EDINBURGH YOUNG ADULT NOVEL AWARD - Terms and Conditions

OPEN FOR ENTRIES: 1 November 2025

CLOSING DATE: 10 March 2026 at 23.59 UK Time.

PRIZES

• FIRST PRIZE: £1,500
• SECOND PRIZE: £500
• THIRD PRIZE: £250
• Two Commendations of £100
• Mentoring: All shortlisted authors will be invited to participate in an individual one-hour online discussion session with the judges: Louise Lamont from the LBA Literary Agency and Lina Langlee from the Northern Literary Agency.

Writers will be informed of the result of the competition during the call with the judges.

As soon as all shortlisted writers are aware of the results, the news will be published on our website, through social media and our Writers Newsletter.

WORD LIMIT

At no stage are applicants asked to submit a complete novel/graphic novel.

Initial Submission: All writers submit up to 5,000 words of a novel or 6-8 pages of a graphic novel plus 300 word synopsis by the deadline 10 March 2026. These entries will be reviewed through four rounds by our experienced readers.

Longlist: By 4 July 2026, ten novels will have been selected for the longlist. All writers/illlustrators will be informed of the result. Ten authors/illustrators that make it to the longlist will be asked to submit 15,000 words or 12 to 16 pages of a graphic work. This should include the pages already submitted plus a 300-word synopsis by 20 July 2026. The longlisted novels will be reviewed by the judges: Louise Lamont from the LBA Literary Agency and Lina Langlee from the Northern Literary Agency.

Shortlist: By 20 August 2026, five novels will be selected for the shortlist. All longlisted writers will be informed of the result. Shortlisted writers will be asked to submit up to 30,000 words including the 15,000 words already submitted or a script/outline for the first 50 pages of a graphic novel, plus a 300 word synopsis by 10 September 2026. The five novels shortlisted will be reviewed by the judges: Louise Lamont from the LBA Literary Agency and Lina Langlee from the Northern Literary Agency.

ELIGIBILITY

• All entrants must be over 16 years. They may live anywhere and may be published or unpublished.
• Collaborative works involving more than one author are eligible.
• Writers/illustrators submitting work must not be under current contract to an agent.
• Submitted work should not have been published anywhere. Work that has been excerpted on a website is acceptable.
• Self-published or previously published works are not eligible.
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted but anything that subsequently becomes long-or short-listed for another competition should be withdrawn.
• Work that has previously placed in another competition or been published as a result of another competition is not eligible.
• Submissions must be the entrant's own original work. A submission must not, in whole or in part, be generated using artificial intelligence e.g. ChatGPT.
• If a submission is made in breach of the above paragraph, the entrant will be liable (1) to repay any prize money or benefits given to them; and (2) for all losses, costs and expenses which the Edinburgh Young Adult Novel Award incurs arising out of or in connection with such breach, including loss of reputation, wasted expenditure and loss of profit.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

• Entrants will submit 5,000 words or 6 to 8 pages of a graphic work, plus a 300-word synopsis.
• The longist will be revealed on 4 July 2026. Ten authors that make it to the longlist will be asked to submit 15,000 words or 12 to 16 pages of a graphic work. This should include the pages already submitted plus a 300-word synopsis.
• The shortlist will be revealed on 20 August 2026. Five works will be shortlisted. Authors will be asked to submit 30,000 words or a script/outline for the first 50 pages of a graphic novel by 10 September.
• At no stage are writers asked to submit a complete novel.
• You may submit as many entries as you wish.
• Acceptable file types are doc, docx, and pdf. No other format is accepted.
• All entries will be acknowledged.

IMPORTANT

• We do not accept postal entries.
• No corrections or alterations can be made after entries have been received. If you want to make edits to your submission you will have to submit a new entry.
• Winning a prize in the competition does not guarantee publication or a placement with the literary agencies involved in the judging.

PAYMENT AND FREE ENTRY

• The entry fee is £19 per work.
• Applications for free entry through our bursary scheme are open from 1 November to 31 December 2025. Learn more here.
• The competition is administered through the Scottish Arts Trust, a registered charity in Scotland. All proceeds are used to support the arts in Scotland.

COPYRIGHT

• The author will retain copyright of their work
• All stories submitted must be entirely the author’s own work, and not infringe the copyright or any other rights of any third party and not be defamatory of any living person or corporate body.

GENERAL

• Entry constitutes acceptance of all Edinburgh Young Adult Novel Award Rules, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Policies.
• Entries that fail to comply with rules, terms and conditions, privacy policies and requirements will be disqualified.
• No correspondence can be entered into. Judges’ decisions are final.

Tips on Using Submittable:

• You can save a draft of your entry form if you would like to finish it later.
• Submittable works on Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported.
• We will follow up with you about your submission by email. Please check your Spam folder if you do not hear from us after submitting your entry.

Technical Questions?

Check out the Submitter Resource Center or contact Submittable Customer Support.

Edinburgh Short Story Award Guidelines:

OPEN FOR ENTRIES: 1 November 2025

CLOSING DATE: 28 February 2026 at 23.59 UK Time

WORD LIMIT: 2000 words (not including the title)

By 10 August 2026, all candidates will be contacted to let them know if they have made it to the short list. An online event involving all the shortlisted authors will be held at a date and time to suit authors (by 30 September 2026 at the latest) when the prize winners will be announced.  The announcement of the winner will be carried on our website, via Facebook, Instagram, through our newsletters and on YouTube. Sign up for our newsletter here.

PRIZES

First Prize – £3,000 

Second Prize – £500 

Third Prize – £250

THE ISOBEL LODGE AWARD: £750 – for unpublished writers in Scotland

WRITE MANGO AWARD: £300 – for the most amusing, bizarre story entered in the competition - writers worldwide

FIRST WRITE AWARD £300 – for unpublished writers worldwide

Five Commendations awarded £100 each

Publication in the anual Edinburgh Anthology will be offered to authors of the top fifteen short stories.

All prize winners will be published in the anthology.

The Scottish Arts Club will present one year free membership to the Club to the 1st. 2nd, 3rd place and First Write, Write Mango and Isobel Lodge winners.

ELIGIBILITY

• The Edinburgh Short Story Award is open to all writers worldwide, published and unpublished, who are over 16 years. Entries can be on any theme or subject but must be written in English. 
• Stories must be for adult readers.
• Entries must not have been previously published in print or online, been broadcast or won a prize.
• Simultaneous submission is permitted. Should your short story win a prize or be published elsewhere, please let us know and withdraw your entry from the current Award.
• No refunds are issued. No amendments or changes are permitted to entries after they have been submitted.

FORMAT

• Maximum length is 2,000 words. The title does not count as part of the 2000 word limit.
• Entries should be typed in a plain legible font.
• Entries will be read and judged anonymously. Do not put your name, address, email, telephone number or any personal identifying information on any page of your document or in the file name.
• Acceptable file types are doc, docx, and pdf. No other format is accepted.

SUBMITTING

• We do not accept postal entries.
• No corrections or alterations can be made after entries have been received. If you want to change the story you will have to submit a new entry.
• Entry is open from 1 November 2025 and close 28 February 2026 (11.59pm UK time).
• You may submit as many entries as you wish.
• All entries will be acknowledged.

PAYMENT AND ENTRY FEE

• The entry fee is £11 per story.
• The competition is administered through the Scottish Arts Trust, a registered charity in Scotland. All proceeds are used to support the arts in Scotland.
• Applications for free entry through our bursary scheme are open from 1 November to 31 December 2025. Learn more here

FEEDBACK

• Feedback has been suspended in 2026.  

COPYRIGHT

• The author will retain copyright to their story.
• All authors will be asked for permission before any work is published on our website or in the anthology. We expect all prize-winning and commended authors to agree to publication.
• All stories submitted must be entirely the author’s own work, and not infringe the copyright or any other rights of any third party and not be defamatory of any living person or corporate body.
• Entries must be in the entrant’s own name/names, not pseudonymous (if successful, you can request use of an alternative name in the anthology and online).
• We do not accept stories that have been created using AI. If a prize winning story has been found to use AI the writer will be required to reimburse their prize winnings and to cover any costs incurred by the Scottish Arts Trust. 

GENERAL

• Entry constitutes acceptance of all Edinburgh Short Story Award Rules, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Policies.
• Entries that fail to comply with rules, terms and conditions, privacy policies and requirements will be disqualified.
• No correspondence can be entered into. Judges’ decisions are final.  

Tips on Using Submittable:

• You can save a draft of your entry form if you would like to finish it later. If you are still working on your entry do not submit it.
• Submittable works on Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported. 
• We will follow up with you about your submission by email. Please check your Spam folder if you do not hear from us after submitting your entry.

Technical Questions?

Check out the Submitter Resource Center or contact Submittable Customer Support.

OPEN FOR ENTRIES:  1 November 2025

CLOSING DATE: 10 March 2026 23:59pm

WORD LIMIT: 2,000 (excludes title and references. No footnotes permitted.)

Prizes:

• First Prize: £1,000
• Second Prize: £500
• Third Prize: £250
• Publication in The Edinburgh Anthology is offered to the authors of the top 15 essays.

Eligibility

• All entrants must be over 16 years by 1 September 2026. 
• Entrants may live anywhere and may be published or unpublished.
• Collaborative works involving more than one author are eligible.
• Submitted work should not have been published anywhere online or in print. 
• Self-published or previously published works are not eligible. 
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted but anything that subsequently becomes long-or short-listed for another competition or printed should be withdrawn. 
• Work that has been published as a result of another competition is not eligible.
• Submissions must be the entrant's own original work. A submission must not, in whole or in part, be generated using artificial intelligence e.g. ChatGPT.
• If a submission is made in breach of the above paragraph, the entrant will be liable (1) to repay any prize money or benefits given to them; and (2) for all losses, costs and expenses which the Edinburgh Essay Award incurs arising out of or in connection with such breach, including loss of reputation, wasted expenditure and loss of profit.

Submission Process

• Entry is through Submittable at www.scottishartstrust.submitable.com/submit
• You will need to create a free Submittable account or sign in with Google or Facebook credentials to submit your entries.
• You can save a draft of your entry form if you would like to finish it later. 
• Submittable works on Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported. 
• Submittable will send you an email to follow up on your submission. Please check your Spam folder if you do not hear from us after submitting your entry.
• If you experience entry problems please  contact Submittable Customer Support or check out the Submitter Resource Center 

Citation and bibliography

• Footnotes are not permitted.
• Give credit to authors where due in the body of the text with relevant works included in a bibliography. Specific page references are not required.
• The bibliography is not included in the 2,000 word count. 

Graphics and images

• Use of graphics or images is not permitted. This is due to the increased cost of publication if images are used.

Important

• We do not accept postal entries.
• No corrections or alterations can be made after entries have been received. If you want to make edits to your submission  you will have to submit a new entry.

Payment and Free Entry

• The entry fee is £10 per work.
• The competition is administered through the Scottish Arts Trust, a registered charity in Scotland. All proceeds are used to support the arts in Scotland.
• Applications for free entry through our bursary scheme are open until 31  December 2025.  Learn more here.

Copyright

• The author will retain copyright of their work
• All authors will be asked for permission before any work is published on our website or in our anthology. 
• All stories submitted must be entirely the author’s own work, and not infringe the copyright or any other rights of any third party and not be defamatory of any living person or corporate body.

General

• Entry constitutes acceptance of all Edinburgh Essay Award Rules, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Policies.
• Entries that fail to comply with rules, terms and conditions, privacy policies and requirements will be disqualified.
• No correspondence can be entered into. Judges’ decisions are final.

Tips on Using Submittable:

If you experience entry problems please  contact Submittable Customer Support or check out the Submitter Resource Center 

Edinburgh Novel Award Guidelines:

OPEN FOR ENTRIES: 1 November 2025

CLOSING DATE: 10 March 2026 at 23.59 UK Time

WORD LIMIT:  At no stage are applicants asked to submit a complete novel/graphic novel.

Round 1: All writers submit up to 5,000 words of a novel plus 300 word synopsis by the deadline 10 March 2026. These entries will be reviewed through four rounds by our experienced readers.

Round 2: By 4 July 2026, ten novels will have been selected for the longlist. All writers will be informed of the result. Longlisted writers will be asked to submit up to 15,000 words including the 5,000 words already submitted plus a 300 word synopsis by 20 July 2026. The ten novels longlisted will be reviewed by the judges: Donald Winchester of the Watson, Little Literary Agency and Julie Fergusson of the Northern Literary Agency.

Round 3: By 20 August 2026, five novels will be selected for the shortlist. All longlisted writers will be informed of the result. Shortlisted writers will be asked to submit up to 30,000 words including the 15,000 words already submitted plus a 300 word synopsis by 10 September 2026. The five novels shortlisted will be reviewed by the judges: Donald Winchester of the Watson, Little Literary Agency and Julie Fergusson of the Northern Literary Agency.

An online session will be set up with all the shortlisted writers to share experience and announce the results of the competition. This will take place by 20 October 2026 at the latest.

The announcement of the winner will be carried on our website, via Facebook, Instagram, and through our newsletters. 

Prizes

• FIRST PRIZE – £1,500
• SECOND PRIZE – £500
• THIRD PRIZE – £250
• Two Commendations awarded £100 each.

Eligibility

• All entrants must be over 16 years. They may live anywhere and may be published or unpublished.
• Collaborative works involving more than one author are eligible.
• Writers submitting work must not be under current contract to an agent.
• Submitted work should not have been published anywhere. Work that has been excerpted on a website is acceptable.
• Self-published or previously published works are not eligible.
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted but anything that subsequently becomes long-or short-listed for another competition should be withdrawn.
• Work that has previously placed in another competition or been published as a result of another competition is not eligible.
• Submissions must be the entrant's own original work. A submission must not, in whole or in part, be generated using artificial intelligence e.g. ChatGPT.
• If a submission is made in breach of the above paragraph, the entrant will be liable (1) to repay any prize money or benefits given to them; and (2) for all losses, costs and expenses which the Edinburgh Young Adult Fiction Prize incurs arising out of or in connection with such breach, including loss of reputation, wasted expenditure and loss of profit.

Submission Process

• Entrants will submit 5,000 words of a novel plus a 300-word synopsis.
• Acceptable file types are doc, docx, and pdf. No other format is accepted. 
• At no stage are writers asked to submit a complete novel.
• You may submit as many entries as you wish.
• All entries will be acknowledged.
• The longlist will be revealed on 4 July 2026. 
• Ten authors selected for the longlist will be asked to submit 15,000 words. This should include the pages already submitted plus a 300-word synopsis.
• The shortlist will be revealed on 20 August 2026. 
• Five works will be shortlisted. Authors will be asked to submit 30,000 words including the words already submitted plus a 300 word synopsis.
• Winners will be announced by 20 October at the latest via  an online call with all the writers.

Important

• We do not accept postal entries.
• No corrections or alterations can be made after entries have been received. If you want to make edits to your submission you will have to submit a new entry.

Payment and Free Entry

• The entry fee is £19 per work.
• Applications for free entry through our bursary scheme are open from 1 November to 31 December 2025. Learn more here.
• The competition is administered through the Scottish Arts Trust, a registered charity in Scotland. All proceeds are used to support the arts in Scotland.

Copyright

• The author will retain copyright of their work
• All novels submitted must be entirely the author’s own work, and not infringe the copyright or any other rights of any third party and not be defamatory of any living person or corporate body.

General

• Entry constitutes acceptance of all Edinburgh Novel Award Rules, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Policies.
• Entries that fail to comply with rules, terms and conditions, privacy policies and requirements will be disqualified.
• No correspondence can be entered into. Judges’ decisions are final.
   

Tips on Using Submittable:

• You can save a draft of your entry form if you would like to finish it later.
• Submittable works on Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported. 
• We will follow up with you about your submission by email. Please check your Spam folder if you do not hear from us after submitting your entry.

Technical Questions?

Check out the Submitter Resource Center or contact Submittable Customer Support.