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DIRECTORY
Showing 427 contests that match your search.
Jacqueline Gay Walley
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High-quality unpublished manuscripts in memoir, fiction, and non-fiction are sought for this competition.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.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Possible book publication/distribution in ebook and paperback formats
💰 Entry fee: $40
📅 Deadline: October 15, 2025
Red Hen Press
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story, Essay, Memoir, and Novel
Established in 2018, the Women's Prose Prize honors previously unpublished, original prose work including novels, short story collections, memoirs, and essay collections. It is open to all women writers, with a fair evaluation process ensuring anonymity during judging.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication by Red Hen Press
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
The Alpine Fellowship
Genres: Essay, Fiction, and Non-fiction
The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize is awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of 'Fear.' All genres are accepted, and entries must be in English. The competition aims to discover and support emerging writing talent globally.
Top Prize:
£3000
Additional prizes:
2nd: £1000 | 3rd: £1000
📅 Deadline: April 01, 2025 (Expired)
Manitoba Writers' Guild
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_.
Top Prize:
$1,000 CAD
Additional prizes:
2nd: $600 CAD | 3rd: $400 CAD
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: February 15, 2025 (Expired)
Munster Literature Centre
Genres: Poetry
Each entrant for their €24 entry fee will receive a complementary postage-free, one-year subscription to Southword. Poems will be read and judged anonymously. Poems must be previously unpublished. The winning poet will have their three poems published in Southword.
Top Prize:
€1000
Additional prizes:
The winning poet will have their three poems published in Southword.
💰 Entry fee: $24
📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024 (Expired)
Columbia Journalism School
Genres: Non-fiction
The Mark Lynton History Prize, in the amount of $10,000, is awarded to a book-length work of history on any topic that best combines intellectual distinction with felicity of expression. Books must have been published in the United States between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023.
Top Prize:
$10,000
💰 Entry fee: $75
📅 Deadline: December 07, 2023 (Expired)
Stringybark Publishing
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The contest is open to stories of 1500 words or fewer with a link to Australia. It aims to showcase short stories and has an award pool exceeding $1420 in cash and books, encouraging submissions from all authors aged 16 and above.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd: $300 | 3rd: $50. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places also get publication + e-book + paperback + choice of any two Stringybark anthologies. 4th place gets publication + e-book.
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: February 25, 2024 (Expired)
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)
Cleveland Foundation
Genres: Novel, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Poetry
The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognize outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism and cultural diversity. Established in 1935 by Edith Anisfield Wolf, it remains the only American book prize focused on these themes.
Top Prize:
$10,000
Additional prizes:
Winners receive $10,000 and are honored at a ceremony in Cleveland.
📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024 (Expired)
The Ghost Story
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.
Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
Publication of the winning story. $300 for each of two Honorable Mentions.
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2025 (Expired)
SaveAs Writers
Genres: Short Story
The theme for this year's competition is 'risking all', commemorating the centenary of the 1924 British Mount Everest expedition. Participants can submit poetry or prose inspired by this theme.
Top Prize:
$200
Additional prizes:
Second Place: £100 Third Place: £50
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2024 (Expired)
Minds Shine Bright
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story
The Places Writing Competition invites stories and poems about places that inspire or challenge writers. It includes various categories like poetry, short stories, and flash fiction, and aims to highlight the significance of places in literature.
Top Prize:
The overall winner receives $1500 AUD and publication in the anthology.
Additional prizes:
Up to $200 for commended entries, $50 for young writers.
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: May 31, 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
Black Lawrence Press
Genres: Fiction, Novel, Poetry, and Short Story
The Big Moose Prize awards an unpublished novel, open to all writers. The winner receives publication, a cash award of $1,000, and ten copies of the book.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication of the novel and ten copies
💰 Entry fee: $28
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)
The Lascaux Review
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Lascaux Prize in Short Fiction accepts both previously published and unpublished stories, allowing simultaneous submissions. The winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication in The Lascaux Review.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in The Lascaux Review
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024 (Expired)
The Novelry Group Limited
Genres: Fiction
The Next Big Story is a creative writing prize inviting submissions for the first 1,500 words of a work of fiction. The contest aims to encourage new voices in storytelling, offering a grand prize of $100,000 and eight shortlisting prizes of The Finished Novel Course to help writers finalize their projects.
Top Prize:
$100,000 or £75,000
Additional prizes:
Eight shortlists receive access to The Finished Novel Course (valued at approx $4,995 each).
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025
Letter Review
Genres: Short Story and Fiction
The Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction is a competition for short fiction (up to 5000 words) with no genre or theme restrictions. It is open to writers worldwide, with 2-4 winners published and sharing in the prize money. Entries are also considered for publication and submission to the Pushcart Prize.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication by The Letter Review. Up to 20 writers shortlisted. Publication and consideration for the Pushcart Prize and anthologies.
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: July 01, 2025 (Expired)
Alpine Fellowship
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.
Top Prize:
£3,000 cash grant
Additional prizes:
2nd: £1,000 travel expense | 3rd: £1,000 travel expense
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: March 01, 2025 (Expired)
Poetry Wales
Genres: Poetry
The Poetry Wales Award is a single-poem competition allowing poets worldwide to submit new, unpublished works. The competition opens on 17th December 2024 and closes on 17th February 2025. The judge for this year is Jeremy Dixon, a prize-winning poet.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
First prize gets choice of a course or a writing retreat, one-year subscription to Poetry Wales, publication of winning poem. £100 for second place, £50 for third place, and invitations for ten highly commended poets to read at the award ceremony.
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: February 17, 2025 (Expired)
Crime Writers' Association
Genres: Mystery and Short Story
An annual international competition for unpublished short mystery stories up to 3,500 words. The competition seeks to find the best story that aligns with Margery Allingham's definition of a mystery.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
Potential publication on the CWA website + in the Margery Allingham Society journal
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Diode Editions
Genres: Novel
Open to all poets over 18 years old writing in English. Collaborations, hybrid works, and simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please notify Diode Editions if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
Top Prize:
$1,500
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024 (Expired)
Fanstory
Genres: Poetry
Write a 2-4-2 syllable poem: 2 syllables in the first line, 4 in the second, 2 in the last. Subject can be anything. Winner receives feedback and a cash prize.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Feedback for all submissions.
📅 Deadline: December 11, 2024 (Expired)
South Warwickshire Literary Festival
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.
Top Prize:
£75
Additional prizes:
£75 for first prize in each category, plus the opportunity to read the winning entry at the festival. £25 for commended entries in each category.
💰 Entry fee: $4
📅 Deadline: March 28, 2025 (Expired)
Blue Ridge Mountains Conference
Genres: Christian
The Foundation Awards are designed for unpublished works from attendees of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Participants must be registered for the entire conference and follow specific guidelines for submission.
💰 Entry fee: $35
📅 Deadline: April 01, 2025 (Expired)
Rattle Foundation
Genres: Children's and Poetry
The Rattle Poetry Prize is an annual contest that awards $15,000 for an outstanding poem published in the magazine's winter issue. Ten finalists receive $500 each and a chance to win a $5,000 Readers’ Choice Award. The contest is open to all writers worldwide, with an emphasis on ethical judging and editorial standards.
Top Prize:
$15,000
Additional prizes:
$500 for each of the ten finalists; $5,000 Readers’ Choice Award. Publication in the winter issue and additional publication opportunities
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: July 15, 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: $5
📅 Deadline: March 07, 2025 (Expired)
Fountain Magazine
Genres: Essay and Non-fiction
“Home” holds a special place in our lives. Our earliest memories form inside its walls; we utter our first words and take our first steps there. Does everyone feel the same about home? Is it where you were born or where you earn your bread? Is home a physical place? In a world that moves faster than ever and is confined to small screens, how do perceptions about "home" change? Where is home for people who are forced to leave their homes? Where is your home?
Top Prize:
$1,000
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024 (Expired)
Writing Battle
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
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Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
Genre Runner-up (x4): $375 Feedback by industry professionals
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: August 02, 2024 (Expired)
Hayden's Ferry Review
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Poetry
The Hayden's Ferry Review Fiction & Poetry Contest accepts submissions of poetry and fiction. Winners receive cash prizes and publication. The judges for 2025 are Gwen Kirby for fiction and Hieu Minh Nguyen for poetry.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Winner also receives publication in Hayden's Ferry Review. Runner-up receives $250 and publication.
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Columbia Journalism School
Genres: Non-fiction
The J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, in the amount of $10,000, is given annually to a book-length work of narrative nonfiction on a topic of American political or social concern that exemplifies the literary grace, commitment to serious research and original reporting that characterized the distinguished work of the award’s namesake.
Top Prize:
$10,000
💰 Entry fee: $75
📅 Deadline: December 07, 2023 (Expired)
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
The Writer's Workout
Genres: Fiction, Short Story, and Science Fiction
Fiction Potluck is a quarterly writing competition open to fiction writers globally, featuring a guest judge who sets a unique challenge each period. The current challenge theme is 'Sci-Fi Western', with submissions of up to 6,000 words due by August 20. The competition is free to enter, and winners receive prizes including a two-year Duotrope service subscription (valued at $100).
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Two years of Duotrope service for the first place winner.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: August 20, 2024 (Expired)
Chicken House Books
Genres: Fiction, Novel, Novella, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Young Adult
An annual contest for unpublished and unagented writers of children's fiction, focusing on originality and diverse voices. The competition seeks full-length novels suitable for readers aged 7-18.
Top Prize:
A worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House & royalty advance of £10,000
Additional prizes:
An offer of representation from a top literary agent
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: June 02, 2025 (Expired)
Lambda Literary
Genres: LGBTQ
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.
Top Prize:
$1000 (x2)
📅 Deadline: February 16, 2024 (Expired)
Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc
Genres: Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
The Winds of Asia Award invites Asian authors and poets to submit original, unpublished works that highlight Asian cultures. Winners can receive cash prizes up to $500, along with publication in Kinsman Quarterly and the upcoming anthology, Winds of Asia. The contest encourages diverse voices and stories.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd: $200, 3rd: $100, 4th: $50. Subsequent 6 finalists receive a $25 amazon gift card. 1st place also gets publication in Kinsman Quarterly and the annual anthology.
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
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