Best Fiction Writing Contests in 2026

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

Plough’s inaugural annual short fiction contest is open to writers anywhere in the world. Submissions should be short fiction that honors the mysterious nature of reality and finds transcendence and redemption in unexpected places; the contest is not limited to magical realism or a traditional "tale" voice.

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.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Jade Ring Contest is a prestigious annual competition celebrating exceptional writing in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Now in its 76th year, this contest offers writers a chance to shine, with cash prizes, publication opportunities in Creative Wisconsin Magazine, and a coveted residency at Write On, Door County for first-place winners.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The Creative Writing Award celebrates outstanding new writing talents in poetry and short fiction, offering a platform for authors globally to showcase their work. It emphasizes innovation in content and form across any theme.

Genres: Fiction and Non-fiction

The Tom Grass Prize celebrates the spirit of adventure through short pieces of prose, inviting writers from all backgrounds to reflect on the theme of adventure. The prize honors Tom Grass, a multifaceted writer and traveler.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The Bath Flash Fiction Award is an international rolling competition for flash fiction, held three times a year. It encourages writers to submit original works of up to 300 words and offers substantial prizes and publication opportunities.

Genres: Fiction

The SHELLEY Book Awards honor exceptional works in supernatural and paranormal fiction, evaluating based on compelling storytelling, professionalism, and uniqueness. The competition includes multiple categories and offers significant promotional opportunities.

Genres: Fiction and Novella

Established in 2001, this annual prize awards a novella that excels in the format, offering a $1,000 advance, publication, and 10 copies of the book. Recent judges include notable authors like Steven Dunn and Michael Martone. Submissions open January 1 and close March 31 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: Horror and Fiction

The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award is a biannual contest seeking full-length supernatural or magic realist short stories. The winning stories are published on June 1 and Halloween. The award is open to any story with a supernatural theme, not limited to traditional ghost stories.

Genres: Fiction

The STAR Award is designed for published women's fiction authors. It has two categories: a general category for all full-length published works and an 'Outstanding Debut' category for authors' first published work. Each category winner receives a $500 prize, along with a trophy and recognition. The contest is limited to the first 50 entries per category.

Genres: Fiction

Any fiction, any style, any writer. Submit the first chapter of your novel-in-progress, and become eligible for cash prizes & shoutouts from @writesofnovember.

Genres: Essay, Fiction, and Non-fiction

This bi-annual contest recognizes emerging writers with submissions of previously unpublished fiction or nonfiction up to 6,000 words. Judged by Colin Barrett, it awards $3,000 for first place, $300 for second, and $200 for third, along with agency reviews for finalists.

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.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The BBC National Short Story Award aims to celebrate and promote the short story form, providing a prestigious platform for both established and emerging writers. The award includes a significant monetary prize and recognition through BBC broadcasts.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The Anthology Short Story Competition invites original and unpublished short stories in English, with no restrictions on theme or style. Stories must not exceed 1,500 words. Winners are chosen based on literary merit, originality, and readability, and the competition aims to encourage creative writing.

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.

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.

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

The Goldfinch Books Novel Award is a competition for emerging novelists. It invites submissions of 3,000 words from completed novels. The winner receives a £500 cash prize and an invitation to join the Goldfinch writer community.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The F(r)iction Short Story Contest invites submissions of short stories, poetry, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction. It encourages experimental and boundary-pushing literature.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

Submit your best short fiction for a chance to win cash prizes, publication on the Write Catalyst blog, and free memberships. Open genre (excluding extreme horror and gratuitous erotica).

Genres: Children's and Fiction

The Latino Voices in Children’s Literature Writing Contest aims to elevate authentic, culturally relevant children’s stories written by and about Latino people. Original children’s picture books and board books are welcome.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The contest invites entries for short fiction with a maximum word count of 2,500 words. All submissions must be original and unpublished. The contest promotes engagement by publishing winning stories in their anthology and on the website.

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

The contest theme is 'Hecho a mano', focusing on the creativity of handmade works. Categories include photography, poetry, and narrative/essay/academic investigation. Selected works will be published, and winners will receive monetary prizes and certificates of recognition.

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, and Science Fiction

The Future First Line Contest invites participants to write a captivating first line for a novel set in 2052, inspired by the near future. Entries should encapsulate originality and creativity while hinting at technological or sociopolitical themes.

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.

Genres: Fiction and Romance

The Romance Through The Ages Contest invites authors to submit historical romance manuscripts. Categories are based on time period and author experience (published/unpublished). The contest emphasizes historical accuracy and romance as the central theme.

Genres: Fiction and Romance

The Romance Through the Ages Contest is aimed at unpublished authors, focusing on historical romance set before 1980. The contest promotes the genre and connects writers through the Hearts Through History organization.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

Write a short story in ten words or fewer. Entry is free and must be original and unpublished. Judged on originality, quality, spelling, and grammar.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The Pinch Literary Awards recognize excellence in fiction. Submissions are judged blind, with various entry windows throughout the year.

Genres: Fiction, Novel, and Young Adult

The Bath Novel Award is a £5,000 international prize for adult and YA manuscripts across various genres, aimed at unagented writers who are unpublished, self-published, or independently published.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The GWG Literary Prize 2025 invites writers to explore hope and resilience through candid writing. Categories include fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry, all reflecting the theme of hope.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Creative Future Writers’ Award, founded in 2013, is a free-to-enter annual writing competition for underrepresented writers. It aims to showcase diverse voices and includes cash prizes and development opportunities for poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Winners receive ongoing support and are celebrated at an awards ceremony.

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.

Genres: Essay, Fiction, and Non-fiction

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize is awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of 'Fear.' All genres are accepted, and entries must be in English. The competition aims to discover and support emerging writing talent globally.