51 Writing Contests in August 2020 - No entry fees

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This August there are more than four dozen writing contests calling for every genre and form, from poetry, to creative nonfiction, to completed novels. Prizes range from two cases of beer to $15,000. None charge entry fees.

Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

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 is past, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck!

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PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists. Restrictions: Candidates must have published one or more novels for children or young adults that have been warmly received by literary critics, but have not generated sufficient income to support the author. Genre: Book-length children's or young-adult fiction. Prize: $5000. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants. Restrictions: Open to women and trans artists in Greater Philadelphia to fund art for social change projects. People living in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties Delaware who are 18 years of age or older and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible. Genres: Art in traditional or nontraditional modes, mediums or disciplines. Prize: $2500. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

The PEN/Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History. Genre: Literary work of nonfiction that uses oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement. Prize: $15,000 each. (Two prizes) Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Texas Teen Book Festival Fresh Ink Fiction Contest. Restrictions: Open to Texas residents aged 11-18 years. Genre: Fiction, no more than 2,000 words in length. Prize: $150. Deadline: August 1, 2020.

Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships. Restrictions: Delaware poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in Delaware for at least one year prior to application and who are not enrolled in a degree-granting program. Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction. Prize: Established Professional Fellowships of $6,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $3,000 each. Deadline: August 3, 2020.

BlackInk: New Writing Competition. Restrictions: Open to writers from the African and African Caribbean Diaspora based in the UK. Genre: Short story up to 3,000 words. Prize: £500 top prize. Deadline: August 3, 2020.

Spectator Prize. Genre: Sonnet. "You are invited to supply a sonnet with the following rhyme words in the given order: dead, sun, run, mead, lead, done, fun, weed, never, frost, shrills, ever, lost, hills." Prize: Publication. Deadline: August 5, 2020. Note: Please email entries to lucy@spectator.co.uk by midday.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: Opens August 7, 2020. Closes August 9.

The Spectator. Genre: Double dactyls on stars of popular or classical music (a maximum of three entries each). Prize: Publication. Deadline: August 12, 2020.

Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller. Restrictions: Open to residents of the UK or Ireland, 18 years or older. Unpublished authors only. (Author may be self-published.) Genre: Novel (adult). Prize: Publication with Welbeck Publishing. Deadline: August 14, 2020.

Scotiabank Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English between July 1, 2020 and Sept 30, 2020. Must  be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100.000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: August 14, 2020.

Rebecca Swift Women's Poetry Award. Restrictions: Open to women poets in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: August 14, 2020.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Poets living in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C., or West Virginia. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500, publication by Broadkill River Press, ten author copies, and two cases of Dogfish Head craft beer. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

Nan Snow Emerging Writer Award. Restrictions: Open to emerging women-identifying writers. Genre: Any and all fields and genres are accepted. Prize: $500 top prize. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

Ligonier Valley Writers. Genre: Flash fiction on theme of "snakes and other reptiles";1000 words max. Prize: The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

Natan Notable Books Award. Genre: Recen­t­­ly pub­­lished or soon to be pub­lished nonfic­­tion book on Jew­ish themes. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

The Emma Lazarus Project Poetry Contest. Genre: Poetry on theme: “If you could write a poem for the Statue of Liberty today, what would it say?” Prize: $1000. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

The Yale Drama Series. Genre: Original, unpublished full-length plays, with a minimum of 65 pages. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: August 15, 2020.

TU Dublin Short Story Competition. Genre: Short story. "The planned 2020 anthology will be called 'Creation, Cosmos, & Caboodle' and we are looking for strong stories that (even loosely) reflect this title." Prize: €500.Deadline: August 19, 2020.

Endless Ink Publishing: Earth’s Final Chapter Short Story Competition 2020. Genre: Short stories set in the world of Earth’s Final Chapter. Prize: Top prize winner will receive $500.00 USD with the following three runners-up receiving $100.00 each. Deadline: August 21, 2020.

Stirling Spoon. Genre: Prose and poetry on theme of "Identity in America." Prize: $150.  Deadline: August 21, 2020.

Wax Poetry and Art. Restrictions: Open to residents of India. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Royalties.  Deadline: August 23, 2020.

Wax Poetry and Art. Restrictions: Open to residents of Nigeria. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Royalties. Deadline: August 23, 2020.

Wax Poetry and Art. Restrictions: Open to residents of Nigeria. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Royalties. Deadline: August 23, 2020.

Peter Blazey Fellowship. Restrictions: Applicants must either be an Australian citizen or have Australian residency. Genre: Non-fiction in the fields of autobiography, biography or life writing. Prize: $15,000, and a one-month writer-in-residency at The Australia Centre. Deadline: August 24, 2020.

Costa Short Story Award. Restrictions: Open to writers in the UK or Ireland. Genre: Short story (maximum 4,000 words). Prize: £3,000. Deadline: August 28, 2020.

Pacifica Literary Review: Community Chest Contest. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Prose submissions must be under 5,000 words. Flash fiction submissions must be no more than 1000 words individually. Novel excerpts are acceptable, but must be able to stand alone. For poetry, please submit no more than three poems in a single document. For flash fiction, please submit no more than three pieces in a single document. Prize: $350. Deadline: August 29, 2020.

Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $750 in any single year. Genre: Travel Nonfiction. Prize: First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50. Deadline: August 30, 2020.

Debra E. Bernhardt Labor Journalism Prize. Genre: Article that furthers the understanding of the history of working people. Articles focused on historical events AND articles about current issues (work, housing, organizing, health, education) that include historical context are both welcome. The work should be published in print or online between August 26, 2019 and August 30, 2020. Prize: $1000. Deadline: August 30, 2020.

Wax Poetry and Art. Restrictions: Open to residents of the UK. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Royalties.  Deadline: August 30, 2020.

Wax Poetry and Art. Restrictions: Open to residents of Canada. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Royalties. Deadline: August 30, 2020.

SLF Diverse Writers and Diverse Worlds Grants. Restrictions: Open to writers from underrepresented and underprivileged groups, such as writers of color, women, queer writers, disabled writers, working-class writers, etc. -- those whose marginalized identities may present additional obstacles in the writing / publishing process. Genres: Book-length works (novels, collections of short stories) of speculative fiction. Prize: $500. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Restrictions: Emerging African American writers.  Genres: Short story collection or novel published in the current year. Prize: $10,000.  Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Lee & Low Books New Voices Award is sponsored by Lee &Low Publishers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers of color who are residents of the United States and who have not previously had a children’s picture book published. Genre: Children's books - fiction, nonfiction or poetry. Prize: $1,000 and publication. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation or Multi-Lingual Texts. Restrictions: Translators and authors of multi-lingual texts. Genres: Poetry and prose. Prize: $200. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction. Genre: Essay, maximum 5,000 words. Prize: $250 top prize. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Kindle Storyteller Award (UK). Restrictions: The prize is open to all authors who publish their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk. Genre: Book. Prize: £20,000. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing. Genre: Short story on theme: ‘The Next Chapter.’ Prize: £200. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Jack Grapes Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry. Prize: WINNERS will receive $200 each, plus publication. FINALISTS will receive $50 each, plus publication. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction or essay on theme of Daring Move. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Under the Hood. Restrictions: Open to USA residents. Genre: YA Fantasy short story about facing down a monster and overcoming it. Prize: $100. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Words on the Waterway. Restrictions: Open to UK residents 16 years or older. Genre: Story in 300 words or less about your most memorable visit to rivers and canals. Prize: The winning entries will be published on the Canal & River Trust website and receive personally signed copies of books by Emmy award-winning actor and writer Stephen Fry - The Ode, Paperweight and Mythos. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Virus Poems. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Donations. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Hysteria. Genre: Poetry, short story, flash fiction. All genres except erotica or horror. Writers under 16 may enter. Prize: £25. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Nottingham Writers Studio: The George Floyd Short Story Competition. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. “With this anthology, we seek to capture not only stories of social justice that capture the mood, tone, and energy of the vital Black Lives Matter movement, but the entire gamut of BAME life experience, from social justice to comedies by black authors to romances with a predominantly Asian cast. This competition is open to all as we welcome the experiences of advocates and allies as well as voices from the black community. Above all, we want to ensure in publishing the anthology we amplify, centre, and celebrate the voices and writings of people of colour.” Prize: £250, £125, £75; £30 for runners-up. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Mountaineering Scotland Mountain Writing Competition. Restrictions: Open to residents of the UK. Genre: Prose and poetry about mountains or mountaineering. Prize: Prose Category: 1st prize £200: 2nd prize £100; 3rd prize £50. Poetry category:1st prize £200; 2nd prize £100; 3rd Prize £50 Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Rattle's Ekphrastic Challenge. Genre: Poetry responding to visual art. Prize: $100 and publication.  Deadline: August 31, 2020.

The Liberties Press Humorous Short Story Competition. Restrictions: You must be an Irish citizen or long-term resident of Ireland. Genre: Humorous story, real or imagined. Prize: €500 top prize.  Deadline: August 31, 2020.

Young Writers’ Short Story Competition. Restrictions: Open to writers in the UK aged 16 – 27. Genre: Short story. Prize: £250. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

New Beginnings. Genre: Poems that embody the sense of a new beginning in the sense of  “starting over.” Prize:$250 top prize and publication in the Winter/Spring 2020 issue of Prospectus. Deadline: August 31, 2020.

African American Voices in Children's Literature Contest. Restrictions: The award is open to writers of African American heritage who are residents of Minnesota and at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing in Minnesota. Genre: Fiction or nonfiction board books for ages 0-4 (50-125 words) and picture books for ages 4-8 (300-800 words) featuring contemporary African American characters and culture and focusing on one or more of the following topics: character development, self-esteem, diversity, getting along with others, engaging with family and community, or other topics related to positive childhood development. Deadline: August 31, 2020.