Writing 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.

Futurepoem

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 8/15/24

A prize of $1,000, publication by Futurepoem, and 25 author copies is given annually for a book of innovative poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid work “that...

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Omnidawn Publishing

Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 8/16/24
Genre: Poetry

A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Katy Peterson will judge. Using only the online...

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Masters Review

Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 8/25/24
Genre: Fiction

A prize of $3,000 and publication in Masters Review is given annually for a short story by an emerging writer. Writers who have not published a book, self-published...

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University of New Orleans Press

Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 8/31/24
Genre: Fiction

A prize of $10,000 and publication by University of New Orleans Press is given annually for a short story collection or novel. Using only the online submission system, submit a...

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Oxford Poetry

Cash Prize: $1,268
Entry Fee: $13
Application Deadline: 8/31/24
Genre: Poetry

A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,268) and publication in Oxford Poetry will be given annually for a single poem. Submit a poem of up to 50 lines with a £10 (...

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Talking Gourds

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 8/31/24
Genre: Poetry

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Juan J. Morales will judge. Submit a poem of up to three pages with a $10 entry fee ($25 for three poems) by August 31....

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Gulf Coast

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 8/31/24

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gulf Coast is given in alternating years for a group of poems or a prose excerpt translated from any language into English. The 2024...

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Gulf Coast

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 8/31/24

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gulf Coast is given annually for a short work of prose. Submit up to three prose poems, works of flash fiction, or micro essays (or...

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Gemini Magazine

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $8
Application Deadline: 8/31/24
Genre: Fiction

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a work of flash fiction. The editors will judge. Submit a story of up to 1,000 words with an $...

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Utica University

Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 8/31/24
Genre: Poetry

A prize of $2,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published during the current year by a resident of upstate New York. The winner will also give a reading and teach a...

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Black Lawrence Press

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 8/31/24

A prize of $1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a debut collection of poems, short stories, or essays. The editors and a...

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Howling Bird Press

Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 8/31/24
Genre: Fiction

A prize of $2,500 and publication by Howling Bird Press is given in alternating years for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. The 2025 prize will be awarded in...

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Talking Gourds

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 8/31/24
Genre: Poetry

A prize of $1,000 will be given annually for a single poem about the state of Colorado or written by a poet residing in Colorado. Juan J. Morales will judge. Submit a poem of...

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Grid Books

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 8/31/24
Genre: Poetry

A prize of $1,000 and publication in print and audio formats by Grid Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer over the age of 60. Gregory Orr will judge....

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Ex Ophidia Press

Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 8/31/24
Genre: Poetry

A prize of $2,000, publication by Ex Ophidia Press, and 10 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection. Rebecca Lindenberg will judge. Using only the online...

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Aesthetica

Cash Prize: $3,171
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 8/31/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction

Two prizes of £2,500 (approximately $3,171) each and publication in Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual are given annually for a poem and a short story. In addition, the...

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Academy for Teachers

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 9/1/24
Genre: Fiction

A prize of $1,000 and publication in A Public Space is given annually for a work of flash fiction about teachers and school, in which the protagonist or narrator is a K–...

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American-Scandinavian Foundation

Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 9/1/24

A prize of $2,500 and publication of an excerpt in Scandinavian Review is given annually for an English translation of a work of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction...

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Academy of American Poets

Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $35
Application Deadline: 9/1/24
Genre: Poetry

A prize of $5,000 and publication by Graywolf Press is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has not published a book of poetry in a standard edition. The...

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Banyan Review

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 9/1/24
Genre: Poetry

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Banyan Review will be given for a single poem. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems totaling no more...

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Dogwood

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $12
Application Deadline: 9/5/24

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Dogwood are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to...

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Literary Arts

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $50
Application Deadline: 9/6/24

Four prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and general nonfiction published in the current year by writers living in...

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Harvard University

Cash Prize: $83,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 9/12/24

Fellowships of $78,000 each, office space at the Radcliffe Institute, and access to the libraries at Harvard University are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and...

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