The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF) is pleased to announce the launch of its 2025 Writing Competition, inviting submissions of new writing inspired by mental health and this year’s evocative theme: ‘Comfort & Disturb’.
One of SMHAF’s most celebrated and enduring initiatives, the writing competition offers a unique platform for both emerging and established writers to explore mental health through fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. The competition is free to enter and open to writers from across Scotland, the UK, and internationally.
This year, the awards ceremony will take place in Aberdeen for the first time, marking a significant milestone in the festival’s mission to reach new communities. The event on 29 October at Cowdray Hall will be hosted by Jo Gilbert, a spoken word artist and writer from Aberdeen, who writes in Doric, Scots and English.
“We’re delighted to invite writers of all backgrounds to take part in this year’s SMHAF Writing Competition. Every year, we’re moved and inspired by the creativity and honesty people bring to their work, and the theme ‘Comfort & Disturb’ offers a powerful space to explore the complexities of mental health. Whether you’re an experienced writer or putting pen to paper for the first time, this is your opportunity to be part of a vibrant, supportive community that values your voice. We can’t wait to read your stories.”
Gail Aldam, Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival Manager
The event will be held in partnership with WayWORD, a cross-arts literary festival produced by young people at the University of Aberdeen.
“WayWORD empowers young people to produce a cross-arts literary festival in Aberdeen which celebrates new work and ideas, amplifies diverse voices and breaks down barriers to culture in our community. It is part of the WORD Centre for Creative Writing at the University of Aberdeen where we are passionate about researching and promoting the benefits of creativity on mental health.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Scotland’s Mental Health Arts Festival on their creative writing competition this year, and look forward to hosting the prizegiving in Aberdeen for the first time.”
Shane Strachan, Director at WayWORD
The competition is now open for entries in the following categories:
- Fiction: Short stories (500–2000 words)
- Poetry: Poems (up to 40 lines)
- Creative Nonfiction: Personal essays, diary entries, letters, and more (500–2000 words)
Shortlisted writers will be invited to read their work at the awards ceremony during SMHAF 2025. Winning and shortlisted entries will also be published in a beautifully illustrated print and digital anthology.
In recent years, the competition has been judged by a distinguished panel of writers and mental health professionals, with past jurors including Sarah Bernstein, Jenni Fagan, and Graham Morgan, and hosts such as Ian Rankin and Hannah Lavery.
The deadline for submissions is 11.59pm on Monday 4 August 2025. Entries must be original, unpublished, and submitted via the online form in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format.
For full guidelines and to enter, visit the SMHAF website. (www.mhfestival.com)
Stay tuned to SMHAF and WayWORD’s social media channels for updates on the writing programme, including a series of summer workshops designed to inspire and support writers of all backgrounds.
SMHAF Instagram: @mhfestival
WayWORD Instagram: @waywordabdn
