: January 31, 2023.
APRIL 2021
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. Two fellowships are available starting Summer 2021, running through Summer 2023.
Deadline: April 5, 2021.
Will return in 2023.
Killing It: The Killer Reads Competition.
Genre: Crime novel. Submit the first 10,000 words of your crime, thriller or suspense novel (your book needs to be complete or near-complete to enter).
Prize: "Editorial reports from HarperFiction (UK) crime editors on their full manuscripts, covering pace, characterisation, pitch, and more. Editorial mentoring (up to three one-hour sessions) with a HarperFiction crime editor."
Deadline: April 7, 2021.
Jersey Pines Ink.
Genre: Fantasy flash fiction. 500 words max.
Prize: $5.
Deadline: April 15, 2021.
Swanton Public Library Poetry Compilation.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $100 for 1st place, $50 for 2nd place, $25 for 3rd place.
Deadline: April 28, 2021.
APRIL 2020
Eliza So Finish-Your-Book Fellowship.
Restrictions: This fellowship is for Native Americans.
Genre: A novel, collection of stories, or memoir in progress (100 pages minimum) or poetry collection in progress (30 pages minimum).
Prize: The 2020 Eliza So Fellowship will include lodging in Missoula, along with a $1,000 stipend for food and travel. Fellows will stay in a private house on the Clark Fork river trail, just blocks from downtown, grocery shopping, farmers markets, parks, restaurants, coffee shops, and more.
Deadline: April 5, 2020.
April 2019
Harold U. Ribalow Prize.
Genre: Fiction on a Jewish theme, published books only
. Prize: $3,000.
Deadline: April 12, 2019.
Lake Superior State University High School Short Story Prize.
Restrictions: Open to high school students students residing in the Midwestern United States (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin) or Ontario, Canada.
Genre: Short fiction.
Prize: $500 and publication.
Deadline: April 30, 2019.
On hiatus.
MAY 2024
The Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans. This creative writing contest for U.S. military veterans and active duty personnel is hosted by The Iowa Review and made possible by a gift from the family of Jeff Sharlet (1942–69), a Vietnam veteran and antiwar writer and activist. The contest is open to veterans and active duty personnel writing in any genre and about any subject matter.
Prizes: First place: $1,000 plus publication in The Iowa Review. Second place: $750. Three runners-up: $500 each.
Deadline: May 31, 2024.
MAY 2023
Parsec Short Story Contest.
Restrictions: Open to non-professional writers.
Genre: Speculative fiction. The theme for the contest is: Preserve or Purge. This can be conveyed in the setting, plot, characters, dialogue…the only limit is your imagination. The theme must be integral to the story in some way and not just mentioned in passing.
Prize: $200 and publication. Best youth story (age 19 and under) receives $50.
Deadline: May 1, 2023.
The Questions Writing Prize.
Restrictions: Open to young Australian writers (18 to 30 years).
Genre: Fiction and nonfiction on any topic as long as the piece remains between 1,500 and 2,000 words.
Prize: $3,000 AUD top prize.
Deadline: May 1, 2023.
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: May 1, 2022.
Queer Scifi Flash Fiction Contest.
Genre: Fantasy, paranormal or horror LGBTIQA stories of no more than 300 words on the theme of Rise.
Prize: The top three winners will receive cash prizes of $75, $50, and $25 respectively.
Deadline: May 1, 2023.
Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Writing Competition.
Genre: Original, fictional short story. "The theme of the competition is ‘The Wonder of Words’ and you are invited to write an original, fictional short story. Your short story can be inspired by our theme in any way."
Prize: "The winning stories (the winner and two runners up) will be recorded as an audiobook by multi-award winning and best-selling Austen narrator, Alison Larkin, published WORLDWIDE and promoted for all to hear!"
Deadline: May 1, 2023.
Sunlight Press.
Genre: Flash fiction.
Prize: $750.
Deadline: May 1, 2023.
CINTAS Creative Writing Fellowship.
Restrictions: Open to any Cuban author (including those of direct Cuban lineage; need not reside in Cuba).
Genre: Novel excerpts, short stories, plays, or poems of up to 25 pages.
Prize: $20,000 fellowship.
Deadline: May 1, 2023.
Rabbi Sacks Book Prize.
Genre: Published nonfiction book that contributes significantly to the arena of modern Jewish thought.
Prize: $50,000.
Deadline: May 1, 2023.
The Waterston Desert Writing Prize.
Genre: Literary nonfiction, desert theme.
Prize: $3,000.
Deadline: May 1, 2023.
Questions Writing Prize. Restrictions: Open to authors aged 18-30.
Genre: Short stories of any genre or nonfiction between 1500 and 2000 words. Prize: First place winners (or prize pool for a tie) is $2000. The work will also be published in a book. Deadline: May 1, 2023.
West Virginia Fiction Competition. Restrictions: Open to West Virginia residents or students. Genre: Short fiction, 5,000 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: May 1, 2023.
LIGHT Contest. Genre: Letters, short stories, art, poetry. "How might we reflect and reimagine wellness in public health through art, letters, stories, and poetry?" Prize: $500 top prize. Deadline: May 1, 2023.
Grouse Grind Lit Prize for V: Short Forms. Restrictions: No fee for black and Indigenous writers.
Genre: flash fiction and nonfiction, hybrid forms and experimental work welcome.
Prize: $500 top prize.
Deadline: May 2, 2023.
Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Non-Fiction.
Genre: Literary non-fiction.
Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians.
Prize: $60,000 will be awarded to a literary nonfiction book published between March 1, 2023 and May 2, 2023.
Deadline: May 3, 2023.
Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.
Genre: Fiction.
Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. No self-published works.
Prize: $60,000 will be awarded to a novel or short-story collection published between March 1, 2023 and May 2, 2023. Prizes of $5,000 will be awarded to each of the finalists.
Deadline: May 3, 2023.
RBC PEN Canada New Voices Award. "The RBC PEN Canada New Voices Award is an annual award that aims to encourage new writing and to provide a space where unpublished Canadian writers can submit short stories, creative nonfiction, journalism, and poetry. The shortlisted submissions are judged by a distinguished jury of Canadian writers."
Prize: The winning entry will receive a $3,000 CAD cash prize and mentorship from a distinguished Canadian author.
Deadline: May 5, 2023.
On The Premises Mini-Contest. "For this mini-contest, tell, show, or evoke a complete story between 25 and 50 words long in which the word “unicorn” (singular, not plural) is used exactly ONCE."
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: May 5, 2023.
Love the Words 2023: Dream. ‘Love the Words’ is an annual celebration of the magic and power of words, and is part of International Dylan Thomas Day.
Genre: Poems on theme: Dream.
Prize: Publication.
Deadline: May 6, 2023.
Lab42 Essay Competition.
Genre: Essay. "The objective of this Essay Challenge is to come up with ideas on how to solve the Abstraction and Reasoning Coprus (ARC) Challenge. The ARC Challenge is like an IQ test for machines. The goal of the challenge is to develop a program that can solve 100 secret ARC tasks, which are not accessible to the public."
Prize: $2,000 top prize.
Deadline: May 7, 2023.
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: May 7, 2023.
Opens on May 5.
Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers.
Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $500 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. Finalists will receive $50.
Deadline: May 7, 2023.
Create 4 Freedom.
Restrictions: The contest is open to writers in the contiguous United States (48 states plus Washington, DC).
Genre: Essays and poetry. This year’s contest focuses on Reflections on Freedom.
Prize: $750.
Deadline: May 8, 2023.
Queer Writers of America Contest.
Restrictions: Open to writers between the ages of 13 and 18.
Genre: Short story, poetry, essay. Writing must contain queer themes and characters/content. Length: 5000 words max.
Prize: $100 top prize.
Deadline: May 10, 2023.
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: $1,000, publication by University of Pittsburgh Press in fall 2023, 15 copies of the book, and a feature reading.
Deadline: May 10, 2023.
Limp Wrist: Glitter Bomb Award.
Restrictions: Open to LGBTQ/non-binary poets and their allies.
Genre: Poem by a poet of any stage of her/his/their career.
Prize: $600 and publication in Limp Wrist.
Deadline: May 11, 2023.
Creative Future Writers’ Award.
Restrictions: Open to underrepresented writers in the UK only, who are over 18 years old. Genre: Poetry, fiction. This year’s theme is ‘How It Started.’ Prize: Publication, unspecified monetary award (?) Deadline: May 14, 2023.
Apparition Lit.
Genre: Speculative flash fiction inspired by the monthly photograph prompt. (See site for photo.) Length: 1000 words max.
Prize: $30.
Deadline: May 14, 2023.
Bacopa Literary Review.
Genres: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry.
Prizes: First ($200) and Runner-Up ($160) prizes in each genre. All published will receive $20 and a copy of the print journal. After publication, Bacopa will be promoted online.
Deadline: May 14, 2023.
Governor General's Literary Awards.
Restrictions: Books must have been written by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. They do not need to be residing in Canada.
Genre: The Governor General’s Literary Awards are given annually to the best English-language and French-Language book in each of the seven categories of Fiction, Literary Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Young People’s Literature (Text), Young People’s Literature (Illustrated Books).
Prize: $25,000.
Deadline: May 15, 2023.
53-Word Story Contest.
Genre: Flash fiction of exactly 53 words about sweat.
Prize: Publication and a free book.
Deadline: May 15, 2023.
Pulitzer Center's "Fighting Words—Poetry in Response to Current Events" Contest.
Restrictions: Current K-12 students anywhere in the world may enter. Students may write in any language, and are welcome to submit multilingual poems. Judges will have reading fluency in English and Spanish.
Genre: Poetry. Theme: How can poetry be an effective response to current events and underreported stories? How can journalism and poetry help us make connections between global issues and our local and personal contexts?
Prize: $300 top prize.
Deadline: May 15, 2023.
ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction. Sponsored by the American Bar Association.
Restrictions: Entrants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.
Genre: Original works of short fiction that illuminate the role of the law and/or lawyers in modern society. 5000 words max.
Prize: $3,000 and publication in ABA Journal.
Deadline: May 15, 2023.
The James Laughlin Award is sponsored by the Academy of American Poets.
Genre: A second book of poetry forthcoming in the next calendar year. Must be under contract with US publisher.
Restrictions: Open to US citizens and residents only.
Prize: $5,000, an all-expenses-paid week long residency in Florida, and the Academy will purchase approximately 1,000 copies of the book for distribution to its members.
Deadline: May 15, 2023.
Leeway Foundation: Transformation Award.
Restrictions: Women and transgender poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers in the Philadelphia area who have been creating art for social change for five or more years. Writers who have lived for at least two years in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties, who are at least 18 years of age, and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible.
Award: $15,000.
Deadline: May 15, 2023.
Singapore Poetry Contest.
Genre: Poetry. "We are looking for poems that use the word “snail” in imaginative ways."
Prize: USD300, 200, and 100 will go to the top three winners
. Deadline: May 15, 2023.
Northern Territory Literary Awards.
Restrictions: Open to all writers from across the Northern Territory, Australia. Several awards for adults. Youth Award is for ages 12 - 18.
Genre: Theatre, Creative Non-Fiction, Essay, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Poetry.
Prizes: $500 - $1000, depending on category.
Deadline: May 15, 2023.
Write the World Competition.
Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5.
Genre: Nonfiction essay about food.
Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50.
Deadline: May 16, 2023. (Note: This is a monthly contest)
Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant.
Genre: Articles, books, and short-form writing about contemporary art—the grants support projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences, from short reviews for magazines and newspapers to in-depth scholarly studies. The program also supports art writing that engages criticism through interdisciplinary methods and experiments with literary styles.
Grant: $15,000 to $50,000.
Deadline: May 17, 2023.
Roscommon New Writing Award.
Restrictions: All entrants must have a connection with the county of Roscommon (born in, living in, currently working in, went to school in, etc).
Genre: Short story.
Prize: €600.00.
Deadline: May 19, 2023.
Whole Life Soaps Haiku Contest.
Genre: Haiku.
Prize: $100 and publication of your haiku on packages of Whole Life Soaps, a natural soap brand based in California. 2023 theme is Aging and the Cycle of Life.
Deadline: May 20, 2023.
A Voice for Animals Teen Essay Contest.
Restrictions: Open to students between the ages of 14-18.
Genre: Essays on an animal rights topic. In the 16-18 year olds category, essays must be 800-1,000 words long and be accompanied by a photograph; in the 14-15 year olds category, essays should be between 1,400-1,500 words. One climate change prize (both age categories compete) will be awarded for an essay on how climate change affects a particular animal species.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: May 21, 2023.
David Harold Tribe Poetry Award.
Restrictions: Open to anyone normally resident in Australia for at least three years prior to entry.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $20,000.
Deadline: May 29, 2023.
Buckmxn Journal Poetry Award.
Restrictions: Open to Oregon and SW Washington residents only.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $300.
Deadline: May 29, 2023.
Irene Adler Prize for Women Writers.
Restrictions: Open to Canadian women.
Genre: Creative nonfiction.
Prize: $1,000 scholarship to a woman pursuing a degree in journalism, creative writing, or literature at a recognized post-secondary institution in the U.S. or Canada.
Deadline: May 30, 2023.
bpNichol Poetry Chapbook Award.
Restrictions: Canadian publishers only.
Genre: Published poetry chapbook.
Prize: The author receives $4,000 and the publisher receives $500.
Deadline: May 31, 2023.
Jenny Brown Associates Over 50 Award.
Restrictions: Open to unpublished and unrepresented UK writers aged 50 and above. Genre: Debut novel.
Prize: £1,000, plus a week’s placement at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre for the winner including reasonable travel expenses.
Deadline: May 31, 2023.
Vancouver Writers Fest's Youth Writing Contest.
Restrictions: Open to students in British Columbia.
Genre: Short stories and personal essays: 1,000 word limit (for elementary school student submissions) and 1,500 (for high-school student submissions).
Prize: $100 top prize.
Deadline: May 31, 2023.
Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest.
Restrictions: Open to residents in the Atlantic Provinces.
Genre: Flash fiction inspired by a Kit Sora photo, 250 words max.
Prize: 10 cents/word.
Deadline: May 31, 2023.
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: May 31, 2023.
Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Contest.
Genre: Unpublished fiction approximately 1,000 - 5,000 words. Story should pertain to music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America.
Prize: $100 and publication in
Jerry Jazz Musician.
Deadline: May 31, 2023.
The Wolfe Pack Black Orchid Award.
Genre: Mystery novellas in the style of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novellas.
Manuscript length: 15K-20K words.
Prize: $1,000, plus recognition and publication in a forthcoming issue of AAMM.
Deadline: May 31, 2023.
Fountain Magazine Essay Contest.
Genre: Essay on theme: How to focus in an era of distractions. 1,500 - 2,500 words. "We are constantly bombarded with breaking news, online notifications, unscheduled visits, calls, and so on. What are your distractions? How do you cope with them? How do you remain focused on what really matters?"
Prize: 1st Place - $1,000, 2nd Place - $500, 3rd Place - $300, Two Honorable Mentions - $150 each.
Deadline: May 31, 2023.
#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: May 31, 2023.
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: May 31, 2023.
Shallow Waters.
Genre: Flash fiction on theme: Red. Max 1,500 words.
Prize: $0.03 per word and publication.
Deadline: May 31, 2023.
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: May 31, 2023.
Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.
MAY 2022
Reel One Entertainment.
Genre: Rom-com screenplay. "We want your fun, romantic and feel-good TV movie ideas for a love story our audiences worldwide are sure to fall for." Submit a 2-page treatment in PDF format for your romcom idea.
Prize: $5000 USD cash prize and the opportunity to work alongside our experienced Development Executives with the intention of greenlighting to Production.
Deadline: May 2, 2022.
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: £15,500 is provided to cover accommodation and living expenses during the course of the year.
Deadline: May 4, 2022.
All Our Various Voices. Montpelier Arts Center is seeking original and unpublished submissions for All Our Various Voices, an anthology celebrating the rich diversity of personal or family stories of immigration from writers who are 18 years of age and older and reside in Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia.
Prize: First Place ($200), Second Place ($150), Third Place ($100) and two Honorable Mentions ($50 each). First Place ($200), Second Place ($150), Third Place ($100) and two Honorable Mentions ($50 each).
Deadline: May 7, 2022.
Louise Meriwether First Book Prize.
Restrictions: Open to fiction and narrative nonfiction by women of color and nonbinary writers of color who are US residents.
Genres: First book of fiction, including novels and short story collections, or narrative memoir, of 50,000 to 80,000 words.
Prize: $5,000 and a publishing contract from the Feminist Press.
Deadline: May 8, 2022.
OutWrite 2022 Chapbook Competition.
Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry Chapbooks. OutWrite is a celebration of LGBTQ literature; entries that explore aspects of LGBTQ culture or identity are encouraged.
Prize $100, an offer of print publication from Neon Hemlock Press, and an opportunity to read from their work at OutWrite 2022.
Deadline: May 15, 2022.
Toyin Falola Prize.
Restrictions: Open to Africans between the age of 15 and 35. Genre: Prose (fiction or nonfiction) on theme of Freedom. Prize: $2,500 share between winner and 5 short listed stories. Deadline: May 15, 2022.
Spectrum: Poetry Celebrating Identity.
Genre: Poem. "We’re particularly keen to hear from those who do not see their identity represented in traditional or mainstream media. Anywhere in the world, any age."
Prize: 1st prize: £200; 2nd prize: £100.
Deadline: May 21, 2022.
Celebrating Black Writers: Voices Calling for Activism and Social Justice.
Restrictions: Open to high school and college students of all ages. Genre: Fiction, prose, and essays. Writings should represent various themes raised by Black writers—poets, novelists, literary activists, public intellectuals, civil rights leaders, and historians—who have advocated for social justice.
Prize: For college students: first place $4,000; second place $2,000. High school students (includes juniors and seniors): first place $3,000; second place $1,500.
Deadline: May 23, 2022.
Solarpunk Microfiction Contest.
Genre; Microfiction, 250 words max.
Prize: $25 and publication on the Solarpunk Magazine website.
Deadline: May 26, 2022.
See theme.
Opens May 20.
Aura Estrada Short Story Contest.
Genre: Short story on the
me: Speculation. Prize: $1,000 and publication.
Deadline: May 31, 2022. (free entry for contestants outside U.S., Canada, Western Europe, and those experiencing hardship)
Tales to Terrify.
Genre: Nautical horror flash fiction.
Prize: $25.
Deadline: May 31, 2022.
Owl Canyon Press Essay Contest.
Genre: Essay of at least 2,000 words about some aspect of Marc Jampole’s experimental literary masterpiece, The Brothers Silver.
Prize: $5000. An additional honorarium of $1,000 will be awarded the winner if their essay is published in an eligible publication (see rules for list); authors of any other entry published in an eligible publication will receive $300.
Deadline: May 31, 2022.
MAY 2020
Nick Darke Award.
Restrictions: Open to UK and European scriptwriters.
Genre: Full-length play.
Prize: £6,000.
Deadline: May 4, 2020.
MAY 2019
St. Francis College Literary Prize.
Genre: Novel. Third, fourth, or fifth published book of fiction. Self-published books and English translations are eligible.
Prize: $50,000 is given biennially.
Deadline: May 15, 2019.
Postponed due to pandemic.
JUNE 2023
Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers.
Genre: An unpublished work of crime fiction, aimed at readers from children’s chapter books through adults. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress of 2,500 to 5,000 words.
Prize: $2,000.
Deadline: Opens June 1, 2023.
Stone Canoe: Poetry in Flight.
Restrictions: Participants must be residents of any of the 12-county region served by the Syracuse Hancock International Airport: Onondaga, Oswego, Cayuga, Tompkins, Jefferson, Tioga, Oneida, Lewis, Madison, Cortland, Chemung, Broome. Poems by people who are not current residents of one of these counties will not be considered.
Genre: Poem on the theme of Aviation and Travel.
Prize: One winning poem will receive a pair of round-trip plane tickets good for travel in the 48 contiguous states or Canada, courtesy of Delta Air Lines, up to a $1200 value.
Youth Prize: Gift basket from Barnes and Noble with a value of $500, as well as one-year of enrollment to the Young Authors Academy at the YMCA's Downtown Writers Center in Syracuse.
Deadline: June 1, 2023.
The Africa Institute: Global Africa Translation Fellowship.
Restrictions: Open to Translators in the Global South. Genre: translations of works from the African continent and its diaspora, into English or Arabic. This is a non-residential fellowship. Projects may be retranslations of old, classic texts, previously untranslated works, poetry, prose, or critical theory collections. The project may be a work-in-progress, or a new project feasible for completion within the timeframe of the grant.
Prize: $1,000-$5,000.
Deadline: June 1, 2023.
Abrams Amplify Award.
Restrictions: Entrants must be un-agented writers who are at least 18 years. old at the time of entry, are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia, and have not previously had any children’s fiction or children’s nonfiction published. "We encourage the work of creators who self-identify as Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latinx, Middle Eastern, or Native American/Indigenous."
Genre: Picture book.
Prizes: One (1) winner will receive $5,000, editorial notes, and a one-on-one video conference meeting with an ABRAMS editor to discuss the Submission. Two (2) winners will receive $2,500 and editorial notes on the Submission from an ABRAMS editor. Two (2) winners will receive $1,000 and editorial notes on the Submission from an ABRAMS editor. All winners will have an opportunity for their full Submission to be reviewed by the ABRAMS Books editorial team for a possible offer of publication.
Deadline: June 1, 2023.
Forum Prize.
Genre: Essay on the subject of: ‘Courageous Art(s)’ "We are looking for bold, visionary and persuasive essays that use academic research to pursue innovative questions. The topic may be addressed from the perspective of any of the literatures (including literary linguistics, translation and comparative literature approaches) normally covered by the journal: Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish."
Prize: £500 and publication.
Deadline: June 1, 2023.
The OFIC Press Prize.
Genre: Novels and novellas that don't really fit in a traditional publishing category.
Prize: The prize for a novel is $1000 and a novella $250. Novels will be published as standalone books and novellas will be compiled into an anthology.
Deadline: June 1, 2023.
Cromwell Article Prize.
Restrictions: Open to early career scholars.
Genre: Articles published in the field of American legal history. Prize: $2,500.
Deadline: June 1, 2023.
The PEN/Heim Translation Fund.
Genre: Book-length works of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and drama in translation.
Prize: $2000 - $4000.
Deadline: June 1, 2023.
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: June 1, 2023.
Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest.
Restrictions: Canadian high school, college, and graduate students.
Genre: Short essay on "What would our Essential Scholars say about the world today?"
Prize: CAD$1,500 in each age category.
Deadline: June 1, 2023.
Peggy Willis Lyles Haiku Awards.
Genre: Haiku.
Prize: First Place - $200, and a miniature crystal turtle; Second Place - $100; Third Place - $50.
Deadline: June 1, 2023.
Bard Fiction Prize.
Restrictions: Open to a writer who is an American citizen aged 39 years or younger at the time of application.
Genre: Published fiction book.
Prize: $30,000 and a one-semester appointment as writer-in-residence at Bard College.
Deadline: June 1, 2023.
Molly Keane Creative Writing Award. Restrictions: Open to Irish residents.
Genre: Unpublished short story, maximum 2,000 words. Prize: €250 plus a course at the Molly Keane Writers Retreat.
Deadline: June 2, 2023
On The Premises. "For this mini-contest, tell, show, or evoke a complete story between 25 and 50 words long in which the same thing, place, or incident is seen from two very different points of view.."
Prize: $35 for first place, $25 for second, $15 for third.
Deadline: June 2, 2023.
Furious Fiction.
Genre: Flash fiction based on their prompt. Length: 500 words max.
Prize: $500AUD.
Deadline: June 4, 2022.
Icelandic Festival of Manitoba Poetry & Short Stories Contest.
Genre: Poetry and short stories. Length; 1200 words max.
Prize: $50 - $125. "You do not need to be of Icelandic descent to submit an entry however material reflecting Icelandic culture and interests will be given preference."
Deadline: June 5, 2023.
Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards.
Restrictions: Open to writers from Northern England who would like to work in television.
Genre: TV writing.
Prize: Mentoring support and a bursary worth £3000.
Deadline: June 5, 2023.
Defenestration.
Genre: Short story including an incident of defenestration – the art or –ism of throwing people out of windows. It need not be literal. "This can be a sudden, immediate, even violent shift, change, or seismical event between the beginning and the end.”
Prize: $75, two runner-up prizes of $30 each.
Deadline: June 7, 2023.
Spectator Comp No. 3303: sex education.
Genre: "You are invited to submit an explanation of the facts of life by a person from the field of fact or fiction who might be deemed a surprising choice. Please email entries of up to 150 words/16 lines to lucyATspectator.co.uk"
Prize: £30.
Deadline: June 7, 2023.
Wyoming Creative Writing Fellowship. Restrictions: Open to Wyoming writers who are U.S. citizens or have legal resident status. Genre: Fiction, Poetry, CNF. Prize: $3,000 and an honorarium/travel stipend. One fellowship will be awarded in each category of Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Fiction, for a total of three fellowships. Applications are juried by noted authors, literary agents, or writing professionals from outside the state. Jurors may award honorable mentions. Recipients of the Creative Writing fellowships will share their work at one of Wyoming's literary conferences
. Deadline: June 9, 2023.
Institute for Youth in Policy International Essay Writing Contest. Restrictions: Any student, in any country, who is enrolled in an accredited high school or college/university at the time of submitting their essay is eligible to participate. Genre: Essay. "Countless countries around the world suffer from a plethora of issues – economic hardship, social turmoil, political polarization, pandemic recovery, unreliable leadership, corrupt governance, warfare and conflict, the list goes on. If you were elected the leader of your country, what would you do to address the issues your country faces in order to build a more prosperous society?" Prize: $250 and publication. Deadline: June 9, 2023.
Ocean Awareness Youth Contest.
Restrictions: Open to students in grades 6 - 12.
Genre: Art, poetry, prose, film. "Use humor, positivity, irony, or other unconventional approaches that are not typically used in environmental communication to address the climate crisis. Think outside the tackle-box, beyond clichés, to create something that makes the topic of climate change and our oceans more approachable and accessible."
Prizes: $100 - $1,500.
Deadline: June 13, 2023.
Grist: Imagine 2200.
Genre: Short stories. "What we’re seeking: short stories that envision the next 180 years of equitable climate progress. Our mission is to make the story of a better world so irresistible, you want it right now."
Prize: First, second, and third-prize winners will be awarded $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000 respectively, and nine additional finalists will each receive a $300 honorarium.
Deadline: June 13, 2023.
Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Prize: $30. Deadline: June 14, 2023.
QTBIPOC 2021 Poetry Manuscript Contest.
Restrictions: Open to QTBIPOC-identified feminist innovative writers/poets.
Genre: Poetry collection.
Prize: The prize winner will receive publication along with a $1,000.00 cash award to help aid in book promotion, travel, event attendance, etc.
Deadline: June 15, 2023.
International Wizard of Oz Club Annual Contests.
Genre: Short Fiction, Art & Academic Nonfiction Research Papers. All work must be related to the world of Oz.
Prize: $100 in each genre. 2nd Prize $50 in each genre.
Deadline: June 15, 2023.
Sapiens Plurum.
Genre: Short stories that personalize the consequences of climate change. Theme: “Inventing Beautiful Futures.”
Prize: 1ST PRIZE: $1000; 2ND PRIZE: $500; 3RD PRIZE: $300.
Deadline: June 15, 2023.
Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award.
Genre: High-quality picture books that resonate with readers of diverse backgrounds and experience. Diversity includes literal or metaphorical inclusion of characters of underrepresented ethnicity, religious background, gender identity, class, mental or physical disability, or any other nondominant populations.
Prize: American Express® gift cards totaling $1,500, round trip travel to New York City, and the honor of a one-day mentorship with a Little, Brown Books for Young Readers’ professional children’s book design and editorial team. Submission will be reviewed for publication.
Deadline: June 15, 2023.
Norton Writer's Prize. Sponsored by W.W. Norton & Company. "The Norton Writer’s Prize will be awarded annually for an outstanding essay written by an undergraduate. Literacy narratives, literary and other textual analyses, reports, profiles, evaluations, arguments, memoirs, proposals, mixed-genre pieces, and more: any excellent writing done for an undergraduate writing class will be considered."
Genres: Creative Nonfiction, Scholarly Essay.
Prize: $1,500. Two runner-up prizes of $1,000.
Deadline: June 15, 2023.
53-Word Story Contest.
Genre: Flash fiction of exactly 53 words based on monthly theme.
Prize: Publication and a free book.
Deadline: June 15, 2023. (Note: This is a monthly contest)
Towson University Prize for Literature.
Restrictions: Open to Maryland writers.
Genre: Book-length manuscript of fiction, poetry, drama or imaginative non-fiction. The work must have been published within the three years prior to the year of nomination or must be scheduled for publication within the year in which nominated. Self-published works will not be considered.
Prize: $1,000.
Deadline: June 15, 2023.
See nomination form HERE.
Baltimore Science Fiction Society Amateur Writing Contest. Restrictions: Open to Maryland residents or students at a MD 2- or 4-year college, and not a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America or published in a professional science fiction/fantasy magazine Genre: Science fiction short stories. Prize: 1st place is $250; 2nd place is $100;
3rd place is $50. Deadline: June 15, 2023.
Scotiabank 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 May 1, 2023, and June 30, 2023 must be received on or before June 16, 2023.
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 January 1, 2023 – July 31, 2023, must be received on or before June 16, 2023.
Renard Press Poetry Contest.
Genre: Poetry on theme: Kinship. "Kinship is a poetry anthology that seeks to provide a platform for marginalised voices, and to celebrate the great diversity and rich variation in the identities of people from around the world and from a huge cross-section of walks of life."
Prize: 1st prize: £200.
Deadline: June 17, 2023.
Solid Essay Contest.
Restrictions: Open to high school students.
Genre: Essay (See site for topics.) Minimum number of words is 600 and maximum is 800.
Prize: Scholarship of $1000.
Deadline: June 19, 2023.
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: $75,000.
Deadline: June 19, 2023.
WWPH Writes Pride Contest.
Restrictions: Open to LGBT writers living in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Genre: Poetry, micro-prose.
Prize: $100.
Deadline: June 19, 2023.
Write the World Competitions.
Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5.
Genre: Songwriting.
Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50.
Deadline: June 20, 2023. (Note: This is a monthly contest)
Young Scots Writer of the Year Award.
Restrictions: You must be aged 11–18 to enter as an individual.
Genre: Stories, poems, spoken word pieces, comics, videos or other pieces of writing. "We want to see it all, as long as it's in Scots and under 2500 words or up to ten minutes."
Prize: £100 book token.
Deadline: June 21, 2023.
A Midsummer Tale Narrative Writing Contest.
Genre: Non-genre fiction and creative nonfiction. Theme: Best Friends Forever…?
Length: 1,000 words minimum; 5,000 words maximum.
Prize: $35 - $50 Amazon gift card.
Deadline: June 21, 2023.
Roxane Gay Books/Grove Atlantic Fellowship. “We are currently seeking an editorial fellow interested in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of an independent publishing house and developing a solid foundation for a career in publishing. The fellow will have exposure to the editorial, marketing, publicity, and rights departments of Grove Atlantic, and will directly support Roxane Gay Books, a new imprint at Grove Atlantic, in building an exciting list of fiction and nonfiction. This is a one-year fellowship that will allow the fellow to gain experience in publishing with an emphasis on creating access for candidates from backgrounds underrepresented in publishing….Fellows will receive a $25,000 stipend, for 24 hours a week of work, paid biweekly. The fellow is also eligible for health and dental benefits and paid time off. Candidates can be based anywhere in the United States.”
Deadline: June 22, 2023.
Great Lakes Colleges (GLCA) New Writers Award.
Restrictions: Open to Americans and Canadians.
Genre: Poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. In each category,
the submitted work must be an author’s first published volume.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: June 25, 2023.
Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction.
Restrictions: Books must be English-language, first-edition trade books published by a Canadian press, written by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Titles must be published between May 3, 2023 and September 30, 2023.
Genre: Literary nonfiction including, among other forms, works of personal or journalistic essays, memoirs, commentary, criticism both social and political, history, and biography.
Prize: Winner: $60,000; Finalists: $5,000.
Deadline: June 28, 2023.
Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.
Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. No self-published works.
Genre: Novel or short story collection.
Prize: $60,000 will be awarded to the novel or short story collection published between May 3, 2023 and September 30, 2023.
Deadline: June 28, 2023.
Storyhouse.
Genre: Nonfiction. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. 1000 - 10,000 words in length. Stories must be suitable for children.
Prize: $200.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
My Writing Journey.
Genre: Essay on the theme: The best writing tip I’ve ever received. Length: 600 words.
Prize: $200 (R2 000 or £100).
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
2023 BCSA Writing Competition.
Genre: Fiction, nonfiction. Theme: Marriage and Divorce. The 30th anniversary of the split between Czechia and Slovakia is the suggested (but not compulsory) theme of this year’s BCSA writing competition. If you choose to write on that theme it can be related to the Velvet Divorce but it needn’t be – it could be something on a much more individual or local level. Entries must deal with either (1) the links between Britain and the Czech and/or Slovak Republics, at any time in their history, or (2) society in those Republics since 1989. Entries should be in English and not more than 2,000 words long.
Prize: First prize £400, second prize £150.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Washington State Book Awards.
Restrictions: Open to Washington State writers.
Genre: Published book, fiction, nonfiction, poetry: adults or children.
Prize: Recognition (?)
Deadline: June 30, 2023 (for books published Jan. 1-May 31, 2023).
Faber Children’s: Faber and Andlyn BAME (FAB) Prize.
Restrictions: Open to undiscovered BAME writers and illustrators; entrants must be of black, Asian or minority ethnic background, and UK- or Ireland-based.
Genre: Text or artwork for children.
Prize: £1,500 and £500 each for a writer and an illustrator.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Love Books Competition.
Restrictions: Open to everyone but you need a UK bank account to receive your prize money if you win.
Genre: Nonfiction, poetry, CNF. "We want you to tell us why you love your favourite book, poem or play. Your response should be in the form of a piece of text of up to 750 words. Entrants should explain what they love about their chosen read, highlighting key areas of interest, and why they think others should try it."
Prize: Winner for each age group receives £300; the runner-up in each age group receives £100. Age groups: 13-15 years, 16-19 years, 20+ years.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Boroondara Literary Awards.
Restrictions: Open to Australians.
Genre: Prose and poetry.
Prize: More than $5,000 in prize money across various age groups in the Young Writers’ category; more than $3,500 in prize money in the Open Short Story category.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
The Drabble Harvest Contest.
Genre: Drabble on theme of "Space Station Duty-Free." A "drabble" is defined as a short story containing exactly precisely no more and no fewer than 100 words. It has a title, which can be from 1 to 15 words-- but no more than 15.
Prize: $5.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Last Stanza Poetry Journal.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: A single $100 award will be given for an outstanding poem.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
See theme.
SA Writer’s College Short Story Award.
Restrictions: Open to unpublished writers in South Africa.
Genre: Short stories. Theme: Words Have Consequences.
Prizes: 1st – R 10 000; 2nd – R 5 000; 3rd – R 2 000.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Storyhouse: Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers.
Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $500 in any single year. First prize winners of previous contests, while ineligible for prizes in regular contests, can compete in this one.
Genre: Nonfiction.
Prize: First prize is $100. Runners-up will receive $50.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize is awarded to the author of the best first novel published in the previous calendar year.
Restrictions: Only American authors publishing in English are eligible. Non-eligible books include short story collections, flash fiction, memoirs, biographies and books published solely in electronic format.
Prize: $1000.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Digital Privacy 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 digital privacy.
Prize: $1000 scholarship.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
The Lindisfarne Crime Prize.
Restrictions: Residents of the North East of England, or whose work celebrates the North East of England.
Genre: Crime short story of up to 10,000 words.
Prize: £2500.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Drue Heinz Literature Prize.
Restrictions: The award is open to writers who have published a book-length collection of fiction or a minimum of three short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals of national distribution. Online and self-publication does not count toward this requirement.
Genre: A manuscript of short stories; two or more novellas (a novella may comprise a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages); or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection.
Prize: $15,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press under its standard contract.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry, Griffin Poetry Prize.
Restrictions: One prize goes to a living Canadian poet or translator, the other to a living poet or translator from any country, which may include Canada.
Genre: Poetry. Books must have been published in English during the calendar year preceding the year of the award.
Prize: Prizes are awarded annually in two categories – International and Canadian. Each prize is worth C$65,000.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Shady Grove Literary.
Genre: Any style, genre, tone of flash fiction. Length: 300 words max.
Prize: $100.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Sargeson Prize for Secondary Schools.
Restrictions: Open to students enrolled at a New Zealand secondary school and aged between 16 and 18 years.
Genre: Short story, Length: 5,000 words max.
Prize: First Prize: $10000; Second Prize: $1000; Third Prize: $500.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Sargeson Prize.
Restrictions: Open to New Zealanders.
Genre: Short stories. Length: 5,000 words max.
Prize: First Prize: $10000; Second Prize: $1000; Third Prize: $500.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Eden Mills Teen Poetry Contest.
Restrictions: Open to Canadian teens.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: Two $50 prizes, 2 $25 prizes.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest.
Restrictions: Contest is 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. Professional publication is deemed to be payment and at least 5,000 copies (or 5,000 hits for online publication).
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi or Horror. 17,000 words max.
Prize: $1,000 1st Prize awarded each quarter; one of those winners also receives the $5,000 annual "Golden Pen Award" grand prize. 2nd Prize $750, 3rd Prize $500.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Contest.
Restrictions: The competition is open to all citizens and residents of the Commonwealth aged 18 and under.
Genre: Essay. The theme of the contest is "Community in the Commonwealth."
Prize: Past prizes have included certificates, resources for winner's school, visits to Cambridge University, a trip to London and a week of activities, work experience at international organisations, and having your entry featured in worldwide media.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Hubert Butler Essay Prize.
Restrictions: Open to European Union citizens aged 18+.
Genre: Essay on theme ‘How far can we trust science?’ 3,000 words max.
Prize: First prize of €1,500 and two second prizes of €500.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Utah Division of Arts and Museums Original Writing Competition.
Restrictions: Utah writers.
Genres: Poetry and prose.
Prize: $1,000 top prizes for book-length manuscripts of novels, creative nonfiction & history, collection of poetry or short stories, and juvenile book; $300 top prizes for individual poems, short stories, and personal essays. 2nd Prize $500 for the book-length categories, $150 for poetry.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
Briefly Write. Genre: Poetry up to 10 lines. Prize: 1st – £40 / 2nd – £20 / 3rd (x3) – £10.
Deadline: June 30, 2023.
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: June 30, 2023.
Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.
JUNE 2022
The Novel Prize.
Genre: Book-length work of literary fiction written in English.
Prize: $10,000.
Deadline: June 1, 2022.
Biennial award.
The Lorca Latinx Poetry Prize honors the role of transoceanic friendship in poet Federico GarcÃa Lorca’s life, work, and legacy.
Restrictions: Poet must have published no more than one full-length collection.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: Translation of an emerging Latinx poet’s English language chapbook-length manuscript into Spanish and bilingual publication. "The Prize strives to facilitate platforms for this poet to present their work, including at festivals, residences and readings in the United States, and beyond." $500 and 10 copies of the chapbook.
Deadline: June 5, 2022.
Biennial prize.
The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. Restrictions: An address in the UK or Republic of Ireland or British Overseas Territory or British Forces Post Office. OR an entry code shared with you for submission to the International Award. Note: The Bruntwood Prize International Award of £8,000 is open to international playwrights who can apply through their partners. (See site for list)
Genre: Play.
Prize: £16,000.
Deadline: June 6, 2022.
Literary Taxidermy. Genre: Short story, must begin and end with lines from one of three chosen novels. Prize: Up to $1500 and publication. Deadline: June 11, 2022. Note: There is a voluntary $10 fee. Entrants are encouraged to pay the fee, but the fee will be waived in the case of financial hardship.
Spectator Comp No. 3254: hard times. "You are invited to tweak a well-known book title to reflect the straitened times we live in (e.g. Lidl Women) and provide an extract of up to 150 words." Please email entries to lucyATspectator.co.uk
Prize: £30.
Deadline: June 15, 2022.
Christopher Hewitt Award. Genre: Poetry, fiction, CNF, drama. "The award showcases outstanding responses to the AIDS pandemic and the realities of individuals living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Prize: $75 in each category. Deadline: June 15, 2022.
Solarpunk.
Genre: Micro fiction 250 words or less based on the monthly contest theme. (See theme)
Prize: $25 and publication on the Solarpunk Magazine website.
Deadline: June 23, 2022. (Opens June 17)
Christmas Stories: Postcard Poem Competition.
Genre: Poem. "Poems must be no longer than 16 lines, including title and stanza breaks, with no more than 10 words per line. Your poem must be in English. It must also be new, unpublished, and not currently submitted elsewhere."
Prize: £75.
Deadline: June 30, 2022.
BART Short Fiction Contest.
Genre: Short fiction by authors (18+) living across BART’s five counties (San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara). "With BART Lines, BART shines a light on the literary voices that make the Bay Area the unique, diverse place that it is. Our riders keep BART moving, and we want to highlight the best writers that the region has to offer and showcase it in our stations on our popular Short Story Dispensers.” Length: 7,500 characters or less (spaces included),” on the theme of “Motion.”
Prize: $200.
Deadline: June 30, 2022, or when they reach 400 entries.
Blue Mountain Poetry Card Contest. Genre: Poetry. "Poems can be rhyming or non-rhyming, although we find that non-rhyming poetry reads better. We suggest that you write about real emotions and feelings and that you have some special person or occasion in mind as you write." Prize: First prize $300. Second prize $150. Third prize $30. Deadline: June 30, 2022.
Rattle Genre: Poetry based on image (See site). Prize: $100 and online publication. Deadline: June 30, 2022.
JUNE 2021
Hiett Prize in the Humanities. The Hiett Prize in the Humanities is an annual award aimed at identifying candidates who are in the early stages of careers devoted to the humanities and whose work shows extraordinary promise and has a significant public component related to contemporary culture.
Restrictions: All applicants must reside in the United States.
Prize: $50,000.
Deadline: June 1, 2021.
The Pandeism Collegiate Writing Competition.
Restrictions: Open to undergraduate and graduate collegiate students of philosophy, theology, religious studies, social sciences, arts, literature, applied sciences, or comparable disciplines.
Genre: Article presenting original thought in exploring implications of the modern theological theory of Pandeism (pantheistic Deism, belief in a Creator wholly becoming our Universe, proposed to be discernible by application of logic and reason). Papers written for course credit are acceptable. Submissions do not need to take a position in favor of or opposed to Pandeism as a theory, but must present original thought about its relative possibility, relation to other areas of theology, or implications for areas such as epistemology, ethics and morality, or science. Submissions must be a minimum of 3,000 words and a maximum of 6,000 words. Only one (1) article may be submitted by each student.
Prize: $250 Amazon gift card and publication.
Deadline: June 10, 2021.
Biennial.
JUNE 2020
Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award.
Genre: Poetry, short stories.
Prize: Each winner will receive $1,800 in Writer’s Relief submission services free of charge.
Deadline: June 18, 2020.
Linda Flowers Literary Award.
Restrictions: Entrants must live in North Carolina. "The North Carolina Humanities Council invites original, unpublished entries of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry for the Linda Flowers Literary Award. Submissions should detail examinations of intimate, provocative, and inspiring portraiture of North Carolina, its people and cultures, bringing to light real men and women having to make their way in the face of change, loss, triumph, and disappointments."
Prize: $1,500.
Deadline: June 25, 2020.
Letheon.
Genre: Poetry related to the perioperative setting. "Are you a medical professional or related to one? Perhaps you have been anesthetized recently, or you are overly acquainted with the waiting room. If you are connected to the world of anesthesia, we encourage you to share your experience with us."
Prize: $500.
Deadline: June 30, 2020.
JUNE 2019
Amy Awards. Poets & Writers presents the Amy Award each year to recognize promising women poets, age 30 and under, living in the New York City metropolitan area or on Long Island. Winners receive a modest honorarium and give a reading in New York City. The award was established in 1995 by Paula Trachtman and Edward Butscher of East Hampton, New York, in memory of Ms. Trachtman's daughter, Amy Rothholz, an actor and poet.
Genre: Poetry.
Deadline: June 1, 2019.
The Vilcek Foundation Awards.
Restrictions: Applicant must have been born outside the United States; Applicant must not be more than 38 years old as of December 31, 2019 (born on or after January 1, 1981); Applicant must: be a naturalized citizen or permanent resident (green card holder) of the United States; be a holder of an H1B or O-1 visa and have been living and working in the United States for at least 5 years; or have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA); Applicant must not be enrolled as a full-time student; Applicant must have published at least one full-length book (not self-published); Applicant must intend to pursue a professional career in the United States; Applicant must not be a past winner of the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise.
Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Prize: $50,000.
Deadline: June 10, 2019.
JULY 2023
PEN America’s U.S. Writers Aid Initiative.
Restrictions: Applicants must be professional writers based in the United States, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping address a short-term emergency situation.
Prize: Grant, amount not specified.
Deadline: July 1, 2023.
The AutoEthnographer Student Scholarships.
Restrictions: Open to creatives anywhere in the world who identify as active students at any age or level. Works must be nominated by an instructor, professor, tutor, or other educator; the author/artist must have been an enrolled student in the 2022-2023 school year.
Genre: Works of literary and artistic autoethnography.
Prize: $250 and publication.
Deadline: July 1, 2023.
Virago 50th Furies Short Story Competition.
Restrictions: Open to people of underrepresented genders and women who are from Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage, and multiple-ethnic groups; part of the LGBTQIA+ community; neurodiverse; have a disability; self-identify as working-class individuals; or are from a working-class background. Entrants must be aged 18 or over, resident in the United Kingdom and must not have an agent at the time of entering the Competition or have had any book or short story previously published by a publisher or self-published in whole or in part in any format.
Genre: Feminist short story inspired by a synonym for ‘virago.’ Prize: £1,500 prize money and the opportunity to be published in the Furies paperback and ebook.
Deadline: July 1, 2023.
Local Word Poetry Prize.
Restrictions: Entries are welcome from living poets anywhere in Australia 16 years or older.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $2,000 AUD top prize.
Deadline: July 1, 2023.
Richard J. Margolis Award.
Genre: Journalism. Prize is awarded annually to a promising new journalist or essayist whose work combines warmth, humor, wisdom and concern with social justice.
Prize: $5,000 and one month of residency at Blue Mountain Center.
Deadline: July 1, 2023.
Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Sponsored by Claremont Graduate University. Restrictions: Poets must be citizens or legal resident aliens of the United States.
Genre: Poetry. Book must be author's first full-length book of poetry, published between between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. Self-published books are accepted.
Prize: $10,000.
Deadline: July 1, 2023.
Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. Sponsored by Claremont Graduate University. Restrictions: Poets must be citizens or legal resident aliens of the United States.
Genre: Poetry. The work submitted must be a first book of poetry published between between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. Manuscripts, CDs, and chapbooks are not accepted.
Prize: $100,000.
Deadline: July 1, 2023.
BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest (BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize and BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean)
. Restrictions: All entrants must be of Caribbean heritage/of Caribbean descent or writers who were born/raised and holding nationality in the Caribbean. Genre: Unpublished short fiction (3000 words max). Prize: US$1750 for each contest.
Deadline: July 1, 2023.
Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards.
Genre: Poetry. "The awards contest is an annual series of awards to encourage poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit."
Prize: $200.
Deadline: July 1, 2023.
Free entry for poets age 12 and under.
Limnisa Short Story Competition.
Genre: Short story under 1,500 words on theme: A room of one's own.
Prize: One-week, all-inclusive writers' retreat in Limnisa, Greece.
Deadline: July 2, 2023.
The Michael O’Pray Prize.
Restrictions: Open to all early-career writers based in the UK.
Genre: Nonfiction writing on innovation and experimentation in the moving image.
Prize: £750 top prize.
Deadline: July 2, 2023.
The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers.
Restrictions: Open to unpublished Australian residents aged 18 years or older.
Genre: Fiction and narrative non-fiction, the first three chapters plus synopsis (max 20,000 words).
Prize: $10,000 and a year’s mentorship with one of Hachette Australia’s publishers. The Guardian Australia will publish an extract of the first chapter of the winning work on its website.
Deadline: July 7, 2023.
Wingate Literary Prize.
Genre: Published book that explores Jewish themes. Book must be published between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023, must be published, distributed or easily available in the UK and Ireland, and must be published in English, whether originally or in translation.
Prize: £4,000.
Deadline: July 7, 2023.
AAAS/Subaru Book Prize.
Genre: Published science book. Categories include: Children's Science Picture Book (prize to author and illustrator); Middle Grades Science Book (prize to author); Young Adult Science Book (prize to author); Hands-On Science Book (prize to author). Winning authors and illustrators will be recognized at the AAAS Annual Meeting which will be held February 15-17, 2024 in Denver, CO.
Prize: $1500.
Deadline: July 7, 2023.
HG Wells Short Story Competition.
Genre: Short story on theme of "Motion." Length: 1,500 to 5,000 words.
Prize: £1,000 and publication in the annual HG Wells Short Story Competition Anthology.
Deadline: July 10, 2023.
No fee for writers under the age of 21. Those over 21 can enter for a fee.
Stony Brook Short Fiction Prize.
Restrictions: Only undergraduates enrolled full time in United States and Canadian universities and colleges are eligible. "This Prize has traditionally encouraged submissions from students with an Asian background, but we urge all students to enter."
Genre: Fiction of no more than 7,500 words.
Prize: $1,000.
Deadline: July 14, 2023.
Blessing the Boats.
Restrictions: Open to all women poets of color in the U.S., including poets who identify as cis, trans, and non-binary people who are comfortable in a space that centers on women’s experiences, regardless of citizenship and publication history.
Genre: Full-length poetry manuscript.
Prize: $5,000 honorarium and book publication by BOA Editions, Ltd.
Deadline: July 14, 2023.
Working Class Writers Nature Prize.
Restrictions: Open to working class writers over 18 and living in the UK. The author must self-identify as working class and not have been published professionally in full-length book form.
Genre: Fiction, non-fiction and poetry nature writing.
Prize: £300 and a mentoring session.
Deadline: July 14, 2023.
Kaidankai podcast.
Genre: Stories with a haunted house theme. Length: 1000 - 3000 words.
Prize: $25 - $100.
Deadline: July 15, 2023.
Helen Schaible International Sonnet Contest.
Genre: Poetry. Categories: #1 Traditional Sonnet – Shakespearean or Petrarchan; #2 Modern Sonnet.
Prize: $50, 2nd Prize $30, 3rd Prize $20, three Honorable Mentions, three Special Recognitions.
Deadline: July 15, 2023.
Boardman Tasker Prize. Restrictions: The prize will be awarded for a work first published or distributed in the United Kingdom between July 17, 2022 and July 15, 2023.
Genre: Books with a mountain, not necessarily mountaineering, theme whether fiction, non-fiction, drama or poetry, written in the English language. Prize: £3,000.00. Deadline: July 15, 2023. The Burlington Contemporary Art Writing Prize.
Restrictions: Entrants must have published no more than six pieces of writing in print or online prior to their submission.
Genre: Review of a contemporary art exhibition.
Prize: £1,000.
Deadline: July 17, 2023.
Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awards.
Restrictions: Scottish writers over 18 years of age.
Genres: The awards are divided into three different categories.: Fiction and Narrative Non-fiction in English and Scots, Poetry in English and Scots, Children’s and Young Adult Fiction in English and Scots. Prize: £2,000 and personal development opportunities, which can include mentoring from writers and industry professionals. Training in PR, performance and presentation training, and the opportunity to showcase work to publishers and agents.
Deadline: July 19, 2023. (Noon)
Undiscovered Voices.
Restrictions: Current members of SCBWI who live in the UK or one of the current countries of the EU or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries.
Genre: Opening of an already completed novel for children, aimed at any age from 5 years through to Young Adult. You may submit up to 4,000 words – choosing a suitable place to stop your extract.
Prize: Publication.
Deadline: July 20, 2023.
Black Voices in Children's Literature Writing Contest.
Restrictions: The contest is open to Black authors who at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing anywhere in the United States.
Genre: Original children’s books for ages 0–4 (50–125 words) or for ages 4–8 (300–800 words) featuring authentic, realistic Black characters and culture and focusing on one or more of the following topics: character development, self-esteem, identity, diversity, getting along with others, engaging with family and community, or other topics related to positive childhood development. Religious and fantasy themes will not be considered.
Prize: First Place: $1000. Second Place: $500 cash prize. Third Place: $250 cash prize.
Deadline: July 24, 2023.
Literature Matters.
Restrictions: UK residents.
Genre: "Awards will be given to individual writers or other literary creators, recognising their past achievements and providing them with financial support to undertake a proposed new piece of writing or literary project. Launched as part of the RSL’s new Literature Matters programme, priority will be given to proposals which (a) will help connect with audiences or topics outside the usual reach of literature, and/or (b) will help generate public discussion about why literature matters."
Award: £20,000.
Deadline: July 28, 2023.
The Governor General’s Literary Awards. Restrictions: Books must have been written, translated or illustrated by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Genre: Best English-language and the best French-language book will be chosen in each of the seven categories of Fiction, Literary Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Children’s Literature (text), Children’s Literature (illustrated books) and Translation (from French to English). Prize: $25,000. Deadline: July 31, 2023.
Mustapha Matura Award. Restrictions: The competition is open to any playwright of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the UK. Entrants must be 25 years or under at the time of submission. Genre: Stage play in English. Television, radio plays and film scripts will not be considered.
Prize: £3,000 top prize.
Deadline: July 31, 2023.
The Prescription Prizes in Creative Writing. Genre: Prose (including scripts), poetry and hybrid writing. "In 2023 the RCPSG is launching its new ‘the prescription’ competition for creative writing around its historic collection of medical items representing Glasgow’s health care history. You can access our online collections
here and you should include the name of the item that inspired you and its catalogue number in your competition entry."
Prize: £100 top prize. Deadline: July 31, 2023.
Platt Family Scholarship Prize Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to students who are FULL TIME, undergraduate students in an AMERICAN COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY during the Spring 2023 semester. Genre: Essay on topic: ““2023 is the 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Does Abraham Lincoln deserve the title of ‘The Great Emancipator’? Why or why not?” Prize: 1st Prize $1500 | 2nd Prize $750 | 3rd Prize $500. Deadline: July 31, 2023.
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: July 31, 2023.
Landfall Essay Competition. Restrictions: Open to New Zealand writers. Genre: Essay about New Zealand. Prize: The winner will receive $3000 and a year’s subscription to Landfall. Deadline: July 31, 2023.
Tilted House: 1BR / 3BATH Poetry Chapbook Contest. Genre: Poetry chapbook, 16 - 35 pages of "experimental, puckish, political, funny, playful, polemical, and/or uncomfortable. In a word: anti-poetry. While there is no theme, per se, we are hungry for work that twists the arm of poetry’s status quo. We like meta poetics, satire, work that is aware of itself and what’s in the air. Maybe you “don’t know what you’re doing” or feel like your work is “unpublishable.” Send it to us! Give us your freaky. Give us your fun." Prize: $200. Deadline: July 31, 2023. READING FEE: $0–$20, sliding scale.
Singapore Unbound.
Restrictions: Open to undergraduates.
Genre: Critical essays on topics in Singapore literature.
Prize: $250.
Deadline: July 31, 2023.
The Washburn Chapbook Prize.
Restrictions: Open to women or non-binary writers.
Genre: Chapbook exactly 10 poems long.
Prize: $200 and publication of their micro chapbook online at Harbor Review.
Deadline: July 31, 2023.
Fees are waived for BIPOC identifying writers only.
Biopage.
Genre: "Inspiring, uplifting, and heartwarming stories."
Prizes: Up to $300.
Deadline: July 31, 2023.
Registration required.
Arvon Award. Restrictions: Open to writers living in the North of England at the time of entering and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months.
Genre: Full-length work of fiction, poetry or narrative non-fiction work in progress.
Prize: Arvon course.
Deadline: July 31, 2023.
TLC Free Reads. Restrictions: Open to writers living in the North of England at the time of entering and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months. Genre: Full-length work of fiction or narrative non-fiction work in progress. Prize: In-depth editorial report on their work in progress,
Deadline: July 31, 2023.
NorthBound Book Award. Restrictions: Open to writers living in the North of England at the time of entering and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months. Genre: Completed full-length work of fiction or narrative non-fiction. Prize: advance against royalties of £5000, publication with Saraband and access to the Northern Writers’ Awards Network. Royalties will be paid on Saraband’s standard terms.
Deadline: July 31, 2023.
Surging Tide.
Genre: Poetry, prose.
Prize: The winner of each category will be awarded $100 and each runner-up will also be awarded $25.
Deadline: July 31, 2023.
JULY 2022
Woolgathering.
Restrictions: All poets under 22 years old are eligible for this competition.
Genre: Poetry. "As students who have lived in the Philippines, the political climate in our country is volatile. From the unending “War on Drugs” to political killings and media censorship, the liberty of Filipinos is continually diminishing. However, this issue is not exclusive to the Philippines, and instances of political injustice are evident everywhere. As young writers we can use words to challenge political injustice and propagate change. This scholarship is dedicated to uphold the voices of the unheard, and to seek the truth in times of repression."
Prize: 1st Place: $200.00; 2nd Place: $40.00; 3rd Place: $10.00. All ten finalists will be featured in the Woolgathering Young Voices Anthology.
Deadline: July 1, 2022.
Langdon Review Writer-in-Residence Program. This is a two-week residency at Texas-based Tarleton State University, providing an opportunity to present at the Langdon Review Weekend festival, and publication in the school's Langdon Review journal.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: July 1, 2022 (?)
John Glassco Translation Prize. Sponsored by Literary Translators' Association of Canada.
Restrictions: Open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents only.
Genre: The work submitted must be the translator's first published book-length translation into English or French.
Prize: $1000.
Deadline: July 1, 2022.
Booth Summer Writing Contest: Beyond the Margins. Genre: "Send us your work that lives outside of the box, whether in content, in form, or both. Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, comics, lists, hybrid work, recipes, maps to hidden treasure or the secrets of the universe. The work that lives, has been made to live, on the margins and beyond. We want to champion work that does not receive the seat at the table where it rightfully belongs." Prize: $500 + publication. Deadline: July 1, 2022. Note: Free submission for all BIPOC writers.
Saudi Historical Novel Award. Co-sponsored by the Historical Novel Society and The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (DARAH).
Genre: Historical novel, 60,000-150,000 words, that is set in the Arabian Peninsula in the Saudi period, 1700-1975.
Prize: £10,000 prize. 2 runners up will be awarded £3,000 prizes and £2,000 respectively.
Deadline: July 1, 2022.
#PassOrPages Query Contest. Participating agents give brief feedback on a handful of entries, explaining why they're passing ... or requesting pages! The queries and accompanying feedback are posted on our blog anonymously, which helps querying authors get a peek into agents' minds as they go through their slush piles.
Genre: Revealed on June 21.
Deadline: July 4 - 8, 2022.
Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Prize: $30. Deadline: July 14, 2022.
Louisiana State University Alexandria (Lsua) Department of English And Humanities Flash Fiction Contest.
Genre: Flash fiction. "Tell a short-story with a title. In a minimum of 6 words and a maximum of 1,500 words, tell a story about what happened, who it happened to, and why."
Prize: First, second, and third place finishers will be awarded $250, $150, and $100.
Deadline: July 15, 2022.
Stone Canoe. Restrictions: Open to people who live or have lived in Upstate New York (not New York City). Genres: Drama, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: July 15, 2022 for fiction - August 8, 2022 for poetry. (It is difficult to find this information on their website.)
Iron Horse Prize. Genre: First book of collected prose. Prize: The author of the winning entry will receive $1000, and their collection will be published in the summer of 2023 by Texas Tech University Press. Deadline: July 15, 2022. Free submissions on July 15 only.
Women Poetry Prize.
Genre: "A critical essay engaging with the poetry of women of colour
." Prize: The winning essay will be published in
Women: a cultural review. The winner will also be awarded a sum of £500.
Deadline: July 18, 2022.
Arablit Story Prize. Genre: Short story translated from Arabic. Prize: $500. Deadline: July 20, 2022.
Green Stories Short Story Writing Competition. Genre: Short story "focusing on the theme “clean vs. green. This is a targeted competition aimed at using an engaging fictional story to help readers understand how over-cleaning and misinformation about bacteria can mean that we can end up killing our bodies ‘good’ bacteria through over-use of harsh cleaning products. Your challenge is to write a short story (between 1000 and 3000 words) that helps to raise awareness and shift attitudes, especially for those people who assume that the more detergent the better.” Prize: £500 prize (or local currency equivalent). Deadline: July 21, 2022.
Solarpunk. Genre: Micro fiction 250 words or less based on the monthly contest theme. (See theme) Prize: $25 and publication on the Solarpunk Magazine website. Deadline: July 21, 2022. (Opens July 15) Books Like Us. Genre: First novel. "The Simon & Schuster adult trade imprint is pleased to announce the second annual BOOKS LIKE US First Novel Contest to facilitate accessibility to underrepresented writers and celebrate the diversity of readers across the United States. As the nation continues to strive for progress, Simon & Schuster aims to help catalyze that change by amplifying voices that represent us, by publishing books like us. A two-week entry period will begin on Tuesday, July 12, 2022. At that time, writers are invited and encouraged to submit 25 pages of an original adult novel via the form on this page. The publisher welcomes inclusive, entertaining, and groundbreaking reads with expert pacing, depth, heart, and irresistible characters who leap from the page. At the end of the submission period, the editorial, marketing, and publicity teams at Simon & Schuster will review all submissions for originality, relevance to today’s publishing climate, and writing quality." Prize: In January 2023, the author of the selected novel will be awarded the opportunity to enter into a $50,000 book deal with Simon & Schuster." Deadline: July 26, 2022.
Gasher First Book Scholarship.
Restrictions: Open to US residents. Genre: First book.
Prize: $250. This scholarship is to provide financial assistance to a writer submitting their first book.
Deadline: July 29, 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: July 31, 2022. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.
Rachel Wetzsteon Chapbook Award. Genre: Poetry collection, around 30 pages. Prize: $1010.10 publication, and 25 copies. Deadline: July 31, 2022. Entry is free until July 31, after that there is a fee.
#GWstorieseverywhere.
Genre: Micro fiction or essay on theme of Kid Stuff. 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: July 31, 2022.
Lune Spark Young Writers' Short Story Contest.
Restrictions: Open to writers 10-13 years old, and 13-16 years old. (Two categories.)
Genre: Short story.
Prize: $500 for first place; $250, 2nd place; $100, 3rd place.
Deadline: July 31, 2022.
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: July 31, 2022.
Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest.
Restrictions: Open to residents in the Atlantic Provinces.
Genre: Flash fiction inspired by a Kit Sora photo, 250 words max.
Prize: 10 cents/word.
Deadline: July 31, 2022.
Jan Garton Prairie Heritage Book Award.
Genre: Book that illuminates the heritage of North America's mid-continental prairies, whether of the tall-grass, mid-grass, or short-grass regions. Authors' first books receive extra consideration. Books may be in any genre, and topics may include but are not limited to social or natural history; prairie culture of the past or in-the-making; and interactions between society and ecology.
Prize: $1,000.
Deadline: July 31, 2022.
1455’s Third Teen Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Writers aged 13-19.
Genre: Poetry. The theme for this year’s contest is “Finding Community During Crisis,” and the work should be a reflection on or reaction to the contemporary sociopolitical and cultural environment (including but not limited to #BLM, #MeToo, COVID, etc.). Prize: $5,000. Deadline: July 1, 2021.
Lewis Carroll Society Ellis S. Hillman Award. Genre: Write a ‘missing’ chapter for either Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or Through the Looking-Glass. You can create new characters or re-use existing characters; create new scenarios or use an existing scenario and follow on. Prize: Three prizes of £100 each for three separate age groups – up to 16 yrs old, 16-20, over 20 yrs. Entries to be between 500 to 2000 words, depending on age. Deadline: July 3, 2021.
Thirty West: Broadside Contest. Genre: Up to 2 poems or prose (flash fiction or CNF) pieces that fit on an 8.5"x11" paper (A4 size). Prize: $40 and 25 copies, Deadline: July 4, 2021.
Sustainability First Writing Prize 2021.
Restrictions: Open to all living British writers and international writers living, working, or studying in the UK, over the age of 18 years.
Genre: Article, a personal account, an essay, a short story, or a poem. Written entries will need to look at both climate change and fairness in society. This year's theme is: 'Together for a Fair Climate Future.' We want to hear writers’ imaginative visions, creative ideas and practical steps for societal change, with pieces of writing that respond to the question: “How do we achieve meaningful social changes in the UK to tackle the climate crisis and develop a fairer society?“
Prize: £1,000 with £500 for second prize and £300 for third prize.
Deadline: July 10, 2021.
James Berry Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to poets of colour, who are UK residents (permanently reside in the UK: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man) who have not yet published a book-length collection, with special consideration given to LGBTQ+/disabled poets and poets from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Genre: Poetry. Prize: 3 equal winners each receive £1,000 prize, expert mentoring & debut collection published with Bloodaxe Books. Deadline: July 31, 2021.
JULY 2019
Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize.
Restrictions: Open to Irish poets.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $12,000 for an Irish poet to travel to Australia in 2020.
Deadline: July 8, 2019. Will be open in May 2021.
Submerging Writer Fellowship.
Restrictions: Writers who have never published a book or won any major writing awards, and who are not currently studying in an MFA or PhD program and "you battle daily the barriers of luck, society, fate, a curse, the cosmos, some major setback, or all of the above."
Genre: Everything?
Prize: $1,000 ($500 prize and up to $500 to be used toward expenses associated with attending a conference, workshop, class, or retreat).
Deadline: July 31, 2019.
AUGUST 2023
Source Magazine.
Genre: Book reviews, exhibition reviews or texts introducing sets of pictures. "But we are also interested in others forms of writing so if you want to submit something in a different form then please do. Our interest in photography is not only about the photographs that appear in books and exhibitions, it touches most aspects of life and we like to read about those encounters too." Length: 700 words max.
Prize: £500.
Deadline: August 1, 2023.
Granum Foundation Prize helps U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works—such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, and memoirs—or to help launch these works. Additionally, a Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be awarded to support the completion of a work translated by a U.S.-based writer.
Prize: One winner will receive $5,000; up to three finalists will be awarded $500 or more; $500 or more will be awarded to one writer working in translation.
Deadline: August 1, 2023.
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, 2023.
Bennett Nieberg Transpoetic Broadside Prize. Restrictions: Open to trans poets who have yet to publish their first full-length book. Genre: Poem. Prize: $1,000 USD, 25 limited edition letterpress broadsides of the winning poem, and a feature in the upcoming issue of Gasher Journal. Deadline: August 2, 2023.
Live Theatre's North East Playwriting Award.
Restrictions: Open to playwrights who are either from or based in the North East of England, age 16 and older.
Genre: Full-length play.
Prize: £10,000 top prize. A second award will be exclusively for young people aged 16 to 25. This will be a commission fee of £7,000 (under 70 minutes) and a commitment to develop the play at Live Theatre.
Deadline: August 7, 2023.
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 7, 2023.
Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English between July 1, 2023, and September 30, 2023. 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 11, 2023.
The Yale Drama Series.
Genre: Original, unpublished full-length plays, with a minimum of 65 pages.
Prize: $10,000.
Deadline: August 15, 2023.
Storyhouse.
Genre: Biographical nonfiction. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. 1000 - 10,000 words in length. Stories must be suitable for children.
Prize: $200.
Deadline: August 31, 2023.
Sundog Summer Collaboration Contest.
Genre: "Sometimes teamwork is what makes the dreamwork, so this summer we want to see what you’ve created with another writer (or two or three — there’s actually no limit) for our annual Collaboration Contest. Submit your wildest, most inventive work of any or mixed genre. Just keep your hybrid masterpiece to 1,000 words or less."
Prize: $300 and publication.
Deadline: August 31, 2023.
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, 2023.
Nat 1 $h!TpOsT Shorts.
Genre: Write a 3000+ word story for one of the six provided horrible covers. (See website) (The covers really are horrible)
Prize: Publication, royalties and a $25 award.
Deadline: August 31, 2023.
AUGUST 2022
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 1, 2022.
Epigram Books Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Authors must be Singaporean, Singaporean permanent resident or Singapore-born. Genre: A full-length, original and unpublished novel written in the English language. Prize: $20,000. Deadline: August 1, 2022.
Spectator Comp No. 3261: Watch This Space. You are invited to submit a poem about the James Webb Telescope.’ Please email entries of up to 16 lines to lucy@spectator.co.uk by midday on 3 August.
Prize: £30.
Deadline: August 3, 2022. (Note: Scroll down)
Oregon Literary Fellowships. Two fellowships (one $10,000 grant and one $3,500 grant) are reserved specifically for writers of color. There are also fellowships for women/gender-nonconforming writers as well as special fellowships for fiction writers who have lived in Oregon over the past 5 years.
Deadline: August 5, 2022.
Stone Canoe.
Restrictions: Open to people who live or have lived in Upstate New York (not New York City).
Genres: Drama, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art.
Prize: $500 and publication.
Deadline: August 8, 2022 for poetry. (It is difficult to find this information on their website.)
Deborah Cass Prize for Writing (Australia).
Restrictions: Applicants must: (a) be early career writers with fewer than 10 publications (articles, short stories or poetry) and no full-length book published or contracted for publication; (b) have either been born overseas or have at least one parent who was born overseas (and certify this on the application form); and (c) not be employees or Board members of Writers Victoria at the time of entry.
Genre: Fiction or creative nonfiction.
Prize: $3,000 plus a three-month mentorship with an established writer, and two runners-up will receive $1,000 each.
Deadline: August 10, 2022.
Spectator Comp No. 3262: Initial embarrassment. You are invited to submit a poem on behalf of Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss in which they set out their stall, but in which the first letters of each line inadvertently spell out an inappropriate word or phrase. Please email entries of up to 16 lines to lucy@spectator.co.uk by midday on 10 August.
Prize: £30.
Deadline: August 10, 2022. (Note: Scroll down)
Rebecca Swift Women's Poetry Award.
Restrictions: Open to women poets in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
Prize: £1,000.
Deadline: August 12, 2022.
Biennial prize.
Waterford Poetry Prize.
Restrictions: Open to residents of Ireland.
Genre: Poem.
Prize: First prize is €400 plus attendance at a designated writing course.
Deadline: August 12, 2022.
4thWrite Short Story Prize.
Restrictions: Open to Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic writers aged 18+ living in the UK or Ireland.
Genre: Short story, 6,000 words maximum.
Prize: £1,000, a one-day publishing workshop at 4th Estate and publication of their story on the Guardian website.
Deadline: August 14, 2022.
Apparition Lit.
Genre: Flash fiction between 1k words max based on the theme.
Prize: $30.
Deadline: August 14, 2022.
Wintermute Lit.
Restrictions: Open to emerging writers who have not published a full-length manuscript or chapbook. The work you submit can have been previously published but not awarded large national/international awards.
Genre: Speculative fiction, maximum of 4500 words.
Prize: Winners receive cash prizes, speculative books of their choice, and publication in Wintermute.
Deadline: August 14, 2022.
Reprints accepted.
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 15, 2022.
The Gotham “Manuscript-to-Market” Fellowship.
Restrictions: Open to people of color who have completed a book manuscript (or nonfiction book proposal) and are ready to go to market with their book. Three fellowships will be offered every year.
Prize: Admittance to the Gotham Writers Conference—the panels and presentations as well as a seat at a pitching roundtable with two agents in your genre. The Gotham course How to Get Published or Nonfiction Book Proposal. A one-on-one Agent Evaluation session and a Query Letter Coaching session, both with a literary agent.
Deadline: August 15, 2022.
Quarterly West.
Genre: Poetry chapbook.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: August 15, 2022.
Ligonier Valley Writers.
Genre: Flash fiction on theme of "mermaids, selkies, and other water dwellers";1000 words max.
Prize: The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15.
Deadline: August 15, 2022.
Solarpunk Microfiction Contest.
Genre; Microfiction, 250 words max.
Prize: $25 and publication on the Solarpunk Magazine website.
Deadline: August 25, 2022.
See theme.
Opens August 19.
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 April 2022 and 30 September 2022. All subject matters and women of any age, from any nationality or country of residence are eligible.
Prize: £30,000.00.
Deadline: August 26, 2022.
Writing Competition: The Story I Needed To Have Read.
Genre: Short story - in any genre, fiction or fact - that helped or would have helped you at a pivotal moment in your life.
Prize: One winner will receive up to $2000 worth of training and coaching with Exisle Academy,and publication on the website.
Deadline: August 28, 2022.
Frank O’Connor International Short Story Fellowship.
Restrictions: Open to writers living within Munster and a commuting distance from Cork City. "The Short Story Fellow must have at least two full-length works of fiction published at the time of deadline, of which at least one must be a short story collection. The ideal candidate will be a writer respected by peers and experienced in the giving of writing workshops."
Genre: Short fiction.
Fellowship: A stipend of €8000, in four monthly instalments of €2000.
Deadline: August 29, 2022.
The Canadian Women Artists’ Award.
Restrictions: Open to Canadian women living in New York who are between the ages of 21 and 35 before the application deadline.
Genre: Fiction, poetry.
Grant: $5,000.
Deadline: August 30, 2022.
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 31, 2021 and August 30, 2022.
Prize: $1000.
Deadline: August 30, 2022.
Arena Fantasy Magazine Competition.
Genre: Fantasy. Theme: Gladiatorial Battle. "Your MC has been captured and put to fight in the Arena. Choose their path. Do they win or do they die? Word Count - up to 2500 (not including title)
Prize: First place wins an annual subscription to AFM. The 2nd & 3rd place will get a free issue. All entries will be considered for publication in an anthology as well as published in the magazine."
Deadline: August 31, 2022. (Note: Scroll down)
Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contest.
Restrictions: Open to residents in the Atlantic Provinces.
Genre: Flash fiction inspired by a Kit Sora photo, 250 words max.
Prize: 10 cents/word.
Deadline: August 31, 2022.
Poetry Archive NOW! WordView 2022.
Genre: Poetry. "Make a video/film recording of yourself reading or reciting a single poem which you have written in 2022."
Prize: £100.
Deadline: August 31, 2022.
Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize.
Genre: Poetry collection (in English), at least 48 pages long, published between July 1 of the previous year and June 30 of the deadline year by an upstate New York author.
Prize: $2000.
Deadline: August 31, 2022.
What’s Your Story? Restrictions: Open to Victorian residents. (Australia)
Genre: Poetry, short stories, CNF.
Prize: $500
. Deadline: August 31, 2022.
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: Biographical Nonfiction.
Prize: First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50.
Deadline: August 31, 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: August 31, 2022.
Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.
Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award.
Restrictions: Open to authors aged 18-35 as of December 31 of the deadline year. Books must have been first published in the UK and/or the Republic of Ireland, in the English language, between June 23 of the preceding year and August 31 of the deadline year. Authors must be UK or Irish citizens, or residents for the three years preceding the award.
Genre: Published or self-published book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction.
Prize: £10,000.
Deadline: August 31, 2022.
Temperatures Rising Contest.
Genre: Flash fiction on theme of temperatures rising, figuratively or literally. Your story must be no longer than 99 words.
Prize: Free Gotham class.
Deadline: August 31, 2022.
YORKSHIRE PRIZE: The Good Old Days.
Restrictions: The Yorkshire Prize is open to residents of Yorkshire, UK.
Genre: Short story set in Yorshire, maximum word count of 2000 per entry.
Prize: £100, and two further commendations of £25.
Deadline: August 31, 2022.
#GWstorieseverywhere.
Genre: Micro fiction or essay on theme of Dreamy. 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, 2022.
Jack Grapes Poetry Prize.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: WINNERS will receive $200 each, plus publication. FINALISTS will receive $50 each, plus publication.
Deadline: August 31, 2022.
Harvill Secker Young Translators' Prize.
Restrictions: Open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 34.
Genre: Short story translation. This year the focus language is Indonesian and entrants will translate an excerpt from the novel Dua Muka Daun Pintu by Triskaidekaman.
Prize: £1,000.
Deadline: August 31, 2022.
AUGUST 2021
Future Folklore.
Genre: Speculative fiction that imagines a world where equitable climate change initiatives have been set in motion.
Prize: Up to $400.
Deadline: August 9, 2021.
Valiant Scribe Poetry Competition.
Genre: Poetry. "Valiant Scribe calls for submissions that focus on war and peace, despair and hope. In a world filled with war, poverty, natural disasters, human rights violations, and other ills, we seek poetry that evokes thoughts of hope, telling us there is a light at the end of the tunnel."
Prize: First prize: USD 250, author video interview & featured inclusion in Valiant Scribe's next issue. Second prize: USD 100, & inclusion in Valiant Scribe's next issue. Third prize: USD 50, & inclusion in Valiant Scribe's next issue.
Deadline: August 15, 2021.
Ruritania Prize.
Genre: Short fiction. "The Ruritania Prize is a prize for those writing from a place that doesn't exist, English-speakers who are struggling to find their role in a contradictory literary tradition which is simultaneously patronizing and affectionate. Its judges are drawn from a variety of major Central and Eastern European cities, to better reflect the real diversity of the lands in which the Ruritanian romances were (and are) set."
Prize: 350 euros and publication.
Deadline: August 31, 2021.
AUGUST 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
SEPTEMBER 2023
Stories Out of School. Genre: Flash fiction. The story’s protagonist, or its narrator, must be a K-12 teacher. Stories must be between 6 and 749 words and previously unpublished. Prize: First-prize winners receive $1000; second-prize winners, $500. Deadline: September 1, 2023.
American-Scandinavian Foundation Translation Prizes. Genre: English translations of poetry, fiction, drama, or literary prose originally written in Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, or Swedish by a Scandinavian author born after 1800. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: Sept 1, 2023.
Mavis Batey Essay Prize. Restrictions: Open to any student, worldwide, registered in a bona-fide university or institute of higher education, or who has recently graduated from such an institution. Genre: Nonfiction. Scholarly essay on gardening history.Prize: £250, free membership of the Gardens Trust for a year and consideration for publication. Deadline: September 3, 2023.
Terrain.org Editor’s Prize.
Genre: Nonfiction, fiction, and poetry focusing on place, climate, and justice.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: September 4, 2023.
Washington State Book Awards.
Restrictions: Open to Washington State writers.
Genre: Published book, fiction, nonfiction, poetry: adults or children.
Prize: Recognition (?)
Deadline: September 15, 2023. (For books published June 1-Aug.15, 2023.)
Savage Science Fiction/Fantasy Writing Contest.
Genre: Science fiction or fantasy 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: September 24, 2023.
Opens September 22, 2023.
Earth's Final Chapter.
Genre: All fiction genres and cross genres.
Prize: $700.
Deadline: September 24, 2023
Don't Text and Drive 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 texting while driving.
Prize: $1000 scholarship.
Deadline: September 30, 2023.
Shady Grove Literary.
Genre: Any style, genre, tone of flash fiction. Length: 300 words max.
Prize: $100.
Deadline: September 30, 2023.
L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is held four times a year.
Restrictions: The Contest is 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. Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least six cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits.
Genre: Short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy.
Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500, Annual Grand Prize: $5,000.
Deadline: September 30, 2023.
SEPTEMBER 2022
Smokelong Fellowship for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: All writers previously unpublished in SmokeLong Quarterly and who do not have a published chapbook or book-length work in any genre (or are not under contract for such) are eligible to apply. Genre: Flash fiction (1000 words max). Prize: $500. Deadline: Opens Sept 1 (The application fee is $8. For writers who cannot afford an application fee, there is a free submission option in Submittable.)
The Michael Marks Environmental Poet of the Year will be given to a poet whose previously unpublished series of poems brings most powerfully, to a wide readership, the subject of the environment and the place of the human within it.
Prize: The Environmental Poet of the Year will have their short portfolio of poems published in a pamphlet that will be sold by Wordsworth Grasmere and the British Library. They will also receive £1,000, and be invited to read at a winner’s event at Wordsworth Grasmere.
Deadline: September 1, 2022.
AILACT Essay Prize.
Genre: Papers related to the teaching or theory of informal logic or critical thinking, and papers on argumentation theory.
Prize: $700 top prize.
Deadline: September 1, 2022.
PEN Prison Writing Contest.
Restrictions: Anyone incarcerated in a federal, state, or county prison in the year before the September 1 deadline is eligible to enter.
Genres: Poetry, fiction, drama, creative nonfiction.
Prize: $100 - $250 prize per category.
Deadline: September 1, 2022.
On The Premises Short Story Contest. "For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which the story’s main character(s) spend most (even better, all) of the story’s time in constant motion. For instance, they could spend the whole story in a moving vehicle. There are plenty of other ways to do it, too. (Just being on the Earth, which is spinning and moving around the sun, doesn’t count.)"
Prize: Winners receive between US$75 and US$250, and publication.
Deadline: September 2, 2022.
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)."
Prize: $500AUD.
Deadline: Opens September 2, 2022. Closes September 5, 2022. (Australian time)
September Selects. Restrictions: Open to any author, new or emerging, who has not yet published a novel with a major press. Genre: Unpublished fiction and narrative non-fiction between 1,000 and 2,000 words. Prize: $200. Deadline: September 4, 2022.
Los Suelos. Genre: Short fiction on theme: Pets. Prize: $150. Deadline: September 5, 2022.
Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund.
Restrictions: Australian citizens or residents. Applicants must be emerging, midcareer or established Australian writers and literary sector workers (not beginners) with a demonstrated publication and/or career history
. Prize: $10,000 for travel expenses.
Deadline: September 5, 2022.
The Spectator.
Genre: Poem. "To mark the centenary this month of Philip Larkin’s birth, you are invited to re–imagine one of his poems (please specify) in the style of a poet of your choice." Please email your entries to lucy@spectator.co.uk.
Prize: £30.
Deadline: September 7, 2022.
The Blackness on Sea Poetry Prize.
Genre: Poem. "The Blackness on Sea Poetry Prize is a quest to find a poem of genuine literary merit to become a lasting legacy for The Lobster Pot Pub and this delightful Village on the Firth of Forth."
Prize: £1000.
Deadline: September 7, 2022.
KSP Short Fiction Competition.
Restrictions: Open to Australian residents and citizens.
Genre: Short fiction.
Prize: $100 first place prize for youth.
Deadline: September 8, 2022. (Free entry for youth only)
Young Lions Fiction Award.
Restrictions: Open to US citizens 35 years of age or younger.
Genre: Novel or a collection of short stories. Each year, five young fiction writers are selected as finalists by a reading committee of Young Lions members, writers, editors, and librarians. Submissions by publisher only. Authors may not submit their own work.
Prize: $10,000.00.
Deadline: September 9, 2022.
September Selects.
Restrictions: Open to any author, new or emerging, who has not yet published a novel with a major press.
Genre: "Submit your best prose in borrowed forms. Lists, letters, board game rules, message board posts, meeting minutes, diary entries, text messages, emails—any experimental or unconventional approach to narrative form is welcome Submissions of up to 7,000 words will be considered, but shorter is likely better (say, around 3,000 words)."
Prize: $200.
Deadline: September 11, 2022.
Secret Life of Data: Short Story Competition.
Genre: Short story. "We are looking for creative stories that bring to life the secret life of data – perhaps imagining this life as a journey, a quest, a romance, or a tragedy; thinking of a computer’s internal architecture as a house, a jungle, a zoo, or a city; and the data as characters facing danger in the form of various digital threats and vulnerabilities."
Prize: 1st prize - £1000, 2nd prize - £500, 3rd prize - £250.
Deadline: September 12, 2022.
RSL Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction.
Restrictions: The writer must be a resident of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or have been a resident in the UK or ROI for the past three years.
Genre: Nonfiction book.
Prize: Two awards – one of £10,000, one of £5,000 – are offered to support writers to complete their first commissioned works of non-fiction.
Deadline: September 14, 2022.
Apparition Lit.
Genre: Speculative fiction; under 1,000 words based on prompt.
Prize: $30.
Deadline: September 14, 2022.
Forge Flash Prose Competition.
Genre: Flash fiction and CNF, 1000 words max.
Prize: $500 and publication.
Deadline: September 14, 2022.
Submit early in the month!
US Naval Institute and CIMSEC Fiction Essay Prize. Genre: Essay. Length: 3,000 words max. "Fiction is a powerful tool for testing hypotheticals and imagining other worlds as a means of examining our own. Once again, CIMSEC and the U.S. Naval Institute have partnered to invite authors to ask "What if?" as a means of exploring different visions of the future of maritime security."
Prize: First Prize: $500 and a 1-year membership in the Naval Institute and CIMSEC. Second Prize: $300 and a 1-year membership in the Naval Institute and CIMSEC. Third Prize: $200 and a 1-year membership in the Naval Institute and CIMSEC.
Deadline: September 15, 2022.
The Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World.
Genre: Any nonfiction book published for children or young adults, released between January 1 and December 31, 2022, is eligible. If both an author and illustrator are listed on the book cover, the prize will be split between them.
Prize: $2500 plus $1000 to purchase copies of the winning book for distribution to schools and libraries.
Deadline: September 15, 2022.
Falconer 150 Essay Competition.
Genre: Essay relating to Hugh Falconer’s life or the museum bearing his name.
Prize: £150.
Deadline: September 15, 2022.
The Mollie Savage Memorial Writing Contest. Genre: Science fiction/fantasy 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: September 18, 2022.
September Selects.
Restrictions: Open to any author, new or emerging, who has not yet published a novel with a major press.
Genre: "Submit your best prose—fiction and CNF—told in the second person. We’re NOT looking for first person-direct address. Submissions up to 7,000 words will be considered)."
Prize: $200.
Deadline: September 18, 2022.
Solarpunk Microfiction Contest.
Genre; Microfiction, 250 words max.
Prize: $25 and publication on the Solarpunk Magazine website.
Deadline: September 22, 2022.
See theme.
Opens September 16.
Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction.
Restrictions: Open to residents of UK.
Genre: Short stories between 2000-6000 words on the theme "Music."
Prize: £500 and 10 shortlisted authors will be published in an ebook anthology.
Deadline: September 22, 2022.
Michael Marks Illustration Award. will recognise outstanding illustration of a poetry pamphlet published between September 18th 2021 and the closing date of September 23rd 2022. The judge will consider illustration in any medium and will be looking for a subtle and sustained relationship between image and text, as well as the overall quality of the images. Prize: £1,000.
Deadline: September 23, 2022.
September Selects.
Restrictions: Open to any author, new or emerging, who has not yet published a novel with a major press.
Genre: "We’re bucking the Valentine’s Day tradition and celebrating anti-love. The winner of this submission call will be published on the 14th of February. Submit your best stories, fiction or CNF, that fit the theme of anti-love: breakups good and bad, celebrations of single life, or however you want to interpret this idea. Submissions up to 7,000 words will be considered."
Prize: $200.
Deadline: September 25, 2022.
Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge.
Genre: Poem inspired by artwork. (See site for image.)
Prize: $100.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
This is a monthly contest.
Olde Wolf Short Story Contest.
Genre: Short story. Length: 3,000 words max.
Prize: $100.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
This is a monthly contest.
Backchannels.
Genre: Fiction. Length: Up to 3500 words.
Prize: Unspecified.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
From The Horse’s Mouth.
Genre: Short story.
Prize: Total prize of £150, £100 for the Adult Winner and £50 for the Younger Entrant’s Winner.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
Solstice Shorts Competition: Hiatus.
Genre: Flash or poem (max 500 words) on the theme of Hiatus. Prize: Royalties.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
Note: Contest closes after 50 submissions. Submit early!
Sejong International Sijo Competition.
Genre: Sijo poem.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
The Willie Morris Awards for Southern Fiction and Nonfiction.
Genre: Novels and nonfiction books published in 2022. Book has to be set in one of the original eleven states in the Confederacy. (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.)
Prize: $2,500.00.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
Art of Unity Creative Award.
Genre: Poetry; essays and short stories (under 2500 words); video; music; dance; performance or visual work around the theme: “Never again: Remembering to heal and overcome.” "The most important hallmark of Holocaust remembrance and education is the phrase ‘never again.’ Unfortunately, tribal divisions, ethnic cleansing and genocides continue in the 21st Century. We are looking for submissions in any creative media (which can be exhibited online), and which highlight aspects of human unity, and positive cross-pollination between groups, ethnicities, religions and/or nations."
Prize: First ($100), Second ($75) and Third ($50) place awards, as well as three honorable mentions, in four categories: Poetry, Short Story, Essay. and Youth (18 and under) category.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
Iowa Short Fiction and John Simmons Short Fiction Awards.
Restrictions: Any writer who has not previously published a volume of prose fiction is eligible to enter the competition.
Genre: Short story collection. The manuscript must be a collection of short stories in English of at least 150 word-processed, double-spaced pages.
Prize: Publication by the University of Iowa Press, royalties.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
Cullman Center Fellowships.
Fellowship. The Cullman Center’s Selection Committee awards up to 15 fellowships a year to outstanding scholars and writers—academics, independent scholars, journalists, and creative writers. Foreign nationals conversant in English are welcome to apply.
Award: A stipend of up to $70,000, an office, a computer, and full access to the Library's physical and electronic resources.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
SLF Working Class Writers Grant.
Genre: Speculative fiction. "These grants are awarded annually, since 2013, to assist writers of speculative literature to working class, blue-collar, poor, and homeless writers who have been historically underrepresented in speculative fiction, due to the financial barriers which have made it much harder for them to have access to the writing world. Such lack of access might include an inability to attend conventions, to purchase a computer, to buy books, to attend college or high school, to have the time to write (if, for example, you must work two jobs simply to pay rent and feed a family, or if you must spend all your waking hours job-hunting for months on end). "
Prize: $1000.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
Art of Unity Creative Award.
Genre: Literary (poetry; essays and short stories under 2500 words); video; music; dance; performance or visual work around the theme: “Never again: Remembering to heal and overcome.” All pieces must be previously unpublished.
Prize: First ($100), Second ($75) and Third ($50) place awards, as well as three honorable mentions, in four categories: Poetry, Short Story, Essay. and Youth (18 and under) category.
Deadline: September 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: September 30, 2022.
Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.
Patricia Eschen Prize for Poetry.
Genre: Poetry. Poems can be on any subject that kindles your imagination, to a maximum line length of 40 lines for each poem.
Prize: Adults (over 16): 1st prize: £1000. Children (under 16): 1st prize: £150.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
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: September 30, 2022.
The John Byrne Award.
Restrictions: Open to residents of Scotland over 16 years old.
Genre: A piece of creative work on a chosen theme or value (written work must be no more than 15,000 words in length).
Prize: £250.
Deadline: September 30, 2022.
This is a monthly contest.
SEPTEMBER 2021
Lee Smith Novel Prize.
Genre: Novel (no genre fiction).
Prize: $1,000 and publication.
Deadline: September 1, 2021.
Biennial prize.
IWSG.
Genre: Science Fiction. Theme: Dark Matter. Word count: 4500-6000.
Prize: The winning stories will be edited and published by Dancing Lemur Press' imprint Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.
Deadline: September 1, 2021.
#PitMad Pitch Party. #PitMad is a pitch party on Twitter where writers tweet a 280-character pitch for their completed, polished, unpublished manuscripts. Agents and editors make requests by liking/favoriting the tweeted pitch. Every unagented writer is welcome to pitch. All genres/categories are welcomed.
Deadline: September 2, 2021.
Lincoln Book Festival Flash Fiction Competition.
Genre: Flash fiction. "Lincoln Book Festival’s Flash Fiction Competition challenges authors of all ages to produce their own ultra short stories of exactly 50 words – no more, no less – on a given theme or genre."
Prize: £30 in book vouchers for winners in three age categories.
Deadline: September 10, 2021.
Hektoen International Grand Prix Essay Competition.
Genre: Original essay that relates medicine to the humanities. Topics might include art, history, literature, education, etc. as they relate to medicine.1,500 words max.
Prize: $5,000 for the winner and $2,500 for the runner-up.
Deadline: Sept 15, 2021.
Patricia Dobler Poetry Award. Restrictions: Open to women writers over the age of 40 who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, currently living in the U.S., who have not published a full-length book of poetry, fiction, or non-fiction. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $2,500 top prize and publication of the winning poem in Voices from the Attic. Deadline: September 30, 2021.
Opens in late summer.
TCU Texas Book Award.
Genre: Book of fiction, nonfiction, art or photography about Texas, published in the past three years.
Prize: $5000.
Deadline: September 30, 2021.
Bergen International Essay Competition. Restrictions: Open to everybody under the age of 30.
Genre: Essay on theme of My Generation. Prize: The winner will receive EUR 2 500. Three runners up each receive EUR 500.
Deadline: September 30, 2021.
SEPTEMBER 2020
Artist Trust: La Salle Storyteller Award.
Restrictions: Open to residents of Washington State. Students enrolled in a degree-granting program are ineligible.
Genre: Fiction.
Grant: $10,000.
Deadline: September 14, 2020.
SEPTEMBER 2019
Salisbury Story Prize.
Genre: Short fiction (500 words) on theme of "Rivers." Open to ages 4 and up.
Prize: £50 for children to be spent at Waterstones. Free online course for adults.
Deadline: September 30, 2019. "
We are not running in 2022 but will be back!"
OCTOBER 2023
PEN America’s U.S. Writers Aid Initiative.
Restrictions: Applicants must be professional writers based in the United States, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping address a short-term emergency situation.
Prize: Grant, amount not specified.
Deadline: October 1, 2023.
The Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry, sponsored by the African Poetry Book Fund and in partnership with the literary journal,
Prairie Schooner, is the only one of its kind in the world and was established to promote African poetry written in English or in translation and to recognize a significant book published each year by an African poet. A standard edition is 48 pages or more in length.
Genre: Open to any book of original poetry, in English, published during 2015 in a standard edition by a full-length collection of poetry.
Restrictions: African nationals, African residents, or poet of African parentage with roots from any country, living anywhere in the world.
Prize: USD $5,000.
Deadline: October 1, 2023.
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 August 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023, must be received on or before October 13, 2023.
Storyhouse.
Genre: Travel nonfiction. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. 1000 - 10,000 words in length. Stories must be suitable for children.
Prize: $200.
Deadline: October 30, 2023.
Storyhouse: Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers.
Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $500 in any single year. First prize winners of previous contests, while ineligible for prizes in regular contests, can compete in this one.
Genre: Nonfiction.
Prize: First prize is $100. Runners-up will receive $50.
Deadline: October 31, 2023.
Ginosko Flash Fiction Contest.
Genre: Flash fiction, 1000 words max. Theme: The Sacred.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: October 1, 2022.
Natan Notable Books Award. Genre: Recently published or soon to be published nonfiction book on Jewish themes. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: October 1, 2022.
Quarterly West.
Genre: Poetry and prose.
Prize: $500.
Deadline:
No fee days: October 1 -2, 2022.
Perito Prize. Genre: Fiction about accessibility. Prize: £250 and the story will be uploaded to the Perito Prize section of the Perito Ltd website. Deadline: October 2, 2022.
#PassOrPages Query Contest. Participating agents give brief feedback on a handful of entries, explaining why they're passing ... or requesting pages! The queries and accompanying feedback are posted on our blog anonymously, which helps querying authors get a peek into agents' minds as they go through their slush piles. Genre: Genre reveal September 20. Deadline: October 3 - 7, 2022.
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: October 4, 2022. (For books published between April 1, 2022 and October 3, 2022)
American Antiquarian Society Fellowships for Creative Writers is calling for applications for visiting fellowships for historical research by creative and performing artists, writers, film makers, journalists, and other persons whose goals are to produce imaginative, non-formulaic works dealing with pre-twentieth-century American history. Successful applicants are those whose work is for the general public rather than for academic or educational audiences. The Society's goal in sponsoring this program is to multiply and improve the ways in which an understanding of history is communicated to the American people. Prize: A stipend of $1,150 to $1,350 and on-campus housing is provided; fellows residing off-campus receive $1,850. Deadline: October 5, 2022.
Dream Foundry Emerging Writers Contest. Restrictions: You have published a total of less than 4,000 words of paid or income-earning speculative fiction in English. You have earned a total of less than USD 320 from those words. You have never been nominated for any award listed here as a major award in speculative fiction. Genre: Short speculative fiction, up to 10,000 words. Prize: $200 - $1,000. Deadline: October 8, 2022.
Arthur Flowers Flash Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Color and not have published or been contracted to write a full-length book at the time of submission. Writers with chapbooks are eligible. Genre: story of no more than 1,000 words. Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: October 9, 2022.
Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship. Restrictions: Open to fiction writers aged 21+ who have not yet published a book and have never been enrolled in an MFA program. Writer must not have a book under contract with an agent and/or publisher at time of application, and writer cannot have been published by One Story (or have a forthcoming publication with One Story). Genre: Short fiction that "speaks to issues and experiences related to inhabiting bodies of difference." Prize: Free tuition for all of One Story's online classes and programming, a travel stipend of $2,000 and tuition to attend week-long summer writers' conference in Brooklyn, and a full manuscript review/consultation of a story collection or novel in progress with an executive editor. Deadline: October 12, 2022.
Tales from the Moonlit Path. Genre: Short story on theme of Halloween based on movie quotes (See site); 2000 words max. Prize: $50. Deadline: October 13, 2022.
Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction; under 1,000 words. Prize: $30. Deadline: October 14, 2022. Opens October 1.
North Carolina State Fiction Contest. Restrictions: Open to residents of North Carolina with no published fiction books. Genre: Short stories. Prize: $500 for fiction (up to 5,000 words) and $250 for shorter fiction (up to 1,200 words). Deadline: October 14, 2022.
Neal Peirce Foundation Journalism Travel Grants. Genre: Journalism. "Grants are intended to support journalists in covering undertold stories about ways to make cities and their metro regions work better for all their people. Grants will cover travel expenses necessary for on-the-ground reporting. Full-time freelancers as well as journalists currently employed by a news organization are eligible to apply. The grants are for journalists to travel to cities within the U.S. to produce one or more stories for publication." Prize: Up to $1500. Deadline: October 15, 2022.
Mindfood. Restrictions: Open to Australian and New Zealand residents only.
Genre: Short story 2000 words in length and previously unpublished.
Prize: U$1000 for the Australian winner and one (1) prize money of NZ$1000 for the New Zealand winner.
Deadline: October 15, 2022.
Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship. Restrictions: Poet must be born in the United States. Genre: Poetry. The sample must not exceed either (1) 40 typed pages or (2) one printed volume plus no more than 20 typed pages of your most recent work. There is no minimum page requirement. Prize: $60,500 for a year of travel and study abroad. Deadline: October 15, 2022.
John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize. Genre: Published book of poems. Publishers may submit four copies of a debut full-length poetry collection (or bound galleys) published originally in the English language between October 1st 2020 and October 18th 2022. Prize: €10,000 (approximately $11,400) Deadline: October 18, 2022.
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 October 2022 and 30 November 2022.
All subject matters and women of any age, from any nationality or country of residence are eligible. Prize: £30,000.00. Deadline: October 21, 2022.
Solarpunk Microfiction Contest. Genre; Microfiction, 250 words max. Prize: $25 and publication on the Solarpunk Magazine website. Deadline: October 27, 2022. See theme. Opens October 21.
The Marfield Prize, also known as the National Award for Arts Writing, is given annually by the Arts Club of Washington to nonfiction books about the arts written for a broad audience. Genre: Non-fiction book. Self-published books not accepted. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: October 28, 2022.
Zocalo Book Prize. Genre: US-published nonfiction book that best enhances our understanding of community and the forces that strengthen or undermine human connectedness and social cohesion. Prize: $10,000.
Deadline: October 28, 2022.
Somos En Escrito.
Restrictions:
Writings must be by Americans of indigenous/hispanic background (Native American, Chicano, Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban and other Latin American origin) born in the USA or from Latin America residing in the USA.
Genre: Speculative fiction.
Prize: $100.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
Graybeal-Gowen Prize for Virginia Poets.
Restrictions: Poets living in or born in Virginia, as well as those who have lived in Virginia for two or more years in the past, are eligible.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $1000.
Deadline: October 31, 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: October 31, 2022.
Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.
Tell Your Story.
Genre: Creative nonfiction, 5,000 words max. No minimum.
Prize: 1st place ($250), 2nd place ($150), and 3rd place ($100).
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
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: October 31, 2022.
Fearless.
Restrictions: Contest open to residents of Canada and the United States, aged 13+.
Genre: Short fiction (see themes) Story Length: 500-1500 words.
Prize: Youth (13-15) $500 USD; Teen (16-18) $750 USD; Adult(19+) $1000 USD. (There are also prizes for honorable mentions.)
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
The John Byrne Award.
Restrictions: Open to residents of Scotland over 16 years old.
Genre: A piece of creative work on a chosen theme or value (written work must be no more than 15,000 words in length).
Prize: £250.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
This is a monthly contest.
USNI General Prize Essay Contest.
Restrictions: Authors must be USNI members or those eligible for membership.
Genre: Essay "We are living in an era of intense global competition. Renewed great power competition will require the Sea Services to rethink how to address national, strategic, and operational challenges and the way they will have to fight. Authors may address any topic."
Prize: $6,000.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
ACDI Literary Prize.
Restrictions: Open to authors with a disability and/or chronic illness. Authors must be a British national OR resident in Great Britain and Northern Ireland for three years prior to the date of submission for the award, and writing in English and submissions must have been published or self-published in the UK between 1 November 2021 and 31 October 2022.
Genre: Novel which includes a disabled or chronically ill character or characters.
Prize: Winner will receive £1,000 and two runners-up £500 each.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
The Drabble Harvest Contest.
Genre: Drabble on theme of "Out the Airlock." A "drabble" is defined as a short story containing exactly precisely no more and no fewer than 100 words. It has a title, which can be from 1 to 15 words-- but no more than 15.
Prize: $5.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
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: October 31, 2022.
Volcano Prize Restrictions: Open to a UK or Irish writer, or a writer currently resident in those countries.
Genre: A novel focusing on the experience of travel away from home. Inspired by Malcolm Lowry’s novel, Under the Volcano and in celebration of its author, the prize aims to inspire literary excellence and encourage writers to travel and to write from the resulting experience. For books published in UK or Ireland between 1 November 2020 and 31 October 2021. Publishers must enter the work.
Prize: The winner will receive £2,000 and the runner-up £750.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
The Barbellion Prize.
Genre: Fiction, memoir, biography, poetry, or critical non-fiction. “The Barbellion Prize is dedicated to the furtherance of ill and disabled voices in writing. The prize is awarded annually to an author whose work has best spoken of the experience of chronic illness and/or disability."
Prize: £600.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is the most prestigious literary award in the US.
Restrictions: Authors must be living American citizens. Self-published works not accepted.
Genres: Novels, novellas, and collections of short stories.
Prize: $15,000.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge.
Genre: Poem inspired by artwork. (See site for image.)
Prize: $100.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
This is a monthly contest.
The Eric Gregory Awards.
Restrictions: Applicants must be under 30 and a British subject by birth and must ordinarily be resident in the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland.
Genre: Poetry collection. Previously published work accepted.
Prize: £4,000.00.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
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: October 31, 2022.
The Young Walter Scott Prize.
Restrictions: Open to UK authors aged 11-19.
Genre: Historical fiction between 800 and 2000 words.
Prizes: £500 travel and research grant to further explore historical places in the UK, and an invitation to the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland. Two runners-up in each category receive a £100 book token, and all four winning stories are published in a special YWSP anthology book.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
Tom-Gallon Trust Award.
Restrictions: Open to citizens of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland with at least one short story published or accepted for publication.
Genre: Short story, maximum 5,000 words. May be unpublished.
Prize: £1,000.00.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
Lex:lead Essay Competition.
Restrictions: Candidates must show citizenship in an eligible country and be enrolled in studies with at least one law class in an eligible country at the time of the award.
Genre: Essay: How can laws promoting gender and disability rights support economic development?
Prize: $500 scholarship.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
McKitterick Prize.
Restrictions: Open to authors over age 40 on December 31, 2021.
Genre: First novel. The work must have been first published in the UK in the year in which the deadline falls (and not first published abroad), or be unpublished.
Prize: £4,000.00.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
The Young Writers Initiative Manuscript / Chapbook Contest.
Genre: Fiction in any genre, book length. Poetry.
Prize: One winner in each category $225 each.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
Bergman Prize.
Genre: First or second collection of poetry.
Prize: $10,000 and publication.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
The Solstice Prize.
Restrictions: Open to 7-17 year olds.
Genre: Short stories, blog posts, and poems. Nature writing. Theme: Fight for Flight. "We’d you to tell us about a particular bird that means something to you."
Prize: Publication and cash prizes for winners in three age groups: 7-11, 12-14, and 15-17.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
The Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest is sponsored by Hollins University.
Restrictions: Open to young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: Up to $5,000 renewable annual Creative Talent Scholarship in creative writing if winner enrolls at Hollins. Free tuition and housing for the university’s Hollins summer creative writing program. $200 cash prize. Publication in Cargoes, Hollins’ award-winning student literary magazine. Ten copies of Cargoes.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
Rune Bear Quarterly.
Genre: Drabble of exactly 100 words on theme of “War in Space.”
Prize: $10.
Deadline: October 31, 2022.
OCTOBER 2021
Welter Micro Fiction Contest.
Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, or prose-poem pieces no longer than 100 words. “We are particularly looking for pieces related to the theme of ‘Home,’ but we will consider other pieces."
Prize: $100.
Deadline: October 19, 2021.
The Funny Pearls Short Story Competition.
Restrictions: Open to women of all nationalities.
Genre: Humor. "Please send us your farce, satire, screwball, or any other subgenre that qualifies as comedy. We need the laughs." Length: 1,000 - 2500 words.
Prize: Amazon gift card to the value of £200.
Deadline: October 30, 2021.
OCTOBER 2020
NOVEMBER 2023
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, 2023.
Changes Book Prize.
Genre: First or second collection of poems.
Prize: $10,000 and publication,
Deadline: November 1, 2023.
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, 2023.
Washington State Book Awards.
Restrictions: Open to Washington State writers.
Genre: Published book, fiction, nonfiction, poetry: adults or children.
Prize: Recognition (?)
Deadline: November 15, 2023. (For books published Aug. 16-Oct. 15, 2023.)
Six Word Wonder.
Genre: Stories, memoirs, poems, and jokes that are exactly 6 words. (You can enter up to 4)
Prize: $100.
Deadline: November 30, 2023.
NOVEMBER 2022
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.
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.
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 9 November.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
AVBOB Poetry Competition.
Restrictions: Open to any citizen of South Africa.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: R10,000.
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.
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.
NOVEMBER 2021
Emma Lazarus Poetry Contest is hosted by the American Jewish Historical Society.
Genre: Poem. “Just as Emma responded to the issues of her time by writing a poem that addressed American identity, we invite you to write your own poem that speaks to your vision of America.”
Prize: $1,000 in each category (including “Collegiate/Emerging Adult Poet”).
Deadline: November 1, 2021.
New York Encounter Poetry Contest. Genre: Poetry on the theme "This Urge for the Truth."
Prize: Cash prizes of $300, $200 and $100 will be awarded to first, second and third place poems. Deadline: November 15, 2021.
Donald Murray Prize for Creative Nonfiction.
Genre: Original, unpublished works of creative nonfiction with a preference for essays on writing, teaching, and teaching writing, but will consider quality entries on any subject, including topics related to social justice, civic action, and inequality.
Prize: $300 in the form of an AMEX gift card and publication in the Spring 2018 issue of Writing on the Edge. All entries will be considered for publication in the journal.
Length: 8,000 words maximum (2500–4500 preferred)
Deadline: November 15, 2021.
The César Egido Serrano Foundation: VI International Flash Fiction Competition.
Genre: Flash fiction on theme: "Faced with COVID; Solidarity and Resilience" - 100 words max.
Prize: 20,000 dollars is awarded for the best story in any of the languages authorized in the contest: Spanish, English, Arabic or Hebrew. Three prizes of $ 2,000 each will be awarded for the best stories in each of the other remaining languages admitted in the contest, that are not winners of the main prize.
Deadline: November 24, 2021. (
Deadline extended)
Renee Duke Youth Poetry Award.
Restrictions: Open to young poets age 17 and under.
Genre: Poem relating to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Prize: $100.
Deadline: November 30, 2021.
NOVEMBER 2020
Systems Change Alliance.
Genre: Flash fiction. "Give us a snapshot into a post-pandemic world in which a shift towards positive systems change has occurred and a new paradigm is established or unfolding."
Prize: 1st Prize – 300 EU, 2 Runners Up – 100 EU.
Deadline: November 1, 2020.
Society of Classical Poets, Ekphrastic Contest.
Genre: Write a poem based on a given photo.
Prize: $100.
Deadline: November 8, 2020.
DECEMBER 2023
Otherwise Award. Genre: Work that is changing the way we think about gender through speculative narrative. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 2023.
The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry.
Restrictions: Open to African poets who have not yet published a collection of poetry.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $1,000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal.
Deadline: December 1, 2023.
Shady Grove Literary.
Genre: Any style, genre, tone of flash fiction. Length: 300 words max.
Prize: $100.
Deadline: December 31, 2023.
L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is held four times a year.
Restrictions: The Contest is 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. Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least six cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits.
Genre: Short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy.
Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500, Annual Grand Prize: $5,000.
Deadline: December 31, 2023.
DECEMBER 2022
Green Stories Writing Competition: Orna Ross Green Stories Novel Prize.
Genre: Novel that inspires green behaviour and raises awareness of the necessary transformations towards a sustainable economy.
Prize: £1000 for the winner and £500 for runner up. Half price manuscript appraisal (worth £300-400) for top three entries by established literary consultancy Daniel Goldsmith.
Deadline: December 1, 2022.
Subnivean New Writers Award: CNY High School Writing Scholarship Competition.
Restrictions: Open to high-school-aged writers in Oswego County, Onondaga County, Oneida County, Herkimer County, Madison County, Cayuga County and Cortland County.
Genre: Short stories and poetry.
Prize: $100 bookstore gift certificate, $1,000 scholarship to attend SUNY Oswego as a creative writing or English major.
Deadline: December 1, 2022.
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: December 1, 2022.
The Association of Jewish Libraries Jewish Fiction Award. Genre: All works of fiction with significant Jewish thematic content written in English–novels, short story and flash fiction collections–by a single author published and available for purchase in the United States during 2022 are eligible for the award. Jewish thematic content means an extended grappling with Jewish themes throughout the book, including Judaism, Jewish history and culture, Jewish identity, etc.
Prize: The award will include a $1,000 cash prize as well as support to attend the AJL conference to receive the award.
Deadline: December 1, 2022.
The Pushcart Prize honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in small presses and literary magazines. Magazine and small press editors may nominate up to six works. Pushcart Press publishes yearly anthologies of the winning submissions.
Prize: Publication.
Deadline: December 1, 2022.
The Schneider Family Book Award is sponsored by the American Library Association. The award honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
Prize: Three annual awards each consisting of $5000 and a framed plaque, will be given annually in each of the following categories: birth through grade school (age 0-10), middle school (age 11-13) and teens (age 13-18). (Age groupings are approximations).
Genre: May be fiction, biography, or other form of nonfiction.
Deadline: December 1, 2022.
The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry.
Restrictions: Open to African poets who have not yet published a collection of poetry.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $1,000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal.
Deadline: December 1, 2022.
Rise & Shine Mini Contest.
Restrictions: Open to women.
Genre: Micro poems, micro essays, and flash fiction.
Prize: $75.00 USD Prize in Poetry, $75.00 USD Prize in Prose.
Deadline: December 1, 2022.
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 2022 and 31 March 2023. All subject matters and women of any age, from any nationality or country of residence are eligible.
Prize: £30,000.00.
Deadline: December 2, 2022.
Furious Fiction.
Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: December 5, 2022.
Opens December 2.
Quantum Shorts Competition.
Genre: Fiction stories, under 1,000 words, that are "clearly inspired by some aspect of quantum physics." For 2020, entries also must contain the phrase "It's a lot to think about."
Prize: $1,500 and online publication.
Deadline: December 5, 2022.
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: December 6, 2022. (For books published between October 4, 2022 and December 5, 2022)
J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award.
Genre: Nonfiction book. Applicants for the award must already have a contract with a U.S.-based publisher to write a nonfiction book.
Award: $25,000.
Deadline: December 8, 2022.
Flo Gault Student Poetry Prize.
Restrictions: Full-time undergraduate college students in Kentucky.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $1000.
Deadline: December 9, 2022.
RSL Christopher Bland Prize.
Restrictions: Writers must be a citizen of, or resident in, the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. Books must have been published for the first time in the UK or RoI within the 2022 calendar year. Books must be entered by trade publishers or agents based in the UK or RoI; each publisher, imprint of a publisher, or agent may enter two books only.
Genre: Debut novel or non-fiction book first published by a writer aged 50 or over.
Prize: £10,000.
Deadline: December 9, 2022.
Friends of American Writers.
Restrictions: The author must be a resident (or previously have been a resident for approximately five years) of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota or Wisconsin; or the locale of the book must be in a region identified above. The author must not have published more than three books under his/her own pen name.
Genres: Books can be fiction or creative non-fiction and published in 2022. Self-published and e-Books are not eligible.
Prize: $500 - $2000.
Deadline: December 10, 2022.
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: December 13, 2022.
Apparition Lit.
Genre: Flash fiction up to 1000 words on theme.
Prize: $30.
Deadline: December 14, 2022.
See themes.
Patrick Henry Writing Fellowship.
Genre: Nonfiction book in progress. The project should address the history and/or legacy – broadly defined – of the American Revolution and the nation’s founding ideas. It might focus on the founding era itself, or on the myriad ways the questions that preoccupied the nation’s founders have shaped America’s later history.
Fellowship amount: $45,000 stipend, health benefits, faculty privileges, a book allowance, and a nine-month residency (during the academic year) in historic Chestertown, MD.
Deadline: December 15, 2022.
Queer Adventurers LGBTQIA Writing Contest.
Restrictions; Open to any writer 18+ from anywhere in the world who identifies as LGBTQ+.
Genre: 1,000 to 1,500 word personal essays on the theme of Shelter.
Prize: $150.
Deadline: December 15, 2022.
Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Competition. Restrictions: The Competition is open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any published novel (except that authors of self-published works only may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work) and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. Genre: Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: December 16, 2022.
Spark Award: Held by SCBWI , open to members of SCBWI who are 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: December 19, 2022.
Roswell Award for Short Science Fiction.
Genre: Science fiction, 1500 words max. New Suns Climate Fiction Award, for original short science fiction that reimagines new ways of living and depicts humanity exploring and overcoming today's climate and biodiversity crises.
Prize: $500. Finalists have their stories read by celebrities in Hollywood.
Deadline: December19, 2022.
Rider University Annual High School Writing Contest.
Restrictions: Open to high school students.
Genres: Essays, poetry, fiction.
Prizes: 1st-$100, 2nd-$50, 3rd-$25.
Deadline: December 20, 2022.
Solarpunk Microfiction Contest.
Genre; Microfiction, 250 words max.
Prize: $25 and publication on the Solarpunk Magazine website.
Deadline: December 22, 2022.
See theme.
Opens December 16.
A Fresh Start.
Genre: Microfiction, max 300 words, and poems on theme "Fresh Start."
Prize: $100.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
The Sator New Works Award.
Genre: Debut book-length work of fiction or non-fiction by an author who identifies as trans or nonbinary.
Prize: $2,500 advance and publication.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
The AIIRA Writing Contest 2022.
Restrictions: Open to all undergraduate students currently enrolled in an accredited US academic institution and 18+ years old.
Genre: Fiction or creative nonfiction that 'explores the relationship between humans, technology, and their food in 2050: what will food look, taste, and feel like; where will it come from; who will produce and transport it; and how will we access and consume it?"
Prize: First Place: $2,000 USD; Second Place: $1,500 USD; Third Place: $1,000 USD.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Ezra Jack Keats Children's Book Award.
Genre: Published or self-published picture books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world.
Prize: $3,000.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognizes outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures. Awards are given for both fiction and nonfiction.
Prize: $10,000.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Griffin Poetry Prize.
Restrictions: One prize goes to a living Canadian poet or translator, the other to a living poet or translator from any country, which may include Canada.
Genre: Poetry. Books must have been published in English during the calendar year preceding the year of the award.
Prize: C$200,000, is awarded annually in two categories – International and Canadian. Each prize is worth C$65,000.
Deadline: December 31, 2022 for books published between July 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022.
The Lyric College Poetry Contest.
Restrictions: Open to undergraduates enrolled full time in an American or Canadian college or university.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Neil Postman Award for Metaphor. Sponsored by Rattle.
Genre: Poetry. All published submissions during the year are considered for the prize. Follow their regular submission guidelines.
Prize: $2,000.
Deadline: December 31, 2022. Read more about the award
HERE.
The Caribbean Writer Prize.
Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays or one act plays which explore the ideas resonating within the region and its diaspora, written by a US or UK Virgin Islands resident accepted for publication by The Caribbean Writer during the deadline year. 2022 theme: "Carrying: Reflection, Recognition and Repair.”
Prize: $300.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
William Carlos Williams Poetry Competition.
Restrictions: Open to students enrolled in programs leading to the Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy degree.
Genre: Poetry. Prize: $300.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
The Four Quartets Prize.
Genre: unified and complete sequence of poems published in America in a print or online journal, chapbook. Poems in the sequence may have been published in different journals provided that they were brought together and they form a complete sequence.
Prize: Three finalists will receive $1,000 each. The winner will receive an additional $20,000.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award.
Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee.
Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published.
Prize: $1,000.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Cecil Hemley Memorial Award.
Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee.
Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published. Lyric poem that addresses a philosophical or epistemological concern.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
George Bogin Memorial Award.
Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter for free. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee.
Genre: Poetry that takes a stand against oppression.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Lucille Medwick Memorial Award.
Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee.
Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published. Original poem in any form on a humanitarian theme.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Lyric Poetry Award.
Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee.
Genre: A lyric poem on any subject.
Prize: $500.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
The Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award.
Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter for free. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee.
Genre: A poem inspired by Dickinson though not necessarily in her style.
Prize: $250.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Robert H. Winner Memorial Award.
Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter for free. There is a charge of $10 - $15 for non-members. Open to mid-career poets who have not had substantial recognition, and is over forty, and who have published no more than one book.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $2,500.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Lilith Magazine Fiction Competition.
Genre: Story of interest to Jewish women.
Prize: $250.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest.
Restrictions: Registered undergraduate full-time Juniors or Seniors at accredited four-year colleges or universities in the United States.
Genre: Essay Topic: What challenges awaken your conscience? Is it the conflicts in American society? An international crisis? Maybe a difficult choice you face or a hard decision you had to make? Engage us. Enlighten us. Explore the ethics of any problem, question, or issue, whether close to home or in the world at large. We are eager to learn from you.
Prize: First Prize $10,000, 2nd Prize $5,000, 3rd Prize $3,000, two Honorable Mentions $1,000 each.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Hooks Institute National Book Award.
Genre: Nonfiction book that best furthers understanding of the American Civil Rights Movement and its legacy.
Prize: $1000.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Black Caucus of the American Library Association. BCALA presents four awards to an African American writer published in the United States during the previous year: one for adult fiction, one for nonfiction, one for a first novelist and one for poetry. These awards acknowledge outstanding achievement in the presentation of the cultural, historical and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.
Prize: Four $500.00 awards.
Deadline: December 31, 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: December 31, 2022.
Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.
The W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction honors the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. It recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction.
Genre: Military fiction.
Prize: $5000.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
Tartts Fiction Award.
Restrictions: Open to Americans.
Genre: Short story collection.
Prize: Winning short story collection will be published by Livingston Press at the University of West Alabama, in simultaneous library binding and trade paper editions. Winning entry will receive $1000, plus their standard royalty contract, which includes 60 copies of the book.
Deadline: December 31, 2022.
DECEMBER 2021
Tony Quagliano Poetry Fund, International Poetry Award.
Restrictions: Open to poets who have a published body of work over a period of years. Poems must be in English.
Genre: Poetry.
Prize: $1,000.
Deadline: December 1, 2021. (
Biennial award)
Bocas Emerging Writers Fellowships.
Restrictions: Open to Caribbean-based writers in English.
Genre: Poetry and prose.
Prize: A cash award of TT$10,000; Six months’ mentorship from an established author; Publication of a chapbook with an excerpt from the writer’s work in progress; Participation in a one-week intensive online writing workshop hosted by Arvon (UK).
Deadline: December 6, 2021.
Solarpunk Holidays.
Genre: Micro-fiction (250 words or less) on theme: Solarpunk Holidays.
Prize: $25.
Deadline: December 23, 2021.
Eerie River.
Genre: Horror short story on theme Were-Beasts.
Prize: .5 cents per word CAD (half a cent), with a max of $15 plus a one-time royalty bonus payment based on six months of sales.
Deadline: December 25, 2021.
Hudson Review Short Story Contest.
Genre: Short story up to 10,000 words.
Prize: First prize is $500. Second and third prizes are $250. Winning stories will be published in
The Hudson Review. All entries will be considered for publication. Payment at regular rates.
Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Center Field of Gravity Award.
Genre: Science-fiction, fantasy, and horror short stories or long-form poems up to but not exceeding 17,000 words.
Prize: $200.
Deadline: December 31, 2021.
DECEMBER 2019
Best Translated Book Awards for Fiction.
Genre: All original translations published between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018 are eligible. Reprints and retranslation are ineligible.
Prize: $5,000.00. Two awards of $5,000: one apiece for the author and translator of the winning book in fiction.
Deadline: December 31, 2019.
Best Translated Book Awards for Poetry.
Genre: All original translations published between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019 are eligible. Reprints and retranslation are ineligible.
Prize: $5,000.00. Two awards of $5,000: one apiece for the author and translator of the winning book in fiction.
Deadline: December 31, 2019.
Dear Erica,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for listing Verbolatry Laugh-a-Riot Contest here! Much appreciated.
Best wishes,
Devyani
http://devyaniborade.blogspot.com
@v3rbolatry
The Eastern Iowa Review is sponsoring a Longform Lyric Essay Contest. No reading fee. 2000 - 10,000 words. $250 grand prize and three copies of the issue. One honorable mention may also be chosen, and the author will receive three copies of the issue along with a $50 honorarium. In the off-chance that none of the submissions fit our unique aesthetic, we'll roll over the prize money to next year's award. Enter as many times as you wish, but only submit new material once you've heard back from us. NOTE: Longforms may be a compilation, but we do want new material included, and be sure to mention where previously published excerpts first appeared. http://www.portyonderpress.com/2017-guidelines.html
ReplyDeleteHello there,
ReplyDeleteI am with Striking 13, we are a new book review site that is now hosting a quarterly, free to enter, writing contest.
We would love it if you could add us to your comprehensive list.
http://www.striking13.com/free-writing-contest/
Thank you
Sure, how to enter & what are guidelines?
DeleteClick on the links.
DeleteHi Erica,
ReplyDeleteI'm hosting a monthly contest Getting "Sexy With Food" and was wondering if I could get the information on your site. $50 prize. 500 word count. Creatively Naughty. www.sexywithfood.com
Thanks!
I've included it!
ReplyDeleteHere's another one to please include:
ReplyDeleteAt Radiating You, we know the power of getting people to be real and share their truths. We recently sat down and started writing letters…to ourselves.
A letter filled with truth. A letter filled with forgiveness, reflection, motivation, and love.
Maybe the most important letter you can write is to yourself.
Radiating You is launching our first contest to help encourage you to take the step of actually writing your letter. Top entries will be published on our blog and in a compilation book in 2018. The top three entries will also receive cash prizes: 1st place $100, 2nd place $75, 3rd place $50.
Tune out the noise of the world for a few minutes and write the letter that could really inspire others, but more importantly, inspire yourself.
Make it as short or as long as you feel it needs to be. Just most importantly, write it.
The contest is open through April 7, 2017.
Submissions accepted at http://radiatingyou.com/dear-me-letter-writing-contest/
Hi Kathy, I've included your contest!
ReplyDeleteHi Erica,
ReplyDeleteI just wondered if this competition may be a good addition to the list?
https://www.inkitt.com/novelcontest
Thanks for such a great resource!
Hi Joel, Inkitt isn't really a contest, it's a publisher. So, I can't include it on this list. Sorry.
DeleteHi Erica, please consider adding the Best New Fairy Tale Competition to your list. The competition is being held by Fairytalez.com, the internet's biggest library of fairy tales, fables and folklore. We have over 2,300 stories and now we're taking our love of stories to a new level by adding a self-publishing feature where you can share your stories, favorite other writers' stories and more.
ReplyDeleteWe’re celebrating the launch our self-publishing platform with our first competition, Best New Fairy Tale. The competition runs from the 13th of June till the 15th of August, and writers from all over are invited to submit their original stories to Fairytalez.com’s library of new stories.
Find more information at the following link: http://fairytalez.com/competitions/best-new-fairy-tale-2017/
Thank you!