Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.
Find the perfect editor for your next book
1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.
Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.
Find the perfect editor for your next book
1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.
DIRECTORY
Showing 193 contests that match your search.
Gotham Writers
Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction
The #GWstorieseverywhere contest invites participants to submit very short stories based on monthly themes. The stories can be fictional or true and must be original and unpublished. The winning entries are featured on Gotham's website.
Additional prizes:
Winner receives a free Gotham class of their choosing, excluding premium classes
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Arizona Mystery Writers
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, and Short Story
The Jim Martin Memorial Adult Story Contest invites submissions of mystery, suspense, or thriller stories from adults aged 18 and over. It honors Jim Martin, a long-time member of Arizona Mystery Writers, supported by his family's generous contribution to the organization.
Top Prize:
$200
Additional prizes:
2nd Place: $100 3rd Place: $75 Winning stories will be published on the AMW website.
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: August 01, 2024 (Expired)
WOW! Women On Writing
Genres: Flash Fiction, Fiction, and Short Story
The WOW! Women on Writing Flash Fiction Contest aims to inspire creativity and recognition for writers. Open to all genres of flash fiction, it has been running since 2006 and has awarded over $100,000 in cash prizes to participants. The contest allows entries globally, and submissions must be in English.
Top Prize:
$400
Additional prizes:
2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 | 7 runner-ups: $25 Amazon Gift Cards
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2024 (Expired)
University of Tulsa
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
The Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers honor the work of writers at the beginning of their careers. $500 prizes will be awarded in both the fiction and poetry categories, and the winning manuscripts will appear in the spring issue of Nimrod. Winners will have the chance to work with the Nimrod board of editors to refine and edit their manuscripts before publication.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Publication
💰 Entry fee: $12
📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024 (Expired)
Story Street Writers
Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction
The contest invites participants to submit a flash fiction piece of 100 words or fewer.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
$25 for each of the three runners-up. Winner and all runners-up receive publication in the Story Street Review.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
The Masters Review
Genres: Fiction and Novel
The contest invites submissions of self-contained novel excerpts up to 6,000 words, focusing on strong voice, characters, and narrative arcs. The grand prize includes $3,000, online publication, and a consultation with a literary agent.
Top Prize:
$3,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 | Online publication + an hour-long consultation with a literary agent.
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: November 01, 2024 (Expired)
The Independent Author Network
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Crime, and Short Story
The 11th Annual IAN Book of the Year Awards is an international contest open to all authors with 75 fiction and non-fiction categories. Winners share cash prizes totaling $6,000, including a Grand Prize of $2,500.
Top Prize:
$2,500
Additional prizes:
Minimum cash prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250 for first, second, and third places in each category respectively
💰 Entry fee: $49
📅 Deadline: August 16, 2025
Salamander
Genres: Fiction
The Salamander 2024 Fiction Prize offers writers the opportunity to submit their works for consideration. The contest includes a first prize of $1,000 and publication, and a second prize of $500 and publication. Entries will be judged anonymously, and all submissions are also considered for publication in the magazine.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: $500 | Publication
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: June 01, 2024 (Expired)
Ironclad Creative CIC
Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novella, Romance, Science Fiction, and Thriller
The Ironclad Creative Short Story Competition is held quarterly, encouraging original short stories based on a provided prompt. The latest competition had a theme of '7.12am' and featured multiple prize-winning entries. The organization aims to support writers, especially those with low incomes and neurodivergent backgrounds.
Top Prize:
£100
Additional prizes:
2nd: £50 3rd & 4th: £25 10 short-listed entries ge4t publication
💰 Entry fee: $8
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)
Stringybark Publishing
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The contest is open to stories of 1500 words or fewer with a link to Australia. It aims to showcase short stories and has an award pool exceeding $1420 in cash and books, encouraging submissions from all authors aged 16 and above.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd: $300 | 3rd: $50. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places also get publication + e-book + paperback + choice of any two Stringybark anthologies. 4th place gets publication + e-book.
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: February 25, 2024 (Expired)
Soft Designs, Inc.
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story
The contest encourages participants to submit one fictional story (max 350 words) for a chance to win a prize. The contest requires a minimum of 10 shortlisted submissions to award a prize, which is a $25 Amazon Gift Card.
Top Prize:
$25 USD Amazon Gift Card
Additional prizes:
Publication
📅 Deadline: August 01, 2024 (Expired)
Grist Magazine
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Imagine 2200 contest invites writers to envision equitable climate progress stories, showcasing creative solutions and community resilience. It emphasizes hope and the potential for positive change through fiction.
Top Prize:
$3,000
Additional prizes:
Second place: $2000 Third place: $1000 Ten $300 awards for finalists. Opportunity for the winner to participate in Oregon State University's Environmental Writing Fellowship and Residency, including a four-week writing residency.
📅 Deadline: June 24, 2024 (Expired)
American Writers Museum
Genres: Children's, Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry
The John Estey Student Writing Competition is open to elementary, middle, and high school students. To be considered for this award, please fill out the intent to participate form and submit a 1,000 word or less piece discussing the prompt quote, "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”—Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness. Submissions are accepted via a submission link that is provided to teachers ONLY. Please make sure that you provide a valid teacher contact.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Three winners from each category will be awarded the following prizes: $500 for elementary school; $1000 for middle school; $2000 for high school.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: May 23, 2025
Hispanic Culture Review
Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Flash Fiction
The contest theme is 'Hecho a mano', focusing on the creativity of handmade works. Categories include photography, poetry, and narrative/essay/academic investigation. Selected works will be published, and winners will receive monetary prizes and certificates of recognition.
Top Prize:
Monetary prize + certificate of recognition for winners in each category
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: January 21, 2025 (Expired)
Write By The Sea Festival Committee
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, and Poetry
The competition features four categories: Fiction Short Story, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Memoir/Personal Essay, with original works encouraged. Winners will be invited to read at the festival and have their work published.
Top Prize:
€500
Additional prizes:
2nd place: €300 3rd place: €200 Free weekend pass to the festival, publication in The Waxed Lemon Literary Journal.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: June 21, 2024 (Expired)
The Tusculum Review
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
Alice Lutyens, literary agent at Curtis Brown
Genres: Fiction, Novel, and Young Adult
The Caledonia Novel Award aims to support unpublished and self-published novelists across all genres for adults and young adults. The 2025 competition encourages diverse submissions, offering significant prizes to help cultivate new talent.
Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
Exclusive framed award designed by Edinburgh artist Lucy Roscoe. Highly Commended prize: £500 Special prize: a free place on a writing course at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre
💰 Entry fee: $28
📅 Deadline: October 15, 2024 (Expired)
Cleveland Foundation
Genres: Novel, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Poetry
The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognize outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism and cultural diversity. Established in 1935 by Edith Anisfield Wolf, it remains the only American book prize focused on these themes.
Top Prize:
$10,000
Additional prizes:
Winners receive $10,000 and are honored at a ceremony in Cleveland.
📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024 (Expired)
Writer's Digest
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
Enter our 91st Annual Writing Competition for the chance to have your work be seen by editors and agents! Almost 500 winners will be chosen. The top winning entries of this writing contest will also be on display in the Annual Writer’s Digest Competition Collection. [$20 for a poetry entry, $30 for a manuscript entry]
Top Prize:
$5,000
Additional prizes:
Grand prize winner receives $5000. In each category: 1st, $1000; 2nd, $500; 3rd, $250; 4th, $100; 5th, $50; 6th through 10th, $25 gift certificate. 1st place winners receive a one year subscription to Writer's Digest magazine + tutorials.
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: May 05, 2025
Best Indie Book Award
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Best Indie Book Award (BIBA) is an international literary contest that recognizes outstanding achievements by independently published authors. Entries are limited to indie published books, including those from small presses and self-published authors, judged on various writing skills.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
A physical trophy or plaque
💰 Entry fee: $65
📅 Deadline: August 01, 2025
Indiana Review
Genres: Essay, Fiction, and Non-fiction
The Creative Nonfiction Prize is held annually by Indiana Review, which also publishes various genres including poetry and fiction. It features a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to the journal. All entries are considered for publication.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in Indiana Review
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)
Write the World
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, and Flash Fiction
The Fairytales & Myths Competition invites young writers to create original stories that reflect themes of fairytales and myths. It is part of the Write the World initiative aimed at developing the writing skills of teenagers.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50
📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024 (Expired)
Parsec Inc.
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, and Short Story
The Parsec Short Story Contest aims to encourage non-professional writers to explore speculative fiction in genres like science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The theme for 2025 is 'ROOTS', and submissions should relate to this theme. The contest has no entry fee and supports young writers through a special Youth Story Prize.
Top Prize:
$200
Additional prizes:
2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2025 (Expired)
Manitoba Writers' Guild
Genres: Fiction
The Dave Williamson National Short Story Competition is open to Canadian writers aged 18 and older, encouraging diversity and inclusion across all communities. Submissions are accepted in any fiction genre, with a word limit between 2,500 and 4,500 words. Winners will be published in the Guild's anthology, _Beyond Boundaries_.
Top Prize:
$1,000 CAD
Additional prizes:
2nd: $600 CAD | 3rd: $400 CAD
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: February 15, 2025 (Expired)
Armed Services Arts Partnership
Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
Partners are an integral aspect of military life, at home and afar, during deployment and after homecoming. Partnerships drive military action and extend beyond being a battle buddy, wingman, or crew member. Some are planned while others arise entirely unexpectedly. Spouses, family, old or new friends, community, faith leaders, and medical specialists all support the military community. Despite their importance, the stories of these partnerships often go untold. This anthology aims to correct that: We will highlight the nuances, surprises, joy, sorrow, heroism, tears, healing power, and ache of partnerships. We invite you to submit the story about partnerships from your journey, so we can help tell it.
Top Prize:
$500 Editors' Choice award
Additional prizes:
$250 for each genre category (prose, poetry, visual art)
📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)
Jacqueline Gay Walley
Genres: Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Novel
High-quality unpublished manuscripts in memoir, fiction, and non-fiction are sought for this competition. The contest is designed to amplify the voices of contemporary writers.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Possible book publication/distribution in ebook and paperback formats
💰 Entry fee: $40
📅 Deadline: October 15, 2025
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)
Wine Country Writers' Festival Society
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry
The contest is open to writers over 18 worldwide and includes categories for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Each submission must adhere to specific formatting guidelines and word limits. Winners are selected through blind judging, and results are announced during the festival.
Top Prize:
$200 CAD per category
Additional prizes:
Second place: $100 Third place: $50 Winner also gets anthology publication, entry to next year's festival
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: June 02, 2024 (Expired)
Saturday Evening Post
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Great American Fiction Contest celebrates the legacy of American authors through the submission of original short stories. The winning entry will be published in the January/February edition of the magazine.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
The winning story will be published in The Saturday Evening Post. Five runners-up will each receive $200 and have their stories featured online.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: July 01, 2024 (Expired)
Brink Literacy Project
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The F(r)iction Short Story Contest is open for submissions. It celebrates unique and boundary-pushing literature. The winning story will be published in F(r)iction's print collection or online blog, and the contest encourages experimental writing.
Top Prize:
$1,000
📅 Deadline: May 02, 2025
So To Speak
Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, LGBTQ, Non-fiction, and Poetry
So to Speak is a feminist literary journal seeking diverse voices, focusing on intersectional feminism. They publish twice a year, accepting submissions of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art, with a particular emphasis on marginalized perspectives.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
All accepted contributions will receive a $100 prize.
💰 Entry fee: $4
📅 Deadline: November 15, 2024 (Expired)
Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop (NOWW)
Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
The 26th Annual Writing Contest is currently closed. The next contest will open on January 1, 2025. Categories and further details will be announced later.
Top Prize:
$150
Additional prizes:
2nd place: $100 3rd place: $50
💰 Entry fee: $7
📅 Deadline: January 01, 2025 (Expired)
Blake Chasen and Emma Needell
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, and Romance
The Avenue Writing Contest invites participants to create interactive narratives in four categories: Romance, Fantasy, Progression Fantasy + LitRPG, and D&D. Entries are crafted using the Avenue Creator Studio, where participants develop episodes that allow reader choices to influence the story.
Top Prize:
$250
Additional prizes:
2nd: $150 3rd: $100 Winners will also be featured on Avenue’s app, website, and social media. Prizes apply for each category.
📅 Deadline: May 22, 2024 (Expired)
North American Review
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, and Suspense
An annual fiction competition recognizing the finest speculative fiction. All forms of previously unpublished fiction are accepted, including fairy tales, magical realism, and science fiction. Winners may be published in the North American Review's summer issue.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication opportunities for runners-up and honorable mentions
💰 Entry fee: $23
📅 Deadline: November 02, 2024 (Expired)
HG Wells Competition
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The HG Wells Short Story Competition, founded by Reg Turnill, promotes writing and celebrates HG Wells' literary legacy. It encourages entries based on this year’s theme: 'The Fool.'
Top Prize:
Under 21: £1,000 Over 21: £500
Additional prizes:
All shortlisted entries will be published in an anthology. Shortlisted authors receive a copy of the anthology and a certificate.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: July 08, 2024 (Expired)
The world's best editors, designers, and marketers are on Reedsy. Come meet them.