Best Writing Contests in 2025

Genres: Fiction and Novella

Established in 2001, this annual prize awards a novella that excels in the format, offering a $1,000 advance, publication, and 10 copies of the book. Recent judges include notable authors like Steven Dunn and Michael Martone. Submissions open January 1 and close March 31 each year.

Genres: Poetry

The Kate Tufts Discovery Award is presented annually for a first book of poetry published between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. It aims to recognize promising poets and offers financial support and increased visibility.

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]

Genres: Script Writing

The Play With Words competition invites students aged 12-18 to write a 10-minute play. The first 50 submissions will be considered, with winners announced in early February 2026. Each winner will receive a $100 cash prize and professional commentary on their work.

Genres: Fiction and Non-fiction

The Tom Grass Prize celebrates the spirit of adventure through short pieces of prose, inviting writers from all backgrounds to reflect on the theme of adventure. The prize honors Tom Grass, a multifaceted writer and traveler.

Genres: Poetry

This contest celebrates independent and self-published poets, allowing them to showcase their poetry books and pamphlets.

Genres: Short Story

The competition is open for entries, accepting submissions on any theme or genre. All entries are judged anonymously.

Genres: Poetry

The Letter Review Prize for Poetry is a competitive opportunity for poets, offering a prize pool every three months. It promotes diverse poetic expression, with no restrictions on subject or style. Winners are published and considered for prestigious anthologies.

Genres: Fiction

The Next Big Story is a creative writing prize inviting submissions for the first 1,500 words of a work of fiction. The contest aims to encourage new voices in storytelling, offering a grand prize of $100,000 and eight shortlisting prizes of The Finished Novel Course to help writers finalize their projects.

Genres: Fiction

The Ozma Awards for Fantasy Fiction seeks to discover the best fantasy works featuring magic, mythical beings, and imaginative worlds. The competition invites novels from various fantasy sub-genres, including Epic Fantasy and Steampunk, and rewards excellence in storytelling.

Genres: Poetry

Each entrant for their €24 entry fee will receive a complementary postage-free, one-year subscription to Southword. Poems will be read and judged anonymously. Poems must be previously unpublished. The winning poet will have their three poems published in Southword.

Genres: Poetry

The 27th annual Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition is open for submissions until April 30th, 2025. The competition accepts poems on any subject, must be original, and no longer than 50 lines.

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Novel

The Nimrod Literary Awards are hosted by the Nimrod International Journal to honor outstanding writing in fiction and poetry. Each year, the awards feature a first prize of $2,000 and a second prize of $1,000, along with publication opportunities for winners.

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Poetry, and Science Fiction

The contest is open to English-language entries globally. It features categories for Florida Fiction, Fantasy/Science Fiction, Poetry, Prose Poetry, and Haiku, allowing multiple entries per category. First, second, and third place winners receive cash prizes and will be published in the 2026 Seven Hills Review.

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

The First 5 Pages Prize encourages writers to submit the first five pages of their unpublished work. The contest aims to inspire writers to polish their starting pages, crucial for capturing the attention of agents and editors. It welcomes entries from writers aged 16 and above, focusing on various genres. The prize promotes beautiful writing and offers support to aspiring authors.

Genres: Fiction and Crime

The Clue Awards recognize outstanding works in Suspense and Thriller genres, emphasizing detective work, police procedural, and crime-solving narratives. The contest aims to discover and promote new talent while rewarding excellence in these literary categories.

Genres: Fiction

Good Housekeeping magazine has partnered with Rachel Mills Literary Agency to launch a competition for aspiring novelists that offers a cash prize.

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, and Fantasy

The Not Quite Write Prize for FLESH Fiction invites submissions of erotic stories up to 1,500 words based on the theme 'Making the unsexy irresistible'. The competition is open to adults worldwide, free to enter, and aims to explore creative interpretations of erotic fiction. Judging is blind, and winners will be announced publicly.

Genres: Poetry

The Jane Martin Poetry Prize is a national poetry competition established in 2010 in memory of Girton alumna Jane Elizabeth Martin. It aims to support young poets and promote literary excellence, judged by experts in the literary field.

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.

Genres: Fiction

The SHELLEY Book Awards honor exceptional works in supernatural and paranormal fiction, evaluating based on compelling storytelling, professionalism, and uniqueness. The competition includes multiple categories and offers significant promotional opportunities.

Genres: Poetry

The Indiana Review Poetry Prize is part of an annual contest that awards a prize for excellent poetry submissions. The contest is open to submissions of poetry, and winners receive publication along with a monetary honorarium.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, and Romance

Join the Werewolf Saga contest where passion, power, and packs collide. Only original English language audio series qualify. Stories must meet specified word counts and themes.

Genres: Poetry

The award honors Dominican-American poet Rhina Espaillat. It is for an original poem of up to 50 lines, showcasing empathy and grace in everyday life.

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

The Narrative Prize is awarded annually for the best short story, novel excerpt, poem, one-act play, graphic story, or work of literary nonfiction by a new or emerging writer. All works published in the magazine each year are considered, and previously unpublished works may also be submitted. The prize includes a cash award and recognition in the literary community.

Genres: Essay, Memoir, and Non-fiction

This contest invites submissions that explore themes of justice, equity, fairness, rules, and laws. Participants can write in various genres, including personal narrative, opinion writing, and creative writing (poetry, fiction, screenwriting).

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.

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's, Poetry, Romance, Short Story, Suspense, and Travel

The contest invites submissions of creative works of 100 words or less. It encourages diverse voices and unique stories focused on the theme of truth-telling across any genre.

Genres: Flash Fiction and Fiction

This contest invites submissions of flash fiction and other prose forms, including creative non-fiction. Pieces should focus on critical moments in the protagonist's life, with a maximum length of 750 words. All entries receive consideration for publication, and those selected as winners receive small cash prizes.

Genres: Script Writing

The Canadian Jewish Playwriting Competition is a bi-annual event that encourages playwrights to submit original works. It aims to promote Jewish culture and stories through theatre, with strong participation from across Canada and other countries.

Genres: Short Story, Flash Fiction, and Novella

The Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction is an esteemed competition for unpublished collections of fiction. The contest is open for submissions of flash fiction, short stories, or novellas, with a total manuscript length of 100 to 200 book pages.

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

The Bacopa Literary Review is an annual international print journal seeking engaging and original submissions across multiple genres. The contest includes various categories with specific guidelines to encourage diverse forms of writing.

Genres: Essay, Fiction, and Non-fiction

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize is awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of 'Fear.' All genres are accepted, and entries must be in English. The competition aims to discover and support emerging writing talent globally.

Genres: Fiction

The Raven Short Story Contest invites submissions of previously unpublished short fiction between 250 to 2500 words. The contest is judged by Kelly Robson, a renowned author.