56 Writing Contests in November 2022 - No entry fees

This November there are more than four dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $50,000 to publication. 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! 

(Image: Pexels)

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Gotham Book Prize. Genre: Book. "The Gotham Book Prize is awarded once a year to the best book (works of fiction and nonfiction are eligible) published that calendar year that either is about New York City or takes place in New York City." Prize: $50,000. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

Quarterly West.  Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

Brave New Weird Awards. Genre: Weird horror. "We define New Weird Horror as a Horror subgenre focused on progress, creatively capturing themes and questions that bleed into fiction straight from the modern reader's life and future." (If you understand that definition, feel free to submit.) Prize: $25. Deadline: November 1, 2022. Previously published work only.

Evaristo Prize for African Poetry. Restrictions: The Prize is open to poets who were born in Africa, or who are nationals of an African country, or whose parents are African. It is for ten poems exactly in order to encourage serious poets. These poems may, however, have already been published. Only poets who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published are eligible. Poets who have self-published poetry books or had chapbooks and pamphlets published are allowed to submit for this prize. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1500. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

Defenestration Flash Suite Contest. Genre: Flash suite. "A series of at least three flash fiction works that correlate, and build to something greater. Recurring characters, extended motifs, harmonious subject matters, and/or sustained narrative are such correlations– but we encourage innovation and new ideas.” Prize: $75. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

ILA Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Award. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction English-language books for children in grades pre-K to 12 and published for the first time during the year preceding the deadline year. Must be the author's first or second book. Prize: $800. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

The PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: PEN America will only accept submissions from editors of eligible publications. Authors may not submit their own short story for this award. Genre: First published short story. Prize: $2000 and publication in The PEN America Best Debut Short Stories. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

Daily Mail First Novel Competition (UK). Restrictions: Open to any UK  author aged 18 or older. Genre: First novels for adults of manuscript length (submit 3000-word sample and synopsis). All genres except science fiction, fantasy, and sagas are accepted. Book cannot have been self-published or previously published. Prize: £20,000 and publication by Little, Brown. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Restrictions: Open to citizens of the British Commonwealth. Genre: Unpublished short fiction (2,000-5,000 words) in English. Short stories translated into English from other languages are also eligible. Prize: Regional winners receive £2,500 (US$3,835) and the overall winner will receive £5,000 (US$7,670). Deadline: November 1, 2022.

Bennington Young Writers Awards. Restrictions: Open to students in the 9th-12th grades. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Prize: First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $1,000; second-place winners receive $500; third-place winners receive $250. Deadline: November 1, 2022.

William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grants Program for Unpublished Writers. Restrictions: Writers must not have published a book, short story, or dramatic work in the mystery field, either in print, electronic, or audio form. Genre: Mystery stories of the Agatha Christie type—i.e., “traditional mysteries.” These works usually feature no excessive gore, gratuitous violence, or explicit sex. Prize: Each grant may be used to offset registration, travel, or other expenses related to attendance at a writers' conference or workshop within a year of the date of the award. In the case of nonfiction, the grant may be used to offset research expenses. Each grant currently includes a $1,500 award plus a comprehensive registration for the following year's convention and two nights' lodging at the convention hotel, but does not include travel to the convention or meals. Deadline: November 1, 2022. 

Weird Christmas Flash Contest. Genre: Weird flash fiction. 350 words max. Prize: $50 first prize, $25 second prize. Deadline: November 2, 2022.

The Spectator: Beyond the Cringe. Genre: Bad analogies. "It’s toe-curlingly bad analogy time (up to eight each). Here’s a winner, courtesy of Chris O’Carroll, from a previous contest: ‘He broke wind with the menacing thunder of ancestral voices not only prophesying war, but actually launching a poison gas attack to get the hostilities started." Please email entries to lucy@spectator Prize: £30. Deadline: Midday on 2 November.

Dylan Thomas Prize. Restrictions: Authors must be aged 39 or under. Eligible books must have been commercially published for the first time in the English language between January 1 and December 31 of the year in which the deadline falls. Genre: Published books of poetry, fiction (novel, novella, or short story collection), radio scripts, or screenplays. Prize: 30,000 pounds, plus 1,000 pounds for shortlisted authors. Deadline: November 4, 2022.

On The Premises Mini-Contest. "For this mini-contest, tell, show, or evoke a complete story between 25 and 50 words long in which a ringing bell is an important story element." Prize: First place pays $35, second pays $25, and third pays $15, all in US dollars. Honorable mentions get published, but make no money. Deadline: November 4, 2022.

Vocal: Christopher Paolini's Fantasy Challenge. Genre: Fantasy based on prompt. (See website) Prize: Grand Prize: $10,000 & Half Hour Zoom Call with Christopher Paolini. Second Place: $5,000 & Half Hour Zoom Call with Christopher Paolini. 25 Runners-Up: $50. Deadline: November 8, 2022.

The Spectator: Delusional. Genre: Poem. ‘He thought he saw an elephant/ That practised on a fife:/ He looked again, and found it was …’ So begins Lewis Carroll’s ‘The Mad Gardener’s Song’. Following this format and formula, you are invited to supply three stanzas (18 lines) which could aptly be titled ‘The Deluded Politician’. Email entries to lucy@spectator.co.uk Prize: £30. Deadline: Midday on  November 9, 2022.

Bronx Council on the Arts Community Engagement Grants. Restrictions: Open to residents of Bronx County. Genre: All art forms, including writing. Grant: $1000 - $5000. Deadline: November 14, 2022.

Toi Derricotte & Cornelius Eady Chapbook Prize. Restrictions: Open to Black poets. Genre: Chapbook-length poetry manuscript. Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: November 14, 2022.

Commonwealth Club of California Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to residents of California. Genre: Book of poetry, fiction or nonfiction. Prize: Gold medal. Deadline: November 15, 2022.

Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize is sponsored by the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival. Genre: Non-fiction essay between 4 to 10 pages, set in Brooklyn about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters. (Up to 2500 words). Prize: $500. Deadline: November 15, 2022.

Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize. Restrictions: Open to US poets for previously unpublished poems of any length that "help make real for readers the gravity of the vulnerable state of our environment at present." Genre: Poetry. Prize: Up to $1,000. Deadline: November 15, 2022.

Perugia Press Prize. Restrictions: Poets must be women with more than one previously published full-length book. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Book publication and $1,000. Deadline: November 15, 2022. No fee for poets who are Black, Indigenous, and women of color.

Stephen Fraser Encouragement Fund. “The Impact and Legacy Fund of SCBWI is thrilled to announce the establishment of a brand new grant program, the Stephen Fraser Encouragement Fund. Genre: Children's book. Prize: A $2,000 grant will be awarded to three children’s book authors, artists or translators who have traditionally published at least one book. Deadline: November 15, 2022.

Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. Restrictions: Books must be first edition English-language books written by a Canadian or American citizen or permanent resident of either country. Works written by women or non-binary authors are eligible for submission. The Prize welcomes and encourages submissions by transgender woman authors. Genre: Published novel, short story collection or graphic novel. Prize: $150,000 Canadian dollars. Deadline: Entries for books published between September 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022, must be received on or before November 18, 2022.

Green Bean Books and Jewish Book Week Awards. Restrictions: Open to children’s authors and illustrators living in Europe, the UK and Israel. Genre: Stories for young children based on Jewish history, values and traditions. Prize: One author and one illustrator will each receive a £1000 prize and the work will be considered for publication by specialist Jewish children’s book publisher Green Bean Books. Deadline: November 18, 2022.

Arts & Letters Awards. Restrictions: Open to residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Genres: poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, dramatic script, art, music, and French language. Entries must be unpublished and completed during the previous 12 months. Prizes: C$1,000 and C$250. Deadline: November 18, 2022.

Anita McAndrews Poetry Award. Genre: Poetry on theme of human rights. Familiarity with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is recommended. Prize: First prize $200, Second prize $50. Deadline: November 20, 2022. 

The Bird in Your Hands Prize: a Contest that Centers and Celebrates BIPOC Voices. Restrictions: Open to BIPOC writers. Genre: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction in any form under 500 words. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: November 20, 2022. 

Best's Christmas Fiction Competition. Genre: Short stories with a Christmas theme. Prize: £500 top prize. Deadline: November 20, 2022. 

Polar Expressions Publications Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to Canadian students in kindergarten through grade twelve. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $300, $200, $100. Deadline: November 21, 2022.

The Honest Storytelling Challenge. Genre: Prose: 500 to 1000 words. "Now is the time to reflect on the role of honesty in your life. Perhaps you have a story to tell about a past circumstance, or a hope about the future. This is an opportunity for you to explore your relationship to critical thought, truth, and understanding. We encourage you to dig deeply and share your observations." Prize: Cash. Deadline: November 21, 2022.

Solarpunk Microfiction Contest. Genre; Microfiction, 250 words max. Prize: $25 and publication on the Solarpunk Magazine website. Deadline: November 24, 2022. See theme. Opens November 18.

New Media Writing Prize. Genre: Fiction or non-fiction written specifically for delivery and reading/viewing on a PC or Mac, the web, or a hand-held device such as an iPad or mobile phone. It could be a short story, novel, poem, narrative game, documentary, or transmedia work using words, images, film or animation with audience interaction. Interactivity is a key element of new-media storytelling. Prize: £1000. Deadline: November 25, 2022.

One Teen Story. Restrictions: Open to writers age 13 -19. Genre: Short story between 2,000 to 4,500 words. Prize: $500 upon publication and 25 copies of the magazine. Deadline: November 27, 2022.

Leonard L. Milberg '53 High School Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Student writers in the 11th grade. Prizes: First Prize – $500, Second Prize – $250, Third Prize – $100. Deadline: November 27, 2022.

Polar Expressions Publications Competition. Restrictions: Open to Canadian students in kindergarten through grade twelve. Genre: Short Story. Prize: $300, $200, $100. Deadline: November 28, 2022.

The Change Happens Contest. Restrictions: Open to legal residents of the United States and District of Columbia who are 13 years of age or older as of 12/01/2022. Genre: Essay or short story about your personal experiences dealing with change.” Prizes: 1 grand prize winner will receive a $100 visa gift card and have their essay or story featured on the website and social media platforms. 5 first prize winners will each receive a $25 visa gift card. Deadline: November 29, 2022. 

Six Word Wonder. Genre: Story, memoir, poem, or joke, told in only six words. Prize: $100. Deadline: November 30, 2022.

Flash Point Drabble Contest. Genre: Science Fiction drabble (100 words) Prize $15.  Deadline: November 30, 2022.

The Queen’s Knickers Award. Restrictions: works “must have been first published in the UK and Republic of Ireland between 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2022” and that submissions must be made by publishers, who “can submit no more than THREE titles per imprint. Genre: Children’s illustrated book for ages 0-7. Prize:  £5,000, as well as a golden Queen’s Knickers badge. The runner-up will receive £1,000 and a silver badge. Deadline: November 30, 2022.

Love Letters to London Writing Competition. Genre: Poetry and open "We want Londoners - as well as non-Londoners who wish to celebrate this place - to tell us why they love the city. Write us up to 500 words around the theme of “making connections” Prize: £150 - £500. Deadline: November 30, 2022. Open to all ages. Some reprints accepted.

Servicescape. Genre: Short story or nonfiction up to 5,000 words. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: November 30, 2022.

Paul Torday Memorial Prize. Restrictions: Authors must be over 60. Genre: First published novel. The novel must have been first published in the UK and Republic of Ireland between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: November 30, 2022.

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: November 30, 2022.

Betty Trask Prize. Restrictions: Author must be a Commonwealth citizen. Genre: First novels, published or unpublished, written by authors under the age of 35 in a "traditional or romantic, but not experimental, style." Prize: Awards totaling 20,000 pounds. Top prize 10,000 pounds. The prize money must be used for foreign travel. Deadline: November 30, 2022.

Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers. Restrictions: Open to writers aged 16-18. Genre: Poem. Prize: Full scholarship to The Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop, an intensive two-week summer seminar for writers aged 16-18. Deadline: November 30, 2022.

Somerset Maugham Awards. Restrictions: Open to UK writers under the age of 35. Genre: Published work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry. Prize: 2,500 pounds apiece to four winners. Prize money must be used for travel. Deadline: November 30, 2022.

UNT Rilke Prize. Restrictions: US citizens or residents. Open to authors with at least two prior published books of poetry. Genre: Book of poetry published between November 2021 and October 2022. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: November 30, 2022.

AVBOB Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to any citizen of South Africa. Genre: Poetry. Prize: R10,000. Deadline: November 30, 2022.

J. F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction. Genre: Short fiction. Prize: $500. Deadline: November 30, 2022. 

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: November 30, 2022. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

Better Than Starbucks. Genre: Metrical poetry. Your sonnet can be shakespearean, petrarchan, spenserian, rhymed, or slant-rhymed. Blank verse is fine, as long as the sonnet form is clearly identifiable. They'll consider tetrameter, hexameter, etc. as well as pentameter. Prize: $100.  Deadline: November 30, 2022. Previously published work accepted.

Olde Wolf Short Story Contest. Genre: Short story. Length: 3,000 words max. Prize: $100. Deadline: November 30, 2022. This is a monthly contest.

The Lancaster Playwriting Prize. Restrictions: Anyone from the North of England who identifies as disabled can apply for the competition. There is no age limit. Genre: Script (for a play). Scripts must be a minimum of 30 minutes long. Prize: £1500. Deadline: November 30, 2022.

Banbury Writers’ Café. Genre: Flash-fiction, poetry and shorter pieces inspired by photo. (See site) Prize: First prize £50, second prize £30, third prize £20, plus publication for all winners in the next Banbury Writers’ Cafe anthology. Deadline: November 30, 2022.