A prize of $1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a collection of poems, short stories, essays, or hybrid work. The editors...
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.
Black Lawrence Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 3/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Cross-Genre
Gemini Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 3/31/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a short story. The editors will judge. Submit a story of any length with a $10 entry fee by...
read moreBanipal Trust for Arab Literature
Cash Prize: $4,038
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Translation
A prize of £3,000 (approximately $4,038) is given annually for a poetry collection or a book of fiction translated from Arabic into English and published for the first time in...
read moreA Public Space
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three six-month fellowships of $1,000 each are given annually to emerging poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers who “embrace risk in their work” and have not published...
read morePloughshares
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 3/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Ploughshares are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Each winner also receives a...
read moreUrsula K. Le Guin Foundation
Cash Prize: $25,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/31/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $25,000 is given annually for a book of fiction published in the previous year that “reflects the concepts and ideas that were central to [Ursula K. Le Guin’s] own...
read moreTRP
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/31/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by TRP: the University Press of Sam Houston State University, and 10 author copies is given annually for a novella. Using only the online...
read moreNarrative
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 3/31/26
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $2,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a short story, a work of flash fiction, an essay, a memoir, or an excerpt from a longer work of...
read moreGeorgia Writers
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three grants of $500 each will be given annually to a poet, fiction writer, and nonfiction writer to “amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ youth in Georgia.” Grantees will also...
read morePress 53
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 3/31/26
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Prime Number Magazine are given annually for a poem and a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a...
read moreBook Industry Charitable Foundation
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Five prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for an excerpt of a poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction manuscript-in-progress written by a bookseller. Writers who are...
read moreOrison Books
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/1/26
Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication by Orison Books are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction. Leila Chatti will judge in poetry, and Margot...
read moreKansas City Public Library
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 4/1/26
A prize of $10,000 is given in alternating years for a poetry collection or a book of fiction by an author whose work “demonstrates a commitment to social justice.” This year...
read moreEpiphany
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 4/15/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Epiphany are given annually for a poem or a group of poems and a short work of fiction or nonfiction. Using only the...
read moreFlorida Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/15/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Florida Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. The editors will judge....
read moreNew Ohio Review
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $22
Application Deadline: 4/15/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,500 each and publication in New Ohio Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Submit a poem or group of...
read morePen Parentis
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/17/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,000, a year of mentorship, and publication in Dreamers Creative Writing Magazine is given annually to a fiction writer who is the parent of a child under...
read moreDesperate Literature
Cash Prize: $2,334
Entry Fee: $23
Application Deadline: 4/19/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of €2,000 (approximately $2,334), publication in the Desperate Literature prize anthology, and a weeklong residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation’s castle in the...
read moreDIAGRAM/New Michigan Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 4/30/26
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 moreGhost Story
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/30/26
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 moreTadpole Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 4/30/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given biannually for a work of flash poetry or prose. Submit a work of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction of up to 100 words with a $15 entry fee by April 30....
read moreNarrative
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 4/30/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
An award of $5,000 is given annually for a poem, short story, novel excerpt, or work of creative nonfiction by an emerging writer. Previously unpublished work and work...
read moreInterlochen Center for the Arts
Cash Prize: $25,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/1/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $25,000 and a two- to three-day residency at Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, is given annually for a book of fiction or nonfiction published in...
read moreWinning Writers
Cash Prize: $3,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 5/1/26
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $3,500 each, two gift certificates for two-year memberships to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually...
read moreCrook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $35
Application Deadline: 5/15/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a debut novel primarily set in the American South. Authors living anywhere are eligible. Self-published books are accepted, but books...
read more