Wells Festival of Literature Competitions open April 1st

16th February, 2026

Which competition to enter?

Get ready for the 2026 International Competitions.
They open on 1 April. Full details are now on the Wells Festival of Literature website.

A total of £5,000 prize money is on offer, and each year the event attracts entries from around the world. There is hot competition to win one of the three prizes awarded in each category, and there is also a special poetry reading and awards ceremony in celebration of the winners in October.

There are four categories, each with its own published and award-winning judge. These are:

Open Poetry Judge
Clare Shaw

Book for Children Judge
Catherine Bruton

Short Story Judge
Carole Burns

Young Poets Judge
Julia Webb

Entries for the first three categories are open for the three months from 1 April until 30 June.

Young Poets have an extended deadline with entries accepted from 1 April until 31 July.

Good luck to all those who choose to enter. Just head to the website for the entry requirements for each category, and to find out more about the judges.

A shortlist of potential winners in each category will be released in September

More information https://wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk/competitions/