South East England

South East England, encompassing the commuter counties surrounding London, benefits from close proximity to the UK publishing industry while maintaining its own distinct literary community. Local writing groups, literary festivals held in market towns and coastal cities, and regional arts councils across the region run contests that give writers a lower-competition alternative to entering directly against London-based entrants.

The region's mix of historic towns and countryside has also shaped a number of contests with a strong sense of place, rewarding fiction and poetry grounded in local landscape and history. Writers here often move fluidly between local competitions and the national contests based in nearby London.