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DIRECTORY
Showing 427 contests that match your search.
Academy of American Poets
Genres: Poetry
The Harold Morton Landon Translation Award is an annual award recognizing the work of a translator for a poetry collection translated from any language into English, published in the previous calendar year. Established in 1976, the award amount is $1,000.
Top Prize:
$1,000
📅 Deadline: February 15, 2025 (Expired)
ECPA
Genres: Christian, Fantasy, Novel, Novella, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Young Adult
The Christy Award, established in 1999, celebrates novels that explore themes of faith and their influence on modern culture. Over the years, these awards have become a cornerstone event that brings together writers and publishers within the Christian literary community.
Top Prize:
The Christy Book of the Year Award.
💰 Entry fee: $175
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2025 (Expired)
Crime Writer's Association
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Suspense, and Thriller
The Emerging Author Dagger is an international competition for unpublished crime novelists. It accepts submissions of a crime novel opening (max. 3,000 words) and synopsis (max. 1,500 words). The contest is open to those who have never had a publishing contract for a novel and do not have a literary agent when the competition closes.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Shortlisted entries shown to agents and publishers
💰 Entry fee: $41
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Mofic
Genres: Fiction
Upload 10 chapters of any story (each chapter length at least 1800 words) to enter.
Top Prize:
$700
Additional prizes:
2nd: $400 | 3rd: $200 | 2x notable entries: $20. Winners may receive editorial and publishing support.
📅 Deadline: August 20, 2025
Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival
Genres: Poetry
The TWFest Poetry Contest encourages emerging writers to submit their original poems. The contest aims to support new literary works and provides a platform for diverse voices in poetry.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
VIP All-Access Pass ($600 value) for the next Festival, public reading at the Festival, publication in French Quarter Journal, photo and bio on website for one year, interview in newsletter and social media. LitPass ($100 value) for top finalists.
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: October 15, 2025
Desperate Literature
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story
The Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize aims to showcase new short fiction, offering visibility for winners. Collaborating with various institutions, the prize includes cash rewards, writing retreats, and publication opportunities.
Top Prize:
€2,000 + a week’s residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, consultation with Literary Agent Ed Wilson, manuscript assessment with The Literary Consultancy.
Additional prizes:
2nd and 3rd place: €1000. Publication in partner journals for all shortlisted writers.
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: April 13, 2025 (Expired)
ChallengeUS
Genres: Non-fiction and Essay
The ChallengeUS Future Leaders Competition engages youth globally to advocate for civic ideas, spotlighting promising leaders through scholarship prizes. Participants envision their future by 2050 and can join the Future Leaders Network.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Publication of submission, biographical article, Certificate of Special Achievement for 1st place winner. | Certificate of Achievement for honorable mentions.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: July 25, 2025
Trio House Press
Genres: Poetry
The Louise Bogan Award for Artistic Merit and Excellence includes $1,000, publication, and twenty books. The Louise Bogan Award for Artistic Merit and Excellence is open to ALL poets, regardless of publication history.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication and twenty copies of the book
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2025 (Expired)
Sunspot Literary Journal
Genres: Fiction and Poetry
The Inception contest invites submissions of openings across all genres. Participants can submit prose (up to 250 words), poetry (up to 25 words), or visual art as the first piece in a series. The contest emphasizes the importance of beginnings in creative works.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Publication for the winner; finalists also receive publication.
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)
Fiction Factory
Genres: Fiction and Novel
This competition invites submissions of the first chapter of a novel along with a synopsis. The focus is on originality and engaging storytelling. The winner will receive feedback from a literary agent and a substantial cash prize.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
Free appraisal for the winning entry + all shortlisted entrants
💰 Entry fee: $22
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)
Wolfe Pack & Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
Genres: Crime, Mystery, and Novella
The Black Orchid Novella Award celebrates the novella format, encouraging original, unpublished works that conform to the mystery genre's traditional forms, specifically inspired by the Nero Wolfe series. The contest is designed to highlight the novella, requiring submissions that are tight and engaging, devoid of explicit content.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025 (Expired)
WOW! Women on Writing
Genres: Essay and Non-fiction
The mission of this contest is to inspire creative nonfiction and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants. Your story must be true, but the way you tell it is your chance to get creative. We are open to all styles of essay
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 | 7 runner-ups: $25 Amazon Gift Cards
💰 Entry fee: $12
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025
The Layla Beban Young Authors
Genres: Children's and Short Story
The contest invites students in grades 6-12 to submit a piece of short fiction exactly 1000 words long. There are no specific themes, but entries should be original and not previously published. The contest aims to encourage young authors to tell significant stories.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Seven $100 cash prizes for runners-up
📅 Deadline: February 01, 2025 (Expired)
Indie Author Project
Genres: Memoir, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult
gThe Indie Author Project Annual Contest aims to recognize indie authors and provide them visibility through library support. It encourages submissions from indie-published authors in various genres and offers significant prizes.
Top Prize:
$2,500
Additional prizes:
$500 each to two runner-ups in each genre. Opportunity to promote books at libraries, inclusion in a print spread in Library Journal.
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025 (Expired)
Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
Genres: Essay and Non-fiction
The contest encourages students to reflect on strength and resilience in overcoming challenges. Since 2001, it has engaged over 15,000 students from more than 20 countries, with 900 participants this year. Winners were selected based on their unique voice and thoughtful analysis.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd place: $750 3rd place: $500
📅 Deadline: March 04, 2024 (Expired)
Good Housekeeping and Rachel Mills Literary
Genres: Fiction
Good Housekeeping magazine has partnered with Rachel Mills Literary Agency to launch a competition for aspiring novelists that offers a cash prize.
Top Prize:
£1500
Additional prizes:
The winner will also receive a 1 hour, one-on-one mentoring session with literary agent Nelle Andrew. Their work will be published online by Good Housekeeping.
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2025
Flash 500
Genres: Fiction and Novel
This competition invites unpublished novelists to submit an opening chapter (up to 3,000 words) along with a synopsis (max 750 words). Works must be original and not previously published. The competition is judged by Headline Publishing.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
2nd Place: £200
💰 Entry fee: $13
📅 Deadline: October 31, 2024 (Expired)
Globe Soup
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult
The 7 Day Story Writing Challenge invites participants to write a story based on a secret theme assigned to them, within a specified genre, over a period of 7 days. Participants must write a story of no more than 2,000 words.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
Publication on website
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: April 22, 2024 (Expired)
Ploughshares
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry
The Emerging Writer's Contest, held by Ploughshares since 1971, recognizes outstanding work by emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Winners are announced in the fall and their works are published in the Winter 2024-25 issue of Ploughshares.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in Ploughshares and a conversation with Aevitas Creative Management.
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: May 15, 2025 (Expired)
Clive Cussler Collector’s Society
Genres: Fiction, Novel, Thriller, and Mystery
The Adventure Writers Competition (AWC) celebrates adventure writing, accepting action/adventure novels. The 2024 contest finalists have been announced, and submissions for the 2025 competition will be open from January 1 to April 30, 2025. The AWC aims to promote and recognize quality adventure writing through a rigorous judging process.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Two AWC Finalist Awards: $500
💰 Entry fee: $50
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2025 (Expired)
Avernus Education
Genres: Essay and Non-fiction
The International Essay Competition 2023/24 is currently not open for entries as details about the next competition will be available soon. Check back soon!
Additional prizes:
100% Scholarship Award to our Oxford University Summer Programme (worth £5995).
📅 Deadline: February 19, 2024 (Expired)
The Writer's Workout
Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Writer's Games is a free competition aimed at improving writing skills, offering feedback from judges. The 2024 edition has concluded, and it featured multiple events with winners recognized in an anthology. Registration is necessary to participate.
Top Prize:
Publication in anthology, 72 Hours (26+ spaces)
📅 Deadline: July 22, 2025
Lambda Literary
Genres: LGBTQ and Non-fiction
The Jeanne Córdova Prize honors lesbian/queer-identified women and trans/gender non-conforming nonfiction authors. It seeks to recognize writers who capture the depth and complexity of lesbian/queer life, culture, and history.
Top Prize:
$2,500
📅 Deadline: February 16, 2024 (Expired)
Not Quite Write
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.
Top Prize:
$500 AUS
Additional prizes:
Total prize pool of AU$1,000 plus a range of "spicy" prizes and a chance at print publication.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: August 24, 2025
The Poetry Society
Genres: Poetry
The competition, run by The Poetry Society since 1978, is one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for a single unpublished poem. Judged by Stephen Sexton, Romalyn Ante, John McAuliffe. Open to all poets worldwide aged 18+.
Top Prize:
£5,000
Additional prizes:
Runners-up receive £2,000 and £1,000. Commended entries receive £500
💰 Entry fee: $8
📅 Deadline: October 31, 2024 (Expired)
Georgia Romance Writers
Genres: Fiction, Novel, and Romance
The Maggie Award for Excellence aims to encourage and reward the mastery of romance writing by prepublished authors. Each entry receives two critiques from published authors, and finalists are reviewed by industry agents and editors.
Additional prizes:
Maggie Award medallion for highest-scored manuscript in each category; all finalists receive certificates. Critiques returned to all entrants.
💰 Entry fee: $40
📅 Deadline: April 26, 2024 (Expired)
Trio House Press
Genres: Essay, Memoir, and Non-fiction
The Aurora Polaris Creative Nonfiction Award is an annual contest launched by Trio House Press, focused on creative nonfiction manuscripts. The award aims to recognize innovative and distinct works in this genre.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: May 15, 2025 (Expired)
Write the World in partnership with Patagonia
Genres: Essay and Non-fiction
The competition invites young writers aged 13-19 to craft a piece of creative nonfiction on their environment, blending fact with storytelling. The prompt emphasizes reflection on personal and global environmental challenges.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Winner receives $100; Runner-Up and Best Peer Review each receive $50.
📅 Deadline: May 26, 2025 (Expired)
Future Scholar Foundation
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Short Story
The competition invites elementary and middle school students to submit short stories (maximum 350 words) based on a monthly theme. Winners receive recognition and prizes, including Amazon gift cards and publication in the Hall of Fame.
Top Prize:
$25
Additional prizes:
1st place: $25 Amazon gift card 2nd place: $15 Amazon gift card 3rd place: $5 Amazon gift card All winners are published in the Hall of Fame.
📅 Deadline: January 28, 2025 (Expired)
Sally Dickson
Genres: Flash Fiction
The Farnham Flash Fiction International Competition invites writers to submit stories of 500 words or less. The competition has been running since 2018 and includes a special prize for stories featuring Farnham. It offers cash prizes and publication in an anthology.
Top Prize:
£100
Additional prizes:
£25 for the runner-up; £25 for the best fiction featuring Farnham.
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: February 09, 2025 (Expired)
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, 2025 (Expired)
Globe Soup
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
The competition invites submissions from writers of all genres and styles, allowing stories up to 8,000 words. The winner will be announced on February 10, 2025, and all stories are judged anonymously. Participants can receive feedback on their stories through optional exchanges before submission.
Top Prize:
£2,000
Additional prizes:
Publication on website
💰 Entry fee: $8
📅 Deadline: December 16, 2024 (Expired)
Indignor House Publishing
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult
The competition is open for submissions themed 'The Evolution of Love'. Each entry will be edited, judged based on various writing criteria, and selected works will be published in an anthology.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: March 01, 2025 (Expired)
Fire & Ash Publishers
Genres: Poetry
The Fire & Ash Publishers Salon Competition is designed for local poets to showcase their works to industry professionals. Each month, four poets are selected to read their poetry at salon nights. An adjudication panel anonymously selects finalists based on submitted poems, and finalists receive a $50 CAD honorarium and an invitation to perform.
Top Prize:
$50
Additional prizes:
Honorarium for finalists and an invitation to perform their poem.
📅 Deadline: February 07, 2025 (Expired)
Disruption Books
Genres: Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Novel
The First 100 Days Contest seeks innovative book ideas from authors committed to promoting good work amidst challenging times. Participants submit a one-page book overview and a sample manuscript of up to 5,000 words. Winning authors receive feedback and an editorial consultation.
Top Prize:
Editorial consultation and feedback on up to 100 pages.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025 (Expired)
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