30 Writing Contests in October 2018 - No entry fees

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There are more than two dozen writing contests in October, 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 This month there are contests for short stories, essays, poetry, and for both published and unpublished full-length works.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 publication 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 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry, sponsored by the African Poetry Book Fund and in partnership with the literary journal, Prairie Schooner, is the only one of its kind in the world and was established to promote African poetry written in English or in translation and to recognize a significant book published each year by an African poet. A standard edition is 48 pages or more in length. Genre: Open to any book of original poetry, in English, published during 2015 in a standard edition by a full-length collection of poetry. Restrictions: African nationals, African residents, or poet of African parentage with roots from any country, living anywhere in the world. Prize: USD $5,000. Deadline: October 1, 2018.

Royal Institute of Philosophy Essay Prize. Topic: Philosophy and International Relations.  Prize:  £2,500 top prize. Deadline: October 1, 2018.

Victoria Literary Festival Writing Competition. Genre: Short story: 1500 words, taking into consideration the theme of the 2018 VLF festival: Surrender to the Mystery. Prize: First prize will receive 350 CDN$ with four runners up receiving 50 CDN$ each. Deadline: October 1, 2018.

American Antiquarian Society Fellowships for Creative Writers is calling for applications for visiting fellowships for historical research by creative and performing artists, writers, film makers, journalists, and other persons whose goals are to produce imaginative, non-formulaic works dealing with pre-twentieth-century American history. Successful applicants are those whose work is for the general public rather than for academic or educational audiences. The Society's goal in sponsoring this program is to multiply and improve the ways in which an understanding of history is communicated to the American people. Prize: A stipend of $1,150 to $1,350 and on-campus housing is provided; fellows residing off-campus receive $1,850. Deadline: October 5, 2018.

RBC Taylor Prize for Literary Nonfiction. Restrictions: Open to published Canadian authors. Genre: Nonfiction book. Prize: CAN$25,000.00. Deadline: October 5, 2018 for books published between August 21 and September 30, 2018.

Man Booker International Prize. The Man Booker International Prize for fiction translated into English is awarded annually by the Booker Prize Foundation to the author of the best (in the opinion of the judges) eligible novel or collection of short stories. Prize: £50,000 divided equally between the author and the translator. There will be a prize of £2,000 each of the shortlisted titles divided equally between the author and the translator. Deadline: October 6, 2018.

Boston Accent Lit. Genre: Poem with title of "Impeachment Day." Prize: Publication in Boston Accent Lit Magazine. Deadline: October 6, 2018. 

The NC State Short Story Contests. Restrictions: Open to all North Carolina residents except 1) tenured/tenure-track professors in the University of North Carolina system or 2) writers with a published book, 3) previous winners. Genres: An unpublished SHORT STORY of no more than 20 double-spaced pages; limit 5000 words OR an unpublished SHORT-SHORT FICTION story of no more than 5 double-spaced typed pages; limit 1200 words. Prizes: James Hurst Fiction Prize for the winning story is $500. There will also be some Honorable Mention awards. Prize for short-short is $250. Deadline: October 8, 2018.

READ Foundation Competition. Restrictions: Open to writers 18 years or older living in the UK. (Younger people preferred.) Genre: Poem, short story or first person essay on the theme of “My education helped me….”. Prize: Publication. Deadline: October 10, 2018.

NUHA Blogging Prize. Genre: Article on specific topic. (See website) Prize: $150 - $2400.  Deadline: October 13, 2018.

Wax Poetry and Art Poetry Contest. Genre: Poem. (Enter 1 poem for free. There is a charge for additional poems.)  Prize: 1st place, $70 CAD. 2nd place, $20 CAD. 3rd place, $10 CAD. Deadline: October 15, 2018.

Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship. Restrictions: Poet must be born in the United States. Genre: Poetry. The sample must not exceed either (1) 40 typed pages or (2) one printed volume plus no more than 20 typed pages of your most recent work. There is no minimum page requirement. Prize: $54,000 for a year of travel and study abroad. Deadline: October 15, 2018.

The Marfield Prize, also known as the National Award for Arts Writing, is given annually by the Arts Club of Washington to nonfiction books about the arts written for a broad audience. Genre: Non-fiction book. Self-published books not accepted. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: October 15, 2018.

Civil Beat. Genre: Journalism about Hawaii. Prize: $500 for first place, $300 for second place and $200 for third place. Deadline: October 15, 2018.

Bobbing Around Book Contest. Genre: Manuscripts currently seeking an editor. Submit the first 1000 words and a 200-word synopsis for consideration. The editor will provide feedback for all 1000-word entries and post the top ten entries on his website. These will be voted upon, and the final winner will receive a “Christmas present” from the editor. Deadline: October 15 - 21, 2018.

Author Mentor Match. Genre: Completed YA or MG manuscript. Prize: Mentorship by published author. Deadline: October 15 - 21, 2018.

Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction. Restrictions: Open to residents of UK. Genre: Short stories between 2000-6000 words on the theme "Café Stories." Prize: £500 and 10 shortlisted authors will be published in an ebook anthology. Deadline: October 26, 2018.

Halloween Writing Prompt Contest. Genre: Horror. "We are asking for writing prompts from YOU. In this case we are asking for writing prompts that will produce scary stories." Prize: $500. Deadline: October 28, 2018.

50 Word Horror Story Halloween Contest. Genre: Horror: 50 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: October 28, 2018.

The Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest is sponsored by Hollins University. Restrictions: Open to young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Up to $5,000 renewable annual Creative Talent Scholarship in creative writing if winner enrolls at Hollins. Free tuition and housing for the university’s Hollins summer creative writing program. $200 cash prize. Publication in Cargoes, Hollins’ award-winning student literary magazine. Ten copies of Cargoes. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is the most prestigious literary award in the US. Restrictions: Authors must be living American citizens. Self-published works not accepted. Genres: Novels, novellas, and collections of short stories. Prize: $15,000. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

The Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize. Restrictions: Entrants must be aged 18-25 years and living in the UK. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. Each year a question or quote exploring Franklin’s relevance in our time is open for interpretation in 1000-1500 words. Prize: First prize of £750, second prize of £500. Winning entries will be posted on the website and also published online by The Telegraph. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

The Eric Gregory Awards. Restrictions: Applicants must be under 30 and a British subject by birth and must ordinarily be resident in the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland. Genre: Poetry collection. Previously published work accepted. Prize: £4,000.00. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

Burt Award for Caribbean Literature. Restrictions: Caribbean authors age 12 through 18. Genres: Published books, previously self-published books, and unpublished manuscripts are eligible for the Award. Prize: First Prize of $10,000 CAD, a Second Prize of $7,000 CAD and a Third Prize of $5,000 CAD.  Deadline: October 31, 2018.

The Young Walter Scott Prize. Restrictions: Open to UK authors aged 11-19. Genre: Historical fiction between 800 and 2000 words. Prizes: £500 travel and research grant to further explore historical places in the UK, and an invitation to the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland. Two runners-up in each category receive a £100 book token, and all four winning stories are published in a special YWSP anthology book. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

McKitterick Prize. Restrictions: Open to authors over age 40 on December 31, 2018. Genre: First novel. The work must have been first published in the UK in the year in which the deadline falls (and not first published abroad), or be unpublished. Prize: £4,000.00. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

Tom-Gallon Trust Award. Restrictions: Open to citizens of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland with at least one short story published or accepted for publication. Genre: Short story, maximum 5,000 words. May be unpublished. Prize: £1,000.00. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

Creative Writing Institute's Flash Fiction Award. Genre: Flash Fiction. Prize: $25 - $100. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

Lex:lead Essay Competition. Restrictions: Candidates must show citizenship in an eligible country and be enrolled in studies with at least one law class in an eligible country at the time of the award. Genre: Essay: How can laws affecting the free movement of people reduce poverty and support economic development? Prize: $500 scholarship. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

Kraemer Intergenerational Story Contest. Genre: Short story, video, art, audio clip featuring more than one generation. Length: 500 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: October 31, 2018.