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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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 | |
|
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 | |
|
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 | |
|
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 | |
|
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 | |
|
Virginia Commonwealth University Cabell First Novelist Award A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a first novel published in the previous year. The winner also receives an all-expenses-paid trip to attend the First Novelist Festival at Virginia Commonwealth... |
$0 | Fiction | $5,000 | 1/14/13 |