Discover the finest writing contests of 2017 for fiction and non-fiction authors of short stories, poetry, essays and more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. Manage a contest? Submit it here
We found 100 contests that match your search 🔦
The Willesden Herald New Short Stories Competition 2017 is seeking short stories of any genre to be published this Christmas in the Willesden Herald: New Short Stories 10 book. The word limit is 7,500 and there is no minimum. The competition is open to all aged 18 or over, regardless of nationality or country of residence.
£300
Publication in the Willesden Herald: New Short Stories 10
Do you have the next great novel? Submit it to Inkitt’s Novel Competition for the chance to win their hefty prize basket including: a marketing campaign to get your novel in to Amazon’s top 100, an investment of $6,000 into your book launch from Inkitt, professional cover design and editing, and 25% royalties. Each month a winner is selected for publication — so submit your story by the end of May!
$6,000
Publication and 25% royalties
Respond to one of Reedsy’s weekly writing prompt newsletters with a short story for the chance to win $50 and get featured on the Reedsy Medium Blog!
$50
Publication on Reedsy Blog
The John Steinbeck Award for Fiction is for a work of fiction up to 5000 words. The winner receives a cash prize of $1000 and all entries are considered for publication. Entries open on June 1st, 2017 and close November 1st, 2017.
$1,000
Writers of short fiction may now enter the 2017 Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. The competition has a thirty-six year history of literary excellence, and Lorian Hemingway and her small judging panel are dedicated to enthusiastically supporting the efforts and talent of writers of short fiction whose voices have yet to be heard. Entries must be less than 3500 words and the competition is open to writers based anywhere is the world.
$1,500
Publication in Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts
Now in its 17th year, the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest is one of the most renowned fiction contests in the world. Featuring prominent guest judges and offering $2500 across five prizes, the contest delivers exciting new fiction from writers all over the world.
$1,500
Consideration from literary agents
Named for the late David Nathan Meyerson (1967-1998), a therapist and talented writer who died before he was able to show to the greater world the full fruits of his literary potential, the prize consists of $1,000 and publication in the Southwest Review. Open to any writer who has not published a book of fiction (either a novel or collection of stories). Stories can be up to 8000 words in length.
$1,000
Publication in the Southwest Review
Minorities have long been under-represented by the publishing industry, but according to the US Census, more than half of all Americans will be part of a minority group by the 2040s. 2040 Books represents this exciting social change, standing as a strong, new voice in publishing and championing debut and established multicultural authors. All fiction and creative nonfiction will be eligible despite genre, form, subject, or length, whether it’s full-length manuscripts, collections short or long, and essays.
$1,000
Publication by 2040 Books
This is a short story competition organised by www.eyelands.gr and Strange Days Books, an independent publisher based in Greece. The competition has been running for the past 7 years. The theme this year is “Strange Love Affairs”. The contest runs from March 20th through June 20th, 2017.
A week holiday in Crete
Publication in two different anthologies (Greek and English)
The Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award™ is committed to discovering new writers, as well as superlative books by established authors and, upon discovery, sharing those writers and their works with new readers.To be eligible for the 2017 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award, the book(s) being submitted must be published in the year 2016.
$500
The Jim Martin Memorial Story Contest runs from January 1 to June 1, 2017! Anyone can enter – and anyone can win! Send in your short story in mystery, suspense, or thriller style. Entries may be up to 2500 words (about 10 double-spaced pages). It’s loads of fun and a good exercise of your writing skills.
$200
Arch Street Press is pleased to present its annual prize for America’s best college writer. The Arch Street Prize is designed to stimulate interest in writing and to promote today’s extraordinary young writers. The contest is open to any undergraduate or graduate student between the ages of 18 and 30 who has not previously had a book published.
$1,000
Standard book contract
The theme of this inaugural poetry contest will be ‘Spring’. Entrants are encouraged to approach it in innovative and interesting ways. It is a theme that will never get old, but which must be kept fresh in our minds. Your poem might focus on Spring or mention it, but the season must play an important part in the poem.
$500
Each entry must be original work and previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions will be accepted, but authors must notify Flying South immediately and withdraw from the contest if their work is accepted elsewhere. Prizes include publication in Flying South 2017, Best in Category, and President’s Favorite.
$2,000
Publication in Flying South 2017
Gotham Writers invite you to write a story about a hero in 50 words or fewer. It should be about someone who fought for the right thing in a way that called for courage and commitment.
Publication in Gotham Writers
Loop Poetry requires that the last word of each line becomes the first word of the next line. So the last word of line 1 becomes the first word of line 2, last word of line 2 becomes the first word of line 3 – and so on. There is a rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme is abcb. There are no restrictions on the number of stanzas nor on the syllable count for each line.
$100
Winetourismspain explores the possible relationship between wine and extraterrestrial life How would aliens react to wine? Would wine play a role in the way that aliens perceive Earth? Maximum word limit is set to 500 words. The stories must be published in a blog.
$700 Amazon Voucher
The Irene Adler Prize offers a $1,000 US 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, based on an essay competition. Entries must be 500 words.
$1,000
Nimrold International Journal of Prose and Poetry
The Awards are among the most distinguished literary prizes in the country. Past judges include Karen Russell, Stanley Kunitz, Marvin Bell, Mark Doty, Olga Broumas, W. S. Merwin, Denise Levertov, William Stafford, Ron Carlson, Linda Pastan, and John Edgar Wideman.
$2,000
