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Writing 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.

Sponsor and Award	Entry Fee	Genre	Cash Prize	Prize includes	Application Deadline
New Hampshire State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships Fellowships of $5,000 each are given every three years to New Hampshire poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. New Hampshire residents who are not enrolled full-time in a degree-...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$5,000		1/31/11
New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowships in Poetry and Prose Fellowships ranging from $7,000 to $12,000 each are awarded biennially to New Jersey poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to support new work. Full-time New Jersey residents who are...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$7,000		7/15/11
Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards Grants of $5,000 are awarded biennially to Ohio poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. Writers who have been residents of Ohio for one year prior to the application deadline and are not...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$5,000		9/1/11
South Carolina Arts Commission Artist Fellowships Two fellowships of $5,000 each are given biennially to a poet and a writer of fiction or creative nonfiction. Residents of South Carolina may submit three copies of up to 20 pages of poetry or prose and...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$5,000		11/1/11
Kenyon College Kenyon Review Fellowships Two two-year fellowships, each including an annual stipend of $32,500, will be given biennially to poets, fiction writers, or creative nonfiction writers who have completed an MFA or PhD in creative...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$32,500		12/1/11
Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowships Grants of $7,500 each are given biennially to Massachusetts poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. Using the online submission system, submit up to 15 pages of poetry or 25 pages of...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$7,500		1/30/12
Artist Trust Literature Fellowships Fellowships of $7,500 are awarded biennially to Washington State poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. Writers who are not enrolled in a degree-granting program are eligible. Submit up...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$7,500		2/26/12
Creative Capital Artist Grants Grants of up to $50,000 are offered triennially to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. Writers also receive advisory and development services from Creative Capital. United States...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$50,000		3/1/12
Kentucky Arts Council Artist Fellowships and Awards Grants of $7,500 each are given biennially to Kentucky poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. Emerging Artist Awards of $1,000 are also given biennially to writers in the early stages...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$7,500		3/15/12
Stone Canoe Literary Awards Four prizes of $500 each are given annually to a poet, a fiction writer, a creative nonfiction writer, and a United States military veteran writing in any genre who have a connection with upstate New...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$500		7/15/12
Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Awards Three prizes are given annually to a poet, a fiction writer, and a creative nonfiction writer to honor their first books. The winners receive all-expenses-paid trips to several of the 13 GLCA colleges,...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$500	Reading	7/25/12
Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships Established Professional Fellowships of $6,000 each and Emerging Professional Fellowships of $3,000 each are given annually to Delaware poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. Writers...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$6,000		8/1/12
Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants Grants of up to $2,500 each are given twice yearly by the Leeway Foundation to women and transsexual, transgender, genderqueer, and Two-Spirit poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers in...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$2,500		8/1/12
North Carolina Humanities Council Linda Flowers Literary Award A prize of $500, publication in North Carolina Conversations, and a weeklong residency at Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities in Southern Pines, North Carolina, is given annually for a...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$500	Publication, Residency	8/15/12
Memoir Journal Prize for Memoir in Prose or Poetry A prize of $500 and publication in Memoir Journal is given twice yearly for a memoir in the form of a poem, a short story, or an essay. The editors will judge. Using the online submission system...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$500	Publication	8/16/12
Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize A prize of $12,000 and publication by Graywolf Press is given annually for a work-in-progress of creative nonfiction by a writer not yet established in that genre. U.S. writers who have published at...	$0	Creative Nonfiction	$12,000	Publication	8/31/12
Real Simple Life Lessons Essay Contest A prize of $3,000 and publication in Real Simple is given annually for an essay on a theme by a U.S. writer. The winner also receives an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to meet with the...	$0	Creative Nonfiction	$3,000	Publication	9/13/12
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Writing Fellowships Guggenheim Fellowships are awarded annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who are residents of the United States and Canada on the basis of achievement and exceptional...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$30,000		9/15/12
Shakespeare and Company Paris Literary Prize A prize of €10,000 (approximately $12,275) will be given annually for a novella. Two second-place prizes of €2,000 (approximately $2,455) will also be given. Writers who have not published a book of...	$93	Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$12,275		9/15/12
Harvard University Radcliffe Institute Fellowships Fellowships of $70,000 each, office space at the Radcliffe Institute, and access to the libraries at Harvard University are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$70,000		10/1/12
American Antiquarian Society Fellowships for Creative Writers Fellowships are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers for monthlong residencies at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts, to research pre-...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$1,350	Residency	10/5/12
Lynchburg College Thornton Writer Residency A fourteen-week residency at Lynchburg College, including a stipend, is awarded annually to a fiction writer for the fall term and a poet or creative nonfiction writer for the spring term. The stipend...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction		Reading, Workshop, Residency	10/15/12
Dana Awards Literary Competition Four prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for an unpublished group of poems, a short story, a novel or novel-in-progress, and an essay. Submit five poems of no more than 100 lines each with a $15...	$15	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$1,000		10/31/12
North Carolina Arts Council Writers’ Fellowships Fellowships of $10,000 each are given biennially to North Carolina poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and literary translators. Applicants must have lived in North Carolina for at least...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$10,000		11/1/12
Pushcart Press Editors’ Book Award A prize of $1,000 is given occasionally for a fiction or creative nonfiction manuscript that has been submitted to but not accepted by a commercial publisher. The award recognizes “worthy manuscripts...	$0	Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$1,000		11/15/12
Arrowhead Regional Arts Council Career Development Grants Grants of up to $2,500 are given three times a year to allow Minnesota writers to take advantage of a specific arts opportunity. Poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who are U.S....	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$2,500		11/16/12
Pushcart Press Pushcart Prizes Publication in The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses is awarded annually for poetry, fiction, and essays published by literary magazines or small presses in the current year. Editors may...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction		Publication	12/1/12
Morehead State University Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction by an Appalachian writer. Authors and publishers may submit five copies of a book of poetry or prose by December...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$1,000		12/3/12
Friends of American Writers Literary Award A prize of up to $4,000 is given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction published in the current year by a writer who is a resident of the Midwest or whose book features a Midwestern...	$0	Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$4,000		12/10/12
Commonwealth Club of California California Book Awards Three prizes are given annually to California writers for books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction (including creative nonfiction). Prizes are also given for a first book of fiction and a book of fiction...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction			12/14/12
Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Awards Four prizes of $500 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a first novel, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) by an African American writer and published...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$500		12/14/12
Before Columbus Foundation American Book Awards Awards are given annually for books published in the United States during the preceding year that make contributions to American multicultural literature. Submit two copies of a book published in 2012 by...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction			12/31/12
Cleveland Foundation Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards Two prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published in the previous year that “contribute to society’s understanding of...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$10,000		12/31/12
French-American Foundation Translation Prizes Two prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for translations from French into English of a book of fiction and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published in the current year....	$0	Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$10,000		12/31/12
San José State University Steinbeck Fellowship in Creative Writing A one-year residency at San José State University, which includes a stipend of $10,000, is given annually to a fiction writer or a creative nonfiction writer. The resident will give one public reading...	$0	Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$10,000	Reading, Residency	1/2/13
National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowships Grants of $12,500 to $25,000 each are awarded annually to translators of poetry and prose who are working on specific translations of published works from any language into English. Applicants must have...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$12,500		1/3/13
Ellen Meloy Fund Desert Writers Award A prize of $3,000 is given annually to enable a creative nonfiction writer to spend creative time in a desert environment. Using the online submission system, submit up to 10 pages of creative nonfiction...	$0	Creative Nonfiction	$3,000		1/15/13
Bronx Council on the Arts BRIO Awards Grants of $3,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who reside in the Bronx in New York City. Winners must complete a one-time public service activity....	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$3,000		1/27/13
Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowships Up to three grants of $5,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who are financially compensated for their work as professional artists. Residents of...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$5,000		1/28/13
Ohioana Library Association Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant A prize of $1,000 is given annually to an Ohio fiction writer or creative nonfiction writer under 30 who has not published a book. Writers born in Ohio or who have lived in Ohio for a minimum of five...	$0	Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$1,000		1/31/13
Goethe-Institut Chicago Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a book translated from German into English published in the United States during the previous year. The winner also receives an all-expenses-paid trip to the...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$10,000		1/31/13
University of East Anglia Charles Pick South Asian Fellowship A six-month fellowship at the University of East Anglia, which includes a stipend of 10,000 euros (approximately $16,000), is given annually to an unpublished fiction writer or creative nonfiction writer...	$0	Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$16,000	Residency	1/31/13
Japan–U.S. Friendship Commission United States/Japan Creative Artists Residencies Up to five three-month residencies, each of which includes a monthly stipend of $20,000 for living expenses, housing, and professional support, are awarded annually to published U.S. poets, fiction...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$62,000	Residency	2/1/13
PEN American Center PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants Grants of $2,000 to $4,000 each are given annually to support the translation of book-length works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction that have not previously appeared in English or have...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$4,000		2/1/13
Stadler Center for Poetry Philip Roth Residence A four-month residency, including a $4,000 stipend, at the Stadler Center for Poetry at Bucknell University is given annually to a poet, a fiction writer, or a creative nonfiction writer. The 2013 Philip...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$4,000	Residency	2/1/13
Lambda Literary Foundation Midcareer Novelists' Prizes Two prizes of $5,000 each are given annually to LGBT novelists in midcareer who have each published at least three novels or two novels in addition to books of poetry, short stories, or essays. Submit...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$5,000		2/1/13
Kresge Foundation Literary Artist Fellowships Nine fellowships of $25,000 each will be given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers living in metropolitan Detroit. The fellowships are designed to enable writers to devote...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$25,000		2/1/13
Library of Virginia Literary Awards Three prizes of $3,500 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published in the previous year. Books by writers who were born in or are...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$3,500		2/15/13
Washington College Patrick Henry Fellowship A nine-month fellowship, which includes a stipend of $45,000, at the C. V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, is given annually to a...	$0	Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$45,000	Residency	2/15/13
Alabama State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Grants Fellowships of $5,000 are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in the state of Alabama for at least two years. Using the online submission system,...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$5,000		3/1/13
Lake Forest College Madeleine P. Plonsker Residency A prize of $10,000 and a two-month residency at Lake Forest College is given annually to a prose poet, a fiction writer, or a creative nonfiction writer to complete an innovative work-in-progress. The...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$10,000	Publication, Residency	3/1/13
Mississippi Arts Commission Literary Artist Fellowships Grants of up to $5,000 each are given in alternating years to Mississippi poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. This year the fellowships will be offered in creative nonfiction. Using...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$5,000		3/1/13
Washington College Hodson-Brown Fellowship A fellowship, which includes a stipend of $20,000, will be given annually to a writer of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) working on a book relating to the literature, history, culture, or art...	$0	Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$20,000		3/15/13
Loft Literary Center Minnesota Emerging Writers’ Grant Grants of up to $10,000 will be given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in the state of Minnesota for at least one year. Writers who have published no...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$10,000	10000	3/27/13
Arrowhead Regional Arts Council Fellowships and Grants Individual Artist Fellowships of $2,500 to $5,000 are given annually to Minnesota writers, and Career Development Grants of up to $2,500 are given three times a year to Minnesota writers to pursue a...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$5,000		3/29/13
The Writer’s Center Emerging Writer Fellowships Three fellowships are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. Fellows who live within a 250-mile radius of the center receive a $250 honorarium each, and others receive...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$250	Reading	4/12/13
Maine Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowships A fellowship of $13,000 is given annually to a poet, fiction writer, or creative nonfiction writer who has lived in the state of Maine for at least two years. Using the online submission system, submit...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$13,000		5/10/13
Leeway Foundation Transformation Awards Awards of $15,000 each are given annually by the Leeway Foundation to women and transsexual, transgender, genderqueer, and Two-Spirit poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers in the...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$15,000		5/15/13
Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition A prize of $3,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to meet with editors and agents is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay. Prizes of $1,000 each are also given for a work...	$32	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$3,000	Travel	6/3/13
American-Scandinavian Foundation Translation Prizes A prize of $2,000 and publication of an excerpt in Scandinavian Review is given annually for an English translation of a Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, or Swedish work of poetry, fiction...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$2,000	Publication	6/7/13
Towson University Prize for Literature A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction by a writer who has lived in Maryland for at least three years and is currently a resident. Books published...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$1,000		6/15/13
Mexico Fil Prize in Romance Languages A prize of $150,000 is given annually to honor a poet, a fiction writer, or a creative nonfiction writer who writes in Catalan, French, Galician, Italian, Portuguese, Roumanian, or Spanish. The prize is...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$150,000		6/22/13
Literary Arts Oregon Literary Fellowships Fellowships of $2,500 each are given annually to Oregon writers to initiate, develop, or complete literary projects in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. In addition, Women Writers Fellowships of...	$0	Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction	$2,500		6/28/13
Blue Mountain Center Richard J. Margolis Award A prize of $5,000 and a monthlong residency at the Blue Mountain Center, an artists colony in Blue Mountain Lake, New York, is given annually to a writer of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction with...	$0	Poetry, Creative Nonfiction	$5,000	Residency	7/1/13

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