The Best Writing Contests of 2020
Writing competitions curated by Reedsy
Browse 67 contests that match your search 🔦
Jim Martin Memorial Story Contest
Send in your short story in mystery, suspense, or thriller style. Entries may be up to 2500 words (about 10 double-spaced pages). It’s loads of fun and a good exercise of your writing skills.
Deadline June 01, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$200
Additional prizes
Genres
Crime, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $15
Poetry Prize
The top ten poems of the 13th annual Fish Poetry Contest will be published in Fish Anthology. First prize winnner will receive the cash reward and the second prize winner will receive a week in residence at Anam Cara Writers ' Reatreat.
Deadline March 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication in Fish Anthology
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $14
Fish Flash Fiction Contest
The Fish Flash Fiction Prize is an opportunity to attempt one of the most interesting and rewarding tasks — to create, in a tiny fragment, a completely resolved and compelling story in 300 words or less.
Deadline February 28, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication in Fish Anthology
Genres
Fiction, Short Story, Flash Fiction,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $14
2020 Lighthouse Poetry Series
Cleveland State University Poetry Center
The Cleveland State University Poetry Center welcomes submissions for the Lighthouse Poetry Series. The Lighthouse Poetry Series publishes contemporary poetry from poets with any history of publication. The winner will receive $1,000, publication, and a standard royalty contract. This year’s contest will be judged by Randall Mann.
Deadline March 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Royalty contract
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $28
New Deal Writing Competition
Genesee Valley Council on the Arts
The New Deal Writing Competition is a short story competition where the writer is asked to use a painting chosen by the staff of GVCA as inspiration for their short story.
Deadline April 10, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$200
Additional prizes
Publication in Artsphere Magazine
Genres
Fiction, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $5
Cave Canem Poetry Prize
Launched in 1999 with Rita Dove 's selection of Natasha Trethewey 's Domestic Work, this first-book award is dedicated to the discovery of exceptional manuscripts by black poets of African descent. Manuscripts should be 48-75 pages in length.
Deadline March 09, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication by University of Pittsburgh Press
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $20
Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize
University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press announces the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize for a first full-length book of poems. Named after the first director of the Press, the prize carries a cash award of $5,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press in the Pitt Poetry Series under its standard royalty contract. The winner will be announced in the fall; no information about the winner will be released before the fall announcement. The Starrett Prize is our only venue for first-book poetry manuscripts.
Deadline April 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$5,000
Additional prizes
Publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
Red Hen Press Women's Prose Prize
Established in 2018, the Women’s Prose Prize is for previously unpublished, original work of prose. Novels, short story collections, memoirs, essay collections, and all other forms of prose writing are eligible for consideration. The awarded manuscript is selected through an annual competition that is open to all writers who identify as women.
Deadline February 28, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication by Red Hen Press
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story, Essay, Memoir, Novel,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
Red Hen Press Nonfiction Award
Established in 2015, the Red Hen Nonfiction Award seeks to recognize the art of true story-telling through literary craft. The awarded fiction manuscript is selected through an annual submission process which is open to all authors.
Deadline March 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication by Red Hen Press
Genres
Non-fiction,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
42 Miles Press Poetry Award
The 42 Miles Press Poetry Award was created in an effort to bring fresh and original voices to the poetry reading public. Manuscripts submitted should exhibit an awareness of the contemporary ÐvoiceÓ in American poetry.
Deadline March 05, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication by 42 Miles Press
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
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
Nelligan Prize
The Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction was established in 2004 in memory of Liza Nelligan, a writer, editor, and friend of many in Colorado State University 's English Department. The winner receives a $2,000 honorarium and the story is published in the fall/winter issue of Colorado Review. Stories must be 10-50 pages.
Deadline March 14, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$2,000
Additional prizes
Publication in the Colorado Review
Genres
Fiction, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $15
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
An Axe to Grind - Flash Fiction Contest 2020
Tell us a story in fewer than 1000 words for a chance to win from a growing prize pool, plus publication on the Chopping Blog.
Deadline March 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$200
Additional prizes
Publication on the Chopping Blog
Genres
Fiction, Short Story, Flash Fiction,
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
Nowhere Magazine Spring 2019 Travel Writing Contest
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Nowhere Magazine is given twice yearly for a travel-specific short story, long-form creative nonfiction piece, poem or essay that possesses a powerful sense of place, character or time. Unpublished and published pieces that have not previously been chosen as a contest winner are eligible. Submit your 800- to 5,000-word piece with a $20 entry fee by July 15, 2019.
Deadline July 15, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication in Nowhere magazine
Genres
Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $20
Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognizes outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of cultural diversity. Awards are given for fiction, poetry and nonfiction.
Deadline December 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$10,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $0
The Peseroff Prize Poetry Contest
Submit up to three poems and a $10 entry fee. There are no restrictions on content or form: “it’s all poetry.” Poems should be previously unpublished. The winner and finalists will be published in our FALL issue.
Deadline July 15, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $10
The Lascaux Prize in Creative Nonfiction
The Lascaux Prize in Creative Nonfiction will reopen 1 April 2020. Creative nonfiction may include memoirs, chronicles, personal essays, humorous perspectives, literary journalism—anything the author has witnessed, experienced, learned, or discovered. Pieces may be previously published or unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are accepted. Winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication online in The Lascaux Review. The winner and all finalists will be published in the annual print journal Lascaux 8.
Deadline September 22, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $15
The Lascaux Prize in Flash Fiction
The Lascaux Prize in Flash Fiction will reopen 1 January 2020. Stories may be previously published or unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are accepted. True stories and prose poetry are welcome as long as they’re written in a narrative style. Winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication online in The Lascaux Review. The winner and all finalists will be published in the annual print journal Lascaux 8.
Deadline June 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Flash Fiction,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $15
The Lascaux Prize in Poetry
Poems may be previously published or unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are accepted. Winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication online in The Lascaux Review. The winner and all finalists will be published in the annual print journal Lascaux 8.
Deadline March 19, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $15
James Jones First Novel Fellowship
A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a novel-in-progress by a U.S. writer who has not published a novel. Runners-up will receive $1000. A selection from the winning work is published in Provincetown Arts.
Deadline March 15, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$10,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Novel,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $3
The Restless Books Prize For New Immigrant Writing
Restless Books is looking for extraordinary unpublished submissions from emerging writers of sharp, culture-straddling writing that addresses identity in a global age.
Deadline March 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$10,000
Additional prizes
Publication by Restless Books
Genres
Fiction,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: FREE
IndieReader Discovery Awards 2020
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 2020 IR Discovery Awards will receive a verdict, written by an IndieReader reviewer and based on their assessment after reading the complete book.
Deadline February 28, 2020
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
Flash 500 Short Story Competition
This is an open-themed competition that accepts all genres, including those written by or for children. Stories should range between 1,000 and 3,000 words, with strong characters, a well-crafted plot and realistic dialogue (where used). As the website says, "Make us laugh, make us cry, but most of all, make us feel!"
Deadline February 28, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$500
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $7
Moment Magazine-Karma Foundation Short Fiction Contest
Moment Magazine is now accepting submissions for the 2020 contest. Moment will award up to three prizes to outstanding works of unpublished short fiction with Jewish content, including $1,000 for first place.
Deadline March 31, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
Publication in Moment Magazine
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Marsh Hawk Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Manuscripts should be between 48 to 84 pages. [Submissions open December 1, 2019]
Deadline April 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication by Marsh Hawk Press
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
Trio Award for First or Second Book
The Trio Award for First or Second Book includes $1,000, publication, and twenty books. The Trio Award for First or Second Book is only open to poets with less than two books published. [Submissions open November 1, 2019]
Deadline April 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Novel,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
Narrative Prize
The Narrative Prize is awarded annually for the best short story, novel excerpt, poem, one-act play, graphic story, or work of literary nonfiction published by a new or emerging writer in Narrative. The submission system is open all year.
Deadline June 15, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$4,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: FREE
Washington Prize
Each year, The Word Works awards a living American or Canadian poet $1,500, a generous supply of author copies, and book publication for a volume of original poetry in English. To enter, submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages. [Submissions open January 15, 2020]
Deadline March 15, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,500
Additional prizes
Genres
Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $25
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
Now in its 19th year, this contest seeks today's best humor poems. No fee to enter. Submit published or unpublished work. $2,250 in prizes. [Submissions open August 15, 2019]
Deadline April 01, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Humor, Poetry,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: FREE
Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest
Welcome to the 27th annual Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest. Submit published or unpublished work. $5,000 in prizes. [Submissions open from October 15, 2019]
Deadline April 30, 2020
Learn moreTop prize
$2,000
Additional prizes
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story,
Entry fee
💰 Entry Fee: $2
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