Four prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and young people’s literature written by U.S. writers and published in the United...
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.
National Book Foundation
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $135
Application Deadline: 5/13/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Leeway Foundation
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/15/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Awards of $15,000 each are given annually to women, transgender, and/or gender-nonconforming poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers in the Philadelphia area...
read moreAmerican Poetry Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 5/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in American Poetry Review is given annually for a single poem by a poet under the age of 40. The editors will judge. Submit up to...
read moreAcademy of American Poets
Cash Prize: $25,000
Entry Fee: $75
Application Deadline: 5/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $25,000 is given annually for a poetry collection by a living poet published in the United States during the previous year. The winner also receives a 10-day...
read moreAcademy of American Poets
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a second poetry collection by a living poet to be published in the next calendar year. The winner also receives an all-expenses-paid...
read morePittsburg State University
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 5/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Pittsburg State University, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Using only the online submissions system, submit...
read moreGeorgia Review
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 5/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Georgia Review is given annually for a single poem. Brian Teare will judge. Submit up to three poems totaling no more than 10...
read moreLost Horse Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 5/15/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Lost Horse Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript...
read moreNew Letters
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $24
Application Deadline: 5/18/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in New Letters are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit...
read moreGreat Lakes Colleges Association
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/25/26
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 moreFence
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 5/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $5,000, publication by Fence Books (with distribution by Consortium), and 40 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who identifies as a...
read moreBridport Arts Centre
Cash Prize: $6,699
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 5/31/26
Two prizes of £5,000 (approximately $6,699) each and publication in the Bridport Prize anthology are given annually for a poem and a short story. A prize of £1,500 (...
read moreSouthern Poetry Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 5/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Southern Poetry Review is given annually for a single poem. Submit three to five poems totaling no more than 10 pages with a $20...
read moreTwo Sylvias Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 5/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Two Sylvias Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Kim Addonizio will judge. Submit a manuscript of 17 to 24...
read moreAnhinga Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 5/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Anhinga Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives $500 to cover travel costs for the...
read moreLivingston Press
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Cross-Genre
A prize of $500, publication by Livingston Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a novel-in-verse. Eleanor Boudreau will judge. Submit a manuscript of 90 to 160...
read moreOversound
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 5/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Oversound, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Ari Banias will judge. Using only the online submission...
read moreMoon City Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 6/1/26
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication by Moon City Press are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection. The editors will judge. Using only the...
read moreHost Publications
Cash Prize: $8,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 6/1/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $8,000, publication by Host Publications, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online...
read morePEN America
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 6/1/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two grants of $5,000 each are given annually for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction works-in-progress “by immigrant and refugee writers, recognizing that the literature of...
read moreSouthern Humanities Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 6/1/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Southern Humanities Review is given annually for a “poem of witness in honor of the late poet Jake Adam York.” The winner also...
read moreBoulevard
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 6/1/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a group of poems by a poet who has not published a poetry collection with a nationally distributed...
read morePEN America
Cash Prize: $4,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 6/1/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Translation
Ten grants of $4,000 each are given annually to support the translation of book-length works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction that have not previously appeared in...
read moreGaudy Boy
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 6/1/26
Genre: Poetry
A grant of $1,500 and publication by Gaudy Boy, an imprint of the New York City–based literary nonprofit Singapore Unbound, is given annually for a poetry collection by a...
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