22 Writing Contests in September 2018 - No Entry Fees

Max Pixel

There are nearly two dozen writing contests in September, none of which charge entry fees. This month there are contests for short stories, essays, poetry, and for both published and unpublished full-length works. Prizes range from a gift basket to $25,000. As always, read the guidelines carefully. Many contests have geographical and age restrictions.

If you want to get an idea of what kinds of contests are offered throughout the year, take a look at Free Contests. The majority of these contests are yearly events. When it comes to contests, it's always a good idea to plan ahead.
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The Critical Junior Poet’s Award. Restrictions: Open to students between the ages of 13 and 18.  Genre: Poetry. Prize: $100. Deadline: September 1, 2018.

Cheshire Prize for Literature. Restrictions: The writer must have been born, live or have lived, study or have studied, work or have worked, in Cheshire, UK. Genre: Original and previously unpublished children's story or poem. Prize: £2,000. Deadline: September 1, 2018.

PEN Prison Writing Contest. Restrictions: Anyone incarcerated in a federal, state, or county prison in the year before the September 1 deadline is eligible to enter. Genres: Poetry, fiction, drama, creative nonfiction. Prize: $200 top prize per category. Deadline: September 1, 2018.

Wrightwood Literary Festival Young Poets Competition. Restrictions: Open to school-aged poets in the Tri-Community area and beyond (Wrightwood, CA). Genre: Poetry. Prize: Gift basket and invitation to read at the festival. Deadline: September 1, 2018.

Helen Schaible Shakespearean/Petrarchan Sonnet Contest. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $50, 2nd Prize $35, 3rd Prize $15, three Honorable Mentions, three Special Recognitions. Deadline: September 1, 2018.

Pitch America is a pitch contest created by Laura Pohl to focus on submissions and books produced by Latino voices. This contest will feature the first 500 words and the 35-word pitch of completed and polished manuscripts written by Latinos. Please keep it in mind that this exclusively for Latino writers. Prize: Chance at representation. Deadline: September 5, 2018.

Cullman Center Fellowships. Fellowship. The Cullman Center’s Selection Committee awards up to 15 fellowships a year to outstanding scholars and writers—academics, independent scholars, journalists, and creative writers. Foreign nationals conversant in English are welcome to apply. Award: A stipend of up to $70,000, an office, a computer, and full access to the Library's physical and electronic resources. Deadline: September 8, 2018.

Princemere Poetry Prize. Frequency: Annual prize. Genre: Poetry in any style. Prize: $300.   Deadline: September 11, 2018.

Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets. Restrictions: Poetry poetry pamphlet must be published in the UK between 1st July 2016 and 31st July 2017. Genre: Poetry. Prize:  £5,000.   Deadline: September 13, 2018.

Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing. Genre: Short story on theme: Women’s Writes. Prize: £200.  Deadline: September 15, 2018.

Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing. Genre: Scholarly essay. All work submitted must have been written or published within the last year. Prize: $3,000. Deadline: September 15, 2018.

Brilliant Flash Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction. Word limit: 300 words, excluding title. Prize: 50 euro first prize (or equivalent amount in your currency), 25 euro second prize, 15 euro third prize.   Deadline: September 15, 2018.

Stories Out of School. Genre: Flash fiction. Prize: First-prize winners receive $1000; second-prize winners, $500. Both will be published online by Tin House. Deadline: September 16, 2018.

Past Loves Day Story Contest. Genre: Short personal essay. "Nearly everyone has memories of a former sweetheart. Write your true story of an earlier love, in no more than 700 words. Tell us about someone whose memory brings a smile or a tear." Prize: $100 top prize. Deadline: September 17, 2018.

Shaughnessy Cohen Award for Political Writing. Genre: Book of literary nonfiction that captures a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers and has the potential to shape or influence thinking on contemporary Canadian political life. Book must be published in Canada. Prize: CAN $25,000.00. Deadline: Books published between June 20 and September 18 must be received by September 19, 2018.

RSL Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction. Restrictions: The writer must be a resident of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or have been a resident in the UK or ROI for the past three years. Genre: Nonfiction book. Prize: Two awards – one of £10,000, one of £5,000 – are offered to support writers to complete their first commissioned works of non-fiction. Deadline: September 19, 2018.

Iowa Short Fiction and John Simmons Short Fiction Awards. Genre: Short story collection. The manuscript must be a collection of short stories in English of at least 150 word-processed, double-spaced pages. Prize: Publication by the University of Iowa Press, royalties. Deadline: September 30, 2018.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is held four times a year. Restrictions: The Contest is open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least six cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits. Genre: Short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy. Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500, Annual Grand Prize: $5,000.  Deadline: September 30, 2018.

Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Contest. Genre: Short fiction. Prize: $100. Deadline: September 30, 2018.

Salisbury Story Prize. Genre: Short fiction (500 words) on theme of "Umbrellas" or "Doves." Open to ages 4 and up. Prize: £50 for children to be spent at Waterstones. Free online course for adults.  Deadline: September 30, 2018.

Johnson and Amoy Achong Caribbean Writers Prize. Restrictions:Open to writers of Caribbean birth or citizenship, living and working in the Anglophone Caribbean and writing in English, over the age of 18 by 30 September, 2018 and have no previously published a book-length work in the genre in which they are making a submission.Genre: Prose fiction work in progress. Prize: $20,000TT (or the equivalent in US dollars). Deadline: September 30, 2018.

Lilith Magazine Fiction Competition. Genre: Story of interest to Jewish women. Prize: $250.    Deadline: September 30, 2018.