A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Poetry Society of America website is given annually for poetry from a manuscript-in-progress. Using only the online submission system,...
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.
Poetry Society of America
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 12/15/25
Genre: Poetry
Poetry Society of America
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 12/15/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,500 and publication on the Poetry Society of America website is given annually to a poet over 40 who has published no more than one poetry collection. Using only...
read morePoetry Society of America
Cash Prize: $20,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/15/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the United States in a print or online journal, a chapbook, or a book during the...
read moreCenter for Book Arts
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/15/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $500 and letterpress publication by Center for Book Arts is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner also receives 10 copies of their chapbook, an additional...
read moreGriffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Cash Prize: $7,239
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/19/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $10,000 Canadian (approximately $7,239) is awarded for a debut poetry collection by a living Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada published during the...
read moreGriffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Cash Prize: $94,113
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/19/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $130,000 Canadian (approximately $94,113) is given annually for a poetry collection published during the current year and written in, or translated into, English....
read moreCodhill Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Codhill Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. James Sherwood will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 70...
read moreBlack Caucus of the American Library Association
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a debut novel, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) by African...
read moreOhio University Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Ohio University Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Michael Prior will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit...
read moreTwo Sylvias Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $24
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Two Sylvias Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer over 50 who identifies as female or femme (...
read moreBefore Columbus Foundation
Cash Prize: $0
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Not Genre-Specific, Poetry
Awards are given annually for books published in the United States during the current year in recognition of “outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of...
read moreAnamcara Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Anamcara Press, and 50 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection, story collection, essay collection, novel, or memoir....
read moreThe Moth
Cash Prize: $7,058
Entry Fee: $19
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of €6,000 (approximately $7,058) is given annually for a single poem. Three runners-up prizes of €1,000 (approximately $1,176) each are also given. The four shortlisted...
read moreBurnside Review Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Burnside Review Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Rick Barot will judge. Using only the online submission...
read moreTupelo Press
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $3,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives a two-week residency at Gentle House in...
read moreAction, Spectacle
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Cross-Genre
A prize of $1,000, publication by Action, Spectacle, and 25 author copies is given annually for a chapbook of poetry, prose, or hybrid-genre work. Using only the...
read moreMississippi Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 1/1/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Mississippi Review are given annually for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. Current or former University of...
read moreGemini Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 1/2/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a single poem. The editors will judge. Submit up to three poems of any length with a $10...
read moreNew Literary Project
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/9/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Up to ten fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to creative writers who are high school teachers to support summer work on an ongoing fiction, creative nonfiction,...
read moreWinter Anthology
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $11
Application Deadline: 1/10/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Winter Anthology is given annually for a group of poems, a short story, a novel excerpt, or an essay. Using only the online...
read moreColorado Review
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/14/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,500 and publication by the Center for Literary Publishing is given annually for a poetry collection. Victoria Chang will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 100...
read moreLongleaf Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 1/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Longleaf Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner is also invited to give a virtual reading in early...
read moreGeorgia Writers
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/15/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three grants of $500 each will be given annually to a poet, fiction writer, and nonfiction writer to “amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ youth in Georgia.” Grantees will also...
read morePoetry Society of Virginia
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $36
Application Deadline: 1/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published during the current year. The winner is also invited to read at the Poetry Society of Virginia’s annual...
read more