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DIRECTORY

Best Science Fiction Writing Contests in 2025

Showing 48 contests that match your search.

The Elegant Literature Award For New Writers

Elegant Media Publishing Corporation

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Fantasy, Romance, Horror, LGBTQ, Science Fiction, Suspense, and Thriller

The contest invites new and unpublished writers to explore the theme 'Snowfall and Silence' while writing a story involving a cloak. It aims to promote new talent and is open to submissions across all genres.

Top Prize:

$3,000

Additional prizes:

1st: Free enrollment in New Novelist Accelerator and publication payment at 10c/word | 2nd – 10th: 10c/word and publication | 11th – 35th: $20 USD and an honorable mention in the magazine.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2025

Genres: Fiction and Science Fiction

The Global Thriller Awards seek the best books featuring suspense and thrilling stories that can change the balance of world power. It includes the Lab Lit genre, focusing on stories based on real science.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Grand Prize winners receive exclusive Chanticleer Book Review Packages and author interviews, valued at $795, along with additional prizes.

💰 Entry fee: $99

📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025 (Expired)

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

The Winter Flash Fiction Battle is an engaging contest where writers compete by creating stories based on given prompts. Participants write a story of up to 1000 words within three days. The contest emphasizes community feedback and professional judging.

Top Prize:

Genre Winner (x4): $$3,400

Additional prizes:

Genre Runner-up (x4): $800 | Genre Semi-Finalist (x8): $400

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: February 01, 2025 (Expired)

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Genres: Fiction and Science Fiction

A writing contest encouraging creative storytelling in audio series and stories.

Top Prize:

$7,500

Additional prizes:

2nd: $5000 | 3rd: $3500 | Each winner receives a certificate and social media promotion

📅 Deadline: October 24, 2025

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

The competition is open for submissions themed 'The Evolution of Love'. Each entry will be edited, judged based on various writing criteria, and selected works will be published in an anthology.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2025 (Expired)

Fiction Potluck

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 15, 2025 (Expired)

Writer's Games

The Writer's Workout

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

The Writer's Games is a free competition aimed at improving writing skills, offering feedback from judges. The 2024 edition has concluded, and it featured multiple events with winners recognized in an anthology. Registration is necessary to participate.

Top Prize:

Publication in anthology, 72 Hours (26+ spaces)

📅 Deadline: July 22, 2025 (Expired)

First 5 Pages Prize

Stockholm Writers Festival

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

The First 5 Pages Prize encourages writers to submit the first five pages of their unpublished work. The contest aims to inspire writers to polish their starting pages, crucial for capturing the attention of agents and editors. It welcomes entries from writers aged 16 and above, focusing on various genres. The prize promotes beautiful writing and offers support to aspiring authors.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

2nd and 3rd Prize winners receive event tickets and meetings with agents

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2025 (Expired)

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.

Top Prize:

£500

Additional prizes:

Winning stories will be published and included in an anthology.

💰 Entry fee: $7

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025 (Expired)

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

The Imagine 2200 contest invites writers to envision equitable climate progress stories, showcasing creative solutions and community resilience. It emphasizes hope and the potential for positive change through fiction.

Top Prize:

$3,000

Additional prizes:

Second place: $2000 Third place: $1000 Ten $300 awards for finalists. Opportunity for the winner to participate in Oregon State University's Environmental Writing Fellowship and Residency, including a four-week writing residency.

📅 Deadline: June 24, 2024 (Expired)

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.

Top Prize:

$250

💰 Entry fee: $85

📅 Deadline: April 01, 2025 (Expired)

Heart Fiction Battle

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)

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Horror, Mystery, and Science Fiction

The Fabula Press Short Story Contest encourages exceptional storytelling across genres, with no specific theme. Participants can submit entries for both free and paid categories. Winning stories may be published in an anthology.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

2nd place: $250 3rd place: $100 Stories selected for publication: $75

📅 Deadline: June 11, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Reader Views Literary Awards recognize innovative self-published books, offering visibility and credibility to independent authors. The contest provides thorough book reviews, evaluation forms, and promotional opportunities.

Top Prize:

$1,250

Additional prizes:

Gold: $750 | Silver: $350 | Bronze: $150 | Various sponsored awards and features in newsletters include marketing packages, interviews, and ads.

💰 Entry fee: $89

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2025

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

The Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction invites writers to break traditional writing rules while crafting compelling stories. Participants have 60 hours to produce a story of up to 500 words in response to prompts. The contest is held quarterly, with cash prizes totaling AU$4,000 each round.

Top Prize:

$1,500 AUD

Additional prizes:

Winner receives AU$1,500 and the Not Quite Write Trophy. | 2nd place: AU$500 | 3rd place: AU$200 | Additional cash prizes for other positions.

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: July 27, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Christian, Fantasy, Novel, Novella, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Young Adult

The Christy Award, established in 1999, celebrates novels that explore themes of faith and their influence on modern culture. Over the years, these awards have become a cornerstone event that brings together writers and publishers within the Christian literary community.

Top Prize:

The Christy Book of the Year Award.

💰 Entry fee: $175

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, and Young Adult

The 2025 Book Pipeline Unpublished Contest aims to discover unpublished manuscripts across ten categories. Winners receive $25,000, industry circulation, and executive development opportunities. It is open to writers aged 18 and older, with specific submission guidelines based on categories.

Top Prize:

$25,000

Additional prizes:

$2,500 for each category winner

💰 Entry fee: $45

📅 Deadline: September 25, 2025

Best Indie Book Award

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 (Expired)

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

The Storytrade Book Awards celebrate literary excellence in small and independent publishing, featuring over 70 categories for fiction and nonfiction. The awards spotlight outstanding books and provide industry recognition for authors.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

$1,000 for each Book of the Year (Fiction & Nonfiction). Medals, book stickers, and digital seals for Winners and Finalists

💰 Entry fee: $75

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)

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

The Spring Microfiction Battle is part of the Writing Battle series, where participants write stories based on prompts. Participants receive feedback from peers and industry judges.

Top Prize:

$1,500

Additional prizes:

Genre Runner-up (x4): $375 Feedback by industry professionals. Various merchandise and opportunities for additional exposure in the community.

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: May 03, 2024 (Expired)

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)

Spring Prose & Poetry Contest

Onyx Publications

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller

The contest awarded prizes for both prose and poetry categories, with multiple winners for each.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

Second place: $150 Third place: $75 Winner also gets publication and author interview on Story Discovery podcast.

💰 Entry fee: $12

📅 Deadline: May 05, 2024 (Expired)

The Rubery Prize

Rubery Book Awards

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, and Romance

The Rubery Prize is an international award for indie writers and self-published authors. It aims to recognize outstanding works and elevate authors' profiles. Authors can submit self-published books or those from independent presses.

Top Prize:

£2000

Additional prizes:

Category winners receive £200

💰 Entry fee: $60

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2025 (Expired)

North Street Book Prize

Winning Writers

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.

Top Prize:

$10,000

Additional prizes:

$1,000 for top winner in each category | $300 for honorable mentions

💰 Entry fee: $85

📅 Deadline: July 01, 2025 (Expired)

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)

Genres: Children's, Crime, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, and Young Adult

The I Am Writing Competition offers multiple categories for writers to showcase their talent, with prizes for various genres including crime, historical, and romance. Each category allows entrants to submit the first 3,500 words of their work along with a synopsis where required.

Top Prize:

$250

Additional prizes:

30-minute consultation with genre expert

💰 Entry fee: $13

📅 Deadline: May 28, 2024 (Expired)

Claymore Award

Killer Nashville

Genres: Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story, Suspense, and Thriller

The Claymore Award assists new and rebranding English-language fiction authors with potential publishing opportunities, including agent representation, book deals, and media adaptations. The contest emphasizes the importance of getting the first 50 pages of an unpublished work noticed by industry professionals.

Top Prize:

$0

Additional prizes:

Top three finalists receive discounted admission to next year's Killer Nashville conference. Winners may receive publishing contracts and significant exposure to agents and publishers.

💰 Entry fee: $54

📅 Deadline: April 01, 2025 (Expired)

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.

Top Prize:

$200

Additional prizes:

2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2025 (Expired)

GNU DLE Short Story Writing Contest

Gyeongsang National University, Department of Language Education

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, and Travel

The contest aims to publish a magazine of short stories across various genres. Stories must fit specific word counts and themes, and will be evaluated by staff judges.

Top Prize:

$250

Additional prizes:

Prize for the winner in each genre.

📅 Deadline: October 01, 2025

New Deal Writing Competition

Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (GVCA)

Genres: Christian, Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Travel

The New Deal Writing Competition invites writers to create a short story inspired by a specific painting. The current painting is 'Playtime' by Fred Ross. This is the ninth annual contest, intended to celebrate creativity and connect art and writing.

Top Prize:

$200

Additional prizes:

Publication in newsletter

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: March 15, 2025 (Expired)

Season Themes

HAVOK Publishing

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.

Top Prize:

$100

Additional prizes:

Publication in an anthology. Potential for larger gift card wins.

📅 Deadline: January 17, 2025 (Expired)

Chapter One Prize

Gutsy Great Novelist

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.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

2nd: $500 | 3rd: $250. Honorable mentions may also be awarded.

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: March 03, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, and Suspense

An annual fiction competition recognizing the finest speculative fiction. All forms of previously unpublished fiction are accepted, including fairy tales, magical realism, and science fiction. Winners may be published in the North American Review's summer issue.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Publication opportunities for runners-up and honorable mentions

💰 Entry fee: $23

📅 Deadline: November 02, 2024 (Expired)

100 Word Writing Contest

Tadpole Press

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's, Poetry, Romance, Short Story, Suspense, and Travel

The contest invites submissions of creative works of 100 words or less. It encourages diverse voices and unique stories focused on the theme of truth-telling across any genre.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

2nd: Publishing and marketing package valued at $6,000 | 3rd: Manuscript assessment package ($1,500-$3,000) | 4th place: Editing package ($1,500) | 5th & 6th: Writing coaching ($500) | 7th-10th: $200 | 11th-15th: $150 | 16th-20th: $100 | 21st-30th: $50

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2025

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Suspense, and Thriller

The Story Unlikely Short Story Contest encourages submissions of all genres, with a focus on quality storytelling. The contest aims to revive the art of storytelling and embraces a variety of narratives without restrictions on age or location.

Top Prize:

$1,500

Additional prizes:

2nd: $1,000; 3rd: $500; All winning stories will be published with illustrations. Honorable mentions receive certificates and potential publication.

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)

Discover the finest writing contests of 2025 for fiction and non-fiction authors — including short story competitions, essay writing competitions, poetry contests, and many more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. If you’re looking to stick to free writing contests, simply use our filters as you browse.

Why you should submit to writing contests

Submitting to poetry competitions and free writing contests in 2025 is absolutely worth your while as an aspiring author: just as your qualifications matter when you apply for a new job, a writing portfolio that boasts published works and award-winning pieces is a great way to give your writing career a boost. And not to mention the bonus of cash prizes!

That being said, we understand that taking part in writing contests can be tough for emerging writers. First, there’s the same affliction all writers face: lack of time or inspiration. Entering writing contests is a time commitment, and many people decide to forego this endeavor in order to work on their larger projects instead — like a full-length book. Second, for many writers, the chance of rejection is enough to steer them clear of writing contests. 

But we’re here to tell you that two of the great benefits of entering writing contests happen to be the same as those two reasons to avoid them.

When it comes to the time commitment: yes, you will need to expend time and effort in order to submit a quality piece of writing to competitions. That being said, having a hard deadline to meet is a great motivator for developing a solid writing routine.

Think of entering contests as a training session to become a writer who will need to meet deadlines in order to have a successful career. If there’s a contest you have your eye on, and the deadline is in one month, sit down and realistically plan how many words you’ll need to write per day in order to meet that due date — and don’t forget to also factor in the time you’ll need to edit your story!

For tips on setting up a realistic writing plan, check out this free, ten-day course: How to Build a Rock-Solid Writing Routine.

In regards to the fear of rejection, the truth is that any writer aspiring to become a published author needs to develop relatively thick skin. If one of your goals is to have a book traditionally published, you will absolutely need to learn how to deal with rejection, as traditional book deals are notoriously hard to score. If you’re an indie author, you will need to adopt the hardy determination required to slowly build up a readership.

The good news is that there’s a fairly simple trick for learning to deal with rejection: use it as a chance to explore how you might be able to improve your writing.

In an ideal world, each rejection from a publisher or contest would come with a detailed letter, offering construction feedback and pointing out specific tips for improvement. And while this is sometimes the case, it’s the exception and not the rule.

Still, you can use the writing contests you don’t win as a chance to provide yourself with this feedback. Take a look at the winning and shortlisted stories and highlight their strong suits: do they have fully realized characters, a knack for showing instead of telling, a well-developed but subtly conveyed theme, a particularly satisfying denouement?

The idea isn’t to replicate what makes those stories tick in your own writing. But most examples of excellent writing share a number of basic craft principles. Try and see if there are ways for you to translate those stories’ strong points into your own unique writing.

Finally, there are the more obvious benefits of entering writing contests: prize and publication. Not to mention the potential to build up your readership, connect with editors, and gain exposure.

Resources to help you win writing competitions in 2025

Every writing contest has its own set of submission rules. Whether those rules are dense or sparing, ensure that you follow them to a T. Disregarding the guidelines will not sway the judges’ opinion in your favor — and might disqualify you from the contest altogether. 

Aside from ensuring you follow the rules, here are a few resources that will help you perfect your submissions.

Free online courses

On Writing:

  • "How to Craft a Killer Short Story" (Click here)
  • "The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction" (Click here)
  • "How to Write a Novel" (Click here)
  • "Understanding Point of View" (Click here)
  • "Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love" (Click here)
  • "Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character" (Click here)
  • "Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine" (Click here)

On Editing:

  • "Story Editing for Authors" (Click here)
  • "How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript Like a Pro" (Click here)
  • "Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites" (Click here)

Blog posts

  • "How to Write a Novel: Steps From a Bestselling Writer" (Click here)
  • "How to Write a Short Story in 9 Simple Steps" (Click here)
  • "100 Literary Devices With Examples: The Ultimate List" (Click here)
  • "20 Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft" (Click here)
  • "How to Write Fabulous Dialogue [9 Tips + Examples]" (Click here)
  • "8 Character Development Exercises to Write 3D Characters" (Click here)

Bonus resources

After you submit to a writing competition in 2025

It’s exciting to send a piece of writing off to a contest. However, once the initial excitement wears off, you may be left waiting for a while. Some writing contests will contact all entrants after the judging period — whether or not they’ve won. Other writing competitions will only contact the winners. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind after you submit:

  • Many writing competitions don’t have time to respond to each entrant with feedback on their story. However, it never hurts to ask! Feel free to politely reach out requesting feedback — but wait until after the selection period is over.

  • If you’ve submitted the same work to more than one writing competition or literary magazine, remember to withdraw your submission if it ends up winning elsewhere.

  • After you send a submission, don’t follow it up with a rewritten or revised version. Instead, ensure that your first version is thoroughly proofread and edited. If not, wait until the next edition of the contest or submit the revised version to other writing contests.

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