FIELDNOTES Folio Prize 2026: Win £1,000 and Publication for Innovative New Writing

Emerging writers with bold, formally innovative work can now enter the FIELDNOTES Folio Prize 2026, an international competition offering two writers £1,000 each, editorial development, and publication.

Supported by the Jan Michalski Foundation, the prize will launch FIELDNOTES Folios, a new publishing imprint dedicated to short books showcasing exciting new writing from around the world.

The winning entries will become the first two books published in the FIELDNOTES Folio series and will be distributed internationally.

 

About the FIELDNOTES Folio Prize

This prize is for unpublished writers producing ambitious and pioneering new work. FIELDNOTES is particularly interested in writing that takes risks, challenges conventional forms, and explores the space between established genres.

Submissions may include prose, poetry, hybrid works, or projects combining text and image. 

Eligible submissions include:

• Single standalone texts
• Collections of short prose
• Collections of poems
• Hybrid works
• Works combining text and image
• Other formally unconventional projects

Benefits

Two winners will each receive:

• £1,000
• Structured editorial development before publication
• Publication as a standalone FIELDNOTES Folio
• International distribution

 

Eligibility Requirements for the FIELDNOTES Folio Prize

The FIELDNOTES Folio Prize is open to unpublished writers anywhere in the world.

There are no age restrictions, educational requirements, or background requirements. Writers who have entered the literary world through non-traditional routes are welcome to apply.

The organizers particularly encourage submissions from writers who experience cultural, social, physical, or economic barriers to accessing opportunities in the arts.

However, some restrictions apply.

You are not eligible if you:

• Currently have a publishing contract or have previously held a contract with a publisher
• Have previously published a book with a major or independent publisher

 

• Writers who have published individual pieces in magazines, or literary journals are eligible.
• Self-published authors are also eligible to enter.
• They accept co-authored works only if all authors give their consent to the submission.
• Works in translation are also eligible, provided that both the author and translator consent and all translation rights have already been acquired.
• All authors are required to submit their manuscripts in English.

 

Manuscript Requirements

The required length depends on the type of work being submitted.

Individual Prose Works

Individual prose submissions must be:

Minimum: 5,000 words
Maximum: 17,500 words

Collections and Image-Based Projects

Collections of poetry or prose, as well as projects incorporating images, must be:

Minimum: 30 pages
Maximum: 85 pages

This makes the prize particularly suitable for writers working on shorter book-length projects rather than conventional full-length novels or poetry collections.

Formatting Guidelines

Manuscripts must be submitted as a single PDF.

Applicants should follow these formatting requirements carefully:

• Use 12-point Times New Roman
• Double-space the manuscript
• Include page numbers
• Include your name on every page
• Include images or artwork directly within the PDF if they are part of the project
• Keep the total file size at 5 MB or less
• Name the file with your full name, such as jane_smith.pdf
• The submission must be attached directly to the email. Applicants should not submit their manuscript as a link, zipped folder, or WeTransfer file.
• Although artwork may be submitted in colour, writers should note that FIELDNOTES can only publish artwork in black and white.

Why you need an editor for your manuscript.

Entry Fee

• The standard entry fee is £6.
• However, the competition offers free entry to writers who cannot afford the fee and to FIELDNOTES subscribers.
• Applicants who are unwaged or struggling to cover basic living costs can request a fee waiver by contacting:
• info@fieldnotes.site
• The organizers clarify that the fee waiver is not a student discount.
• Subscribers should submit their entry from the email address associated with their subscription and put “Subscriber” in the subject line.
• For applicants who pay the £6 fee, the submission cost can be claimed as a discount against purchases from the FIELDNOTES online shop using the code FNFP2026.

 

How to Submit to the FIELDNOTES Folio Prize

• Applicants who pay the submission fee should purchase their entry through the FIELDNOTES online shop and include the completed order number in the subject line of their submission email.
• Send the manuscript as a single attachment to: folio@fieldnotes.site
• After submitting the manuscript, applicants must also complete the Equal Opportunities Form, which is obligatory.

Deadline: November 11, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. GMT.