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DIRECTORY
Showing 127 contests that match your search.
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)
Ethos Literacy
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story
The contest invites participants to write a story of exactly 100 words on topics like envy, eyeglasses, nightmares, or turtles. It is open to all ages, including international writers. Winning stories will be published in an e-zine.
Top Prize:
$200
Additional prizes:
6 cash prizes of $100 each + publication in digital magazine, inclusion in webcast
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: February 01, 2024 (Expired)
Sarabande Books
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction is awarded to an outstanding manuscript of short fiction. It includes a monetary prize, publication, and an introduction by the judge, Ed Park.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Publication by Sarabande Books
💰 Entry fee: $34
📅 Deadline: February 15, 2025 (Expired)
Tim Saunders Publications
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
Established in 2023, this contest is a platform for writers and poets to get their work published. Categories include various forms of poetry and fiction, excluding erotic work. Winners receive feedback and cash prizes, while all approved submissions will be included in the anthology.
Top Prize:
£200
Additional prizes:
Feedback from the publisher + a complimentary copy of the anthology
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: September 30, 2025 (Expired)
WOW! Women On Writing
Genres: Flash Fiction, Fiction, and Short Story
The WOW! Women on Writing Flash Fiction Contest aims to inspire creativity and recognition for writers. Open to all genres of flash fiction, it has been running since 2006 and has awarded over $100,000 in cash prizes to participants. The contest allows entries globally, and submissions must be in English.
Top Prize:
$400
Additional prizes:
2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 | 7 runner-ups: $25 Amazon Gift Cards
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2025 (Expired)
Reader Views
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
Passionate Ink
Genres: Fiction, Novel, Novella, Romance, and Short Story
The Passionate Plume Contest is aimed at supporting erotic fiction authors, offering various categories for both published and unpublished writers. It encourages creativity and provides a platform for authors to showcase their work.
Top Prize:
Engraved award
Additional prizes:
Publication in the Passionate Ink Charity Anthology
💰 Entry fee: $40
📅 Deadline: February 14, 2025 (Expired)
Hope Prize
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Short Story
The Hope Prize is an international short story competition focused on original stories of hope, open to writers aged 18 and over, with entries accepted in English. The prize encourages bold self-expression and aims to spotlight charities making impactful changes.
Top Prize:
$10 000 AUD
Additional prizes:
2nd: $2000 AUD | 3rd: $1000 AUD | Shortlisted stories will be published in a Simon & Schuster anthology.
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: October 31, 2025
Shuswap Association of Writers
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Essay, Memoir, and Short Story
The contest is part of the annual Word on the Lake Writers Festival, encouraging submissions in short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Entries must be unpublished and original, with a maximum of 2,000 words for fiction/nonfiction and three one-page poems. Winners are published in the anthology.
Top Prize:
$200 CAD
Additional prizes:
2025 festival registration package + certificate for online writing course
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)
Storytrade
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)
Vancouver Writer's Fest
Genres: Children's and Short Story
The Youth Writing Contest is an annual event organized by the Vancouver Writers Fest for students in British Columbia. It accepts short stories and personal essays, with two categories for different grade levels. It's supported by the Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
Top Prize:
$200
Additional prizes:
1st prize for high school and $100 for elementary, both with publication in the Books & Ideas Newsletter
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025 (Expired)
Future Scholar Foundation
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.
Top Prize:
$60
Additional prizes:
2nd: $15 Amazon gift card | 3rd: $5 Amazon gift card | All winners are published in the Hall of Fame.
📅 Deadline: October 28, 2025
University of North Texas Press
Genres: Short Story, Flash Fiction, and Novella
The Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction is an esteemed competition for unpublished collections of fiction. The contest is open for submissions of flash fiction, short stories, or novellas, with a total manuscript length of 100 to 200 book pages.
Top Prize:
$1,000
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)
Strange Days Books
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
The Eyelands Book Awards are international awards aimed at recognizing talent among published and unpublished authors. The contest is based in Greece and encourages submissions across various literary genres.
Top Prize:
A five-day stay in Athens
Additional prizes:
Winner also receives translation into Greek and publication. Handmade ceramics for winners in each category.
💰 Entry fee: $45
📅 Deadline: October 20, 2025
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)
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
The Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize celebrates emerging voices in life writing, poetry, and fiction. It supports writers who have not published book-length works and offers a platform for diverse backgrounds. Winners receive a £1,000 cash prize and publication in Wasafiri.
Top Prize:
£1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in Wasafiri magazine, mentoring through Chapter and Verse or Free Reads, career discussions with The Good Literary Agency, and a one-year print subscription.
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024 (Expired)
Dzanc Books
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Prize celebrates imaginative and inventive writing in book-length collections. The winning submission will receive a $2,500 advance and publication. The contest is open to all writers, and all submitted works must be previously unpublished collections.
Top Prize:
$2,500
Additional prizes:
Publication
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: September 30, 2025 (Expired)
Anthology Magazine
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.
Top Prize:
€300
💰 Entry fee: $12
📅 Deadline: September 30, 2025 (Expired)
Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop (NOWW)
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.
Top Prize:
$150
Additional prizes:
2nd place: $100 3rd place: $50
💰 Entry fee: $7
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Gotham Writers Workshop
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story
In this contest, participants must write a story about a niche hobby or special interest in 101 words or fewer. Entries should be original and unpublished, and AI-generated entries are not allowed. Judging will focus on originality, quality, spelling, and grammar.
Top Prize:
Winner receives a free Gotham class of their choosing, excluding premium classes.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2025 (Expired)
University of Pittsburgh Press
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.
Top Prize:
$15,000
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)
Swamp Pink
Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
The Swamp Pink Prizes celebrate excellence in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Each winner receives $2,000 and publication in an upcoming issue of Swamp Pink. The contest is open for submissions throughout January.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in an upcoming issue of Swamp Pink
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)
The Pinch Literary Journal
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Pinch Literary Awards recognize excellence in fiction. Submissions are judged blind, with various entry windows throughout the year.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in the fall issue of Pinch.
💰 Entry fee: $28
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Creatd
Genres: Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Short Story
Vocal Challenges invite writers to enter themed storytelling contests for a chance to win cash, prizes, experiences, and more.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd place: $200, 15 runners-up: $15 each
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: January 11, 2025 (Expired)
Hammond House Publishing
Genres: Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story
The 2024 International Literary Prize invites writers to submit entries in four categories: Short Stories, Poetry, Scriptwriting, and Songwriting. The contest emphasizes anonymity in submissions and offers cash prizes, publication opportunities, and feedback options.
Top Prize:
1st prize for Short Story and Poetry: £1000 1st prize for Scriptwriting: £500 1st prize for Song writing: £250
Additional prizes:
2nd and 3rd prizes for all categories: £100 and £50 respectively, along with publication for all shortlisted entries.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024 (Expired)
University of Southampton
Genres: Non-fiction and Short Story
The Philip Hoare Prize is an international competition for the best non-fiction writing, established in 2025, seeking vivid and original narratives that blend personal, historical, and natural themes.
Top Prize:
£300
Additional prizes:
2nd: £100 | 3rd: £50 | Winner also receives publication in the University of Southampton’s annual Avenues Creative Writing anthology.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025 (Expired)
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)
Crime Writers Association
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The competition seeks the best unpublished short mystery story of up to 3,500 words, adhering to Margery Allingham's definition of a great mystery. It is open to both published and unpublished authors worldwide.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
Two passes to Crimefest & a selection of books
💰 Entry fee: $22
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (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 AUD
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 23, 2025 (Expired)
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:
$1000 USD shared by 2 to 4 winners.
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: October 01, 2025 (Expired)
Lazuli Literary Group
Genres: Essay, Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Novella, and Script Writing
We are not concerned with genre distinctions. Send us the best you have; we want only for it to be thoughtful, intelligent, and beautiful. We want art that grows in complexity upon each visitation; we enjoy ornate, cerebral, and voluptuous phrases executed with thematic intent.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Publication in "AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought"
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: July 15, 2025 (Expired)
Writing Battle, Inc.
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.
Top Prize:
$3,400
Additional prizes:
$3400 prize for 4x Genre Winners; $500 prize for 4x Genre Runner-ups. Winners receive online publication, feedback from industry professionals
💰 Entry fee: $39
📅 Deadline: April 13, 2025 (Expired)
Fish Publishing
Genres: Memoir, Non-fiction, and Short Story
The Fish Short Memoir Prize invites entries of personal memoirs, with the aim of being published in the Fish Anthology 2025. It's open to writers of any nationality and no prior publication is needed.
Top Prize:
€1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd and 3rd: Online writing course + €300 | 3rd: €300
💰 Entry fee: $18
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)
HG Wells Competition
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The HG Wells Short Story Competition, founded by Reg Turnill, promotes writing and celebrates HG Wells' literary legacy. It encourages entries based on this year’s theme: 'The Fool.'
Top Prize:
Under 21: £1,000 Over 21: £500
Additional prizes:
All shortlisted entries will be published in an anthology. Shortlisted authors receive a copy of the anthology and a certificate.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: July 08, 2024 (Expired)
Sunspot Literary Journal
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
The Solar Flare Contest seeks submissions for a single short story, novel or novella excerpt, artwork, graphic novel, or poem that exhibits a burst of creative energy. All genres accepted, with a maximum word limit of 500 for stories and nonfiction, 12 lines for poetry, and 8 pages for graphic novels.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Publication for the winner; publication offered to runners-up and finalists.
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: June 01, 2025 (Expired)
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