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.

Friends of American Writers

Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/10/23

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...

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Willow Books

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/15/23

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...

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Story

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...

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Virginia 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...

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Lascaux 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 Previously published and unpublished stories are eligible.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...

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Press 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...

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American 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...

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Livingston 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...

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Michigan 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,...

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LitMag

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,...

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Before Columbus Foundation

Cash Prize: $0
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/23

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...

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Plentitudes

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/23

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...

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Cleveland Foundation

Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/23

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...

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Florida Review

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/23

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...

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University 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...

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Boulevard

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...

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Baton 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...

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Black Caucus of the American Library Association

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/23

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...

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Hub 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...

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Mississippi Review

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

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...

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North Carolina Writers’ Network

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 1/2/24

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...

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New Literary Project

Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/4/24

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...

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San José State University

Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/5/24

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...

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Winter Anthology

Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $11
Application Deadline: 1/10/24

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...

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French-American Foundation

Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/12/24

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...

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