This March there are more than seven dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes this month range from $25,000 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. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.
Tales to Terrify.
Genre: Horror. Length: 1000 words max.
Prize: $50.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
Linda Purdy Memorial Prize.
Restrictions: Open to Orange County residents.
Genre: Poetry, fiction.
Prize: $200 and publication.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
Texas Review Press Southern Poetry Breakthrough Series: Kentucky.
Restrictions: Open to any poet born in Kentucky, or currently residing in Kentucky, who has not yet published a full-length collection of poetry. The author may have published chapbooks or books in other genres.
Genre: Poetry collection.
Prize: Winner will receive a standard royalty contract, and 20 copies of the published book.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
The Waterman Fund Essay Contest.
Restrictions: Writers who have not published a book-length work of fiction or narrative nonfiction on topics of wilderness, wildness, or the ethics and ecology of environmental issues are eligible.
Genre: Personal essays between 2000 and 3000 words. "The Waterman Fund seeks new voices on the role and place of wilderness in today’s world."
Prizes: The winning essayist will be awarded $3000 and publication in Appalachia Journal. The Honorable Mention essay will receive $1000
. Deadline: March 1, 2024.
On The Premises. "For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which some kind of vehicle plays an important role. Merely using the vehicle as a simple plot device or to help characters get somewhere is not enough. For instance, “While flying home I made a bunch of new friends on the flight” isn’t good enough, because the same story–making new friends–could easily be told without the plane."
Prize: $250 for first place, $200 for second, $150 for third.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
The Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award introduces emerging writers to the New York City literary community. The prestigious award aims to provide promising writers a network for professional advancement. Since Poets & Writers began the Writers Exchange in 1984, 85 writers from 33 states and the District of Columbia have been selected to participate.
Restrictions: Open to Indigenous Writers.
Genre: Poetry and Fiction.
Prize: A $500 honorarium; A trip to New York City to meet with editors, agents, publishers, and other writers. All related travel/lodgings expenses and a per diem stipend are covered by Poets & Writers.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
Library of Virginia Literary Awards.
Restrictions: Open to writers who were born in or are residents of Virginia or, in the case of nonfiction, books with a Virginia theme, are eligible.
Genre: Books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published in the previous year.
Prize: $2,500.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
Alabama Arts Council Fellowships.
Restrictions: Open to any author who has lived in Alabama for at least 2 years.
Genre: Fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction of 10-20 pages.
Prize: $5,000.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
Mississippi Artists Fellowships.
Restrictions: Open to permanent residents of Mississippi.
Genre: Fiction and poetry. (Plus many art forms)
Prize: $5,000.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
Deep Wild Graduate Student Prize.
Restrictions: Open to students currently enrolled in graduate programs.
Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. "We seek work that conjures the experiences, observations, and insights of backcountry journeys."
Prize:1st Place prize is $200, 2nd Place $100, and 3rd Place $50.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize.
Genre: Pieces of any genre up to 2500 words on the theme (See website).
Prize: £3,000 cash prize.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
North Carolina State Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to North Carolina residents (including out-of-state and international students who are enrolled in North Carolina universities)with no published books.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
Grant MacEwan Creative Writing Scholarship is sponsored by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
Genres: Poetry, Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction, Drama, or Graphic Novel.
Restrictions: Authors must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate creative writing program of study or mentorship. (Max age 25) Alberta residents only.
Prize: $7000 (CAN).
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
Balticon Poetry Contest. Sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society.
Genre: Speculative poetry.
Prize: 1st prize: $100; 2nd prize: $75; 3rd prize: $50.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
Library of Virginia Literary Awards.
Restrictions: Open to writers who were born in or are residents of Virginia or, in the case of nonfiction, books with a Virginia theme, are eligible.
Genre: Children's books published in the previous year.
Prize: $2,500.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
Iron Horse 2024 Chapbook Competition.
Genre: Prose chapbook, between 40 and 56 pages (10,000 - 20,000 words)
Prize: $1,000 honorarium and 15 copies.
Deadline: March 1, 2024.
Note: They will accept 25 free submissions on March 1, 2024.
The Solitary Daisy Haiku Contest.
Genre: Haiku.
Prize: First place $25, second place $15, third place $10.
Deadline: March 2, 2024.
"It's All Write!" Teen Short Story Contest.
Restrictions: Open to Grades 6-12. Michigan residents only.
Genre: Short story, and flash fiction, unpublished.
Prize: 1st Place $250, 2nd Place $150, 3rd Place $100.
Deadline: March 3, 2024.
Furious Fiction.
Genre: Flash fiction. "On the first Friday of every month, a new set of story prompts will be revealed. You will have 55 hours to submit your best 500-word (or fewer) story."
Prize: $500AUD.
Deadline: March 3, 2024.
Opens March 1.
The Lakefly Writers Conference.
Restrictions: Open to residents of Wisconsin.
Genres: Short story fiction: 3000 words or less. Any genre. Poetry: All poems, free verse to formal and everything in between—75 lines max. Personal Essay: 2500 words max.
Prize: First place winners will receive a cash prize of $100; second place winners will receive $75; and third place winners will receive $50. Winners must be able to attend an awards ceremony.
Deadline: March 4, 2024.
Forward Prizes.
Genre: Collections and single poems published in the UK and Ireland are eligible for the Prizes. Must be submitted by publisher.
Prize: £1,000 to £10,000.
Deadline: March 4, 2024.
Free Expression Essay Competition.
Restrictions: Open to US-based students, including homeschooled students; high school-level submissions are open to students ages 15-17; and college-level submissions are open to students ages 18-23.
Genre: Essay. “From school board meetings to statehouses, and foreign newsrooms to digital spaces — there are threats to free expression in societies around the world. PEN America wants to know: what do you think about free expression? Why is it important? How can it change the world?” Length: 1000 words.
Prize: $2,000, $1,500, and $1,000 for college-level essays; and high school-level essayists will receive $1,500, $1,000, and $500.
Deadline: March 8, 2024.
Papatango New Writing Prize.
Restrictions: Open to anyone resident in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Genre: Script of roughly 25 – 50 pages.
Prize: £7500. Their scripts will be produced as audio plays and tour the UK in free listening stations. The scripts will also be published digitally by Nick Hern Books.
Deadline: March 11, 2024.
The American Prospect Writing Fellows Program. The American Prospect’s Writing Fellows Program offers journalists the opportunity to spend two years developing their skills with the magazine at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. (or working remotely, in pandemic times). Each fellow benefits from an intensive mentoring program with the experts on our editorial team, and is expected to contribute regularly.
Deadline: March 11, 2024.
NEA Literature Fellowships are sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $25,000 grants to published creative writers that enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement.
Deadline: March 13, 2024.
Apparition Lit.
Genre: Speculative flash fiction inspired by the monthly photograph prompt. (See site for photo.) Length: 1000 words max.
Prize: $30.
Deadline: March 14, 2024.
Lynn DeCaro Poetry Contest.
Restrictions: Open to Connecticut Student Poets in Grades 9-12.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25.
Deadline: March 15, 2024.
The Hub City Press BIPOC Poetry Series.
Restrictions: Open to BIPOC poets of all stages of their careers in thirteen Southern states. Submitters must currently reside or be from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia or West Virginia.
Genre: Poetry by Southern writers of color.
Prize: Two finalists will receive a prize of $3000 and publication.
Deadline: March 15, 2024.
“Boston in 100 Words” is an annual flash fiction writing contest in the greater Boston metropolitan area. The contest invites anyone living, working, or going to school in Boston and some surrounding towns to write stories of 100 words or fewer that depict everyday life in their communities. A team of local, renowned writers select winning stories, which are made available to the public for free in the form of large, illustrated posters installed throughout the city. “Boston in 100 Words” seeks to impact the largest number of Bostonians possible, as authors and readers of 100-word stories. Participation in the contest is free to everyone. Prize: $300. Deadline: March 15, 2024.
Neltje Blanchan/Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Awards.
Restrictions: Wyoming writers.
Genres: The Frank Nelson Doubleday Award is given for the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or script written by a woman writer. The Neltje Blanchan Memorial Writing Award is given annually for the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or script which is informed by a relationship with the natural world.
Prize: $1,000.00.
Deadline: March 15, 2024.
Greater Yellowstone Creative Writing and Journalism Fellowship.
Restrictions: Established and recognized authors are being sought, but emerging and mid-career writers are also encouraged to apply. Genre: Seeking creative writers (poetry, fiction, nonfiction), or those in the field of journalism (writer, photojournalist, videographer, documentary filmmaker, online or print media) who demonstrate serious inquiry and dedication to the Greater Yellowstone region through their work.
Fellowship: $3,500.
Deadline: March 15, 2024.
Jane Martin Poetry Prize (UK).
Restrictions: Open to UK residents between 18 and 30 years of age.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: £700, second prize, £300.
Deadline: March 15, 2024.
NFSPS Annual Poetry Contests.
Genre: Poetry. The National Federation of State Poetry Societies sponsors 50 contests for adults, 34 of which are free and open to the public. There are also 3 free poetry contests for children.
Prize: Monetary awards vary.
Deadline: March 15, 2024.
Jacklyn Potter Young Poets Competition.
Restrictions: Open to high school students.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: Two high school students will be selected and scheduled to read their original work for Café Muse with established poet, Sarah Ghazal Ali, on Monday, June 3, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. They will receive an honorarium.
Deadline: March 15, 2024.
The Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize.
Restrictions: Open to writers resident in the UK and Ireland who have yet to secure a publishing deal.
Genre: Proposal for a book-length essay (minimum 25,000 words).
Prize: £3,000 advance against publication with Fitzcarraldo Editions.
Deadline: March 17, 2024.
2023 POPP Award: Poetry of the Plains and Prairies.
Genre: Poetry of any style for their annual Poetry of the Plains and Prairies chapbook publication. "While the author(s) may call any place home, their submissions must deftly capture the feeling of, as well as the reality of, living on the plains and prairies. Authors may submit any number of poems equaling thirty to thirty-five pages in length, with no more than one poem per page. (Single poems may extend more than one page.) The selected poetry collection will be published as a limited edition chapbook, hand-printed with antique letterpress equipment."
Prize: $200 and publication.
Deadline: March 17, 2024.
The Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize.
Genre: Book-length translations into English of either a) poetry or b) source texts from Zen Buddhism (which must not consist solely of commentaries). Both translators and publishers are invited to submit titles. Book must have been published in previous year.
Prize: $6,000
. Deadline: March 18, 2024.
ALTA First Translation Prize.
Genre: Debut literary translation from any other language into English published in the previous calendar year.
Prize: 3,000, with $2,000 bestowed to the translator and $1,000 to the editor.
Deadline: March 18, 2024.
BBC National Short Story Award.
Restrictions: Open to UK residents or nationals, aged 18 or over, who have a history of publication in creative writing.
Genre: Short fiction.
Prize: £15,000 to the winner, £3,000 for the runner-up and £500 for three further shortlisted writers.
Deadline: March 18, 2024.
Fabula Press Short Story Contest.
Genre: Short Story. Word Count: Not less than 2500 words, and not more than 7000 words.
Prize: First Prize: US$500 Second Prize: US$250 Third Prize: US$100. In addition, all authors selected for publication will be paid an honorarium of US$75.
Deadline: March 20, 2024.
Opens February 21.
Muestras Konsejas ‘Our Tales’.
Genre: Previously unpublished work of prose (fictional or memoiristic) that gives voice to the experiences of the Ladino-speaking Sephardic Jewish communities (whether from family lore, lived experience, community heritage, life stories, etc.). Work submitted must not exceed the maximum of 2,000 words and must be written in English prose. Genre may be memoir, (auto)biography or fiction. The competition will feature two categories: ‘Student’ (18+) and ‘Adult’.
Prize: One Winner in each category will receive $1,000. One Runner Up in each category will receive $500.
Deadline: March 22, 2024.
Savage Mystery Writing Contest.
Genre: Mystery short story.
Prize: Winning stories are published in Toasted Cheese. If 50 or fewer eligible entries are received, first place receives a $35 Amazon gift card & second a $10 Amazon gift card. If 51 or more eligible entries are received, first place receives a $50 Amazon gift card, second a $15 Amazon gift card & third a $10 Amazon gift card.
Deadline: March 24, 2024.
Opens March 22.
Daisy Utemorrah Award for Indigenous Authors.
Restrictions: Open to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writer currently residing in Australia.
Genre: Junior/YA full-length fiction manuscript intended for readers aged 8-18. Length: 40,000 and 100,000 words.
Prize: A$15,000 and possible publication.
Deadline: March 25, 2024.
BBC Young Writers Award.
Restrictions: Open to UK residents, including residents of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, aged 14 to 18 years old,
Genre: Short fiction, 1000 words max.
Prize: Publication and free workshop.
Deadline: March 25, 2024.
Write the World: Fairytales & Myths Competition.
Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5.
Genre: Myth or fairytale that uses fantasy as a lens to understand the reality of everyday life.
Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50.
Deadline: March 25, 2024.
BlackInk Writing Competition.
Restrictions: Open to writers from the African and African Caribbean Diaspora.
Genre: Short story, maximum of 2,000 words.
Prize: £500 top prize.
Deadline: March 28, 2024.
Tempest Prize.
Restrictions: Open to LGBTQ+ writers based in the North of England.
Genre: Poetry, fiction and narrative non-fiction.
Prize: £1000, access to the Northern Writers’ Awards Network and mentoring from Andrew McMillan.
Deadline: March 28, 2024.
The Finchale Award for Short Fiction.
Restrictions: Open to writers based in the North of England.
Genre: Short story of up to 1500 words.
Prize: £1000 and access to the Northern Writers’ Awards Network.
Deadline: March 28, 2024.
Sid Chaplin Award.
Restrictions: Open to writers living in the North of England who identify as originating from a working-class background.
Genre: Memoir, novel, young-adult novel, short-story collection or work of literary essays in progress.
Prize: £2000; a manuscript appraisal from The Literary Consultancy; advisory sessions from the writer Michael Chaplin; an introduction to the North Agency; and access to the Northern Writers’ Awards Network.
Deadline: March 28, 2024.
Ann Petry Award. Restrictions: Open to Black authors. Genre: Previously unpublished prose, either a novel or a collection of short stories or novellas, with a minimum of 150 pages. Prize: $3000 and publication. Deadline: March 31, 2024.
The Reporting Award.
Genre: Journalism, in any medium, on an under-reported subject in the public interest.
Prize: Up to $12,500.
Deadline: March 31, 2024.
Witcraft Monthly Humour Competition.
Genre: Humor with the emphasis on wit, word play, absurdity and inspired nonsense.
Prize: First prize A$50, second prize A$20, third prize A$10, payable via Paypal only.
Deadline: March 31, 2024.
Claire Harris Poetry Prize.
Restrictions: Open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who are writers from Black, Indigenous, or other racialized communities and who have not previously published a book-length collection of poetry.
Genre: Poetry collection.
Prize: $1,000, a contract for the publication of the collection under the icehouse poetry imprint in the following year (2025), and public readings in at least three Canadian cities.
Deadline: March 31, 2024.
Caine Prize for African Writing.
Restrictions: Open to writers born in Africa, or nationals of an African country, or with a parent who is African by birth or nationality,
Genre: Short fiction (published).
Prize: £10,000.
Deadline: March 31, 2024.
Orwell Prize for Journalism.
Restrictions: Open to a journalist for sustained reportage and/or commentary working in any medium.
Genre: Published journalism.
Prize: £3,000 for the best political writing first published in the UK or Ireland between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2043.
Deadline: March 31, 2024.
Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness.
Restrictions: Open to a journalist for sustained reportage and/or commentary working in any medium.
Genre: Reportage and/or commentary on homelessness. Entries will be encouraged from people who are experiencing or have experienced all forms of homelessness as well as journalists and others writing about or reporting on homelessness.
Prize: £3,000 for the best political writing first published in the UK or Ireland between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024.
Deadline: March 31, 2024.
L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest.
Restrictions: 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.
Genres: Science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy up to 17,000 words.
Prizes: Three cash prizes in each quarter: a First Prize of $1,000, a Second Prize of $750, and a Third Prize of $500, in US dollars. In addition, at the end of the year the winners will have their entries rejudged, and a Grand Prize winner shall be determined and receive an additional $5,000.
Deadline: March 31, 2024.
Archibald Lampman Award.
Restrictions: Open to residents of Canada's National Capital region (Ottawa).
Genre: Book of any genre published by a recognized publisher.
Prize: $1500.
Deadline: March 31, 2024.