With details of competitions, jobs, opportunities, events and more:
News from New Writing North: 30 June 2025
Winners of the Northern Writers' Awards 2025 announced
Last week we celebrated the 25 writers who have won this year’s Northern Writers’ Awards, at a special ceremony hosted by Northumbria University. Across categories including fiction, poetry, children’s writing and short stories, winners receive cash prizes, mentoring, manuscript appraisals and more to help develop their works-in-progress.
Congratulations to all the winners – the future of Northern writing is safe in your hands!
New Writing North needs you!
Will you join our circle of readers and writers who support us with a donation? Every donation, however small, makes a big difference and helps us continue our work to lift up Northern writers.
“New Writing North literally changed my life. They opened doors for me when I was struggling to find an agent and publisher for my debut novel. I wouldn’t be the writer I am today without their help.” – Mari Hannah, best-selling crime writer, NWA winner in 2010
Gordon Burn Prize 2026 open for entries
The judging panel for the Gordon Burn Prize 2026 will be chaired by accomplished crime writer Val McDermid. She will be joined by Nooruddean Choudry, Freya McClements, Andrew McMillan and Jude Rogers.
The Gordon Burn Prize is open now to fiction and non-fiction published between 1 December 2024 and 30 November 2025 that follows in the footsteps of writer Gordon Burn. Deadline 1 August.
Jerwood Fellowship for Emerging Writers at New Writing North
We're thrilled to announce this brand new fellowship, which will be awarded to three published writers in the North of England. Each writer will receive a bursary of £10,000 and a bespoke package of support to help them develop new work at a pivotal point in their careers. Applications will open on 3 September, with more information available from 1 August.
Children's Books North Network Prize
We're also proud to announce that we're partnering with Children’s Books North Network on a new prize for aspiring picture book writers and illustrators based in the North of England. It will open as part of the Northern Writers’ Awards in November, with a focus on book illustration, and each year will rotate between being a picture book text prize, a picture book illustration prize and a picture book author-illustrator prize.
Author events in Newcastle
We’re hosting two exciting author events at Tyneside Cinema in July. Debut authors Lucy Rose and Jessie Elland are speaking on 2 July about their novels, The Lamb and The Ladie Upstairs, and the rise of 'femgore' fiction. Then on 15 July, Stuart Maconie, British journalist, author, DJ and TV presenter, will be chatting all things The Beatles, followed by a screening of the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy.
Voice Notes sound art showcase
Our World Writes multilingual writing group has collaborated with the Voice Notes sound art project, composer Hardi Kurda and poet Sarah Jackson to create audio work exploring the role of the telephone in experiences of migration. Join us for a live presentation at John Marley Centre in Newcastle’s West End on Monday 14 July, featuring multilingual telephone messages from refugees and migrants around the world.
اپنی آواز Our Voice exhibition
From 21 July at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle, explore film, photographs and words that celebrate the lives of first-generation South Asian women who have made Tyneside their home. In partnership with Search Newcastle, and supported by artist, writer and researcher Malya Bhattacharya and filmmaker Julie Ballands, this group of women have shared personal stories of the journeys and experiences that have shaped their lives.
Complete our audiobooks survey
Do you listen to audiobooks? Could you fill out a 5-10 minute survey? Since launching our Sounds Good Audiobooks studio in collaboration with Northumbria University, we are conducting research around Northern voices in audiobooks. Please contribute and share!
People, publishers, and podcasts
Congratulations to Sunderland-based writer and former Northern Writers’ Award winner Iain Rowan, who was awarded second place in the 2025 Dinesh Allirajah Short Fiction Prize run by Comma Press for his story ‘Stranger’.
Dr Scott G Fraser from Newcastle has just had his non-fiction book Your Health as the Climate Changes published by Black Spring Press. Discover how our climate is changing, the direct effect these changes will have on our well-being, and the urgent choices we need to make.
Masquerade of Finches, the new book by Elizabeth Hopkinson which was shortlisted for the 2024 Tempest Prize, was published on 27 June. Set in a lush, operatic world of masks, angels, and forbidden longing, this is a story of courage, found family, and queer identity.
The Second Chance Summer Club is the new novel from Northumberland-based writer Caroline Roberts. This uplifting contemporary romance about finding love and friendship and taking a chance on your dreams second time around will be published by HQ on 17 July.
Competitions, awards, and submission opportunities
Unpublished LGBTQ+ writers with works-in-progress can enter TLC’s annual LGBTQ+ Free Reads competition to win free professional feedback, one-to-one coaching, and access to an exclusive writing masterclass with novelist Michael Donkor. Deadline 2 July.
The Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers’ Prize helps find new authors from underrepresented backgrounds. This year’s prize is looking for the best horror novels, offering the winner a publishing contract worth £10,000 and representation from Bell Lomax Moreton Agency. Deadline 25 July.
The Greene Door Project offers under-represented writers a Zoom session with an agent at Greene & Heaton, to ask questions about seeking representation and the publishing process, and to get feedback on their work. Applications are now open to writers of romance, romantasy and fantasy. Deadline 31 July.
The Stephen Spender Prize, an annual competition for poetry in translation, has categories for schools, teachers and individual young people. Translate into English any poem from any language, or a Portuguese poem from the Spotlight booklet, and produce an accompanying creative response. Deadline 31 July.
Bending The Arc is an online Substack magazine publishing ‘thrutopian’ stories that imagine ways through to a world we would be glad to leave to future generations. From 7-31 July, submissions are open to thrutopian poems, short stories, novel extracts, non-fiction and hybrid pieces that tell stories about tangible change.
Calibre Audio's Inclusive Voices short story competition celebrates creativity, accessibility and diverse storytelling. Poetry and prose writers of all ages and abilities are invited to write a story of up to 550 words that includes at least one of the themes: Audio, Braille, and Community. Deadline 5 September.
Guide your poems into print with Primers, a mentoring and publication scheme from Nine Arches Press. Three winners receive poetry mentoring with Laurie Bolger, editorial mentoring, and publication in Primers: Volume Eight. Deadline 9 September.
Carnyx Press, a new speculative fiction micropress based in Gateshead, seeks short story submissions between 2,000-10,000 words on the theme of folklore. Chosen writers will be published in Carnyx’s first anthology. Deadline 30 September.
Freelance opportunities and jobs
Sheffield Theatres is seeking a part-time Communications Officer with experience in the arts or marketing. This role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to dynamic campaigns and engage audiences with our work on and off stage. Deadline 6 July.
In-Situ seeks an emerging sound artist based in the North West of England to create an original soundscape for a multidisciplinary sci-fi inspired installation. They are particularly interested to hear from artists who haven't had many opportunities to share or exhibit work. Deadline 10 July.
The Warren Youth Project in Hull is looking for a creative who identifies as BIPOC to work with young people through 8 weekly sessions. This project aims to allow young people to develop creative skills whilst learning and exploring cultures and heritage that they may not have experienced before. Deadline 22 July.
The Arts Development Team at Newcastle City Council has three artist residencies available, for experienced artists to deliver creative workshops with adult carers, disabled young women, and young people not engaging in activities. Deadline 31 July.
Workshops, courses, and events
Join Hyde Park Book Club for the Leeds launch of Use the Words You Have, a striking debut novel and literary romance like no other by Kimberly Campanello. Kimberley will be in conversation with award-winning poet Jason Allen-Paisant on 3 July.
Bradford’s innovative poetry reading series More Song is back on 3 July at the 1 in 12 Club Library. This event features readings from Caleb Klaces, Maya Caspari and Lenni Sanders, remarkable poets at the height of their craft whose writing explores family, fatherhood, and intimacy.
Join a 2-hour online workshop on Writing around Lived Experience with Helen Jeffery on 3 July. Open anyone interested in using their lived experiences as a springboard for creation- whether that be storytelling, poetry or script.
From 5-6 July at Seven Stories in Newcastle, bring your kids for an interactive storytime performance of The Magic Faraway Tree: Land of Lost Stories, created by former Northern Writers’ Award winner Emily Low. Will Silky be able to find her friend Moonface before her clock chimes? And will Saucepan Man finally be able to find somewhere he can call home?
Join artist and zine-maker Mack Sproates for a free zine-making workshop all about Climate hope, at the Baltic in Gateshead on 5 July. Work with collaging techniques to re-mix headlines; respond to prompts to write hopeful stories; and create inspiring poetry and joy-fuelled comic strips.
Join authors Yara Rodrigues Fowler and Xani Byrne (2025 Northern Writers’ Award winner) to discuss their contribution to the cycling memoir anthology Freewheeling, telling the story of their two-day tandem bike ride from Edinburgh to Newcastle. Taking place at Mount Florida Books in Glasgow on 11 July.
Hear award-winning short story writer Gurnaik Johal read from his debut novel Saraswati, in conversation with Preti Taneja, at Northern Stage on 15 July as part of Masala Festival. Brimming with love, lust, violence and loss, Saraswati reveals buried ties between six relatives across the globe.
Mack and Mama Rhi are back with the cabaret of their dreams for Northern Pride: The Pedro Pascal says Trans Rights Cabaret, at Alphabetti Theatre on 19 July. This cabaret will celebrate local Trans icons and celebrity crushes, including a star-studded line up of acts ranging from drag, poetry, live music and more.
At the Newcastle Fringe Festival on 22 July, come along to Show, Slice & Spritz, with some of the finest comedians, poets and theatre makers the North East has to offer. Hosted by Lauren Pattison and featuring comedians Raul Kohli, Nicola Mantalios and writer and performer Emily Low.
Neela Moon Collective (formerly Brown Girls Write) will perform spoken word on the theme of Roots to Routes at Dance City on 25 July as part of Newcastle Fringe Festival. An exhilarating performance with writers sharing their voices on what it means to be rooted in their authentic selves.
Use illustrations and imagery from the cultural heritage collections available on Europeana.eu to explore Food and Fairytale, from hunger and longing, to challenge and transformation. No experience necessary for this free online creative writing workshop on 6 August.
If you have news that you would like to be considered for inclusion in the newsletter please contact carys@newwritingnorth.com. The deadline for receipt of information for the next newsletter is 24 July 2025.
While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this newsletter is correct at the time of going to press, things do change, frequently at the last minute and very often without our knowledge.
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