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Find the perfect editor for your next book
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DIRECTORY
Showing 427 contests that match your search.
The Novelry Group Limited
Genres: Fiction
The Next Big Story is a creative writing prize inviting submissions for the first 1,500 words of a work of fiction. The contest aims to encourage new voices in storytelling, offering a grand prize of $100,000 and eight shortlisting prizes of The Finished Novel Course to help writers finalize their projects.
Top Prize:
$100,000 or £75,000
Additional prizes:
Eight shortlists receive access to The Finished Novel Course (valued at approx $4,995 each).
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025
Tupelo Press
Genres: Poetry
The Snowbound Chapbook Award is an open competition for a chapbook-length poetry manuscript. It offers a $1,000 prize, publication by Tupelo Press, 25 copies of the winning title, and a book launch. The award aims to promote exceptional poetry and is judged anonymously.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication by Tupelo Press, 25 copies of the winning title, a book launch. Finalists will be considered for publication.
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Flash 500
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
An open-themed contest accepting all genres, including those written by or for children. Stories must be between 1,000 and 3,000 words with strong characters and plots.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
£200 for 2nd place, £100 for 3rd place
💰 Entry fee: $8
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Poetry Book Awards
Genres: Poetry
This contest celebrates independent and self-published poets, allowing them to showcase their poetry books and pamphlets.
Top Prize:
£400
Additional prizes:
2nd: £200 | 3rd: £100 | Publication
💰 Entry fee: $44
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)
WOW! Women On Writing
Genres: Flash Fiction, Fiction, and Short Story
The WOW! Women on Writing Flash Fiction Contest aims to inspire creativity and recognition for writers. Open to all genres of flash fiction, it has been running since 2006 and has awarded over $100,000 in cash prizes to participants. The contest allows entries globally, and submissions must be in English.
Top Prize:
$400
Additional prizes:
2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 | 7 runner-ups: $25 Amazon Gift Cards
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2025
Lascuax Review
Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction
The Lascaux Prize in Flash Fiction invites submissions of stories that may be previously published or unpublished. True stories are accepted if written in a narrative style. The contest emphasizes the importance of storytelling.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Winner also receives a bronze medallion and publication in The Lascaux Review
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)
Black Lawrence Press
Genres: Fiction, Novel, Poetry, and Short Story
The Big Moose Prize awards an unpublished novel, open to all writers. The winner receives publication, a cash award of $1,000, and ten copies of the book.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication of the novel and ten copies
💰 Entry fee: $28
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)
Not Quite Write
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction invites writers to break traditional writing rules while crafting compelling stories. Participants have 60 hours to produce a story of up to 500 words in response to prompts. The contest is held quarterly, with cash prizes totaling AU$4,000 each round.
Top Prize:
$1,500 AUD
Additional prizes:
Winner receives AU$1,500 and the Not Quite Write Trophy. | 2nd place: AU$500 | 3rd place: AU$200 | Additional cash prizes for other positions.
💰 Entry fee: $35
📅 Deadline: July 27, 2025
Simon & Schuster
Genres: Fiction and Novel
Simon & Schuster UK are launching an opportunity that’s exclusively open to un-agented, currently not under contract fiction writers of colour. The winner will receive a two-book UK publishing contract with S&S UK with a six-figure advance.
Top Prize:
A two-book UK publishing contract with S&S UK with a six-figure advance.
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025
Gemini Magazine
Genres: Flash Fiction, Short Story, and Fiction
The Gemini Magazine Short Story Contest invites entries of any subject and length. Unpublished stories are accepted, and multiple entries are allowed. All entries are treated anonymously during the judging process.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: $100 | 3x honorable mentions: $25. Publication for each winner.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2025 (Expired)
Passager Books
Genres: Poetry
The Passager Poetry Contest is aimed at poets aged 50 and older, emphasizing the work of older writers. It invites submissions of poetry with a limit of five poems per entry, each no longer than 40 lines. The contest includes a reading fee that provides a subscription to Passager.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Winner gets publication and a featured interview. All honorable mentions will be published.
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2025 (Expired)
Columbia Journalism School
Genres: Non-fiction
Two J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards, in the amount of $25,000, are given annually to aid in the completion of significant works of nonfiction on topics of American political or social concern. Recognizing that a nonfiction book based on extensive research often overtaxes the resources available to its author, the project envisions the Awards as a way of closing the gap between the time and money an author has and the time and money that finishing a book requires.
Top Prize:
$25,000
📅 Deadline: December 07, 2023 (Expired)
ChallengeUS
Genres: Non-fiction and Essay
The ChallengeUS Future Leaders Competition engages youth globally to advocate for civic ideas, spotlighting promising leaders through scholarship prizes. Participants envision their future by 2050 and can join the Future Leaders Network.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Publication of submission, biographical article, Certificate of Special Achievement for 1st place winner. | Certificate of Achievement for honorable mentions.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: July 25, 2025
The Bath Novel Awards
Genres: Children's, Fiction, and Young Adult
The Bath Children's Novel Award is an international writing prize for unagented emerging writers. It seeks novels for children or teens, chapter books, and picture book texts. The winner receives £5,000, a trophy, and feedback for listees.
Top Prize:
£5,000
Additional prizes:
A place on the 'Edit Your Novel the Professional Way' course worth £1,980 for one longlisted writer. Minerva trophy and feedback from an editorial director.
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: November 30, 2024 (Expired)
Virginia Romance Writers
Genres: Fiction and Romance
The HOLT Medallion Contest honors outstanding romantic fiction, evaluating entries through a panel of romance readers. It has been held annually since 1995, recognizing both published and unpublished authors. The winners receive a pewter medallion and a certificate.
Top Prize:
Winners receive a certificate and a pewter HOLT Medallion
💰 Entry fee: $35
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)
Diode Editions
Genres: Novel
Open to all poets over 18 years old writing in English. Collaborations, hybrid works, and simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please notify Diode Editions if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
Top Prize:
$1,500
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024 (Expired)
Hispanic Culture Review
Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Flash Fiction
The contest theme is 'Hecho a mano', focusing on the creativity of handmade works. Categories include photography, poetry, and narrative/essay/academic investigation. Selected works will be published, and winners will receive monetary prizes and certificates of recognition.
Top Prize:
Monetary prize + certificate of recognition for winners in each category
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: January 21, 2025 (Expired)
Fiction Collective 2
Genres: Fiction
The Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize is designed for writers with at least three books published. It encourages innovative fiction that challenges dominant narratives. Submissions must be in English and can include various forms of long fiction. The contest aims to support diverse voices in literature.
Top Prize:
$15,000
Additional prizes:
Publication by FC2, an imprint of the University of Alabama Press, with an Introduction by the final judge.
📅 Deadline: November 01, 2025
Brink Literacy Project
Genres: Poetry
The F(r)iction Poetry Contest invites submissions of original poetry. The contest is open to writers globally, focusing on unique and experimental literature. The contest promotes creativity and individuality in submissions.
Top Prize:
$300
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: May 02, 2025 (Expired)
Black Caucus of ALA (BCALA)
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Novel, and Poetry
The BCALA Self-Publishing Literary Awards honors the best self-published ebooks by African American authors in the U.S. across fiction and poetry genres. The awards focus on the cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.
Top Prize:
$2,500
Additional prizes:
Formal recognition at the NCAAL conference, BCALA Literary Award Seal.
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
The Plaza Prizes Ltd.
Genres: Poetry
The Plaza Poetry Prize (60 lines) is an international competition with the aim of discovering, publishing, and promoting talented new writers. Judged by Pulitzer Prize-winner Natalie Diaz, it offers cash prizes and publication opportunities for shortlisted entries.
Top Prize:
$5,000
Additional prizes:
First Place: £4000 / $5000 + publication in the anthology + nomination for The Forward Prize (Top prize of £1000 / $1200). Second Prize: £300 / $360. Third Prize: £100 / $120.
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Free Flash Fiction
Genres: Flash Fiction
Submit a flash fiction piece of 100 to 300 words on any theme. The competition is open to everyone, and entries will be anonymized during the judging process. The judge for this competition is S.A. Greene.
Top Prize:
£150 and publication of winning story.
Additional prizes:
£70 for 2 Highly Commended £60 for 3 shortlisted entries, all receive publication.
💰 Entry fee: $4
📅 Deadline: June 23, 2025 (Expired)
Fiction Collective 2
Genres: Fiction
The contest is open to US writers who have not previously published with FC2. Works can include novels, novellas, or collections of short stories, with no length requirement. Translations and previously published works are not eligible.
Top Prize:
$3,000
Additional prizes:
Publication by FC2
📅 Deadline: November 01, 2025
Poetry.com
Genres: Poetry
Join our monthly contest for a chance to win cash prizes and gain recognition for your poetry. Open to all poets, the contest allows for submissions of original poems with voting by participants.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd Place: $300 | 3rd Place: $200 | Five runners-up receive a personalized mug and a chance to compete for Poem of the Year.
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025
Ethos Literacy
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story
The contest invites participants to write a story of exactly 100 words on topics like envy, eyeglasses, nightmares, or turtles. It is open to all ages, including international writers. Winning stories will be published in an e-zine.
Top Prize:
$200
Additional prizes:
6 cash prizes of $100 each + publication in digital magazine, inclusion in webcast
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: February 01, 2024 (Expired)
Genres: Flash Fiction
The Weird West Quick Draw contest invites submissions of flash fiction set in the weird west genre, which combines traditional western elements with speculative fiction. The contest opens for entries on July 1, 2025, and closes on July 15, 2025.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
2nd: $50 | 3rd: $25 | Publication in Apex Magazine issue 151 for the first prize winner, and publication on the Reach Your Apex website for second and third prize winners.
📅 Deadline: July 15, 2025
The Heartland Review Press
Genres: Poetry
The contest honors the legacy of Joy Bale Boone, an influential American poet and activist. All entries must be original works in English, with a submission window from July 1 to October 1, 2025, for publication in Spring 2026. The winners will be announced before Christmas 2025.
Top Prize:
$400 gift card
Additional prizes:
2nd: $240 gift card | 3rd: $100 gift card
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: October 01, 2025
Flash 500
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Flash Fiction Competition invites writers to submit stories of up to 500 words. It's a quarterly competition with prizes awarded for the top three entries each quarter. Winning entries are published on the website.
Top Prize:
£300
Additional prizes:
£200, £100
💰 Entry fee: $7
📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024 (Expired)
Lazuli Literary Group
Genres: Essay, Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Novella, and Script Writing
We are not concerned with genre distinctions. Send us the best you have; we want only for it to be thoughtful, intelligent, and beautiful. We want art that grows in complexity upon each visitation; we enjoy ornate, cerebral, and voluptuous phrases executed with thematic intent.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Publication in "AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought"
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: September 24, 2024 (Expired)
Genres: Script Writing
The Scriptation Showcase offers a competitive platform for screenwriters, featuring their scripts to industry professionals. The competition includes two main categories: Screenplay and Short Script, with professional readers analyzing submissions.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
1 Year Scriptation Showcase, 1 year industry pro access
💰 Entry fee: $64
📅 Deadline: July 20, 2025
Write the World
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, and Short Story
This contest invites young writers (ages 13-19) to submit their works in the genres of science fiction and fantasy, providing a platform for creativity and expression.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Recognition and publication opportunities
📅 Deadline: July 28, 2025
Caledonia Novel Award Organizers
Genres: Fiction, Novel, and Young Adult
The Caledonia Novel Award is an international competition for unpublished and self-published novelists in all genres, encouraging writers to submit their original works. The award aims to connect new authors with literary agents.
Top Prize:
£1500
Additional prizes:
Exclusive framed award designed by Edinburgh artist Lucy Roscoe. | Highly Commended prize: £500 | Special prize: a free place on a writing course at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre.
💰 Entry fee: $37
📅 Deadline: October 15, 2025
HAVOK Publishing
Genres: Fantasy, Flash Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller
Season Themes is a flash fiction contest that invites authors to create stories inspired by monthly themes and prompts. Each theme features a specific character prompt that authors must incorporate into their stories, allowing for creative interpretations across various genres.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Publication in an anthology. Potential for larger gift card wins.
📅 Deadline: January 17, 2025 (Expired)
Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation
Genres: Poetry
The Robinson Jeffers Tor House Prize for Poetry is an annual contest honoring the poet Robinson Jeffers. Established as a living memorial, it aims to recognize outstanding poetry submissions. The prize includes an honorarium and honorable mentions.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
$200 for honorable mention
📅 Deadline: March 15, 2024 (Expired)
Crime Writers' Association
Genres: Mystery and Short Story
An annual international competition for unpublished short mystery stories up to 3,500 words. The competition seeks to find the best story that aligns with Margery Allingham's definition of a mystery.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
Potential publication on the CWA website + in the Margery Allingham Society journal
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
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