The Bridport Prize is an open writing competition that is dedicated to finding and encouraging the most promising new writers from across the world. Moreover, each year the judges award over £18,000 in prize money for best submissions in poetry, short stories, flash fiction as well as first novels.

As well as cash prizes, winners of the poetry, short story and flash fiction competitions are published in the Bridport Prize anthology. In addition, Winners of the Peggy Chapman Andrews First Novel Award will receive mentoring with their partner The Literary Consultancy – the UK’s first and leading editorial and manuscript assessment service.

Furthermore, the prize was founded in 1973, in a small town in Dorset, UK, by Peggy Chapman-Andrews. Today it is a global writing competition and many winners have gone on to see their work published and have become household names.

Awards and Benefits

Poetry:

• 1st prize £5,000,
• Also, 2nd prize £1,000,
• 3rd prize £500

Short story:

• 1st prize £5,000,
• Also, 2nd prize £1,000,
• 3rd prize £500

Flash fiction:

• 1st prize £1,000,
• Also, 2nd prize £500,
• 3rd prize £250

Novel award:

• 1st prize – £1,000 plus up to a year’s mentoring from The Literary Consultancy through their Chapter & Verse mentoring scheme (worth £2,340), plus a short, written report on the winning entry from the named judge.

Eligibility

• The Prize is open to writers of any nationality writing in English, 16 years old and over at the time of the closing date.
• Also, Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and by submitting applicants are confirming that the work is their own. Any evidence to the contrary will result in immediate disqualification.
• Entries must never have been published, self-published, published on any website, blog or online forum, broadcast nor winning or placed (as in 2nd, 3rd, runner up etc) in any other competition.
• Also, If applicants entry has been long-listed or shortlisted in other competitions,  and provided it has not won a prize or been published, then it is eligible for the Bridport Prize.
• Simultaneous submissions are allowed but will become ineligible should they win a prize elsewhere or be published prior to the prize giving date; entry fees will not be refunded.
• Also, applicants must inform the Bridport Prize immediately should their entry be published or win a prize elsewhere.
• Entries submitted posthumously will not be eligible