June, 2025
Event Details
The Hastings Book Festival has 3 writing competitions for short stories (max 2,500 words), poetry (max 40 lines) open to all and creative non-fiction for writers within a 20 mile
Event Details
The Hastings Book Festival has 3 writing competitions for short stories (max 2,500 words), poetry (max 40 lines) open to all and creative non-fiction for writers within a 20 mile radius of Hastings (max 1,000 words).
The main Hastings Book Festival prize entry is open to all, including non-UK based writers. There is no geographical restriction on entrants.
The Sussex Prize is open to residents of East or West Sussex. The Founder’s Prize is open to new writers living within a 20-mile radius of Hastings or St Leonards on Sea.
Entrants to all competitions must be a minimum of 18 years old at time of entry.
A full list of the winners will be published on the organizer website shortly before the Hastings Book Festival in September.
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.
Sudowrite
We’re keen to encourage quality, so we recommend writers refine their stories before submitting using Sudowrite – a creative writing tool designed to help you rewrite, expand, and enhance your prose with ease. Whether you need help overcoming writer’s block, finding the perfect phrase, or strengthening your story, Sudowrite offers tools that support your creative flow. Visit their website to explore Sudowrite — free trials are available.
