Best Writing Contests in 2025

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Script Writing

The Porter Fleming Literary Competition honors the memory of Porter Fleming. It awards $7,000 in cash across four categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and One-Act Play. Winners are invited to a literary program and awards ceremony in Spring 2026.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The competition invites elementary and middle school students to submit short stories (maximum 350 words) based on a monthly theme. Winners receive recognition and prizes, including Amazon gift cards and publication in the Hall of Fame.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, and Non-fiction

The Heartland Review invites submissions for fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry during open calls. Works accepted are published in the spring issue of the journal. The contest emphasizes original, unpublished works, and submissions must adhere to specific formatting guidelines.

Genres: Fantasy, Flash Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller

Season Themes is a flash fiction contest that invites authors to create stories inspired by monthly themes and prompts. Each theme features a specific character prompt that authors must incorporate into their stories, allowing for creative interpretations across various genres.

Genres: Poetry

The Lascaux Prize in Poetry accepts previously published or unpublished poems, with no length restrictions. The winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication in The Lascaux Review. The entry fee is $15, and poets may submit up to five poems per entry. The contest will reopen on 1 October 2025, and submissions close on 31 March 2026.

Genres: Fiction

The STAR Award is designed for published women's fiction authors. It has two categories: a general category for all full-length published works and an 'Outstanding Debut' category for authors' first published work. Each category winner receives a $500 prize, along with a trophy and recognition. The contest is limited to the first 50 entries per category.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Poetry, and Science Fiction

The contest is open to English-language entries globally. It features categories for Florida Fiction, Fantasy/Science Fiction, Poetry, Prose Poetry, and Haiku, allowing multiple entries per category. First, second, and third place winners receive cash prizes and will be published in the 2026 Seven Hills Review.

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

The High School Academic Research Competition (SARC) is an online contest for high school students aged 13-18 to conduct research on any topic. Participants develop their research proposals and skills through exclusive bootcamps and compete by submitting proposals and video pitches.

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Fantasy, and Science Fiction

The Writers of the Future Contest, initiated by L. Ron Hubbard in 1983, supports new writers in science fiction and fantasy, judged by leading authors. Winners receive cash prizes and recognition. The contest encourages original works and offers a platform for upcoming writers.

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

The contest encourages students to reflect on strength and resilience in overcoming challenges. Since 2001, it has engaged over 15,000 students from more than 20 countries, with 900 participants this year. Winners were selected based on their unique voice and thoughtful analysis.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The Cranked Anvil Flash Fiction Competition invites writers to submit stories with a maximum length of 500 words. The competition runs quarterly, with deadlines in February, May, August, and November. Up to three entries can be submitted per participant per quarter.

Genres: Children's and Short Story

The contest invites students in grades 6-12 to submit a piece of short fiction exactly 1000 words long. There are no specific themes, but entries should be original and not previously published. The contest aims to encourage young authors to tell significant stories.

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

The Chapter One Prize is an international writing contest for unpublished novelists. It aims to find the best opening chapter of a novel-in-progress written in English. Submissions open on February 3, 2025, and close on March 3, 2025.

Genres: Flash Fiction

The FFF Competition Thirty invites submissions of flash fiction pieces between 100 and 300 words, on any theme. A total of 6 stories will be recognized, including 1 winner and 2 highly commended entries.

Genres: Poetry

The Dream Quest One Poetry Contest is an international competition aimed at encouraging writers and poets to showcase their original works. The contest is open to all, regardless of experience, and accepts entries in various styles and themes. The mission is to inspire creativity and support literary talents.

Genres: LGBTQ and Non-fiction

The Jeanne Córdova Prize honors lesbian/queer-identified women and trans/gender non-conforming nonfiction authors. It seeks to recognize writers who capture the depth and complexity of lesbian/queer life, culture, and history.

Genres: Children's

The Celebration Day writing competition encourages students aged 5-18 to research and retell stories of inspiring people from history. This year, the optional theme focuses on sporting heroes. Submissions can be written articles or audio pieces.

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

Participants write a short story of up to 2,000 words based on a secret theme and assigned genre for a chance to win £500. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 and older.

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: 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: Horror and Fiction

The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award is a biannual contest seeking full-length supernatural or magic realist short stories. The winning stories are published on June 1 and Halloween. The award is open to any story with a supernatural theme, not limited to traditional ghost stories.

Genres: LGBTQ, Fiction, and Poetry

The award recognizes LGBTQ-identified writers demonstrating strong potential for promising careers. It includes a cash prize of $1,500 and is awarded annually to two writers.

Genres: Fiction

The award is open to unrepresented and unpublished authors for a novel in any adult fiction genre. It includes a submission of the opening chapters and a synopsis. The judges are from WME and include Samuel Burr.

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

The 26th Annual Writing Contest is currently closed. The next contest will open on January 1, 2025. Categories and further details will be announced later.

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.

Genres: Poetry

The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award is one of the most prestigious poetry awards, providing significant financial support to poets. It offers a $100,000 prize for a single poetry collection published within the eligibility year, aimed at supporting mid-career poets. The award encourages poets to continue developing their craft.

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 and Short Story

The contest welcomes submissions of previously unpublished short stories of 1000 words or fewer. It encourages simultaneous submissions and offers publication for finalists in their journal.

Genres: Poetry

The Nature and Place Poetry Competition 2024 is a poetry contest organized by The Rialto in association with RSPB, BirdLife International, Cambridge Conservation Initiative, and The University of Leeds Poetry Centre. It invites poets to submit unpublished poems focused on nature and place. Free entries available for writers on low or supported incomes (up to two poems)

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 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, 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

Established in 1975, this prize recognizes the most outstanding book of poetry published in the U.S. in the previous calendar year. It includes a $25,000 award, a residency at Glen Hollow, and distribution of the winning book to Academy members.

Genres: Fiction and Novella

The Weatherglass Novella Prize 2025 is dedicated to celebrating the novella form. The winner will have their work published by Weatherglass Books, with the judging by acclaimed author Ali Smith.

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.