Best Writing Contests in 2026

Genres: Poetry

The Donald Hall Prize for Poetry awards $5,500 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press. The prize honors the best unpublished collection of poems and is judged by a prominent poet.

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.

Genres: Poetry

Welcome to the 23rd annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. Submit published or unpublished work. $3,500 for a poem in any style or genre. $3,500 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style.

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: Children's

The Betty Award is a writing contest for children ages 8-12, celebrating young authors since 2006. The contest encourages imagination and creativity, allowing entries in any topic as long as they are age-appropriate.

Genres: Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Children's, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

The North Street Book Prize focuses on self-published or hybrid-published books, offering significant cash prizes and marketing services to enhance visibility. The contest has been running for 11 years and encourages entries across various genres.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

An open-themed contest accepting all genres, including those written by or for children. Stories must be between 1,000 and 3,000 words with strong characters and plots.

Genres: Fiction

This competition invites young writers (ages 13-19) to reimagine historical tales and myths, focusing on narratives from their cultural backgrounds. The competition opens on January 5, 2026, and encourages creativity in revisiting traditional stories.

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

The Places Writing Competition invites stories and poems about places that inspire or challenge writers. It includes various categories like poetry, short stories, and flash fiction, and aims to highlight the significance of places in literature.

Genres: Poetry

The Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry is awarded for an unpublished, full-length volume of poems by a U.S. author, along with foreign nationals living and writing in the U.S. and U.S. citizens abroad. The prize includes $2000 and publication.

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: Essay

The Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest is open to all high school, college, and graduate students worldwide. Participants write essays based on prompts related to Ayn Rand's novel _Atlas Shrugged_. The contest has seasonal entry rounds with unique prompts, and essays must be between 800 and 1,600 words. The winning essays demonstrate a strong grasp of the book's themes.

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

The Chapter One Prize is dedicated to finding the best opening chapter of a novel-in-progress written in English. Open to international writers over 18, it focuses on unpublished fiction only.

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: Flash Fiction

The competition invites entries of flash fiction up to 300 words on the theme of 'a lie'. A special secret phrase must also be included, revealed in the podcast episode on September 29. The contest is sponsored by Scrivener.

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Novel

The Nimrod Literary Awards are hosted by the Nimrod International Journal to honor outstanding writing in fiction and poetry. Each year, the awards feature a first prize of $2,000 and a second prize of $1,000, along with publication opportunities for winners.

Genres: Flash Fiction and Non-fiction

The WAWA challenges writers to explore the theme of 'Endings' through short stories of up to 500 words. Entries must not include the word 'endings' in the title or story itself. Winners will be announced in March 2025.

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

The Writer's Games is a free competition aimed at improving writing skills, offering feedback from judges. The 2024 edition has concluded, and it featured multiple events with winners recognized in an anthology. Registration is necessary to participate.

Genres: Fiction, Novel, and Young Adult

The Caledonia Novel Award is an international competition for unpublished and self-published novelists in all genres, encouraging writers to submit their original works. The award aims to connect new authors with literary agents.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, and Young Adult

The 2025 Book Pipeline Unpublished Contest aims to discover unpublished manuscripts across ten categories. Winners receive $25,000, industry circulation, and executive development opportunities. It is open to writers aged 18 and older, with specific submission guidelines based on categories.

Genres: Poetry

The Heroica Poetry Prize is a competition aimed at women and non-binary authors and poets, offering monetary rewards and publication in an anthology.

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, and Poetry

The competition features four categories: Fiction Short Story, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Memoir/Personal Essay, with original works encouraged. Winners will be invited to read at the festival and have their work published.

Genres: LGBTQ and Non-fiction

The Jeanne Córdova Prize honors lesbian/queer-identified women and trans/gender non-conforming nonfiction authors. It seeks to recognize writers who capture the depth and complexity of lesbian/queer life, culture, and history.

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.

Genres: Poetry

The Dark Poets Prize is an international poetry competition inviting entries that explore beauty within darkness. The winner receives the title of International Dark Poets Prize IV Winner and a cash prize.

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

The Spring Microfiction Battle is part of the Writing Battle series, where participants write stories based on prompts. Participants receive feedback from peers and industry judges.

Genres: Poetry

The Troubadour International Poetry Prize is an annual competition open to poets worldwide, judged by notable figures in the literary community. The 2024 prize includes cash awards for the top three poems, as well as opportunities for commended entries.

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, and Young Adult

Etchings Press, a student-run publisher at the University of Indianapolis, awards The Whirling Prize each year to two books that demonstrate an excellent and compelling response to a theme that students at the university select. Student judges will welcome recently published books of prose and poetry in response to the theme of "mystery" published since January 2024.

Genres: Essay

The contest invites high school students to respond to a prompt regarding human rights. Essays should not exceed 2500 words and must include a cover page with specific details.

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Fantasy, and Flash Fiction

The Wonder 2025 Flash fiction Battle is part of the Writing Battle series, where participants write stories based on prompts. Participants receive feedback from professionals.

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

The Winter Flash Fiction Battle is an engaging contest where writers compete by creating stories based on given prompts. Participants write a story of up to 1000 words within three days. The contest emphasizes community feedback and professional judging.

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

The competition is open for submissions themed 'The Evolution of Love'. Each entry will be edited, judged based on various writing criteria, and selected works will be published in an anthology.

Genres: LGBTQ

This prize honors emerging LGBTQ writers over the age of 50. It recognizes unpublished LGBTQ writers working in any genre, emphasizing that writers who start later can be just as talented as those who begin earlier.

Genres: Essay, Memoir, and Non-fiction

The Aurora Polaris Creative Nonfiction Award is an annual contest launched by Trio House Press, focused on creative nonfiction manuscripts. The award aims to recognize innovative and distinct works in this genre.

Genres: Poetry

The Jane Martin Poetry Prize is a national poetry competition established in 2010 in memory of Girton alumna Jane Elizabeth Martin. It aims to support young poets and promote literary excellence, judged by experts in the literary field.