How do you feel your school will benefit from holding a mini BWA competition?

"Positive praise, competition and prizes will heighten the pupils desire to improve and achieve in all aspects of their literacy skills. Any successful competition entries can be displayed on the website and so build upon pupils sense of achievement."
Maggie Perry
Literacy Coordinator
Shenstone Lodge Special School
quote marks
"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end" - Ursula K. LeGuin

Awards categories

Submit your story, poem or song to the Brit Writers' Awards and be in with a chance of winning £10,000!

Please read below details about the writing categories you can enter your work within:

Adults:

1. Poetry (collection of 5 entries)
2. Short stories (minimum 1,000 and maximum 5,000 words)
3. Novels
4. Non-fiction
5. Children's stories
6. Songwriting
7. Diverse Unpublished Writer of the Year (from people of black, minority or ethnic origin)
8. Published Writer of the Year (the only category for published writers)

Young people (aged 16 and under):

1. Poetry (collection of 3 entries)
2. Short stories (maximum 3,000 words)
3. Songwriting

These categories are open to Key Stage 1 (5-7 years), Key Stage 2 (7-11 years) and Key Stages 3 and 4 (11-16 years) age groups.


If you are considering entering your work but have a few questions, you will probably find the answers in the judging criteria section and on our FAQs: Entries page - click here to view.


Read about our high-profile judges

Countdown to
submissions deadline:

From the team


Message from our CEO

We've received thousands of entries!
The deadline has now passed, and we're over the moon about the popularity of the first ever Brit Writers' Awards.

Read the BWA team blog...

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