Menu
Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.
Find the perfect editor for your next book
1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.
FFF Competition Thirty-Four
Free Flash Fiction
Genres: Flash Fiction
Submit a flash fiction piece of between 100 and 300 words on any theme. The judge for this contest is Emma Phillips.
Top Prize:
£200
Additional prizes:
£100 for two Highly Commended £80 for 3 shortlisted entries, all receive publication.
💰 Entry fee: $4
📅 Deadline: June 23, 2026
Wild Atlantic Writing Awards (WAWA)
Ireland Writing Retreat
Genres: Flash Fiction and Non-fiction
The WAWA challenges writers to explore the theme of 'Endings' through short stories of up to 500 words. Entries must not include the word 'endings' in the title or story itself. Winners will be announced in March 2025.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Winner can choose either 500 euro or a voucher worth 1,000 euro for any writing retreat in 2025. Top ten stories in each category will be published on the Ireland Writing Retreat website, including a bio and photo of the author.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: January 12, 2025 (Expired)
The Bath Novel Award
The Bath Novel Awards
Genres: Fiction, Novel, and Young Adult
The Bath Novel Award is a £5,000 international prize for adult and YA manuscripts across various genres, aimed at unagented writers who are unpublished, self-published, or independently published.
Top Prize:
£5,000
Additional prizes:
Shortlisted writers receive feedback on their full manuscripts
💰 Entry fee: $38
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025 (Expired)
The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition
Chicken House Books
Genres: Fiction, Novel, Novella, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Young Adult
An annual contest for unpublished and unagented writers of children's fiction, focusing on originality and diverse voices. The competition seeks full-length novels suitable for readers aged 7-18.
Top Prize:
A worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House & royalty advance of £10,000
Additional prizes:
Detailed editorial consultation for shortlisted entries
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: June 01, 2026 (Expired)
Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year
Canterbury Festival
Genres: Poetry
The Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition invites entries of poems on any subject and in any format, with a maximum length of 60 lines. Judging is anonymous, and an entry fee of £5 per poem is required.
Top Prize:
£300
Additional prizes:
1st: £300 + title of Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year | 2nd: £150 | 3rd: £75
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: June 02, 2025 (Expired)
Frome Festival Short Story Competition
Claire Fuller
Genres: Short Story
The Frome Festival Short Story Competition invites entries of 150-2000 words. The 2026 competition is currently open for submissions.
Top Prize:
£400
Additional prizes:
2nd: £200 | 3rd: £100 | Additional prizes for local authors.
💰 Entry fee: $8
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2026 (Expired)
James Alan McPherson Prize for the Novel
Association of Writers & Writing Programs
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.
Top Prize:
$5,500
Additional prizes:
Publication by the University of Nebraska Press
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2026 (Expired)
Oxford Flash Fiction Prize 2025
Oxford Flash Fiction
Genres: Flash Fiction, Fiction, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Oxford Flash Fiction Prize celebrates flash fiction, encouraging new voices and showcasing creativity in under 1000 words. This biannual competition invites writers to submit their stories for the chance to win cash prizes and publication.
Top Prize:
£1000
Additional prizes:
2nd Prize: £200 | 3rd Prize: £100 | New Voice Prize: £200 | Publication in the anthology for shortlisted entrants.
💰 Entry fee: $7
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2025 (Expired)
Winchester Poetry Prize
Winchester Poetry Festival
Genres: Poetry
The Winchester Poetry Prize is an annual poetry competition that began in 2016, attracting global entries. It features a blind judging process and culminates in a prize-giving ceremony during the Winchester Poetry Festival.
Top Prize:
£1000
Additional prizes:
2nd: £500 | 3rd: £250 | Kathryn Bevis Prize: £150 and a year's tuition from The Writing School Online for the best Hampshire-based poem.
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2026
The Plaza Short Story Prize
Damon Galgut
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The Plaza Short Story Prize invites entries for short stories up to 5000 words. The prize includes cash rewards and publication in an anthology, aiming to discover and promote new literary talent.
Top Prize:
$5,000
Additional prizes:
1st Prize: £4000 / $5000; 2nd Prize: £300 / $360; 3rd Prize: £100 / $120. Top 10 entries published in anthology.
💰 Entry fee: $18
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2025 (Expired)
National Poetry Competition 2025
The Poetry Society
Genres: Poetry
The competition, run by The Poetry Society since 1978, is one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for a single unpublished poem. Judged by Stephen Sexton, Romalyn Ante, John McAuliffe. Open to all poets worldwide aged 18+.
Top Prize:
£5,000
Additional prizes:
Runners-up receive £2,000 and £1,000. Commended entries receive £500
💰 Entry fee: $8
📅 Deadline: October 31, 2025 (Expired)
The Berkeley Fiction Review Sudden Fiction Contest
Berkeley Fiction Review
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
The contest welcomes submissions of previously unpublished short stories of 1000 words or fewer. It encourages simultaneous submissions and offers publication for finalists in their journal.
Top Prize:
$150
Additional prizes:
2nd place: $100 3rd place: $50 Honorable mentions: $25 Publication in the journal for top finalists.
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: April 01, 2025 (Expired)
Maggie Award for Published Writers
Georgia Romance Writers
Genres: Novel and Romance
The Maggie Award for Excellence recognizes outstanding works of romantic fiction. Open to both traditional and self-published authors, the contest emphasizes quality storytelling. The award seeks submissions that showcase excellence in the romance genre.
Top Prize:
Trophy
💰 Entry fee: $40
📅 Deadline: April 06, 2025 (Expired)
AWP Prize for Creative Nonfiction
Association of Writers & Writing Programs
Genres: Non-fiction
AWP sponsors the Award Series, an annual competition for the publication of excellent new book-length works. The competition is open to all authors writing in English regardless of nationality or residence, and is available to published and unpublished authors alike.
Top Prize:
$2,500
Additional prizes:
Publication by the University of Georgia Press
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2026 (Expired)
Not Quite Write Prize for FLESH Fiction
Not Quite Write
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, and Fantasy
The Not Quite Write Prize for FLESH Fiction invites submissions of erotic stories up to 1,500 words based on the theme 'Making the unsexy irresistible'. The competition is open to adults worldwide, free to enter, and aims to explore creative interpretations of erotic fiction. Judging is blind, and winners will be announced publicly.
Top Prize:
$500 AUS
Additional prizes:
Total prize pool of AU$1,000 plus a range of "spicy" prizes and a chance at print publication.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: August 24, 2025 (Expired)
The Page Turner Writing Award
The Page Turner Awards
Genres: Fiction and Non-fiction
An inclusive writing contest aimed at unpublished writers, offering a platform to showcase their completed manuscripts. The contest provides mentorship and publishing opportunities through a panel of industry professionals. | Use code "26REEDSY40" for free entry!
Top Prize:
Lifetime licenses to book marketing packages, a manuscript critique, one-year memberships to professional associations, and writing mentorships.
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2026
Genres: Poetry
The competition invites poets to submit works based on five given words each week over a 42-week period. It aims to encourage creativity and showcases poets' works in an anthology.
Top Prize:
$750
Additional prizes:
Second place: 500 euros Third place: 250 euros Travel fee and accommodation for winners attending the event. Physical award crafted by Michael Ray, plus opportunities for winners to read at events.
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: January 28, 2025 (Expired)
Springtime on Story Street Flash Contest
Story Street Writers
Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction
The contest invites participants to submit a flash fiction piece of 100 words or fewer.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
$25 for each of the three runners-up. Winner and all runners-up receive publication in the Story Street Review.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)
Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors
Grist Magazine
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Imagine 2200 contest invites writers to envision equitable climate progress stories, showcasing creative solutions and community resilience. It emphasizes hope and the potential for positive change through fiction.
Top Prize:
$3,000
Additional prizes:
Second place: $2000 Third place: $1000 Ten $300 awards for finalists. Opportunity for the winner to participate in Oregon State University's Environmental Writing Fellowship and Residency, including a four-week writing residency.
📅 Deadline: June 24, 2024 (Expired)
Genres: Script Writing
The TWFest One Act Play Contest aims to promote new work from emerging or previously unpublished playwrights. Plays must not exceed one hour in length and should be original, not previously published, produced, or performed.
Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
Professional Staged Reading at the next Festival, VIP All-Access Festival pass ($600 value), publication in Bayou Magazine. Top finalists will receive a LitPass ($100 value) to the Festival.
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: October 15, 2025 (Expired)
The Other Futures Award
Futurepoem
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.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication with Futurepoem, a standard royalty contract, and 25 author copies.
💰 Entry fee: $28
📅 Deadline: August 15, 2025 (Expired)
The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize
The Georgia Review
Genres: Poetry
The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize is awarded annually for the best poem submitted. The winner receives $1,500 and publication in The Georgia Review, while three finalists receive $200 each. The contest opens on March 1 and closes on May 15.
Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
$200 for each of the three finalists | Publication in The Georgia Review
💰 Entry fee: $3
📅 Deadline: May 15, 2026 (Expired)
Reader Views Fiction Awards
Reader Views
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Reader Views Fiction Awards recognize outstanding independently published fiction, honoring work by independent authors and small presses. The program offers professional evaluations and promotional visibility.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Gold: $1000 | Silver: $350 | Bronze: $150 | Various sponsored awards and features in newsletters include marketing packages, interviews, and ads in our First Chapter Plus magazine.
💰 Entry fee: $89
📅 Deadline: September 30, 2026
Asian Voices in Children's Literature Writing Contest
Free Spirit Publishing
Genres: Children's and Fiction
The contest aims to elevate culturally relevant children's stories by authors of Asian heritage. It welcomes submissions of original children's books focusing on topics like resilience and identity.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: $500 | 3rd: $300 | Swag packages from Sambasivan & Parikh and Teacher Created Materials, and a meeting with the founders and an acquisitions editor.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2026 (Expired)
The Naomi Shihab Nye Prize
Barbara Nimri Aziz
Genres: Children's and Fiction
Established in 2024, this annual competition invites Arab American and Arab Canadian writers to submit English-language middle-grade manuscripts for young Arab readers. The prize aims to celebrate Arab creativity and storytelling traditions.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: $500
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: May 20, 2025 (Expired)
Little Kanawha Reading Series Chapbook Contest
Glenville State University
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.
Top Prize:
$200
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2025 (Expired)
Global Experience Travel Writing Contest
Carleton College
Genres: Travel and Non-fiction
This contest invites entries in the genre of creative nonfiction based on travel experiences. Participants are encouraged to share memorable incidents from their travels. The contest promotes engagement with travel writing and aims to evoke emotions and connections.
Top Prize:
$200
📅 Deadline: April 06, 2026 (Expired)
Nobleer Media Impact Award
Nobleer Media
Genres:
The Nobleer Media Impact Award celebrates exceptional authors who have made a profound impact through their work.
Additional prizes:
Winner is featured in Nobleer Media’s Top Books of the Year list. Winner will also receive recognition and promotion for their submission.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: May 30, 2025 (Expired)
Jade Ring Writing Contest
Wisconsin Writers Association
Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry
The Jade Ring Contest is a prestigious annual competition celebrating exceptional writing in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Now in its 76th year, this contest offers writers a chance to shine, with cash prizes, publication opportunities in Creative Wisconsin Magazine, and a coveted residency at Write On, Door County for first-place winners.
Top Prize:
$250
Additional prizes:
1st: $250, a Jade Ring, a writing residency, and publication. | 2nd: $200 + publication. | $150 + publication. | Honorable Mentions: one year membership (or gift card for lifetime members) to WWA, publication. Prizes apply to each category.
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: June 01, 2025 (Expired)
"Write On!" Short Story Contest
Ann Arbor District Library
Genres: Children's
The 'Write On!' Short Story Contest is a writing competition for kids in grades 3-5, encouraging creativity and storytelling skills. Entries are submitted via email and winners are announced at an awards celebration.
Top Prize:
Winners will receive awards, with the top three writers in each grade recognized.
📅 Deadline: February 01, 2026 (Expired)
Fusilli Flash Fiction
Fusilli Writing
Genres: Flash Fiction
An international flash fiction competition for stories up to 200 words with a twist. The competition is open to anyone 18+ and accepts any theme, with a focus on quality writing.
Top Prize:
£30
Additional prizes:
Publication on the winners' page
💰 Entry fee: $3
📅 Deadline: December 31, 2025 (Expired)
The Book of the Year Awards
The Independent Author Network
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.
Top Prize:
$2,500
Additional prizes:
Minimum cash prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250 for category winners in fiction and non-fiction. Winners receive a digital award seal, membership benefits, and recognition.
💰 Entry fee: $49
📅 Deadline: August 15, 2026
Fabula Press Short Story Contest
Fabula Press
Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Horror, Mystery, and Science Fiction
The Fabula Press Short Story Contest encourages exceptional storytelling across genres, with no specific theme. Participants can submit entries for both free and paid categories. Winning stories may be published in an anthology.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd place: $250 3rd place: $100 Stories selected for publication: $75
📅 Deadline: June 11, 2024 (Expired)
Goldfinch Books Novel Award
Goldfinch Books
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.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
Shortlisted authors receive feedback from judges + Goldfinch membership
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025 (Expired)
Jim Duggins, PhD Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Prize
Lambda Literary
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.
Top Prize:
$5,000
📅 Deadline: February 20, 2026 (Expired)
