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DIRECTORY

Best Writing Contests in 2026

Showing 482 contests that match your search.

Page 12

The Paul Cave Prize for Literature

Tim Saunders Publications

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

Established in 2023, this contest is a platform for writers and poets to get their work published. Categories include various forms of poetry and fiction, excluding erotic work. Winners receive feedback and cash prizes, while all approved submissions will be included in the anthology.

Top Prize:

£200

Additional prizes:

Feedback from the publisher + a complimentary copy of the anthology

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2025 (Expired)

The Pinch Literary Awards & Page Prize

The Pinch Literary Journal

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

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

Top Prize:

$2,000

Additional prizes:

Publication in the fall issue of Pinch.

💰 Entry fee: $28

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2026 (Expired)

The Lascaux Prize in Poetry

The Lascaux Review

Genres: Poetry

The Lascaux Prize in Poetry invites submissions of previously published or unpublished poems. The winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication in The Lascaux Review. There is no limit to the number of entries, and up to five poems can be submitted per entry.

Top Prize:

$1,000

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: March 31, 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)

Oxford Flash Fiction Prize 2025

Oxford Flash Fiction

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.

Top Prize:

£1000

Additional prizes:

2nd Prize: £200 | 3rd Prize: £100 | New Voice Prize: £200 | Publication in the anthology for shortlisted entrants.

💰 Entry fee: $7

📅 Deadline: August 31, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction, Novel, Novella, and Romance

This contest celebrates diverse voices in literature. The winner will receive a 3 month membership with a published author to help them prepare their book for publishing.

Additional prizes:

1st: A 3 month mentorship with a published author. | 2nd: A 2 month mentorship with a published author. | 3rd: A 1 month mentorship with a published author. | 4th – 5th: A one hour coaching session with a published author.

💰 Entry fee: $45

📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Script Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Storytrade Book Awards celebrate excellence in small and independent publishing, recognizing outstanding books across various categories. The awards aim to provide visibility and recognition to authors and their works.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

$1,000 for each Book of the Year (Fiction & Nonfiction). Medals, book stickers, and digital seals for Winners and Finalists

💰 Entry fee: $75

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2026 (Expired)

NOWW 27th 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: February 28, 2025 (Expired)

TWFest Poetry Contest

Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival

Genres: Poetry

The TWFest Poetry Contest encourages emerging writers to submit their original poems. The contest aims to support new literary works and provides a platform for diverse voices in poetry.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

VIP All-Access Pass ($600 value) for the next Festival, public reading at the Festival, publication in French Quarter Journal, photo and bio on website for one year, interview in newsletter and social media. LitPass ($100 value) for top finalists.

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: October 15, 2025 (Expired)

Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award

Claremont Graduate University

Genres: Poetry

The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award is one of the most prestigious poetry awards, providing significant financial support to poets. It offers a $100,000 prize for a single poetry collection published within the eligibility year, aimed at supporting mid-career poets. The award encourages poets to continue developing their craft.

Top Prize:

$100,000

Additional prizes:

The Kate Tufts Discovery Award offers $10,000 for a first book of poetry.

📅 Deadline: July 01, 2025 (Expired)

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.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Grand Prize winners receive exclusive Chanticleer Book Review Packages and author interviews, valued at $795, along with additional prizes.

💰 Entry fee: $99

📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025 (Expired)

Solar Flare Contest 2025

Sunspot Literary Journal

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

The Solar Flare Contest seeks submissions for a single short story, novel or novella excerpt, artwork, graphic novel, or poem that exhibits a burst of creative energy. All genres accepted, with a maximum word limit of 500 for stories and nonfiction, 12 lines for poetry, and 8 pages for graphic novels.

Top Prize:

$100

Additional prizes:

Publication for the winner; publication offered to runners-up and finalists.

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: June 01, 2025 (Expired)

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: July 29, 2026 (Expired)

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

The competition aims to give marginalized voices the opportunity to establish literary legacies. It accepts unpublished creative nonfiction manuscripts and assesses entries based on originality, creativity, and writing quality.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Publication of the winning manuscript in 2026. Runners up will also be considered for publication.

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: July 01, 2025 (Expired)

Genres:

The Nobleer Media Impact Award celebrates exceptional authors who have made a profound impact through their work.

Additional prizes:

Winner is featured in Nobleer Media’s Top Books of the Year list. Winner will also receive recognition and promotion for their submission.

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: May 30, 2025 (Expired)

C.D. Wright Prize for Poetry

Arkansas International

Genres: Poetry

The C.D. Wright Prize for Poetry honors innovative poetry and is open to poets who have not published a full-length book. The winner receives $1000 and publication in the Arkansas International.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Publication in the Arkansas International

📅 Deadline: October 31, 2025 (Expired)

Write By The Sea Memoir/Personal Essay Contest

Write By The Sea Literary Festival

Genres: Essay and Memoir

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.

Top Prize:

€500

Additional prizes:

2nd: €300 | 3rd: €200 | Winner also gets a free weekend pass to the Write By The Sea Festival 2026 & publication in the Waxed Lemon Literary Journal.

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: June 07, 2026 (Expired)

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)

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

High-quality unpublished manuscripts in memoir, fiction, and non-fiction are sought for this competition. The contest is designed to amplify the voices of contemporary writers.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Possible book publication/distribution in ebook and paperback formats

💰 Entry fee: $40

📅 Deadline: October 15, 2025 (Expired)

2026 Nature Writing Prize

The Nature Conservancy Australia

Genres: Essay

Invites Australian writers to tell nature stories that deepen appreciation for the natural world and inspire care for its future. Theme is "Writing of place". Entries are digital essays of 3,000–5,000 words set in an Australian landscape, environment or seascape.

Top Prize:

AU$8,000 and the winning essay published in the January/February 2027 issue of Australian Book Review.

Additional prizes:

Highly Commended: Rosina Joy Buckman Award – AU$1,000.

💰 Entry fee: $27

📅 Deadline: September 23, 2026

Genres: Flash Fiction, Fiction, and Short Story

The WOW! Women on Writing Flash Fiction Contest aims to inspire creativity and recognition for writers. Open to all genres of flash fiction, it has been running since 2006 and has awarded over $100,000 in cash prizes to participants. The contest allows entries globally, and submissions must be in English.

Top Prize:

$400

Additional prizes:

2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 | 7 runner-ups: $25 Amazon Gift Cards

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: February 28, 2026 (Expired)

Genres: Flash Fiction and Poetry

The contest invites submissions in visual art, poetry, and flash fiction. It aims to showcase innovative and authentic art while promoting diversity. Winners and runners-up will be featured on the website and in a Fall anthology.

Top Prize:

$100

Additional prizes:

Each category winner will receive $100 (USD). Winning submissions and two runners-up per category will be published in the Fall Anthology.

📅 Deadline: August 01, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Other Futures Award is an annual contest for innovative, adventurous full-length works that challenge genre and language conventions. It encourages submissions that imagine new lived or literary possibilities and question established paradigms.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Publication with Futurepoem, a standard royalty contract, and 25 author copies.

💰 Entry fee: $28

📅 Deadline: August 15, 2025 (Expired)

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)

Fischer Prize

Telluride Institute

Genres: Poetry

A national poetry contest established in 1997 in memory of Mark Fischer. It aims to promote poetry and supports the Talking Gourds community poetry program. The contest is open to all poets writing in English, regardless of age or location, and it awards cash prizes to winners and finalists.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Five $250 Outstanding Finalist prizes

💰 Entry fee: $12

📅 Deadline: August 31, 2025 (Expired)

Anthology Poetry Competition

Anthology Magazine

Genres: Poetry

The Anthology Poetry Competition seeks to recognize and encourage excellence in poetry writing. Open to original, unpublished poems in English, it welcomes entries from poets worldwide without restrictions on theme or style. Poems should not exceed 40 lines, with no limit on the number of entries per person.

Top Prize:

€1000

Additional prizes:

2nd: €250 | 3rd: €150 + publication of the winning poem in Anthology magazine

💰 Entry fee: $18

📅 Deadline: October 31, 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)

Genres: Poetry

The Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition invites submissions from poets on any subject and in any format, up to 60 lines long. The winner receives the title and a cash prize, with additional prizes for runners-up.

Top Prize:

£300 + Title of Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year

Additional prizes:

Second Place: £150 Second Place: £75

💰 Entry fee: $4

📅 Deadline: June 02, 2025 (Expired)

Nimrod Literary Awards

The University of Tulsa

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Novel

The Nimrod Literary Awards recognize outstanding writing in multiple genres. The contest is open to various forms of literature, offering recognition and opportunities for emerging writers.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

2nd: $200 | Publication for winner.

📅 Deadline: February 16, 2026 (Expired)

Bacopa Literary Review Annual Writing Contest

Writers Alliance of Gainesville

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

The Bacopa Literary Review is an annual international print journal seeking engaging and original submissions across multiple genres. The contest includes various categories with specific guidelines to encourage diverse forms of writing.

Top Prize:

$200

Additional prizes:

$100 Honorable Mention in each of six categories

💰 Entry fee: $3

📅 Deadline: June 01, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction

The Salamander Fiction Prize offers writers the opportunity to submit their works for consideration. The contest includes a first prize of $1,000 and publication, and a second prize of $500 and publication. Entries will be judged anonymously, and all submissions are also considered for publication in the magazine.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

2nd: $500 | Publication

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: June 01, 2025 (Expired)

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 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Poetry.com Contest invites participants to submit original poems monthly for a chance to win cash prizes and gain recognition. The contest emphasizes community involvement, allowing participants to vote on entries.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

2nd Place: $300 | 3rd Place: $200 | Five runners-up receive a personalized mug and a chance to compete for Poem of the Year.

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2025 (Expired)

SLAM 2027: Poetry that Breaks the Silence

Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc. / Kinsman Quarterly

Genres: Poetry

SLAM 2027 seeks captivating poetry that explores culture, resilience, love and justice. Poets may submit up to three poems and are encouraged to embrace free verse, inventive language and bold experimentation with sound, structure and voice.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

Publication in Kinsman Quarterly and in the anthology "SLAM 2027".

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: October 30, 2026

The Naomi Shihab Nye Prize

Barbara Nimri Aziz

Genres: Children's and Fiction

Established in 2024, this annual competition invites Arab American and Arab Canadian writers to submit English-language middle-grade manuscripts for young Arab readers. The prize aims to celebrate Arab creativity and storytelling traditions.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

2nd: $500

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: May 20, 2025 (Expired)

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