A prize of $500 and publication in Rafu Shimpo and on the Discover Nikkei website is given annually for a short story that takes place in the Little Tokyo district of...
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.
Little Tokyo Historical Society
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 2/28/21
Genre: Fiction
Association of Writers & Writing Programs
Cash Prize: $5,500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 2/28/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $5,500 each and publication by a participating press are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection. In addition, two prizes of $2,500...
read moreTupelo Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 2/28/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Tupelo Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Submit a manuscript of 20 to 36 pages with a $25 entry fee by February 28. All...
read moreFish Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,170
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 2/28/21
Genre: Fiction
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,170) and publication in the Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a short short story. The winner is also invited to give a...
read moreBlack Caucus of the American Library Association
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 2/28/21
Two prizes of $500 each are given annually for a poetry e-book and a fiction e-book by an African American writer self-published in the United States during the previous year....
read moreOmnidawn Publishing
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 2/28/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 100 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. Kazim Ali will judge. Submit a...
read moreAlabama State Council on the Arts
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in the state of Alabama for at least two years. Submit...
read moreMississippi Arts Commission
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Grants of up to $5,000 each are given in alternating years to Mississippi poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. This year the fellowships will be offered in...
read moreBiographers International Organization
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/1/21
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $2,000 will be given annually for a work-in-progress by a writer who has not published a biography. The winner will also receive review of their manuscript by an...
read moreHunger Mountain
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/1/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication on the Hunger Mountain website are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Submit up to three poems or a...
read moreBroadside Lotus Press
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $500 and publication by Broadside Lotus Press is given annually for a poetry collection by an African American poet. Submit two copies of a manuscript of 60 to 90...
read moreUniversity of Wisconsin
Cash Prize: $39,000
Entry Fee: $50
Application Deadline: 3/1/21
An academic year in residence, which includes a stipend of at least $39,000, at the University of Wisconsin in Madison is given annually to at least five writers working on a...
read moreSelected Shorts
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/5/21
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and tuition for a 10-week writing class through New York City’s Gotham Writers Workshop is given annually for a short story. The winning work will be...
read morePersea Books
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 3/7/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Persea Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a U.S. poet who has published at least one book of poetry. Using only the online...
read moreDayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $100
Application Deadline: 3/8/21
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for a book of fiction and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published in the previous year that “foster peace,...
read moreTulipTree Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/8/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in TulipTree Review is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that tells a story with female main characters who are “...
read moreColorado Review
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $17
Application Deadline: 3/14/21
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Colorado Review is given annually for a short story. T. Geronimo Johnson will judge. Submit a story between 2,500 and 12,500 words...
read moreVerse
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $500 and publication by Factory Hollow Press is given annually for a poetry chapnbook. The winner will also receive a monthlong residency in summer 2022 in a private...
read moreJames Jones Literary Society
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $33
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a novel-in-progress by a U.S. writer who has not published a novel. Two runners-up will each receive $1,000. Using only the online...
read moreWashington College
Cash Prize: $20,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A fellowship, which includes a stipend of $20,000, is given annually to a novelist or nonfiction writer working on a book relating to the literature, history, culture, or art...
read moreThe Word Works
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication by the Word Works is given annually to a U.S. or Canadian poet for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages with a $25 entry...
read moreFourth Genre
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Fourth Genre is given annually for an essay. Xu Xi will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit an essay of up to 6...
read moreHidden River Arts
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Hidden River Publishing is given annually for a debut novel or story collection by a woman age 40 or older. Using only the online...
read moreNational Poetry Series
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $35
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Poetry
Five prizes of $10,000 each and publication by participating trade, university, or small press publishers are given annually for poetry collections. The 2021 publishers are...
read moreYemassee
Cash Prize: $1,250
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Two prizes of $1,250 and publication by Yemassee is given annually for a poetry chapbook and a fiction chapbook. Dustin Pearson will judge in poetry and Mira T. Lee...
read more