A prize of $2,500 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 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: 12/10/21
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Nowhere
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/15/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Nowhere is given twice yearly for a poem, a short story, or an essay that "possesses a powerful sense of place." Porter Fox will...
read moreCommonwealth Club of California
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/15/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Five prizes of $5,000 are given annually for a poetry collection, a book of fiction, a first book of fiction, a book of creative nonfiction, and a book of fiction or nonfiction...
read moreBefore Columbus Foundation
Cash Prize:
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/21
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: 12/31/21
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 moreAshland Creek Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/21
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given biennially for an unpublished or published book of fiction or creative nonfiction that focuses on the environment, animal protection, ecology, or...
read moreFlorida Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/21
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: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/21
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 moreMississippi Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 1/1/22
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: 1/2/22
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 will be...
read moreSan José State University
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/3/22
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: 1/4/22
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 is given...
read moreNational Endowment for the Arts
Cash Prize: $25,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/12/22
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Grants of up to $25,000 each are given annually to translators of poetry and prose from any language into English. Applicants must have published, alone or in collaboration, at...
read moreFrench-American Foundation
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/14/22
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 moreEllen Meloy Fund
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 1/15/22
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually to enable a creative nonfiction writer “whose work reflects the spirit and passions for the desert embodied in Ellen Meloy’s writing” to...
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