The go-to place for writers in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire
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GLOUCESTERSHIRE WRITERS' NETWORK

Competition 2025

Our 2025 Writing Competition is open 1st January - 31st May. Our Prose Judge this year is Jamila Gavin and our Poetry Judge is Kate Potts. Enter for a chance to read your work at The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival.

Welcome to our website

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Gloucestershire Writers’ Network is the hub for all writers and writing groups in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire. We aim to be the ‘go to place’ for Gloucestershire writers – providing a central platform to communicate news, views, what’s on and competitions etc.

If you have information on forthcoming events, courses, readings or open mics that deserve a wider audience, 
we’d love to hear from you.
We will upload relevant information as quickly as we can to help market and communicate your events.

Do you have a story to tell? Perhaps you have recently won a competition or have a book launch on the horizon – our News and Events Calendar section will keep GWN members abreast of local events and encourage attendance and access to all things creative. Please contact us on admin@gloswriters.org.uk.

Happy writing!

Journeys 2023 Competition Flyer

2023 Competition Results

Click below to see this year's winners. Thank you to all who entered the competition and to our judges Jane Bailey and Philip Rush.

You can buy a copy of our competition anthology here

We will be launching our 2024 competition on the theme of Weather in January
Click here to see the winnersBuy this year's anthology

Our Annual Gloucestershire Writing Competition

We run an annual Poetry and Prose writing competition in conjunction with The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, the winners of which have the opportunity to read their work at the GWN Prizewinners event. Information about our 2025 competition here.

Click here to buy our anthologies to read the work of previous winners.

With thanks to our Sponsors:

Cheltenham Literature Festival Logo
We are grateful to The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival for their support of local writers and for creating the opportunity for the winners and the runners-up of our annual writing competition to showcase their work at the GWN event.
Liggy Webb Logo
We would like to thank Liggy Webb for her generous sponsorship of our annual writing competition.
www.liggywebb.com
Edges - GWN Writing Competition 2025

The Latest News & Reviews

Crumps Barn - call for submission for anthology, Locomotion.
Crumps Barn are planning a new anthology on the theme of rail travel to celebrate 200 years since the first steam-hauled train carried passengers and are inviting short stories, memoir and poetry.  The submission deadline is 29 May.  More information on their website...
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University of Bristol Theatre Collection - Kevin Elyot Award
The University of Bristol Theatre Collection is delighted to announce that we are now welcoming applications for the Kevin Elyot Award 2025, created in memory of the acclaimed actor and writer. The Kevin Elyot Award is an annual award of £3,000 given to support a writer-in-residence based at the ...
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Writers' news - Cathie Rolinson
Cathie is a Cheltenham-based writer and is involved in local writers' groups WordMaids and Unapologetics (Severn Playwrights). Her play, In Veritas, was recently announced as the 2025 winner of The Three Counties Talent Hub scriptwriting competition. The play is supported by Malvern Theatres...
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Laurie Lee Prize - 2025
The Laurie Lee Prize 2025 is open for entries. Theme: Journeys For anyone who lives, was born, or works/goes to school/university in Glos/S Glos/. Closing date: 31 July. More info here  ...
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CREATIVE WRITING OPEN MIC, SATURDAY 12TH APRIL
You are invited to the re-launch of the University of Gloucestershire Creative Writing Open Mic on Saturday 12th April from 7-9pm at Smokey Joe's, Cheltenham. You can come to read your own work, or simply to enjoy some brilliant 'spoken word' across a number of genres, enjoy the company of other wr...
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THE RED DRESS: CONVERSATIONS IN STITCH
The Red Dress: Conversations in Stitch is the much-anticipated book bringing together voices from The Red Dress global collaborative embroidery project created by British artist Kirstie Macleod and contributed to by 380 individuals from 51 countries over 14 years from 2009–2023. It features poign...
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The go-to place for writers in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire
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