Publication in The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses is awarded annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction published by literary magazines...
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.
Pushcart Press
Cash Prize: $0
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/1/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Georgia Writers
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 10/1/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three grants of $500 each are given annually in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to “elevate, encourage, and inspire the voices of Black writers in Georgia.” Grantees also...
read moreBrooklyn Film & Arts Festival
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 11/15/24
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $500 and publication on the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival website is given annually for a work of nonfiction that is set in Brooklyn, New York, and renders the...
read moreGreat Lakes Colleges Association
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/25/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes are given annually for first books by a poet, a fiction writer, and a creative nonfiction writer. The winners each receive an all-expenses-paid trip to several of...
read moreAshland Creek Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/21
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given biennially for an unpublished or published book of fiction or creative nonfiction that focuses on the environment, animal protection, ecology, or...
read moreIndiana Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/15/24
Genre: Poetry, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Indiana Review are given annually for a single poem and an essay. Submit up to three poems of any length or a work of prose...
read moreJohn Updike Society
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 11/1/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and a two-week residency at the Mission Hill Casitas in Tucson will be given annually for a group of poems or a work of fiction or nonfiction. The fellowship...
read moreTulipTree Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 10/17/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in the Fall/Winter issue of TulipTree Review is given annually for a humorous poem, story, or essay. Submit a poem of up to five pages...
read moreTrio House Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 5/15/25
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a book of nonfiction by a writer living in the United States. The editors will...
read moreTulipTree Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 10/17/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in TulipTree Review is given annually for a poem, story, or essay. The theme for this fall’s contest is “disruption.” Submit a poem of...
read moreInlandia Institute
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 1/31/25
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Inlandia Books is given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction by a writer who identifies as Hispanic, Latino/a/e/x, or...
read moreTulipTree Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/8/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in TulipTree Review is given annually for a single poem, a short story, or an essay “whose main characters embody the wild woman spirit...
read moreDIAGRAM/New Michigan Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 7/15/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Cross-Genre
A prize of $1,000, publication by New Michigan Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a chapbook of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid-genre work. Ander...
read moreLiterary Arts
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $55
Application Deadline: 9/5/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
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...
read moreBellingham Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 3/15/25
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 Parallel Award for Poetry...
read morePermafrost
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/1/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Alaska Press will be given in alternating years for a book of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. The 2024 prize will be given in...
read moreGulf Coast
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 8/31/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
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...
read moreNew Millennium Writings
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 7/31/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication in New Millennium Writings and on the journal’s website are given biannually for a poem, a short story, a short short story,...
read moreVine Leaves Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 7/1/25
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Vine Leaves Press will be given for a book of nonfiction, including biography, memoir, and hybrid work. Using only the online submission...
read moreSchaffner Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/31/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Schaffner Press is given annually for a poetry collection, a novel, a story collection, an essay collection, or a memoir that “deals in...
read moreIndiana Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 8/15/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Indiana Review is given annually for a poem or a work of flash fiction or creative nonfiction. Submit up to three poems, stories, or...
read moreGreen Linden Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 11/30/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Green Linden Press is given annually for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction translated from any language into English....
read moreBlack Warrior Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 9/1/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Black Warrior Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Eduardo C. Corral will judge in poetry, K...
read moreLascaux Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 9/30/24
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Lascaux Review website is given annually for an essay. Previously published and unpublished essays are eligible. Using only the...
read moreFourth Genre
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/15/25
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Fourth Genre is given annually for an essay. Sonya Huber will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit an essay of up...
read more