Fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in the state of Alabama for at least two years. Submit...
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.
Alabama State Council on the Arts
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Biographers International Organization
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/1/21
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $2,000 will be given annually for a work-in-progress by a writer who has not published a biography. The winner will also receive review of their manuscript by an...
read moreBroadside Lotus Press
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $500 and publication by Broadside Lotus Press is given annually for a poetry collection by an African American poet. Submit two copies of a manuscript of 60 to 90...
read moreHunger Mountain
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/1/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication on the Hunger Mountain website are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Submit up to three poems or a...
read moreUniversity of Wisconsin
Cash Prize: $39,000
Entry Fee: $50
Application Deadline: 3/1/21
An academic year in residence, which includes a stipend of at least $39,000, at the University of Wisconsin in Madison is given annually to at least five writers working on a...
read moreMississippi Arts Commission
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Grants of up to $5,000 each are given in alternating years to Mississippi poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. This year the fellowships will be offered in...
read moreSelected Shorts
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/5/21
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and tuition for a 10-week writing class through New York City’s Gotham Writers Workshop is given annually for a short story. The winning work will be...
read morePersea Books
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 3/7/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Persea Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a U.S. poet who has published at least one book of poetry. Using only the online...
read moreDayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $100
Application Deadline: 3/8/21
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for a book of fiction and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published in the previous year that “foster peace,...
read moreTulipTree Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/8/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in TulipTree Review is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that tells a story with female main characters who are “...
read moreColorado Review
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $17
Application Deadline: 3/14/21
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Colorado Review is given annually for a short story. T. Geronimo Johnson will judge. Submit a story between 2,500 and 12,500 words...
read moreJames Jones Literary Society
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $33
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a novel-in-progress by a U.S. writer who has not published a novel. Two runners-up will each receive $1,000. Using only the online...
read moreWashington College
Cash Prize: $20,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A fellowship, which includes a stipend of $20,000, is given annually to a novelist or nonfiction writer working on a book relating to the literature, history, culture, or art...
read moreThe Word Works
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication by the Word Works is given annually to a U.S. or Canadian poet for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages with a $25 entry...
read moreNational Poetry Series
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $35
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Poetry
Five prizes of $10,000 each and publication by participating trade, university, or small press publishers are given annually for poetry collections. The 2021 publishers are...
read moreFourth Genre
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Fourth Genre is given annually for an essay. Xu Xi will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit an essay of up to 6...
read moreHidden River Arts
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Hidden River Publishing is given annually for a debut novel or story collection by a woman age 40 or older. Using only the online...
read moreYemassee
Cash Prize: $1,250
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Two prizes of $1,250 and publication by Yemassee is given annually for a poetry chapbook and a fiction chapbook. Dustin Pearson will judge in poetry and Mira T. Lee...
read moreBellingham Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Bellingham Review are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The 49th Parallel Award for...
read moreRobinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Kim Stafford will judge. Submit up to three poems of no more than three pages each with a $10 entry fee by March 15. Send...
read moreLivingston Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Livingston Press, and 100 author copies is given annually for a first collection of short stories by a U.S. citizen. Submit a manuscript of...
read morePrairie Schooner
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Two prizes of $3,000 each and publication by University of Nebraska Press are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection. Kwame Dawes will judge....
read moreAirlie Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Airlie Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a...
read moreVerse
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $500 and publication by Factory Hollow Press is given annually for a poetry chapnbook. The winner will also receive a monthlong residency in summer 2022 in a private...
read morePress 53
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 3/31/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Prime Number Magazine are given annually for a poem and a short story. Stacy R. Nigliazzo will judge in poetry and Dennis...
read more