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.
Good luck!
Note: I update this list continually throughout the month, so check back frequently for new contests.
(Image: Peakpx)
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Otherwise Award. Genre: Work that is changing the way we think about gender through speculative narrative. (Works can be books, stories, music, video, fanfic, social-media posts, or any other form of speculative fiction.) Prize: $500. Deadline: Recommendations for this year’s award close in November, 2024.
Diann Blakely National Poetry Competition. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500 and 25 broadsides of their poem, which will also be archived on the University of Georgia English Department website. Deadline: Opens November 1, 2024.
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 large group of people all experience a specific feeling. The goal of the mini-contest is to evoke the same feeling in the reader." 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 1, 2024.
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, 2024.
The Fresh Voices Fellowship supports one emerging Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, or other writer of color who does not have an MFA in creative writing nor an advanced English degree (MA, PhD), and is not currently enrolled in a degree-granting program. Prize: $2000. Deadline: November 1, 2024.
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 Genre: Unpublished short fiction (2,000-5,000 words) in English.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, 2024.
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 1, 2024.
Quarterly West. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: November 1, 2024. No fee for writers of color.
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, 2024.
International Booker Prize. The International Booker 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. The work must be published by a UK or Ireland publishing house. Authors are not permitted to enter their own works. 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: Any imprints that have more than six books to submit to the prize, may nominate the additional titles as call ins. All call-in nomination forms, justification letters, first chapters and full PDFs must be submitted by Friday, 1 November 2024. If no text is available at the time of call-in, it should be sent as soon as it is available.
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, 2024.
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, 2024.
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: November 1, 2024.
PJ Library Sephardic Stories Initiative. Restrictions: Applicants must have no more than one published children’s book, should identify as Sephardic or Mizrahi, and should be able to articulate a potential children's book project (picture book or middle grade chapter book/graphic novel) they would like to work on. Fellows can be based anywhere globally, however they must be writing in English. Genre: Children's book. Prize: Fellowship. This year-long, all-expenses paid fellowship (January – December, 2025) will include monthly virtual workshops with Sephardic experts, established authors, and publishing professionals; individual mentorship; a special in-person writing retreat; and regular editorial feedback. Deadline: November 1, 2024.
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, 2024.
Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. "On each competition weekend, we’ll reveal a set of story prompts and you’ll have 55 hours to submit your best story of 500-words (or fewer)." Theme: Being Late. Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: November 3, 2024.
Disabled Poets Prize. Restrictions: Open to deaf and disabled poets aged 18+ currently living full-time in the UK. Genre: Poetry. Deaf and disabled poets will be able to submit to three categories – best single poem, best unpublished pamphlet, and best poem performed in British Sign Language. Prize: In each category, there will be a first place prize (£500), second prize (£250), third place prize (£100), and three highly commended entries, (£50). Deadline: November 4, 2024.
Shaughnessy Cohen Award for Political Writing. Genre: Book of literary nonfiction that captures a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers and has the potential to shape or influence thinking on contemporary Canadian political life. Book must be published in Canada. Prize: CAN $25,000. Deadline: November 5, 2024. (For books published between April 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024)
Toi Derricotte & Cornelius Eady Chapbook Prize. Restrictions: Open to Black poets. Genre: Chapbook-length poetry manuscript. Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: November 6, 2024.
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 8, 2024.
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 8, 2024.
Universe of Threats – Essay Contest. Genre: Essay. "We invite you to submit your story and a one page ground truth document describing a threat scenario related to artificial intelligence. Judges will be looking for unique but plausible threat scenarios, as well as clearly defined and complex cascading impacts of the threat." Prize: $5000 first place; Second place – $2,500 (up to 2 winners); Third place – $1,000 (up to 5 winners). Deadline: November 9, 2024.
Leonard L. Milberg '53 High School Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Student writers in the 11th grade. Prizes: First Prize – $1500, Second Prize – $750, Third Prize – $500. Deadline: November 10, 2024.
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 10, 2024.
Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction; under 1,000 words. See theme. Prize: $30. Deadline: November 14, 2024. Opens November 1.
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, 2024.
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 15, 2024.
Weird Little Guys. Genre: Weird short fiction. Prize: 1st place: $69, 2nd place: $21, 3rd place: $10, Runner-ups: $4.20. Deadline: November 15, 2024.
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, 2024.
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, 2024. No fee for poets who are Black, Indigenous, and women of color.
Washington State Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to Washington State writers. Genre: Published book, fiction, nonfiction, poetry: adults or children. Prize: Recognition (?) Deadline: November 15, 2024. (For books published Aug. 16 - Oct. 15, 2024.)
Prism: Pacific Spirit Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1,500 grand prize, $600 runner-up, $400 2nd runner-up. Deadline: November 16, 2024. No entry fee for BIPOC and low income writers.
Happiful Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to writers based in the UK or Northern Ireland. Genre: Poems that explore the topic of mental health and wellbeing in unique, engaging, and empowering ways. Prize: £100. Deadline: November 18, 2024.
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 20, 2024.
Women's Prize for Fiction. Genre: Published novel by a woman. Entrants must be writing in English and must be published in the UK between 1 December 2024 and 31 March 2025. All subject matters and women of any age, from any nationality or country of residence are eligible. Prize: £30,000.00. Deadline: November 22, 2024. Read submission details HERE.
Polar Expressions Publications Competition. Restrictions: Open to Canadian students in kindergarten through grade twelve. Genre: Short Story. Prize: $300, $200, $100. Deadline: November 23, 2024.
Write the World: Short Story Competition. Restrictions: Open to Young Writers (13-19). Genre: Short story. Length: 400-1000 words. Prize: $100. Deadline: November 25, 2024.
Jewish Children’s Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to Jewish children’s book authors and illustrators living in Europe and the UK. Genre: Jewish children's book. Submissions are accepted in English, French, German, Italian, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish and Yiddish. Prize: £1,000 to the winners of the story and illustration categories. All entries will be considered for publication by Green Bean Books. Deadline: November 29, 2024.
Polar Expressions Publications Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to Canadian students in kindergarten through grade twelve. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $300, $200, $100. Deadline: November 30, 2024.
T Paulo Urcanse Prize For Literary Excellence. Genre: Poetry and prose. " Whether you be a lonely writer looking for community and wanting to make your literary debut, or a similarly eggheaded and celebrated writer in the vein of the namesake of this prize, we welcome your submissions with open arms, without fees or prerequisites, without ever having known you or met you at a cocktail party where we discussed the terror of contemporary history and post-structuralist theory or the pitfalls of the first person perspective in a short story or weird childhood stories that involve stray cats and the throwing of tennis balls at moving vehicles from behind bushes at night in the summer on the Main Street of the provincial town where we were raised." Prize: $50 - $250. Deadline: November 30, 2024.
Renee Duke Youth Award Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to poets 19 years old and younger. Prize: $100. Deadline: November 30, 2024.
The Gulliver Travel Grant. The Gulliver Travel Grant is awarded annually to assist writers of speculative literature in their non-academic research. These funds are used to cover airfare, lodging, and other travel expenses. Travel may be domestic or international. You may apply for travel to take place at any point in the following year. Grant: $1000. Deadline: November 30, 2024.
Servicescape. Genre: Short story or nonfiction up to 5,000 words. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: November 30, 2024.
Apex Flash Fiction Contest. Genre: Speculative fiction, 1000 words max. Prize: 8 cents/word or $10, which ever is greater. Deadline: September 30, 2024. Note: Apex Magazine’s Flash Fiction Contest is open from the 7th until the final day of each month. The contest is themed.
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, 2024.
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, 2024.
The Queen’s Knickers Award. Genre: Children’s illustrated book for ages 0-7. "It will recognise books that strike a quirky, new note and grab the attention of a child, whether this be in the form of curiosity, amusement, horror or excitement." 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, 2024.
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 2022 and October 2023. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: November 30, 2024.
AVBOB Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to any citizen of South Africa. Genre: Poetry. Prize: R10,000. Deadline: November 30, 2024.
Spark Award: Held by SCBWI. Restrictions: Open to members of SCBWI who have self-published. Genres: Fiction and nonfiction. Prize: Envy. The SCBWI is our most prestigious national organization (US) for children's book and YA writers. Deadline: November 30, 2024.
J. F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction. Genre: Short fiction. Prize: $500. Deadline: November 30, 2024.
2025 Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition. Restrictions: Open to writers who have never been the author of any published mystery novel. Genre: Mystery novel. Prize: $10,000 advance against royalties, Deadline: November 30, 2024.
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. (See website for quote.) 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, 2024.
Crossroads Contest. Genre: Short fiction on theme: Crossroads. Entry must consist of no more than 50 words. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: November 30, 2024.
Moniack Mhor Emerging Writer Award. Restrictions: Open to unpublished prose writers (fiction) living and working in the UK with a collection of short stories or novel in development. Writers can be writing for any age group (including children and young adults) and may have had excerpts or articles published in the past, but have not yet published any major body of work. Genre: Fiction. Prize: “a tailor-made package worth up to £2,000 including tuition via open courses, retreat time and/or mentoring at Moniack Mhor. One highly commended applicant will also receive a course or retreat.” Deadline: November 30, 2024.
#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction or essay on theme of Scrap Paper. 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: November 30, 2024.
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, 2024.
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, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.
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