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The Best Fiction Writing Contests of 2022

Writing competitions curated by Reedsy

Genre

Manage a competition? Submit it here

Showing 238 contests

Mr. Rosewood Short Story Contest

WriteFluence

A brand new challenge is here! After the success of Mrs. Rosewood’s antics last year, here’s Mr. Rosewood waiting for you to write about any of his days into a story. He could be bright, gloomy, witty, loveable, or always ready to fight. It’s your character, create him! Then, tell us a story about a day in the life of your Mr. Rosewood and get published in our next publication.

Top prize

Publication in anthology

Additional prizes

Publication, eCertificates and Author features

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $2

Deadline: April 15, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Essay, Fiction, Short Story

Horror Writing Contest

FanStory.com Inc.

Share a horror or thriller story to enter this writing contest. Write about anything but the object is to terrorize or thrill your reader. Cash prize!

Top prize

$100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: October 27, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Horror, Short Story

Fanstory Writing Contests

Fanstory

Subscribe to Fanstory for $9.95 a month and enter as many contests as you like from their list of writing and poetry contests, updated daily. All participants receive feedback from a community of writers, and the winner of each contest receives a cash prize of up to $100.

Top prize

Cash prizes of up to $100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: January 31, 2023

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Short Story

Anthology Short Story Award

Anthology Magazine

Writers of short fiction are invited to enter the Anthology Short Story Award. Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, it is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language. Stories submitted must be on the theme of ‘Memories’ and not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

Publication in Anthology Magazine, one-year subscription

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: August 31, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Fiction Factory Flash Fiction

Fiction Factory

We welcome previously unpublished stories (max 1,000 words) on any theme. Our judge is looking for freshness, originality and strongly drawn characters.

Top prize

£200

Additional prizes

£50, £25

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $7

Deadline: November 30, 2021 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Crime, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller

Fiction Factory Short Story Competition

Fiction Factory

This is a bi-annual competition. We welcome stories on any theme. The maximum wordcount is 3,000.

Top prize

£300

Additional prizes

£100, £50

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $8

Deadline: October 31, 2021 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Fiction 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

March Micro Writing Competition

Globe Soup

We accept: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Each month has a theme. You have just 100 words to write something interesting, unique, and impactful based on the theme. Entry to your first contest is £3, after that you can enter all subsequent contests for free each month. You can get peer feedback on your entry too. The theme this month is: Yellow/Orange.

Top prize

$133

Additional prizes

Publication on our website

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $4

Deadline: March 14, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry

Science me a Story

Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK (SRUK)

This competition was created with the aim of promoting scientific outreach in a fun and engaging way, appropriate for primary school children. The ultimate goal of the contest is to promote scientific spirit and inspire the generations that will build our future. We hope to achieve this through the communication of scientific achievements, findings, methods, and anecdotes in the form of short stories.

Top prize

$267

Additional prizes

£150 and £100 runner ups

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: April 24, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story

Geminga: $250 for Tiny Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, or Art

Sunspot Lit

Authors and artists eligible. Sunspot Lit’s Geminga contest honors the power of the small. No restrictions on theme or category. $250 cash, publication for the winner, and publication offered to runners-up and finalists. Enter as many times as you like, but only one piece per submission.

Top prize

$250

Additional prizes

Publication in digital and print

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: March 31, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult

Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition 2022

Creative Writing Ink

We're looking for short stories of up to 3000 words. Stories can be any theme, genre, or subject - the world is your oyster! Top prize is £1000, plus a free creative writing course of your choice and publication on our site. Two runners-up will receive £200 each."

Top prize

$1,333

Additional prizes

Free creative writing course, publication online

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $12

Deadline: September 30, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Suspense, Thriller, Young Adult

Passionate Plume

Passionate Ink

Contest is open to all erotic fiction works published the previous year (eg 2021). Erotic romance stories have HEA and the romantic relationship grows through sexual interaction. Erotic fiction entries do not require an HEA/HFN.

Top prize

Engraved award

Additional prizes

Newsletter/Social Media promotion

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $40

Deadline: March 21, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Novel, Novella, Romance, Short Story

Eighth Drapers Guild Short Story Contest

Drapers Guild

We accept stories of any length, written in English, that fit the theme "Fiction about a Stranger"

Top prize

$100

Additional prizes

Publication on Drapers Guild Website

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: February 15, 2023

Genres

Fiction

Voice.Club - Flash Fiction Writing Contest

Voice.Club

Express yourself in a supportive, family-friendly community, as you develop your writing skills. Voice.club is a family-friendly platform where creators can express themselves in a supportive environment. Our recurring writing contests have attracted talented writers from all over the world. This month, our prompt is “Time”. Sometimes it passes too quickly, sometimes not quickly enough. We spend it, waste it, measure it, stretch it, save it – but we never have quite enough of it. Time may be our most precious commodity. It is free, and yet infinitely precious. We invite you to write a story of 350 words or less with a theme of “Time”. The contest page even has links to some of our past winners, to inspire you! Our team will select the Grand Prize Winner and two Runners Up. There will be also be a public voting component to select three other winners, so there are two paths to winning! Join our free club and receive valuable feedback from a supportive community, make new friends and improve your writing. You may even be published in our eBooks Collection!

Top prize

$50 USD / $25 USD - Amazon Gift Cards

Additional prizes

Publication Online, Alexa and eBooks

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: March 12, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story

Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize

Wasafiri

The competition is organised by Wasafiri, a quarterly British literary magazine. The prize is judged in three categories: Fiction, Poetry, and Life Writing. Fee is per entry: £10 for a single entry, £16  for a double entry. No entry may exceed 3,000 words. This year, the Prize will be chaired by Marina Salandy-Brown, who will be joined by a panel of multi-award-winning judges: Mary Jean Chan (judging Poetry), Preti Taneja (judging Fiction), and Francesca Wade (judging Life Writing). The winners of each category will receive a £1,000 cash prize and will be published in  Wasafiri’s print magazine. Shortlisted writers will have their work published on Wasafiri’s website. Entries must not have been previously published in any form (excluding live performances or shares on personal blogs or on social media).

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Publication in printed magazine and online + mentoring

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $14

Deadline: June 30, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Poetry, Short Story

The Christy Award

The Christy Award

The Christy Award® was established in 1999 to acknowledge the value and impact of the novel of faith in contemporary culture. Since that time, the Christys have been a focal point for the writers and publishers in our community, symbolizing the best aspirations and accomplishments of writers who write from a perspective of faith and who create stories with matters of belief at their core.

Top prize

Award

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $175

Deadline: March 31, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Christian, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Romance, Young Adult

Western 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: November 29, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Lorian 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: March 15, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

New Deal Writing Competition

Genesee Valley Council on the Arts

The New Deal Writing Competition is a short story competition where the writer is asked to use a painting chosen by the staff of GVCA as inspiration for their short story. The application portal for submissions will be open from March 1, 2021 to April 1, 2021.

Top prize

$200

Additional prizes

Publication in Artsphere Magazine

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: April 01, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Emerging Writer's Contest

Ploughshares

In the spirit of the journal 's founding mission, the Ploughshares Emerging Writer's Contest recognizes work by an emerging writer in each of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. One winner in each genre per year will receive $2,000 and publication in the literary journal. Authors are considered "emerging" if they haven 't published or self-published a book.

Top prize

$2,000

Additional prizes

Publication in Ploughshares

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $24

Deadline: May 15, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story

Flying South

Winston-Salem Writers

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 2022, Best in Category, and President's Favorite.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Publication in Flying South 2022

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $25

Deadline: May 31, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry

Lazuli Literary Group Writing Contest

Lazuli Literary Group

We are not concerned with genre distinctions. Send us the best you have; we want only for it to be thoughtful, intelligent, and beautiful. We want art that grows in complexity upon each visitation; we enjoy ornate, cerebral, and voluptuous phrases executed with thematic intent.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

Publication in "AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought"

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: May 22, 2022

Genres

Essay, Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Novella, Script Writing

WOW! Women On Writing Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest

WOW! Women On Writing

Seeking short fiction of any genre between 250 - 750 words. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, communication, and well-rewarded recognition to contestants.

Top prize

$400

Additional prizes

Interview on WOW! Blog, $25 Amazon gift card

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: May 31, 2022

Genres

Flash Fiction, Fiction, Short Story

Flash Fiction Award

Bath Flash Fiction Award

In addition to winning cash prizes, entrants have the opportunity to appear in our print and digital anthology collections. Our books are published by the award-winning small press Ad Hoc Fiction, and are available to buy from their own independent bookshop as well as worldwide from Amazon. 300 word limit.

Top prize

£1000

Additional prizes

£300 for 2nd, £200 for 3rd

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $12

Deadline: June 05, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction

F(r)iction Short Story Contest

F(r)iction

We seek work that actively pushes boundaries, that forces us to question traditions and tastes. If your work takes risks, we want to read it. We like strong narratives that make us feel something and stories we haven’t seen before. Each entry should be between 1,001 and 7,500 words.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Considered for publication in F(r)iction

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: April 28, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

F(r)iction Flash Fiction Contest

F(r)iction

We seek work that actively pushes boundaries, that forces us to question traditions and tastes. If your work takes risks, we want to read it. You may submit up to three entires for $12. A single entry is $10. Each entry can be up to 1,000 words long.

Top prize

$300

Additional prizes

Considered for publication in F(r)iction

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: April 28, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction

2023 Book Prize

Unleash Press

Writers are invited to submit novels, short story collections and creative nonfiction manuscripts. The Editors' Prize winner receives a publication contract with Unleash Press and $1000 prize, along with 10 printed copies of the final book. We may also offer publication contracts to additional outstanding manuscripts.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Publishing contract

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $35

Deadline: December 31, 2023

Genres

Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Short Story

Memoir/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: June 15, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Memoir

100 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. This year's theme is the power of words. The words we write, the words we say, the words we keep to ourselves. They make a difference in the lives of those around us. How can you use your words to instill a sense of calm, of hope, of community? To remind one another of the beauty of diversity. To encourage us to support, love, and inspire one another.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

2nd: writing coach package 3rd: developmental or diversity editing package.

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: April 30, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult

Biopage Storytelling Writing Contest

Biopage

Biopage is hosting a writing contest to remind people the benefits of writing. Each story (or once chapter of your stories) is limited to 5,000 characters or roughly 1,000 words. You can write about good life experience, or bad, embarrassing, frightening ones. You can win $300, and five runners-up can win $100 each.

Top prize

$300

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: July 31, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story, Flash Fiction

The Moth Short Story Prize

The Moth Magazine

The Moth Short Story Prize is an international prize, open to anyone from anywhere in the world, as long as their story is original and previously unpublished. The Prize will be judged this year by Ali Smith, the author of many works of fiction, including five collections of short stories and, most recently, the seasonal quartet, Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer. Her work has won many awards.

Top prize

€3,000

Additional prizes

€1,000, writing retreat at Circle of Misse

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $18

Deadline: June 30, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Screenwriting Battle

Writing Battle

Writing Battle is a screenwriting competition for writers, by writers. Light on battle. Heavy on fun and friendship (but still somewhat battle-like). Receive prompts, write a script, then judge each other's stories. Win cash and get feedback from your peers. Join the battle!

Top prize

$1,500

Additional prizes

Feedback by industry professionals. Guaranteed feedback by at least 5 of your peers.

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: May 03, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Script Writing

Flash Fiction Battle

Writing Battle

Writing Battle is a creative writing competition for writers, by writers. Light on battle. Heavy on fun and friendship (but still somewhat battle-like). Receive prompts, write a short story, then judge each other's stories. Win cash and get feedback from your peers. Join the battle!

Top prize

$5,000

Additional prizes

Feedback by industry professionals. Guaranteed feedback by at least 5 of your peers.

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: August 05, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story

Six Word Wonder Contest

Six Word Wonder

To win, write a six word story, poem, memoir, or joke. Free to enter, with the chance to get your tiny creation published, and you crowned as the Six Word Wonder - winning $100. Last year's contest had over 3,300 entries, with over 100 short-listed. Every writer gets six free entries to play with.

Top prize

$100

Additional prizes

Publication in next book in the Six Word Wonder series

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: November 30, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Short Story

Imagine 2200

Grist

The Imagine 2200 contest calls for short stories that envision the next 178 years of equitable climate progress. We seek cultural authenticity, rich characters with intersecting identities, and stories that challenge the status quo (which accepts extraction, oppression, and violence).

Top prize

$3,000

Additional prizes

2nd: $2000, 3rd: $1000; finalists will receive $300.

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: May 05, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller

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