Best Writing Contests in 2026

Genres: Fiction

The New Voices Fiction Contest seeks bold and original short fiction from both emerging and established writers across all genres. It encourages submissions that challenge, entertain, and linger in the reader’s mind.

Genres: Essay

Teen World of Arts and the European Democracy Institute at Bard College Berlin have teamed up to host an annual essay competition open to high school students (years 11 and 12) and undergraduates. Participants can choose from among four prompts that link the visual and performing arts to broader social, political, and historical topics.

Genres: Fiction and Mystery

The Mystery & Mayhem Awards seek the best books in mystery genres, focusing on amateur sleuths, light suspense, and more. Over $30,000 in prizes, including a $1,000 Grand Prize, exclusive reviews, and promotional boosts for winners.

Genres: Essay

The contest invites high school students to write an essay reflecting on the role of the U.S. Foreign Service during the Vietnam War and its impacts on contemporary U.S. diplomacy.

Genres: Fiction and Romance

The Crowned In Drama contest focuses on creating original audio series in the romance genre, specifically Historical and Regency Romance. Participants must complete 100k words by the deadline and follow specific guidelines to be eligible for prizes.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The competition invites elementary and middle school students to submit short stories (maximum 350 words) based on a monthly theme. Winners receive recognition and prizes, including Amazon gift cards and publication in the Hall of Fame.

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: 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.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

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

Genres: Flash Fiction and Non-fiction

The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (The Mikey) is an annual competition celebrating and compensating the best micro fiction and nonfiction online. Fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid narratives that lean poetic are welcome, in English or any other language accompanied by an English translation, and both previously published and unpublished micros are considered. The grand prize winner is automatically nominated for Best Small Fictions, and all winners and finalists are published in the December 2026 issue of SmokeLong.

Genres: Poetry and Script Writing

The TeenQuill Writing Contest invites students aged 12 to 19 to submit original, unpublished poetry and play monologues. Selected works will receive a $50 Amazon e-gift card and publication in Kinsman Quarterly. One winner is chosen each seasonal quarter, with submissions accepted throughout 2025.

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.

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

The contest invites young writers aged 13-19 to explore themes of justice and (in)justice through personal narratives, opinion writing, or creative writing. Participants can reflect on moments when laws impacted their lives or communities.

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Short Story

Vocal Challenges invite writers to enter themed storytelling contests for a chance to win cash, prizes, experiences, and more.

Genres: Poetry

Write a 2-4-2 syllable poem: 2 syllables in the first line, 4 in the second, 2 in the last. Subject can be anything. Winner receives feedback and a cash prize.

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.

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: 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: 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: Fiction

The contest celebrates the theme of 'Growth,' inviting young writers aged 10-16 to explore various interpretations of the theme through original, unpublished stories. The contest emphasizes creativity and storytelling.

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

The Wild Muse Nature Writing Prize invites personal stories, poems, and essays that explore our relationship with the natural world. The 2026 theme is 'Nature’s Power to Heal, Guide, and Transform'.

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, and Romance

Join the Werewolf Saga contest where passion, power, and packs collide. Only original English language audio series qualify. Stories must meet specified word counts and themes.

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: Non-fiction and Memoir

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: Children's

The Amazing Women’s Edition Contest invites students in grades K to 8 to create books that feature the theme of 'Local Heroines'. Each entry must include art and text created solely by the students. The contest aims to promote literacy and creativity among youth.

Genres: Short Story

An annual short story competition dedicated to Seán Ó Faoláin, one of Ireland’s notable story writers. The competition is open to original, unpublished, and unbroadcast short stories in English.

Genres: Fiction and Novel

The AWP Award Series is an annual competition for the publication of excellent new book-length works. The series is open to all authors writing in English, regardless of nationality or residence. The competition includes various genres, and the James Alan McPherson Prize specifically focuses on novels.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Unleash WIP Award supports writers in completing significant literary projects, offering $500, editorial feedback, coaching, and a feature in Unleash Lit.

Genres: Novel

The Reedsy Novel Sprint is an annual challenge (every November) where participants aim to write 50,000 original words in our free writing app, Reedsy Studio. With events, resources, and in-app goal tracking, this challenge is designed to help writers finish their first drafts — and get excited about doing it! At the end of the month, those who have written at least 50,000 words in Studio can submit their first chapters to our Reedsy Novel Sprint Contest.

Genres: Fiction, Novel, Poetry, and Short Story

The Big Moose Prize awards an unpublished novel, open to all writers. The winner receives publication, a cash award of $1,000, and ten copies of the book.

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.

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: Script Writing

The Play With Words competition invites students aged 12-18 to write a 10-minute play. The first 50 submissions will be considered, with winners announced in early February 2026. Each winner will receive a $100 cash prize and professional commentary on their work.

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.