Light on a path in the forest

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Wild Muse Nature Writing Prize for Creative Dreamers

Theme

submission guidelines

The judges

competition rules

participate

the wild muse nature writing prize 2026

we are now open for entries

( the theme )

Nature’s POWER to heal, guide and transform

The Wild Muse Nature Writing Prize invites personal stories, poems, and essays that explore our relationship with the living world.

We’re looking for pieces where nature participates in the story. We are interested in what happens when the outer landscape meets the inner one and something shifts as a result: perhaps a river changes how you think, or a hillside holds your grief. It could be that a tree, a season, or a stretch of wild ground asks something of you.

We’re seeking writing in which the land is alive on the page – influencing thought, feeling, and transformation. You might write about a time when being outdoors altered your sense of who you are. A moment when the wind challenged you. When birdsong steadied you. When frost, mud, heat, or darkness became teacher.

Your piece might trace a personal reckoning in which land or weather played a decisive role. It might explore belonging, rupture, chronic illness, devotion, recovery, or reorientation through close attention to plants, animals, water, stone, or sky. It might question the stories we’ve inherited about separation, and offer instead an experience of interconnection.

We welcome work that listens deeply. Work that lingers. Work that risks honesty. Whether you’re an experienced writer or someone who writes simply because you cannot not write, your voice belongs here.

Nature’s healing and guidance is not always gentle. The way it teaches and transforms is not always overtly obvious. We’re interested in the places where the relationship feels real, where the natural world is an active presence — shaping, challenging, and companioning the writer.

  • The winner will receive £750

  • Second place will be awarded £300

  • Third place will receive £150

  • let’s

  • amplify

  • the

  • voice

  • of

  • nature

  • together

let’s amplify the voice of nature together

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( submission guidelines )

Gabriela Blandy during a creative writing session in nature

1.

Wild Muse exists to celebrate the unique voice and lived experience of each writer. For this reason, we only accept entries that are entirely human-authored. AI-generated or substantially AI-assisted entries are not eligible.

2.

We open for submissions on Monday 1st June at 10am (UK time) and will close on Monday 14th September at 5pm (UK time).

3.

The entry fee is £10.36. (A small increase has been added this year to cover payment processing fees.) NOTE: we’re offering 10 bursaries for writers who would otherwise be unable to enter. Please email wildmuseprize@gmail.com with evidence of your financial need.

4.

We accept multiple applications per entrant as long as the fee is paid for each submission.

5.

Submissions can take various forms - poems, personal narratives, articles, magical stories, philosophical reflections, essays, provided that:

  • The entrant is the sole author;

  • The entry is written in English and is unpublished;

  • The submission aligns with the theme – Nature’s Wisdom and Healing;

  • The entry is within the word limit (2,000) and is anonymous - please do NOT include your name on your entry;

  • We receive your entry before the deadline on Monday 14th September at 5pm (UK time).

meet the judges

Gabriela Blandy portrait

gabriela blandy

founder of wild muse

hello creative dreamer,

I’ve received several accolades for my own writing, which has been really encouraging. In fact, it was while collecting an award last year that I decided to establish this prize. I realised I wanted to amplify the voices of those who’ve been touched by the earth’s magic and inspire others to embark on their own journey of self-discovery in nature.

The healing power and guidance of nature has transformed my life in many miraculous ways. I know I’m not the only one who has experienced nature’s magic, which is why I’m excited to read other people’s experiences.

I’ll be looking for essays that explore the feelings certain elements or animals can inspire within us, the lessons we can learn from the natural world, and/or the subtle ways the earth speaks to us. If I could offer one piece of advice I would say: rather than focusing on the writing (worrying about whether it’s ‘good enough’), hold your attention on the experience you want to tell us about and simply give it words.

I can’t wait to witness the profound insights and experiences that will emerge from your submissions. Let’s celebrate the guidance and transformative power of nature together!

Alice vincent

bestselling Author and journalist bringing fresh perspectives on nature, place, motherhood and modern life.

I’m hugely delighted that Alice Vincent will be judging this year's Wild Muse Nature Writing Prize.

I first discovered Alice's writing through Rootbound at a time when my connection with nature was deepening. I was a few years into single life after the end of a relationship that hadn't served me, and nature was calling me in ways that felt impossible to ignore. I knew I needed to spend more time outdoors, but I also felt an emerging desire to write about my experiences.

Up until then, I had assumed nature writing was largely scientific, observational, or technical. I didn't realise it could hold so much of a writer's personal story. Reading Rootbound changed that. Here was a book that explored heartbreak alongside growing plants on a balcony, showing me that nature writing could be intimate, emotional, and deeply human. It expanded my understanding of the genre and, in many ways, gave me permission to explore my own experiences through the lens of the natural world.

Since then, Alice has become one of the leading voices in contemporary nature writing. Through books such as Rootbound, the bestselling Why Women Grow, and her recently published novel Hark, as well as her journalism, podcasting and storytelling, she has consistently explored the rich connections between people, place, growth, belonging and the living world around us.

What I particularly admire is Alice's ability to illuminate the often-overlooked parts of life. Her work reminds us that nature is not separate from our human experience, but woven through it. Whether writing about a city balcony, a garden, grief, joy, friendship or change, she reveals how the natural world can help us better understand ourselves.

For a prize that celebrates personal stories inspired by nature, I can think of no one better placed to judge this year's entries.

Share Your experience of Nature’s guidance, Healing & transformation

When making your £10.36 payment, you'll also have the opportunity to contribute to our bursary fund. These optional donations help support writers who would otherwise be unable to enter.

enter now

( substack community )

STAY UPDATED and ENHANCE your WRITING and HEALING JOURNEY

If you’re considering entering the Wild Muse Nature Writing Prize, then joining the community on Substack will be the perfect way to ensure you don’t miss any important updates or deadlines. But that’s not all. The Wild Muse community offers valuable content designed to inspire nature lovers and creative dreamers.

My weekly posts and podcasts will provide guidance on how to pursue your dreams, tap into creative flow, heal emotional blocks, and uncover your magic by fostering your relationship with nature’s elements.

Please subscribe to the supportive and informative Wild Muse Community and take the first step towards sharing your voice with the world.

join the community

( UNLOCKING NATURE’S HEALING and guidance )

CRAFT your PRIZE-WINNING ESSAY

Need inspiration for your healing and writing journey?

Check out the Podcast interviews with our past judges and winners, and also enjoy a selection of the shortlisted and longlisted entries on the Wild Muse Substack to help with your submissions and provide deeper insight into the ways that nature can both inspire and heal us. 

Watch my clip with Joanna Wolfarth our 2024 winner on the right.

Subscribe to Wild Muse on Substack

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( competition rules )

  • By entering this Competition, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and acknowledge that failure to comply with them may result in disqualification. Entrants are responsible for ensuring that participation in the Competition complies with any applicable laws or regulations in their country of residence.

  • The Competition is open to all entrants except employees and trustees of Wild Muse ("the Promoter"), their immediate family members, judges, and anyone directly involved in the administration of the Competition. Multiple entries are permitted. Incomplete entries will be deemed invalid.

  • The Competition will open for submissions at 10:00am (UK time) on Monday 1 June 2026. Entries will be accepted until 5:00pm (UK time) on Monday 14 September 2026 ("the Closing Date").

    The longlist will be announced via the Wild Muse Substack on 3 November 2026. The shortlist will be announced via the Wild Muse Substack on 17 November 2026. The three winning entries will be announced via the Wild Muse Substack on 1 December 2026.

    If a prize is declined, unclaimed, or a winner fails to respond within five business days of the winners being announced, the Promoter reserves the right to select an alternative winner. In such circumstances, the original winning entry will forfeit its claim to the prize.

  • The following prizes shall be provided by the Promoter: £750 (seven hundred and fifty pounds Sterling) for first place, £300 (three hundred pounds Sterling) for second place, and £150 (one hundred and fifty pounds Sterling) for third place.

    Prize money will be paid in Pounds Sterling (£) by bank transfer to a UK bank account or via PayPal, at the winner's choice.

  • Copyright in all submitted work remains with the author. However, by entering the Competition, authors of the three winning entries grant the Promoter the right to publish their winning work in the Wild Muse Substack and to promote the Competition in connection with the announcement of the results.

  • Entrants are advised to retain a copy of their entry, as the Promoter is unable to return submitted work.

    Each entry must:

    • Be written in the English language;

    • Be no longer than 2,000 words in length, including the title;

    • Be an original work of which the entrant is the sole author;

    • Not have been published, self-published, or accepted for publication in print or online;

    • Consist of an essay, standalone extract from an unpublished book, or diary entry. Works intended for future publication are eligible, provided they are not scheduled for publication before 1 January 2027;

    • Be submitted via the Wild Muse website and formatted as a double-spaced Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx), set in 12-point Times New Roman with numbered pages. The file name must be the title of the entry;

    • Not be a translation into English of a work originally written in another language;

    • Not contain the author's name anywhere within the document or file name;

    • Be accompanied by payment of the entry fee, unless the entrant has been awarded one of the 10 bursary places.

  • Entries generated wholly or substantially by artificial intelligence are not eligible for the Competition. Entrants must submit work that is their own original human-authored writing.

    The Promoter reserves the right to screen entries using AI detection software, including Pangram. Entries identified as containing AI-generated content may be disqualified at the Promoter's discretion.

    By entering the Competition, entrants confirm that their submission is 100% human-authored.

    Entries received after the Closing Date, or which do not comply with these Terms and Conditions, may be disqualified and will not be considered for the Competition.

horses in nature buy sunset

  • By submitting an entry, you warrant that the work is your own original creation, does not infringe any copyright, intellectual property, privacy, or other legal rights of any third party, and does not breach any applicable laws or regulations.

  • If circumstances arise beyond the reasonable control of the Promoter that make it impossible or impracticable to award the prizes as planned, the Promoter reserves the right to vary, amend, suspend, or withdraw the prizes, or to amend these Terms and Conditions, with or without notice.

  • The judge's decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding their decisions or the Competition. An experienced reading panel assists with the initial assessment of entries and the selection of the longlist, which is then provided to Alice Vincent for consideration in determining the shortlist and winning entries.

  • The winning entrant and runners-up agree to the Promoter's use of their name and any photograph provided by them for publicity and promotional purposes relating to the Competition.

  • Personal data will be used solely for the administration of the Competition and will not be shared with third parties, except where necessary for the operation of the Competition. Personal data will be deleted after the Competition has concluded, unless an entrant has separately subscribed to the Wild Muse Substack, in which case their data will be retained in accordance with the Wild Muse privacy policy and the terms of that subscription.

  • 13.1 The judge's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the Competition or its results.

    13.2 The Promoter accepts no responsibility for entries that are lost, delayed, corrupted, misdirected, incomplete, or otherwise unable to be processed for any reason beyond its reasonable control.

    13.3 To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Promoter shall not be liable for any loss, damage, or claim arising from participation in the Competition or the acceptance of any prize.

    13.4 These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute arising in connection with the Competition shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

  • The Promoter’s contact details are: Upper Woodford Farmhouse, Upper Woodford, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 6PA

    Any enquiries relating to the prize should be emailed to our prize administrator Nadja: wildmuseprize@gmail.com

man sitting alone in the forest and writing

A Call to Connect:

Share your Journey of Nature’s guidance, Healing and transformation

If you're ready to submit your entry, please click on the payment button below. Once you've provided the £10.36 entry fee, you'll be redirected to our online form where you can upload your submission.

When making your payment, you'll also have the opportunity to contribute to our bursary fund. These optional donations help support writers who would otherwise be unable to enter. Last year, we received more bursary requests than we could fund and operated a waiting list.

We continue to offer 10 bursary places for writers who might find the entry fee prohibitive. If you would like to apply, please email wildmuseprize@gmail.com with evidence of your financial need.

Enter now

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( 2025 results )

To write of nature is to remember we’re never separate from what we seek – the wild isn’t out there, but within.

Our three 2025 winners have been announced. Head here to read more.

The twenty-four Longlisted writers and thirteen Honourable Mentions are also live. Read more here.

You can see the Shortlist as well as read the openings to the pieces and what made them stand out here.

Please ensure you’re subscribed to the Wild Muse Substack to stay up to date with the 2026 prize.

We’ll also be sharing more of our 2025 favourites on the Wild Muse Prize Instagram account each week.

( 2024 winners )

three remarkable voices exploring the healing power of the natural world.

FIRST PLACE: ‘Imprints’ by Joanna Wolfarth

SECOND PLACE: ‘Hummingbird Hymn’ by Kristy A. Belton

THIRD PLACE: ‘One Red Leaf’ by Vinitha

Please ensure you’re subscribed to the Wild Muse Substack to stay up to date with the prize.