A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,335), publication on the Creative Writing Ink website, and a free online writing course with Creative Writing Ink is given annually for a...
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.
Creative Writing Ink
Cash Prize: $1,335
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 10/21/26
Genre: Fiction
University of Wisconsin Press
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 10/30/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication by University of Wisconsin Press is given annually for a poetry collection in translation. Jennifer Feeley will judge. Using only the online...
read moreTucson Festival of Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
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...
read morePoetry Society of the United Kingdom
Cash Prize: $6,679
Entry Fee: $12
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of £5,000 (approximately $6,679) and publication on the Poetry Society of the United Kingdom website is given annually for a single poem. A second-place prize of £3,000...
read moreUniversity of North Texas Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of North Texas Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of...
read moreNorthwestern University Press
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $500 and publication by Northwestern University Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook “creating, giving voice to, and sharing the experiences of people of...
read moreCloudbank Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Cross-Genre
A prize of $1,000, publication by Cloudbank Books, and 50 author copies is given annually for a collection of poetry, flash fiction, or a combination of the two. Submit a...
read moreCarlow University
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in the anthology Voices From the Attic is given annually for a single poem to a woman poet age 40 or over who has not published a...
read moreComstock Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Comstock Review, and 50 author copies is given biennially for a poetry chapbook. Martin Willitts Jr. will judge. Submit a manuscript...
read morePersea Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Persea Books is given annually for a debut poetry collection by a writer who identifies as a woman. The winner also receives an optional...
read moreTupelo Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Tupelo Press is given annually for a full- or chapbook-length poetry collection or a book of creative nonfiction (including memoir, essays...
read moreRiver Teeth
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of New Mexico Press is given annually for a book of creative nonfiction. Sue William Silverman will judge. Using only the online...
read moreBedford Competition
Cash Prize: $2,670
Entry Fee: $11
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Two prizes of £2,000 (approximately $2,670) each and publication in the Bedford Competition anthology are given annually for a poem and a short story. Fran Lock will judge in...
read moreDzanc Books
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication by Dzanc Books is given for a poetry collection. Jonathan Fink and Keith Taylor will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a...
read moreFiction Collective Two
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 11/1/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $3,000 and publication by Fiction Collective Two, an imprint of University of Alabama Press, is given annually for a novel, a story collection, a novella, or a...
read moreWillow Springs Books
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 11/1/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication by Willow Springs Books is given annually for a short story collection. Submit a manuscript of three or more stories totaling at least 100...
read moreEpiphany
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 11/1/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
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...
read moreAfrican Poetry Book Fund
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 11/1/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 is given annually for a group of poems by an African poet who has not published a full-length collection. Writers who were born in Africa, who are nationals...
read moreFonograf Editions
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 11/1/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,500, publication by Fonograf Editions, and 15 author copies will be given annually for a book in any genre, including poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and...
read moreMalahat Review
Cash Prize: $1,405
Entry Fee: $21
Application Deadline: 11/1/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $2,000 Canadian (approximately $1,405) each and publication in Malahat Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only...
read moreNorth American Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $23
Application Deadline: 11/1/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review is given annually for a work of speculative fiction. Kate Folk will judge. Submit up to two works of flash...
read moreJohn Updike Society
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 11/1/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and a two-week residency at the Mission Hill Casitas that John Updike owned and worked out of in Tucson is given annually for a group of poems or a work of...
read moreAmerican Academy in Rome
Cash Prize: $16,000
Entry Fee: $50
Application Deadline: 11/1/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Half-term and full-term fellowships of $16,000 and $30,000 respectively are given annually to artists, academics, and creative writers, including poets, fiction writers, and...
read moreFiction Collective Two
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 11/1/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $15,000 and publication by Fiction Collective Two, an imprint of University of Alabama Press, is given annually for a novel, a story collection, a novella, or a...
read moreSaturnalia Books
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 11/1/26
Genre: Poetry, Translation
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Saturnalia Books is given annually for a poetry collection in translation. Translators who identify as female (including those who are...
read more