Best Fiction Writing Contests in 2026

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize is an annual competition for short stories. Further details on submission and eligibility are outlined on the main prize page.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The Write by the Sea Writing Competition features four categories: Fiction Short Story, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Memoir/Personal Essay. It includes cash prizes and publication opportunities.

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, and Mystery

An international competition for unpublished short mystery stories up to 3,500 words, inspired by Margery Allingham's definition of a mystery. Open to all writers, published or unpublished.

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story

The Jerboa Lit 250 is a weekend-long mini-flash fiction contest where participants write a story of 250 words based on a prompt given 48 hours prior. The contest encourages creativity within genres and includes specific character requirements. Winners are announced within a month after submission.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story, Essay, Memoir, and Novel

The Ann Petry Award seeks to publish prose literature by Black authors. It is awarded for a work of previously unpublished prose, either a novel or a collection of short stories or novellas, with a minimum of 150 pages, selected through an annual submission process.

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.

Genres: Fiction and Crime

The Clue Awards recognize outstanding works in Suspense and Thriller genres, emphasizing detective work, police procedural, and crime-solving narratives. The contest aims to discover and promote new talent while rewarding excellence in these literary categories.

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.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The contest honors George Dila, a friend of the magazine and its original fiction editor. It invites submissions of previously unpublished flash fiction under 1,000 words.

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.

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 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: Novel, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognize outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism and cultural diversity. Established in 1935 by Edith Anisfield Wolf, it remains the only American book prize focused on these themes.

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.

Genres: Fiction and Novel

The James Jones First Novel Fellowship aims to honor the legacy of James Jones, supporting American authors of first novels-in-progress. It includes a substantial financial award and aims to reflect the spirit of honesty and insight found in Jones's works.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The contest is open to writers over 18 worldwide and includes categories for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Each submission must adhere to specific formatting guidelines and word limits. Winners are selected through blind judging, and results are announced during the festival.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The Write by the Sea Writing Competition features four categories: Fiction Short Story, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Memoir/Personal Essay. It includes cash prizes and publication opportunities.

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

The Oxford Flash Fiction Prize celebrates flash fiction, encouraging new voices and showcasing creativity in under 1000 words. This biannual competition invites writers to submit their stories for the chance to win cash prizes and publication.

Genres: Fiction and Romance

The contest is for unpublished authors of historical romance. Entries must be historical romances set before 1980, emphasizing a love story with a Happily Ever After or Happy For Now ending. The first round of judging will include various categories.

Genres: Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Novel

The First 100 Days Contest seeks innovative book ideas from authors committed to promoting good work amidst challenging times. Participants submit a one-page book overview and a sample manuscript of up to 5,000 words. Winning authors receive feedback and an editorial consultation.

Genres: Fiction and Poetry

The Subnivean Awards is an international literary competition that seeks outstanding fiction and poetry. The contest aims to highlight innovative works that break conventional molds.

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 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.

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]

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 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 Flash Fiction

The contest invites participants to submit a flash fiction piece of 100 words or fewer.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Non-fiction, and Short Story

The To Hull and Back Humorous Short Story Competition is a biennial contest focused on humorous writing. It celebrates imaginative short stories from writers globally. The current competition is open until June 30, 2025, with multiple cash prizes and publication opportunities in an anthology.

Genres: Fiction

The contest invites young writers across Canada to explore the theme 'Community of Stories,' encouraging submissions that reflect connections through family, friendship, and culture.

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 in mystery, thriller, suspense, action, and romance genres published in the previous year. Entries for the 2026 competition are open now, with winners announced on August 22, 2026.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

A writing contest inviting original short stories about the origin of Bigfoot, with no entry fee. Stories must be set in the Pacific Northwest and can be of various tones. The winner will be awarded cash prizes.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

A monthly writing contest inviting submissions of 10 words or less, without a specific theme. Winners are announced weekly after a community write-in event.

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Horror, and Mystery

The contest invites submissions of horror-themed short stories that embrace Christmas themes. Open to adult writers; stories should be original and unpublished. Judged based on storytelling quality, craft, originality, and voice.

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

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.