The Best Fiction Writing Contests of 2022
Writing competitions curated by Reedsy
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Join our short story competition
Submit a short story based on 1 of 5 weekly prompts. Winners get $250.
Showing 220 contests
The Reedsy Prompts Contest
Reedsy
Respond to one of Reedsy's weekly writing prompt newsletters with a short story for the chance to win $250 and be featured on the Reedsy Blog!
Top prize
$250
Additional prizes
Publication on Reedsy Blog
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: December 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestDandy Writers Short Story Contest
Dandy Writers
Submit a story of no more than 200 words. Your submission must be in line with the theme of the month. A writer is only permitted to submit one application per month. No more than one application. No plagiarism, even if it’s your work already published. Your work must be yours. Your data entered must be accurate. You must pay the entry fee. Note: Failure to comply with these rules will result to your application cancelled. And your entry fee will not be refunded. Thanks as you obey these rules.
Top prize
$300
Additional prizes
Writing Job
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: May 30, 2023
Genres
Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Short Story
View contestVoice.Club - Flash Fiction Writing Contest
Voice.Club
Voice.club has a strong commitment to writers and writing. Our monthly Flash Fiction writing contests are a wonderful opportunity for writers to practice their craft, share their stories and win prizes! Each entry must be 350 words or less, be family-friendly, and include some reference to the month's theme.
Top prize
$50 USD / $25 USD - Amazon Gift Cards
Additional prizes
Publication Online, Alexa and eBooks
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: December 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story
View contestWestern Writing Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
Share your Western story for this writing contest. Share your story that has a clear western theme. Your old west story can earn you a cash prize.
Top prize
$100
Additional prizes
Winning stories will be features on the FanStory.com welcome page.
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: February 05, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestHorror Writing Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
Terrorize or thrill your audience with your writing. Share a horror story to enter this writing contest with a cash prize.
Top prize
$100
Additional prizes
Winning entries will be featured on the FanStory welcome page.
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: February 08, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Horror, Short Story
View contestThe Dante Rossetti Awards
Chanticleer Book Reviews and Media
The Dante Rossetti Awards Categories are: Contemporary Young Adult; SFF & Paranormal; Dystopian/Edgy/Urban; Mystery/Thriller/Suspense; Historical Young Adult; YA Adventure/Romance. The Chanticleer Prize Package includes: A Prize Ribbon to use in promotion at book signings and book festivals Digital Badges for display on your website or incorporation into book covers Book stickers to identify your print books to bookstore shoppers as they browse.
Top prize
$1,000
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $99
Deadline: June 30, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Mystery, Novel, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestFiction Factory - Novel - First Chapter
Fiction Factory
Have you completed the first draft of your novel? Are you ready to pass it on to a fresh pair of eyes, to see if you are on the right track? Is your all-important first chapter ready for submission to an agent? Whatever your plans, your first chapter must shine – it must grab your readers or quickly lose their interest.
Top prize
£500
Additional prizes
A reading by a top London Literary Agent plus publication
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $25
Deadline: May 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Novel
View contestThe 2022 First Chapter Book Contest
TheNextBigWriter, LLC
Have a book or a novel idea you've been noodling? Enter your first chapter into the Booksie First Chapter Contest and see how it does. You don't need to have finished the book. You don't even need more than the first chapter. We're looking for a start that will grab our attention, that is original, that is well written, and that makes us want to beg you to see what comes next. And for those we find, we'll provide some awards to inspire you to finish writing the book or, if finished, to help get it published.
Top prize
$500
Additional prizes
Gold contest badge.
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: May 14, 2022
Genres
Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Novel, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestGenre Fiction Fellowships
Laterpress
The Laterpress Genre Fiction Fellowships are a genre fiction writing competition that awards four $10,000 fellowships to authors of fictional books and web serials. An additional 20 authors will be selected as Laterpress Finalists and will receive a waiver of Laterpress's 5% platform fee for a period of one year.
Top prize
$10,000 Fellowship
Additional prizes
Waiver of Laterpress's 5% platform fee
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: April 03, 2022
Genres
Fiction
View contestFable Competition
Robert Louis Stevenson Club
Little stories cleverly told with sparing use of words and a moral undertone. It must be a fable! With the upcoming Year of Scotland’s Stories 2022, what better time to find a fable for the 21st century in the style of Robert Louis Stevenson. RLS wrote 22 of them. Now it is your opportunity to explore this timeless art of storytelling, giving us an entry in no more than 350 words. Our international judging panel is chaired by Alan Taylor, author and journalist.
Top prize
$680
Additional prizes
Possible publication of a sample of entries
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: April 02, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestIndignor Play House Annual Short Story Annual Competition
Indignor House Publishing
Indignor House Publishing is proud to introduce the start of our annual writing competition with the first award and publication in August of 2022. Submissions will be accepted starting September 1st of each previous year and closing on March 31st of the publication year. Up to 25 submissions will be accepted for inclusion in the annual book publication. Book format will be in three media formats (hardback with jacket, softback, and e-book). Every year, a theme will be announced in June for the next year’s competition. The 2022-year theme is RESENTMENT and short stories can be of any genre. Maximum word count for short stories is up to 5,000 words.
Top prize
$500
Additional prizes
Publication in Annual Book, trophy and certificate
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $15
Deadline: March 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story
View contestThe George Floyd Short Story Competition Vol2
Nottingham Writers' Studio
We’ll be taking stories of up to 5,000 words, on the theme of the environment and the ongoing climate crisis. Entrants can write in any genre. There is no fee to take part and we’re offering cash prizes to every successful applicant plus publication in our next anthology. 1st - £250 2nd - £125 3rd - £75 Runner up - £15
Top prize
£250
Additional prizes
Publication in anthology - Earth 2.0
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: February 28, 2022
Genres
Crime, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestFemmeFluenza 2.0
WriteFluence
Become a published woman author by this International Women’s Day! Announcing our second exclusively-for-women-writers story-writing international contest FemmeFluenza 2.0 ‘Cos life is all about celebrating womanhood and surviving through various challenges it brings along! Theme: Survival stories through various challenges faced by women – be it prejudices, physical or emotional abuse, sexual harassment, corporate biases, denied education, breast cancer, female infanticide, gender discrimination, single-parenthood, divorce, social stigmas and taboos, etc.
Top prize
Publication
Additional prizes
Author features and Merit certificates (digital)
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $2
Deadline: February 15, 2022
Genres
Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Short Story
View contestMemoir/Fiction Book Contest for IML Publications
IML Publications, LLC
We are looking for high quality, 50-page double submissions + 1 page synopsis of memoir and fiction. Finalists will be asked for complete manuscripts 1 month later and will be judged by author Jacqueline Gay Walley.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Possible published book
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $35
Deadline: February 15, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Memoir
View contestStringybark Open Short Story Award 2021
Stringybark Publishing
We are looking for great short stories that address any theme that grabs you. But to just make life not too easy, the story has two stipulations. Firstly, it is to be written for those over the age of 16 and secondly, it must have a link, no matter how tenuous, to Australia. 1500 word limit.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $14
Deadline: February 13, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Mystery, Short Story, Crime, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestHispanic Culture Review – Literary and Photographic Contest 2021-2022
Hispanic Culture Review
If the past year has taught us anything, it is that circumstances are always changing. Just as the world inevitably changes around us, we, too, go through various cycles of transformation in our lifetimes. Our identities are not static but evolve as we experience life and confront obstacles that come our way. Who we are is not fixed but rather a reflection of ourselves at a certain point in time and the journey it took to get there. As Maya Angelou once stated, “we delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” This year, we invite you to reflect on the following questions: What does the phrase “ever-changing” mean for you or your community with respect to the journey of transformation? What has made you the person you are today? 1 work will be awarded in each category: 1) photography & visual arts, 2) poetry, and 3) narrative/essay/academic investigation. The selected works will be published in our magazine, and winners will receive a monetary prize of $100 dollars and a certificate of recognition, and will be notified through email as well as on our Facebook page (Hispanic Culture Review GMU). Prizes will be issued in the Spring of 2022.
Top prize
$100
Additional prizes
Publication in print and electronic magazine, Certificate of recognition
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: February 06, 2022
Genres
Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story
View contestStory of the Year Contest
Storyshares
The annual Story of the Year Contest is back for the fifth year, and we are searching for fresh, diverse stories that are “easy to read and hard to put down. The 2021 competition will run from November 2, 2021 to February 1, 2022 and will feature 4 distinct categories. Winners will be announced April 5, 2022 to receive $5000 in cash prizes, in addition to publication in both digital and print form. Winning stories and those selected as runners-up will be included in the Storyshares library, which is currently serving tens of thousands of students in all 50 states and over 150 countries. This is an opportunity for writers to not only expose their work to a large, established network of readers, but moreover, for their words to become part of the mission to improve literacy outcomes for teens and young adults across the globe. This is an opportunity to change lives, and make a difference.
Top prize
$2,000
Additional prizes
$1,000 and publication in digital and print
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: February 01, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story, Young Adult
View contestAskew's Word on the Lake Writing Contest
Shuswap Association of Writers
Whether you’re an established or emerging writer, the Askew’s Word on the Lake Writing Contest has a place for you. Part of the Word on the Lake Writers’ Festival in Salmon Arm, BC, the contest is open to submissions in short fiction (1,200 to 1,500 words), nonfiction (1,200 to 1,500 words), and poetry (up to three one-page poems). Besides the cash prize, winners will receive a registration package for the 2022 Word on the Lake Writers’ Festival, publication in the Word on the Lake anthology, and copies of the anthology in print and ebook.
Top prize
$120
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $12
Deadline: January 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry
View contestSAWG 29th Writing Contest
San Antonio Writers Guild
Preliminary judging by trained SAWG members, final judging by successful professional writers or university-level writing instructors who specialize in the entries’ genres. Every entrant can obtain his/her preliminary and final score sheets. Genre winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd place) may correspond with their final judges. This is SAWG's 29th contest.
Top prize
1st: $100; 2nd: $50; 3rd: $25 US
Additional prizes
Membership, list on website and FB, winner sticker
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $35
Deadline: January 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry
View contestClash of the Query Letters
Darling Axe Editing
A writing contest for querying authors! Our judge, Michelle Barker, will be asking herself one question: "does this query letter convince me that I'm in the hands of an adept novelist with a unique and engaging story to tell?" Optional feedback available.
Top prize
$700
Additional prizes
Publication on the Chopping Blog, plus free entry into one of our online courses
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $4
Deadline: January 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel
View contestSeventh Drapers Guild Short Story Contest
Drapers Guild
Theme: Fiction about a Stranger. After we receive 10 stories, we send them to our judge, Samuel Reifler, who will choose a contest winner. Any stories received after the contest closes will be entered in the Eighth Drapers Guild Short Story Contest (which will have the same theme).
Top prize
$100
Additional prizes
Publication on Drapers Guild Website
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $15
Deadline: January 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction
View contestScience Fiction Writing Contest
FanStory.com Inc
Share a Science Fiction themed story to enter this writing contest with a cash prizes. Let your imagination fly and enjoy sharing your writing.
Top prize
$100
Additional prizes
Winning entries will be features on the FanStory.com welcome page.
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $9
Deadline: January 22, 2022 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Science Writing
View contestThe Clay Reynolds Novella Prize
Texas Review
Established in 2001, The Clay Reynolds Novella Prize highlights one book a year that excels in the novella format. Since 2019 the Prize comes with a $500 advance, a standard royalty contract, and 20 copies of the published book.
Top prize
$500
Additional prizes
A Standard Royalty contract, 20 copies of the novella published
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: March 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Novella
View contest100 Word Writing Contest
Tadpole Press
100 words per entry. Submit as many entries as you’d like. All ages. All genders. All nationalities. All writers welcome. You can write in any genre, but the theme is abundance. Give us a glimpse of something that reveals the abundance of this big, beautiful, unexpected life that we’ve got. Make us “see a World in a Grain of Sand.”
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
2nd: writing coaching package. 3rd: developmental or diversity editing package.
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: April 30, 2022
Genres
Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestLorian Hemingway Short Story Competition
Lorian Hemingway
Writers of short fiction may now enter the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. The competition has a 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.
Top prize
$1,500
Additional prizes
Second and third-place winners receive $500 each
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $15
Deadline: February 01, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestOscar's Book Prize
Evening Standard
Oscar’s Book Prize is an annual prize for the best under-fives book of the year. It is awarded in memory of Oscar Ashton and in partnership with Amazon, the Evening Standard and the National Literacy Trust.
Top prize
£5,000
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: January 21, 2022 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction
View contestThe Berkeley Fiction Review Sudden Fiction Contest
Berkeley Fiction Review
Submit pieces under 1000 words for a chance to be featured in the next issue of our journal as well as a cash prize of up to $150!
Top prize
$150
Additional prizes
Publication in journal
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: March 05, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestNelligan Prize
Colorado Review
The Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction was established in 2004 in memory of Liza Nelligan, a writer, editor, and friend of many in Colorado State University 's English Department. The winner receives a $2,500 honorarium and the story is published in the fall/winter issue of Colorado Review. Stories must be 10-50 pages.
Top prize
$2,500
Additional prizes
Publication in the Colorado Review
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $17
Deadline: March 14, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestBBC National Short Story Award
BBC with Cambridge University
The BBC National Short Story Award is one of the most prestigious for a single short story, with the winning author receiving £15,000, and four further shortlisted authors £600 each. The stories are broadcast on Radio 4 and published in an anthology by Comma Press. Previous alumni of the award include Zadie Smith, Hilary Mantel, and Jon McGregor.
Top prize
£15,000
Additional prizes
Broadcast on Radio 4, and published in an anthology
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: March 21, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestThe Restless Books Prize For New Immigrant Writing
Restless Books
The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing was created in 2016 to honor outstanding debut literary works by first-generation immigrants, awarded for fiction and nonfiction in alternating years. The winner receives $10,000 and publication by Restless Books.
Top prize
$10,000
Additional prizes
Publication by Restless Books
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: March 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction
View contestParsec Short Story Contest
Triangulation
The theme for the 2021 contest is: Still Waters, Deep Thoughts. 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. All stories must be of the Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror genres and no more than 3,500 words.
Top prize
$200
Additional prizes
Publication in the 2020 Confluence program book
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: May 01, 2022
Genres
Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, Short Story
View contestThe Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction Contest
The Saturday Evening Post
In its nearly two centuries of existence, The Saturday Evening Post has published short fiction by a who's who of great American authors, including Ray Bradbury, William Faulkner, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Now you have the opportunity to join our illustrious lineup by entering The Saturday Evening Post 's Annual Great American Fiction Contest. The winning story will be published in the January/February 2023 edition of The Saturday Evening Post, and the author will receive $1,000. Five runners-up will each receive $200 and will also have their stories featured online.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication in The Saturday Evening Post, 5 runners up receive $200
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: July 01, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestFabula Press Short Story Contest
Fabula Press
Fabula Press hosts two short story competitions every year, one during summer with submission period from May to July, and one during winter, with submissions accepted from November to February. While we are heavy on ‘literary fiction’, we would welcome a Poesque tale of horror, an enchanting work of historical fiction, or even light science fiction. Hard science fiction, fantasy, young adult or chick lit do not work for us, though.
Top prize
$500
Additional prizes
Publication in an anthology, minimum payment to all published authors $75
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: April 14, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestAnnual Flash Fiction Competition
Flash 500
This quarterly open-themed competition has closing dates of 31st March, 30th June, 30th September and 31st December. The results will be announced about six weeks after each closing date and the three winning entries each quarter will be published on the website.
Top prize
£300
Additional prizes
£200, £100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $7
Deadline: March 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestAnnual Novel Opening Competition
Flash 500
We are looking for an opening chapter up to 3,000 words, plus a one page synopsis outlining the balance of your story of any genre, so long as it's unpublished.
Top prize
£500
Additional prizes
2nd Place: £200
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $13
Deadline: October 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Novel
View contest
