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DIRECTORY

Best Writing Contests in 2024

Showing 428 contests that match your search.

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Genres:

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📅 Deadline: October 31, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize is an annual contest that accepts poetry manuscripts. The winner receives a cash prize of $1,000 and publication. The contest is open to both emerging and established poets, with a blind submission process.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Winner gets publication. Robert Creeley Memorial Award ($250), Rochelle Ratner Memorial Award ($250) are also available.

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)

Season Themes

HAVOK Publishing

Genres: Fantasy, Flash Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller

HAVOK is a constant flash fiction contest, with rolling deadlines. Each season is split into monthly competitions with thematically connected prompts in a range of genres.

Top Prize:

$100

Additional prizes:

Publication in an anthology. Potential for larger gift card wins.

📅 Deadline: August 30, 2024 (Expired)

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

Register now for our next 7-day story writing challenge. A secret theme, a randomly assigned genre, and just 7 days to write a story of no more than 2,000 words. Our 7-day story writing challenges take place throughout the year. The challenges are free and you can even get feedback on your story. Take part in one challenge or take part in all of them!

Top Prize:

£500

Additional prizes:

Publication on website

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: April 22, 2024 (Expired)

Ambroggio Prize

Academy of American Poets

Genres: Poetry

The Ambroggio Prize is a $1,000 publication prize given for a book-length poetry manuscript originally written in Spanish and with an English translation. The winning manuscript is published by Bilingual Press/Editorial Bilingüe, publisher of literary works, scholarship, and art books by or about U.S. Hispanics.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Publication by Bilingual Press

📅 Deadline: February 15, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Short Story

The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition is dedicated to supporting new voices in short fiction. It has a history of over 43 years and emphasizes original, unpublished stories. Winners are highlighted on the competition's website.

Top Prize:

$1,500

Additional prizes:

Second place: $500 Third place: $500 Honorable mentions also awarded Publication of the winning story on the competition website

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: September 01, 2024 (Expired)

Valorious Awards

Hopper Creative Group LLC

Genres: Science Fiction

The Valorious Awards, sponsored by international best-selling author, Christopher Hopper, is an annual competition seeking to recognize and encourage emerging artists in two categories: best sci-fi novel, best sci-fi voice actor. The awards seek to recognize emerging independent authors and character actors and discover new and exciting talent within the world of science fiction.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2023 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Dream Quest One Poetry Contest is an international competition aimed at encouraging writers and poets to showcase their original works. The contest is open to all, regardless of experience, and accepts entries in various styles and themes. The mission is to inspire creativity and support literary talents.

Top Prize:

$250

Additional prizes:

Second Place: $250 Third Place: $100 Winners may also have their work published online.

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024 (Expired)

Solar Flare

Sunspot Literary Journal

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

A solar flare is short-lived but has a huge amount of energy. Sunspot Lit is looking for a noteworthy flare of creative energy through short stories, poems, or graphic novels.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

Publication for the winner; publication offered to runners-up and finalists.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Script Writing, Short Story, and Novella

Geminga is a neutron star so small it was difficult to detect. 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 novels should be 4 pages or less.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

Publication in digital and print

💰 Entry fee: $12

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)

Scriptwriting Scholarship

Gotham Writers Workshop

Genres: Script Writing

The Scriptwriting Scholarship is open to people of color interested in scriptwriting for movies, TV shows, or plays. It provides three scholarships, each including two 10-week script courses, three intensives, and a 12-hour mentorship. Acceptance is for ages 18+, with a focus on supporting Black applicants.

Top Prize:

2x 10-week script-related courses 3 Intensives 1x 12-hour Mentorship

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: February 15, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction and Novel

The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction recognizes daring, original, and innovative novels. It is open to all writers, including those with agents. Submissions must be unpublished and include a synopsis, author bio, and contact info.

Top Prize:

$5,000

Additional prizes:

Advance and publication by Dzanc Books

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

Poetry.com offers monthly contests for poets worldwide to gain motivation, inspiration and exposure, while building passion and enjoyment for the written creative process! How are winners chosen? Our contest boasts a clever twist: poems remain anonymous whilst applicants vote on what they believe should be the winning entry.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

Poem of the year: 1000 USD | 2nd place: 300 USD | 3rd place: 200 USD | Runner up personalized Poetry.com mug

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024

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, Mystery, Short Story, Crime, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

Our annual flagship competition, the Stringybark Stories Open Short Story Award 2023, is now bigger than ever! Thanks to Graeme Simpson and Anne Buist, a record prize pool of over $1300 is on offer. The theme is open, the only constraint is that there must be a reference to Australia somewhere in the story. It doesn't matter how small a link there is (it could be a jar of vegemite on the counter), there just needs to be one!

Top Prize:

$560

Additional prizes:

2nd: $360 | 3rd: $210 | 4th: $110

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: February 25, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Flash Fiction

Writer Advice’s Flash Fiction Contest, also referred to as the Scintillating Starts Contest, is designed to provide feedback on pitches, queries, or story openings. The contest opens for submissions on April 2, 2025, and closes on June 2, 2025. It allows writers to submit their initial work to receive insights from professional editors and writers.

Top Prize:

$300 divided between 5-7 winners

Additional prizes:

Winners may receive publication and financial compensation if their work is featured.

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: June 02, 2024 (Expired)

Two Line Poem

FanStory.com Inc.

Genres: Poetry

Write an essence poem. This is a poem of two lines with six syllables per line, each containing an internal rhyme and an ending rhyme.

Top Prize:

$100

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: December 05, 2022 (Expired)

Maggie Award for Published Writers

Georgia Romance Writers

Genres: Novel and Romance

The Maggie Award for Excellence recognizes outstanding works of romantic fiction. Open to both traditional and self-published authors, the contest emphasizes quality storytelling. The award seeks submissions that showcase excellence in the romance genre.

Top Prize:

Trophy

💰 Entry fee: $40

📅 Deadline: April 05, 2024 (Expired)

Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry

Beloit Poetry Journal

Genres: Poetry

The Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry is an annual contest with a focus on recognizing outstanding poetry. It is supported by the Adrienne Rich Literary Trust and has specific guidelines for submissions, including entry fees and poem requirements.

Top Prize:

$1,500

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)

World Historian Student Essay Competition

World History Association

Genres: Children's and Essay

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international competition open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs. Membership in the World History Association is not a requirement for submission. Past winners may not compete in the same category again.

Top Prize:

$500

📅 Deadline: May 01, 2024 (Expired)

Bridport Short Story Prize

Bridport Arts Centre

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

Gail Honeyman was shortlisted in our competition and went on to write Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, winning the Costa debut novel award. All the winning and highly commended pieces are entered into the Sunday Times Audible competition, top prize £30,000. UK based writers are entered into the BBC short story competition. That's not all, literary agent A.M. Heath reads all the shortlist and considers representation. Long story short? You are 5,000 words away from success.

Top Prize:

£5000

Additional prizes:

£1000 for 2nd, £500 for 3rd

💰 Entry fee: $17

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Flash Fiction

The Flash Fiction Competition challenges participants to submit a story of no more than 100 words. This year's theme requires the inclusion of specific terms related to 'tip'.

Top Prize:

$60

Additional prizes:

2nd prize: £30 3rd prize: £20

💰 Entry fee: $3

📅 Deadline: September 08, 2024 (Expired)

The Iowa Review Awards

The Iowa Review

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

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.

Top Prize:

$1,500

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Novel

The competition is designed to give marginalized voices the opportunity to establish literary legacies. The next competition opens in February 2025.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Publication of the winning manuscript in 2026. Runners up will also be considered for publication.

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: July 01, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction and Novel

Every year, the Killer Nashville Claymore Award assists new and rebranding English-language fiction authors get published, including possible agent representation, book advances, editor deals, and movie and television sales. While we cannot guarantee that winners and finalists of this award will receive publication, dozens of winners & runners-up of the Claymore award have gone on to find great success in their careers and many of them attribute that success to this award.

Top Prize:

Publishing contract

Additional prizes:

Discounted admission to Killer Nashville, introductions to agents/editors

💰 Entry fee: $40

📅 Deadline: April 01, 2024 (Expired)

The Rubery Prize

Rubery Book Awards

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

The Rubery Prize is a prestigious international book award seeking the best books by indie writers, self published authors and books published by independent presses, judged by reputable judges. Through our reputation of finding quality and outstanding books we aim to bring recognition to the works that win and heighten an author's profile.

Top Prize:

£2000

Additional prizes:

£200, a write-up

💰 Entry fee: $60

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)

The Bedford Competition

The Bedford Competition

Genres: Poetry and Short Story

The Bedford Competition runs annual international short story and poetry competitions open to anyone over 17 years. Winning entries are published in an anthology. The 2024 competition opens on May 1st and closes on October 31st.

Top Prize:

$1,500

Additional prizes:

2nd Prize £300, 3rd Prize £200, Cygnature Prizes £200, Bedford Prizes £100

💰 Entry fee: $9

📅 Deadline: October 31, 2024 (Expired)

ABC Poetry Contest

FanStory.com Inc.

Genres: Poetry

Write an ABC Poem. That's a poem with five lines that follows the alphabet. Cash prize!

Top Prize:

$100

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: July 25, 2024 (Expired)

Passionate Plume

Passionate Ink

Genres: Fiction, Novel, Novella, Romance, and Short Story

The 2024 Passionate Plume celebrates the best in erotic fiction, both long and short, and features a special category for emerging authors.

Top Prize:

Engraved award

Additional prizes:

Publication in the Passionate Ink Charity Anthology

💰 Entry fee: $40

📅 Deadline: March 21, 2024 (Expired)

BBC National Short Story Award

BBC Radio 4 and Cambridge University

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The BBC National Short Story Award encourages submissions of short stories up to 8,000 words. The contest promotes the art of storytelling and awards notable literary contributions.

Top Prize:

£15,000

Additional prizes:

4x shortlisted stories: £600

📅 Deadline: March 18, 2024 (Expired)

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)

Genres: Fiction

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 fee: $15

📅 Deadline: February 15, 2024 (Expired)

Stories of Inspiration

Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

The Stories of Inspiration contest invites nonfiction essays (500-1200 words) that highlight resilience in marginalized communities. Selected entries will be published quarterly in Kinsman Quarterly's magazine, with winners receiving a cash prize and publication.

Top Prize:

$200

Additional prizes:

Publication in Kinsman Quarterly's online magazine

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

Creative nonfiction may include memoirs, chronicles, personal essays, humorous perspectives, literary journalism—anything the author has witnessed, experienced, or discovered. Pieces may be previously published or unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are accepted. Winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication in The Lascaux Review.

Top Prize:

$1,000

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024 (Expired)

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

The Writing Peers Summer Short Story Prize is designed to celebrate and promote the art of storytelling. Details about the contest, including submission guidelines, themes, and criteria, are crucial for participants.

Top Prize:

$1,000

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: June 21, 2024 (Expired)

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