Best Writing Contests in 2026

Genres: Fiction, Humor, and Short Story

A biennial humorous short story competition (10th competition for 2027) with no fixed theme. Stories must be in English, fictional, and humorous in some way (black comedy and dark humour allowed).

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.

Genres: Poetry and Children's

The Caterpillar Poetry Prize is an annual contest for unpublished poems written by adults for children aged 7–11. It highlights children's poetry and is judged anonymously. Previous winners include notable poets, and the prize aims to encourage new voices in this literary field.

Genres: Poetry

The Nature and Place Poetry Competition 2024 is a poetry contest organized by The Rialto in association with RSPB, BirdLife International, Cambridge Conservation Initiative, and The University of Leeds Poetry Centre. It invites poets to submit unpublished poems focused on nature and place. Free entries available for writers on low or supported incomes (up to two poems)

Genres: Fiction and Romance

This contest invites adult writers to submit original romance stories centered around themes like trust fund babies, hidden heiress scandals, and forbidden love in elite academies. It emphasizes high-drama romance with engaging plots.

Genres: Children's and Poetry

The Rattle Poetry Prize awards $15,000 for a single poem published in the winter issue of Rattle. Ten finalists receive $500 each and a chance for the $5,000 Readers’ Choice Award. The contest emphasizes fair judging through anonymized reviews by editors.

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, 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.

Genres: Fiction, Novel, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Adventure Writers Competition (AWC) is an annual event that recognizes and celebrates adventure writing. It invites unpublished or published writers in the action/adventure genre to participate by submitting original fiction manuscripts.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, and Short Story

The Kiss & Verse Winter Romance Fiction Prize invites original romance short stories about love, desire, intimacy, longing, and romantic relationships, with literary ambition and a distinctive voice. The winning story is published in the inaugural Winter 2027 issue (Issue 0.01) of Kiss & Verse and becomes the inspiration for the Summer Romance Poetry Prize.

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

The 12th Annual 2026 IAN Book of the Year Awards is an international contest open to all authors with 75 categories. Winners are eligible for cash prizes totaling $6,000.

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

A writing contest encouraging submissions about a woman, real or imagined, who claimed her own identity. The work must be original and unpublished, focusing on a specifically named woman. Eligible genres include fiction, creative non-fiction, personal essay, and poetry.

Genres: Fiction and Romance

The Romance Through the Ages Contest is aimed at unpublished authors, focusing on historical romance set before 1980. The contest promotes the genre and connects writers through the Hearts Through History organization.

Genres: Children's, Crime, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, and Young Adult

The I Am Writing Competition offers multiple categories for writers to showcase their talent, with prizes for various genres including crime, historical, and romance. Each category allows entrants to submit the first 3,500 words of their work along with a synopsis where required.

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

The inaugural Louise Glück Prize for Best Poem or Prose, run by Poetries in English Magazine. Open to poetry and prose; the winner receives a $1,000 honorarium and publication in the magazine.

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: 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.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

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

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

The competition invites writers to submit short stories of up to 1000 words, excluding children's and young adult fiction. The entry fee varies based on the number of submissions. Winners will be announced in February 2026.

Genres: Fiction and Horror

Seeking novellas or novelettes in the Early Gothic tradition, set from after the Fall of Rome to 1500. Submissions should showcase excellent writing, engaging plots, and authentic historical settings.

Genres: Fiction and Novel

The contest invites submissions of self-contained novel excerpts up to 6,000 words, focusing on strong voice, characters, and narrative arcs. The grand prize includes $3,000, online publication, and a consultation with a literary agent.

Genres: Novel

Open to all poets over 18 years old writing in English. Collaborations, hybrid works, and simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please notify Diode Editions if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.

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

The Brink Fall 2025 Writing Contest invites submissions in multiple genres. Winning entries will be selected and published, emphasizing creative, boundary-pushing literature. The contest encourages diverse voices and innovative storytelling.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The competition invites submissions of flash fiction with a maximum word count of 999. Entries can be on any topic, allowing writers to showcase their creativity.

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.

Genres: Poetry and Short Story

The Writers Cypher is a first year, three-round virtual creative writing competition sponsored by Writers' Row Publishing House. Participants will compete for cash prizes, including two grand prizes of $1,000 each and an additional $500 for two runners-up. To enter, review the rules and guidelines and submit your first-round entry and $20 registration fee by December 30th.

Genres: LGBTQ

This award honors emerging LGBTQ writers over the age of 50, aiming to support those who have not yet been published in book form. It emphasizes that writers who start later can be just as accomplished.

Genres: Short Story and Fiction

The Henshaw Press Short Story Competition accepts entries of up to 2,000 words on any theme. It is open to writers aged 16 and over.

Genres: Short Story

Pocketbook Press seeks emotionally resonant, unpublished short fiction for its inaugural anthology. Stories should evoke the spirit of winter/holiday season (e.g., Christmas, New Year’s, Hanukkah, etc.) with themes such as connection, memory, loss, celebration, or transformation.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The Scribes Prize is an annual writing contest open for submissions from July 1 to October 1. It invites stories between 90-110 words, with a focus on various genres of fiction and creative nonfiction. Winners will be published in ScribesMICRO and receive digital award seals.

Genres: Fiction

An international contest for historical and mythological short fiction, open to writers worldwide.

Genres: Short Story

The Frome Festival Short Story Competition invites entries of 150-2000 words. The 2026 competition is currently open for submissions.

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: Horror and Fiction

The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award is a biannual contest seeking full-length supernatural or magic realist short stories. The winning stories are published on June 1 and Halloween. The award is open to any story with a supernatural theme, not limited to traditional ghost stories.