Best Writing Contests in 2025

Genres: Poetry

The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the largest prizes for individual unpublished poems, open to anyone over 16 worldwide. The prize is judged anonymously and past winners have included notable poets. The 2025 competition is currently open.

Genres: Fiction and Non-fiction

Established in 2015, this prize honors outstanding debut literary works by first-generation immigrants. The prize alternates yearly between fiction and nonfiction, highlighting themes of identity and migration.

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

The Irene Adler Prize is a scholarship for women writers, offering $1,000 to support their education in journalism, creative writing, or literature. The prize aims to celebrate and elevate women's voices in writing.

Genres: Poetry

A national poetry contest established in 1997 in memory of Mark Fischer. It aims to promote poetry and supports the Talking Gourds community poetry program. The contest is open to all poets writing in English, regardless of age or location, and it awards cash prizes to winners and finalists.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The contest invites participants to write a micro-flash story of 39 words, inspired by John Buchan’s 'The Thirty-Nine Steps.' Submissions must fit the theme and will be featured in an anthology. Winners will also be showcased in a public online event.

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

Creative nonfiction may include memoirs, chronicles, personal essays, humorous perspectives, literary journalism—anything the author has witnessed, experienced, or discovered. Pieces may be previously published or unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are accepted. Winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication in The Lascaux Review.

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

The competition is open for submissions themed 'The Evolution of Love'. Each entry will be edited, judged based on various writing criteria, and selected works will be published in an anthology.

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.

Genres: Fiction

The Raven Short Story Contest invites submissions of previously unpublished short fiction between 250 to 2500 words. The contest is judged by Kelly Robson, a renowned author.

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.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Rigel 2025 writing contest is a writing contest organized by Sunspot Lit, seeking exceptional submissions in various formats including short stories, poetry, and artwork. The contest aims to highlight quality works across genres.

Genres: Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Novel

High-quality unpublished manuscripts in memoir, fiction, and non-fiction are sought for this competition. The contest is designed to amplify the voices of contemporary writers.

Genres: Poetry

The Indiana Review Poetry Prize is part of an annual contest that awards a prize for excellent poetry submissions. The contest is open to submissions of poetry, and winners receive publication along with a monetary honorarium.

Genres: Poetry

The Willow Run Poetry Book Award is an annual contest open to poets worldwide. The winner receives a monetary prize of $1,000 and publication by Hidden River Press. Entries should be unpublished collections of poetry, between 75 and 100 pages.

Genres: Fiction

The bookworm contest want to see fantastic opening lines with a twist: mention the word "bookworm". May the best three crawl to the top!

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.

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize aims to discover and support new writing talent on an annual basis. The prize includes financial support for the best pieces of writing submitted on an announced theme. The contest is open to all writers aged 18 and above, regardless of nationality.

Genres: Travel

The Travel Writing Award invites writers to explore and share their experiences in Ottawa and its surroundings. It emphasizes capturing the essence of travel through a narrative lens.

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Travel

The competition invites writers to submit short stories of up to 1000 words, excluding children's and young adult fiction. The entry fee varies based on the number of submissions. Winners will be announced in February 2026.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Flash Fiction

The competition features an open theme and includes four categories: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, and Poetry. Each category has a defined maximum word count. Winners will be acknowledged at the festival and have the opportunity to read their entries.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The competition invites submissions of flash fiction with a maximum word count of 999. Entries can be on any topic, allowing writers to showcase their creativity.

Genres: Poetry

The Happiful Poetry Prize is an annual competition that invites entries exploring themes of mental health and wellbeing. The contest is open to writers aged 18 and over from the UK and Northern Ireland. The competition aims to celebrate high-quality writing in poetry.

Genres: Short Story

The competition is open for entries, accepting submissions on any theme or genre. All entries are judged anonymously.

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Horror, Mystery, and Science Fiction

The Fabula Press Short Story Contest encourages exceptional storytelling across genres, with no specific theme. Participants can submit entries for both free and paid categories. Winning stories may be published in an anthology.

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Short Story

There is no topic relating to technology that brings more discussion than artificial intelligence. Some people think it does wonders. Others see it as trouble. Let us know your opinion about AI in this competition. Include experiences you have had with AI. 300-word limit. Winners will be selected January 1, 2024. Open to anyone, anywhere.

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story

In 500 words or less, write a story based on a character that has the opportunity to do-over one event in their life. The story can be any genre as long as it is based on this concept. Entrants must also leave at least three quality reviews on the work of other site members.

Genres: Fiction and Non-fiction

The First Pages Prize supports emerging writers by recognizing their first five pages of longer works of fiction or creative nonfiction. It aims to encourage those who are un-agented and offers a prize package to aid in their writing journey.

Genres: Fiction

The Dave Williamson National Short Story Competition is open to Canadian writers aged 18 and older, encouraging diversity and inclusion across all communities. Submissions are accepted in any fiction genre, with a word limit between 2,500 and 4,500 words. Winners will be published in the Guild's anthology, _Beyond Boundaries_.

Genres: Poetry

The Dark Poets Prize is an international poetry competition inviting entries that explore beauty within darkness. The winner receives the title of International Dark Poets Prize IV Winner and a cash prize.

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, and Thriller

The Winter Flash Fiction Battle is an engaging contest where writers compete by creating stories based on given prompts. Participants write a story of up to 1000 words within three days. The contest emphasizes community feedback and professional judging.

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Best Indie Book Award (BIBA) is an international literary contest that recognizes outstanding achievements by independently published authors. Entries are limited to indie published books, including those from small presses and self-published authors, judged on various writing skills.

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The competition invites short story submissions of up to 8,000 words from writers of all genres. It aims to encourage creativity and provide feedback opportunities. Participants retain ownership of their work, with the winner receiving a cash prize along with chances to win in a bonus draw.

Genres: Flash Fiction, Fiction, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Oxford Flash Fiction Prize celebrates flash fiction, encouraging new voices and showcasing creativity in under 1000 words. This biannual competition invites writers to submit their stories for the chance to win cash prizes and publication.

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Short Story

Vocal Challenges invite writers to enter themed storytelling contests for a chance to win cash, prizes, experiences, and more.

Genres: Essay, Fiction, and Non-fiction

This bi-annual contest recognizes emerging writers with submissions of previously unpublished fiction or nonfiction up to 6,000 words. Judged by Colin Barrett, it awards $3,000 for first place, $300 for second, and $200 for third, along with agency reviews for finalists.