Mslexia Magazine Writing Competitions

From Mslexia:

We have a whole host of submission opportunities for writers. I hope you have received some information through the post, but if not, would you be able to help us spread the word to your students via email?

Firstly, our tenth annual Women’s Poetry Competition is now open for entries. For poems of any length and on any subject, the first prize is £2,000 and it will be judged by the Costa award-winning poet Kathleen Jamie. Click here for more information.

Secondly, there’s our second annual Poetry Pamphlet Competition, for short collections of 18-20 pages of 20-24 poems by women poets who have not previously published a full-length collection. The first prize is publication by Seren Books, plus £250. The brilliant winner of our 2012 competition, Shadow Dispatches by Polly Atkin, is available to buy now. The closing date for both competitions is 17 June 2013. Click here.

For writers of other genres, all our other regular slots are also open for submission. For scriptwriters, there’s our Monologue feature (in the voice of a ‘shoplifter’ for issue 59) and we’re challenging poets to send us their take on Four Lines that Rhyme. Fans of new media are invited to submit A Week of Tweets about their writing and/or life – or to apply for a three-month ‘residency’ on the Mslexia Blog. And as a special challenge to writers of description and character, our regular Pen Portrait feature will focus on a ‘nun’ in issue 59. The deadline for issue 59 is 15 July 2013. Click here for all the information needed to submit.

There are six additional open submission slots in the magazine – making 13 slots in total – because one of our main aims is to inspire women to write, to edit their work, and to submit it for publication. We see Mslexia as both a jumping-off point for new authors and a showcase for some of the best new poetry and short prose by women writers at every stage in their careers. For full submission guidelines and regular updates, visit www.mslexia.co.uk/submit. For regular writing workshops, including those specially-commissioned for our upcoming competitions, visit www.mslexia.co.uk/workshops.

Keep an eye out for our Novel Competition, too. Open to unpublished women novelists only, first prize is £5,000 and the deadline is 23 September 2013. Visit www.mslexia.co.uk/novelcompetition for more information and full guidelines.