Genre: Fiction

Short Fiction Story Contest

Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
July 1, 2026
A prize of $1,750, publication in Pree and New York Carib News, as well as on the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival (BCLF) website, and an invitation to participate in a BCLF podcast episode is given annually for a short story. The winner also receives titles from the Akashic Books catalogue, a $100 gift card and a yearlong membership at the Center for Fiction Library. Writers of Caribbean heritage whose work has not appeared in a nationally distributed publication with a circulation of 10,000 or more and who are residents of the United States or Canada are eligible. To apply, submit a story of no more than 3,000 words between May 1 and July 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Stony Brook Undergraduate Short Fiction Prize

Stony Brook Southampton
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
July 14, 2026
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story by a current undergraduate college student. The winner also receives a full scholarship to attend the Southampton Writers Conference in summer 2027, and the winning work will be considered for publication in Southampton Review. Submit a story of up to 7,500 words by July 14. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Short Story Contest

F(r)iction
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
May 15, 2026
A prize of $1,000 is given biannually for a short story. Manuel Aragon will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 1,001 to 7,500 words with a $15 entry fee by May 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Short Story Prize

The Moth
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
June 14, 2026
A prize of €3,000 (approximately $3,508) is given annually for a short story. A second-place prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,169) is also given. The winners will be published in Irish Times. Submit a story of up to 3,000 words with a €17 (approximately $20) entry fee by June 14. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

FSG Writer’s Fellowship

Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
July 3, 2026
A prize of $15,000 is given annually to an emerging poet, fiction writer, or creative nonfiction writer from an underrepresented community who has not published and is not under contract to publish a book in any genre. Writers who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States are eligible. The winner also receives mentorship with a Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) author; line edits and structural feedback from two FSG in-house editors; meet-and-greets with representatives at FSG from other departments, including Publicity/Marketing, Art, Subsidiary Rights, and Managing Editorial; and support with networking beyond FSG. Using only the online submission system, submit 8 to 12 pages of poetry or 40 to 50 pages of prose and a statement of purpose of up to 500 words between May 18 and July 3. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

The Story Prize

The Story Prize
Entry Fee: 
$75
Deadline: 
July 1, 2026
A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a story or novella collection written in English and published in the United States in the current year. Two runners-up receive $5,000 each. The $1,000 Story Prize Spotlight Award is also given for an additional “outstanding story collection that merits further attention.” Members of the Story Prize board will select the three finalists and the Spotlight Award winner; three independent judges will choose the Story Prize winner. Publishers, authors, or agents may submit two copies of a book published between January 1, 2026, and June 30, 2026, with a $75 entry fee by July 1. The deadline for books published during the second half of the year is November 16. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

New Writers Awards

Great Lakes Colleges Association
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
May 25, 2026
Three prizes are given annually for first books by a poet, a fiction writer, and a creative nonfiction writer. The winners each receive an all-expenses-paid trip to several of the 13 GLCA colleges, each of which pays an honorarium of $500 to give readings, meet with students, and lead discussions and classes. Books published in 2025 and 2026 are eligible. Faculty members of the colleges will judge. Publishers may submit four copies of one book in each category by May 25. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

George Garrett Fiction Prize

TRP
Entry Fee: 
$28
Deadline: 
June 30, 2026
A prize of $2,000, publication by TRP: The University Press of Sam Houston State University, 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 June 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Robert Traver Fly-Fishing Writing Award

John D. Voelker Foundation 
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
May 31, 2026
A prize of $2,500 and publication in American Fly Fisher as well as on the John D. Voelker Foundation and the American Museum of Fly Fishing websites is given annually for a short story or an essay that embodies an “implicit love of fly fishing…and the natural world in which it takes place.” Using only the online submission system, submit up to 3,000 words of prose with a $25 entry fee by May 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Chapbook Prize

Tusculum Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
June 15, 2026
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Tusculum Review is given annually for a collection of poems, a short story, or an essay in alternating years. The winner’s work is also published as a limited-​edition stand-alone chapbook with original art. This year’s prize will be awarded in poetry. Nate Marshall will judge. Submit a manuscript of 20 to 30 pages with a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Tusculum Review, by June 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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