36 Writing Contests in May 2019 - No entry fees

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There are three dozen free writing contests in May. Prizes range from tens of thousands of dollars to publication. As always, read the restrictions to make sure you qualify.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck!

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Sunlight Press. Genre: Essay. Prize: $100 plus their regular payment for submissions. Deadline: May 1, 2019.

Remastered Words Short Story Competition. Genre: Short story up to 5,000 words. Prize: £75, £50, £25. The winning stories will be produced as audio shorts by voiceover artists. Deadline: May 1, 2019.

Great Plains Emerging Tribal Writer Award. Restrictions: Open to writers enrolled in a Native American tribe from the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Nebraska who have not published a book of creative writing. Genres: Short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, or drama/screenplays. Prize: $500. Deadline: May 1, 2019.

Questions Writing Prize. Restrictions: Open to authors aged 18-30. Genre: Short stories of any genre or nonfiction between 1500 and 2000 words. Prize: First place winners (or prize pool for a tie) is $2000. The work will also be published in a book. Deadline: May 1, 2019. 

Don't Be A Hero: A VILLAINthology. Genre: Speculative fiction. Prize: Publication in an anthology. Deadline: May 1, 2019.

West Virginia Fiction Competition. Restrictions: Open to West Virginia residents or students. Genre: Short fiction, 5,000 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: May 1, 2019. 

Erbacce-prize for Poetry (UK) Genre: Poetry collection. Prize: Winner will be given a publishing contract with erbacce press who will publish a perfect-bound collection of the winner's book. "We will pay all costs including the legal registering of the book and supplying copies to the major libraries. The book will be sold through our sales/shop pages and the poet will be paid 20% royalties." Deadline: May 1, 2019.

Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest. Restrictions: Canadian high school, college, and graduate students. Genre: Short essay on "What in the world would Adam Smith say?" Prize: CAD$1,500 in each age category. Deadline: May 1, 2019.

Hiett Prize in the Humanities. The Hiett Prize in the Humanities is an annual award aimed at identifying candidates who are in the early stages of careers devoted to the humanities and whose work shows extraordinary promise and has a significant public component related to contemporary culture. Restrictions: All applicants must reside in the United States. Prize: $50,000. Deadline: May 3, 2019.

Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Program. Restrictions: Debuting authors and writers with fewer than three previously published books who have yet to receive a major literary award are eligible for consideration. Exceptions are sometimes made for authors who have published more titles, but have yet to break out to a larger audience. Submissions must be original publications, penned by one author. Self-published works not allowed. Genres: Published or scheduled to be published fiction and literary nonfiction. Prize: $10,000 in each genre and in-store marketing/merchandising from Barnes & Noble. 2nd Place $5,000 in each genre, 3rd Place $2,500 in each genre. Deadline: May 9, 2019.

DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. Genre: Published book with themes based on South Asian culture, politics, history, or people. Entries must have been first published in English between February 15 of the previous year and April 15 of the deadline year. Must be submitted by publisher. Prize: $25,000. Deadline: May 10, 2019.

RTÉ Radio Short Story Competition. Restrictions: Open to Irish writers and residents of Ireland.  Genre: Short story. Prize: Up to 3,000 euros. Deadline: May 10, 2019.

The James Laughlin Award is sponsored by the Academy of American Poets. Genre: A second book of poetry forthcoming in the next calendar year. Must be under contract with US publisher.
Restrictions: Open to US citizens and residents only. Prize: $5,000, an all-expenses-paid week long residency in Florida, and the Academy will purchase approximately 1,000 copies of the book for distribution to its members. Deadline: May 15, 2019.

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Genre: Fiction. Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. No self-published works. Prize: $25,000 will be awarded to a novel or short-story collection published between March 14, 2019 and May 15, 2019. Prizes of $2,500 will be awarded to each of the finalists. Deadline: May 15, 2019.

New Roscommon Writing Award. Restrictions: All entrants must have a connection with the county of Roscommon (born in, living in, currently working in, went to school in, etc). Genres: Short stories.  Prize: €500.00. Deadline: May 15, 2019.

St. Francis College Literary Prize. Genre: Novel. Third, fourth, or fifth published book of fiction. Self-published books and English translations are eligible. Prize: $50,000 is given biennially.  Deadline: May 15, 2019.

Leeway Foundation: Transformation Award. Restrictions: Women and transgender poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers in the Philadelphia area who have been creating art for social change for five or more years. Writers who have lived for at least two years in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties, who are at least 18 years of age, and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible. Award: $15,000. Deadline: May 15, 2019.

Science Me A Story. Genre: Scientific stories for children (ages 6-12) of up to four pages by authors over age 18. Stories can be in English or Spanish. Prize: £150, £100 or £50. Deadline: May 16, 2019.

Bacopa Literary Review. Genres: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry. Prizes: First ($200) and Runner-Up ($160) prizes in each genre. All published will receive $20 and a copy of the print journal. After publication, Bacopa will be promoted online. Deadline: May 17, 2019.

A Very Short Story Contest. Genre: Flash fiction (10 words max). Prize: Free Gotham 10-week workshop. Deadline: May 20, 2019.

Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Non-Fiction. Genre: Literary non-fiction. Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. Prize: $60,000 will be awarded to a literary nonfiction book published between March 13, 2019 and May 21, 2019. Deadline: May 22, 2019.

Stowe Prize. Restrictions: US authors only. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction or body of work that "makes a tangible impact on a social justice issue critical to contemporary society." Prize: $10,000.  Deadline: May 29, 2019.

The Canadian Women Artists’ Award. Restrictions: Open to Canadian women living in New York who are between the ages of 21 and 35 before the application deadline. Genre: Fiction, poetry. Grant: $5,000. Deadline: May 30, 2019.

The Wolfe Pack Black Orchid Award. Genre: Mystery novellas in the style of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novellas. Manuscript length: 15K-20K words. Prize: $1,000, plus recognition and publication in a forthcoming issue of AAMM. Deadline: May 31, 2019.

bpNichol Poetry Chapbook Award. Genre: Published poetry chapbook. Restrictions: Canadian publishers only. Prize: The author receives $4,000 and the publisher receives $500. Deadline: May 31, 2019.

Claudia Ann Seaman Awards For Young Writers. Restrictions: High school students. Genre: Stories and poems. Prize: $200. Deadline: May 31, 2019.

CNO Naval History Essay Contest. Genre: Essay: Naval history.  Prize: First Prize: $5,000. Second Prize:$2,500. Third Prize: $1,500. Deadline: May 31, 2019.

Fred Otto Prize for Oz Fiction/Warren Hollister Prize for Oz Nonfiction. Genre: Short Fiction, Art & Creative Nonfiction. All work must be related to the world of Oz. Prize: $100 in each genre. 2nd Prize $50 in each genre. Deadline: May 31, 2019.

Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Contest. Genre: Unpublished fiction approximately 1,000 - 5,000 words. Story should pertain to music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Prize: $100 and publication in Jerry Jazz Musician. Deadline: May 31, 2019.

TCU Texas Book Award. Genre: Book of fiction, nonfiction, art or photography about Texas, published in the past three years. Prize: $5000. Deadline: May 31, 2019.

Eden Mills Teen Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to Canadian teens. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Two $50 prizes, 2 $25 prizes. Deadline: May 31, 2019.

Online Writing Tips Short Fiction Prize. Genre: Short story of 2000-5000 words. Prize: £150.   Deadline: May 31, 2019.

James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing Awards. Restrictions: Open to aboriginal youth, 18 years or younger, residing in Ontario, Canada. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: May 31, 2019.

Cromwell Article Prize. Genre: Articles published in the field of American legal history.  Restrictions: Open to early career scholars. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: May 31, 2019.

Big Issue. Genre: Crime Novels. Prize: Publishing contract with Avon UK. Deadline: May 31, 2019.