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
Representing Wales 2024-2025. Closing date: 5.00pm, 28 September 2023.
Literature Wales is delighted to announce that its 12-month professional development programme for writers, Representing Wales is once again open for applications. In its fourth year, the programme will welcome applications from Wales-based writers who come from an under-represented background and who are interested in writing and creating work for an adult audience. More information.
Reinventing the Protagonist. Closing date: 5.00pm, 2 October 2023.
Literature Wales, in partnership with Disability Arts Cymru, is glad to invite Deaf and/or Disabled writers based in Wales to apply for a place on our Reinventing the Protagonist virtual creative writing course during winter 2023 – spring 2024. More information.
Work Opportunities
Conwy County Borough Council / Venue Cymru: Freelance Creative Producer – 25 September
Venue Cymru are looking for a developing and innovative Creative Producer to support the delivery of their Arts Council Wales funded Cysylltu a Ffynnu/Connect & Flourish programme, an exciting new action research partnership involving Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC), Menter Iaith (MIC) and Race Council Cymru (RCC).
The Cysylltu a Ffynnu/Connect & Flourish programme supports innovative, ambitious collaborative projects that are artist led, audience or participant focused, and that engage and connect to the public. Fee: £9, 000. More information.
Theatr Clwyd: Programme Manager – 29 September
The Programme Manager will work closely with the Executive and Artistic Directors, Director of Producing, and Director of Audience & Insight, to curate Theatr Clwyd’s programme of presented work, including community work, with the support of freelance associates, and hires both in the theatre spaces at Theatr Clwyd, William Aston Hall, the Cinema and at other locations as required, ensuring a high quality and exciting programme. Salary: £29,299 – £33,882. More information.
Call-outs
Arts Council Wales: Creative Steps – 30 September (Last day of each month)
The aim of this programme is to support individuals and organisations who have experienced barriers to accessing our funding. Creative Steps aims to address this by supporting artists, creatives, and organisations throughout their developmental journey.
You can apply for the Individual strand if you are an artist or creative who identifies as being ethnically and culturally diverse, as Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent, or as someone who has experienced racism or discrimination.
You can apply for the Organisations strand if your organisation is led by ethnically and culturally diverse people, Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent people, or people who have experienced racism or discrimination.
This will be a rolling programme, with applications accepted on the last day of each month. Click here for further information.
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.
UK Young Academy Membership – 3 October
The UK Young Academy is a UK-wide network of early career researchers and professionals, and brings together researchers, innovators, clinicians, professionals, academics and entrepreneurs to tap into their collective potential and expertise to tackle important issues in society. They are especially interested to promote the call to those underrepresented in their current membership, and this includes individuals in the literary field.
They are looking for applicants from a variety of sectors at the early stages of their professional careers (with roughly 3 – 12 years of experience post qualification) and who are emerging leaders and have made significant contributions to their fields. More information.
Greening the Screen – 1 November
Ffilm Cymru Wales and Media Cymru have launched Greening the Screen, which funds the scale-up of products, services and processes improving the environmental sustainability of the media industry in the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR). Applicants can apply for funding grants between £75,000 and £250,000 to carry out research and development (R&D) projects which have the potential to deliver positive, long-term change across the media sector. To find out more, visit here.
Curtis Brown Creative: Breakthrough Mentoring Programme for Disabled Writers 2023/2024 – 5 November
Four talented disabled writers will receive nine months of mentoring from a published author, plus a tutorial with a literary agent. Open to all disabled writers worldwide over the age of 18 who aren’t currently represented by a literary agent. This mentoring will run from November 2023 to August 2024 and seeks to support four aspiring authors through one-to-one guidance from a published author-mentor, plus a tutorial with a literary agent. Mentoring sessions will take place via Zoom/phone calls. More information.
Discoveries 2024 – 8 January 2024
The fourth year of the popular writer development programme and prize for unpublished writers, run in partnership with Audible, Curtis Brown and Curtis Brown Creative.
Women in the UK and Ireland are invited to submit the opening of their novel in any genre – up to 10,000 words – for the chance to take part in a bespoke creative writing course, secure personalised mentorship packages, access expert advice, and join a supportive community of emerging writers, with one overall winner receiving representation with a literary agent and £5,000. Details on how to submit entries can be found here.
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.
Click this link for more information and entry requirements.
TRIO International Poetry Competition – 30 September
Judge: Mike Jenkins
First Prize: £1,000. 2nd: £300. 3rd: £100.
4 commended poems £25 each. All poems – winning or otherwise – will be considered for publication in the next edition of Red Poets
Entry fee: £5 for the first poem, £8 for two poems, £10 for three poems. More information.
Love At First Line – 1 October
In collaboration with the Romantic Novelists’ Association and Mike Gayle, Love At First Line is inviting all writers from a Black, Asian or Mixed Heritage background to submit the first 5000 words of a commercial novel with a romantic theme, as well as a synopsis of up to 500 words describing the rest of the story. The winner will receive a cash prize (£2500), a virtual conversation with Mike Gayle, four mentoring sessions with an editor from Hodder & Stoughton and entry onto the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers Scheme. More information.
Working-Class Writers’ Prize 2023 – 2 October
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. This competition is both a celebration of stories as a mode of communication, and a reminder of how vital it is that everyone can share their ideas and experiences via the written word.
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.
Please note that this prize is open to entrants writing in all genres, and that full entry details can be found below on this same page.
The Book Edit Writers’ Prize 2023 – 22 October
2023/24 Wenlock Olympian Society Short Story Competition – 30 October
Entries will be judged by Philip Caine (www.philipcaine.com) The story should be up to 2,500 words and can be on any theme. Entry fee £6. (Discounts for up to three entries.) First Prize: £150. Second Prize: £50 Third Prize: £25. More information.
The National Poetry Competition 2023 – 31 October
2023 Cambrian Mountains Poetry Competition – 30 November
Theme: Uplands. Entry requirements: open to all aged 16 or over. Poems from residents of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion or Powys will in addition be considered for the Mid-Wales Poetry Prize.
Prizes: Best poem (English) and best poem (Welsh) £150 each; second prize (in each language) £20 book token.
Mid-Wales Poetry Prize: first prize £100, second prize £10 book token. More information.
InterAct hosts the Ruth Rendell Short Story Competition every two years to encourage and experience new writing, with the winner awarded £1,000 as well as being commissioned 4 stories over the year. Entries cost £15 per entry, or £10 for Students.
Entries are taken via their website: www.interactstroke.org