Menu
Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.
Find the perfect editor for your next book
1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.
Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.
Find the perfect editor for your next book
1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.
DIRECTORY
Showing 427 contests that match your search.
Association of Writers & Writing Programs
Genres: Poetry
The Donald Hall Prize for Poetry awards $5,500 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press. The prize honors the best unpublished collection of poems and is judged by a prominent poet.
Top Prize:
$5,500
Additional prizes:
Publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2024 (Expired)
MoonLit Getaway
Genres: Flash Fiction and Poetry
The contest invites submissions in visual art, poetry, and flash fiction. It aims to showcase innovative and authentic art while promoting diversity. Winners and runners-up will be featured on the website and in a Fall anthology.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Each category winner will receive $100 (USD). Winning submissions and two runners-up per category will be published in the Fall Anthology.
📅 Deadline: August 01, 2024 (Expired)
Hope Prize
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Short Story
The Hope Prize is an international short story competition focused on original stories of hope, open to writers aged 18 and over, with entries accepted in English. The prize encourages bold self-expression and aims to spotlight charities making impactful changes.
Top Prize:
$10 000 AUD
Additional prizes:
2nd: $2000 AUD | 3rd: $1000 AUD | Shortlisted stories will be published in a Simon & Schuster anthology.
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: October 31, 2025
Lambda Literary
Genres: LGBTQ
This prize honors emerging LGBTQ writers over the age of 50. It recognizes unpublished LGBTQ writers working in any genre, emphasizing that writers who start later can be just as talented as those who begin earlier.
Top Prize:
$5,000
📅 Deadline: May 16, 2025 (Expired)
Hearts Through History Romance Writers
Genres: Fiction and Romance
This contest is aimed at unpublished authors focusing on historical romance narratives. It promotes creativity by allowing submissions that adhere to specific genre standards, such as historical accuracy and romantic plots.
Top Prize:
$50
Additional prizes:
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each category receive a social media badge. All winners will be announced in RWA’s digital Romance Writers Report.
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)
The Georgia Review
Genres: Poetry
An annual poetry contest for a single poem, awarded by The Georgia Review, with a prize of $1,500. Submissions are accepted from February 15 to May 15, with winners announced by August 15. The winning poem will be published in the Winter issue of The Georgia Review.
Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
Publication in The Georgia Review
💰 Entry fee: $3
📅 Deadline: May 15, 2025 (Expired)
Christopher Fielden
Genres: Fiction, Humor, Non-fiction, and Short Story
The To Hull and Back Humorous Short Story Competition is a biennial contest focused on humorous writing. It celebrates imaginative short stories from writers globally. The current competition is open until June 30, 2025, with multiple cash prizes and publication opportunities in an anthology.
Top Prize:
£1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd Prize: £200 | 3rd Prize: £100
💰 Entry fee: $16
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)
Fire & Ash Publishers
Genres: Poetry
The Fire & Ash Publishers Salon Competition is designed for local poets to showcase their works to industry professionals. Each month, four poets are selected to read their poetry at salon nights. An adjudication panel anonymously selects finalists based on submitted poems, and finalists receive a $50 CAD honorarium and an invitation to perform.
Top Prize:
$50
Additional prizes:
Honorarium for finalists and an invitation to perform their poem.
📅 Deadline: February 07, 2025 (Expired)
Genres: Poetry
The competition runs for 42 weeks from April 9, 2024, to January 28, 2025. Each week, five words will be provided for poem submissions, which must incorporate all the words.
Top Prize:
€750
Additional prizes:
€500, €250
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: January 28, 2025 (Expired)
Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The TWFest Very Short Fiction Contest is designed to promote new work from emerging writers. Eligible submissions are original short stories up to 1,000 words, written in English, and must be unpublished. The contest offers a grand prize of $500.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
VIP Pass to the Festival ($600 Value), Public reading at the next Festival, Publication in French Quarter Journal. Top finalists will receive a LitPass ($100 value) to the Festival.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: October 15, 2025
Booksie
Genres: Poetry
The Booksie 2025 Poetry Contest seeks original poems of any type or length. Entries can be serious or whimsical, but should evoke thought. Judges will select winners from six finalists.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Gold winner badge and promotion across Booksie. Runners-up receive $100 cash and a silver winner badge
💰 Entry fee: $7
📅 Deadline: October 17, 2025
University of New Orleans Press
Genres: Novel
The Publishing Laboratory at the University of New Orleans seeks to promote innovative publicity and broad distribution for authors. They accept submissions for unpublished novels and short story collections. A selected author is awarded a $10,000 advance on royalties and a publishing contract.
Top Prize:
$10,000
Additional prizes:
Advance on royalties
💰 Entry fee: $28
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2024 (Expired)
Sunspot Lit
Genres: Non-fiction and Poetry
The Geminga Contest 2025 invites submissions of tiny fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, and art. Submissions should honor the power of brevity, with specific word limits for each category. Accepted works will be published in upcoming editions of Sunspot Lit.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Publication for the winner, with publication also offered to runners-up and finalists.
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)
Institute for Excellence in Writing
Genres: Children's
The contest invites students aged 8-18 to participate, regardless of experience with IEW's writing methods. Each participant submits an essay based on specified prompts for different age levels.
Top Prize:
$200
Additional prizes:
1st place: $200 for the student winner and a $200 gift certificate for their parent or teacher Additional monetary prizes and gift certificates for 2nd and 3rd places. Participants receive a free IEW bookmark.
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)
Bridport Arts Centre
Genres: Poetry
The Bridport Poetry Prize is a prestigious competition open to poets worldwide, encouraging original and unpublished works. It features significant cash prizes and opportunities for publication in an anthology.
Top Prize:
£5000
Additional prizes:
£1000 for 2nd, £500 for 3rd
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025 (Expired)
Writing Battle
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
f
Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
Genre Runner-up (x4): $375 Feedback by industry professionals
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: August 02, 2024 (Expired)
Department of English at McGill University
Genres: Poetry
Founded in 2010, the Montreal International Poetry Prize is a global competition awarding $20,000 CAD to a poet for a single poem of 40 or fewer lines. The prize emphasizes original poetry, international readership, and exploration of diverse Englishes. The contest is juried by esteemed poets and critics, and the shortlisted works are published in an anthology.
Top Prize:
$20,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in the Montreal Poetry Prize Anthology
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: May 15, 2024 (Expired)
Plough Publishing
Genres: Poetry
The award honors Dominican-American poet Rhina Espaillat. It is for an original poem of up to 50 lines, showcasing empathy and grace in everyday life.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Winning poem published in Plough Quarterly | Two finalists will receive $250
💰 Entry fee: $7
📅 Deadline: March 30, 2025 (Expired)
Fusilli Writing
Genres: Flash Fiction
An international flash fiction competition for stories up to 200 words with a twist. The competition is open to anyone 18+ and accepts any theme, with a focus on quality writing.
Top Prize:
£30
Additional prizes:
Publication on the winners' page
💰 Entry fee: $3
📅 Deadline: December 31, 2025
Winning Writers
Genres: Humor and Poetry
Now in its 24th year, this contest seeks the best humor poems. There is no fee to enter, and both published and unpublished works are accepted. A total of $3,750 in prizes is available, with the first prize being $2,000.
Top Prize:
$3,750
Additional prizes:
Two-year gift certificate for Duotrope | 2nd: $500
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: April 01, 2025 (Expired)
New Writers UK
Genres: Flash Fiction
The New Writers Poetry Competition offers a £1,200 top prize (with £1,800 total) and publication for the top six poems in its next New Writers Anthology. It is open globally to any English-language poet aged 18+. 10% of proceeds will be donated to charity. The head judge is prize-winning poet, Katrina Moinet.
Top Prize:
£1,200
Additional prizes:
2nd: £300 | 3rd: £150 | 4th to 6th: £50 each
💰 Entry fee: $14
📅 Deadline: July 17, 2025
Fiction Factory
Genres: Poetry
The Fiction Factory Poetry Competition invites poets to submit original works on any topic, with a maximum length of 40 lines. The competition aims to celebrate creativity and diversity in poetry.
Top Prize:
£100
Additional prizes:
Feedback on poems, a Zoom mentorship call, and publication
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024 (Expired)
Berggruen Institute
Genres: Essay
The Berggruen Prize Essay Competition aims to foster innovative ideas across cultures by posing significant philosophical questions relevant to contemporary life. It seeks submissions in English and Chinese that reflect novel thinking and compelling arguments.
Top Prize:
$50,000
Additional prizes:
Publication. Each language category (English and Chinese) will have a prize.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025
The Pinch Literary Journal
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Pinch Literary Awards recognize excellence in fiction. Submissions are judged blind, with various entry windows throughout the year.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in the fall issue of Pinch.
💰 Entry fee: $28
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Best Indie Book Award
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.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
A physical trophy or plaque
💰 Entry fee: $65
📅 Deadline: August 01, 2025
National Youth Foundation
Genres: Poetry
A national poetry and art competition initiated by a 14-year-old youth co-founder to allow students to express feelings about racial injustice, specifically focusing on the Black Lives Matter movement. The contest aims to promote diversity and inclusion through literary arts.
Additional prizes:
Winning entries are featured on social media and published in an annual book
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: July 23, 2025
Aesthetica Magazine
Genres: Poetry
The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award celebrates outstanding writers in poetry and short fiction. It aims to support new literary talent and showcases entries that reflect upon the changing world and challenge traditional boundaries of form and technique.
Top Prize:
£2,500
Additional prizes:
Publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual, one-year subscription to Granta and Mslexia, and various courses.
💰 Entry fee: $12
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2025
Texas Review Press
Genres: Poetry
This series highlights first full-length collections by emerging authors from southern U.S. states. Submissions are open annually from December 1 to March 1.
Top Prize:
Copies of the published book and a standard royalty contract
📅 Deadline: March 01, 2025 (Expired)
Association of Writers & Writing Programs
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction awards $5,500 and publication by Mad Creek Books, an imprint of The Ohio State University Press. It is part of the AWP Award Series open to all authors writing in English. The prize celebrates outstanding book-length works and is judged anonymously.
Top Prize:
$5,500
Additional prizes:
Publication by Mad Creek Books
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Writing Battle
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Spring Microfiction Battle is part of the Writing Battle series, where participants write stories based on prompts. Participants receive feedback from peers and industry judges.
Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
Genre Runner-up (x4): $375 Feedback by industry professionals. Various merchandise and opportunities for additional exposure in the community.
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: May 03, 2024 (Expired)
F(r)iction
Genres: Flash Fiction
The F(r)iction Flash Fiction Contest invites writers to submit flash fiction pieces of up to 1,000 words. The winner will be published in F(r)iction. The contest embraces experimental and boundary-pushing literature, encouraging creativity.
Top Prize:
$300
Additional prizes:
Consideration for publication in F(r)iction and the potential for up to five finalists to be published.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: May 02, 2025 (Expired)
TCK Publishing
Genres: Poetry
The TCK Publishing Poetry Awards Contest is an international poetry contest established in 2021. The contest invites writers from all backgrounds to submit poems. The winner receives a $1,000 honorarium and publication on the TCK Publishing website.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication on TCK Website
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)
Autumn House Press
Genres: Poetry
The Autumn House Poetry Contest accepts manuscripts of 50-80 pages. The winner receives publication of their manuscript, a $2,500 prize, and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant.
Top Prize:
$2,500
Additional prizes:
Publication of full-length manuscript + a $1,500 travel/publicity grant
💰 Entry fee: $35
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024 (Expired)
Ploughshares
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry
The Emerging Writer's Contest, held by Ploughshares since 1971, recognizes outstanding work by emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Winners are announced in the fall and their works are published in the Winter 2024-25 issue of Ploughshares.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in Ploughshares and a conversation with Aevitas Creative Management.
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: May 15, 2025 (Expired)
Xulon Press
Genres: Christian
The Christian Author Awards recognize outstanding new Christian authors who have published independently. The awards honor exceptional books that align with a Christian worldview and promote them through various means, including media announcements and advertising.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
$200 for 2nd place, $100 for 3rd place
📅 Deadline: December 16, 2024 (Expired)
Bring your publishing dreams to life
The world's best editors, designers, and marketers are on Reedsy. Come meet them.