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Find the perfect editor for your next book
1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.
DIRECTORY
Showing 383 contests that match your search.
Halloween Horror Contest
Genres: Horror
The spooky season is almost upon us. We're looking for your creepiest horror stories. The ones that make us lay awake in bed at night gnashing our teeth, wondering about the sound coming from under the bed. The story can be a maximum of 5,000 words. There is no minimum.
Top Prize:
$250
Additional prizes:
Two runner-ups: $50
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: November 11, 2022 (Expired)
Warm Mug of Cozy
Genres: Crime, Flash Fiction, Mystery, and Short Story
Do you like writing short cozy mysteries? If so, we would love to invite you to submit your work for potential inclusion in our first Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology. Theme: No restriction, as long as your story follows the classic rules of Cozy Mystery.
Top Prize:
2% royalties per published story ($)
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)
Writer Advice
Genres: Flash Fiction
Writer Advice seeks flash fiction (750 words or less). Draw us in. Open our eyes. Dazzle, delight, and entice us. Winners receive cash prizes and are published. Low fee for solid feedback. Deadline: 06/02/24. Details, tiered fees, and cash prizes: www.writeradvice.com.
Top Prize:
$300 divided between 5-7 winners
Additional prizes:
Publication
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: June 02, 2024 (Expired)
Berkeley Fiction Review
Genres: Flash Fiction
The Berkeley Fiction Review is a UC Berkeley undergraduate, student-run publication. We look for innovative short fiction that plays with form and content, as well as traditionally constructed stories with fresh voices and original ideas. Currently seeking flash fiction submissions of 1000 words or fewer.
Top Prize:
$150
Additional prizes:
2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50 | Honorable mentions: $25 | Publication
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: April 01, 2024 (Expired)
New Beginnings
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.
Top Prize:
$100 CA
Additional prizes:
Publication
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: December 15, 2023 (Expired)
Reedsy
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
Every Friday, Reedsy sends out five writing prompts. Enter your response within a week for a chance at $250. Winners may also be included in a future issue of Reedsy’s literary magazine, Prompted.
Top Prize:
$250
Additional prizes:
$25 credit toward Reedsy editorial services
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024
Genres: Poetry
At around noon each Tuesday (GMT), from 12 April 2022 to 31 January 2023, five words are posted on the Ó Bhéal Five Words competition page. Entrants have one week to compose and submit poems that include all five words given for the week. The competition runs for 42 weeks, and a prize of 750 euro is awarded to one winner.
Top Prize:
€750
Additional prizes:
€500, €250
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: January 30, 2024 (Expired)
Dream Quest One
Genres: Poetry
Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.
Top Prize:
$250
Additional prizes:
2nd: $125 | 3rd: $50
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024
South Warwickshire Literary Festival
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction 800 words, Poetry 40 lines, any genre any style. Over 16s only
Top Prize:
£50
Additional prizes:
Read entry at literary festival, September 2024 UK
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: March 29, 2024 (Expired)
Free Flash Fiction
Genres: Flash Fiction
Submit a flash fiction piece of between 100 and 300 words, on any theme.
Top Prize:
£150
Additional prizes:
2 Highly Commended: £40 | 3 shortlisted: £30 | Publication
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: June 23, 2024
TCK Publishing
Genres: Poetry
The TCK Publishing Poetry Awards Contest is an international poetry contest established in 2021. Each year’s prizewinner receives a $1,000 honorarium and publication of his or her poem on the TCK Publishing website. This contest is open to writers from all countries, backgrounds, and walks of life. Each submission may include up to five poems totaling no more than 500 words.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication on TCK Website
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024
TheNextBigWriter, LLC
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Novel, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult
Have a book or a novel idea you've been noodling? Enter your first chapter into the Booksie First Chapter Contest and see how it does. You don't need to have finished the book. You don't even need more than the first chapter. We're looking for a start that will grab our attention, that is original, that is well written, and that makes us want to beg you to see what comes next. And for those we find, we'll provide some awards to inspire you to finish writing the book or, if finished, to help get it published.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Gold contest badge.
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: May 14, 2022 (Expired)
New Deal Museum
Genres: Christian, Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Travel
GVCA is excited to announce the ninth annual New Deal Writing Competition! This competition challenges writers to use a painting chosen by the staff at GVCA as inspiration for a short story. This year’s painting is “Playtime” by Fred Ross.
Top Prize:
$200
Additional prizes:
Publication in newsletter
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: March 15, 2024 (Expired)
Plough Publishing
Genres: Poetry
This award honors the achievements of the great Dominican-American poet, translator, and public school teacher Rhina Polonia Espaillat. The Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award will be awarded for an original poem of not more than fifty lines that reflects her lyricism, empathy, and ability to find grace in everyday events of life.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in Plough Quarterly. Two finalists will receive $250
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: March 30, 2024 (Expired)
Genres: Flash Fiction
The Top 5 Flashes from Team Britain and Team World will duke it out for prizes, glory – and points. The higher you rank, the more points you get for your team. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place will get a host of cash prizes. The team with the most points will win additional prizes.
Top Prize:
£100
Additional prizes:
2nd: £50 | 3rd: £25
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)
Winchester Poetry Festival
Genres: Poetry
Winchester Poetry Prize is our globally popular, annual poetry competition, which began in 2016. The competition attracts entries from all over the world and is judged blind. It opens in April, and closes in July.
Top Prize:
$1,000
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2024
The Berlin Literary Review
Genres: Flash Fiction
The Berlin Literary Review is looking forward to receiving submissions from around the world (in English), for our Spring Flash Fiction Contest. Up to 1,500 words, and up to 660€ in awards.
Top Prize:
€660
Additional prizes:
Publication
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2024 (Expired)
Inspiring Fiction
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller
Inspiring Fiction’s special edition short story contest is on the theme ‘Freedom’. We are looking for crime, speculative, and fantasy short stories. The winner and shortlisted entries will be published in a bumper crossover issue of Tangled Web Magazine and Mirk Fantasy Magazine.
Top Prize:
£100
Additional prizes:
Publication and published review by the editor
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2024
Folly Journal
Genres: Fiction, Humor, and Short Story
The Folly Prize launched in 2023 with fierce competition from an incredible array of edgy, off the wall, sexy, fun writing submitted by talented writers from around the globe. The 2024 Folly Prize runs from 15 January - 30 April 2024, with a cash first prize of $1000 NZD and a Runner up prize of $500 NZD. The Prizewinner Runner Ups will be published in Issue 2 of Folly, due to be launched in late October 2024 and will receive a copy of the publication. We encourage entries from writers from around the world, and are specifically looking for work that is accessible (fun), yet well written. Your story doesn't need to be New Zealand-centric - we are looking for local and international stories that are pacey, provocative, honest and light. We want to choke into our coffee and laugh out loud. Submissions are via our Submittable portal, found on the Submissions page.
Top Prize:
$1000 NZD
Additional prizes:
Runner-up: $500 NZD
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)
Inspiring Fiction
Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Mystery, Science Fiction, and Thriller
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 fee: $6
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2023 (Expired)
Fiction Factory
Genres: Poetry
This is a UK based competition but we welcome international entries. Poets are invited to enter poems (maximum 40 lines excluding title) on any theme. Discounts are offered on multiple entries. Besides the cash prize, our judge, poet and author and mentor, Helen Cox, will offer feedback on five of the winner's poems plus an hour-long mentorship zoom call about their poetry.
Top Prize:
£100
Additional prizes:
Feedback on poems, a Zoom mentorship call, and publication
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024
Third Wednesday
Genres: Poetry
Each year Third Wednesday awards 3 $100 prizes in its annual poetry contest. For this year's contest, entries will be accepted from November 1, 2020 through February 15, 2021. We will accept contest entries of up to 3 previously unpublished poems of any style and subject matter. There is no limit on length.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
print copy of the 3rd Wednesday contest issue
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2024 (Expired)
Third Wednesday
Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction
The editors of Third Wednesday wish to honor the memory of George Dila, friend of Third Wednesday and the editor who originally brought fiction to 3W. To this end, we proudly announce the opening of The George Dila Memorial Flash Fiction Contest. We accept entries of previously unpublished stories of under 1000 words in length (including title).
Top Prize:
100 x3 Winning Stories
Additional prizes:
Publication in Third Wednesday magazine
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: August 15, 2024
Friends of the Canterbury Festival
Genres: Poetry
The competition has become a popular fixture in the poetry world attracting entries from all over the globe, last year we received a total of 553 poems. The judges this year are Luigi Marchini (Chair of SaveAs Writers), Derek Sellen (Poet of the Year 2023) and Mara Adamitz Scrupe (Dean & Professor Emerita, University of the Arts, Philadelphia and former Poet of the Year). All the poems are judged totally anonymously, the poet’s name is not revealed to the judges. Poems may be on any subject and in any format but no more than 60 lines long.
Top Prize:
£200
Additional prizes:
Publication in anthology
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: June 07, 2024 (Expired)
The Plough Arts Centre
Genres: Poetry
Now in its twenty first year, the Plough Poetry Prize is an international open competition for poems in English up to 40 lines on any subject. We're delighted that this year's competition will be judged by Roger McGough.
Top Prize:
£1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: £500 | 3rd: £250
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)
Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc
Genres: Poetry
Poetry entries wanted for the upcoming collection, SLAM! Up to $300 in cash prizes. We are looking for captivating rhythm, form, hard-hitting themes of culture, resilience, passion, and justice. BIPOC Poets are encouraged to submit. Entries should have unpredictable patterns of rhyme and explore free verse and playfulness with language.
Top Prize:
$300
Additional prizes:
Publication in Kinsman Quarterly and the "SLAM" anthology.
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2024 (Expired)
Poetry Society
Genres: Poetry
The Free Verse Prize is a new poetry prize, which supports the Free Verse Poetry Book and Magazine Fair. The judge is poet and former Poetry Book Fair director, Chrissy Williams. Poems can be on any theme, and should have fewer than 40 lines.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
Publication in Poetry News and the Poetry Book Fair programme
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: March 18, 2024 (Expired)
The R C Sherriff Trust
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
"Reputation is an idle and most false imposition, oft got without merit and lost without deserving." - William Shakespeare For some, it is a lifetime’s pursuit, often slipping through their grasp while others see it fall into their hands by mere chance. However achieved, through talent or luck, Fame can be an ill-fated prize. The 19th Elmbridge Literary Competition, run in partnership by The R C Sherriff Trust and Elmbridge Borough Council, is looking for short stories and poems on the theme of the double-edged sword that is ‘FAME’.
Top Prize:
£250
Additional prizes:
Published chapbook
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: February 23, 2024 (Expired)
Frost Farm Poetry
Genres: Poetry
The Trustees of the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, NH, and the Hyla Brook Poets invite submissions for the 2022, 12th Annual The Frost Farm Prize for metrical poetry. The winner receives $1,000 and an invitation, with honorarium, to read in June 2022 as part of The Hyla Brook Reading Series at the Robert Frost Farm.
Top Prize:
$1,000
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)
International Welsh Poetry Competition
Genres: Poetry
The first Welsh Poetry Competition was set up by poet & writer Dave Lewis in 2007. Officially launched on St David’s Day at Clwb-Y-Bont, Pontypridd, 2007 the aim is to encourage and foster the wealth of creative writing talent that we know exists in Wales but currently languishes in the doldrums. The aim is to inspire people to capture life in the present day and to give a voice to a new generation of poets and writers. We are not interested in purely academic types of literature but would much rather see pure raw passion burst onto the creative writing scene in Wales.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
2nd: £250 | 3rd: £100 | 17 runners-up: commended entries and future publication in anthology
💰 Entry fee: $7
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024
Flash 500
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
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 fee: $7
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024
Fiction Factory
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Travel
Length of story: max 3,000 words. Entries should be as a Word document. All types of stories are welcome (excluding Children’s and Young Adult Fiction). Entry Fee: £7.00 (£13 for 2 stories, £18 for 3 stories) Winning stories will be published on this website and, at a later date in a planned anthology.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Publication on website
💰 Entry fee: $7
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2024
Cranked Anvil Press
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
Our quarterly short story competition is open for entries all year round. The competition is open to any theme or genre, but your story must be a maximum of 1,500 words (not including the title). You can enter up to three stories in each quarterly competition.
Top Prize:
£150
Additional prizes:
£75 for 2nd, £30 for 3rd
💰 Entry fee: $7
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)
Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop (NOWW)
Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
Open to all writers in four categories: poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and critical writing.
Top Prize:
$150
Additional prizes:
2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50
💰 Entry fee: $7
📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)
Hastings Book Festival
Genres: Poetry and LGBTQ
Hastings Book Festival writing competition is open to writers from anywhere in the world writing in English on any theme. We invite poems up to 40 lines. We have additional prizes for LGBT+ writers and writers resident in Sussex.
Top Prize:
$250
Additional prizes:
A 3-day creative retreat at Starcroft Farm Cabins
💰 Entry fee: $8
📅 Deadline: July 07, 2024
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