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 The prize honors the best unpublished collection of poems and is judged by a prominent poet.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: Poetry

Twice each year Black Lawrence Press will run the Black River Chapbook Competition for an unpublished chapbook of poems or prose between 16-36 pages in length. The contest is open to new, emerging, and established writers. The winner will receive book publication, a $500 cash award, and ten copies of the book. Prizes are awarded on publication.

Genres: Poetry

The Annual Poetry Contest accepts up to 3 previously unpublished poems of any style, with no length limit. Winning entries receive cash prizes and publication. Additionally, winners and honorable mentions get a print copy of the issue.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, and Fiction

The Romantasy Short Story Challenge invites writers to craft a 2,000-word story based on the romantasy theme, incorporating specific prompts given at the challenge start. Participants have ten days to create and submit their stories.

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.

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, and Science Fiction

Fiction Potluck is a quarterly writing competition open to fiction writers globally, featuring a guest judge who sets a unique challenge each period. The current challenge theme is 'Sci-Fi Western', with submissions of up to 6,000 words due by August 20. The competition is free to enter, and winners receive prizes including a two-year Duotrope service subscription (valued at $100).

Genres: Fiction and Novel

This competition invites submissions of the first chapter of a novel along with a synopsis. The focus is on originality and engaging storytelling. The winner will receive feedback from a literary agent and a substantial cash prize.

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 It invites submissions of previously unpublished flash fiction under 1,000 words.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: Fiction and Short Story

The Chalk Circle 1500 competition invites authors to submit short fiction of up to 1500 words on any subject or genre, excluding children's fiction. It aims to celebrate concise storytelling and creativity.

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.

Genres: Poetry

The Clevedon Lit Fest Poetry Award 2026 invites UK residents aged 16 or older to submit original poetry entries. Each entry must be a maximum of 40 lines and typed in English. The contest emphasizes creativity and originality, disqualifying works that have previously won or been published. AI-generated entries will also be disqualified.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

Writers around the world have three months to compose and refine a single short story (2,000 to 5,000 words) in any genre, in response to one prompt. All submissions will be assessed by the Reedsy team, with longlisted stories reviewed by our guest judge Jon Michael Darga, Literary Agent at Aevitas Creative Management and a Reedsy editor.

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.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, and Young Adult

The Cygnus Awards recognize the best Science Fiction books across various subgenres. It includes prizes, recognition, and promotional opportunities for winning entries.

Genres: Poetry

Trick and treat? This fall, Gotham Writers Workshop wants your eeriest, most spine-tingling haiku. Theme: spooky, horror-flavoured verse about things that go bump in the night.

Genres: Flash Fiction

The Clevedon LitFest Flash Fiction Award invites entries of original short stories of no more than 500 words. The competition emphasizes evocative writing and a compelling story arc within strict word limits.

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.

Genres: Poetry

The award honors Dominican-American poet Rhina Espaillat. It is for an original poem of up to 50 lines, showcasing empathy and grace in everyday life.

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.

Genres: Poetry

The contest honors the legacy of Joy Bale Boone, an influential American poet and activist. All entries must be original works in English, with a submission window from July 1 to October 1, 2025, for publication in Spring 2026. The winners will be announced before Christmas 2025.

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: Fiction and Short Story

The Cai Emmons Short Fiction Contest honors the legacy of Cai Emmons by recognizing new voices in fiction. It encourages themes central to Cai's work, such as interconnectedness, women's issues, grief, and environmental concerns.

Genres: Short Story

Archive Magazine’s first writing contest asks for raw, unpolished, evocative short stories exploring the multidimensionality of “youth.” Youth is framed as more than an age—something like a feeling, time of exploration, or state of mind.

Genres: Poetry

The NPS Open Competition invites submissions of book-length poetry manuscripts from U.S. residents and American citizens abroad. Winners receive cash prizes and publication.

Genres: Essay and Travel

The competition invites original, unpublished travel articles in English, focusing on authentic travel experiences. Articles should be engaging and convey a strong sense of the destination and local culture, with a maximum length of 1,000 words.

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Script Writing, Thriller, Children's, and Christian

Kinsman Black Box script submissions are open year-round for one-act and full-length plays, and the programme especially welcomes BIPOC and traditionally underrepresented playwrights. Selected scripts are published globally in the Kinsman Black Box online script database, which licenses work to schools, theatre groups and charitable organisations.

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.

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!

Genres: Romance and Thriller

The Mo Siewcharran Prize aims to discover unpublished fiction writers from diverse ethnic backgrounds. It is seeking commercial fiction in the genres of psychological thriller and romantic fiction. Entries must be original works aimed at adults.

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.

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

The Best Indie Book Award (BIBA) is an international literary contest that recognizes outstanding achievements by independently published authors. Entries are limited to indie published books, including those from small presses and self-published authors, judged on various writing skills.

Genres: Poetry

This is the inaugural Chapbook Contest inviting poets and prose writers to submit works celebrating Appalachia. Submissions must embody Appalachian themes and can include previously published works. The contest offers a $200 prize, publication of the winning chapbook, author copies, and a digital e-book.

Genres: Poetry

The 28th annual Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition is now open for submissions until April 30, 2026. The competition is judged by Keith Jarrett, with several prizes offered for various categories. Winning and commended poems will be included in an anthology and published on the website.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Novel, and Novella

The contest is open to authors who published a romance book in 2024. It focuses on various criteria for judging, including plot creativity, grammar, romantic conflict, and character believability.

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.