Enter the 2025 I Am Writing Competitions now to be in with a chance of getting a literary agent or publisher to notice your writing talent.
2025 I Am Writing Competitions

The I Am Writing Competitions are back!

For the first time in our four years of running the I Am Writing competitions, we are hosting TWELVE fabulous opportunities to get your book noticed by industry professionals. Yes, that's right TWELVE! We've listened to some of your comments about your novel not fitting a particular genre and expanded the range to give as many of you as possible the chance to get your work noticed by a literary agent or publisher.

What is special about the I Am Writing Competitions?

Each genre is judged by a professional literary agent or publisher as the sole reader of all entries in their category! There are no readers to narrow down the entries before they reach the judge, making this competition pretty special.
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Each competition has its own shortlist, widening the opportunity to get your writing noticed.
Representation has been offered to multiple writers over the years and publishing deals have been secured. Several books are even out in the wild now, with more to follow!
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Our entry fee is consistently low at £13 per entry. There are also a limited number of free entry places for full time carers, those on low-income or writers living with a disability. And to keep things as inclusive as we can, discounted entries are available for those from an underrepresented background, or in full-time education.
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Prizes include money, online consultations, book tokens or written feedback from certain judges. Please see each individual competition's guidelines for more information on the prizes for each genre.

When do the competitions open?

On Monday 7 April 2025 our competition entry platform will go live, giving you the first opportunity to upload your entry and showcase your talent to the wide range of judges! 

Important Dates

Competitions Open
Monday 7 April 2025

Competitions Close
Thursday 22 May 2025 at 12pm BST

Shortlist Announced
Monday 23 June 2025

Winners Announced
Monday 14 July 2025

What do I need to enter?

Please check each competition for the relevant guidelines, but as a general rule - for picture books you can submit two texts per entry, no more than 600 words each, prose or verse, for chapter books and graphic novels you need a one-page synopsis (single line spaced) and 2000 words (double line spaced). For all other competitions you should prepare a one page synopsis (single line spaced) and the first 3,500 words of your manuscript (double line spaced).

Sponsorship / Discounted Entry

If you want to help us in our pledge to support writers from all walks of life, we invite you to sponsor a place.
For those who would otherwise find it financially difficult to enter, and underrepresented writers who need their voice to be heard, this competition offers all writers a chance at earning their rightful place on a bookshelf.

Opportunity Knocks!


At I Am In Print, you know we always work with top industry names and this year we have excelled ourselves at hosting a dozen fantastic judges who are equally excited to read your entries. If your book spans categories, you may therefore enter more than once to increase your chance of success.

Please note: judges are open to reading a range of samples in their category, not just titles and suggestions in the bio below. These are only referenced as a flavour of the books they seek to represent in their field. If your book is something different, continue to enter - the judge may find something in your story they hadn't expected to love!


Take a look at each genre below...

I Am Writing ACTION/ADVENTURE Competition

Please submit the first 3,500 words of any type of Action / Adventure novel for adults. A one-page synopsis is also required. A covering letter is NOT required.

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with John Baker
2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with John Baker
3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with John Baker

Judged by: John Baker, Literary Agent at Bell Lomax Moreton.

As well as leading the wider agency's film & TV desk, John is the Secretary of the Association of Author’s Agents and co-chair of the AAA’s Bridge Committee - roles he is very passionate about, ensuring that authors are well looked after throughout their career and championing the underrepresented space. He also serves on the Kingston University MA Publishing Advisory Board.

For this inaugural category, get John's pulse racing with your action, espionage, or something steeped in history. Think John Le Carré, Lee Child, Ian Flemming, and Mick Herron. From thrilling espionage to heart-pumping action thriller, be bold with your storytelling, be daring with your subject matter and be imaginative with your location. The hunt for the first I Am Writing Action/Adventure winner is on!

I Am Writing CHAPTER BOOKS / GRAPHIC NOVELS Competition

Please submit the first 2,000 words of any type of chapter book / graphic novel. Chapter books / graphic novels should be suitable for 6-9 year olds. A one-page synopsis is also required. A covering letter or illustration notes are NOT required.

This competition is open to authors and author/illustrators but please note that Illustrations do not form part of the judging which will based on text only. If you choose to include illustrations, please upload a character sample and 1 illustrated spread only. This can be in colour or black and white.

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Millie van Grutten
2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Millie van Grutten
3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Millie van Grutten

Judged by: Millie van Grutten, Literary Agent at RCW Literary Agency.

One of Millie van Grutten's earliest memories was reading Lauren Child’s Clarice Bean, a character tucked amongst the underwear in the airing cupboard, reading her comics and escaping her wonderfully eccentric family.

Millie now has the enormous pleasure and privilege of working in the world of children’s book writing and illustration, bringing characters like Clarice to life. With a degree in Classics and a love of "Kepow!" style action, Millie's tastes for chapter books and graphic novels is broad. She believes narrative in both text and illustration are hugely important, with no better example of narrative than the ancients, which she says are "packed with suspense, jammed with emotion and all within the perfect structure". It’s these qualities Millie looks for in both texts and illustrations and she is looking to finding plenty here among the I Am Writing Chapter Books / Graphic Novels competition!

I Am Writing COSY CRIME Competition

Please submit the first 3,500 words of any type of cosy crime novel for adults. A one-page synopsis is also required. A covering letter is NOT required.

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Louise Buckley
2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Louise Buckley
3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Louise Buckley

Judged by: Louise Buckley, Associate Literary Agent at Hannah Sheppard Literary Agency.

With an MA in Creative Writing, a stint as a bookseller, and fifteen years publishing experience, selling books in multiple territories, Louise Buckley has an eye for spying characters with a brilliant voice and a story with a palpable sense of atmosphere. She is therefore the perfect judge for our inaugural I Am Writing Cosy Crime category.

With cosy crime, the sweet spot often, but not always, has that humorous element. Over My Dead Body by Maz Evans, utterly gripped Louise, yet brought a tear to her eye at the end. Incisive, intelligent suspense appeals too, such as the Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll, books in the style of Gillian Flynn, or something a little more subversive and blackly comic like My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. A hefty dose of magic or the supernatural is welcome too - think witches, magical bookshops, talking cats. Whether commercial or literary, present-day or historical, Louise is ready to take on the case of finding the perfect cosy crime novel.

I Am Writing CRIME / THRILLER Competition

Please submit the first 3,500 words of any type of crime / thriller novel for adults. A one-page synopsis is also required. A covering letter is NOT required.

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Rachel Neely
2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Rachel Neely
3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Rachel Neely

Judged by: Rachel Neely, Literary Agent at Mushens Entertainment.

With seven years publishing experience at HarperCollins and Hachette before joining Mushens Entertainment, Rachel Neely achieved Bookerseller Rising Star status in 2024 for her Literary Agent role.

As an avid crime/thriller fan, Rachel's tastes include commercial locked-room thrillers, novels about cults (such as The Girls), voice-led serial-killer thrillers reminiscent of How to Kill Your Family, compelling dark academia to rival The Secret History, and anything that has an outsider trying to break into the world of the privileged and morally bankrupt.

Rachel can't wait to start investigating your entries and compiling a shortlist of her most wanted authors.

I Am Writing HISTORICAL Competition

Please submit the first 3,500 words of any type of historical novel for adults. A one-page synopsis is also required. A covering letter is NOT required.

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Thérèse Coen
2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Thérèse Coen
3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Thérèse Coen

Judged by: Thérèse Coen, Director and Literary Agent at Susanna Lea Associates.

Having moved from Belgium to London, Thérèse Coen studied a History degree and Masters at University College London. Earning her stripes at Bloombury Publishing and a Bookseller Rising Star, she has been building her own list of authors alongside selling translation rights since early 2016. Thérèse is now a Literary and Rights Agent and Director of the London branch at Susanna Lea Associates.

A love of the past features heavily in her interests and Thérèse has a huge soft spot for historical fiction. She loves strong female characters, in particular when they go through an evolution and find that inner strength as the story progresses. She loves stories that vividly bring the past to life, with well-crafted settings and a true sense of the time the story is being told in. 

For the I Am Writing Historical competition, Thérèse considers anything 50 years ago and earlier to be valid for entry: anything from the 1970s and before. (We would like to remind all writers that you are positively young if you were born around this time and you have a lot of experience to draw upon!)

I Am Writing HORROR Competition

Please submit the first 3,500 words of any type of YA or adult horror novel. A one-page synopsis is also required. A covering letter is NOT required. YA is classed as being suitable for age 15+ for this competition.

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Jade Kavanagh
2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Jade Kavanagh
3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Jade Kavanagh

Judged by: Jade Kavanagh, Literary Agent at Darley Anderson.

Jade is a Literary Agent at Darley Anderson Agency & Associates and a well-respected author mentor. With invaluable experience assisting Managing Director Camilla Bolton with her client list, Jade's list is steeped in the darker side of fiction.

Across the spectrum of horror and horromance - horror with romantic elements - Jade is thrilled by haunting, slow build darkness and relatable characters with heart; people she grew up with, people she can imagine. She enjoys absorbing descriptions which invoke the senses too, show her the colour of a character's lipstick, walk her through the heady scent of a moonlit garden and let her hear the crackle of leaves in the forest.

Examples of Jade's favourite reads include 28 Days Later, The Last of Us, Interview With A Vampire, or a dark witchy story with a fresh take on the cosier side of scary, something like Practical Magic or Charmed.

Jade is incredibly passionate about working-class voices and is excited to see horror entries for this competition which are reader-led, books about everyday people and their relatable voices at the centre. Enter this competition with heroes Jade can root for, and villains that terrify and enrage her in equal measure.

I Am Writing LITERARY/UPMARKET Competition

Please submit the first 3,500 words of any type of Literary / Upmarket Fiction novel for adults. A one-page synopsis is also required. A covering letter is NOT required.

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Liv Maidment
2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Liv Maidment
3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Liv Maidment

Judged by: Liv Maidment, Head of Books and Literary Agent at Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency

What better person to judge our inaugural I Am Writing Literary / Upmarket competition category than Liv Maidment, who has worked with bestselling authors and global literary brands as well as multiple winners and shortlistees of prestigious awards.

Liv adores literary fiction, drawn to gripping narrative and character with a strong sense of atmosphere and setting, compelling prose with a propulsive plot and increased character stakes. Explore messy relationship dynamics and complicated lives or personal journeys. Above all, wrestle with big themes of what it means to be human, which is where, for Liv, literary fiction needs to be grounded.

Liv wants to see tenderness, wit, and curiosity in your writing, and feel as well as observe. Spark conversation with your bold story, or showcase a classically told novel with hidden truth at its heart.

Examples of Liv's favourite authors include Bernadine Evaristo, Barbara Kingsolver, Michael Magee, Meg Mason, Zadie Smith, Alice Winn, Asako Yuzuki and Gabrielle Zevin.

I Am Writing MIDDLE GRADE Competition

Please submit the first 3,500 words of any type of Middel Grade novel. A one-page synopsis is also required. A covering letter is NOT required.

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Penny Holroyde
2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Penny Holroyde
3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Penny Holroyde

Judged by: Penny Holroyde, Director and Literary Agent at Holroyde Cartey

With over three decades publishing experience, Penny Holroyde likes nothing more than great stories reaching young readers. Her earliest reading memories included curling up with the Ant & Bee books by Angela Banner, a fun way to crack the early literacy code, and her old copies still have her scribbles in the margins. With rights and agenting experience in the (book)bag, in 2015 one of her career highlights was co-founding Holroyde Cartey with Claire Cartey.

At Holroyde Cartey, Penny remains inspired by her clients' creativity, and represents award-winning, bestselling authors. Her clients say that Penny completely understands the foundations of children's publishing: what books sell, when and how, and one of her authors wants to keep Penny secret because she is the best: "like a good Cornish beach!"

Whatever the style you enter for the I Am Writing Middle Grade category, Penny is delighted to judge them all - funny, scary, adventurous and more - but entries with heart is key, and in middle grade fiction (aged 8 to 12), friendship is for the win.

Clients of Penny's who write middle grade well are prolific author for children's fiction Marilyn Kaye, (The Spyglass Sisterhood), Tom Avery (Too Much Trouble), and Waterstones Book of the Month author Martin Howard (Mallory Vayle and the Curse of Maggoty Skull).

I Am Writing PICTURE BOOKS Competition

Calling all budding writers who are passionate about picture books! Entrants are invited to submit up to two texts of no more than 600 words each, in prose or verse, that are perfect for sharing with children aged 3-6.

Please do not include illustration notes in your entry, unless you have a spread that has no text, or if your story does not make any sense without them. Then they can be included, but sparingly. The illustration notes do not count as part of the 600 words, neither does the title. A covering letter is NOT required.

1st Prize: £250, a one-to-one Zoom editorial consultation with the Little Tiger editorial team to discuss the winning submission plus a £50 book token
2nd Prize: Written editorial feedback and a £30 book token
3rd Prize: Written editorial feedback and a £20 book token

Sponsored and judged by: Little Tiger

Do you have a dream to be published alongside Bethan Clarke, Tracey Corderoy, Nicola Edwards, Karl Newson, Steve Smallman, Louie Stowell, Clare Helen Welsh and more? Then let your imagination soar and enter the I Am Writing Picture Books competition!

As a publisher of inclusive picture books since 1987, Little Tiger is passionate about high quality stories reaching young hands. Creating books that appeal to every reading taste, the team works with debut and household names to produce award-winning, bestselling, imaginative picture books which delight children and grown-ups alike.

Polish up your manuscripts and enter books that will make a child squeal with laughter, touch their hearts with emotional tales of love, or help guide them with a lesson to last a lifetime.

I Am Writing ROMANCE Competition

Please submit the first 3,500 words of any type of YA or Adult romance novel. A one-page synopsis is also required. A covering letter is NOT required. YA is classed as being suitable for age 15+ for this competition.

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Rebeka Finch
2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Rebeka Finch
3rd Prize: A 15 minute consultation with Rebeka Finch

Judged by: Rebeka Finch, Literary Agent at Darley Anderson Agency and Associates.

Rebeka Finch began her publishing career as Assistant to none other than Darley Anderson himself. As a Literary Agent she is now growing her list of romance and romantasy authors to international acclaim and is excited for the prospect of new talent to reach her through the I Am Writing Romance competition.

Rebeka is in love with all things romantic literature whether for the BookTok hungry 20+ market, a spice-hot hook-up, a cheesy make-up, messy break-up... if it has romance at its heart, straight or queer, Rebeka wants to see it!

For commercial romance, bring your strong, diverse, brave and relatable characters and their memorable stories to Rebeka's table, protagonists that feel like both a friend and a champion. Tropes are welcome: enemies to lovers at a corporate lawyer firm, a spicy F1 heat on and off the track, a spy or heist romance, or a second chance small town heartwarmer. And for those writing romantasy, balance the romance, pace, action and world-building of your sample entry. Think pirates, mermaids, queens, vikings rolling in high seas, deserts and pagan forests - myths and legends abound!

I Am Writing SCI-FI / FANTASY Competition

Please submit the first 3,500 words of any type of YA or Adult Sci-Fi / Fantasy novel. A one-page synopsis is also required. A covering letter is NOT required.

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Laura Bennett
2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Laura Bennett
3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Laura Bennett

Judged by: Laura Bennett, Associate Literary Agent at The Liverpool Literary Agency

Laura Bennett's love of the written word was forged through Creative Writing courses and a BA before pursuing her career first teaching English, and then joining the Liverpool Literary Agency. Passionate about science fiction and fantasy, Laura Bennett is achieving great things for her clients. From epic and urban fantasy to litRPG and character-driven space opera, Laura's broad taste for the genre makes her our obvious choice to judge this year's I Am Writing Science Fiction / Fantasy category.

She loves diverse casts and complicated relationships: Strong female leads, masculine characters with rich, rounded traits, awesome non-binary roles, neuro-divergent thinkers and stories that focus on realistic characters with strong voices, no matter how fantastical their world. Epic fantasy and romantasy based in non-European settings, and space opera and near-future settings with awesome tech are Laura's firm favourites but anything SFF is welcome in this competition. Transport Laura to another time and place and who knows where it could take you!

I Am Writing TEEN / YA / NA Competition

Please submit the first 3,500 words of any type of Teen, Young Adult or New Adult novel. A one-page synopsis is also required. A covering letter is NOT required. Teen entries should be suitable for 13-14 year-olds, YA books for 15-18 year-olds and NA for 18 year-olds and readers in their early 20s.

1st Prize: £250 plus a 30 minute online consultation with Gyamfia Osei
2nd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Gyamfia Osei
3rd Prize: A 15 minute online consultation with Gyamfia Osei

Judged by: Gyamfia Osei, Literary Agent at Andrew Nurnberg Associates

Previously a bookseller and Assistant to Juliet Mushens and Robert Caskie before progressing to Literary Agent at The Good Literary Agency, Gyamfia Osei joined the UK department at ANA in 2023. Her recent achievements include a ‘significant’ 6-figure pre-empt, a 5-way auction and a shortlisting at the 2023 British Book Awards. This success and more led to Gyamfia being recognised as a Bookseller Rising Star in 2024!

Teen, Young Adult and New Adult projects are top of Gyamfia's reading list just now so she is very keen to open the entry box for this year's I Am Writing category for this age group, which has expanded to include Teen and New Adult alongside YA. She particularly loves accessible stories to celebrate children from all walks of life.

For the younger teens Gyamfia is really keen to see your character's teenage angst, dilemmas and dirty laundry aired like those suffered in Steady for This and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, and the meet cutes, hair disasters and friendships highlighted in Glow Up Lara Bloom. YA horror is high on Gyamfia's wishlist and is welcome in this category alongside YA mystery and contemporary counterparts. And in New Adult, Gyamfia favours a faster-paced narrative with authentic characters and a tight plot.

FAQS

Most frequent questions and answers:

When you click on the ‘Enter Now’ button for each individual competition, you will be directed to the entry platform which shows full entry guidelines for that specific genre. 

Please email us at: competitions@iaminprint.co.uk if you cannot find the answer to your question in the FAQs or the competition guidelines when you click through to the entry platform.

The competitions close on Thursday 22 May 2025 at 12:00pm BST. Entries will NOT be accepted after this date and time. Please make sure you enter in plenty of time.

Agented writers may only enter the Picture Book competition as this is not judged by an agent. All other competitions are judged by agents, so in the interest of fairness, the other competitions are restricted to unagented entrants. Please read the individual guidelines for each competition for more information.

Yes, self-published entries are accepted.

Yes, our competitions are open to international writers. All entries must be in English.

No. Do not include your name on your entry. The judging will be completed annonymously. Please refer to the individual guidelines of each competition for more information.

Each competition entry costs £13. See each individual competition for the rules on how many entries can be submitted per fee. A summary of what the fee covers is answered under the Question “Why is there a fee to enter the competitions?”. Please also see the sponsored entry section for details on who can enter at a 50% reduction or for free.

Yes, you can enter as many as you like!

There are four YA categories, for example, being judged by four different agents. If you think your novel fits Horror, Romance, Sci Fi/Fantasy and YA, you can enter the same sample text into all four competitions! Each entry will be charged separately.

You may have also authored different books. If, for example, you are writing two crime / thriller novels, you can include two extracts on two separately paid entries within that category.

And finally, if you are a multi-talented writer who is writing different stories for Picture Books, Middle Grade, and adult Historical fiction, you can choose to enter all three stories in the three different categories.

* Sponsored entries are limited to one free or discounted entry per individual so choose your best work to showcase.

(What we would advise against, is to submit the same book into the same category more than once – this does not increase your chances of success).

When deciding to enter more than one category, please enter and pay for each one separately as the system does not let you pay for multiple genres in the same transaction.

No, it does not need to be exactly 3,500 words, but we would recommend getting as close as you can to the 3,500 words without going over or stopping in the middle of a sentence.

The competitions will open on Monday 7 April 2025 at 09:00am BST.

The competitions close on Thursday 22 May 2025 at 12:00pm BST.

The shortlists will be announced on Monday 23 June 2025 on the www.iaminprint.co.uk website and across our social media platforms.

The winners will be announced on Monday 14 July 2025 on the www.iaminprint.co.uk website and across our social media platforms.

The shortlists will be announced on Monday 23 June 2025 on the www.iaminprint.co.uk website and across our social media platforms.

The winners will be announced on Monday 14 July 2025 on the www.iaminprint.co.uk website and across our social media platform.

No. We will only publish the shortlist / entry title, not the actual document.

The one-page synopsis can be single line spaced. Your text, whether 2,000 words or 3,500 words should be double line spaced.

Yes, you can, but it must be counted within the 3,500 words. It cannot be additional to the specified word count.

No. The title is not counted within the 3,500 words.

No. Your manuscript does not need to be complete to enter, but you do need a one-page synopsis for some of the competitions. Please see the individual guidelines on each competition for more information.

The fee for each paying entry goes towards covering the numerous costs of running the competitions, some of which are detailed below:

  • Competition entry platform fees
  • Credit card / debit card processing fees
  • Prize Money
  • Advertising
  • Agent and administration fees
  • Technical support
  • Sponsoring a limited number of discounted and free entries for underrepresented or low income writers

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