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The Best Writing Contests of 2023

Writing competitions curated by Reedsy

Genre

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Showing 639 contests

Valorious Awards

Hopper Creative Group LLC

The Valorious Awards, sponsored by international best-selling author, Christopher Hopper, is an annual competition seeking to recognize and encourage emerging artists in two categories: best sci-fi novel, best sci-fi voice actor. The awards seek to recognize emerging independent authors and character actors and discover new and exciting talent within the world of science fiction.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $35

Deadline: December 31, 2023

Genres

Science Fiction

Short Story Competition 2023

Write the World

What truth do you want to convey through your stories? This month, write a short story of up to 1000 words and invite readers into a contained universe. With only a small word limit to work with, you must choose carefully. Remember, as Neil Gaiman once said: “Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams.”

Top prize

$100

Additional prizes

Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: November 27, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

Science Fiction & Fantasy Writing 2023

Write the World

Fantasy and sci-fi stir our imaginations, inviting us to think outside the limits of the life we know. This month, you have the extraordinary and exciting task of reimagining the world. In a fantasy or sci-fi short story, take your readers on a journey into a world of your imagination.

Top prize

$100

Additional prizes

Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: October 23, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story

Nature & Environmental Poetry 2023

Write the World

In his groundbreaking course on ecopoetry, writer and professor Craig Santos Perez focuses on how to use poetry as a voice for the planet. This month, write a poem about what you know and love from the natural world. Your poem may focus on an element of the environment under threat, explore changes in nature, or honor the planet we call home.

Top prize

$100

Additional prizes

Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: September 25, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

The Failing Writers £500, 500 Word, Flash Fiction Competition

The Failing Writers Podcast

The Failing Writers Podcast presents its 3rd annual flash fiction competition. This year, with an apt subject to write about... 'Failing'. Check our blog for all the details from Monday the 4th of September, and write your way to £500 plus a skip-full of plaudits, bragging rights and jigs around the kitchen. (To hear past winners, just skiffle through our episodes to find the flash fiction winner eps and enjoy!)

Top prize

£500

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: September 28, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Flash Fiction

Matter Poetry Contest

Oprelle

MATTER is our most inclusive contest. All poems that become finalists will be presented in the Matter XXIII anthology. The intention behind this particular contest is to give great odds for publication. It's one of MATTER’s, and Oprelle’s, founding principles: to uplift potentially unheard voices, their stories and poems, to prevent them from being lost in the masses.

Top prize

$300

Additional prizes

Publication in Matter Anthology

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: September 09, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

I Am In Print Novel Award 2023

I Am In Print Ltd

I Am In Print are excited to be working with Canelo, one of the largest independent digitally focused publishers in Europe and one of the largest UK fiction publishers by volume, to find the best, as yet unpublished, manuscripts. Novels entered must be complete, written in English and be between 70,000 and 100,000 words. The award is open to writers globally and novels written for an adult audience in the following genres are welcome: Action thriller, Cosy mystery, Crime, Historical adventure, Horror, Psychological thriller, Romance, Saga. First prize is £1000 plus a 60 minute online consultation with a Canelo Editor!

Top prize

£1000

Additional prizes

60 minute online consultation with a Canelo Editor

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: October 09, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Crime, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novel, Romance, Thriller

Wenlock Olympian Society Short Story Competition

Wenlock Olympian Society

This is an international competition. There should be a maximum of up to 2,500 words on any theme and in any genre except YA and Children's stories. The contest will be judged by acclaimed author Philip Caine and winners announced in March 2024.

Top prize

£150

Additional prizes

2nd: £50 | 3rd: £25

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: October 30, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller

The Book of the Year Awards

The Independent Author Network

The Independent Author Network presents the 2024 IAN Book of the Year Awards, an international contest open to all authors with 55 fiction and non-fiction categories. Winners are eligible to receive a share of cash prizes of $6,000 USD. Open to all English language print and eBooks available for sale, including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, and self-published authors.

Top prize

$2,500

Additional prizes

$6,000.00 USD in total cash prizes

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: August 15, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult

Dissolution

Bergen International Literary Festival

Write your story about the climate crisis in a poem or a personal essay.

Top prize

€2,000

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: October 15, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Science Writing, Young Adult

The Goldilocks Zone

Sunspot Literary Journal

Sunspot Lit seeks a story, essay, excerpt from longer prose pieces, artwork, graphic novel, or poem that combines excellence in craft with reader or audience appeal. Feedback for fiction and nonfiction submissions available for additional fee.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $12

Deadline: September 30, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Script Writing, Short Story

Indignor Play House Annual Short Story Competition

Indignor House Publishing

Indignor House Publishing is proud to announce that our annual writing competition (INDIGNOR PLAYHOUSE Short Story Annual Competition) is officially open with expected publication in the fall of 2024. Up to 25 submissions will be accepted for inclusion in the annual anthology.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $20

Deadline: March 31, 2024

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

The Masters Review Novel Excerpt Contest

The Masters Review

Each fall, The Masters Review hosts a call for novel excerpts! Writing a novel can be an arduous and lonely process, but we’re here to champion the great work being produced. Whether your book is not quite finished or ready to pitch, we want to read your words. For this contest, we’re looking for self-contained excerpts that display a strong voice, compelling characters, and carefully constructed narrative arcs. You may submit an excerpt from any section of your completed or in-progress novel, but choose wisely: a synopsis should not be required for understanding the excerpt. As always, we have no limitations on genre, though we are primarily interested in literary fiction.

Top prize

$3,000

Additional prizes

2nd: $300, online publication | 3rd: $200, online publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $20

Deadline: November 12, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Novel

Pivotal Essay Contest

Pivotal

Pivotal is an essay contest for high school students around the world run in partnership with Oxford University's Global Priorities Institute on the world’s most pressing problems. Students will write a 2000-word essay on one of three prompts relating to future generations, AI policy, and ethics.

Top prize

$15,000

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: October 10, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Essay, Non-fiction

The Hal Prize

Peninsula Pulse

The contest was created to encourage and appreciate artistic expression through various literary forms and photography. The contest has showcased works from individuals of all ages and backgrounds – novice writers and photographers to professionals.

Top prize

$250

Additional prizes

2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: September 01, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry

George Garrett Fiction Prize

Texas Review Press

Established in 1998, The George Garrett Fiction Prize highlights one book a year for excellence in a short story collection or novel. Since 2019, the prize comes with a $1,000 advance, a standard royalty contract, and 20 copies of the published book.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Standard royalty contract with TRP and 20 author copies of the published book

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $28

Deadline: September 30, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Novel

Southern Cross Short Story Competition 2023

Ballarat Writers

Ballarat Writers Inc is inviting entries to the 2023 Southern Cross Short Story competition, from authors writing in English on the theme of TRACKS OF DESIRE to a maximum of 3,000 words. First prize AUD$1000 with runner-up prizes and certificates of commendation. This year’s judge is internationally renowned Graeme Simsion.

Top prize

$1000 AUD

Additional prizes

2nd: $400 AUD | 3rd: $100 AUD

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $13

Deadline: October 01, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

The Self Published Science Fiction Competition

The Self Published Science Fiction Competition

A competition only applicable for self-published science fiction authors. This is similar to the Self Published Fantasy Blog-Off but for Science Fiction. It's a year long and entrants are judges by teams of volunteer reviewers, Quarter, Semi, and Finalists all highlighted and reviews posted on blogs and shared on socials.

Top prize

Trophy

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: August 25, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Science Fiction

Summer Nanofiction Battle

Writing Battle

Two days to write a 250 word short story! The peer-powered quarterly writing contest where every story receives oodles of feedback. Write one. Read ten. Win thousands.

Top prize

$4,000

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $20

Deadline: August 04, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Short Story, Thriller

Money Chronicles: A Story Initiative

Principal Foundation

This is a short story contest designed to bring our experiences with money – positive and negative – out of the shadows. We want to read your imaginative and meaningful short stories (fiction and creative nonfiction) touching on themes related to money and personal finance. Introduce us to protagonists whose relationship to money may be on the verge of unexpected or needed change.

Top prize

$250 USD (up to 30 winners)

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Short Story

The Soundtrack of Travel

Intrepid Times

Intrepid Times is inviting travelers and writers from all countries, at all levels of writing experience, to incorporate music into a travel story (1200-2000 words). The way you achieve this is up to you, but be creative and bold in the way you use music to help build your story. Your travel story should, as always, grow around the context of a place or experience; we want to see music being used in a way that enhances both.

Top prize

$200

Additional prizes

Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Non-fiction, Travel

The SmokeLong Grand Micro Competition 2023

SmokeLong Quarterly

SmokeLong’s Grand Micro Competition (The Mikey) is a biennial competition that celebrates and compensates the best micro fiction and nonfiction online.

Top prize

$1,500

Additional prizes

2nd: $500 | 3rd: $300 | Finalists: $100 | Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $13

Deadline: November 10, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction

Infrastructure Threat Contest

CAPTRS

CAPTRS is building the “Universe of Threats,” which will be used to prepare decision makers for future threats. This second Universe of Threats contest invites applicants to submit a ground truth and short story about a threat to one or multiple of the 16 defined critical infrastructure sectors. Submissions should specify the sector(s) experiencing the threat, the details and origin of the threat, and considerations for the unfolding response. Ground Truth maximum word count is 1,000 and essay word count is 2,500.

Top prize

$5,000

Additional prizes

2nd: $2,500 (up to 2 winners) | 3rd: $1,000 (up to 5 winners) | Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: September 30, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story

The Moth Nature Writing Prize

The Moth

The Prize will be awarded to unpublished pieces of prose or poetry which best combine exceptional literary merit with an exploration of the writer’s relationship with the natural world. Judged by Kathleen Jamie.

Top prize

€1,000 + 1 week at Circle of Misse in France

Additional prizes

2nd: €500 | 3rd: €250

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $17

Deadline: September 30, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry

The Aryamati Poetry Prize

Fly on the Wall Press

In its fifth year, the Aryamati Prize seeks poets who write for social change and peace. Past winners have included Katrina Dybzynska, Pippa Little, Jenny Mitchell and Sundra Lawrence. The prize will publish both a pamphlet winner and a full collection winner. The Aryamati Poetry Prize is thrilled to announce poet Maura Dooley as a judge for 2023.

Top prize

Traditional publishing contract for 2024 publication

Additional prizes

10 Fly on the Wall books worth £100, in any format

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $14

Deadline: August 28, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

Native Voices Award

Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc

Indigenous storytellers (Native American, First Nation Australian, Indian, Polynesian, etc.) may submit original, unpublished work in English; short stories, essays, onstage scripts, poetry, or visual art.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

2nd: $250 | 3rd: $100 | 6 Finalists: $25 gift card

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: October 31, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Script Writing, Short Story

She Writes Press and SparkPress Towards Equality in Publishing (STEP)

SparkPoint Studio

Since 2018, we’ve been proud to play a role in the much-needed elevation of writers of color by awarding 2-3 authors of color publishing packages per year as part of our She Writes Press and SparkPress Toward Equality in Publishing (STEP). The purpose of this contest is to support inclusivity across our lists, and to fortify our own mission to give voice to women writers.

Top prize

Publishing package valued at $9500

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: August 15, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Non-fiction, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Novel, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Southword Editor’s Poetry Award

Munster Literature Centre

Each entrant for their €20 entry fee will receive a complementary postage-free, one-year subscription to Southword. Poems will be read and judged anonymously. The winning poet will have their three poems published in Southword.

Top prize

€1,000

Additional prizes

Published in Southword

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $22

Deadline: September 30, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

Fool for Poetry International Chapbook Competition

Munster Literature Center

The competition is open to new, emerging and established poets from any country. One of these winners will be the highest scoring manuscript entered by a poet with no solo collection (full-length or chapbook) previously published. Up to 25 other entrants will be publicly listed as "highly commended".

Top prize

€1,000

Additional prizes

Chapbook publication with 50 free copies, 2nd prize €500

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $27

Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

Screenplays 2023

Zoetrope

The mission of the American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition is to find and promote new and innovative voices in cinema. The competition considers feature-length film scripts, as well as pilot scripts for television/streaming services. Every script is read closely by a select handful of professional readers, and the American Zoetrope staff and Francis Ford Coppola choose a winner from among the ten finalists.

Top prize

$5,000

Additional prizes

Considered for representation

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $50

Deadline: September 05, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Script Writing

Big Writers, Little Ears

Travelnitch

We are actively seeking students in Grades 7-12 who love to write! Turn your own passion for travel into an inspiring story for our younger listeners. Whether it’s a fact-based narrative or creative fiction, this is an opportunity to gain real-life experience as a travel writer and show the world what you can do.

Top prize

Publication and recorded for Bedtime Stories podcast

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: August 20, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story, Young Adult

Stephen Spender Prize for Poetry in Translation

Stephen Spender Trust

The leading annual competition for poetry in translation. Submit an English translation of a published poem from any language (max. 60 lines), together with a commentary of no more than 300 words. Open to adults aged 19+ from all over the world. Newcomers to poetry translation welcome!

Top prize

£1000

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $13

Deadline: July 14, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

Oxford Poetry Prize 2023

Oxford Poetry Magazine

Oxford Poetry hosts the annual Oxford Poetry Prize, awarded for a single poem in the English language. The guest judge for 2023 is Will Harris.

Top prize

£1000

Additional prizes

2nd: £200 | 3rd: £100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $13

Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

Dawn of AI Short Story Contest

Booksie

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been covered extensively in the news lately with the release of Chat GPT and Google Bard. AI, long the subject material for science fiction is now becoming a reality. Will AI be a force for good for humanity, creating new products, medical breakthroughs, and helping us improve our standard of living? Or will it lead to a dystopian future where humanity is enslaved or even exterminated by new AI overlords? The goal of this contest to explore these potential themes in a short story that is no more than 1,500 words.

Top prize

$300

Additional prizes

2 runner-ups: $50

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $6

Deadline: October 15, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Short Story

Inspiring Fiction's Crime and Speculative Fiction Contest

Inspiring Fiction

Inspiring Fiction’s first crime and speculative fiction short story contest is on the theme ‘Secrets’. The winner and shortlisted entries will be published in the fourth issue of Tangled Web Magazine.

Top prize

£100

Additional prizes

Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $6

Deadline: July 31, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller

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