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The Best Writing Contests of 2022

Writing competitions curated by Reedsy

Genre

Manage a competition? Submit it here

Showing 466 contests

Hammond House International Poetry Prize

Hammond House

The theme for the 2021 competition - STARDUST - is intended to be inspirational, not restrictive, so please feel free to interpret it in any way you choose. Be creative, be unpredictable, be different; the judges are looking for intriguing ideas and fresh voices. Top prize of £100.

Top prize

£100

Additional prizes

Publication by Hammond House

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $12

Deadline: September 30, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Dream Quest One Writing Contest

Dream Quest One

The mission of this contest is to inspire, motivate and encourage anyone having the desire or love of poetry and writing, to continue doing so without fear of failure or success! Remember, in whatever you do, "it's okay to dream," for dreams do come true...

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

$250 for 2nd place, $100 for 3rd place

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: August 31, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Dream Quest One Poetry

Dream Quest One

This poetry contest is open to everyone and international. We hope that you are inspired to display the beauty and art of poetry for the entire world to see your "gift of a dream."

Top prize

$250

Additional prizes

$125 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: August 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Troubadour International Poetry Prize

Coffee House Poetry

Poems may be submitted from any country & must be in English, must each be no longer than 45 lines, must show title & poem only, must not show poet’s name, must be the original work of the entrant (no translations) & must not have been previously published; no text alterations accepted after submission; no limit on number of poems or number of subsequent submissions.

Top prize

£2,000

Additional prizes

2nd £1000, 3rd £500

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $7

Deadline: September 26, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Writers of the Future

Writer's of the Future

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is an opportunity for new writers of science fiction and fantasy to have their work judged by some of the masters in the field and discovered by a wide audience. Prizes of $1000, $750 and $500 are awarded every three months. From the four 1st Place winners each year, one story is selected as the grand prize winner and the author receives an additional $5000 cash prize.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

$750 for 2nd place, $500 for 3rd, £5000 annual grand prize

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: June 30, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Tom Howard / Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

Winning Writers

Welcome to the 19th annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. Submit published or unpublished work. $3,000 for a poem in any style or genre. $3,000 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style.

Top prize

$3,000

Additional prizes

$200 for 10 honorable mentions

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $20

Deadline: September 30, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Hammond House Short Story Competition

Hammond House

The theme for the 2021 competition - STARDUST - is intended to be inspirational, not restrictive, so please feel free to interpret it in any way you choose. Be creative, be unpredictable, be different; the judges are looking for intriguing ideas and addictive prose. Top prize of £1000.

Top prize

£1000

Additional prizes

Publication by Hammond House

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $12

Deadline: September 30, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Hammond House Screenplay Competition

Hammond House

The theme for the 2021 competition - STARDUST - is intended to be inspirational, not restrictive, so please feel free to interpret it in any way you choose. Be creative, be unpredictable, be different; the judges are looking for honesty and emotion. Top prize of £100.

Top prize

£100

Additional prizes

Trailers made for top three places

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $12

Deadline: September 30, 2022

Genres

Script Writing

Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction

Dzanc Books

The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction recognizes daring, original, and innovative writing in novel form.

Top prize

$5,000

Additional prizes

Publication by Dzanc Books

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $25

Deadline: September 30, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Novel

Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Competition

Dzanc Books

The Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Prize celebrates imaginative and inventive writing in the short form. The winning submission will be awarded a $2,500 advance and publication by Dzanc Books.

Top prize

$2,500

Additional prizes

Publication by Dzanc Books

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $25

Deadline: September 30, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Annual Flash Fiction Competition

Flash 500

This quarterly open-themed competition has closing dates of 31st March, 30th June, 30th September and 31st December. The results will be announced about six weeks after each closing date and the three winning entries each quarter will be published on the website.

Top prize

£300

Additional prizes

£200, £100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $7

Deadline: May 30, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Black River Chapbook Competition

Black Lawrence Press

Twice each year Black Lawrence Press run the Black River Chapbook Competition for an unpublished chapbook of poems or prose between 16-36 pages in length. The contest is open to new, emerging, and established writers.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

Publication by Black Lawrence Press

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $17

Deadline: May 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry, Short Story, Fiction

Annual Short Story Contest

Rotary Club of Stratford

English language submissions of original, unpublished works of up to 2,500 words will be accepted until October 31. Submissions are processed by a two-tiered system of readers and judges. Winners will be announced on December 10, 2021.

Top prize

$500 (CAD)

Additional prizes

2nd prize $250, 3rd prize $100.

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: June 30, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

8th Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition

Ó Bhéal

At around noon each Tuesday (GMT), from 12 April 2022 to 31 January 2023, five words are posted on the Ó Bhéal Five Words competition page. Entrants have one week to compose and submit poems that include all five words given for the week. The competition runs for 42 weeks, and a prize of 750 euro is awarded to one winner.

Top prize

€750

Additional prizes

€500, €250

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: January 31, 2023

Genres

Poetry

Grindstone International Novel Prize

Grindstone Literary

The 2022 Grindstone International Novel Prize is open to authors from all around the world, and is aimed at discovering and elevating new and unsung authors. Authors may submit finished or part-finished manuscripts providing they are not currently represented by an agent. We forward all longlisted works to some of the best agencies in the UK such as Curtis Brown Books, Conville and Walsh, Janklow & Nesbitt, the Paper Literary Agency, the Good Literary Agency, and so many more. A full list can be found on our Affiliated Agents Page.

Top prize

$1,300

Additional prizes

Cash prizes and manuscripts forwarded to UK agencies

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $26

Deadline: October 01, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Novel

The Synopsis Skirmish—a contest for querying authors

Darling Axe Editing

Summarize your novel in 500 words for a chance at a $1000 CAD prize pool! 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?"

Top prize

$560

Additional prizes

$200 for second place, $100 for third

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: May 31, 2022

Genres

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

Short on Words 2022

Preservation Dental sponsor of Short on Words writing contest

Short on Words- the short story, poetry writing contest is calling on authors of all ages! The annual contest is celebrating its tenth anniversary- ninth edition and is currently receiving submissions from around the country with a new online submission tool - NEW this year. The competition is calling on aspiring authors of all ages to create unique prose about one of ten photographs taken by Dr. William Demray, founder of Preservation Dental in Northville. Preservation Dental is again sponsoring the competition, in conjunction with Northville’s annual Arts & Acts Festival.

Top prize

$100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: April 22, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry, Short Story

Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year 2022

CANTERBURY FESTIVAL

Open to entries on any subject and in any format, we look forward to an array of poems from across the world! Poems must be no longer than 60 lines and entrants must be over 18. The first prize for the Poet of the Year is £200, second place receives £100 and third receives £50. A longlist of around 35 poems is chosen from the entries and these are included in the annual Poet of the Year anthology – available to purchase from the Festival Office and online from October. From the longlist, a shortlist of around 15 poems are selected and the poets are invited to read them at the Awards Evening on October 6 where the winners will be announced. We are delighted that this year’s event will be held by Zoom, allowing poets from around the world to attend.

Top prize

$260

Additional prizes

Publication in anthology

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: June 03, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Wrong Turns Travel Writing Competition

Intrepid Times

Write an original, factual, first-person travel story about a time you made a decision or took a risk while traveling that got you lost, landed you somewhere you didn’t intend, or led to a new discovery, realization, or connection. Editors will be looking for originality, voice, and a satisfying story that captures attention and makes use of imagery to pull the reader along at every step.

Top prize

$150

Additional prizes

Runners up: $50 | Publication on Intrepid Times

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: April 30, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Non-fiction, Travel

Two Line Poem

FanStory.com Inc.

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 requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: December 05, 2022

Genres

Poetry

The Carla Crown Jewel of Books

Mid-America Romance Authors

Any traditionally or self-published author with an original copyright date of 2021! Entry must have a minimum length of 40,000 words. Categories: Category Romance (includes all novels intended for series lines); Contemporary Single Title Romance; Historical Romance; Romantic Suspense; Paranormal Romance; Erotic Romance; Young Adult Romance/New Adult Romance; Inspirational Romance. Eligibility: Open to any traditional/self- published author with an original copyright date of 2021. All books must be perfect bound. Multiple entries allowed in same or different category (separate fees apply); however, the same entry may not be entered in more than one category. Contest will have no more than five finalists from all categories. First round will be judged by readers. Final judging will be judged by a bookseller.

Top prize

$100

Additional prizes

Trophy and publicity on the Mid-America Romance Authors' Website, social media, and in the RWR

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $25

Deadline: May 23, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Romance

Minute Poetry Contest

FanStory.com Inc

Share a minute poem to enter this poetry contest. It's a fun poem to write. It has three stanzas. Each stanza has the same 8-4-4-4 syllable count. So the first line has eight syllables. All other lines in the stanza have four. Cash prize to the winner!

Top prize

$100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: November 22, 2022

Genres

Poetry

True Story Contest

FanStory.com Inc.

Share a true story about your life. Write about any event that happened in your life that you would like to share. Cash prize to the winner.

Top prize

$100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: November 12, 2022

Genres

Non-fiction, Short Story

Fusilli Flash Fiction

Fusilli Writing

Free flash fiction competition for stories up to 200 words with a twist. Competition always open, with a winner announced and published online after 100 entries received (story count on website). Feedback and the PDF ‘An introduction the writing good flash fiction’ offered for (£5 or equivalent).

Top prize

Publication on website

Additional prizes

Social media promotion

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: December 31, 2022

Genres

Flash Fiction

Mr. Rosewood Short Story Contest

WriteFluence

A brand new challenge is here! After the success of Mrs. Rosewood’s antics last year, here’s Mr. Rosewood waiting for you to write about any of his days into a story. He could be bright, gloomy, witty, loveable, or always ready to fight. It’s your character, create him! Then, tell us a story about a day in the life of your Mr. Rosewood and get published in our next publication.

Top prize

Publication in anthology

Additional prizes

Publication, eCertificates and Author features

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $2

Deadline: April 15, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Essay, Fiction, Short Story

Horror Writing Contest

FanStory.com Inc.

Share a horror or thriller story to enter this writing contest. Write about anything but the object is to terrorize or thrill your reader. Cash prize!

Top prize

$100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: October 27, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Horror, Short Story

Lune Poetry Contest

FanStory.com Inc.

A Lune is a 5-3-5 contest. That means the first line has five syllables. The second line of your poem will have three. And the final line will have five again. Your poem can rhyme. Write about anything. Cash prize!

Top prize

$100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: November 16, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Sonnet Poetry Contest

FanStory.com Inc

A sonnet is a poem with a specific structure. It has 14 lines and a specific rhyme scheme. The topic is open! Write about anything for this poetry contest. Just follow the rules on how to write a sonnet. To read the rules and for an example view the contest announcement. Cash prize for the winner of this contest.

Top prize

$100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: November 06, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Fanstory Writing Contests

Fanstory

Subscribe to Fanstory for $9.95 a month and enter as many contests as you like from their list of writing and poetry contests, updated daily. All participants receive feedback from a community of writers, and the winner of each contest receives a cash prize of up to $100.

Top prize

Cash prizes of up to $100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: January 31, 2023

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Short Story

Anthology Poetry Award

Anthology Magazine

Entries are now invited for the Anthology Poetry Award. Established to recognise and encourage excellence in the craft of poetry writing and to provide a platform for publication, it is open to original and previously unpublished poems in the English language. Poems submitted must be on the theme of ‘Freedom’ and should not exceed 40 lines.

Top prize

€500 and a one year subscription to Anthology magazine

Additional prizes

Publication in Anthology Magazine, one-year subscription

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $17

Deadline: October 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Anthology Short Story Award

Anthology Magazine

Writers of short fiction are invited to enter the Anthology Short Story Award. Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, it is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language. Stories submitted must be on the theme of ‘Memories’ and not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

Publication in Anthology Magazine, one-year subscription

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: August 31, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Fiction Factory Flash Fiction

Fiction Factory

We welcome previously unpublished stories (max 1,000 words) on any theme. Our judge is looking for freshness, originality and strongly drawn characters.

Top prize

£200

Additional prizes

£50, £25

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $7

Deadline: November 30, 2021 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Crime, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller

Fiction Factory Short Story Competition

Fiction Factory

This is a bi-annual competition. We welcome stories on any theme. The maximum wordcount is 3,000.

Top prize

£300

Additional prizes

£100, £50

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $8

Deadline: October 31, 2021 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Fiction Factory - Novel - First Chapter

Fiction Factory

Have you completed the first draft of your novel? Are you ready to pass it on to a fresh pair of eyes, to see if you are on the right track? Is your all-important first chapter ready for submission to an agent? Whatever your plans, your first chapter must shine – it must grab your readers or quickly lose their interest.

Top prize

£500

Additional prizes

A reading by a top London Literary Agent plus publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $25

Deadline: May 31, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Novel

Fiction Factory Poetry Competition

Fiction Factory

Fiction Factory welcomes submissions to its first ever poetry competition, judged by novelist and poet: Helen Cox. Five shortlisted poets will receive a supportive critique on their poem. One winner from that shortlist will receive £100 cash prize, receive feedback on five poems they have written and benefit from an hour-long mentorship Zoom call about their poetry with the judge.

Top prize

£100

Additional prizes

Feedback on poems and a Zoom mentorship call

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $4

Deadline: May 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

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