competitions
Rules
Open Poetry
- You have read, understood and agreed to the WFL Competition Terms and Conditions.
- The fee for each separate entry is £6. Competitors may submit any number of entries.
- All entries must be anonymous. Do not include your name or contact details in the file title. Your name and contact details are recorded via a form.
- Type your entry 1.5 or double-spaced text.
- Put the title and page number on each page of each entry.
- Poems may be on any subject.
- Poems must not exceed 35 lines of text in length.
- Add the line count to the top right of the first page.
- Save the file as a PDF.
- The file name should be the title of the poem only, typed exactly the same as the document, for example: I wandered Lonely as a Cloud
- Do not put Wells Entry, my Poetry entry etc in the file title.
- For untitled pieces, save the document with the first line of the poem.
Short Story
- You have read, understood and agreed to the WFL Competition Terms and Conditions.
- The fee for each separate entry is £6. Competitors may submit any number of entries.
- All entries must be anonymous. Do not put your name or contact details in the file title. Your name and contact details are recorded via a form.
- Type your entry 1.5 or double-spaced text.
- Put the title and page number on each page of each entry.
- Stories may be on any subject.
- Stories should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length.
- Record the word count on the first page.
- Save the file as a PDF.
- The file name should be the title of your story, typed exactly the same as for the document.
- Do not put Wells Entry, my Short Story entry etc in the file title.
Book for Children
- You have read, understood and agreed to the WFL Competition Terms and Conditions.
- The fee for each separate entry is £6. Competitors may submit any number of entries.
- All entries must be anonymous. Do not put your name or contact details in the file title. Your name and contact details are recorded via a form.
- Type your entry 1.5 or double-spaced text.
- Put the title and page number on each page of each entry.
- The competition will judge writing for children, age 7 and up. This includes writing for young adults.
- Entrants must stipulate the age range of their book.
- We require either the first three chapters or first thirty pages, whichever is the shortest, together with the synopsis of up to two pages.
- Both the synopsis and the story should be saved in the same document for online entries.
- Save the file as a PDF.
- NB: Shortlisted authors may be asked to send in their complete manuscript.
Young Poets
- You have read, understood and agreed to the WFL Competition Terms and Conditions.
- The fee for each separate entry is £3. Competitors may submit only one entry and must be aged 16 to 22 inclusive, at the closing submission date on 30 June 2025.
- All entries must be anonymous. Do not put your name or contact details in the file title. Your name and contact details are recorded via a form.
- Unless specific to the layout, please submit poems with single line spacing.
- Put the title and page number on each page of your entry.
- Poems may be on any subject.
- Poems must not exceed 35 lines of text in length.
- Add the line count to the top right of the first page.
- Save the file as a PDF.
- The file name should be the title of the poem only, typed exactly the same as the document, for example: I wandered Lonely as a Cloud.
- Do not put Wells Entry, my Poetry entry etc in the file title.
- For untitled pieces, save the document with the first line of the poem.