Fifteen fellowships are given annually to artists, academics, and creative writers, including poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators, whose work...
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.
New York Public Library
Cash Prize: $90,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 9/25/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Translation
Dzanc Books
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 and publication by Dzanc Books is given annually for a story collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript...
read moreUniversity of Mississippi
Cash Prize: $12,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $12,000 is given annually for a novel published during the current year that asks readers “to engage with or reflect on the complexities of the U.S. South.” The...
read moreUniversity of Massachusetts Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Five prizes of $1,000 each and publication by University of Massachusetts Press are given annually for a debut poetry collection, a poetry collection by an author who has...
read moreCreative Writing Ink
Cash Prize: $1,335
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,335), publication on the Creative Writing Ink website, and a free online writing course with Creative Writing Ink is given annually for a...
read moreGhost Story
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication on the Ghost Story website is given biannually for a short story with a supernatural or magical realist theme. The editors will judge...
read moreMoment Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a story that relates to Judaism or Jewish culture or history. The winning story will be considered for publication in Moment...
read moreHackney Literary Awards
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for an unpublished novel. Submit a manuscript of any length with a $30 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines...
Dzanc Books
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 and publication by Dzanc Books is given annually for a novel. Ruyan Meng, Alan Michael Parker, and Alyssa Quinn will judge. Using only the online submission...
read moreThe Moth
Cash Prize: $1,142
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,142) and online publication in Irish Times is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that features “an exploration...
read morePEN/Faulkner Foundation
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $95
Application Deadline: 9/30/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $15,000 is given annually for a book of fiction published during the current year. Four finalists each receive $5,000. The winner and finalists will also be invited...
read moreZoetrope: All-Story
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 10/1/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Zoetrope: All-Story website is given annually for a short story. The winner and finalists will be considered for...
read moreGeorgia Writers
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 10/1/26
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.” Black writers who...
read moreUniversity of Louisville
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/1/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Miracle Monocle is given annually for a work of short fiction written in the style of Italo Calvino “that refreshes, renews, or...
read moreReed Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/1/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Reed Magazine is given annually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 5,000 words...
read moreOne Story
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 10/13/26
Genre: Fiction
A yearlong fellowship of $2,000, access to One Story online classes, and admission to One Story’s weeklong summer writers’ conference, which includes craft...
read moreTennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/15/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,500 is given annually for a short story by a writer who has not published a book of fiction. The winner will also receive domestic airfare of up to $500, private...
read morePulitzer Prizes
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $75
Application Deadline: 10/15/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Six prizes of $15,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, general nonfiction, U.S. history, biography, and memoir or autobiography first published in the...
read moreCleveland Foundation
Cash Prize: $30,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 10/16/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four prizes of $30,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a book of fiction, a memoir or autobiography, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction)...
read moreTuliptree Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 10/17/26
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...
read moreTucson Festival of Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The winners will also receive scholarships to attend a workshop at the...
read moreCloudbank Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Cross-Genre
A prize of $1,000, publication by Cloudbank Books, and 50 author copies is given annually for a collection of poetry, flash fiction, or a combination of the two. Submit a...
read moreBedford Competition
Cash Prize: $2,670
Entry Fee: $11
Application Deadline: 10/31/26
Two prizes of £2,000 (approximately $2,670) each and publication in the Bedford Competition anthology are given annually for a poem and a short story. Fran Lock will judge in...
read moreFiction Collective Two
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 11/1/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $3,000 and publication by Fiction Collective Two, an imprint of University of Alabama Press, is given annually for a novel, a story collection, a novella, or a...
read more