Two prizes of $500 each are given annually for a poetry e-book and a fiction e-book by an African American writer self-published in the United States during the previous year....
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.
Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 2/28/20
Fish Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,100
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 2/28/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,100) and publication in the Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a short short story. Tania Hershman will judge. Submit a story...
read moreRed Hen Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 2/28/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a book of fiction or nonfiction by a woman. Martha Cooley will judge. Using only the online submission...
read moreSustainable Arts Foundation
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 2/28/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Up to twenty awards of $5,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers with children. Writers with at least one child under the age of...
read moreAssociation of Writers & Writing Programs
Cash Prize: $5,500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 2/29/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $5,500 each and publication by a participating press are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection. In addition, two prizes of $2,500...
read moreTupelo Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 2/29/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Tupelo Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Submit a manuscript of 20 to 36 pages with a $25 entry fee by February 29. All...
read moreBroadside Lotus Press
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/20
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 moreMississippi Arts Commission
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/20
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 moreAirlie Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/1/20
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 moreUniversity of Wisconsin
Cash Prize: $38,000
Entry Fee: $50
Application Deadline: 3/1/20
An academic year in residence, which includes a stipend of at least $38,000, at the University of Wisconsin in Madison is given annually to at least five writers working on a...
read moreMad Creek Books
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/1/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication by Mad Creek Books, the trade imprint of Ohio State University Press, is given annually for a collection of short prose. Michelle Herman will...
read moreHunger Mountain
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/1/20
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 moreAlabama State Council on the Arts
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
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 moreSelected Shorts
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/1/20
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: 3/7/20
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 moreCave Canem Foundation
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/9/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by a participating press is given annually for a first book of poetry by a Black poet of African descent. The University of Pittsburgh Press...
read moreRobinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 3/14/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Marie Howe will judge. Submit up to three poems of no more than three pages each with a $10 entry fee by March 14. Visit...
read moreColorado Review
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $17
Application Deadline: 3/14/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Colorado Review is given annually for a short story. Lori Ostlund will judge. Submit a story between 2,500 and 12,500 words with a $...
read morePrairie Schooner
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/15/20
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. An editorial board will...
read moreBellingham Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/15/20
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 moreFourth Genre
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/15/20
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Fourth Genre is given annually for an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit an essay of up to 6,000 words with a...
read moreThe Word Works
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/15/20
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 moreHidden River Arts
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/15/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Sowilo Press is given annually for a first book of fiction by a woman writer over the age of 40. Using only the online submission system,...
read moreWashington College
Cash Prize: $20,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/15/20
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 more