Media, creative & cultural

Taking part in competitions can enhance your career opportunities in this sector. You could win a cash prize, an internship or even a chance to travel abroad.

Deadlines are staggered throughout the year, so check each link for up-to-date information.

Advertising, PR & marketing

IDM Student Marketing Competition - opportunity to win hands-on experience, prizes and the opportunity to meet and impress marketing’s top VIPs. Set up your student agency, get stuck into a real-life marketing brief and pitch your solution to a real-life client. Applications usually open in January and close in May.
D&AD: New Blood Awards - annual competition to cultivate new creative talent. Open to all students and recent graduates, the challenge is to answer a creative brief set by world famous brands. Deadline for entries is in March each year.
ADCAN Awards - annual film competition to encourage unsigned filmmakers and animators to submit a 30sec ad from a chosen charity brief. You could win exposure to top production companies and have your ad promoted and featured by Vimeo. Opens in April and closes in August each year. This year's deadline is 15 August 2018.
British Guild of Agricultural Journalists/John Deere Journalism Training Award - training course and 3 days work experience in early July for aspiring journalists and PR professsionals in the agriculture/horticulture sectors. There's also a chance to win the John Deere trophy and £250. Applications closed on 27 April 2018.
GMKC Global Marketing Competition - marketing simulation competition, open to teams of current students. Sign up deadline was 19 June 2018, with the competition starting in June and the final held in December in Madrid.

Arts, design & creative

Arts Thread - includes arts, design and creative events and competitions and an opportunity to showcase work.
D&AD - British educational charity which exists to promote excellence in creative communications. Run a ‘new blood’ competition for young people between 18-23 including students and recent graduates. Closed on 20 March this year.
Crafts Council: Opportunities - includes lists of awards and competitions.
Hiive: Opportunities - includes competitions across a range of creative sectors, including music, dance and theatre.
Hyundai: Innovators of the Future - design competition to re-imagine car interiors of the future. The winner and a friend will have a 5 day trip to Seoul, South Korea, where they'll visit Hyundai's Experience Centre and meet top designers, innovators, and creatives, plus receive £1000 spending money. Applications closed on 4 February 2018.
Love Art Young Artist Prize 2018 - enter for a chance to win over £6000 of art-related prizes, exhibition and a feature in Saatchi Gallery Magazine for 50 young artists. Deadline this year was 16 March 2018.
The House of Illustration: The Book Illustration Competition - annual international competition open to illustrators over the age of 18 who have not been previously published by The Folio Society. The winner receives a commission worth £5,000 to complete a total of nine illustrations and a binding design for the book, which is then published by The Folio Society. Five runners each receive £500 cash. Closes in January each year.
The House of Illustration: The Lauren Child Poetry Illustration Prize - international prize for illustrators aged 18-25. £1000 first prize, plus prizes for commended illustrators. The top 12 illustrators will be exhibited at St Pancras International station in September 2018. This year's competition closed on 1 June 2018.

Journalism, writing & publishing

Journo Resouces: Young and Student Journalism Awards - comprehensive list of awards and competitions by deadline.
The Poetry Society - list of competitions and prizes.
Amnesty International Media Awards - includes a student award for students who have had an article published (or a radio/TV piece broadcast) in a recognised student media outlet. The prize is two weeks' work experience at the Observer. Next year's competition closes in January 2019.
The David Welch Student Sportswriter of the Year Award - open to full-time students aged 16-25. Closed this year in February.
Hiive: Opportunities - includes competitions across a range of creative sectors, including music, dance and theatre.
Northern Writers' Awards - annual competition, offering cash prizes, mentoring and support to talented writers based in the North of England. Opens in December and closes in early February each year.
British Guild of Agricultural Journalists/John Deere Journalism Training Award - training course and 3 days work experience in early July for aspiring journalists and PR professsionals in the agriculture/horticulture sectors. There's also a chance to win the John Deere trophy and £250. Applications closed on 27 April 2018.
New Writing North: Young Writers’ Talent Fund - supports people aged 15-25 living in Newcastle, looking to contribute to the culture of the region. Funding and support for projects across a range of literature or writing forms including: graphic novels, spoken word, flash fiction, script, poetry, prose, journalism, blogging, or another area of arts or cultural activity. Closing date this year was 1 June 2018.

Languages

Harvill Secker Young Translators' Prize - aims to recognise and celebrate the achievements of young translators at the start of their careers. The prize is open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 34, with no restriction on country of residence.

Media

Student Radio Awards - annual competition awarding the best in student radio across 12 categories. Entries are open now, and the deadline is 23:59 on 13 July 2018
BAFTA UK Scholarships Programme - award scholarships to UK students in need of financial assistance to take a postgraduate course related to a career in film, television or game. Scholarships provide up to £10,000 to cover one year's course fees, an industry mentor and free access to BAFTA events around the UK for a year. Applications usually open in March and close mid June.
Edinburgh TV Festival: The Network - 4-day free entry-level scheme for anyone aged 18+ who wants to start a career in television. Applications open in February each year.
John Brabourne Awards - funding opportunities for talented individuals with at least 2 years' related experience, wanting to break into TV or film. Two deadlines per year: 31 January and 31 July.
Shooting People - details of the latest film upload competitions.
Hiive: Opportunities - includes competitions across a range of creative sectors.
ADCAN Awards - annual film competition to encourage unsigned filmmakers and animators to submit a 30sec ad from a chosen charity brief. You could win exposure to top production companies and have your ad promoted and featured by Vimeo. Opens in April and closes in August each year.

Music & performing arts

World Federation of International Music Competitions - lists international classical music competitions.