Bournemouth Writing Prize 2026: Celebrating 10 Years with Bigger Prizes Than Ever!
The Bournemouth Writing Prize is back — and celebrating its 10th anniversary in style! Now open for entries, the 2026 competition is offering triple the prize money, making it our biggest year yet.
Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, this is writing competition for YOU! Open to short story writers and poets from around the world, the prize offers an exciting platform to get your work published, recognised, and celebrated.
What’s Up for Grabs?
- £1,000 for the winner of each category (Short Story and Poetry)
- £300 for second place, £200 for third
- Publication in Dorset Magazine
- Inclusion in the Bournemouth Writing Prize Anthology
- Free tickets and accommodation to attend the 2026 Bournemouth Writing Festival
A special winners’ celebration at the 2026 festival
The Judges
- Short Story: Madeleine Milburn, award-winning literary agent and founder of the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agent.
Poetry: Abu Ibrahim, multi-award-winning poet and campaigner for spoken word recognition at the Grammys.
Key Dates
- 🐣 Early Bird Deadline (20% off): 31 May 2025
- 📝 Final Deadline: 15 August 2025
- 📣 Shortlist Announced: 31 October 2025
- 🏆 Winners Chosen: 30 November 2025
- 🎉 Public Announcement: 15 January 2026
- 📚 Festival Celebration & Anthology Launch: April 2026
How to Enter
- Submit one short story (up to 3,000 words) or up to three poems (each up to 30 lines)
- Entry fee: £10 (with 20% off before 31 May)
- Open to writers aged 18+ from anywhere in the world
- Full details and submission form: bournemouthwritingfestival.co.uk/2026-writing-competition
Our Charity Partner
This year’s charity partner is The StoryWorks, a brilliant Dorset-based initiative helping young people build confidence through storytelling. You’ll have the option to make a voluntary donation when submitting your entry.
📬 Submissions are now open!
Madeleine Milburn is on the committee of the Association of Authors’ Agents (AAA) and has appeared on The Bookseller’s list of the 150 most influential people in the book trade every year since 2017. Since founding the agency in 2012, Madeleine was awarded Literary Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2018 and was shortlisted again in 2020.
Abu Ibrahim (IB), a poet and spoken word artist has gained recognition for his work across various literary platforms.
His poetry has appeared in publications such as The Belfast Review, The Barren Magazine, Causeway Magazine (Aberdeen University Press), Brittle Paper, Paddlers Press, African Writer Magazine, and Ink Sweat & Tears, among others.
IB has also graced stages at notable events, including the Pa Gya Literary Festival in Ghana, the Lagos International Poetry Festival, the Lagos Book and Art Festival, and the Quramo Festival of Words.
He is the 2024 Augur Annual Micro-Fiction Contest winner, the Ink Sweat & Tears Pick of the Month for July 2024, the 2024 Poetry Journal Prize winner, and the 2023 winner of the Port Harcourt Poetry Festival’s Poetry/Spoken Word Album of the Year for his debut album, Music Has Failed Us which is available on all major streaming platforms.
In 2021, he was part of a group of poets who advocated that the Recording Academy make spoken word poetry a standalone category at the Grammys and this led to the birth of the “Best Spoken Word Poetry Album” category in 2022.
Writers can enter one short story (up to 3,000 words) or up to three poems (each up to 30 lines) for £10.
20% automatic early bird discount applies until 31st May.
