The Aurora Prize for Writing is a national competition run by Writing East Midlands, in partnership with the Society of Authors. The organizer’s are seeking outstanding new writing in short fiction and poetry.

This year’s award-winning judges are best-selling crime novelist Vaseem Khan and esteemed poet and author Andrew McMillan.

As well as receiving a cash prize, winners receive feedback on a piece of work of their choice from a matched literary agent or editor.

The winners, in each category, will receive a cash prize of £500, feedback on a piece of work of their choice from a leading literary agent (or Editor as appropriate) and a years free membership to the Society of Authors, which includes access to advice and resources on all aspects of the business of writing.

Winners will also receive a session with Society of Authors staff, including an introduction to how the Society can support them in their careers as professional authors and covering essential advice on copyright, payment terms and contracts.

Second Prize is £150 cash.

Third Prize is a ticket to the 2025 Writers’ Conference, hosted by Writing East Midlands.

As a champion of writers from the East Midlands, the organizer will also offer a regional prize of £100 to the best work in each category from the region.

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.