The Bournemouth Writing Prize is an international competition honouring exceptional quality prose and poetry. The organizer supports writers based in the Southwest of England or who write about themes close to our home and hearts, but their reach is global so writers from anywhere on the planet are encouraged to send their very best work. As the award enters its ninth year it is again being organised by the MA in Creative Writing and Publishing at Bournemouth University.

To help the prize continue to grow and reach new audiences, the organizer is partnering with the Bournemouth Writing Festival.

For 2025, Bournemouth University and the Bournemouth Writing Festival will launch an anthology of prize winners and short-listed works edited and published by the Dorset-based indie publisher Dithering Chaps.

This year’s entrants will also be considered for inclusion in the inaugural issues of the new Bournemouth Journal launching in 2025.

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.