2025 Wells Festival of Literature International Competitions

These competitions are an integral part of the Wells Festival of Literature. The competitions are open to everyone. All entries must be in English.

There are four categories:

• Open Poetry Competition – Poems on any subject not exceedig 35 lines. First prize: £1000.
• Short Story Competition – Stories on any subject not exceeding 2,000 words. First prize: £750.
• Book for Children Competition – Writing for children, age 7 and up, including writing for young adults. Submit up to three chapters or the first thirty pages. First prize: £750.
• Young Poets Competition – For writers aged between 16 and 22. Poems on any subject not exceedingd 35 lines of text in length. First prize: £200.

At the time of entry, the work submitted must not have been entered into any other competition and must not have been published in any format or location.

Is this competition legit?YES! – Based on our research this event is legitimate and the organizer is well established. However, as with any event, please remember to do your own research before submitting your work.

FAQ
If you are curious how writing competitions work, or it’s your first time entering one, we recommend reading our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page first.

ProWritingAid
We are keen to encourage quality, so suggest writers to check their stories before submitting using Prowritingaid. They have free and paid versions and are the best writing software we know to help improve grammar, readability and check for repetition, ‘sticky’ sentences and suggest alternatives. Visit their website and try ProWritingAid for free.