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 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.
Tucson Festival of Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 10/31/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
River Teeth
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 10/31/20
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of New Mexico Press is given annually for a book of creative nonfiction. Megan Stielstra will judge. Using only the online...
read moreRed Hen Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 10/31/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a short story collection, a novel, or an essay collection by a queer writer. Amber Flame will judge....
read moreBriar Cliff Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 11/1/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Briar Cliff Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. The editors will judge. Submit three poems...
read moreGotham Book Prize
Cash Prize: $50,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 11/1/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $50,000 will be given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction about New York City or that takes place in New York City published in the current year....
read moreReed Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,333
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 11/1/20
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,333 and publication in Reed Magazine is given annually for an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit an essay of up to 5,000 words with a $...
read moreMalahat Review
Cash Prize: $1,490
Entry Fee: $40
Application Deadline: 11/1/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of CAD $2,000 (approximately $1,490) each and publication in Malahat Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay....
read moreCloudbank Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 11/10/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Cloudbank Books is given annually for a collection of poetry, flash fiction, or a combination of the two. Christopher Buckley will judge....
read morePushcart Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 11/15/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given occasionally for a fiction or nonfiction manuscript that has been rejected by a commercial publisher. The award recognizes “worthy manuscripts that...
read moreBrooklyn Film & Arts Festival
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 11/15/20
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $500 and publication on the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival website is given annually for a work of nonfiction that is set in Brooklyn, New York, and renders the...
read moreNarrative
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $26
Application Deadline: 11/19/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a poem, a short story, an essay, or an excerpt from a longer work of fiction or creative...
read moreNowhere Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 11/20/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Nowhere Magazine is given twice yearly for a poem, a short story, or an essay that “possesses a powerful sense of place.” Porter...
read moreNarrative
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 11/30/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $2,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a short story, a short short story, an essay, or an excerpt from a longer work of prose. A second-...
read moreQuarter After Eight
Cash Prize: $1,008
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 11/30/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,008.15 and publication in Quarter After Eight is given annually for a prose poem, a short short story, or a micro-essay. Using only the online submission...
read morePushcart Press
Cash Prize:
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/1/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Publication in The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses is awarded annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction published by literary magazines...
read moreFriends of American Writers
Cash Prize: $4,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/10/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of up to $4,000 is given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction published during the previous year by a writer who is a resident of the Midwest (or who...
read moreBauhan Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/15/20
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Bauhan Publishing, and 50 author copies is given annually for an essay collection. Steven Harvey will judge. Submit a manuscript of 50,000 to...
read moreBefore Columbus Foundation
Cash Prize:
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Awards are given annually for books published in the United States during the previous year to recognize “outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America’s...
read moreCleveland Foundation
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/20
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: 12/31/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Florida Review is given annually for a chapbook of short fiction, short nonfiction, or graphic narrative. Submit a manuscript of...
read moreBlack Caucus of the American Library Association
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four prizes of $500 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 moreMississippi Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 1/1/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Mississippi Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Current or former University of Southern...
read moreNorth Carolina Writers’ Network
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 1/2/21
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story or an essay that “conveys the rich and varied existence of Black North Carolinians.” The winning entry will be considered...
read moreSan José State University
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/2/21
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Yearlong residencies at San José State University in San José, California, which include a stipend of $15,000 each, are given annually to fiction writers and creative...
read moreLeon Levy Center for Biography
Cash Prize: $72,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/4/21
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four fellowships of $72,000, writing space at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City, access to research facilities, and research assistance from a graduate student will be...
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