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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
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
American Library Association W. Y. Boyd Literary Award A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a novel set in a period when the United States was at war. Publishers or authors may submit seven copies of books published in 2011 by December 1. There is no...	$0	Fiction	$5,000		12/1/12
Langum Charitable Trust Prize in American Historical Fiction A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a book of historical fiction published in the current year. Submit three copies of books (or bound galleys) published in 2012 by December 1. There is no entry fee...	$0	Fiction	$1,000		12/1/12
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
Poets & Writers, Inc. Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award Two prizes of $500 each are awarded annually to a poet and a fiction writer from a select state. Each winner also receives an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to give a reading and meet with...	$0	Poetry, Fiction	$500	Reading, Residency	12/15/12
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
Civil War Institute Michael Shaara Book Prize A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a novel about the Civil War published in the current year to “encourage fresh approaches to Civil War fiction.” Publishers, critics, and authors may submit four...	$0	Fiction	$5,000		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

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