A prize of $2,500 is given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction published during the current year that is set in the Midwest or by a writer who is a resident...
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.
Friends of American Writers
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/10/23
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Willow Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/15/23
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication by Willow Books are given annually for a book of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction by BIPOC writers. Using only the online...
read moreStory
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/15/23
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Story is given annually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a short story of no more than 10,000...
read moreVirginia Commonwealth University
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/30/23
Genre: Fiction
A prize of at least $3,000 is given annually for a debut novel published during the current year. The winner will also receive lodging and travel expenses to attend the First...
read moreLascaux Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Lascaux Review is given annually for a short story. Previously published and unpublished stories are eligible. Using only the...
read morePress 53
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 53 author copies is given annually for a story collection. Claire V. Foxx will judge. Submit a manuscript of 100 to 250 pages...
read moreAmerican Library Association
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a novel published in the current year that is set in a period when the United States was at war. Publishers or authors may submit seven...
read moreLivingston Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Livingston Press, and 60 author copies is given annually for a first collection of short stories by a U.S. citizen. Submit a manuscript of 160...
read moreMichigan Quarterly Review
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Michigan Quarterly Review is given annually for a short story. David Lynn will judge. Using only the online submission system,...
read moreLitMag
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,500 and publication in LitMag is given annually for a short story. The winner will also have their work reviewed by agents from Bankoff Collaborative,...
read moreBefore Columbus Foundation
Cash Prize: $0
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Awards are given annually for books published in the United States during the current year to recognize “outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America’s...
read morePlentitudes
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Plentitudes will be given annually for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. Mahtem Shiferraw will judge in poetry...
read moreCleveland Foundation
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three to four prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published during...
read moreFlorida Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Florida Review is given annually for a chapbook of short fiction, short nonfiction, or graphic narrative. Submit a manuscript of...
read moreUniversity of Tampa Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review will be given annually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 500 to 5,000...
read moreBoulevard
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a short story by a writer who has not published a nationally distributed book. The editors will...
read moreBaton Rouge Area Foundation
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $15,000 is given annually to an emerging African American writer for a book of fiction published in the current year. The winner also receives travel and lodging...
read moreBlack Caucus of the American Library Association
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a first novel, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) by African...
read moreHub City Press
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/23
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 and publication by Hub City Press is given biennially for a short story collection. Writers who have not published more than one book in any genre and who...
read moreMississippi Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 1/1/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Mississippi Review are given annually for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. Current or former University of...
read moreNorth Carolina Writers’ Network
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 1/2/24
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story or an essay that “seeks to convey the rich and varied existence of Black North Carolinians.” The winning entry is...
read moreNew Literary Project
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/4/24
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Fourteen fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to creative writers who are high school teachers to support summer work on an ongoing fiction, creative nonfiction, or...
read moreSan José State University
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/5/24
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Six yearlong residencies at San José State University in San José, California, which include stipends of $15,000 each, are given annually to fiction writers and creative...
read moreWinter Anthology
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $11
Application Deadline: 1/10/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Winter Anthology is given annually for a group of poems, a story, a novel excerpt, or an essay. Nick Flynn will judge. Using only...
read moreFrench-American Foundation
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/12/24
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for translations from French into English of a book of fiction and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published...
read more