A prize of $3,500 and publication in LitMag is given annually for a short story. A second-place prize of $1,000 will also be given. The winners will have their work...
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.
Santa Fe Writers Project
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/15/18
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by 2040 Books, an imprint of the Santa Fe Writers Project, will be given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction by a writer of...
read moreCenter for Book Arts
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/15/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $500 and letterpress publication by the Center for Book Arts is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner will also receive an additional $500 to give a...
read moreWillow Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/15/18
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication by Willow Books are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction or creative nonfiction by writers of color. Using the...
read moreCommonwealth Club of California
Cash Prize:
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/15/18
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes are given annually to writers residing in California for books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published during the previous year. Prizes are also given for a...
read morePublic Poetry
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 12/15/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication in an e-book anthology, and an invitation to give a reading in Houston, Texas, is given annually for a poem on a theme. This year's theme is “...
read moreCodhill Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/20/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Codhill Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Pauline Uchmanowicz will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 70...
read morePoetry Society of America
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 12/22/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,500 and publication of a poem on the Poetry Society of America website is given annually to a poet over 40 who has published no more than one book. Submit two...
read morePoetry Society of America
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $12
Application Deadline: 12/22/18
Genre: Poetry
Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication by the Poetry Society of America are given annually for poetry chapbooks by poets who have not published a full-length collection....
read morePoetry Society of America
Cash Prize: $20,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/22/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $20,000 will be given annually for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the U.S. in a print or online journal, a chapbook, or a book. Three...
read moreQuercus Review Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/28/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Quercus Review Press, and 15 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Sam Pierstorff will judge. Submit a manuscript of up to...
read moreOmnidawn Publishing
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 12/29/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 100 author copies will be given annually for a first or second collection of poetry. Rajiv Mohabir, Metta Sáma, Stacy...
read moreTampa Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/18
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review is given annually for a short story. The editors will judge. Submit a story of 500 to 5,000 words with a $20 entry...
read moreBright Hill Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 12/31/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Bright Hill Press, and 30 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 64 pages with a $27 entry fee...
read moreTupelo Press
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $3,000 and publication by Tupelo Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives a weeklong residency at the Massachusetts Museum of...
read moreNew Rivers Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/18
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication by New Rivers Press are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction or creative nonfiction by an emerging writer....
read moreNowhere Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/18
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Nowhere Magazine is given twice yearly for a poem, a short story, or an essay that “possesses a powerful sense of place.” Porter...
read moreBefore Columbus Foundation
Cash Prize:
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/18
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Awards are given annually for books published in the United States during the previous year to recognize “outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America’s...
read moreThe Moth
Cash Prize: $12,000
Entry Fee: $13
Application Deadline: 12/31/18
Genre: Poetry
A prize of €10,000 (approximately $12,000) and publication in the Moth is given annually for a poem. Three runner-up prizes of €1,000 (approximately $1,200) each are...
read moreBauhan Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/18
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Bauhan Publishing, and 50 author copies is given annually for an essay collection. Anne Barngrover will judge. Submit a manuscript of 120 to...
read moreVirginia Commonwealth University
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/18
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a first novel published during the previous year. The winner and the winner's agent will also receive lodging and travel expenses to...
read moreThree Percent
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/18
Two awards of $10,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection or novel translated into English for the first time and published in the...
read moreRiver Styx
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 12/31/18
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication in River Styx is given annually for a short short story. Submit up to three stories of no more than 500 words each with a $10 entry...
read morePress 53
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/18
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 50 author copies is given annually for a story collection. Kevin Morgan Watson will judge. Submit a manuscript of 100 to 250...
read more