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.

Narrative

Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 3/28/24

A prize of $2,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a short story, a short short story, an essay, a memoir, or an excerpt from a longer work of fiction...

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Arts & Letters

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/31/24

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Arts & Letters...

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Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature

Cash Prize: $25,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/31/24

A prize of $25,000 is given annually to a writer “who, like Paul Engle, represents a pioneering spirit in the world of literature through writing, editing, publishing, or...

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Black Lawrence Press

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 3/31/24

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

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North American Review

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $23
Application Deadline: 4/1/24

A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review is given annually for an essay. Lyric essays, memoir-style essays, and literary journalism are eligible. Toni...

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Florida Review

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/15/24

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Florida Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. The editors will judge....

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New Ohio Review

Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $22
Application Deadline: 4/15/24

Three prizes of $1,500 each and publication in New Ohio Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Submit a poem or group of...

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Whiting Foundation

Cash Prize: $40,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 4/23/24

Up to 10 grants of $40,000 each are given annually for creative nonfiction works-in-progress to enable writers to complete their books. Creative nonfiction writers under...

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Autumn House Press

Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $35
Application Deadline: 4/30/24

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given annually for a book of nonfiction. The winner also receives a $1,500 travel and publicity grant. Clifford...

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Tadpole Press

Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 4/30/24

A prize of $2,000 is given biannually for a work of flash poetry or prose. Manuscripts written in a language other than English are accepted when accompanied by an English...

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Winning Writers

Cash Prize: $3,500
Entry Fee: $22
Application Deadline: 5/1/24

Two prizes of $3,500 each, two gift certificates for two-year memberships to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually...

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High Desert Museum

Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/1/24

A prize of $3,000 is given annually for a work of nonfiction that recognizes “the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative...

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Writer’s Digest

Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 5/6/24

A prize of $5,000, an interview in Writer’s Digest, and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference is given annually for a single poem, a short...

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Ploughshares

Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $24
Application Deadline: 5/15/24

Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Ploughshares are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Each winner also receives a...

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Trio House Press

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 5/15/24

A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies will be given annually for a book of nonfiction by a writer living in the United States. The editors...

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