Genre: Fiction

Short Story Competition

Creative Writing Ink
Entry Fee: 
$16
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,340), publication on the Creative Writing Ink website, and a free online writing course with Creative Writing Ink will be given annually for a short story. W. T. Paterson will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 3,000 words with a £12 (approximately $16) entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Stegner Fellowships

Stanford University
Entry Fee: 
$55
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
Ten fellowships, five in poetry and five in fiction, of $75,000 each per year to attend Stanford University’s two-year creative writing program are given annually for manuscripts of poetry and fiction. The creative writing faculty at Stanford University will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 15 pages of poetry or up to 9,000 words of prose, a statement of purpose, a statement on your participation as a workshop member, and contact information for two references with a $55 entry fee (waivers are available based on financial need) by November 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Fresh Voices Fellowship

Epiphany
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Epiphany is given annually for a poem or a group of poems, a work of fiction, or a work of creative nonfiction. The winner will also be offered a one-year editorial fellowship at Epiphany. BIPOC writers who do not have an advanced degree in creative writing and are not currently enrolled in a degree-granting program are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five pages of poetry or prose and a cover letter by November 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

George Garrett Fiction Prize

Texas Review Press
Entry Fee: 
$28
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of $2,000, publication by Texas Review Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a short story collection or novel. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 40,000 to 80,000 words with a $28 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

John Lewis Writing Grants

Georgia Writers
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
October 1, 2025
Three grants of $500 each are given annually in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to “elevate, encourage, and inspire the voices of Black writers in Georgia.” Grantees also receive a scholarship to attend and present a reading at the Red Clay Writers Conference, held in March 2026 at Kennesaw State University in Marietta, Georgia. Black writers who have been residents of Georgia for at least one year (or who are full-time students at a Georgia college or university at the time of application and on the date of the award) and who have published no more than one book are eligible to apply. Submit a poetry or prose writing sample of up to 10 pages and an artist’s statement of no more than 500 words discussing your work and goals as a writer by October 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for an application and complete guidelines.

Nature Writing Prize

The Moth
Entry Fee: 
$17
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,158) and online publication in Irish Times is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that features “an exploration of the writer’s relationship with the natural world.” The winner also receives a weeklong stay at the Moth Retreat in County Cavan, Ireland. Mark Cocker will judge. Submit a poem or a work of prose of up to 4,000 words with an entry fee of €15 (approximately $17) by September 30. Visit the website for the required entry form for submissions by post and complete guidelines.

Supernatural Fiction Award

Ghost Story
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of $1,500 and publication on the Ghost Story website is given biannually for a short story with a supernatural or magical realist theme. The editors will judge. Submit a story of 1,500 to 10,000 words with a $20 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literary Awards

Tucson Festival of Books
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
October 31, 2025
Three prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The winners will also receive scholarships to attend a workshop at the University of Arizona campus in Tucson in March 2026. Using only the online submission system, submit five poems of any length or a short story, essay, or excerpt from a novel or memoir of up to 5,000 words with a $20 entry fee by October 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Novel Contest

Hackney Literary Awards
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for an unpublished novel. Submit a manuscript of any length with a $30 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Humor Story Contest

TulipTree Publishing
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
October 17, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in the Fall/Winter issue of TulipTree Review is given annually for a humorous poem, story, or essay. Submit a poem of up to five pages or a work of prose of no more than 10,000 words with a $20 entry fee by October 17. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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