Best Writing Contests in 2025

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.

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.

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

The Wonder 2025 Flash fiction Battle is part of the Writing Battle series, where participants write stories based on prompts. Participants receive feedback from professionals.

Genres: Script Writing

The Canadian Jewish Playwriting Competition is a bi-annual event that encourages playwrights to submit original works. It aims to promote Jewish culture and stories through theatre, with strong participation from across Canada and other countries.

Genres: Flash Fiction

An annual competition celebrating excellence in flash fiction. Entries must be unpublished, and winners receive cash prizes and nominations for various prestigious awards.

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The Bridport Poetry Prize is a prestigious competition open to poets worldwide, encouraging original and unpublished works.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.

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 It invites poets to submit unpublished poems focused on nature and place.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

The 42 Miles Press Poetry Award aims to highlight urgent and original voices in poetry. Open to all poets writing in English, it accepts collections of poetry that showcase contemporary American poetic voices. The contest is judged by David Dodd Lee, and past winners include several notable poets.

Genres: Christian

The Selah Awards celebrate published works from January 1 to December 31, 2024. Participants must submit a physical entry form alongside their works. The contest is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Travel

The Fiction Factory Short Story Competition invites entries of up to 3,000 words in any genre except Children's and Young Adult fiction. Winners will be published on the website and in an anthology.

Genres: Poetry

The Indiana Review Poetry Prize is part of an annual contest that awards a prize for excellent poetry submissions. The contest is open to submissions of poetry, and winners receive publication along with a monetary honorarium.

Genres: Children's

The Promising Young Writers Contest recognizes eighth-grade students for their effective writing skills. Nominations are made by a school committee and students submit themed writings based on the prompt provided by NCTE. The contest aims to evaluate students' writing abilities creatively and holistically.

Genres: Fiction and Novel

The James Jones First Novel Fellowship, established in 1992, honors the spirit of honesty and insight in modern culture exemplified by James Jones. The fellowship awards a prize for a novel-in-progress by a U.S. writer who has not published a novel.

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

The Great American Think-Off is an annual philosophical essay contest that invites participants to submit essays on significant questions of life. The contest culminates in a live debate where finalists present their arguments, and the audience votes on the best perspective.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The contest is open to writers over 18 worldwide and includes categories for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Each submission must adhere to specific formatting guidelines and word limits. Winners are selected through blind judging, and results are announced during the festival.

Genres: Poetry

The Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize is awarded annually for a poet's first full-length book of poetry. The prize includes $2,500 and publication by Kent State University Press. The winner will also participate in a reading at Kent State with the judge.

Genres: Poetry

The Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize invites submissions of poetry manuscripts. The prize includes cash awards and publication for the winner. Contest judge for 2025 is Elaine Equi.

Genres: Children's and Fiction

This contest aims to elevate authentic, culturally relevant children's stories by Latino authors. It is open to Latino authors residing in the U.S. who are 18 years or older. The contest accepts original children's books focusing on topics like resilience, identity, and diversity for ages 0-8.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Novel

The Letter Review Prize for Books invites submissions of unpublished, self-published, or indie-published book-length works. It aims to highlight new literature and supports writers through various stages of their careers. The competition is judged blind, ensuring equal opportunity for all entrants.

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: Poetry

The Poetry & Spoken Word Competition invites young writers aged 13-19 to submit original poems or spoken word pieces. The competition emphasizes engaging the senses and experimenting with structure. Two winners will be selected: one for best written poem and another for best spoken word performance.

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.

Genres: Poetry

The Snowbound Chapbook Award is an open competition for a chapbook-length poetry manuscript. It offers a $1,000 prize, publication by Tupelo Press, 25 copies of the winning title, and a book launch. The award aims to promote exceptional poetry and is judged anonymously.

Genres: Travel

This contest invites participants to share travel experiences through creative nonfiction. It encourages engaging storytelling to connect with readers. The submission window is from November 14, 2024, to April 6, 2025.

Genres: Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Children's, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

The North Street Book Prize focuses on self-published or hybrid-published books, offering significant cash prizes and marketing services to enhance visibility. The contest has been running for 11 years and encourages entries across various genres.

Genres: LGBTQ, Novel, and Fiction

The Randall Kenan Prize for Black LGBTQ Fiction honors Black LGBTQ writers of fiction, celebrating works that explore themes of Black LGBTQ life, culture, and history. The prize is awarded to writers who have published at least one book and show promise for future groundbreaking work.

Genres: Poetry

The Peseroff Prize honors Joyce Peseroff's contributions to poetry and literature. It is an annual contest that invites submissions of previously unpublished poems.

Genres: Poetry

The Willow Run Poetry Book Award is an annual contest open to poets worldwide. The winner receives a monetary prize of $1,000 and publication by Hidden River Press. Entries should be unpublished collections of poetry, between 75 and 100 pages.

Genres: Novella and Short Story

The Drue Heinz Literature Prize recognizes and supports writers of short fiction, requiring eligible authors to have published a book-length collection or at least three short stories/novellas in commercial magazines. Manuscripts are judged anonymously by national writers.

Genres: Fiction and Romance

This contest focuses on historical romance, aiming to promote both published and unpublished authors. It accepts entries that are historical in nature and emphasizes the romance element central to the narrative. The contest has several categories based on historical time periods.

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

The Parsec Short Story Contest aims to encourage non-professional writers to explore speculative fiction in genres like science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The theme for 2025 is 'ROOTS', and submissions should relate to this theme. The contest has no entry fee and supports young writers through a special Youth Story Prize.

Genres: Fiction

The bookworm contest want to see fantastic opening lines with a twist: mention the word "bookworm". May the best three crawl to the top!

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The Fish Flash Fiction Prize invites submissions of compelling stories in 300 words or less, judged by Tania Hershman. The contest has been held annually since 2004.

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.

Genres: Script Writing

The Scriptation Showcase offers a competitive platform for screenwriters, featuring their scripts to industry professionals. The competition includes two main categories: Screenplay and Short Script, with professional readers analyzing submissions.