The Best Writing Contests of 2020
Writing competitions curated by Reedsy
Browse 75 contests that match your search 🔦
2020 African American Voices in Children’s Literature: Writing Contest
Eligible entries will include original fiction or nonfiction board books for ages 0–4 (50–125 words) and picture books for ages 4–8 (300–800 words) featuring contemporary African American characters and culture and focusing on one or more of the following topics: character development, self-esteem, diversity, getting along with others, engaging with family and community, or other topics related to positive childhood development.
Deadline July 22, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $0
2019 SFPA Poetry Contest
Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA)
The annual SFPA Speculative (Dwarf/Short/Long) Poetry Contest is open to all poets, including non-members of the SFPA. Awards will be given across 3 categories.
Deadline August 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$100
Additional prizes
Genres
Poetry, Fiction,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $2
2021 Embracing Our Differences International Art Exhibit Celebrating Diversity
Embracing Our Differences is seeking quotes to accompany a juried exhibit that features 50 billboard size pieces of art. These quotations provide the writers a chance to voice their thoughts, feelings, and ideas reflecting our theme of “enriching lives through diversity and inclusion.” The combination of visual art and the written word adds a deeper dimension to the overall experience.
Deadline October 07, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $0
5-7-5 Poem Contest
Share a 5-7-5 poem to enter this poetry contest. A 5-7-5 is a simple poem to write. The first line of your poem will have 5 syllables. Second line has 7. Third line has 5 again. Cash prize!
Deadline July 10, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$100
Additional prizes
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $9
Pressfuls 2020 Horror Short Story Contest
Write a short story between 500 - 5,000 words in the Horror for a chance to win cash prize.
Deadline July 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$50
Additional prizes
Genres
Horror, Short Story, Flash Fiction,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $0
Go Green Prize Short Story Contest
Submit an original Horror and Fantasy Short Story, 2,000 - 10,000 words to us to be published and win cash prize.
Deadline October 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$100
Additional prizes
Publication
Genres
Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: FREE
Horror Writing Contest
Share a horror story to enter this writing contest at FanStory.com. Cash prize to the winner.
Deadline July 27, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$100
Additional prizes
Genres
Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $9
Fiction Factory FLASH Fiction
Maximum 1,000 words in any genre other than Children's and Young Adult Fiction. This is an international competition but entries must be written in English.
Deadline July 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$180
Additional prizes
Publication in an anthology.
Genres
Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $7
Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers
The Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers honor the work of writers at the beginning of their careers. Open only to writers whose work has not appeared or is not scheduled to appear in more than 2 publications in the genre in which they are submitting.
Deadline July 15, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$500
Additional prizes
Publication in the Spring issue of Nimrod
Genres
Fiction, Poetry, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $12
Season Four: Sensational
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. In Season Four, we’ll take a journey of the senses, and immerse our readers in everything that’s possible for a human to experience—and beyond.
Deadline October 05, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$10
Additional prizes
Publication in an anthology. Potential for gift card wins.
Genres
Fantasy, Flash Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: FREE
Hammond House Screenplay Competition
The theme for the 2020 competition - SURVIVAL - 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.
Deadline September 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$125
Additional prizes
Trailers made for top three places
Genres
Script Writing,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $12
Dzanc Novella Prize
The contest is open to new, upcoming, and established writers alike. All submitted works must be previously unpublished novel-length manuscripts and should include a brief synopsis, author bio, and contact information. A $5,000 advance and publication by Dzanc Books will be awarded to the winner.
Deadline September 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$5,000
Additional prizes
Publication by Dzanc Books
Genres
Fiction, Novel,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
Flash Fiction Award
Entrants have the opportunity to appear in our print and digital books. We own a small press, Ad Hoc Fiction, which publishes quality books and also runs a weekly micro-fiction contest. In addition, we organize the UK's annual Flash Fiction Festival.
Deadline June 07, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,200
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Flash Fiction,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $12
Red Hen Press Novella Award
Established in 2018, the Novella Award is for a previously unpublished, original work of fiction between 15,000 and 30,000 words. Awarded manuscript is selected through an annual competition which is open to all writers.
Deadline July 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication by Red Hen Press
Genres
Fiction, Novel, Novella,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award
Established in 1998, in honor of the poet Benjamin Saltman (1927–1999), this award is for a previously unpublished original collection of poetry. Top prize is $3000 and 4-week residency at PLAYA arts and sciences program. The winner of the 2019 Benjamin Saltman Award will be announced in 2020.
Deadline October 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$3,000
Additional prizes
Book publication by Red Hen Press
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
Thomas Paine Award
Hidden River Arts offers an award of $1,000 and publication by Defarge Press, an imprint of Hidden River Publishing, for an original book-length manuscript of political or social activist writing. This may be a full-length work, or a collection of essays/articles. This competition is open to international submissions for all writers in English.
Deadline August 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication by Defarge Press
Genres
Essay,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $22
IndieReader Discovery Awards 2021
Where talented authors meet publishing professionals with the power to make a difference in the success of their books. Every author who enters a title in the 2021 IR Discovery Awards will receive a verdict, written by an IndieReader reviewer and based on their assessment after reading the complete book.
Deadline February 15, 2021
Learn moreTop prize
First look consideration by a top, NYC-based literary agency
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Novel,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $149
The Mother of All Contests
In honor of Mother’s Day, write a story that captures the drama and experience of motherhood, whether rosy or terrifying or gratifying. The twist it that your story can be no longer than 29 words.
Deadline June 04, 2020 (Expired)
Learn moreTop prize
Free Gotham Writers Class
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $0
Nowhere Magazine Spring 2020 Travel Writing Prize
Award-winning literary travel magazine Nowhere is accepting submissions for our annual Spring Travel Writing Prize. We are looking for novice and veteran writers of any stripe to send us stories that possess a powerful sense of people, place and time. Every submission will be read blind, so anyone can win!
Deadline July 01, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication in Nowhere Magazine
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $20
The Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction Contest
In its nearly two centuries of existence, The Saturday Evening Post has published short fiction by a who's who of great American authors, including Ray Bradbury, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Louis L'Amour, Sinclair Lewis, Jack London, Joyce Carol Oates, Edgar Allan Poe, Anne Tyler, and Kurt Vonnegut, among so many others. Now you have the opportunity to join our illustrious lineup by entering The Saturday Evening Post 's Annual Great American Fiction Contest.
Deadline July 01, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$500
Additional prizes
Publication in The Saturday Evening Post
Genres
Fiction, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $10
The Paz Prize for Poetry
Miami Book Fair will award one $2,000 prize every other year for the publication of a previously unpublished book of poetry originally written in Spanish by an American resident. The prize will recognize book-length manuscripts of poetry written in Spanish. Translations, works of literary criticism and scholarly texts do not qualify. The next Paz Prize competition will open in May, 2020.
Deadline June 15, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$2,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $35
Momaya Poetry Competition
Accepting poems on the theme of "Touch" up to 1500 words.
Deadline October 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$100
Additional prizes
Published in the Momaya Short Story Review
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $9
Ex Ophidia Press Poetry Prize
Open to all English-language authors worldwide (of any age, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation) for a book of poetry.
Deadline August 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication and 15 author copies
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
Hawk Mountain Short Story Collection Award
Hidden River Arts offers an award of $1,000 and publication by Hidden River Press, an imprint of Hidden River Publishing, for an original collection of short stories. Previous publication of individual stories is acceptable, as long as you include the list of the published stories, the journals and magazines where they appeared, and authorize that the rights have reverted to you, as author.
Deadline July 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication by Hidden River Press
Genres
Fiction, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $20
Muriel Craft Bailey 2019 Poetry Contest
Here 's how it works: our editorial staff chooses approximately fifty to sixty finalists. The highest scoring finalists (25 or so) are considered Special Merit poems. Special Merit poems go to the judge. The judge determines the top three prize winners. The entire editorial staff then selects the Honorable Mentions from the remaining Special Merits.
Deadline July 15, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication by The Comstock Review
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $5
Rattle Poetry Prize
The annual Rattle Poetry Prize offers $15,000 for a single poem to be published in the winter issue of the magazine. Ten finalists will also receive $500 each and publication, and be eligible for the $5,000 Readers’ Choice Award, to be selected by subscriber and entrant vote.
Deadline July 15, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$15,000
Additional prizes
Published in the Winter 2020 issue of Rattle
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
Creative Writing Award
Aesthetica Creative Writing Award
The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is an international literary prize that is a hotbed for new talent in Poetry and Short Fiction. Now in its 14th year, the Prize supports both emerging and established writers. Winners are selected for both categories and awarded with £1,000. Publication within the Aesthetica Creative Writing Anthology, is also awarded to a further 60 writers whose works are highly commended.
Deadline August 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual
Genres
Fiction, Poetry, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $13
Margaret Reid Poetry Contest
$3,000 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style.
Deadline August 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$3,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $15
Tom Howard Poetry Contest
$3,000 for a poem in any style or genre.
Deadline September 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$3,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $15
Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition
Enter our 89th Annual Writing Competition for your chance to win and 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 89th Annual Writer’s Digest Competition Collection.
Deadline June 05, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$5,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $35
Fischer Prize
This annual award is open to poets of all ages living in the US. Deadline for submissions is August 30th, 2020 and the prize is awarded at a Fischer Prize award ceremony Oct. 10, 2020, in Telluride, Colorado.
Deadline August 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Attendance at Telluride Literary Arts Festival
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $10
Walt Whitman Award
The Walt Whitman Award is granted to an unpublished poetry collection. The prizes include $5,000, publication by Graywolf Press, and a six-week residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Umbria, Italy. Submissions are accepted from September 1 through November 1 each year. The judge for the 2019 Walt Whitman Award is Li-Young Lee.
Deadline November 01, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$5,000
Additional prizes
Publication by Graywolf Press
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $35
Inkitt's Writing Contest
Inkitt’s writing contest runs quarterly and gives authors the chance to win an exclusive GALATEA publishing deal and the chance to showcase their book to the world. Monthly, alongside the quarterly publishing deal prize draw, cash prize contest winners are announced, determined on how many likes the author has received on their book. Monthly these winners will receive $150. Authors can also use Inkitt’s Writing app — found in the app store under ‘Inkitt Writing” — to draft up their novels!
Deadline December 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
Publishing contract with GALATEA
Additional prizes
$150
Genres
Fiction,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: FREE
The Morton Marr Poetry Prize
The Morton Marr Poetry Prize is an endowment by Marilyn Klepak of Dallas in honor of her father, whose love of poetry has encouraged her to pass this love on to others. The contest is open to any writer who has not published a book of poetry. You may enter up to six poems, but they must be entered one at a time. Only unpublished, formal poems are eligible: sonnets, sestinas, villanelles, rhymed stanzas, blank verse, et al.
Deadline September 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication in Southwest Review
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $5
Nowhere Magazine Fall 2019 Travel Writing Contest
We are looking for young, old, novice and veteran writers to send us stories that possess a powerful sense of place. Stories can be fiction, nonfiction, poetry or essay.
Deadline November 20, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Essay, Non-fiction, Poetry, Fiction,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $20
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