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 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.
Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Cash Prize: $7,239
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/19/25
Genre: Poetry
Griffin 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 moreVirginia Commonwealth University
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/30/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a debut novel published during the current year. The winner is also provided money for the cost of travel and lodging to attend the...
read morePress 53
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 53 author copies is given annually for a story collection. Kevin Morgan Watson will judge. Submit a manuscript of 100 to 250...
read moreAmerican Library Association
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a novel published in the current year that is set in a period when the United States was at war. Publishers or authors may submit seven...
read moreBoulevard
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a short story by a writer who has not published a nationally distributed book. The editors will...
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 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 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 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 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 moreCenter for Book Arts
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
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 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 moreTampa Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review is given annually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 500 to 5,000 words...
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 moreLitMag
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,500 and publication in LitMag is given annually for a short story. The winner will also have their work reviewed by agents Lisa Bankoff (Bankoff...
read moreHub City Press
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 and publication by Hub City Press is given biennially for a short story collection. Emerging writers who have not published a story collection or more than...
read moreLascaux Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 12/31/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Lascaux Review is given annually for a short story. Previously published and unpublished stories are eligible. The editors will...
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 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 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 moreNorth Carolina Writers’ Network
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 1/2/26
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story or an essay that “seeks to convey the rich and varied existence of Black North Carolinians.” The winning entry is...
read moreLeon Levy Center for Biography
Cash Prize: $72,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/4/26
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four yearlong fellowships of $72,000 each, writing space at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City, access to research facilities, and research assistance from a graduate...
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