Best Writing Contests in 2026

Genres: Non-fiction

Two J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards, in the amount of $25,000, are given annually to aid in the completion of significant works of nonfiction on topics of American political or social concern. Recognizing that a nonfiction book based on extensive research often overtaxes the resources available to its author, the project envisions the Awards as a way of closing the gap between the time and money an author has and the time and money that finishing a book requires.

Genres: Non-fiction

The Eunice Williams Nonfiction Prize is an annual contest that invites submissions of true, unpublished nonfiction essays under 5,000 words. It aims to amplify the voices of women identifying and nonbinary writers. The contest features a blind judging process.

Genres: Poetry

The Free Verse Prize is a new poetry prize, which supports the Free Verse Poetry Book and Magazine Fair. The judge is poet and former Poetry Book Fair director, Chrissy Williams. Poems can be on any theme, and should have fewer than 40 lines.

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: Poetry

The Hastings Book Festival Poetry Competition is an annual event inviting submissions from poets worldwide. The contest aims to celebrate new poetry and provides an opportunity for both established and emerging writers.

Genres: Poetry

Every year, the University of Arkansas Press accepts submissions for the Miller Williams Poetry Series and from the books selected awards the $5,000 Miller Williams Poetry Prize in the following summer. For almost a quarter century the press has made this series the cornerstone of its work as a publisher of some of the country’s best new poetry. The series and prize are named for and operated to honor the cofounder and longtime director of the press, Miller Williams.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, and Travel

The contest aims to publish a magazine of short stories across various genres. Stories must fit specific word counts and themes, and will be evaluated by staff judges.

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

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognize outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism and cultural diversity. Established in 1935 by Edith Anisfield Wolf, it remains the only American book prize focused on these themes.

Genres: Fiction

The Ascent Novel Prize is a prestigious writing contest aimed at unpublished novelists. It encourages new talent by providing a platform to showcase their work.

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.

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

The To Hull and Back Humorous Short Story Competition is a biennial contest focused on humorous writing. It celebrates imaginative short stories from writers globally. The current competition is open until June 30, 2025, with multiple cash prizes and publication opportunities in an anthology.

Genres: Poetry

The Paz Prize for Poetry awards a $2,000 prize every other year for the publication of an unpublished book of poetry originally written in Spanish by an American resident. The winning manuscript will be translated into English and published in a bilingual edition.

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: 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: Children's, Fiction, and Young Adult

The Bath Children's Novel Award is an international writing competition for children's novels, young adult (YA) fiction, chapter books, and picture book texts. It is open to unagented writers who are unpublished or self-published without an advance. The contest aims to support emerging authors.

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: Fiction

The SHELLEY Book Awards honor exceptional works in supernatural and paranormal fiction, evaluating based on compelling storytelling, professionalism, and uniqueness. The competition includes multiple categories and offers significant promotional opportunities.

Genres: Fiction, LGBTQ, and Novel

This prize honors LGBTQ-identified authors who have published multiple novels, built a strong reputation, and show promise for future work. It is dedicated to Jim Duggins and supported by the James Duggins, PhD Fund.

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: Fiction, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Suspense, Thriller, Crime, and Short Story

The Emerging Author Dagger is an international competition for unpublished crime novelists. It seeks submissions of a crime novel opening (max. 3,000 words) and a synopsis (max. 1,500 words) from writers who have never had a publishing contract for a full-length novel. The prize includes a cash prize of £500 and opportunities for shortlisted entrants to showcase their work to agents and publishers.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition is a prestigious award for writers born or living in Wales. Established in 1991, it recognizes the best unpublished short stories in English, up to 5,000 words. The competition encourages new talent and is managed by Swansea University's Cultural Institute in association with Parthian Books.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The contest invites participants to write a micro-flash story of 39 words, inspired by John Buchan’s 'The Thirty-Nine Steps.' Submissions must fit the theme and will be featured in an anthology. Winners will also be showcased in a public online event.

Genres: Poetry

The Stephen Spender Prize is an annual award recognizing excellence in poetry translation, encouraging participants to translate poems from any language into English. It is open to various age groups including adults and students in the UK and Ireland. The contest aims to celebrate linguistic diversity and foster creative translation.

Genres: Short Story

The competition encourages original submissions from writers worldwide, with no age limit. It promotes quality writing and is open to both amateurs and professionals.

Genres: Fantasy and Fiction

Fantasy may be the oldest form of storytelling. Long before the novel, long before the printing press, humans gathered to share tales of magic, wonder, and the impossible made real. In this contest, build a world of your own. Give it landscapes, creatures, and rules that only you could imagine. Then ask yourself: what truth about our own world are you hiding inside it?

Genres: Poetry

The First Book Award is a $5,000 prize for a first book of poetry. The winning manuscript is published by Graywolf Press, with additional benefits like a residency in Italy and extensive promotion.

Genres: Christian, Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Travel

The New Deal Writing Competition invites writers to create a short story inspired by a specific painting. The current painting is 'Playtime' by Fred Ross. This is the ninth annual contest, intended to celebrate creativity and connect art and writing.

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.

Genres: Flash Fiction

The Weird West Quick Draw contest invites submissions of flash fiction set in the weird west genre, which combines traditional western elements with speculative fiction. The contest opens for entries on July 1, 2025, and closes on July 15, 2025.

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

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.

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story

The contest encourages participants to submit one fictional story (max 350 words) for a chance to win a prize. The contest requires a minimum of 10 shortlisted submissions to award a prize, which is a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

Genres: Poetry and Fiction

The Moth Nature Writing Prize 2026 is an international annual prize for unpublished pieces of nature writing. It is awarded to work that best combines exceptional literary merit with an exploration of the writer’s relationship with the natural world.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The contest is open to writers over 18 worldwide and includes categories for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Each submission must adhere to specific formatting guidelines and word limits. Winners are selected through blind judging, and results are announced during the festival.

Genres: LGBTQ, Fiction, and Poetry

The award recognizes LGBTQ-identified writers demonstrating strong potential for promising careers. It includes a cash prize of $1,500 and is awarded annually to two writers.

Genres: Poetry

The Booksie 2025 Poetry Contest seeks original poems of any type or length. Entries can be serious or whimsical, but should evoke thought. Judges will select winners from six finalists.