Do you ever feel that your writing and creative work is made to feel like detritus? Like debris, rejected and lost, floating amongst the myriad of new writing that exists out there? You know your work is good and so do we – which is why we’re proud to launch the Detritus Writing Competition 2025 - for unpublished writers whose work has been previously rejected.

Detritus is our first international writing competition and will open to entrants on 7th April 2025. Following a long and shortlisting process, the winner will be offered a prestigious full publishing contract with Pudding Press Ltd.

The theme of the competition is flexible, but we are looking for original, inspirational and engaging work from within the categories of Horror, Philosophy or Young Adult fiction. We are particularly looking for urgency and excitement within the content.

The competition is open to all writers internationally. Entrants must be 18 and over. Entries must be written in English and it is essential that entrants have had work rejected and have not been previously awarded a significant publishing deal. All writing must be by a human, with no AI content included. See the FAQs for more details.

​​

There are two tiers of entry. The first tier costing £10 per entry, includes some social media promotion of you and your work and 10% off in the Pudding Press shop for one calendar year.

​

The second tier costs £40 per entry and includes all the above but entrants will also receive feedback on their submission. This feedback will made by a suitable editor specialising in each of our categories, Philosophy, Horror and Young Adult. If you choose this tier, you will also be given the option to resubmit your work to be re-judged before the long listing process.

​

All longlisted entrants will be included in our longlisted promotion. Shortlisted entrants will be asked to supply their whole manuscript at the point of shortlisting.

The winner will receive an offer of a publishing contract and will be represented by Pudding Press Ltd. The prize will include publication of your book, promotion and book design. 

The deadline for entries is Midnight (UK time) on 30th September 2025. All feedback for the £40 entries will be sent by 31st of October. These entrants will be able to re-submit their entry (once) by 15th December. The longlist will be announced on 31st January 2026. The shortlist will be announced on 1st March 2026. The winner will be announced on 30th March 2026, with an estimated publishing date of their work in spring 2027. 

Entrants will need to supply the first 20 pages of their unpublished manuscript together with a short bio and short synopsis of work (up to 500 words). 

Pudding Press is a UK-based Indie micro publisher based in London which focuses on philosophy, horror and young adult fiction. We have a strong ethical approach which underpins our own philosophy and everything we do. Read more about the Pudding Press here, and our blog which includes our 2025 re introduction.

​

Read our Terms & Conditions here.

​

​

​

​