The Plaza Prizes started in Halifax, West Yorkshire. We were the grateful recipient of business start-up funding from Calderdale Council, and we are happy to be an active participant in ‘Culturedale’, a new initiative to promote this picturesque region as a happening destination for cultural events. We may be staging our inaugural awards ceremony in Halifax and launching our annual anthology at this event in 2023.

The Irish/British author, Simon Kerr, founded and directs The Plaza Prizes. All our competitions are international in scope, and quality is key, but with our Bursary Schemes, we encourage writers and artists who might not be earning much right now to enter for FREE. We also want writers and artists from different communities to showcase their work so if you’re from an under-presented group, please do apply to enter for FREE.