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!
Poems from the Everyday – 30 September (5:00pm)
We are inviting applications from poets looking to develop their skills for a free-of-charge 5-day residency at Tŷ Newydd in November 2026.
Writing Well: 6 October (12:00pm)
Llyfrau Lliwgar: Welsh-language Creative Retreat – 9 October (12:00pm)
Llyfrau Lliwgar will return to Tŷ Newydd this autumn to host a Welsh-language writing retreat for LGBTQ+ writers. The retreat offers a perfect opportunity for 8 participants to develop their writing, meet other writers, and take part in workshops led by established authors, all free of charge. More information.
Work Opportunities
Job Vacancy: Tŷ Newydd House Chef – 9 October (9:00am)
Do you have experience in catering and are looking for a new challenge? Literature Wales are recruiting for a House Chef at Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre, Llanystumdwy.
- Full Time (37 hours). Permanent contract
- Salary: £26,000 pro rata
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
Sunspot Lit: Open Call: Flash, poetry, graphic novels, art – 30 September
Sunspot Lit, an international magazine, seeks unique works. Accepts all genres and art forms. Submit flash, poetry, graphic novels, stories, CNF and art before September 30. See guidelines and submission form, along with the journal’s other open calls (including art), here: https://sunspotlit.submittable.com/submit.
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.
NAWE Flash Fiction Contest 2026 – 16 October (23:59PM)
The inaugural 2026 NAWE Flash Fiction competition welcomes 200-word entries from writers across the globe on the NAWE online conference theme of ‘Writing Worlds’, interpreted broadly and with imagination.
The top three winners will be announced at the plenary session of the NAWE Online Conference 2026: Writing Worlds on Saturday 14 November.
The three winning entries will be published in the 2026 Conference Special edition of the NAWE magazine, Writing in Education (publication January 2027).
The first place winner will also receive a copy of the 2027 Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook, generously donated by Bloomsbury, which is celebrating its 120th milestone edition.
Entry is free for registered conference participants; otherwise, £3.00.
Judge – Karina Lickorish Quinn. Find out more.
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
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