Home - Bridport Prize

Welcome

Thanks for stopping by.

The Bridport Prize is one of the most prestigious awards in the literary world, so you’re in good company.

Whether you’re writing poetry, a short story, flash fiction, novel or a memoir, we can’t wait to read your words.

Let's begin...

Poetry is soul music

Write 42 incredible lines about absolutely anything
£5,000 first prize

Let's begin...

Short stories that linger

5,000 impossible to forget words
£5,000 first prize

Let's begin...

Fiction in a flash

250 words that tell a story in seconds
£1,000 first prize

Let's begin...

Your novel idea

Book your place on the bestsellers list
£1,500 first prize

Let's begin...

Memoir. A moment of truth

Reveal the untold story about a slice of your life
£1,500 first prize

Memoir Award

All categories Enter Now

For writers everywhere

We are committed to discovering new writers in poetry, short story, flash fiction, the novel and memoir. Our alumni reads like a Who’s Who of the literary world: Kate Atkinson MBE, Gail Honeyman and Kit de Waal. Judges have included Roger McGough, Monica Ali and Zoe Heller. Our patron is Kit de Waal. We are a route to being published so send us your words and it could be your name up here next year.

Poetry, short story, flash, novel?

Our competition is now OPEN!

Deadline 31 MAY 2025, midnight UK time.

For inspiration, read previous winners in our latest anthologies available from our online shop.

NEW £500 Never Too Late Award

For writers 60+

Our new award unlocks the hidden talent of older writers who often struggle to be seen, despite a wealth of experience, creativity and stories to tell. This award is championed by best selling author Kit de Waal who found stellar success later in life and London Literary Agency, AM Heath. Find out more here.

Online event: 22 January 2025

It’s never too late to start writing!

Head over to our Crowdcast page and discover our latest online event featuring Kit de Waal, Carole Hailey and Nicholas Ruddock. Find out more and book your place here.

Memoir

Our memoir competition is now closed for submissions. Please head over to our Writer’s Room to discover all key dates.

Bursaries

Our short story, novel, poetry and flash fiction bursaries give free entry to the competition. They OPEN 10 February 2025 and CLOSE 15 April 2025. Head over to the Writer’s Room for more information (application link will work once bursaries open).

AI statement

Entries must be entirely original work, written solely by the submitter. Work must not be produced or edited by Chat GPT or any other AI creation tool.

I have enormously fond memories of the Bridport Prize. It gave me one of the first affirmations that I could write. The story I wrote for the competition was the first time I felt I found that elusive thing – my ‘voice’. Without the Bridport Prize I would probably not have found my agent and quite possibly wouldn’t have written Behind the Scenes at the Museum so I have a lot to be thankful to it for.

Kate Atkinson, Novelist

Meet the Judges

Romalyn Ante

Poetry Judge

Romalyn Ante is the co-founding editor of harana poetry, a magazine for poets writing in English as a second or parallel language. She was awarded the Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship in 2021, is on the editorial board for Poetry London magazine, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Leone Ross

Short Story Judge

Leone Ross is a short story writer, novelist and editor. The Guardian praised her ‘searing empathy’ and the Times Literary Supplement called her ‘a pointilliste, a master of detail…’ Ross has taught creative writing for 20 years. Her most recent novel is This One Sky Day aka Popisho (Faber & Faber).

Toby Litt

Flash Fiction Judge

Toby Litt is a writer, academic and activist. He has published novels, short story collections, non-fiction and poems. A Writer’s Diary is his latest book and this diary is one of the most popular newsletters on Substack. He is Head of Creative Writing at the University of Southampton.

Claire Fuller

Novel Judge

Claire Fuller has written five novels including the Costa Novel Award winning Unsettled Ground shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Her latest is The Memory of Animals. Her debut Our Endless Numbered Days won the 2015 Desmond Elliott Prize. Her books have been translated into 20 languages.

Lemn Sissay

Memoir Judge

Lemn Sissay's memoir My Name Is Why was a bestseller. The BBC documentary about his life Imagine: The Memory of Me was nominated for a BAFTA. He has worked with The Princess of Wales and was Chancellor of The University of Manchester.