Why you should enter that writing competition

Why you should enter that writing competition

Hello budding novelists! Get those keyboards clacking, ‘cause there’s a couple of great writing competitions open at the moment just waiting for you to submit the beginning of your masterpiece. 

Yes, this post is a Public Service Announcement to help motivate you, but it’s also a Personal Service Announcement to hold myself accountable and practise what I preach. I want to write a book! There, I said it—the cat’s out of the bag and it’s very afraid for no real reason. 

I’m currently chipping away at said work in progress novel, so that it can be ready for submission to The Women’s Prize Discoveries and The Lucy Cavendish Prize. The best thing about both of these comps is that your novel doesn’t need to be finished! They’re both open to unpublished and unagented women writers living in the UK and Ireland. You can also submit to both comps at the same time, no problemo. Check out an info overview below, followed by some advice from a fellow amateur. 

The Women’s Prize Discoveries

  • When does it close? Midnight on Wednesday the 11th of January 2027.
  • What do I need to submit? The first 10,000 words of an adult fiction novel (this is the maximum, your wordcount can be lower). A synopsis of up to 1,000 words. 
  • Does it cost anything to enter? Nope, it’s completely free! 
  • For T&Cs, click here. 
  • To submit your entry, click here. 

The Lucy Cavendish Prize 

  • When does it close? Midday on Wednesday the 10th of February 2027. 
  • What do I need to submit? The first 10 pages of your novel.* A one-paragraph pitch. A one-page synopsis. Novels for young adults or children are also acceptable, as long as they are mainly word-based.
  • Does it cost anything to enter? The entry fee is £15
  • For T&Cs, click here. 
  • To submit your entry, click here. 
  • *with the understanding that if you are longlisted, you will need to submit an additional 40 pages.  

When I approach submitting to things like this, it works for me to pretend it’s not really a competition, but it is definitely a deadline that I need to meet or bad things will happen. If you’re like me and struggle with self-discipline when it comes to your writing, that added outside pressure is super useful. Otherwise, it can feel like you have all the time in the world, especially when the rest of life can so easily take over. 

Maybe you want to up the outside pressure even more. If so, I'd recommend actually telling people in your life about your writing plans. The periodic ‘how’s the writing going?' check in from family and friends can be a great reminder to take yourself a bit more seriously. Added bonus if you have any writerly pals you can convince to enter their own work into the comps. That way you can have dedicated writing hangouts and bounce ideas off of each other. 

If you’re still on the fence or feeling unsure about submitting, my last attempt to convince you would be grabbing you by the shoulders and telling you in a slightly louder (but still supportive) voice, that THERE’S NOTHING TO LOSE. The worst case scenario, is what? That you get a very polite rejection email? That you write something a bit shit and someone reads it? That’s showbiz baby. And hey, you’ve still got the first 10,000 words or 10 pages of a novel you might not have written otherwise. 

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