The Best Writing Contests of 2023
Writing competitions curated by Reedsy
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Showing 628 contests
Narrative Prize
Narrative Magazine
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.
Top prize
$4,000
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $27
Deadline: June 15, 2024
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story
View contestKingsley Tufts Poetry Award
Tufts Poetry Awards
Kate Tufts – widow of Kingsley Tufts, and creator of the award – had said she wanted to create a prize “that would enable a poet to work on his or her craft for awhile without paying bills.” The legacy created with the Kingsley & Kate Tufts Poetry Awards will continue to inspire countless generations of poets and lovers of poetry.
Top prize
$100,000
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: June 30, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Poetry
View contestKate Tufts Discovery Award
Claremont Graduate University
The Kate Tufts Discovery Award was created in 1994, a year after the inception of the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. It is presented to a first book by a poet of genuine promise. The Kate Tufts Discovery Award offers a hefty prize of $10,000. The work submitted must be a first book of poetry published between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. Manuscripts, CDs, and chapbooks are not accepted.
Top prize
$10,000
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: June 30, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Poetry
View contestSFPA Poetry Contest
Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA)
The annual SFPA Speculative (Dwarf/Short/Long) Poetry Contest is open to all poets, including non-members of the SFPA. Awards will be given across 3 categories.
Top prize
$150
Additional prizes
2nd: $75 | 3rd: $25 | Publication
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $3
Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Poetry, Fiction
View contestEdinburgh Award for Flash Fiction
Scottish Arts Trust
The Edinburgh Flash Fiction Award is open to writers worldwide, published and unpublished, and for stories on any topic up to 250 words. Chief judges are the celebrated authors Zoe Strachan and Louise Welsh. The top twenty authors will be given free tickets to our annual Flash Bash at the Scottish Arts Club in Edinburgh, where everyone will present their stories and the prize-winners will be announced.
Top prize
£2000
Additional prizes
2nd: £300 | 3rd: £150 | Golden Hare Award: £500
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $8
Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Flash Fiction
View contestMoment Magazine-Karma Foundation Short Fiction Contest
Moment Magazine
The Moment Magazine-Karma Foundation Short Fiction Contest encourages writers to unpublished short fiction related to Judaism or Jewish culture or history. Established in 2000, judges and special guests for this international annual contest have included Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Pinsky, Walter Mosley, Nicole Krauss, Erica Jong, Jonathan Safran Foer, Geraldine Brooks, Andre Aciman and Dara Horn.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication in Moment Magazine
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $25
Deadline: September 30, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestThe X.J. Kennedy Poetry Prize
Texas Review Press
Established in 1998, The X. J. Kennedy Prize highlights one full-length collection of poetry per year. Since 2019 the Prize comes with a $10,000 advance, a standard royalty contract, and 20 copies of the published book.
Top prize
$10,000 advance
Additional prizes
Royalty contract with TRP, publication, 20 author copies
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $28
Deadline: September 30, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Poetry
View contestAnnual 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: December 31, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestBenjamin Saltman Poetry Award
Red Hen Press
Established in 1998, in honor of the poet Benjamin Saltman (1927–1999), this award is for a previously unpublished original collection of poetry. The awarded collection is selected through an annual competition that is open to all poets.
Top prize
$3,000
Additional prizes
Book publication by Red Hen Press, a four-week PLAYA residency
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $25
Deadline: October 31, 2023
Genres
Poetry
View contestEdwin Markham Prize for Poetry
Reed Magazine
The Edwin Markham Prize honors outstanding works of poetry. Our taste is eclectic and celebrates the wonderful diversity of forms, styles, and levels of diction available to the contemporary poet. Writers may submit up to five (5) poems per submission.
Top prize
$1,000
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: November 01, 2023
Genres
Poetry
View contestJohn Steinbeck Award for Fiction
Reed Magazine
Awarding one of the richest purses among literary magazines—$1,000 for the winning story—the John Steinbeck Award for Fiction recognizes exceptional works of fiction. Aesthetically, we are open to most styles and approaches. All works should be stand-alone short stories, not chapters of a longer work. Please limit prose submissions to 5,000 words.
Top prize
$1,000
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: November 01, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestGreen Stories Writing Competition
University of Southampton
Theme: Microbes to the Rescue! This short story competition is sponsored by the Environmental Biotechnology Network. It may appeal to writers with a scientific bent as it aims to use fiction to raise awareness of Environmental Biotechnology and what microbial systems can do for us. Eligibility: Open to all – we encourage international writers. All submissions must be in English and unpublished. Length: We ask for a short story of between 1000 and 3000 words.
Top prize
£500 prize
Additional prizes
2nd: £200 | 3rd: £100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: September 21, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Novel, Short Story, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller
View contestThe Not-So-Great Outdoors Contest
Gotham Writers Workshop
It’s that season when people spend time in the great outdoors. Which is a perfect time to tell us a story about a not-so-great outdoor experience. It might be camping during a wild rainstorm or getting lost while out for a simple walk or just melting outside during a heat wave. Give us a story—fiction or nonfiction—in 49 words or fewer. We’ll pick the story we like best and give that writer a free Gotham class of their choosing.
Top prize
Free writing class
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Flash Fiction
View contestPublic Roads Student Writing Competition
Federal Highway Administration/Public Roads Magazine
Public Roads is proud to announce its first Student Writing Competition, designed to encourage high school and college students interested in or actively pursuing STEM majors to demonstrate their knowledge by writing an article that relates to the transportation industry.
Top prize
Published in Winter 2023 Issue of Public Roads Magazine
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: July 21, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Essay, Non-fiction, Science Writing
View contestGothic Short Story
Briar Press New York
Briar Press NY is looking for Short Stories in the Gothic tradition, previously unpublished and set in any time period/place/culture. We are looking for beautiful writing, an engaging plot, memorable characters, and that authentic Gothic atmosphere (classic tropes are welcomed, but we also want substance and depth!)
Top prize
Publication in Anthology
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: August 01, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Short Story, Thriller
View contestWOW! Women on Writing Spring 2023 Flash Fiction Contest
WOW! Women On Writing
Seeking short fiction of any genre between 250 - 750 words. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, great writing, and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants.
Top prize
$400
Additional prizes
2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 | 7 runner-ups: $25 Amazon Gift Cards
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Flash Fiction, Fiction, Short Story
View contestSoutham Book Festival Flash Fiction Competition
Southam Book Festival
A story of up to 100 words ( including title). Must include the word 'alarmed'. Open to all over 16 yrs.
Top prize
£60
Additional prizes
2nd: £30 | 3rd: £20
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $4
Deadline: October 09, 2023
Genres
Flash Fiction
View contestOxford Flash Fiction Prize
Oxford Flash Fiction
This summer we celebrate the meaning of gifts, exchanges and the stories we tell about them. This competition runs in partnership with the Bodleian Libraries’ Gifts and Books exhibition at the University of Oxford. Each entrant to the 2023 summer competition will also receive an e-book special edition Oxford Flash Fiction anthology.
Top prize
£1000
Additional prizes
2nd Prize: £200 | 3rd Prize: £100 | New Voice Prize: £50
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $8
Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Flash Fiction, Fiction, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestUniverse of Threats Essay Contest
CAPTRS
CAPTRS has launched a pathogen threat scenario writing contest, which will be part of their work to build a catalog of pathogen threat scenarios that will be used to hone pandemic preparedness strategies and train future decision-makers. Submissions may not exceed 2,500 words, and will be judged on creativity, plausibility of the pathogen threat, complexity of cascading societal factors, difficulty posed for current pandemic response capabilities and quality of writing.
Top prize
$10,000
Additional prizes
2nd: $5,000 (up to 2 winners) | 3rd: $1,000 (up to 5 winners)
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: July 31, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Essay, Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story
View contestPage One Prize for Novelists
Gutsy Great Novelist
The Gutsy Great Novelist Page One Prize is awarded for an outstanding opening page of an unpublished novel. The prize is open internationally to anyone over 18 writing a novel in English in any genre for adult or YA readers.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
2nd $500 | 3rd $250
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: July 14, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Novel, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestGemini Magazine Flash Fiction Contest
Gemini Magazine
Knock us out in 1,000 words or less! Any subject or style. Except for the word limit, we have no rules and are open to your most creative work, whether literary, noir, historical, sci-fi or any other category. Read previous winners and finalists online to see the wide variety of flash fiction we publish.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Second: $100 | 4x Honorable Mentions: $25 | Online publication for all six finalists
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $7
Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Flash Fiction
View contestKurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize
North American Review
The Vonnegut Prize is an annual fiction competition intended to recognize the finest speculative fiction, which can include, but is not limited to, work influenced by the postmodern science-fiction of Kurt Vonnegut. We love Vonnegut’s dark humor, but please avoid mere imitation. We are enthusiastic about all work painted with speculative fiction’s broad brush: fairy tale, magical realism, fabulism, the fantastic, horror, Afro-futurism, science fiction hard and soft, and everything in between. The winning entry will appear in the North American Review's annual summer issue, and all finalists will be considered for publication.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $23
Deadline: November 01, 2023
Genres
Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, Suspense
View contestFlash Fiction Competition
Write the World
“There was more room to think,” wrote novelist David Gaffney on becoming a flash fiction convert. Stories of the sudden/mini/micro variety pack the best parts of fiction into brimming, half-pint packages. Come celebrate the art of concision this month, dear writers, and write a story in 99 words or less.
Top prize
Best Entry: $100
Additional prizes
Runner up: $50, Best Peer Review: $50
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: August 22, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Flash Fiction
View contestCreative Nonfiction Competition
Write the World
The teenage years are an in-between time, the stage linking our childhood to adulthood. It’s a time of internal transitions, as we find out more about who we are and who we want to be in the world. This month, use the tools of creative nonfiction to write about your own experience of this passage into adulthood.
Top prize
Best Entry: $100
Additional prizes
Runner up: $50 | Best Peer Review: $50
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: July 18, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction
View contestSongwriting Competition
Write the World
Songs can tell stories, evoke emotion, even deliver lessons. Dear writers, what issue is most pressing to your generation? In an original song, channel this urgency into music, to be sung and celebrated—a rallying call for listeners near and far. This month, write your own song of change. We’ll select a winner for best lyrics and best performance.
Top prize
Best Lyrics: $100
Additional prizes
Best Performance: $100, Best Peer Review: $50
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: June 20, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Poetry
View contestThe Canadian Jewish Playwriting Competition
The Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre
This one of a kind competition recognizes the most outstanding unproduced Canadian plays with a Jewish focus. The 2023 competition is co-presented by The Winnipeg Jewish Theatre (Manitoba), The Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company (Ontario), and The Segal Centre for the Performing Arts (Quebec).
Top prize
$1,000 (CAN)
Additional prizes
Workshop with director and up to 6 actors with public reading
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: September 05, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Script Writing
View contestHastings Book Festival - Short Story
Hastings Book Festival
Entries for the fiction section of the 2023 Hastings Book Festival Writing Competition are now open. Submissions can be on any subject and should be no more than 2500 words long.
Top prize
£250
Additional prizes
2nd: £100 | 3rd: £50
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: July 14, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Short Story
View contestHastings Book Festival Writing Competition - POETRY
Hastings Book Festival
Entries for the poetry section of the 2023 Hastings Book Festival Writing Competition are now open. Submissions can be on any subject and should be no more than 40 lines long long.
Top prize
£250
Additional prizes
2nd: £100 | 3rd: £50
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: July 14, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Poetry
View contestAfrican Diaspora Award
Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc.
Submissions are open for Kinsman Quarterly’s African Diaspora Award. Top winners receive prizes up to $500 USD and publication within the Black Diaspora anthology. No entry fee required. Those eligible should submit an original, unpublished work in English that features themes of the African diaspora by July 15, 2023.
Top prize
$500
Additional prizes
2nd: $250 | 3rd: $100 + Publication
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: July 15, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Romance, Script Writing, Short Story, Young Adult
View contestOvacome Writing Competition 2023
Ovacome
The theme for the 2023 Ovacome Writing Competition is 'Between'. This theme can be interpreted in many different ways - the possibilities are endless! Your short story does not have to be about health or ovarian cancer.
Top prize
£250
Additional prizes
Runner up: £50 Waterstones book voucher
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: September 15, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Short Story
View contestNovella Competition
Weatherglass Books
Write a work of literary fiction of novella length (20k-40k words) and be published by Weatherglass Books. Ali Smith will judge the short list.
Top prize
Advance of £1000 | Published by Autumn 2024
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $19
Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Novella
View contestFiction Factory Short Story Competition
Fiction Factory
This competition is held twice-yearly. Entries are welcomed from all over the world from writers aged 16 and above. Stories may be on any theme. Sadly we do not accept YA or children's fiction.
Top prize
£500
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $8
Deadline: October 31, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestFiction Factory Flash Fiction
Fiction Factory
This is an international competition, open to writers from all over the world over the age of 16. Stories may be on any theme but we sadly do not accept YA or Children's stories.
Top prize
£300
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $7
Deadline: July 31, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Flash Fiction, Crime, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
View contestSciFidea Award
SciFidea
Singapore-based SciFidea is inviting writers to submit their sci-fi stories set on or in a Dyson Sphere for a chance to win a grand prize of $20,000! The judges are seasoned veterans within the industry who have devoted many years to the science fiction genre and have been honored with prestigious awards such as the Hugo Award.
Top prize
$20,000 x 10 winners
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: August 31, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Science Fiction
View contestLetter Review Prize for Short Stories
Letter Review
The Letter Review Prize for Short Stories (1000-3000 words) is open to writers from anywhere in the world and has no theme or genre restrictions. Winners are published and every entry is considered for publication. 20 entries are Longlisted.
Top prize
$600
Additional prizes
2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: June 30, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contest
