Best Writing Contests in 2025

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

A competitive writing platform for storytellers featuring stories judged by industry professionals. The Autumn Battle involves writing a 2000-word story in seven days.

Genres: Children's

Write the World is a nonprofit organization that promotes writing among teens aged 13-19. The competition invites young writers to submit original short stories, providing an opportunity for feedback and recognition.

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.

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 Poems must be previously unpublished.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.

Genres: Flash Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Fiction

The Annual Short Contest is part of Gemini Magazine's yearly contests, which include Flash Fiction and Poetry. Each contest seeks to discover and publish exceptional literary works from writers around the globe.

Genres: Poetry

These fellowships are $50,000 awards aimed at honoring poets of literary merit who serve in civic positions. The goal is to support them in creating new work and undertaking impactful projects that enrich local communities through poetry.

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

F(r)iction Contests accepts submissions in short stories, poetry, and flash fiction, encouraging boundary-pushing and experimental works. The contest opens on July 1, 2024, and winners will be announced in April 2025.

Genres: Fiction and Novel

The contest invites submissions of self-contained novel excerpts up to 6,000 words, focusing on strong voice, characters, and narrative arcs. The grand prize includes $3,000, online publication, and a consultation with a literary agent.

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: Romance

The Carla Crown Jewel of Books contest is for traditionally or self-published authors with an original copyright date of 2022. Finalists are announced in late October and the winner on or about November 30, 2024.

Genres: Memoir

The Anthology Personal Memoir Competition invites entries for personal memoirs, encouraging emerging writers to share their stories. The winner will be published in Anthology magazine.

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

The competition features three categories: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry. Participants must submit original works under specific word limits and guidelines. Each entry is judged anonymously by experienced authors.

Genres: Poetry

The Kinsman Poetry Slam is a global competition seeking unique contemporary poetry for the upcoming collection, SLAM! Winners receive up to $300 cash prizes and publication. Submissions of original, unpublished works in English up to 10 pages are encouraged, focusing on themes of culture, resilience, passion, and justice. Entry fee is $5.99, and submissions must be received by May 31, 2024.

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

This contest invites young writers (ages 13-19) to submit their works in the genres of science fiction and fantasy, providing a platform for creativity and expression.

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, and Travel

The Solas Awards honor excellence in travel writing, with cash prizes and publication opportunities. Entries must be original, true stories with specific word count guidelines. The contest runs annually, with winners announced on March 1 each year.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The Atom Learning Young Author Award encourages children aged 7-11 to express their creativity through writing. The contest invites submissions of up to 500 words based on a specific theme, fostering young authors' storytelling skills.

Genres: Flash Fiction

The Farnham Flash Fiction International Competition invites writers to submit stories of 500 words or less. The competition has been running since 2018 and includes a special prize for stories featuring Farnham. It offers cash prizes and publication in an anthology.

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story, and Young Adult

The annual Story of the Year contest is back with a new challenge! We’re looking for captivating, diverse stories that are "easy to read and hard to put down" for readers beyond the third grade. There are five categories aimed at young adult readers, and we encourage you to submit as many entries as you like—submission is free and unlimited!

Genres: Poetry

The Troubadour International Poetry Prize is an annual competition open to poets worldwide, judged by notable figures in the literary community. The 2024 prize includes cash awards for the top three poems, as well as opportunities for commended entries.

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, and Flash Fiction

The Anthology Flash Fiction Competition invites original, unpublished flash fiction pieces on any theme or genre, written in English. Entries must not exceed 250 words, and multiple submissions are allowed with separate fees. The competition aims to inspire creativity and provide a publication platform.

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Poetry, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Short Story, and Thriller

The Silver Falchion Award honors the best books published in 2024 across various genres, including mystery, thriller, suspense, and romance. The competition aims to recognize quality storytelling and is open to all published authors.

Genres: Poetry

The Jane Martin Poetry Prize is a national poetry competition established in 2010 in memory of Girton alumna Jane Elizabeth Martin. It aims to support young poets and promote literary excellence, judged by experts in the literary field.

Genres: Poetry

The International Welsh Poetry Competition, established in 2007, aims to encourage creative writing in Wales and beyond, welcoming entries in English from around the world.

Genres: Poetry

The Ambroggio Prize is a $1,000 publication prize for a poetry manuscript originally in Spanish with an English translation. It honors American poets whose first language is Spanish and is awarded annually since 2017.

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.

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.

Genres: Fiction

The John Steinbeck Award for Fiction is a prestigious contest that recognizes exceptional works of fiction. Open to various styles, it specifically seeks stand-alone short stories with a maximum of 5,000 words. The submissions are accepted through a dedicated portal, and each entry includes a reading fee.

Genres:

This prize recognizes 12 emerging writers annually for their debut short story published in a literary magazine, journal, or cultural website. It supports new fiction writers and provides a cash award and publication in an anthology.

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: Poetry

The Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry is awarded for an unpublished, full-length volume of poems by a U.S. author, along with foreign nationals living and writing in the U.S. and U.S. citizens abroad. The prize includes $2000 and publication.

Genres: LGBTQ

The J. Michael Samuel Prize honors emerging LGBTQ writers over 50. It recognizes unpublished LGBTQ authors working in any genre and aims to encourage those who start writing later in life.

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

The 7 Day Story Writing Challenge invites participants to write a story based on a secret theme assigned to them, within a specified genre, over a period of 7 days. Participants must write a story of no more than 2,000 words.

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

The Iowa Review Awards is an annual writing contest accepting submissions in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. It has been held every January since 2003, and winners are published in the December issue.

Genres: Poetry

The James Laughlin Award recognizes and supports a second full-length print book of original poetry by a living poet, forthcoming in the next calendar year. It includes a $5,000 prize and an all-expenses-paid residency.