Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize

A project of Wasafiri

About

Since its inception, the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize has awarded some of the most exciting new voices in life writing, poetry, and fiction from around the world.
Launched to commemorate the magazine's 25th anniversary, the Prize has been recognising excellence in fiction, life writing, and poetry for fifteen years. The prize is named in honour of our partnership with Queen Mary, University of London, a collaboration that reflects a shared commitment to nurturing literary voices and communities.
Representing more of the globe than any other prize of its kind, the prize supports writers who have not published book-length works, with no limits on age, gender, nationality, or background.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions.
The fee range is GBP £6 to £16 (below average to above average for contests).

Limited Demographic: Submissions are restricted to anyone who has not published a complete book in the category they are entering.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United Kingdom

Established in 2009

Publication Medium & Contest Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication: Awarded 1 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

22 members set this contest as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize's overall average response time is slower than most contests.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Short Story: 1,000 - 3,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Winner's Prize:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: GBP £1,000 prize.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Multiple entries: Multiple entries are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 3,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 3,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Winner's Prize:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: GBP £1,000 prize.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Multiple entries: Multiple entries are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 3 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Winner's Prize:

Professional payment (US$50 or more per poem) Professional payment. Details: GBP £1,000 prize.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Multiple entries: Multiple entries are allowed.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

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Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:

Group by submission

Accuracy

We have received 6 reports from 6 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

92 min | 144.0 mean avg | 103.0 median | 352 max days (102.3 std dev)

Pending

7 responses are pending (79 min | 111.1 mean avg | 121.0 median | 144 max days waiting | 26.0 std dev) from 6 different members

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: GBP £12.00.
Most recent response reported was received on 06 Oct 2025.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 30 Jun 2025.
Date compiled: 11 Sep 2026 23:44 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 14 Aug 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.