SMHAF Writing Competition

A project of Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival

About

The writing competition is one of SMHAF’s most enduring successes, providing an opportunity for first-time writers to be published alongside established names.
The awards ceremony helps us to discover what our festival is really about, as people from across Scotland and further afield take inspiration from our theme in poignant, powerful, personal and often ingenious and surprising ways.

No Fees! This contest does not charge mandatory fees.

Country of Publication

United Kingdom

Publication Media & Contest Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Awarded 1 x per year
Print Publication Print Publication: Awarded 1 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

13 members set this contest as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: SMHAF Writing Competition's overall average response time is faster than most contests.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities, Britons, People living with mental health conditions.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: 500 - 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 2,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Health/Medicine: Mental health, See guidelines.
Other: May vary.

Winner's Prize:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities, Britons, People living with mental health conditions.

Lengths:

Narrative Nonfiction: 500 - 2,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream, Personal.

Topics:

Health/Medicine: Mental health, See guidelines.
Other: May vary.

Winner's Prize:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities, Britons, People living with mental health conditions.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: Up to 40 lines.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Health/Medicine: Mental health, See guidelines.
Other: May vary.

Winner's Prize:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

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

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Submission/Response
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Social:
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Instagram @mhfestival

For the Editor(s):
Request Interview
Duosuma Submission Manager
Link to Duotrope

SMHAF Writing Competition 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 4 reports from 4 different members within the past 12 months. The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

39 min | 52.5 mean avg | 52.5 median | 66 max days (14.5 std dev)

Other Information

Most recent response reported was received on 13 Sep 2025.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 04 Aug 2025.
Date compiled: 11 Sep 2026 23:42 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: 08 Jul 2026

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