This year Wells Festival welcomes all to its 30th Anniversary Festival for 4 different competitions! Participate for the various prizes, exposures as well as much more opportunities!

Competitions

The four international competitions are an integral part of the Wells Festival of Literature:

• Open Poetry Competition

1. Poems may be on any subject.
2. Poems must not exceed 35 lines in length.

• Short Story Competition

1. Stories may be on any subject.
2. Stories should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length.

• Book for Children Competition

1. The competition will judge writing for children, aged 9 and up.  This includes writing for young adults.
2. You may submit either the first two chapters or first twenty pages. In addition, you should send it together with the synopsis of up to two pages.

• Young Poets Competition

1. Entrants to the Young Poets Competition must be aged 16 to 22 inclusive.
2. Poems may be on any subject.
3. Poems must not exceed 35 lines in length.

Moreover, all entries must be in English.

At the time of entry, the work submitted must not have been entered into any other competition and must not have been published in any format or location.

Prizes

• Open Poetry Competition

1. 1. First prize: £1000
   2. Second prize: £500
   3. Third prize: £250

• Short Story Competition

1. 1. First prize: £750
   2. Second prize: £300
   3. Third prize: £200

• Book for Children Competition

1. 1. First prize: £750
   2. Second prize: £300
   3. Third prize: £200

• Young Poets Competition

1. 1. First prize: £150
   2. Second prize: £75
   3. Third prize: £50

Entry fees

Open Poetry Competition – £6 per entry
Short Story Competition – £6 per entry
Book for Children Competition – £6 per entry
Young Poets Competition – £3 per entry (Competitors may submit only one entry)

Winner Announcement

Prizes for all four competitions will be presented on Monday 17 October 2022 during the Festival.
The Poetry Reading for both the Young Poets and Open Poetry takes place immediately before the Prize Giving for all four categories. This special occasion is one of the highlights of the Festival when, for the first time, the winning writers are revealed and rewarded.