Best Writing Contests in 2026

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: Poetry

The 42 Miles Press Poetry Award aims to highlight urgent and original voices in poetry. Open to all poets writing in English, it accepts collections of poetry that showcase contemporary American poetic voices. The contest is judged by David Dodd Lee, and past winners include several notable poets.

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are welcome, in English or any other language accompanied by an English translation, and both previously published and unpublished micros are considered.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: 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: Fiction

The Salamander Fiction Prize offers writers the opportunity to submit their works for consideration. The contest includes a first prize of $1,000 and publication, and a second prize of $500 and publication. Entries will be judged anonymously, and all submissions are also considered for publication in the magazine.

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 Flash Fiction

The Eighteenth Annual Flash Fiction Contest from Gemini Magazine welcomes unpublished flash fiction on any subject and in any style. All entries are read blind, so emerging writers and experienced writers get an equal chance.

Genres: Essay, Memoir, and Non-fiction

A competition for teen writers aged 13 to 19, inviting personal narratives that explore mental health. Write from your own experience and shape it into a story only you could tell. The full prompt, with tips and resources, will be available by the time the competition opens.

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, and Science Fiction

The Future First Line Contest invites participants to write a captivating first line for a novel set in 2052, inspired by the near future. Entries should encapsulate originality and creativity while hinting at technological or sociopolitical themes.

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

The Goldfinch Books Novel Award is a competition for emerging novelists. It invites submissions of 3,000 words from completed novels. The winner receives a £500 cash prize and an invitation to join the Goldfinch writer community.

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: 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: Flash Fiction and Poetry

The contest invites submissions in visual art, poetry, and flash fiction. It aims to showcase innovative and authentic art while promoting diversity. Winners and runners-up will be featured on the website and in a Fall anthology.

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: Fiction and Short Story

Plough’s inaugural annual short fiction contest is open to writers anywhere in the world. Submissions should be short fiction that honors the mysterious nature of reality and finds transcendence and redemption in unexpected places; the contest is not limited to magical realism or a traditional "tale" voice.

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

The Goldilocks Zone contest invites submissions for fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, artwork, and graphic novels, seeking works that combine craft with audience appeal. The prize includes cash and publication for winners and runners-up.

Genres: Short Story

The contest invites short stories in any genre, with a word count of 2,500 to 4,000 words. First prize is $1,000 and publication in Pulp Literature, while Honourable Mentions receive $150 and potential publication.

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 Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize invites submissions of poetry manuscripts. The prize includes cash awards and publication for the winner.

Genres: Flash Fiction and Fiction

The Booby Prize is a quarterly flash fiction contest supporting the conservation of the Blue-Footed Boobys.

Genres: Short Story

This year's theme is 'Facing the Storm', commemorating J. M. W. Turner's 250th anniversary. Entries can include poems or stories inspired by the theme, interpreted freely. National and International entries are welcome.

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 competition theme is 'Play'. It is open for entries from 1st to 30th November 2025. Entrants must be aged 60 or over. Multiple poems are allowed, with a maximum of 30 lines for each poem.

Genres: Fiction and Romance

Join Inkitt’s Reality TV Romance Writing Contest 2025, a free contest where you can win up to $500, a Galatea publishing deal, and a chance for your book to be reviewed for a CandyJar movie adaptation. The theme focuses on romance amidst the drama of reality TV.

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: 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 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: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Poetry

The contest welcomes submissions for fiction and poetry. Winners will be published and receive monetary prizes. Judges include established authors.

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

This month marks Write the World's fifth annual People's Choice Award — and once again the winners are decided by the community of young writers themselves. After sharing your own response to the prompt and exploring your peers' work, you'll have the opportunity to nominate and vote for both the winning piece and the best feedback given through a peer review. Open genre: you decide what to write.

Genres: Essay

Invites Australian writers to tell nature stories that deepen appreciation for the natural world and inspire care for its future. Theme is "Writing of place". Entries are digital essays of 3,000–5,000 words set in an Australian landscape, environment or seascape.

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

The Lascaux Prize in Short Fiction accepts both previously published and unpublished stories, allowing simultaneous submissions. The winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication in The Lascaux Review.

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 and Short Story

The HG Wells Short Story Competition, founded by Reg Turnill, promotes writing and celebrates HG Wells' literary legacy. It encourages entries based on this year’s theme: 'The Fool.'

Genres: Script Writing

Inciting Incident Script Competition aims to help writers discover if their work is engaging enough to captivate the Hollywood gatekeeper to receive the elusive “Recommend.”

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.