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!
[Image: Negative Space]
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The Great American Think-Off. Genre: Essay on the theme: “Has the pursuit of happiness made Americans unhappy?” Entrants should take a strong stand agreeing or disagreeing with this topic, basing their arguments on personal experience and observations rather than philosophical abstraction. Essay should be no more than 750 words. Prize: One of four $500 cash prizes. Deadline: April 1, 2026.
The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers. Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians awards fellowships for writers to spend time in McCullers' childhood home in Columbus, Georgia. The fellowships are intended to afford the writers in residence uninterrupted time to dedicate to their work, free from the distractions of daily life and other professional responsibilities. Award: Stipend of $5000 to cover costs of transportation, food and other incidentals. Fellowship recipients will be required to introduce or advance their work through reading or workshop/forum presentations. The Fellow will work with the McCullers Center Director to plan a presentation near the end of the residency. Deadline: April 1, 2026.
The Maya Angelou Book Award was founded in 2020 to honor the legacy of Missouri-born author Maya Angelou by celebrating contemporary authors whose work has demonstrated a commitment to social justice in America and/or the world. Restrictions: Entrants must be U.S. Citizens and reside within the United States. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: April 1, 2026.
Descant. Each year, descant offers four awards:
- the $500 Frank O’Connor Award for fiction (for the best short story in a issue)
- the $250 Gary Wilson Award (for an outstanding story in an issue)
- the $500 Betsy Colquitt Award for poetry (for the best poem or series of poems by a single author in an issue)
- the $250 Baskerville Publishers Award (for an outstanding poem or poems by a single author in an issue
There is no application process or reading fee. All published submissions are eligible for prize consideration. Simply submit your work. Deadline: April 1, 2026.
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest. This contest seeks today's best humor poems, published and unpublished. Please enter one poem only, 250 lines max. Prize: $3,750 in prizes, including a top prize of $2,000, and publication on Winning Writers. Deadline: April 1, 2026.
Creative Capital Award. Restrictions: Entrants must be US citizens or permanent residents, aged 25+, with 5+ years' professional writing experience, and not be full-time students. Genre: Visual arts, performing arts, literature, technology, and film. Grant: Up to $50,000. Deadline: April 2, 2026.
On The Premises. Genre: For this mini-contest, tell, show, or evoke a complete story about some kind of family dispute or disagreement… TWICE. Give us a longer version of the story (75-100 words long) and then rewrite that same story into a traditional mini-contest length (25-50 words long). Prize: $45 for first place, $35 for second, $25 for third. Deadline: April 3, 2026.
The Solitary Daisy Haiku Contest. Genre: Haiku. Prize: First place $25, second place $15, third place $10. Deadline: April 4, 2026.
Northern Territory History Book Award. Restrictions: You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident to enter. Genre: The Chief Minister's Northern Territory History Book Award recognises the most significant historical book about the Northern Territory published in the previous 12 months. To apply, your book must be a work on Northern Territory history, written in English or one of the First Nations languages of the Northern Territory, available for general sale, and published between 1 January and 31 December 2025. Prize: Recognition. Deadline: April 6, 2026.
The Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants (AWAW EAG). Genre: Environmental art projects led by women-identifying artists in the United States and U.S. Territories. Prize: A total of $470,000 in funding—up to $20,000 per project. Deadline: April 7, 2026.
Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: April 10, 2026.
Soho Theatre: The Verity Bargate Award. Restrictions: Open to UK and Ireland based playwrights. Genre: One-hour play written for stage. Prize: £12,000 and full production. Deadline: April 13, 2026. Bienniel award.
Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction. Restrictions: The writer must be Canadian, and an entry must be the writer's first or second published book of any type or genre and must have a Canadian locale and/or significance. Genre: Print books and ebooks of creative non-fiction published in the previous calendar year. Prize: C$10,000.00. Deadline: April 15, 2026.
53-Word Story Contest. Genre: Flash fiction of exactly 53 words. See prompt. Prize: Publication and a free book. Deadline: April 15, 2026.
Writers' Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers. Restrictions: Open to Canadian LGBTQ+ writers. Genre: Debut book for books published between February 11, 2026 and April 14, 2026. Prize: $12,000. Deadline: April 15, 2026.
Natan Notable Books Award. Genre: Nonfiction book on Jewish themes published for the first time between November 1, 2025 and November 1, 2026. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: April 15, 2026.
Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Non-Fiction. Genre: Literary non-fiction. Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. Prize: $75,000 will be awarded to a literary nonfiction book published between February 11, 2026 and April 14, 2026. Deadline: April 15, 2026.
Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Genre: Fiction. Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. No self-published works. Prize: $70,000 will be awarded to a novel or short-story collection published between February 11, 2026 and April 14, 2026. Prizes of $5,000 will be awarded to each of the finalists. Deadline: April 15, 2026.
Mike Resnick Memorial Award: Best Unpublished Science Fiction Short Story by a New Author. Restrictions: Open to an author who has not had any work published (including short stories, novelettes, novellas, and novels in paper, digital or audio form) that has been paid a per-word rate of 6 cents a word or more or received a payment for any single work of fiction totaling more than $50. Genre: Science fiction short story, up to 7,499 words. Prize: $250 and publication. Deadline: April 15, 2026.
Casa Africa: Purorrelato. Genre: Micro-stories related to Africa. Length: 1500 characters max. The micro-stories can be submitted in Spanish, English, French or Portuguese. Prize: First award: 750 euros, Second award: 375 euros, Third award: 225 euros. Deadline: April 16, 2026.
Collaborature. Restrictions: Submissions must be written by more than one author or include a collaboration of two people (i.e., art and poetry). Genre: Poetry, prose, art. Prize: $20. Deadline: April 17, 2026. Note: This is a monthly contest.
Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English. 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: Books published between March 1, 2026, and April 30, 2026 must be received on or before April 17, 2026.
Author of Tomorrow. Restrictions: Open to children and youth up to age 21. Genre: Adventure writing. Prize: 11 and Under | 500 words | Prize: £100 plus £150 book tokens for your school; 12-15 years | 1,500 - 5,000 words | Prize: £100 plus £150 book tokens for your school; 16-21 years | 1,500 - 5,000 words. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: April 19, 2026.
Royal Institute of Philosophy Essay Prize: Think. Topic: Essay on themes. Prize: Publication. Deadline: April 20, 2026.
Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing. Genre: Editorial writing. The Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship was established to enable a mid-career editorial writer or columnist to have time away from daily responsibilities for study and research. Freelancers may also apply. Fellowship: Up to $100,000. Deadline: April 20, 2026.
Screen Door Press. Restrictions: Open to diverse views from throughout the Black diaspora. Genre: Novel/novellas, Short Story Collections, poetry, and “other." Payment: $5000 and a publishing contract. Deadline: April 20, 2026.
Harper-Wood Creative Writing & Travel Award for English Poetry and Literature. Restrictions: Open to any student who has graduated from any university in the UK, Ireland, the Commonwealth or the USA. Genre: The Award Holder is expected to engage in a course of study or research, and produce a piece of original fiction, drama or poetry. Prize: £20,700 is provided to cover accommodation and living expenses during the course of the year. Deadline: April 22, 2026.
The Sophie Coe Prize. Genre: Informative article or essay on any aspect of food history relating to any period, place, people or culture Prize: £1,500 top prize. Deadline: April 24, 2026.
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: April 30, 2026.
The Black Lawrence Fellowship for New Immigrant Authors. Restrictions: Immigrant authors with no more than one published book. Genre: All genres. Prize: Free 12-month subscription to Sapling worth $50, a gift card in the amount of $150 to purchase books from Black Lawrence Press, a full manuscript consultation for a full-length project worth between $425 and $795, and $150 in cash. Deadline: April 30, 2026.
Baen Fantasy Adventure Award. Genre: Adventure fantasy, 8K words max. Prize: Winner will be published as the featured story on the Baen Books main website and paid at industry-standard rates for professional story submittals. The author will also receive a handsome engraved award and a prize package containing $500 of free Baen Books. Deadline: April 30, 2026.
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: April 30, 2026.
Kyoto Writing Competition. Genre: Short poems, character studies, essays, travel tips, whimsy, haiku sequence, haibun, wordplays, dialogue, experimental verse, etc. In short, anything that helps show the spirit of place in a fresh light. A clear connection to Kyoto is essential. Length: 300 words max. Prize: ~¥20,000 top prize. Deadline: April 30, 2026.
Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Contest for Canadian Youth. Restrictions: Open to Canadian citizens or residents attending junior high or high school. Genre: Poetry. Prize: C$400 in each of two age categories: Junior (grades 7-9) and Senior (grades 10-12). Deadline: April 30, 2026.
Furphy Literary Award. Genre: Short stories up to 5000 words, Theme: Australian Life in all its diversity. Prize: First prize of $15,000 in the open category (2nd prize - $ 3,000, 3rd prize - $2,000. A junior & youth category with a prize pool of $1800 will seek entries for short stories and poetry. Deadline: April 30, 2026.
Toronto Book Awards. Genres: All genres accepted. Restrictions: Submission "must evoke the city itself, that is, contain some clear Toronto content (this may be reflected in the themes, settings, subjects, etc.). Authors do not necessarily have to reside in Toronto. Ebooks, textbooks and self-published works are not eligible. Prize: $28,000 in prize money; finalists receive $2,000 and the winning author is awarded $20,000. Deadline: April 30, 2026. (For books published between May 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026)
CNO Naval History Essay Contest. Genre: Scholarly essay on naval history. Prize: First Prize: $5,000. Second Prize:$2,500. Third Prize: $1,500. Deadline: April 30, 2026.
Al Blanchard Short Crime Story Award. Genre: Crime short story. 5,000 words maximum, with a New England setting (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island) or by a New England writer. Mystery, thriller, suspense, caper, and horror genres all welcome. Prize: $100. Deadline: April 30, 2026.
Miami Book Fair’s Emerging Writer Fellowship. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. "EWF supports developing writers who demonstrate exceptional talent and promise by providing them with time, space, and an intellectually and culturally rich artistic community. The program’s goal is to actively support these writers – who are working to complete a book-length project within a year – and help them launch their literary careers. Emerging Writer fellows are granted professional experience in arts administration, teaching creative writing, and other opportunities; a $50,000 stipend; and strong literary community support to allow for 12 glorious months of uninterrupted time to craft their works." Deadline: April 30, 2026.
Fieldstone Review. Genre: Creative nonfiction/literature & book reviews, fiction, poetry, and reviews on theme: Wild Spaces. Prize: $100. Deadline: April 30, 2026.
Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge. Genre: Poem inspired by artwork. (See site for image.) Prize: $100. Deadline: April 30, 2026. This is a monthly contest.
Rattlecast Prompt Poem of the Month. Genre: Poetry based on prompts. (See website) Prize: $100. Deadline: April 30, 2026.
Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $250 in any single year. Genre: Animal Nonfiction. “Stories should be factual and true accounts of an encounter or encounters by the author with a wild animal or animals. These include, but are not limited to, birds, fish, butterflies, snails, lions, bears, turtles, wombats, etc., as long as it is not a pet.” Prize: First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Deadline: April 30, 2026.
EACWP Flash Fiction Contest. Restrictions: The contest is open to any participant living in Europe (including countries culturally linked to Europe such as Russia, Turkey, and Israel). Eleven different European languages will be leading this year’s competition: Arabic, Catalan, Czech, Dutch, English,, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish. Genre: Flash fiction. Length: 100 words. Prize: €600 top prize. Deadline: April 30, 2026.
E-waste Scholarship. Restrictions: You must be a high school freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior or a current or entering college or graduate school student of any level. Home schooled students are also eligible. There is no age limit. You must also be a U.S. citizen or legal resident. Genre: 500- to 1,000-word essay about e-waste. Prize: $1000 scholarship. Deadline: April 30, 2026.
Cave Canem Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to Black writers of African descent who have not had a full-length book of poetry published by a professional press. Authors of chapbooks and self-published books with a maximum print run of 500 may apply. Genre: Unpublished, original collections of poems written in English. Prize: $10,000, publication by Graywolf Press in fall 2025, 15 copies of the book, and a feature reading. Deadline: April 30, 2026. Biennial prize.
Apex Flash Fiction Contest. Genre: Speculative fiction, 1000 words max. Prize: 8 cents/word or $10, which ever is greater. Deadline: April 30, 2026. Note: Apex Magazine’s Flash Fiction Contest is open from the 7th until the final day of each month. The contest is themed.
#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. See themes. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: April 30, 2026. This is a monthly contest.
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: April 30, 2026. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.
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