A prize of $1,000, multimodal publication by Lightscatter Press, and 30 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection or hybrid work by an emerging writer. Using only...
read moreWriting Contests, Grants & Awards
The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.
Lightscatter Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 9/21/26
Genre: Poetry, Cross-Genre
New York Public Library
Cash Prize: $90,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 9/25/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Translation
Fifteen fellowships are given annually to artists, academics, and creative writers, including poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators, whose work...
read moreOne Page
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,000 is given annually for a single poem. A second-place prize of $1,000 is also given. Mark Graham, monique jonath, Mridvi Khetan, and Ann Tinkham will judge....
read moreThe Moth
Cash Prize: $1,142
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,142) and online publication in Irish Times is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that features “an exploration...
read moreUniversity of Mississippi
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $3,000 is given annually for a single poem that evokes the U.S. South. The winner will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to give a reading at the Oxford...
read moreHive Poetry Collective
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem. The winner also receives an invitation to read at the University of California in Santa Cruz in November. Brynn Saito will judge...
read moreUniversity of Massachusetts Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Five prizes of $1,000 each and publication by University of Massachusetts Press are given annually for a debut poetry collection, a poetry collection by an author who has...
read moreTRP
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $10,000, publication by TRP: The University Press of Sam Houston State University, and 10 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also...
read moreFresno State
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner is also invited to give a public reading at...
read moreConnecticut Poetry Society
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Connecticut River Review and on the Connecticut Poetry Society website is given annually for a single poem. January O’Neil will...
read moreGeorgia Writers
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 10/1/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three grants of $500 each are given annually in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to “elevate, encourage, and inspire the voices of Black writers in Georgia.” Black writers who...
read moreAmerican Poetry Review
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/1/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $3,000 and publication by American Poetry Review is given annually for a debut poetry collection. The winning book is distributed by Copper Canyon Press...
read moreReed Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/1/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Reed Magazine is given annually for a poem or a group of poems. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems...
read moreWinning Writers
Cash Prize: $3,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/1/26
Genre: Poetry
Two prizes of $3,500 each, two-year gift certificates for membership to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually for a...
read moreAfrican Poetry Book Fund
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 10/1/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a book of poetry by an African poet published in the previous year. Writers who were born in Africa, who are nationals or residents of...
read moreSan Diego Entertainment & Arts Guild
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 10/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in San Diego Poetry Annual is given annually for a single poem. The winner also receives an invitation to read at an award ceremony...
read moreTennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 10/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a group of poems by a writer who has not published a chapbook or full-length book of poetry. The winner is also invited to give a...
read moreFinishing Line Press
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 10/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication by Finishing Line Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook by a writer who identifies as a woman and has not published a full-length...
read moreSilverfish Review Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Silverfish Review Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a debut poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages with a...
read moreNational Federation of State Poetry Societies
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by National Federation of State Poetry Societies Press, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives...
read morePulitzer Prizes
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $75
Application Deadline: 10/15/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Six prizes of $15,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, general nonfiction, U.S. history, biography, and memoir or autobiography first published in the...
read moreAlice James Books
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 10/16/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Alice James Books is given annually for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 100 pages with a $30 entry fee by October 16. All...
read moreCleveland Foundation
Cash Prize: $30,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 10/16/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four prizes of $30,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a book of fiction, a memoir or autobiography, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction)...
read moreTuliptree Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 10/17/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in the Fall/Winter issue of TulipTree Review is given annually for a humorous poem, story, or essay. Submit a poem of up to five...
read more