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Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest
Fiction Collective 2
Genres: Fiction
The contest is open to US writers who have not previously published with FC2. Works can include novels, novellas, or collections of short stories, with no length requirement. Translations and previously published works are not eligible.
Top Prize:
$3,000
Additional prizes:
Publication by FC2
📅 Deadline: November 01, 2026 (Expired)
The Louise Glück Prize for Best Poem or Prose
Poetries in English Magazine
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
The inaugural Louise Glück Prize for Best Poem or Prose, run by Poetries in English Magazine. Open to poetry and prose; the winner receives a $1,000 honorarium and publication in the magazine.
Top Prize:
$1,000
💰 Entry fee: $35
📅 Deadline: December 25, 2026
Morton and McCarthy Prizes
Sarabande Books
Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Novella, and Flash Fiction
The Mary McCarthy Prize is awarded annually for a full-length manuscript of literary fiction, including short stories, flash fiction, or novellas. The prize includes a cash award and publication.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Publication of the work and a standard royalty contract.
💰 Entry fee: $34
📅 Deadline: February 24, 2026 (Expired)
Platform Stories Literary Contest
Hyper Creative Studios
Genres: Fiction
A tribute to unpaid caregivers, this international contest invites stories based on personal experiences of caregiving. Emphasizes sensitivity, authenticity, and emotional honesty.
Top Prize:
$300
Additional prizes:
1st: $300 + publication in anthology + audiovisual capsule + certificate | 2nd: $200 + same benefits | 3rd: $100 + same benefits. | 4th to 13th: will receive publication in anthology and honorable mention certificates.
📅 Deadline: May 15, 2026 (Expired)
Writers of the Future
Writers of the Future
Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror
The Writers of the Future Contest is an opportunity for new writers of science fiction and fantasy to have their work judged by professional writers. It has been established since 1983 and includes quarterly cash prizes and an annual grand prize.
Top Prize:
$5,000
Additional prizes:
2nd place: $750 | 3rd place: $500 | Trophy and the L. Ron Hubbard Golden Pen Award for the grand prize winner.
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2026 (Expired)
Bridport Flash Fiction Prize
Bridport Arts Centre
Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction
The Bridport Flash Fiction Prize invites writers to submit stories of up to 250 words. It aims to celebrate the art of brevity in storytelling. The winning entries receive the opportunity for publication and recognition.
Top Prize:
£1000
Additional prizes:
2nd: £1000 | 3rd: £500 | 10 Highly Commended: £100
💰 Entry fee: $12
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2026 (Expired)
Future Scholar Foundation Short Story Competition
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 (Expired)
Ascent Novel Prize
Ascent Literary
Genres: Fiction
The Ascent Novel Prize is a prestigious writing contest aimed at unpublished novelists. It encourages new talent by providing a platform to showcase their work.
Top Prize:
$39
Additional prizes:
Top 100 entries win a paragraph of personalised feedback from industry professionals
📅 Deadline: November 01, 2026 (Expired)
IndieReader Discovery Awards
IndieReader
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Novel
The IndieReader Discovery Awards (IRDA) focus on recognizing outstanding self-published books in various genres, providing authors with exposure and opportunities for representation by literary agents. Each entry receives a professional review, and winners gain significant prizes, including cash awards, reviews, and promotional opportunities.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150 | Book-to-film consideration with producer Ram Bergman, professional reviews, consultations with literary PR firms, and promotional features.
💰 Entry fee: $150
📅 Deadline: February 25, 2026 (Expired)
Bath Flash Fiction Award
Bath Flash Fiction Award
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.
Top Prize:
£1000
Additional prizes:
2nd: £300 | 3rd: £100 | Two commendations of £30 each. 50 longlisted entrants may also get published in an anthology.
💰 Entry fee: $9
📅 Deadline: October 05, 2025 (Expired)
The $15,000 Writing Challenge
Storyshares
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story, and Young Adult
The annual Story of the Year contest is back with a new challenge! We’re looking for captivating, diverse stories that are "easy to read and hard to put down" for readers beyond the third grade. There are five categories aimed at young adult readers, and we encourage you to submit as many entries as you like—submission is free and unlimited!
Top Prize:
$15,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in digital and print
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: January 13, 2025 (Expired)
Winter 2026 Prose & Poetry Contest
Onyx Publications
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Poetry, and Short Story
The Winter 2026 Prose & Poetry Contest runs two independently judged tracks: prose, covering short stories, memoirs and flash fiction, and poetry. Onyx Publications staff carry out the initial screening before finalists are selected.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
First prize: $500, second prize: $100, third prize: $50 - each awarded once for Prose and once for Poetry. Publication in the magazine. First place winners in prose and poetry are narrated and interviewed on the Story Discovery Podcast.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: November 01, 2026 (Expired)
Children's Book Pitching Competition: "Your Marvellous Mind"
Children's Publishing Academy
Genres: Children's and Fiction
This competition invites children's authors to pitch their book concepts. The theme is 'Your Marvellous Mind,' focusing on neurodiversity. Selected winners will have the opportunity to publish with EK Books.
Top Prize:
Letter of intent to publish from EK Books.
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2026 (Expired)
Hayden's Ferry Review Fiction & Poetry Contest
Hayden's Ferry Review
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Poetry
The contest welcomes submissions for fiction and poetry. Winners will be published and receive monetary prizes. Judges include established authors.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Winner also receives publication in Hayden's Ferry Review. $250 for runners-up in each genre and publication
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2026 (Expired)
Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction
Dzanc Books
Genres: Fiction and Novel
The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction recognizes daring, original, and innovative novels. It is open to all writers, including those with agents. Submissions must be unpublished and include a synopsis, author bio, and contact info.
Top Prize:
$5,000
Additional prizes:
Advance and publication by Dzanc Books
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: January 01, 2025 (Expired)
The Worst Vacation Ever Contest
Gotham Writers Workshop
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.
Top Prize:
Winner receives a free Gotham class of their choosing, excluding premium classes.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: November 30, 2025 (Expired)
The Letter Review Prize for Books
The Letter Review
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Novel
The Letter Review Prize for Books is an annual contest seeking excerpts from unpublished manuscripts across various genres. It aims to support writers at all stages and offers significant publication opportunities.
Top Prize:
$1000 USD shared by 2 to 4 winners
Additional prizes:
Winners may publish extracts of their entries in The Letter Review's anthology. Up to 20 writers are shortlisted.
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: November 27, 2026
The Midnight Contest
Midnight Writers
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, and Science Fiction
Writers get 3 prompts (with redraws), 5 days and 500 words to create and submit their story. Two experienced writers will judge; reading and ranking all entries. Judge feedback can be purchased for $30AUD.
Top Prize:
$500AUD
Additional prizes:
Publication offered to select winners.
💰 Entry fee: $35
📅 Deadline: November 02, 2026 (Expired)
The BPA Short Story Award
Blue Pencil Agency
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The BPA Short Story Award is for unrepresented writers worldwide. Judges include literary agent Corissa Hollenbeck and writer Sussie Anie. Genres are any genre except children’s fiction and non-fiction (YA permitted with adult crossover).
Top Prize:
£1000 + Agent Introduction
Additional prizes:
2nd: £300 | 3rd: £100
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: September 13, 2026 (Expired)
Genres: Fiction and Romance
Join Inkitt’s Reality TV Romance Writing Contest 2025, a free contest where you can win up to $500, a Galatea publishing deal, and a chance for your book to be reviewed for a CandyJar movie adaptation. The theme focuses on romance amidst the drama of reality TV.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd Place: $300 | 3rd Place: $100 | Winner also receives a Galatea publishing deal + potential movie adaptation on CandyJar app.
📅 Deadline: October 26, 2025 (Expired)
The Clay Reynolds Novella Prize
Texas Review
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.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication and 10 copies of the published book
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2026 (Expired)
Ink of Ages Fiction Prize
World History Encyclopedia
Genres: Fiction
An international contest for historical and mythological short fiction, open to writers worldwide.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: $50 voucher | 3rd: $25 voucher | Winner recieves also publication, history books from Oxford University Press, merchandise, and lifetime membership to WHE. Various other prizes available for 2nd and 3rd place.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: August 29, 2025 (Expired)
Novel Beginnings
ProWritingAid
Genres: Fiction and Young Adult
Novel Beginnings is a writing contest aimed at unrepresented, unpublished fiction writers, encouraging them to submit the first 5,000 words of their work in progress. With a grand prize of $50,000 and additional shortlisted awards, the contest supports early-career authors by providing feedback and mentorship.
Top Prize:
$50,000
Additional prizes:
1st: $50,000 + 45-minute editorial consultation and mentorship | $5,000 each for shortlisted writers, plus written feedback
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2026 (Expired)
Breakwater Fiction Contest
Breakwater Review
Genres: Fiction
The Breakwater Fiction Contest is an annual contest that seeks fresh and unpublished prose submissions ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 words. It charges a $10 entry fee and offers a prize of $1,000 and publication in the upcoming issue.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in the next forthcoming issue
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: December 01, 2025 (Expired)
Exeter Writers Short Story Competition
Exeter Writers
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Short Story Competition is organized by Exeter Writers, aiming to encourage and showcase emerging writing talent. This competition invites entries from writers of various backgrounds.
Top Prize:
£700
💰 Entry fee: $9
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2026 (Expired)
The Lascaux Prize in Flash Fiction
Lascuax Review
Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction
The Lascaux Prize in Flash Fiction invites submissions of stories that may be previously published or unpublished. True stories are accepted if written in a narrative style. The contest emphasizes the importance of storytelling.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Winner also receives a bronze medallion and publication in The Lascaux Review
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2026 (Expired)
Eyelands Book Awards
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 (Expired)
The Good Housekeeping Writing Competition
Good Housekeeping and Rachel Mills Literary
Genres: Fiction
Good Housekeeping magazine has partnered with Rachel Mills Literary Agency to launch a competition for aspiring novelists that offers a cash prize.
Top Prize:
£1500
Additional prizes:
The winner will also receive a 1 hour, one-on-one mentoring session with literary agent Nelle Andrew. Their work will be published online by Good Housekeeping.
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2025 (Expired)
Gemini Magazine Flash Fiction Contest
Gemini Magazine
Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction
The Eighteenth Annual Flash Fiction Contest from Gemini Magazine welcomes unpublished flash fiction on any subject and in any style. All entries are read blind, so emerging writers and experienced writers get an equal chance.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Second place: $100 | Four honorable mentions: $25 each. All six finalists are published online in the Fall 2026 issue of Gemini Magazine.
💰 Entry fee: $8
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2026 (Expired)
F(r)iction Fall 2026 Writing Contests
F(r)iction (Brink Literacy Project)
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
F(r)iction, an imprint of Brink Literacy Project, is open for its Fall 2026 contests in short story, flash fiction and poetry. The editors want work that pushes boundaries, takes risks, has strong narratives and feels fresh. Results are announced in April 2027. Theme: open — no set theme.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Poetry: $300 | Flash Fiction: $300 ($1,600 total). Up to five finalists considered for publication. Fees by category: Short Story $15, Flash Fiction $10 (3-pack $12), Poetry $10 (3-pack $12). No AI submissions.
💰 Entry fee: $11
📅 Deadline: November 13, 2026
The StorySloth 500
Story Sloth
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The StorySloth 500 is a short story writing competition where authors submit stories of up to 500 words without any genre restrictions. The competition encourages original work and has a simple entry process for registered authors.
Top Prize:
£50
Additional prizes:
£50 Amazon voucher & Founding Author badge | 5 entries receive £10 Amazon vouchers.
📅 Deadline: May 03, 2026 (Expired)
Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize
Fiction Collective 2
Genres: Fiction
The Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize is designed for writers with at least three books published. It encourages innovative fiction that challenges dominant narratives. Submissions must be in English and can include various forms of long fiction. The contest aims to support diverse voices in literature.
Top Prize:
$15,000
Additional prizes:
Publication by FC2, an imprint of the University of Alabama Press, with an Introduction by the final judge.
📅 Deadline: November 01, 2025 (Expired)
Genres: Fiction
The contest celebrates the theme of 'Growth,' inviting young writers aged 10-16 to explore various interpretations of the theme through original, unpublished stories. The contest emphasizes creativity and storytelling.
Top Prize:
£50
Additional prizes:
Publication on the Spyder blog and an interview with the Lead Editor.
💰 Entry fee: $3
📅 Deadline: May 25, 2026 (Expired)
The Big Moose Prize
Black Lawrence Press
Genres: Fiction, Novel, Poetry, and Short Story
The Big Moose Prize awards an unpublished novel, open to all writers. The winner receives publication, a cash award of $1,000, and ten copies of the book.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication of the novel and ten copies
💰 Entry fee: $28
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)
South Warwickshire Literary Festival Writing Competition 2025
South Warwickshire Literary Festival
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Flash Fiction
The competition features an open theme and includes four categories: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, and Poetry. Each category has a defined maximum word count. Winners will be acknowledged at the festival and have the opportunity to read their entries.
Top Prize:
£75
Additional prizes:
£75 for first prize in each category, plus the opportunity to read the winning entry at the festival. £25 for commended entries in each category.
💰 Entry fee: $4
📅 Deadline: March 28, 2025 (Expired)
