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Not Quite Write Prize for FLESH Fiction
Not Quite Write
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, and Fantasy
The Not Quite Write Prize for FLESH Fiction invites submissions of erotic stories up to 1,500 words based on the theme 'Making the unsexy irresistible'. The competition is open to adults worldwide, free to enter, and aims to explore creative interpretations of erotic fiction. Judging is blind, and winners will be announced publicly.
Top Prize:
$500 AUS
Additional prizes:
Total prize pool of AU$1,000 plus a range of "spicy" prizes and a chance at print publication.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: August 24, 2025 (Expired)
SFPA Poetry Contest
Science Fiction Poetry Association
Genres: Poetry
The SFPA Poetry Contest promotes speculative poetry, rewarding quality works while raising funds for the organization. The contest includes categories for poems of varying lengths—Dwarf (1-10 lines), Short (11-49 lines), and Long (50+ lines). 2024's judge is Stephanie M. Wytovich.
Top Prize:
$150
Additional prizes:
Second: $75 Third: $25 Winners are published on the SFPA website.
💰 Entry fee: $3
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2025 (Expired)
Dream Quest One Poetry Contest
Dream Quest One
Genres: Poetry
The Dream Quest One Poetry Contest is an international competition aimed at encouraging writers and poets to showcase their original works. The contest is open to all, regardless of experience, and accepts entries in various styles and themes. The mission is to inspire creativity and support literary talents.
Top Prize:
$250
Additional prizes:
Second Place: $125 Third Place: $50 Winners may also have their work published online.
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: April 06, 2025 (Expired)
The Page Turner Writing Award
The Page Turner Awards
Genres: Fiction and Non-fiction
An inclusive writing contest aimed at unpublished writers, offering a platform to showcase their completed manuscripts. The contest provides mentorship and publishing opportunities through a panel of industry professionals. | Use code "26REEDSY40" for free entry!
Top Prize:
Lifetime licenses to book marketing packages, a manuscript critique, one-year memberships to professional associations, and writing mentorships.
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2026 (Expired)
Poetry Wales Award 2024-25
Poetry Wales
Genres: Poetry
The Poetry Wales Award is a single-poem competition allowing poets worldwide to submit new, unpublished works. The competition opens on 17th December 2024 and closes on 17th February 2025. The judge for this year is Jeremy Dixon, a prize-winning poet.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
First prize gets choice of a course or a writing retreat, one-year subscription to Poetry Wales, publication of winning poem. £100 for second place, £50 for third place, and invitations for ten highly commended poets to read at the award ceremony.
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: February 17, 2025 (Expired)
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, 2026 (Expired)
Witnessed: An Anthology of Literary Horror
Edge & Busby Press
Genres: Fiction, Horror, and Short Story
Edge & Busby Press seeks literary psychological horror for its inaugural anthology contest — stories where the dread comes from people. Sixteen stories will be selected. Guest judge: Carl Ellsworth (Red Eye, Disturbia).
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Second prize $200; $100 honoraria for the remaining 14 selected stories. All 16 published in the anthology.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: September 15, 2026 (Expired)
Winchester Poetry Prize
Winchester Poetry Festival
Genres: Poetry
The Winchester Poetry Prize is an annual poetry competition that began in 2016, attracting global entries. It features a blind judging process and culminates in a prize-giving ceremony during the Winchester Poetry Festival.
Top Prize:
£1000
Additional prizes:
2nd: £500 | 3rd: £250 | Kathryn Bevis Prize: £150 and a year's tuition from The Writing School Online for the best Hampshire-based poem.
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2026 (Expired)
The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction
SmokeLong Quarterly
Genres: Flash Fiction
An annual competition celebrating excellence in flash fiction. Previous winners have been published in notable anthologies.
Top Prize:
$2,500
Additional prizes:
2nd: $1000 | 3rd: $500 | Finalists: $150 | Finalists: $150 each. All finalists will be published in the June 2026 issue.
💰 Entry fee: $17
📅 Deadline: May 10, 2026 (Expired)
High School Academic Research Competition
Crimson Consulting Limited
Genres: Essay and Non-fiction
The High School Academic Research Competition (SARC) is an online contest for high school students aged 13-18 to conduct research on any topic. Participants develop their research proposals and skills through exclusive bootcamps and compete by submitting proposals and video pitches.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
1st place: $1000 and free Indigo Research Intensive Program 2nd place: $750 3rd place: $500
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2025 (Expired)
A Very Short Fiction Contest
Gotham Writers Workshop
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.
Top Prize:
Free Gotham class (excluding premium classes)
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: June 01, 2026 (Expired)
The Philip Hoare Competition
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)
Swamp Pink Prizes
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:
$200
Additional prizes:
Publication in an upcoming issue of Swamp Pink
💰 Entry fee: $3
📅 Deadline: June 01, 2026 (Expired)
Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize 2026
Desperate Literature
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story
The Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize aims to celebrate new short fiction under 2000 words and provide visibility to winners through various publishing opportunities. This year, the prize includes cash rewards and writing retreats, alongside publication chances in several literary journals.
Top Prize:
€2,000 + a week’s residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, consultation with Literary Agent Charlotte Seymour, and a manuscript assessment with The Literary Consultancy.
Additional prizes:
2nd and 3rd place: €1000. Publication in partner journals for all shortlisted writers.
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: April 19, 2026 (Expired)
The Clue Awards for Thriller/Suspense
Chanticleer Book Reviews
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.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Exclusive Chanticleer Book Review Package and Author Interview valued at $795.
💰 Entry fee: $99
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025 (Expired)
Ironclad Short Story Competition
Ironclad Creative CIC
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The competition invites short stories inspired by the prompt 'FOOTPRINT'. Open to writers globally, both published and unpublished. Winning entries will be included in an anthology.
Top Prize:
£100
Additional prizes:
2nd: £50 | 3rd: £25 | Publication for all shortlisted stories.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2026 (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)
Genres: Script Writing
The TWFest One Act Play Contest aims to promote new work from emerging or previously unpublished playwrights. Plays must not exceed one hour in length and should be original, not previously published, produced, or performed.
Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
Professional Staged Reading at the next Festival, VIP All-Access Festival pass ($600 value), publication in Bayou Magazine. Top finalists will receive a LitPass ($100 value) to the Festival.
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: October 15, 2025 (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)
Southword Editor’s Poetry Award
Munster Literature Centre
Genres: Poetry
Each entrant for their €24 entry fee will receive a complementary postage-free, one-year subscription to Southword. Poems will be read and judged anonymously. Poems must be previously unpublished. The winning poet will have their three poems published in Southword.
Top Prize:
€1000
Additional prizes:
The winning poet will have their three poems published in Southword.
💰 Entry fee: $24
📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024 (Expired)
Randall Kenan Prize for Black LGBTQ Fiction
Lambda Literary
Genres: LGBTQ, Novel, and Fiction
The Randall Kenan Prize honors Black LGBTQ writers of fiction, focusing on themes of Black LGBTQ life, culture, and history. Founded in memory of author Randall Kenan.
Top Prize:
$1,500
📅 Deadline: February 20, 2026 (Expired)
2027 Embracing Our Differences Exhibition
Embracing Our Differences
Genres: Essay
The exhibition invites original quotations reflecting the theme 'embracing our differences.' It showcases 50 artworks and selected quotations from artists and writers worldwide, emphasizing community voices.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
$2000 each for Best-in-Show Adult, Best-in-Show Student, and People's Choice Award.
📅 Deadline: July 01, 2026 (Expired)
Voice.club Monthly Flash Fiction Contest
Soft Designs, Inc.
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story
The contest encourages participants to submit one fictional story (max 350 words) for a chance to win a prize. The contest requires a minimum of 10 shortlisted submissions to award a prize, which is a $25 Amazon Gift Card.
Top Prize:
$25 USD Amazon Gift Card
Additional prizes:
Publication
📅 Deadline: August 01, 2024 (Expired)
Askew's Word on the Lake Writing Contest
Shuswap Association of Writers
Genres: Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
The contest is open for submissions in short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Entrants can submit original, unpublished works. Prizes include cash awards and festival packages, with winners published in the anthology.
Top Prize:
$200 CAD
Additional prizes:
1st: festival registration package | 2nd: $125 and banquet package | Honourable mention: $100 and banquet package.
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2026 (Expired)
Springtime on Story Street Flash Contest
Story Street Writers
Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction
The contest invites participants to submit a flash fiction piece of 100 words or fewer.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
$25 for each of the three runners-up. Winner and all runners-up receive publication in the Story Street Review.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
The Peseroff Prize
Breakwater Review
Genres: Poetry
The Peseroff Prize honors Joyce Peseroff's contributions to poetry and literature. It is an annual contest that invites submissions of previously unpublished poems.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in spring issue
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: April 15, 2026 (Expired)
First Book Award
Academy of American Poets
Genres: Poetry
The First Book Award is a $5,000 prize for a first book of poetry. The winning manuscript is published by Graywolf Press, with additional benefits like a residency in Italy and extensive promotion.
Top Prize:
$5,000
💰 Entry fee: $35
📅 Deadline: September 01, 2025 (Expired)
Mofic 10 Chapter Contest
Mofic
Genres: Fiction
Upload 10 chapters of any story (each chapter length at least 1800 words) to enter.
Top Prize:
$700
Additional prizes:
2nd: $400 | 3rd: $200 | 2x notable entries: $20. Winners may receive editorial and publishing support.
📅 Deadline: August 20, 2025 (Expired)
Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction
Reed Magazine
Genres: Essay and Non-fiction
The Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction recognizes outstanding works of nonfiction, specifically creative nonfiction like personal essays and narratives. Submissions should be stand-alone essays limited to 5,000 words, and the contest includes a reading fee.
Top Prize:
$1,333
Additional prizes:
All contest entrants receive a free copy of the latest edition of Reed Magazine.
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: October 01, 2025 (Expired)
The Paz Prize for Poetry
National Poetry Series
Genres: Poetry
The Paz Prize for Poetry awards a $2,000 prize every other year for the publication of an unpublished book of poetry originally written in Spanish by an American resident. The winning manuscript will be translated into English and published in a bilingual edition.
Top Prize:
$2,000
📅 Deadline: June 15, 2026 (Expired)
$1000 for 1000 Words Contest
The Layla Beban Young Authors
Genres: Children's and Short Story
The contest invites students in grades 6-12 to submit a piece of short fiction exactly 1000 words long. There are no specific themes, but entries should be original and not previously published. The contest aims to encourage young authors to tell significant stories.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Seven $100 cash prizes for runners-up
📅 Deadline: February 01, 2025 (Expired)
Fish Flash Fiction Prize
Fish Publishing
Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction
The Fish Flash Fiction Prize invites submissions of compelling stories in 300 words or less, judged by Tania Hershman. The contest has been held annually since 2004.
Top Prize:
€1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: €300 + Online Writing Course | 3rd: €300
💰 Entry fee: $14
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2026 (Expired)
St. Andrew's Poetry Contest 2026 - "Bearing Witness"
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, State College, PA
Genres: Poetry
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in State College, PA invites poems on the theme "Bearing Witness". The contest encourages both Christians and non-Christians to engage artistically with timely topics rooted in the Christian faith that have relevance within our broader social context. Open to poets residing in North America (US, Canada, Mexico).
Top Prize:
$250
Additional prizes:
2nd prize: $100; 3rd prize: $50. Publication in anthology and invitation to a reading event. Honorable Mentions may be awarded at the judge’s discretion (no cash prize).
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: August 15, 2026 (Expired)
Travel Writing Award
Ottawa Tourism
Genres: Travel
The Travel Writing Award invites writers to explore and share their experiences in Ottawa and its surroundings. It emphasizes capturing the essence of travel through a narrative lens.
Top Prize:
$1000 CAD
Additional prizes:
Winning entries will also be featured in Ottawa Tourism publications
📅 Deadline: February 17, 2026 (Expired)
Bridport Short Story Prize
Bridport Arts Centre
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Bridport Short Story Prize is an international competition for writers. It seeks to find new talent and help them get published. The prize offers significant opportunities for aspiring writers.
Top Prize:
£5000
Additional prizes:
2nd: £1000 | 3rd: £500 | 10 Highly Commended: £100.
💰 Entry fee: $17
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2026 (Expired)
