The Best Writing Contests of 2022
Writing competitions curated by Reedsy
Writing competitions curated by Reedsy
Bardsy
Prompt: write a short story featuring a character that will inspire a novel. Focus on the protagonist of your next novel. For example, create a compelling narrative from a defining moment in their backstory, an out-of-character action that foreshadows a key conflict, or an important or problematic relationship that constrains or empowers them.
$299
Publication in anthology, Bardsy Elite membership
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: June 26, 2022
Fiction, Short Story
View contestClumsy Spider Publishing
Page Turner is looking for your short story that teens will read in one sitting because they can't stop!
$50
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: July 30, 2022
Fiction, Short Story, Young Adult
View contestCarve Magazine
The Raymond Carver Short Story Contest is one of the most renowned fiction contests in the world. Featuring prominent guest judges and offering $3000 across five prizes, the contest delivers exciting new fiction from writers all over the world. The contest opens each year April 1 - May 15 and prizewinners are published in our annual fall issue in October.
$2,000
Publication in Carve Magazine
💰 Fee: $17
Deadline: May 16, 2022 (Expired)
Fiction, Short Story
View contestWriters Alliance of Gainesville
We seek unusual perspectives, passionate voices, compelling work. This includes poetry, creative non-fiction, and short stories.
£300
£100 second prize
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: May 23, 2022 (Expired)
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story
View contestThe Comstock Review
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.
$1,000
Publication by The Comstock Review
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: July 15, 2022
Poetry
View contestWinchester Poetry Festival
We will hold a special prize-giving event on Saturday 9 October 2021. We are planning for this event to be a live event in Winchester. However, if there are restrictions still in place which prevent this, the event will move online. Winning and commended poems will also be published in a competition anthology.
£1,000
2nd £500, 3rd £250
💰 Fee: $7
Deadline: July 31, 2022
Poetry
View contestCranked Anvil Press
Our quarterly short story competition is open for entries all year round. The competition is open to any theme or genre, but your story must be a maximum of 1,500 words (not including the title). You can enter up to three stories in each quarterly competition.
£150
£75 for 2nd, £30 for 3rd
💰 Fee: $7
Deadline: July 31, 2022
Fiction, Short Story
View contestTelluride Institute
This annual award is open to poets of all ages living in the US. Deadline for submissions is August 31st, 2021.
$1,000
Attendance at Telluride Literary Arts Festival
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: August 31, 2022
Poetry
View contestUNO Press
We are looking to publish the best novel/short story collection written this year. The selected author will receive a ten thousand dollar ($10,000) advance on royalties and a contract to publish with UNO Press.
$10,000
💰 Fee: $28
Deadline: August 31, 2022
Fiction, Novel, Short Story
View contestPeninsula Publishing & Distribution
The Hal Prize offers publication to a readership of more than 25,000 and cash awards for winners. The contest is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and to photographers throughout the United States. Prose should be no more than 4,000 words and poetry no longer than a page. The annual literary and photography contest is presented by the Peninsula Pulse and Write On, Door County.
$250
Cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd place, publication in 8142 Review, and a handmade mug
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: September 15, 2022
Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story
View contestSurrey International Writers ' Conference
The contest will be judged by Diana Gabaldon and Jack Whyte. Story length: 2,500 — 4000 words.
$1,000
Publication
💰 Fee: $15
Deadline: September 15, 2022
Fiction, Short Story
View contestHammond 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.
£100
Publication by Hammond House
💰 Fee: $12
Deadline: September 30, 2022
Poetry
View contestDream 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...
$500
$250 for 2nd place, $100 for 3rd place
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: August 31, 2022
Fiction, Short Story
View contestDream 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."
$250
$125 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: August 31, 2022
Poetry
View contestCoffee 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.
£2,000
2nd £1000, 3rd £500
💰 Fee: $7
Deadline: September 26, 2022
Poetry
View contestWriter'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.
$1,000
$750 for 2nd place, $500 for 3rd, £5000 annual grand prize
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: June 30, 2022
Fiction, Short Story, Fantasy, Science Fiction
View contestWinning 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.
$3,000
$200 for 10 honorable mentions
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: September 30, 2022
Poetry
View contestHammond 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.
£1000
Publication by Hammond House
💰 Fee: $12
Deadline: September 30, 2022
Fiction, Short Story
View contestHammond 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.
£100
Trailers made for top three places
💰 Fee: $12
Deadline: September 30, 2022
Script Writing
View contestDzanc Books
The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction recognizes daring, original, and innovative writing in novel form.
$5,000
Publication by Dzanc Books
💰 Fee: $25
Deadline: September 30, 2022
Fiction, Novel
View contestDzanc 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.
$2,500
Publication by Dzanc Books
💰 Fee: $25
Deadline: September 30, 2022
Fiction, Short Story
View contestFlash 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.
£300
£200, £100
💰 Fee: $7
Deadline: May 30, 2022 (Expired)
Fiction, Short Story
View contestBlack 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.
$500
Publication by Black Lawrence Press
💰 Fee: $17
Deadline: May 31, 2022 (Expired)
Poetry, Short Story, Fiction
View contestRotary 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.
$500 (CAD)
2nd prize $250, 3rd prize $100.
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: June 30, 2022
Fiction, Short Story
View contestÓ 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.
€750
€500, €250
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: January 31, 2023
Poetry
View contestGrindstone 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.
$1,300
Cash prizes and manuscripts forwarded to UK agencies
💰 Fee: $26
Deadline: October 01, 2022
Fiction, Novel
View contestDarling 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?"
$560
$200 for second place, $100 for third
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: May 31, 2022 (Expired)
Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestPreservation 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.
$100
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: April 22, 2022 (Expired)
Poetry, Short Story
View contestCANTERBURY 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.
$260
Publication in anthology
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: June 03, 2022 (Expired)
Poetry
View contestIntrepid 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.
$150
Runners up: $50 | Publication on Intrepid Times
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: April 30, 2022 (Expired)
Non-fiction, Travel
View contestFanStory.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.
$100
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: December 05, 2022
Poetry
View contestMid-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.
$100
Trophy and publicity on the Mid-America Romance Authors' Website, social media, and in the RWR
💰 Fee: $25
Deadline: May 23, 2022 (Expired)
Romance
View contestFanStory.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!
$100
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: November 22, 2022
Poetry
View contestFanStory.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.
$100
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: November 12, 2022
Non-fiction, Short Story
View contestFusilli 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).
Publication on website
Social media promotion
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: December 31, 2022
Flash Fiction
View contest