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!
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.
Nature Writing Prize for Working Class Writers
Gaia (an imprint of the Octopus Publishing Group), Class Nature and The Working Class Writers Festival are on the hunt for a new voice in nature writing.
The winning writer will receive 3 one-hour mentoring sessions with a Gaia commissioner and 1 one-hour mentoring session with a publishing agent, a commissioned piece in a nature-related outlet, two online Arvon masterclasses and one online Arvon writing day, plus a book bundle from Octopus Publishing Group.
To enter, submit your work by Midnight on 25 April 2025.
To qualify, the author must be a UK resident who is not currently represented by an agent. The author must self-identify as working class and not have been published commercially in any form.
The work submitted must not have been previously published digitally or in book form. Your work must be 100% original and 1,000 words or less. Fiction, non-fiction and poetry will all be accepted. Those shortlisted will be notified by 9 June 2025. The shortlist will be announced by 15 June 2025.
Challacombe Chronicled Community Call Out
Be part of a co-creative project connecting with nature and the vibrant history and ecology of Challacombe Farm, Dartmoor through dance, poetry and film. If you are aged 18+ and would like to take part in workshops and be part of making filmed poetry and dance in the landscape we would love to hear from you!
Take part as a writer, dancer, or both. Challacombe Chronicled is a unique project designed to celebrate local expression and you will be able to shape your experience within the project to suit your needs, energy and interests.
The project is free to take part in and is suitable for anyone interested in writing or dance or both. It is unique process, which is suitable for beginners or more experienced dancers or writers. To be in the films, you must be available for filming on Dartmoor during the day over the weekend 24th-25th May 2025. You can choose which workshop date(s) you can take part in - and we would be delighted if you can take part in multiple workshops!
To register please fill in this form before Friday 25th April, 6pm. Knowing who to expect really helps us to prepare but should you see this call out too late for our deadlines, it will still be possible for you to take part (just submit your form or email Clare and await confirmation).
Poetic Frequencies
Exploring the Resonance of Videopoetry - Heidelberg UNESCO City of Literature
The Hertzlab at ZKM in Karlsruhe (UNESCO City of Media Arts) in collaboration with Heidelberg UNESCO City of Literature—represented by the Cultural Office of the City of Heidelberg—cordially invites poets from UNESCO Cities of Literature worldwide to apply for its new residency program.
Duration: September 1, 2025 – November 30, 2025
Purpose: Literary engagement with ZKM’s distinguished collection of videopoetry and to inspire and/or enable professional artists to experience the rich potential of artistic expression in different media.
Eligible to apply are poets (or those working professionally and poetically with language) with a clear connection (center of life and/or work) to one of the 53 UNESCO Cities of Literature worldwide.
Benefits for the Selected Resident
Accommodation provided in ZKM’s artist apartment (common areas such as kitchen and bathroom are shared with 2 other artists), conveniently accessible by public tram service.
A monthly stipend of €1,000 to cover living expenses.
Financial assistance for travel expenses up to €2,000.
Exclusive access to a personal office and a workstation within ZKM’s premises for independent creative work.
Expert guidance for exploring and researching ZKM’s videopoetry collection.
Full utilization of the Hertzlab’s advanced technical equipment for the production of innovative media art (for capacity reasons, the consulting options for using the technical equipment are limited, i.e. certain prior knowledge is desirable).
Creative Futures Writers’ Award 2025
We’re excited to announce our 2025 Writers’ Award Competition is officially open for entries!
The Creative Future Writers’ Award is the only free to enter national competition for all underrepresented writers: those who face barriers due to mental health challenges, physical or learning disability, neurodiversity, survivors, and those from LGBTQIA+, working class and/or Black, Asian and global majority backgrounds.
The theme for this year’s award’s is ‘Wild’. The theme is a creative prompt, not a requirement, we’re looking for quality writing first and foremost. The competition is open for poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction.
This year we’ve expanded to fifteen winners (5 winners in each category) who will share:
be published in our anthology and eBook
read at our showcase, part of the London Literature Festival 2025
ongoing development support from Creative Future
Our judges are journalist, broadcaster and editor Kieran Yates, author Irenosen Okojie, and poet Nancy Campbell, alongside a panel of publishing industry experts.
You have until Sunday 18 May 2025, 11.59pm to submit your poetry (up to 50 lines), fiction or creative non-fiction pieces (up to 2000 words).
Announcing Campfire – Exeter’s New Quarterly Literary Salon
Location: The Refuge, beneath The Mermaid Cocktail Bar, Gandy Street, Exeter
When: Wednesday 21st May 2025 at 7pm
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 wmarkbest@gmail.com in advance if you are planning to come along and read so we can gauge the timings.
May Prompt Phrase - “Don’t worry, I’m not staying…”
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 wmarkbest@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @campfireexeter
Step into the circle, share your voice, and let your words kindle the conversation.
Ronald Duncan Archive Stipend
Ronald Duncan (1914-1982), pictured above in his writing hut on the cliffs of Welcombe, North Devon, was a productive West Country author, journalist, playwright, poet, and scriptwriter. He may be best known as the librettist for Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia (1946) and for his poem The Horse, which is read annually at the Horse of the Year show. Duncan’s writing hut also features on Exeter City of Literature’s Literary Map.
His career encompassed experiments with several writing forms including his epic poem Man (The Complete Cantos, 1980), and a one act play in Stereophonic Sound O-B-A-F-G. Duncan left the legacy of a fascinating archive of literary and personal papers, the Ronald Duncan Collection, which was donated to Special Collections in 2016.
Find out more about Ronald Duncan in their online exhibition
University of Exeter 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 2025 we are partnering with Exeter City of Literature to offer one of the stipends to a writer from another UNESCO City of Literature. 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...
The Coleridge Poetry Prize
The Coleridge Poetry Prize is open for entries!
Submit a poem (up to 40 lines) on any topic for a chance to win £50 and publication in our Exmoor Review journal.
This year, the competition will be judged by Tom Cain, Emeritus Professor and published poet and critic.
Happy Writing!
Closing Date: Monday 30th June 2025
Entry: info@exmoorsociety.com
Tribe Warrior Motion Comic Competition
We are looking for new and emerging young artists (12-21 years) to submit first stage sketches in response to any of the characters and/or locations depicted in Tribe Warrior. You can take your inspiration directly from the text or from the live event on the 24th of May at Gnash Comics. Competition deadline June 30th 2025.
Current funding applications permitting, competition winner/s will be commissioned and paid to create fully realised, graphic artworks for the Tribe Warrior motion comic. All artwork submitted to competition will be included in the Rite to Freedom Legacy Archive.
Competition entry fee £7.50.
Contact us using the form below and we will send you BACS bank transfer details. Your fee will cover competition admin and our assement panel costs.
Could you be Exeter’s first Young City Laureate?
The search is on to find Exeter’s first ever Young City Laureate. Literature Works are looking for an aspiring young writer aged between 14 and 19 years who is ambitious to develop as a writer and performer, voicing the stories of the young people of Exeter.
The role of Exeter Young City Laureate is important. The chosen young writer will be commissioned and paid to create work to celebrate special events or occasions in the city and will be invited to perform in libraries, schools and at festivals.
Submissions are open now and close at midday on Wednesday 16th July 2025.
Who can apply?
The Young City Laureate is open to any young person aged 14-19 who lives, works or studies in Exeter. You will be a writer of either prose (fiction, creative non-fiction) or poetry.
