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 in these categories re-opens 15 November 2024 with a deadline of 31 MAY 2025, midnight UK time.

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

 

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).

 

 

Background Elements

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
Line Break

Meet the Judges

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.

Bridport Judges - Left Scroll Bridport Judges - Right Scroll
Line Break

Liz Berry

Poetry Judge

Liz Berry is an award-winning poet and author of critically acclaimed collections Black Country (Chatto); The Republic of Motherhood (Chatto); The Dereliction (Hercules Editions) and The Home Child (Chatto), a novel in verse. Her poem Homing is part of the GCSE English syllabus.

Bridport Judges - Left Scroll Bridport Judges - Right Scroll
Line Break

Wendy Erskine

Short Story Judge

Wendy Erskine is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, an interviewer and broadcaster. She has published two short story collections Sweet Home and Dance Move with Stinging Fly Press and Picador. A past Seamus Heaney Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, she is a secondary school teacher.

Bridport Judges - Left Scroll Bridport Judges - Right Scroll
Line Break

Jasmine Sawers

Flash Fiction Judge

Jasmine Sawers is a Kundiman fellow and Indiana University MFA alum. Their work has won awards from Ploughshares, NANO Fiction, Fractured Lit and Press 53, appearing in Norton’s Flash Fiction America, Best Microfiction, SmokeLong Quarterly and Wigleaf. Their Anchored World book was a PEN finalist.

Bridport Judges - Left Scroll Bridport Judges - Right Scroll
Line Break

Ross Raisin

Novel Judge

Ross Raisin has written four novels: A Hunger, A Natural, Waterline and God’s Own Country. His work has won and been shortlisted for over ten literary awards. He won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award and was named the Best of Young British Novelists on Granta's once in a decade list.

Bridport Judges - Left Scroll Bridport Judges - Right Scroll
Line Break
Curve