The Best Non Fiction Writing Contests of 2023
Writing competitions curated by Reedsy
Writing competitions curated by Reedsy
Manage a competition? Submit it here
AI Institute for Resilient Agriculture
AIIRA is seeking essays speculating on how AI will change careers within the next decade, as well as fiction stories depicting a day in the life of a job transformed by AI technology. Submissions should address how AI will help future professionals perform their jobs more efficiently as well as what job duties will become redundant due to AI.
$550
2nd: $400 (x2) | 3rd: $250
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: September 30, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Science Writing, Short Story
View contestHerStry Literary Magazine
HerStry has long been a place for women identifying and nonbinary folks to tell their stories. We are a brave space for brave stories. Now, we’d like to amplify your stories even more with our contest and prize. There is no theme to adhere to for this contest, simply nonfiction written by you, about you. Give us your best work, the stuff of your heart. Our stories are what make us, tell yours.
$400
2nd: $250 | 3rd: $100
💰 Fee: $15
Deadline: December 15, 2023
Memoir, Non-fiction
View contestReed Magazine
The Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction recognizes outstanding works of nonfiction. We are looking for creative nonfiction, such as personal essays or narratives, not scholarly papers or book reviews. All works should be stand-alone essays, not chapters of a longer work. Please limit prose submissions to 5,000 words.
$1,333
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: November 01, 2023 (Expired)
Non-fiction, Short Story
View contestNarrative Magazine
The Narrative Prize is awarded annually for the best short story, novel excerpt, poem, one-act play, graphic story, or work of literary nonfiction published by a new or emerging writer in Narrative. The submission system is open all year.
$4,000
💰 Fee: $27
Deadline: June 15, 2024
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story
View contestFederal Highway Administration/Public Roads Magazine
Public Roads is proud to announce its first Student Writing Competition, designed to encourage high school and college students interested in or actively pursuing STEM majors to demonstrate their knowledge by writing an article that relates to the transportation industry.
Published in Winter 2023 Issue of Public Roads Magazine
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: July 21, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Non-fiction, Science Writing
View contestWrite the World
The teenage years are an in-between time, the stage linking our childhood to adulthood. It’s a time of internal transitions, as we find out more about who we are and who we want to be in the world. This month, use the tools of creative nonfiction to write about your own experience of this passage into adulthood.
Best Entry: $100
Runner up: $50 | Best Peer Review: $50
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: July 18, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction
View contestThe Heartland Review Press
Submit one piece of fiction or creative nonfiction of topic or category to include flash in a Word document through Submittable (link on website). No pdfs. Include a short cover letter and bio. Simultaneous submissions accepted, but writers must withdraw if published elsewhere. We read the first 50 pieces of fiction and 50 of creative nonfiction submitted each month during the open call.
Publication
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: November 15, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestMunster Literature Centre
The competition is open to original, unpublished and unbroadcast short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or fewer. The story can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world.
€2,000
Residency at Anam Cara Retreat, Featured reading at the Cork International Short Story Festival, Publication in Southword
💰 Fee: $21
Deadline: July 31, 2023 (Expired)
Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story
View contestMemo'd
The Memo'd ""Write To Win"" contest is for new writers who have something to say, and who like saying it succinctly. A Memo is a shareable and bulleted essay of 300-800 words - think Twitter threads without the noise of Twitter. A Memo can be a: 1) Profile of a famous person 2) Summary of classic or new book 3) Point of view or opinion pieces 4) Revelation (e.g. career insights.) Just make it interesting! If you love writing, but don't want to write a whole book or long article, Memo'd may be for you.
$750 For Most Engaging Memo
$750 For Most Read Memo | $500 Editor's Pick
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: May 31, 2023 (Expired)
Non-fiction
View contestFree Spirit Publishing
The contest is open to Black authors who at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing anywhere in the United States. As always, the contest’s mission is to elevate authentic, culturally relevant children’s stories written by and about Black people. Every entry is considered for publication and three cash prizes will be awarded. Eligible entries will include original children’s books for ages 0–4 (50–125 words) or for ages 4–8 (300–800 words) featuring authentic, realistic Black characters and culture and focusing on one or more of the following topics: character development, self-esteem, identity, diversity, getting along with others, engaging with family and community, or other topics related to positive childhood development.
$1,000
2nd: $500 | 3rd: $250 | Meeting with editors, tote bag, tshirt
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: July 24, 2023 (Expired)
Fiction, Short Story, Non-fiction
View contestSunspot Literary Journal
Sunspot Lit seeks one short story, CNF, artwork, poem, graphic novel, script, or excerpt that outshines the rest. Literary and genre works accepted. Feedback available for additional fee. See guidelines for details. Enter through Sunspot’s Submittable or through Duotrope.
$500
Publication
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: May 31, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Script Writing, Short Story
View contestQuills and Keyboard
We are made of students hosting a contest for teen & YA authors. There are 15 categories, from journalism to a section for novelists’ favorite chapters. Qualified judges will send feedback on each piece. We partnered with many writing organizations such as Teen Author Boot Camp and Newpages and recognized by non-profits such as Polyphony Lit.
Publication in Under the Madness and Skipping Stones
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: May 20, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novella, Poetry, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Script Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestUnleash 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.
$1,000
Publishing contract
💰 Fee: $35
Deadline: December 15, 2023
Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Novel, Short Story, Non-fiction
View contestthe archipelago
the archipelago is looking for great works of fiction, poetry, and personal essay. Eligibility: One piece per entry. One entry per person for each week (you can submit your writing for each round of competition repeating every week). The writing must be previously unpublished (including online). All entries must be in English. 700 - 1000 maximum word count for stories. 150 maximum lines for poetry. Submission Dates: April 10 - July 10
$150 AUD
Publication
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: June 10, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story
View contestReader Views
The Reader Views Literary Awards program helps level the playing field for self-published authors, recognizing the most creative and exciting new books in the industry. Our awards program is recognized industry-wide as one of the top literary awards programs for independent authors.
$2,500
Several marketing prizes (e.g. book review)
💰 Fee: $89
Deadline: December 31, 2023
Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestDarling Axe Editing
Our judge, Michelle Barker, will be asking herself one question: "Does this synopsis convince me that I'm in the hands of an adept novelist with a unique and engaging story to tell?" According to literary agent Sarah Davies, a good query submission can be described in terms of concept and craft. In other words, you want to convey an original idea or fresh take and demonstrate a mastery of narrative structure. These elements are both important in your pitch, but even more so in your synopsis. So lay out your story's chain of consequence, and demonstrate character, context, and conflict—with style but without gimmick. And may the best plot summary win!
$700 CAD
2nd: $200 CAD | 3rd: $100 CAD
💰 Fee: $4
Deadline: May 31, 2023 (Expired)
Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestAnthology Magazine
The Anthology Travel Writing Competition is open to original and previously unpublished travel articles in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. We are looking for an engaging article that will capture the reader’s attention, conveying a strong sense of the destination and the local culture. Max 1000 words.
€500
💰 Fee: $16
Deadline: November 30, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Non-fiction, Travel
View contestAmerican Writers Museum
"Give me a song of hope and a world where I can sing it.” – Pauli Murray, Dark Testament Pauli Murray (1910-1985) was difficult to define. They were a poet, a lawyer, a priest, a freight hopper, Eleanor Roosevelt’s friend, arrested for refusing to comply with bus segregation laws, a closeted member of the LBGTQ+ community, a professor, and so much more. Their work has influenced Supreme Court decisions, the Civil Rights movement, and countless individual people. This prompt is a quote from Murray’s collection of poems titled Dark Testament. It can be used as a first line, a last line, a jumping-off point, an inspiration for your students’ work. They can use the entire quote or portions of it to write a fiction or nonfiction story, poem, song, scene, short monologue or other form of writing. Submissions should be 1,000 words or less regardless of format.
3x Elementary Grade winners: $500 | 3x Middle School winners: $1,000 | 3x High School winners: $2,000
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: June 05, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Script Writing
View contestFairfield Scribes
The Scribes Prize is looking for fiction & creative nonfiction stories of 90-110 words. Prizes include publication, award seals, and cash: $250 for gold, $125 for silver, $60 for bronze & 15 honorable mentions for $20 each. Simultaneous submissions & reprints welcome. Max 3 submissions per author. All entries will receive feedback from 2 editors.
$250
2nd: $125 | 3rd: $60 | Publication | Editor's deedback
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: September 01, 2023 (Expired)
Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller
View contestPloughshares
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.
3x $2000
Publication in Ploughshares
💰 Fee: $24
Deadline: May 15, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story
View contestWinston-Salem Writers
Winning submissions in each of the three categories (Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Poetry) will be awarded prizes of $400 for First Place, $200 for Second Place, and $100 for a total of $2,100 in prizes. All finalists will be accepted for publication and will receive one copy of the current issue of Flying South.
3x $400
3x 2nd: $200 | 3x 3rd: $100 | Publication in Flying South 2023
💰 Fee: $25
Deadline: May 31, 2023 (Expired)
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry
View contestThe University of Nebraska, Omaha: Writing Center
The University of Nebraska, Omaha's Writing Center is hosting their 1st annual writing contest, open to Nebraska state residents (or remotely enrolled Nebraska university students.) It has three categories available in flash fiction, flash creative non-fiction, and poetry (up to 750 words.) The theme for the contest is: What it means to be a Maverick, and whatever your creative interpretation of that may be.
Certificate | UNO Writing Center merch
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: April 10, 2023 (Expired)
Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry
View contestWine Country Writers' Festival
Fire up those pens and get those unpublished stories and poems submitted to WCWF 3nd Annual Writing Contest. Three winners in each category (fiction/nonfiction/poetry), publication in Anthology, and your own copy. Entries: $15 or two for $25.
$150
2nd Place: $75 | 3rd Place: $50
💰 Fee: $15
Deadline: June 30, 2023 (Expired)
Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestNarratively
Narratively is looking for profile pieces that tell the story of ordinary people or communities doing extraordinary things. The grand prize winner will receive $3,000, and the two finalists will receive $1,000 each. Guest judges are renowned journalists Gay Talese, Lisa Lucas and Rebecca Traister.
$3,000
$1000 for two other finalists
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: April 14, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Non-fiction
View contestBacopa Literary Review
Bacopa Literary Review is an annual international print journal published by the Writers Alliance of Gainesville. Our Bacopa Literary Review Editors’ blog shows the quality of writing we seek by highlighting work we respect from previous Bacopa issues as well as other sources.
£200 in 6 categories
$100 Honorable mention in 6 categories
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: April 16, 2023 (Expired)
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Essay, Flash Fiction, Humor
View contestSunspot Lit
Geminga is a neutron star so small it was difficult to detect. It was named, in part, for a transcription of gh’è minga, meaning “it’s not there.” With Geminga: $500 for Tiny Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, or Art, Sunspot Lit honors the power of the small. No restrictions on theme or category. Word limit is 100 for fiction and nonfiction. Micropoetry is limited to 140 characters. Graphic novelsshould be 4 pages or less.
$500
Publication in digital and print
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: March 31, 2023 (Expired)
Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestFirst Pages Prize
This international prize is open to unagented writers anywhere in the world for the first five pages (1,250 words) of a longer work of fiction or creative nonfiction. This year we will award three prizes in BOTH fiction and creative nonfiction! In addition to cash awards, winners receive developmental mentoring, consultation with a literary agent, and publicity.
$2,000
Developmental Mentoring & Agent Consultation
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: April 10, 2023 (Expired)
Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestWasafiri
Exceptionally international in scope, the prize supports writers who have not yet published a book-length work, with no limits on age, gender, nationality, or background. The winners of each category (fiction, poetry and life writing) will receive a £1,000 cash prize and publication, and will be published in Wasafiri’s print magazine. Shortlisted writers will have their work published on Wasafiri’s website.
£1000 (x3)
Mentoring & Publication
💰 Fee: $12
Deadline: June 30, 2023 (Expired)
Fiction, Poetry, Memoir, Non-fiction
View contestWinning Writers
Submit a self-published or hybrid-published book, up to 200,000 words in length. One grand prize winner will receive $10,000, a marketing analysis and one-hour phone consultation with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a $300 credit at BookBaby, three months of Plus service (a $207 value) and a $500 account credit from Book Award Pro, and 3 free ads in the Winning Writers newsletter (a $525 value)
$10,000
$1,000 for top winner in each category | $300 for honorable mentions
💰 Fee: $75
Deadline: June 30, 2023 (Expired)
Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Children's, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestIntrepid Times
Write an original, factual, first-person travel story about a time you experienced romance while traveling. Feel free to explore romance in all of its manifestations, but ensure that your travel story builds itself around the context of a place or experience. Editors will be looking for originality, voice, and a satisfying story arc that captures attention and makes use of imagery to pull the reader along at every step.
$200
Publication
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: March 19, 2023 (Expired)
Non-fiction, Romance, Travel
View contestTrio House Press
We seek un-agented full-length creative nonfiction manuscripts including memoir, essay collections, etc. 50,000 - 80,000 words.
$1,000
Publication
💰 Fee: $25
Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction
View contestHoward's New Beginnings
The aim of the contest is to share eco-friendly ideas. Tell us something you think helps make the planet become more eco-friendly such as an eco-friendly product or packaging, a recipe for a natural product, or a waste-management tip. Up to 500 words. Any writer from anywhere can submit an entry. Contest deadline is April 22 2023, Earth Day.
$150
Publication
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: April 22, 2023 (Expired)
Essay, Non-fiction, Science Writing
View contestSadie Tells Stories
Write a short story, under 500 words that is all about magic. It can be for any age group. It can be fiction or non-fiction. Get creative. Have fun. And share your magic with the world!
$500
$150 USD for second prize
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: April 01, 2023 (Expired)
Fantasy, Fiction, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
View contestLambda Literary
Lambda Literary’s Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction, in memory of the beloved activist and author, honors lesbian/queer-identified women and trans/gender non-conforming nonfiction authors. The award will go to a writer committed to nonfiction work that captures the depth and complexity of lesbian/queer life, culture, and/or history.
$2,500
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: February 17, 2023 (Expired)
LGBTQ, Non-fiction
View contestThe Iowa Review
Each January since 2003, The Iowa Review has invited submissions to The Iowa Review Awards, a writing contest in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Winners receive $1,500; first runners-up receive $750. Winners and runners-up are published in each December issue.
$1,500
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: January 31, 2023 (Expired)
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story
View contest