Two prizes valued at $1,600 each will be given annually to a poet and fiction writer to attend a weeklong residency at the Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing....
read moreWriting 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.
Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing
Cash Prize: $1,600
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/21/18
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Omnidawn Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 4/23/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 100 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Bhanu Kapil will judge. Submit a manuscript of 20 to 40...
read moreSixfold
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $5
Application Deadline: 4/23/18
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sixfold are given quarterly for a group of poems and a short story. Using the online submission system, submit up to five...
read moreDIAGRAM/New Michigan Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/27/18
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by New Michigan Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a chapbook of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid-genre work. Ander...
read moreRed Hen Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for an essay collection, memoir, or book of narrative nonfiction. Florencia Ramirez will judge. Using the...
read moreGlimmer Train Press
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,000, publication in Glimmer Train Stories, and 10 copies of the prize issue is given three times a year for a very short story. Using the online submission system...
read moreTupelo Press
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $3,000 and publication by Tupelo Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 88 pages with a $28 entry fee by April...
read moreUniversity of Pittsburgh Press
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $5,000 and publication by University of Pittsburgh Press is given annually for a debut poetry collection. Poets who have not published a full-length poetry...
read moreBeloit Poetry Journal
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Beloit Poetry Journal is given annually for a poem. Naomi Shihab Nye will judge. Using the online submission system, submit up to...
read moreUniversity of Iowa Press
Cash Prize: $20
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Poetry
Publication by University of Iowa Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 50 to 150 pages with a $20 entry fee during the month of April. Visit...
read moreFinishing Line Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Finishing Line Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook by a woman who has not yet published a full-length collection. Leah Maines...
read moreAshland Poetry Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Ashland Poetry Press, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 64 to 96 pages with a $25 entry...
read moreTrio House Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. The winner is also asked to serve as a part-...
read moreGhost Story
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Ghost Story website is given twice yearly for a short story with a supernatural or magic realism theme. The editors will judge...
read moreTrio House Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner is also asked to serve as a part-time volunteer...
read moreFriends of Falun Gong
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $500 and publication on the Friends of Falun Gong website is given annually for a poem that advocates for human rights in China. A panel of judges selected by the...
read moreGlimmer Train Press
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $21
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $3,000, publication in Glimmer Train Stories, and 10 copies of the prize issue is given twice yearly for a short story. A $1,000 second-place prize is also given....
read moreMarsh Hawk Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Marsh Hawk Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Jane Hirshfield will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 84 pages with a $25...
read moreWinning Writers
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $2,000 each and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually for a short story and an essay. Dennis Norris II will judge. Using the online...
read morePoetry Foundation
Cash Prize: $25,800
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Poetry
Five fellowships of $25,800 each are given annually to U.S. poets between the ages of 21 and 31. Using the online submission system, submit 10 pages of poetry, a one-page...
read moreChristopher G. Moore Foundation
Cash Prize: $1,340
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,340) will be given in alternating years for a book of fiction or nonfiction published in the previous year that "contributes to the...
read moreNimrod International Journal
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/30/18
Two prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Nimrod International Journal are given annually for works of poetry and short fiction. A runner-up in each category...
read morePleiades Press
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 5/1/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Pleiades Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives $1,000 to fund a book tour. The editors will judge....
read moreTalking Gourds
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $9
Application Deadline: 5/1/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem. The winner also receives $500 in travel expenses to attend the Telluride Literary Arts Festival in Colorado in May. Joan Logghe...
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