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

DMA Talent Marketing Challenge - 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. Open to students at any stage of any course. Applications opened in January and will close on 17 May 2021.
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. You can sign up to their free online course which walks you through the process and gives you hints and tips on how to win. Call for entries open in January, this year's deadline is 23 March 2021.
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. Usually opens in April and closes in August each year.
GMKC Global Marketing Competition - business simulation competition, open to teams of current students. Last year's sign up deadline was June, with the final held in December in Madrid.
L'Oréal Student Innovator Brandstorm - crack a real business case, take it from idea to concept, learn to be a brand manager and be automatically invited to an assessment centre for a L’Oréal UK internship. The prize is a trip to Paris to compete at their international finals and an automatic offer of a summer internship or industrial placement. Registration is open until 15 March 2021.

Arts, design & creative

Arts Thread - includes arts, design and creative events and competitions and an opportunity to showcase work. Check website for competition deadlines.
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. You can sign up to their free online course which walks you through the process and gives you hints and tips on how to win. Call for entries open in January, this year's deadline is 23 March 2021.
Crafts Council: Opportunities - includes lists of awards and competitions.
ScreenSkills: Opportunities - includes competitions, mentoring, training opportunities and events
The House of Illustration - usually run the Book Illustration Competition, an 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 six illustrations and a binding design for the book, which is then published by The Folio Society. The competition is paused for this year.
The Alpine Fellowship - each year, writing, visual arts, and theatre prizes are awarded to the best works concerning the year's theme. Applications opened on 1 January 2021 and close on 1 April 2021.
MacMillan Prize for Illustration - annual illustration competition, open to students from any discipline. The winner receives £1000 prize. Applications open on 12 April 2021 and close at 17:30 on 28 April 2021.
Penguin Student Design Award - annual design and illustration competition, offering the chance to win £1,000 in prize money as well as a work placement in the Penguin Random House Design Studios. Open to students of all disciplines. Applications opened on 2 December 2020 and closed on Tuesday 2 March 2021.

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. This year's competition closed on 21 January 2021.
Northern Writers' Awards - annual competition, offering cash prizes, mentoring and support to talented writers based in the North of England. This year's competition closed on 18 February 2021.
British Guild of Agricultural Journalists/John Deere Journalism Training Award - training course and 3 days work experience in late June/early July for aspiring journalists and PR professionals in the agriculture sector. There's also a chance to win the John Deere trophy and £250. Last year's applications closed on 31 March 2020.
The Alpine Fellowship - each year, writing, visual arts, and theatre prizes are awarded to the best works concerning the year's theme. Applications opened on 1 January 2021 and close on 1 April 2021.
Thousand Films - script-writing competition in partnership with BBC Studios ScriptWorks. Last year's competition opened on 24 November 2020 and closed on 18 December 2020.
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF): Student Critics Programme - annual programme offering experience, skills and networking to UK based students aged 18-25 with a passion for cinema. Successful applicants will attend screenings, receptions and events at EIFF, will be mentored by professional film journalists, and create articles during their time at EIFF in June each year.
BAFTA - range of talent support programmes, including their UK Scholarships Programme which awards scholarships of up to £10,000 to UK students in need of financial assistance to take a postgraduate course related to a career in film, television or game, and screenwriting competitions. Register your interest to be notified when 2021 applications open.

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. Usually opens around April and closes around July/August.

Media

Student Radio Awards - annual competition awarding the best in student radio across 12 categories.
BAFTA - range of talent support programmes, including their UK Scholarships Programme which awards scholarships of up to £10,000 to UK students in need of financial assistance to take a postgraduate course related to a career in film, television or game, and screenwriting competitions. Register your interest to be notified when 2021 applications open.
Edinburgh TV Festival: The Network - 4-day free entry-level scheme for anyone aged 18+ who wants to start a career in television. Applications opened in February and will close in April.
John Brabourne Awards - financial assistance for talented individuals with at least 2 years' related experience, wanting to break into TV or film. Usually has two deadlines per year: 31 January (opens in Nov) and 31 July (opens in May).
Shooting People - details of the latest film upload competitions. (subscription required)
ScreenSkills: Opportunities - includes competitions, mentoring, training opportunities and events
Grierson Trust: Best Student Documentary - awarded to a student director for a film made during a UK-based, full-time academic course. Last year's entries opened on 1 April and closed on 29 May 2020.

Music & performing arts

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