Creative Opportunities
Through our UNESCO Cities of Literature Network, we’re able to offer writers, poets, graphic novelists, authors, & other creatives in Devon meaningful creative opportunities locally, nationally, and internationally.
If you are going to apply for any of these activities, please do contact us first to discuss your application so that we can support you as much as possible!
Want to get involved with Exeter City of Literature in your free time? You can join our lovely list of volunteers here >>
Writers’ Mailing list
We share these opportunities with our Writer’s Mailing List before they’re published to the website. We’ll also let you know about any other commissions and opportunities that we can’t share here.
Could you be the next Bard of Exeter?
The Bard represents the land & people for a year & a day with a bunch of perks plus some fancy blue robes chucked in!
Supported by Exeter Library, Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, Taking the Mic and Spork! Poetry. The Bardic role is a chance for you to make your mark on the city!
Previous Bards have gone on to win national slams, become the Poet Laureate for Exeter City FC, and present poetry internationally at COP26 (to name just a few achievements!)
Any poet, singer, storyteller, rapper, or wordsmith aged 16+ and from Devon can compete, with the winner chosen by public vote on Fri 29th May at a Bardic Competition, at Exeter Library.
To apply, please email current Bard Kev Payne on info@andonart.co.uk with:
Your location
Your age
A very short summary about why you’d like to be the Bard (no more than 50 words)
New Nottingham Journal
Issue 2 Submissions
Submissions for the NNJ Issue 2 are open. They’ll close on the 16th of May.
Issue 2 - Submission guidelines
All submissions should be in Arial, 12 point, double-spaced, with your name and email address in the header. Please attach your piece/s to your email, as a PDF, Google Doc or Word document.
Please send these to submissions@newnottinghamjournal.com before Saturday the 16th of May. We ask that you include a brief one sentence bio for yourself which could be included in our contributors section. Here are some guidelines for our content categories:
Poetry: please send up to four poems in one document - each should be no more than 2000 characters, including spaces.
Short fiction: please send pieces up to 4000 words.
Creative non-fiction & slow journalism: please send pieces up to 4000 words.
During this submission window we are seeking to publish original material, rather than pieces which have already appeared on the web or elsewhere in print. We will consider original translations if the work has not appeared before in English. We do not currently accept postal submissions.
Thank you for reading carefully - we can’t wait to read your work!
Bridport Prize 2026
Poetry. 1st Prize £5,000
You don’t have to be Tennyson Just talented | Up to 42 lines.
Short story. 1st Prize £5,000
Quick to read, impossible to forget | 5,000 words or less.
Flash Fiction. 1st Prize £1,000
The art of just enough | 250 words or less.
Novel. Winner £1,500 plus package
The Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel Award | 8,000 words and a synopsis - initially.
Up to a year’s mentoring from The Literary Consultancy through their Chapter & Verse scheme (worth £2,640) and a detailed critique from the novel judge.
Runner-up £750 plus package
Full manuscript appraisal and Industry Day place from The Literary Consultancy.
Young Writer Award £500
For the highest placed writer aged 16 to 25 in poetry, short story, flash fiction and novel.
Never Too Late Award
This £500 award is given to the highest placed writer aged 60+ in Poetry, Short Story, Novel and Flash Fiction. The winning piece will feature in our anthology, which counts as being published and opens doors with literary agents and publishers. It also accesses other competitions not available to the public.
Publication
All winning poetry, short story, flash fiction and novel pieces are featured in our anthology, opening doors with literary agents and publishers and giving access to other competitions not available to the public.
Bursaries available
We have a robust scheme of bursaries available for under represented writers. No proof of income is required. Find out more here
UNESCO City of Literature
Wonju Residency 2026
Wonju City of Literature offers an opportunity for one writer from the UNESCO Cities of Literature network to come to Wonju and stay at Toji Cultural Centre for eight weeks.
Residency Call Details
Closing Date of Application: May 31
Announcement of Successful Recipient: Before July 21
Place for Residency: Toji Cultural Centre
Residency Duration: Eight weeks
Initiating Date of Residency: September 1
Ending Date of Residency: October 31
What we offer
Round-trip Air Ticket Provided
Transportation on arrival and departure dates provided
8weeks stay at the Toji Cultural Centre with organic meals
Writing Room: One Room at Toji Cultural Centre provided
An opportunity to get engaged in the cultural scene of Wonju and to participate in various events, including the ‘Wonju literature month festival’.
Criteria
An upper-intermediate level of proficiency in English or Korean.
A minimum of 5 years of creative writing experience, with at least one
work published in English or Korean translation.
Willingness to participate in local literary events, meetings, interviews, and festivals.
Consent to participate in an interview and photo shoot, and agreement for profile and photo upload to Wonju City of Literature promotional media (including website, SNS, etc.).
Interest in Korean culture and literature.
Attend at least one local literary festivals or exchange event in Korea
during the residency.
Required to produce a short creative work (such as an essay or poem) on the theme of Wonju or Korea and submit it to Wonju City during the 6th week of the residency via email. The completed work will remain the copyright of Wonju City and may be used for promotional purposes.
Produce literary work during the residency.
How to Apply
A completed application form (download below)
Supporting documentation demonstrating a minimum of five (5) years of creative writing experience, as well as proof of at least one published work in English or Korean (including works in translation), such as PDF scans of book covers and copyright pages or materials verifying ISBN (e.g., online bookstore listings).
To apply: Email: wonjucityoflit@korea.kr / Deadline: Sunday 31st May
Open Call: Biennale Extra! 2027 — A New International Platform for Literary Arts
Québec City City of Literature has announced an exciting new opportunity for literary practitioners across the globe: an open call for the inaugural edition of Biennale Extra!, a major new international event dedicated to the literary arts.
Set to launch in the Autumn of 2027, Biennale Extra! will unfold across Québec City, Montreal, and Gatineau, bringing together a dynamic constellation of artists, institutions, and audiences. Conceived as a traveling biennale, the event will move between cities and countries in future editions, fostering ongoing international exchange and collaboration.
The biennale is led by Productions Rhizome in partnership with the Centre Pompidou, with contributions from a wide range of local festivals and venues. Together, they aim to create a vibrant, city-wide celebration of literature in dialogue with other art forms.
A Call to UNESCO Cities of Literature
This open call is extended specifically to institutions within the UNESCO Cities of Literature network, inviting proposals for works and activities to be included in the 2027 programme. Submissions are open until the end of May.
Themes and Creative Directions
The inaugural edition, titled Convergence of Oralities, will explore three key thematic axes:
Territorialities
Plasticities & Oralities
Practices of Care and Social Well-being
There is a particular interest in works engaging with orality in all its forms and traditions, reflecting the biennale’s focus on voice, language, and storytelling as living, shared experiences.
What They’re Looking For
Artists and organisations are invited to propose innovative, interdisciplinary works at the intersection of literature and other art forms. These might include:
Literary performance
Sound or text-based installations
Poetry in action
Language-driven digital creations
Hybrid theatre
Participatory writing or reading experiences
The biennale seeks projects that push the boundaries of literary expression and invite audiences into new, immersive relationships with language.
Support for Selected Projects
As a guiding principle, international artists selected for the programme will have their fees, travel, and accommodation covered, with specific arrangements negotiated in collaboration with Québec-based hosting partners, in line with Canadian public funding standards.
Biennale Extra! promises to be a landmark moment for literary arts—one that celebrates experimentation, collaboration, and the evolving role of storytelling across cultures and mediums.
Complete the form here: Invitation to the institutions of the UNESCO Cities of Literature network
Campfire – Exeter’s Quarterly Literary Salon
Location: The Refugee, below The Mermaid, Gandy Street, Exeter
When: TBC
Exeter’s newest quarterly literary salon, a welcoming space for writers and storytellers of all backgrounds and styles. Set in the intimate surroundings of The Refuge, located beneath The Mermaid cocktail bar on Gandy Street, Campfire offers a cozy environment where creativity can flourish and stories can come to life.
Each edition of Campfire centers around a prompt phrase, inspiring submissions of fiction, non-fiction, prose, poetry, or plays. The prompt can be taken literally or more of a jumping off point, it's all up to you. Writers are encouraged to submit works that can be read aloud within 10 minutes, allowing for a dynamic evening of storytelling and shared ideas.
At Campfire, we gather to listen, reflect, and engage in the timeless tradition of storytelling, celebrating the power of words to connect us all. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or someone finding your creative voice, this is your chance to contribute and be heard.
Submission Guidelines: Work must be inspired by the quarterly prompt phrase, with fiction, non-fiction, prose, poetry, or plays up to 10 minutes long when read aloud. Please email campfireexeter@gmail.com in advance if you are planning to come along and read so we can gauge the timings.
Come share your story at Campfire—where the flicker of words and ideas will light up the room. For submissions or more information, contact us at campfireexeter@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @campfireexeter
Step into the circle, share your voice, and let your words kindle the conversation.
Ronald Duncan Stipend for Southwest Writing
Exciting Opportunity for Writers
Special Collections is thrilled to launch the annual Ronald Duncan Stipends for Southwest Writing. These Stipends are funded by a donation from the Ronald Duncan Literary Foundation to continue his legacy of experimental and cross-disciplinary writing.
Each year, three talented writers will have the chance to explore our incredible archives to inspire new creative works. We’re looking for innovative minds eager to engage with our collections in fresh and exciting ways, producing original writing and sharing their journey with the public.
While the University of Exeter Special Collections (Exeter & Penryn campuses) will be the core focus, we welcome projects that connect with other heritage organisations, weaving rich narratives across multiple collections.
Each year one of these stipends may be offered in partnership with another organisation and take a specific focus. For 2026 we are partnering with Exeter Northcott Theatre to offer one of the stipends through their script window [now closed]. You can find more about this particular stipend here.
What’s in it for you?
✅ £2,000 stipend to support your time and expenses
✅ Up to £500 for outreach and engagement activities
✅ Specialist guidance from our expert Special Collections team
✅ Access to a vibrant network of university partners & professionals
If you’re passionate about archives, storytelling, and bringing history to life through writing, this is your chance! Your next great story starts here...
There Is Only Narrative Competition
The competition is now open to entries from midday on Wednesday 22 April 2026 and will close at 5pm on Tuesday 23 June 2026. It is free to enter and open to unpublished and unagented UK-based writers aged 18+ who identify as one or more of the following: Black, Asian, Global Majority Disabled LGBTQIA+ Low-income* Working Class upbringing *We define low-income as earning on or below the Living Wage and/or in receipt of benefits such as Universal Credit.
What are the prizes for the Competition?
From the competition we will be selecting a cohort of 4-6 writers who will receive ongoing support from the Eve White Literary Agency and London Writers Centre. This will include: A group session with the author Damian Le Bas Individual 121 meeting with agents from the Eve White Literary Agency A group session with London Writers Centre
How to enter
The competition is to find new non-fiction projects through entry of a mini-proposal document at a maximum of 3,700 words in total and consisting of:Title and Subtitle (Subtitle is optional)Pitch – 25-40 wordsSummary of Project – 200-300 wordsAuthor Biography – 150-300 wordsExtract from proposed project – 3,000 words maximum.All entries are managed through London Writers Centre’s Submittable, which is accessed through this link: https://spreadtheword.submittable.com/submitBefore you enter, please read:Terms and ConditionsFrequently Asked Questions (in the section below)
Free guide for writing a non-fiction proposal
To help prepare your entry, the Eve White Literary Agency has written a free guide to writing a non-fiction proposal document. Please enter your email address in this form to receive your guide: Eve White Literary Agency – There Is Only Narrative Survey – Fill in form We have also created a drafting document. Please click here to download it. If you have any questions, please email bobby@londonwriterscentre.org.uk.
