Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.
Find the perfect editor for your next book
1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.
Hastings Book Festival Short Story Competition
Hastings Book Festival
Genres: Short Story
An annual competition for short stories, inviting entries from writers worldwide. The contest emphasizes creative writing with no thematic restrictions.
Top Prize:
£250
Additional prizes:
2nd: £100 | 3rd: £50
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: July 07, 2024 (Expired)
Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction
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The Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction is an esteemed competition for unpublished collections of fiction.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
CWA Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition
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An annual international competition for unpublished short mystery stories up to 3,500 words.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)
Bridport Short Story Prize
Bridport Arts Centre
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
Gail Honeyman was shortlisted in our competition and went on to write Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, winning the Costa debut novel award. All the winning and highly commended pieces are entered into the Sunday Times Audible competition, top prize £30,000. UK based writers are entered into the BBC short story competition. That's not all, literary agent A.M. Heath reads all the shortlist and considers representation. Long story short? You are 5,000 words away from success.
Top Prize:
£5000
Additional prizes:
£1000 for 2nd, £500 for 3rd
💰 Entry fee: $17
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025
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)
NOWW 26th International Writing Contest
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: January 01, 2025 (Expired)
The Iowa Review Awards
The Iowa Review
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.
Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
First runners-up receive $750
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)
Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition
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)
Great American Fiction Contest
Saturday Evening Post
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Great American Fiction Contest celebrates the legacy of American authors through the submission of original short stories. The winning entry will be published in the January/February edition of the magazine.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
The winning story will be published in The Saturday Evening Post. Five runners-up will each receive $200 and have their stories featured online.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: July 01, 2024 (Expired)
Fiction Factory Short Story Competition
Fiction Factory
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Travel
The Fiction Factory Short Story Competition invites writers to submit stories of up to 3,000 words. The competition is open to all genres excluding Children's and Young Adult Fiction. Winning stories will be published on the website and potentially in an anthology.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Winning stories will be published and included in an anthology.
💰 Entry fee: $7
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2024 (Expired)
Dream Quest One Writing Contest
Andre L. West
Genres: Short Story
The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest aims to inspire and encourage writers and poets to showcase their talents. The contest accepts entries in the forms of poems (up to 30 lines) and short stories (up to 5 pages) on any subject or theme.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
First Writing Prize: $500, Second Writing Prize: $250, Third Writing Prize: $100.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: April 06, 2025
Spring Microfiction Battle
Writing Battle
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)
Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award
Killer Nashville
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
Edinburgh Short Story Award
Scottish Arts Trust
Genres: Crime, Humor, Romance, and Short Story
The Edinburgh Short Story Award is open to writers worldwide, welcoming stories of any genre. The award offers substantial cash prizes and the opportunity for publication in The Edinburgh Anthology. It emphasizes inclusivity through bursaries for underrepresented writers.
Top Prize:
$3,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: £500 | 3rd: £250 | Publication in the anthology for top twenty stories
💰 Entry fee: $12
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition
Hemingway Days Festival
Genres: Short Story
The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition is dedicated to supporting new voices in short fiction. It has a history of over 43 years and emphasizes original, unpublished stories. Winners are highlighted on the competition's website.
Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
Second place: $500 Third place: $500 Honorable mentions also awarded Publication of the winning story on the competition website
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: September 01, 2024 (Expired)
Winds of Asia Award
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)
Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors
Grist Magazine
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)
Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers
University of Tulsa
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
The Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers honor the work of writers at the beginning of their careers. $500 prizes will be awarded in both the fiction and poetry categories, and the winning manuscripts will appear in the spring issue of Nimrod. Winners will have the chance to work with the Nimrod board of editors to refine and edit their manuscripts before publication.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Publication
💰 Entry fee: $12
📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024 (Expired)
Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition
Writer's Digest
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
Enter our 91st Annual Writing Competition for the chance to have your work be seen by editors and agents! Almost 500 winners will be chosen. The top winning entries of this writing contest will also be on display in the Annual Writer’s Digest Competition Collection. [$20 for a poetry entry, $30 for a manuscript entry]
Top Prize:
$5,000
Additional prizes:
Grand prize winner receives $5000. In each category: 1st, $1000; 2nd, $500; 3rd, $250; 4th, $100; 5th, $50; 6th through 10th, $25 gift certificate. 1st place winners receive a one year subscription to Writer's Digest magazine + tutorials.
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: May 05, 2025
Letter Review Prize for Short Stories
Letter Review
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Letter Review Prize for Short Stories is part of a broader contest that includes categories for essays, nonfiction, poetry, and unpublished books. Winners are typically announced every three months and all submissions are considered for publication.
Top Prize:
$1000 prize pool
Additional prizes:
Publication for winners
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: January 01, 2025 (Expired)
SaveAs Writers' International Writing Competition
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)
