Literature | Opportunity Knocks: part II

By Zehra Cranmer

It’s easy to fall behind, to not be aware of what opportunity lays ahead of you, which is why I’ve put together this second list for you writers out there. Last time, I spoke about keeping your ears open by listening to radio programmers and podcasts, you should also have a glance at what’s taking place on the internet. Do you have a twitter account? A blog or follow blogs? There are wonderful writing communities out there including #amwriting which I follow as @zehracranmer. Wonderful magazines such as Mslexia – for women who write have a website and a twitter account, it’s no longer difficult to be left behind, so join in, take part and use every recourse available at your fingertips.

Young Adult Fiction Novel Competition for the first 5,000 wds of a completed novel, plus 500 wd synopsis & short biography. Prizes: 1st prize: Publication by Red Telephone Books: 2nd Prize: Full novel critique: 3rd Prize: Light novel critique. Entry fee: £10 per entry. www.theredtelephone.co.uk closing date: 31 December

Fellows’ Poetry prize for up to 3 poems of up to 30 lines each. Prizes: £50, £300, £200. Theme: Charles Dickens. Judges: John Lucas, Philip Gross & Val Warner. Entry fee: £5 per entry. www.le.ac.uk/engassoc/fpp.html closing date 31 December

The Sitcom Mission for scripts of up to 15 minutes in length. Prizes: an initial long list of 32 scripts will be cut down to 16 which will go to a public knock-out stage: producers will then choose ultimate winner. Entry fee before 25 January. £10: after 25 January, £15. www.copmedy.co.uk/sitcom_mission

Lumen/ Camden Poetry Competition for poems up of up to 40 lines. Proceeds go to London homeless Cold Weather Shelter Project. Judge: Carol Ann Duffy. Prize: pamphlet publication of winner’s poems, 50 free copies plus reading. Entry fee: £2.50 per poem, £10 for 6. Ruth O’Callaghan, 49 Ripley Gardens, Mortlake, London SW14 8HF. www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk closing date 14 February

Novel Competition for unpublished, original manuscripts. Send first 3 chapters or the equivalent of up to 10,000 wds & a synopsis. Prize: £500, plus manuscript reviewed by a publisher. Entry fee: £20 per entry. Chapter One promotions, Canterbury Court, 1-3 Brixton Road, London SW9 6DE. www.chapteronepromotions.com closing date: 29 February

Persephone’s Sonnets Pamphlet Competition for up to 10 sonnets up to 14 lines each. Theme: Persephone’s Sonnets, Prize: Pamphlet Publication. Entry Fee: £1 per poem. Wendy Webb, 9 Walnut Close, Norwich NR8 6YN. [email protected] closing date: 15 March

Mslexia Women’s Short Story Competition for stories of up to 2,200 wds in any style & on any subject. Judge: Tessa Hadley. Prizes: £2,000, £500, £250, 3 @£100. 0191 233 3860. www.mslexia.co.uk/shortstory closing date 19 March