Writers’ Prize 2026: Information | Writers & Artists
2027 Next Generation Short Story Awards – 28 January
Have an unpublished short story ready to be discovered?
The 2027 Next Generation Short Story Awards is now accepting original, unpublished short stories of up to 5,000 words. Writers of all experience levels—including first-time authors—from the United States, Canada, and around the world are invited to enter. Next Generation Short Story Awards – How To Enter
Exeter Novel Prize – 31 January 2027
This prestigious prize welcomes entries in English from all over the world, and is open to all authors who are without representation by a literary agent at the closing date, whether or not they have previously been published.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards – 12 February
The Next Generation Indie Book Awards is an international awards program for indie authors and independent publishers. We aim to honor and celebrate the creative talents of indie writers and publishers worldwide.
Entries from independent publishers and authors worldwide who have a book written in English and released in 2025, 2026, 2027 or with a 2025, 2026, 2027 copyright date. Winners in each category are given $100 cash prizes, gold medals, complimentary stickers, social media coverage, possible representation by a leading literary agent, and recognition as one of the top independently published books of the year. Enter at: www.indiebookawards.com
2nd ISAC International Lyric Competition – 1 March
The 2nd ISAC International Lyric Competition, organised by Ise-Shima Art Company in Japan, welcomes original song lyrics in any language, genre or length from writers of all ages and nationalities. Composed music, singing and recordings are not required.
Entry fee: JPY 2,000 per work, non-refundable. Each work requires its own application and fee.
Awards: Grand Prize of JPY 50,000 and a certificate, plus Special Prize certificates for up to approximately 35 entrants, subject to the rules and jury decisions. ISAC International Lyric Competition | Ise-Shima Art
Carlo Annoni International Playwriting Prize – 30 April
The Carlo Annoni International Playwriting Prize is proud to launch its 10th Anniversary Edition! We are officially seeking play submissions centered around LGBTQ+ themes and the celebration of diversity in the sphere of love, society, politics, and culture.
Whether you are an emerging or established writer, we want to read your work.