Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

The Best Writing Contests of 2022

Writing competitions curated by Reedsy

Genre

Manage a competition? Submit it here

Showing 467 contests

2022 Character Anthology & Contest: A Novel Idea

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.

Top prize

$299

Additional prizes

Publication in anthology, Bardsy Elite membership

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: June 26, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Page Turner's Short Story Contest

Clumsy Spider Publishing

Page Turner is looking for your short story that teens will read in one sitting because they can't stop!

Top prize

$50

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: July 30, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story, Young Adult

Raymond Carver Short Story Contest

Carve 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.

Top prize

$2,000

Additional prizes

Publication in Carve Magazine

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $17

Deadline: May 16, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Bacopa Literary Review

Writers Alliance of Gainesville

We seek unusual perspectives, passionate voices, compelling work. This includes poetry, creative non-fiction, and short stories.

Top prize

£300

Additional prizes

£100 second prize

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: May 23, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story

Muriel Craft Bailey Poetry Contest

The 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.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Publication by The Comstock Review

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: July 15, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Winchester Poetry Prize

Winchester 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.

Top prize

£1,000

Additional prizes

2nd £500, 3rd £250

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $7

Deadline: July 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Cranked Anvil Short Story Competition

Cranked 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.

Top prize

£150

Additional prizes

£75 for 2nd, £30 for 3rd

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $7

Deadline: July 31, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Fischer Prize

Telluride Institute

This annual award is open to poets of all ages living in the US. Deadline for submissions is August 31st, 2021.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Attendance at Telluride Literary Arts Festival

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: August 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

UNO Press Publishing Lab

UNO 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.

Top prize

$10,000

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $28

Deadline: August 31, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Novel, Short Story

The Hal Prize

Peninsula 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.

Top prize

$250

Additional prizes

Cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd place, publication in 8142 Review, and a handmade mug

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: September 15, 2022

Genres

Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story

Surrey International Writers ' Conference Writing Contest

Surrey International Writers ' Conference

The contest will be judged by Diana Gabaldon and Jack Whyte. Story length: 2,500 — 4000 words.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: September 15, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

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 (Expired)

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 (Expired)

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 (Expired)

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 (Expired)

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

Find the perfect editor for your next book

Over 1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy, come meet them.

Sign in with Google

✕

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the editors on Reedsy, come meet them.