Competitions.
All competitions are free to enter.
(All Competitions Are Open To Entries From UK Residents Only)
Here is the prompt:
You take a step into the rainforest… and everything feels different. You look up and the tall trees in the sky form a green roof over your head. The air is warm and damp. Sunlight streams through the gaps in the trees making golden spots on the forest floor. You hear the insects calling, the monkeys chatting in the trees and the birds singing. This is the beating heart of the rainforest.
Suddenly a voice comes from nowhere, “Welcome to the rainforest, I have been waiting for you.”
What happens next, who or what is waiting for you deeper in the forest?
We hope the soundscape helps you find your character or set your scene.
Open to UK residents only.
The Challenge is to write a novel in a year!
Win a Tablet PC All finalists have the opportunity to get their completed book published.
This Competition has now CLOSED.
The current cohort of Challengers are being mentored throughout 2025.
We will be open to new submissions summer 2025, for mentoring opportunities in 2027.
If you have an idea for a novel that you would like to write or have written a book and not sure what the next stage in the process is, this is for you. To enter send in your book idea we will review the entries with industry experts. Writers of the best ideas will be selected to be mentored by a professional writer who will work with you to complete your book and make it ready for publication. Your commitment is to 12 months of free mentoring.
Discover who won in 2024!
Core to the Pen to Print programme are our free to enter competitions.
The Book Challenge is our premier competition with the fabulous prize of becoming part of our free mentoring programme with support to write and publish your own book! We have already seen Challengers publish and win awards for their books, so if you have a story that you have always wanted to turn into a book why wait, have a go!
If you don’t have a book idea but love to tell stories or are more poetic, why not enter the Poetry, Audio Play or Short Story Competitions? Each year we will feature an additional competition which could be playwriting, screenwriting, photography or film making; so you can explore other forms of telling your story.
We are sure you will find inspiration to put pen to paper which you may be lucky enough to see in print, good luck!
Each competition has outline details and links to its specific Terms and Conditions, to make sure you are eligible please read these carefully before you enter.
Please NOTE by entering a Pen to Print competition the author is giving permission for Pen to Print to publish and/or broadcast their work, if it chooses, digitally or in print. For these Terms & Conditions please CLICK HERE.
Any online and social media competitions may have different closing dates.
Always check the full Terms and Conditions of each competition for closing dates and entry requirements.
CLICK HERE for our How To Guide for entering competitions
Please do not post or hand deliver your entries.
We only accept entries sent by email.
If you have any questions please connect with us by email: pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk or by phone 020 8227 2267
