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DIRECTORY

Best Fiction Writing Contests in 2025

Showing 210 contests that match your search.

The Elegant Literature Award For New Writers

Elegant Media Publishing Corporation

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Fantasy, and Romance

This contest invites new and unpublished authors to write a story based on the prompt "Wishes and Warnings." All genres are welcome, and stories must adhere to the theme.

Top Prize:

$3,000

Additional prizes:

1st: Free enrollment in New Novelist Accelerator and publication payment at 10c/word | 2nd – 10th: 10c/word and publication | 11th – 35th: $20 USD and an honorable mention in the magazine.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

Every Friday, Reedsy sends out five writing prompts. Enter your response within a week for a chance at $250. Winners may also be included in a future issue of Reedsy’s literary magazine, Prompted.

Top Prize:

$250

Additional prizes:

Publication on Reedsy Prompts + $25 credit for Reedsy Marketplace services for shortlisted entries

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2025

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The Anthology Short Story Competition aims to recognize and encourage creative writing by providing a platform for publication. It is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in English, with no restrictions on theme or style. Stories should not exceed 1,500 words.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Second place: €250 Third place: €150 Winning story published in Anthology magazine.

💰 Entry fee: $22

📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025

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Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story

The Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize aims to showcase new short fiction, offering visibility for winners. Collaborating with various institutions, the prize includes cash rewards, writing retreats, and publication opportunities.

Top Prize:

€2,000 + a week’s residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, consultation with Literary Agent Ed Wilson, manuscript assessment with The Literary Consultancy.

Additional prizes:

2nd and 3rd place: €1000. Publication in partner journals for all shortlisted writers.

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: April 13, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, and Thriller

The Winter Flash Fiction Battle is an engaging contest where writers compete by creating stories based on given prompts. Participants write a story of up to 1000 words within three days. The contest emphasizes community feedback and professional judging.

Top Prize:

Genre Winner (x4): $$3,400

Additional prizes:

Genre Runner-up (x4): $800 | Genre Semi-Finalist (x8): $400

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: February 01, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The Lascaux Prize in Flash Fiction invites submissions of stories that may be previously published or unpublished. True stories are accepted if written in a narrative style. The contest emphasizes the importance of storytelling.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Winner also receives a bronze medallion and publication in The Lascaux Review

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025

The Adventure Writers Competition

Clive Cussler Collector’s Society

Genres: Fiction, Novel, Thriller, and Mystery

The Adventure Writers Competition (AWC) celebrates adventure writing, accepting action/adventure novels. The 2024 contest finalists have been announced, and submissions for the 2025 competition will be open from January 1 to April 30, 2025. The AWC aims to promote and recognize quality adventure writing through a rigorous judging process.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Two AWC Finalist Awards: $500

💰 Entry fee: $50

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2025 (Expired)

Romance Through The Ages Contest — Un-Published

Hearts Through History Romance Writers

Genres: Fiction and Romance

This contest is aimed at unpublished authors focusing on historical romance narratives. It promotes creativity by allowing submissions that adhere to specific genre standards, such as historical accuracy and romantic plots.

Top Prize:

$50

Additional prizes:

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each category receive a social media badge. All winners will be announced in RWA’s digital Romance Writers Report.

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025

Genres: Essay, Fiction, and Non-fiction

This bi-annual contest recognizes emerging writers with submissions of previously unpublished fiction or nonfiction up to 6,000 words. Judged by Colin Barrett, it awards $3,000 for first place, $300 for second, and $200 for third, along with agency reviews for finalists.

Top Prize:

$3,000

Additional prizes:

Second place: $300 Third place: $200 Agency review for all finalists

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: August 25, 2025

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Short Story

Vocal Challenges invite writers to enter themed storytelling contests for a chance to win cash, prizes, experiences, and more.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

2nd place: $200, 15 runners-up: $15 each

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: January 11, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Spring Microfiction Battle is part of the Writing Battle series, where participants write stories based on prompts. Participants receive feedback from peers and industry judges.

Top Prize:

$1,500

Additional prizes:

Genre Runner-up (x4): $375 Feedback by industry professionals. Various merchandise and opportunities for additional exposure in the community.

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: May 03, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction

The contest awards a $1,500 prize for the best short story, publication in The Tusculum Review’s 21st volume (2025), and a limited edition chapbook with original art. Stories must be 2,000-7,000 words and unpublished.

Top Prize:

$1,500

Additional prizes:

Creation of a limited edition stand-alone chapbook with original art and consideration for Publication in The Tusculum Review.

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: June 15, 2025

Genres: Fiction

The John Steinbeck Award for Fiction is a prestigious contest that recognizes exceptional works of fiction. Open to various styles, it specifically seeks stand-alone short stories with a maximum of 5,000 words. The submissions are accepted through a dedicated portal, and each entry includes a reading fee.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Entry includes a free copy of the latest edition of Reed.

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: November 01, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story, and Young Adult

The annual Story of the Year contest is back with a new challenge! We’re looking for captivating, diverse stories that are "easy to read and hard to put down" for readers beyond the third grade. There are five categories aimed at young adult readers, and we encourage you to submit as many entries as you like—submission is free and unlimited!

Top Prize:

$15,000

Additional prizes:

Publication in digital and print

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: January 13, 2025 (Expired)

Debut Dagger

Crime Writer's Association

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Suspense, and Thriller

The Emerging Author Dagger is an international competition for unpublished crime novelists. It accepts submissions of a crime novel opening (max. 3,000 words) and synopsis (max. 1,500 words). The contest is open to those who have never had a publishing contract for a novel and do not have a literary agent when the competition closes.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

Shortlisted entries shown to agents and publishers

💰 Entry fee: $41

📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize aims to discover and support new writing talent on an annual basis. The prize includes financial support for the best pieces of writing submitted on an announced theme. The contest is open to all writers aged 18 and above, regardless of nationality.

Top Prize:

£3,000 cash grant

Additional prizes:

2nd: £1,000 travel expense | 3rd: £1,000 travel expense

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction and Horror

This contest invites writers to create an audio series focusing on horror themes. Works must be original, with a minimum of 100k words completed by the deadline. Various horror genres, including supernatural and psychological horror, are encouraged.

Top Prize:

$1,500

Additional prizes:

2nd: $1500 | 3rd: $1000 | Each winner receives a certificate and social media promotion

📅 Deadline: June 15, 2025

Genres: Flash Fiction, Short Story, and Fiction

The Gemini Magazine Short Story Contest invites entries of any subject and length. Unpublished stories are accepted, and multiple entries are allowed. All entries are treated anonymously during the judging process.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

2nd: $100 | 3x honorable mentions: $25. Publication for each winner.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction invites writers to break traditional writing rules while crafting compelling stories. Participants have 60 hours to produce a story of up to 500 words in response to prompts. The contest is held quarterly, with cash prizes totaling AU$4,000 each round.

Top Prize:

$1,500 AUD

Additional prizes:

Winner receives AU$1,500 and the Not Quite Write Trophy. | 2nd place: AU$500 | 3rd place: AU$200 | Additional cash prizes for other positions.

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: July 27, 2025

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Essay, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Folly Short Story Prize 2025 invites submissions for stories that challenge conventional norms. It aims to recognize innovative writing that resonates with contemporary themes.

Top Prize:

$1000 NZD

Additional prizes:

Two tickets to the Folly After Party.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: June 01, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The Flash Fiction Competition invites writers to submit stories of up to 500 words. It's a quarterly competition with prizes awarded for the top three entries each quarter. Winning entries are published on the website.

Top Prize:

£300

Additional prizes:

£200, £100

💰 Entry fee: $7

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Emerging Writer's Contest, held by Ploughshares since 1971, recognizes outstanding work by emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Winners are announced in the fall and their works are published in the Winter 2024-25 issue of Ploughshares.

Top Prize:

$2,000

Additional prizes:

Publication in Ploughshares and a conversation with Aevitas Creative Management.

💰 Entry fee: $30

📅 Deadline: May 15, 2025 (Expired)

Tom Grass Prize

Friends and family of Tom Grass

Genres: Fiction and Non-fiction

The Tom Grass Prize celebrates the spirit of adventure through short pieces of prose, inviting writers from all backgrounds to reflect on the theme of adventure. The prize honors Tom Grass, a multifaceted writer and traveler.

Additional prizes:

1st prize of £1,000 and two runners-up prizes of £500 each.

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2025 (Expired)

Anthology Flash Fiction Award

Anthology Magazine

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, and Flash Fiction

The Anthology Flash Fiction Competition invites original, unpublished flash fiction pieces on any theme or genre, written in English. Entries must not exceed 250 words, and multiple submissions are allowed with separate fees. The competition aims to inspire creativity and provide a publication platform.

Top Prize:

€300

💰 Entry fee: $12

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2025

The Heartland Review Open Calls

The Heartland Review

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, and Non-fiction

The Heartland Review invites submissions for fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry during open calls. Works accepted are published in the spring issue of the journal. The contest emphasizes original, unpublished works, and submissions must adhere to specific formatting guidelines.

Additional prizes:

1 contributor copy for published authors; gift cards for poetry prize winners ($400 for first, $240 for second, $100 for third)

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: August 01, 2025

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is a competition sponsored by _Selected Shorts_, where winning stories are performed live and published. The contest aims to celebrate the art of the short story.

Top Prize:

$1000

Additional prizes:

Free 10 week course with Gotham Writers

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)

Self-Publishing Literary Awards

Black Caucus of ALA (BCALA)

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Novel, and Poetry

The BCALA Self-Publishing Literary Awards honors the best self-published ebooks by African American authors in the U.S. across fiction and poetry genres. The awards focus on the cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.

Top Prize:

$2,500

Additional prizes:

Formal recognition at the NCAAL conference, BCALA Literary Award Seal.

📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)

The Do-Over Writing Contest

The Next Big Writer

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story

In 500 words or less, write a story based on a character that has the opportunity to do-over one event in their life. The story can be any genre as long as it is based on this concept. Entrants must also leave at least three quality reviews on the work of other site members.

Top Prize:

$200

Additional prizes:

$50 for two runner-ups.

💰 Entry fee: $9

📅 Deadline: July 18, 2025

New Deal Writing Competition

Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (GVCA)

Genres: Christian, Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Travel

The New Deal Writing Competition invites writers to create a short story inspired by a specific painting. The current painting is 'Playtime' by Fred Ross. This is the ninth annual contest, intended to celebrate creativity and connect art and writing.

Top Prize:

$200

Additional prizes:

Publication in newsletter

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: March 15, 2024 (Expired)

Goldfinch Books Novel Award

Goldfinch Books

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novel, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Goldfinch Books Novel Award is a competition for emerging novelists. It invites submissions of 3,000 words from completed novels. The winner receives a £500 cash prize and an invitation to join the Goldfinch writer community.

Top Prize:

£500

Additional prizes:

Shortlisted authors receive feedback from judges + Goldfinch membership

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction and Mystery

The Mystery & Mayhem Awards seek the best books in mystery genres, focusing on amateur sleuths, light suspense, and more. Over $30,000 in prizes, including a $1,000 Grand Prize, exclusive reviews, and promotional boosts for winners.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Exclusive Chanticleer Book Review Package and Author Interview valued at $795. Various sponsor awards and promotional opportunities for winners.

💰 Entry fee: $99

📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Reader Views Literary Awards recognize innovative self-published books, offering visibility and credibility to independent authors. The contest provides thorough book reviews, evaluation forms, and promotional opportunities.

Top Prize:

$1,250

Additional prizes:

Gold: $750 | Silver: $350 | Bronze: $150 | Various sponsored awards and features in newsletters include marketing packages, interviews, and ads.

💰 Entry fee: $89

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2025

Jade Ring Writing Contest

Wisconsin Writers Association

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Jade Ring Contest is a prestigious annual competition celebrating exceptional writing in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Now in its 76th year, this contest offers writers a chance to shine, with cash prizes, publication opportunities in Creative Wisconsin Magazine, and a coveted residency at Write On, Door County for first-place winners.

Top Prize:

$250

Additional prizes:

1st: $250, a Jade Ring, a writing residency, and publication. | 2nd: $200 + publication. | $150 + publication. | Honorable Mentions: one year membership (or gift card for lifetime members) to WWA, publication. Prizes apply to each category.

💰 Entry fee: $30

📅 Deadline: June 01, 2025 (Expired)

Chapter One Prize

Gutsy Great Novelist

Genres: Fiction, Novel, Young Adult, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, and Thriller

The Chapter One Prize is an international writing contest for unpublished novelists. It aims to find the best opening chapter of a novel-in-progress written in English. Submissions open on February 3, 2025, and close on March 3, 2025.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

2nd: $500 | 3rd: $250. Honorable mentions may also be awarded.

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: March 03, 2025 (Expired)

The Big Moose Prize

Black Lawrence Press

Genres: Fiction, Novel, Poetry, and Short Story

The Big Moose Prize awards an unpublished novel, open to all writers. The winner receives publication, a cash award of $1,000, and ten copies of the book.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Publication of the novel and ten copies

💰 Entry fee: $28

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)

Discover the finest writing contests of 2025 for fiction and non-fiction authors — including short story competitions, essay writing competitions, poetry contests, and many more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. If you’re looking to stick to free writing contests, simply use our filters as you browse.

Why you should submit to writing contests

Submitting to poetry competitions and free writing contests in 2025 is absolutely worth your while as an aspiring author: just as your qualifications matter when you apply for a new job, a writing portfolio that boasts published works and award-winning pieces is a great way to give your writing career a boost. And not to mention the bonus of cash prizes!

That being said, we understand that taking part in writing contests can be tough for emerging writers. First, there’s the same affliction all writers face: lack of time or inspiration. Entering writing contests is a time commitment, and many people decide to forego this endeavor in order to work on their larger projects instead — like a full-length book. Second, for many writers, the chance of rejection is enough to steer them clear of writing contests. 

But we’re here to tell you that two of the great benefits of entering writing contests happen to be the same as those two reasons to avoid them.

When it comes to the time commitment: yes, you will need to expend time and effort in order to submit a quality piece of writing to competitions. That being said, having a hard deadline to meet is a great motivator for developing a solid writing routine.

Think of entering contests as a training session to become a writer who will need to meet deadlines in order to have a successful career. If there’s a contest you have your eye on, and the deadline is in one month, sit down and realistically plan how many words you’ll need to write per day in order to meet that due date — and don’t forget to also factor in the time you’ll need to edit your story!

For tips on setting up a realistic writing plan, check out this free, ten-day course: How to Build a Rock-Solid Writing Routine.

In regards to the fear of rejection, the truth is that any writer aspiring to become a published author needs to develop relatively thick skin. If one of your goals is to have a book traditionally published, you will absolutely need to learn how to deal with rejection, as traditional book deals are notoriously hard to score. If you’re an indie author, you will need to adopt the hardy determination required to slowly build up a readership.

The good news is that there’s a fairly simple trick for learning to deal with rejection: use it as a chance to explore how you might be able to improve your writing.

In an ideal world, each rejection from a publisher or contest would come with a detailed letter, offering construction feedback and pointing out specific tips for improvement. And while this is sometimes the case, it’s the exception and not the rule.

Still, you can use the writing contests you don’t win as a chance to provide yourself with this feedback. Take a look at the winning and shortlisted stories and highlight their strong suits: do they have fully realized characters, a knack for showing instead of telling, a well-developed but subtly conveyed theme, a particularly satisfying denouement?

The idea isn’t to replicate what makes those stories tick in your own writing. But most examples of excellent writing share a number of basic craft principles. Try and see if there are ways for you to translate those stories’ strong points into your own unique writing.

Finally, there are the more obvious benefits of entering writing contests: prize and publication. Not to mention the potential to build up your readership, connect with editors, and gain exposure.

Resources to help you win writing competitions in 2025

Every writing contest has its own set of submission rules. Whether those rules are dense or sparing, ensure that you follow them to a T. Disregarding the guidelines will not sway the judges’ opinion in your favor — and might disqualify you from the contest altogether. 

Aside from ensuring you follow the rules, here are a few resources that will help you perfect your submissions.

Free online courses

On Writing:

  • "How to Craft a Killer Short Story" (Click here)
  • "The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction" (Click here)
  • "How to Write a Novel" (Click here)
  • "Understanding Point of View" (Click here)
  • "Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love" (Click here)
  • "Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character" (Click here)
  • "Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine" (Click here)

On Editing:

  • "Story Editing for Authors" (Click here)
  • "How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript Like a Pro" (Click here)
  • "Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites" (Click here)

Blog posts

  • "How to Write a Novel: Steps From a Bestselling Writer" (Click here)
  • "How to Write a Short Story in 9 Simple Steps" (Click here)
  • "100 Literary Devices With Examples: The Ultimate List" (Click here)
  • "20 Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft" (Click here)
  • "How to Write Fabulous Dialogue [9 Tips + Examples]" (Click here)
  • "8 Character Development Exercises to Write 3D Characters" (Click here)

Bonus resources

After you submit to a writing competition in 2025

It’s exciting to send a piece of writing off to a contest. However, once the initial excitement wears off, you may be left waiting for a while. Some writing contests will contact all entrants after the judging period — whether or not they’ve won. Other writing competitions will only contact the winners. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind after you submit:

  • Many writing competitions don’t have time to respond to each entrant with feedback on their story. However, it never hurts to ask! Feel free to politely reach out requesting feedback — but wait until after the selection period is over.

  • If you’ve submitted the same work to more than one writing competition or literary magazine, remember to withdraw your submission if it ends up winning elsewhere.

  • After you send a submission, don’t follow it up with a rewritten or revised version. Instead, ensure that your first version is thoroughly proofread and edited. If not, wait until the next edition of the contest or submit the revised version to other writing contests.

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