Events

Tag: #competition

20/20 Writing Competition & Launch

Scroll down for information on the live event

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition – the standard was incredibly high. Congratulations to the 10 shorlisted entrants, the 20 longlisted entrants, and to the highly commended entries.

To read all the Longlisted entries, click HERE.

Shortlist

The 1o shortlisted entries are:

A Negative Image by Alison Deering

All for Her by Kaitlyn Young

East by Elodie A Roy

He Doesn’t Have a Grave by Kate Venables

ShutEye by Jayne West

Squirrel and the Squid by Estelle Hargreaves

Strawberry Picking by Elizabeth Barratt-Golding

The Cancelling by Gemma Wilson

The Funeral Procession by Pauline Braisher

The Valley by Sue Wright

 

Longlist

To read all the Longlisted entries, click HERE.

The 20 longlisted entries are:

A Father’s Son by Terry Lowell

A Negative Image by Alison Deering

All for Her by Kaitlyn Young

Dull Gary by Robin Tones

East by Elodie A Roy

EveryBodies by Dawn Hemming

He Doesn’t Have a Grave by Kate Venables

Killing Two Birds with One Stone by Amanda Barton

Not a Child by Jane Mooney

ShutEye by Jayne West

Sixteen by Lauren Foster

Squirrel and the Squid by Estelle Hargreaves

Strawberry Picking by Elizabeth Barratt-Golding

The Black Soap by Ella Ononugbo

The Cancelling by Gemma Wilson

The Funeral Procession by Pauline Braisher

The Inside-Out World by Tim Taylor

The Stumpery Project by Jo Regan

The Valley by Sue Wright

Travelling Spectrums by Neil Clarkson

 

Highly commended

Dark Secrets Dangerous Lies by Sheila Frampton

Have I Forgiven You by David John Ward

In Pursuit of Justice by Virginia Crow

Mill Town Meltdown by Lloyd Rivett

Mr Spoon by Irish Hable

The Society of Time Travelling Artists Against Evil by Daniel Joseph Day

Vertigo by Laura Christine Price

 

About the Competition and Event

At HuddLitFest, we love to champion new and developing writers. To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we are inviting writers aged 16+ to submit an extract of up to 500 words from an unpublished novel, short story or non-fiction work they have written.  

From these, members of our Festival team will select a long list of 20, followed by a shortlist of 10 entries. The longlisted entrants will have their work published on our website and will be allocated free entry to the event. Additionally, the 10 shortlisted finalists will be invited to read their work on the night. The judges on the night – including novelist Simon Crump – will then choose a winner, who will receive a £50 book voucher and two runners-up, who will each receive a £10 book voucher.  

The competition is free to enter and the rules are listed below.  

Important dates: 

Sunday 29 March (midnight) – deadline for entries 

Thursday 2 April – longlisted entrants notified by email and longlist announced 

Tuesday 14 April – shortlist of 10 finalists notified by email and shortlist announced 

Thursday 7 May – Launch at Amped 

Please note: this competition is for prose only, any poetry sent in will not be entered into the competition. Poets can take part in our Open Mic events or apply for a place at our Poetry Slam. 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at info@huddlitfest.org.uk with your request.  

Rules:  

  1. All submissions must be original work by the entrant, without using AI and which has not been published elsewhere and does not infringe on third-party intellectual property or privacy rights.
  2. Entries must be no more than 500 words. Any words over this amount will not be counted when judging your work. 
  3. Each individual may only enter one piece of writing. 
  4. Entries should be submitted in a 12-point font, double-spaced lines, and ideally sent as a Word doc attachment by email to: info@huddlitfest.org.uk using the email subject line: 20/20 Competition. The body of your email must include your name and contact phone number. You can also add up to 50 words of biographical details. Entries will be judged anonymously to create the longlist, so your name should not appear anywhere on the Word doc, just the title of your piece. If you do not have access to Word, you can add your entry to the body of your email and it will be passed on to the judges anonymously. 
  5. Your other work can have previously been published or self-published, but your competition entry must be unpublished. You may submit work that you have submitted elsewhere as long as it has not been published by Thursday 7 May
  6. The competition is open to anyone over 16 based in the UK. Ideally you will be available to travel to Huddersfield on Thursday 7 May to perform your work in person on the evening if you are shortlisted. However, we can accept pre-recorded films of you reading your entry, which we will show on a screen on the night, if you are unable to travel due to access issues, neurodiverse conditions or other reasonable circumstances
  7. Entrants must not be team members or Steering Committee members of Huddersfield Literature Festival, or their immediate family members
  8. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into.
  9. The competition is free to enter but if you are able to help towards Festival funds, you can donate £5 or an amount of your choosing through our fundraising page using this link: https://localgiving.org/charity/HLF
  10. Copyright of your work remains with you but the Festival reserves the right to publish your competition extract on the HuddLitFest website and social media. 

Thursday 7 May 

6pm-7.30pm 

Amped, 29 Zetland St, Huddersfield HD1 2RD 

£3, free for 20 shortlisted entrants, free for University of Huddersfield staff and students & for essential carers accompanying a ticket holder 

Age guidance: 16+  

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/amped 

 

Book tickets

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at info@huddlitfest.org.uk with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page. 

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

 

Music Journalism Competition & Workshop

Love music? Love sharing your passion for music? Send 200 words on your favourite music artist or band to: toolegittoquit@saving-grace.co.uk, along with your name, email address and phone number.  

 

The top 12 entries will win a place on this free music journalism workshop led by Alex Coles – and have a chance to see their work appear on the Saving Grace website.  

 

Deadline for entries:

Midnight on Monday 30 March. Participants who have won a place on the workshop will be informed by email by 10 April. 

 

Saving Grace is a multi-disciplinary creative imprint and artist development hub driven by a dual mission:  

Saving Grace Music: A dynamic label dedicated to producing, marketing, and distributing music from a diverse roster of established and emerging talent. 

The Saving Grace Collective: A community interest company focused on empowering creatives through mentorship, knowledge / skill development, and the creation of sustainable employment opportunities. 

The organisation was founded by Nigel Cudjoe known as Savvy, a musician, composer, producer, and multimedia designer. 

 

Terms & Conditions 

  1. Entrants must be between the age of 16 and 30 and must live in the UK 
  2. Entrants must not be employees of Saving Grace or Huddersfield Literature Festival, or their immediate family members 
  3. All submissions must be original work by the entrant, without using AI and which has not been published elsewhere and does not infringe on third-party intellectual property or privacy rights 
  4. Entries must be no more than 200 words 
  5. Entrants must be available to take part in the workshop on Saturday 18 April between 9.30am and 3.30pm at Amped in Huddersfield 
  6. Entrants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to and from the workshop on the day 
  7. Entries will be judged by Saving Grace Music and judging will focus on originality, writing quality and adherence to the theme. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding their decision 
  8. By entering, participants grant Saving Grace and Huddersfield Literature Festival a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to publish, broadcast, and use the entry for publicity and marketing across all media. 
  9. The winning prize of a place at the workshop cannot be exchanged for cash. If the workshop has to be cancelled for reasons outside the organisers’ control, such as illness, every attempt will be made to rearrange it for a future date.  
  10. Personal data collected during entry is processed in accordance with the promoter’s privacy policy and relevant GDPR regulations  
  11. Promoters reserve the right to cancel or amend the competition and its terms at any time due to unforeseen circumstances. 

 

Saturday 18 April, 9.30am-3.30pm 

Amped, 29 Queensgate, HD1 2RD 

Free  

Age guidance: 16-30 

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/amped 

Poetry Slam 2026

Prepare to be entertained by 10 fabulous poets as they compete to become our 2026 Slam Champ. 

 

The evening will be hosted by the award-winning poet and multiple slam champion, Rose Condo, with a guest spot from our 2025 Slam winner Loll the Poet.  

 

First Prize: £50, and a guest spot at our 2027 Poetry Slam.  

 

To apply: 

Send a video (max length 3 minutes, phone videos accepted) of you performing your work to HLFPoetrySlam@gmail.com by Monday 13 April. 

Terms and Conditions 

  1. To apply please Send a video (max length three minutes) of you performing your work to HLFPoetrySlam@gmail.com (it’s fine to use a phone to record your video).  See above for deadline. 
  2. We will only view one application per person. Further applications will be ignored. 
  3. We regret that we cannot view any applications received after the deadline. 
  4. Successful artists should hear back from us by five working days after the deadline.
  5. Due to application numbers we are unable to get back to all applicants that have been unsuccessful.

SLAM RULES 

  1. Poetry must be your own original work 
  2. No singing or props. 
  3. There will be two rounds. The poets will draw numbers from a hat and perform in that order. In the second round the order will be reversed.
  4. Poets have 3 minutes to perform their poetry. The clock starts from the very first thing you say – including hello. 

Points will be deducted for over-running as follows:  

1-9 seconds minus 1 point
10-19 seconds minus 2 points
20-29 seconds minus 3 points
30 seconds minus 4 points, host will stop you, you’ll be judged on your incomplete poem

  1. The poets will be scored out of 10 in two categories. Written content and quality of performance. The highest total score over both rounds wins £50. In the event of a tie there will be a final sudden death round
  2. Judges’ decisions are final. Please remember the slam motto: “The points are not the point, the poetry is the point.” 

 

Saturday 16 May 

7.30pm-10pm  

Amped, 29 Queensgate, HD1 2RD 

£12 (£9 conc), free for essential carers accompanying a ticket holder.

Age guidance: 16+ 

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/amped 

Book tickets

NOTE: the 10 poets performing will have free entry but their supporters will need to buy a ticket.

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at info@huddlitfest.org.uk with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page. 

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.