The 2026 Writers' Award Is Open For Entries!

The Creative Future Writers' Award, 2026 competition open and is the only free to enter national competition for all underrepresented writers: those who face barriers due to mental health challenges, physical or learning disability, neurodiversity, carers, survivors, and those from LGBTQIA+, working class and/or Black, Asian and global majority backgrounds.

The theme for this year’s award is ‘Material’. The theme is a creative prompt, not a requirement. The judges are looking for quality writing first and foremost.

Fifteen winners will share:
£25,000 worth of cash and development prizes
publication in our anthology and eBook
read at our showcase as part of the London Literature Festival 2026
ongoing development support from Creative Future

The judges are author, screenwriter and playwright Courttia Newland, journalist, broadcaster and editor Kieran Yates and poet Nancy Campbell, alongside a panel of publishing industry experts.

You have until Tuesday 5 May 2026, 11.59pm to submit your poetry (up to 50 lines), fiction or creative non-fiction (up to 2,000 words).

Before you apply, it’s really important that you check the rules and that you’re eligible. The aim to make it as easy as possible to submit work, you can enter online, by email, or by post.

The best way to get a sense of what the judges are looking for is by looking at previous winners’ work. You can do this by purchasing previous anthologies here.
If you need some tips or advice on perfecting your craft, check out some of our handy resources here and you might find our Pathway Guide for Writers helpful too.

Good luck! We look forward to reading your entries.