If you are aged between 11 and 19 and interested in history and writing, the YWSP is ready to take you on an adventure!  We are the UK’s only creative writing prize specifically for budding historical fiction writers. You could win a £500 travel grant, tickets to one of the UK’s best book festivals, and the chance to see your own work in print in a special anthology. Stories must be between 800 and 2,000 words, and set in a time before you were born.

This year’s competition has now closed, and entries are being prepared for judging, but we’ll be opening again in March 2025.  A timeline of key dates is below.

If you’re keen to start writing, you can still access last year’s rules on our How To Enter page, and please do check out our extraordinary archive of Walter Scott Prize shortlisted and winning authors including Hilary Mantel, Joseph O’Connor, Colm Toibin and Maggie O’Farrell giving their best video tips to young writers here.

YWSP Timeline

31st October 2024:  YWSP closed for entries – judging begins

February 2025:  YWSP shortlist announced on our website

March 2025:  YWSP category winners and runners-up announced

March 2025:  2025 competition opens

June 2025:  2024 category winners presented at Borders Book Festival

Guide to Competitions for Young Writers 2024

We know how popular our guide to other writing competitions is, so we have updated it for 2024.  Once you’ve entered the Young Walter Scott Prize, you can find out about the wealth of other competitions for young writers here!