TODAY!!!! 2026 Bournemouth Writing Festival! Masterclasses, agent 121s, talks, walks and much, much more!
See the programme here
2027 Writing Competition
Submissions now open!
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The Judges
This Year's Competition
Bournemouth has a rich literary heritage. World-renowned writers - from Bram Stoker to Bill Bryson, Mary Shelley to JRR Tolkien, all took inspiration from our seaside oasis on the south coast of Dorset. Originally, Bournemouth was a spa town, attracting people from across the country (and polluted cities!) to use the sea air to revitalise their wellbeing. Where relaxation exists, creativity springs.
Drawing on Bournemouth's incredible creative scene - including two world-class universities, colleges and language schools - and a thriving, engaged and inclusive creative community, our 2027 writing competition - in partnership with the Bournemouth Writing Prize - invites writers from across the world to be inspired by Bournemouth's rich literary history to send us entries on any subject.
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Short stories (up to 3,000 words)
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Poems (up to 30 lines).
The costs to enter are:
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£10 for a Short Story (up to 3,000 words)
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£10 for up to three poems (up to 30 lines). All poems need to be in one document.
Submit in either Word or PDF.
Key Dates
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Early bird 20% discount finishes 31st May 2026.
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Deadline for entries is midnight 15th August 2026.
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Shortlisted finalists will be completed by 31st October 2026.
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A winner will be chosen by the judges by 30th November 2026.
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Finalists and the winner will be announced by 15th January 2027.
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Anthologies will be on sale by 23rd April 2027 with a celebration event at the 2027 Writing Festival for the winners.
*External link to the dedicated competition website
This Year's Charity
Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots
Every year, we support a chosen charity. This year, we are proud to collaborate with Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots UK - an educational and environmental initiative that empowers young people to take positive action for people, animals, and the environment.
Throughout her life, Dr Jane Goodall - renowned ethologist, environmental campaigner, and UN Messenger of Peace - regularly returned to her family home in Bournemouth, where she wrote many of her books.
Her connection with Bournemouth University also included events marking the 50th anniversary of her pioneering research at Gombe.
Following Dr Goodall’s passing in 2025, it feels especially fitting for the festival to support Roots & Shoots UK. Entrants to this year’s Bournemouth Writing Prize will be invited to make a donation, with 100% of contributions going directly to the programme. Your donation will support our youth outreach and educational materials, 100% free to all Roots & Shoots members.
To learn more about Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots UK (a programme of the Jane Goodall Institute UK), please visit https://www.rootsnshoots.org.uk.
Photo credit: Vincent Calmel.
Watch last year's winner talk about her experience
Hannah Bunting won the Short Story category in the 2025 writing competition and is now being represented by 2025 judge Laura Williams at Greene & Heaton.
In the video below, Hannah talks about getting published, performing and her nervousness entering the competition in the first place.
Guidelines
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Eligibility: students and staff working on the Bournemouth Writing Prize and/or the Bournemouth Journal are ineligible to submit.
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Formatting: prose should be double-spaced with paragraph indents. Only include spaces between paragraphs to indicate a transition to another time or place. Copy edit with care to ensure proper spelling and punctuation. Write in a consistent tense and from a consistent point of view–unless formally justified by the piece.
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Anonymous submission: the stories/poems must be free of all personal information about the author. This includes age and address. Entries will be read and judged anonymously by the Panel
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Word count: include the word count in the top right corner of the page. The title is not part of the word count. The maximum length of submissions for the short story category is 3,000 words (does not include title); there is no minimum length. For the poetry category, up to three poems per submission (in one document), a maximum of 30 lines each; there is no minimum length.
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Content and form: All entries should be in English. Stories may be literary or genre-based (Crime, Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Children’s, etc.). We also consider scripts, and hybrid forms such as prose-poetry. Surprise us with your narrative invention. Poems may be in any form the author chooses. Entries must not contain defamatory, obscene, offensive or any other unsuitable material. Please include content warnings include at the top of any works that might disturb readers due to its subject matter.
Terms and Conditions can be found here.
2026 Anthology
The 2026 Tenth Anniversary Edition of the Bournemouth Writing Prize Anthology showcases winning and shortlisted short stories and poetry from across the globe.
There are many additional highlights, including a profile of Emma Scattergood, the founder of the Bournemouth Writing Prize and an interview with Hannah Bunting, last year’s short story winner.
There are also pieces weaving together global issues, love, loss, and nostalgia through enchanting writing.
The 2026 Issue of the Bournemouth Writing Prize Anthology celebrates not only the writers published within the issue, but also the ten-year legacy of the Prize.