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DIRECTORY
Showing 468 contests that match your search.
The Writer's Workout
Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Writer's Games is a free competition aimed at improving writing skills, offering feedback from judges. The 2024 edition has concluded, and it featured multiple events with winners recognized in an anthology. Registration is necessary to participate.
Top Prize:
Publication in anthology, 72 Hours (26+ spaces)
📅 Deadline: July 22, 2025 (Expired)
Chanticleer Book Reviews
Genres: Fiction and Science Fiction
The Global Thriller Awards seek the best books featuring suspense and thrilling stories that can change the balance of world power. It includes the Lab Lit genre, focusing on stories based on real science.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Grand Prize winners receive exclusive Chanticleer Book Review Packages and author interviews, valued at $795, along with additional prizes.
💰 Entry fee: $99
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025 (Expired)
SaveAs Writers
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.
Top Prize:
£300 + Title of Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year
Additional prizes:
Second Place: £150 Second Place: £75
💰 Entry fee: $4
📅 Deadline: June 02, 2025 (Expired)
University of Southern Indiana
Genres: Poetry
The Michael Waters Poetry Prize awards $6,000 and publication by SIR Press for a full-length poetry manuscript written in English annually. All entries are considered for publication.
Top Prize:
$6,000
Additional prizes:
Publication by SIR Press
💰 Entry fee: $35
📅 Deadline: February 03, 2025 (Expired)
American Writers Museum
Genres: Children's, Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry
The John Estey Student Writing Competition is open to elementary, middle, and high school students. To be considered for this award, please fill out the intent to participate form and submit a 1,000 word or less piece discussing the prompt quote, "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”—Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness. Submissions are accepted via a submission link that is provided to teachers ONLY. Please make sure that you provide a valid teacher contact.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Three winners from each category will be awarded the following prizes: $500 for elementary school; $1000 for middle school; $2000 for high school.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: May 23, 2025 (Expired)
Blue Ridge Mountains Conference
Genres: Christian
The BRMCWC Foundation Awards are open to unpublished works from attendees of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Participants must be registered for the entire conference to compete.
💰 Entry fee: $35
📅 Deadline: March 30, 2026 (Expired)
Columbia Journalism School
Genres: Non-fiction
The Mark Lynton History Prize, in the amount of $10,000, is awarded to a book-length work of history on any topic that best combines intellectual distinction with felicity of expression. Books must have been published in the United States between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023.
Top Prize:
$10,000
💰 Entry fee: $75
📅 Deadline: December 07, 2023 (Expired)
Hastings Book Festival
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.
Top Prize:
£250
Additional prizes:
2nd: £100 | 3rd: £50 | Publication for winning poems. Winners may also be eligible for additional prizes like the Sussex Prize and Founder's Prize.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)
Texas Review Press
Genres: Poetry
This series highlights first full-length collections by emerging authors from southern U.S. states. Submissions are open annually from December 1 to March 1.
Top Prize:
Copies of the published book and a standard royalty contract
📅 Deadline: March 01, 2025 (Expired)
North American Review
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, and Suspense
An annual fiction competition recognizing the finest speculative fiction. All forms of previously unpublished fiction are accepted, including fairy tales, magical realism, and science fiction. Winners may be published in the North American Review's summer issue.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication opportunities for runners-up and honorable mentions
💰 Entry fee: $23
📅 Deadline: November 02, 2024 (Expired)
Future Scholar Foundation
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.
Top Prize:
$60
Additional prizes:
2nd: $15 Amazon gift card | 3rd: $5 Amazon gift card | All winners are published in the Hall of Fame.
📅 Deadline: October 28, 2025 (Expired)
Sarabande Books
Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Novella, and Flash Fiction
The Mary McCarthy Prize is awarded annually for a full-length manuscript of literary fiction, including short stories, flash fiction, or novellas. The prize includes a cash award and publication.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Publication of the work and a standard royalty contract.
💰 Entry fee: $34
📅 Deadline: February 24, 2026 (Expired)
Flash 500
Genres: Fiction, Short Story, and Flash Fiction
The Flash Fiction Competition invites writers to submit stories of up to 500 words. It's a quarterly competition with prizes awarded for the top three entries each quarter. Winning entries are published on the website.
Top Prize:
£300
Additional prizes:
2nd: £200 | 3rd: £100
💰 Entry fee: $7
📅 Deadline: December 31, 2026
Vine Leaves Press
Genres: Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Novel
The competition aims to give marginalized voices the opportunity to establish literary legacies. It accepts unpublished creative nonfiction manuscripts and assesses entries based on originality, creativity, and writing quality.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication of the winning manuscript in 2026. Runners up will also be considered for publication.
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: July 01, 2025 (Expired)
Hearts Through History Romance Writers
Genres: Fiction and Romance
The Romance Through The Ages Contest invites authors to submit historical romance manuscripts. Categories are based on time period and author experience (published/unpublished). The contest emphasizes historical accuracy and romance as the central theme.
Top Prize:
$50
Additional prizes:
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each category receive a social media badge. All winners will be announced in RWA’s digital Romance Writers Report.
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2026 (Expired)
Travelers' Tales, a division of Solas House, Inc.
Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, and Travel
The Solas Awards honor excellence in travel writing, with cash prizes and publication opportunities. Entries must be original, true stories with specific word count guidelines. The contest runs annually, with winners announced on March 1 each year.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Silver: $750 Bronze: $500 Certificates of merit for Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners in other categories; $100 honorarium for publication in books.
💰 Entry fee: $35
📅 Deadline: September 21, 2024 (Expired)
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.
Top Prize:
$400
Additional prizes:
2nd: $250 | 3rd: $100. Winner also receives publication + free membership for a year.
📅 Deadline: January 01, 2026 (Expired)
Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc
Genres: Essay and Non-fiction
The Native Voices Award 2025 invites Indigenous storytellers from various communities to submit original, unpublished works in genres such as short stories, flash fiction, essays, scripts, or poetry. The contest focuses on themes rich in cultural depth.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd: $200, 3rd: $100, 4th: $50. Subsequent 6 finalists receive a $25 amazon gift card. 1st place also gets publication in Kinsman Quarterly and the anthology Native Voices, Vol. 2.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2025 (Expired)
Fiction Collective 2
Genres: Fiction
The Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize is designed for writers with at least three books published. It encourages innovative fiction that challenges dominant narratives. Submissions must be in English and can include various forms of long fiction. The contest aims to support diverse voices in literature.
Top Prize:
$15,000
Additional prizes:
Publication by FC2, an imprint of the University of Alabama Press, with an Introduction by the final judge.
📅 Deadline: November 01, 2025 (Expired)
The Page Turner Awards
Genres: Script Writing
The 2026 Screenplay Award invites screenwriters to submit feature films, short films, TV series scripts, documentaries, and animated scripts. It includes sub-categories like Best Logline, Best Pitch, and Best Genre. | 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 (Expired)
The Betty Award
Genres: Children's, Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry
The Betty Award is a writing contest recognizing young authors aged 8-12. It encourages creativity and imagination with three contests held annually: Fall, Winter, and Spring.
Top Prize:
$300
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: April 01, 2026 (Expired)
Brink Literacy Project
Genres: Poetry
The F(r)iction Poetry Contest encourages innovative poetry with a narrative trajectory and imagery focus. Prizes include publication consideration in F(r)iction.
Top Prize:
$300
Additional prizes:
Up to five finalists will be considered for publication.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: May 15, 2026 (Expired)
Rattle Foundation
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.
Top Prize:
$15,000
Additional prizes:
$500 for each of the ten finalists; $5,000 Readers’ Choice Award. Publication in the winter issue and additional publication opportunities
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: July 15, 2025 (Expired)
Tim Saunders Publications
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
Established in 2023, this contest is a platform for writers and poets to get their work published. Categories include various forms of poetry and fiction, excluding erotic work. Winners receive feedback and cash prizes, while all approved submissions will be included in the anthology.
Top Prize:
£200
Additional prizes:
Feedback from the publisher + a complimentary copy of the anthology
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: September 30, 2025 (Expired)
Wolfe Pack & Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
Genres: Crime, Mystery, and Novella
The Black Orchid Novella Award celebrates the novella format, encouraging original, unpublished works that conform to the mystery genre's traditional forms, specifically inspired by the Nero Wolfe series. The contest is designed to highlight the novella, requiring submissions that are tight and engaging, devoid of explicit content.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2026 (Expired)
Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival
Genres: Fiction
The TWFest Fiction Contest aims to promote new work from emerging writers. It is open to previously unpublished short stories up to 7,000 words.
Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
Domestic airfare & French Quarter accommodations, VIP Festival pass for 2026 festival, public reading, publication in French Quarter Journal, photo & bio on the website for ~1 year, interview feature. Top finalists receive a $100 LitPass for the Festival.
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: October 15, 2025 (Expired)
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.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd: $300 | 3rd: $100 | Winner receives a Galatea publishing deal + potential movie adaptation on CandyJar app. 2nd + 3rd also receive 1 year of Galatea Unlimited, Instagram feature, & Inkitt VIP Badge
📅 Deadline: November 30, 2025 (Expired)
Write the World
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?
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Runner-Up and Best Peer Review will each receive $50.
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: July 27, 2026
Strange Days Books
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
The Eyelands Book Awards are international awards aimed at recognizing talent among published and unpublished authors. The contest is based in Greece and encourages submissions across various literary genres.
Top Prize:
A five-day stay in Athens
Additional prizes:
Winner also receives translation into Greek and publication. Handmade ceramics for winners in each category.
💰 Entry fee: $45
📅 Deadline: October 20, 2025 (Expired)
Chanticleer Book Reviews
Genres: Fiction
The Ozma Awards for Fantasy Fiction seeks to discover the best fantasy works featuring magic, mythical beings, and imaginative worlds. The competition invites novels from various fantasy sub-genres, including Epic Fantasy and Steampunk, and rewards excellence in storytelling.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Exclusive Chanticleer Book Review Package and Author Interview.
💰 Entry fee: $99
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)
Breakwater Review
Genres: Poetry
The Peseroff Prize honors Joyce Peseroff's contributions to poetry and literature. It is an annual contest that invites submissions of previously unpublished poems.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in spring issue
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: April 15, 2026 (Expired)
Fanstory
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.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Feedback for all submissions.
📅 Deadline: September 18, 2025 (Expired)
Poetry Society
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.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
Publication in Poetry News and the Poetry Book Fair programme
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: March 07, 2025 (Expired)
Academy of American Poets
Genres: Poetry
The Harold Morton Landon Translation Award is an annual award recognizing the work of a translator for a poetry collection translated from any language into English, published in the previous calendar year. Established in 1976, the award amount is $1,000.
Top Prize:
$1,000
📅 Deadline: February 15, 2026 (Expired)
James Jones Literary Society
Genres: Fiction and Novel
The James Jones First Novel Fellowship aims to honor the legacy of James Jones, supporting American authors of first novels-in-progress. It includes a substantial financial award and aims to reflect the spirit of honesty and insight found in Jones's works.
Top Prize:
$12,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: $3,000 | 3rd: $2,000
💰 Entry fee: $33
📅 Deadline: March 15, 2026 (Expired)
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