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 fiction or...
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.
Narrative
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Banipal Trust for Arab Literature
Cash Prize: $3,665
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
A prize of £3,000 (approximately $3,665) is given annually for a book of poetry or fiction translated from Arabic into English and published for the first time in English...
read moreElixir Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Elixir Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. John Estes will judge. Submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages...
read moreA Public Space
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
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 moreIndiana Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Poetry, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Indiana Review are given annually for a single poem and an essay. Submit up to three poems of any length or a work of prose...
read moreBlack Lawrence Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Cross-Genre
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. Collections...
read moreLascaux Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication both online and in the print edition of Lascaux Review is given annually for a single poem. Previously published and unpublished...
read moreFour Way Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Four Way Books is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner will also be invited to participate in readings either virtually or in...
read moreLaura Boss Poetry Foundation
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $5,000, publication by New York Quarterly Books, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a manuscript of narrative poetry. The winner and finalists are...
read moreFish Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,055
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Poetry
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,055) and publication in the Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a single poem. The winner is also invited to read at the...
read moreTrustees of the Robert Frost Farm
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $6
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem written in metrical verse. The winner also receives a scholarship to attend and give a reading at the Frost Farm Poetry...
read moreArts & Letters
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Arts & Letters are given annually for a group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Rodney Jones will judge in poetry...
read moreGemini Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $8
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
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 an $8 entry fee by...
read morePress 53
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Prime Number Magazine are given annually for a poem and a short story. Felicia Mitchell will judge in poetry and Dennis...
read moreIowa City UNESCO City of Literature
Cash Prize: $20,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $20,000 is given annually to a writer “who, like Paul Engle, represents a pioneering spirit in the world of literature through writing, editing, publishing, or...
read moreRestless Books
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/31/23
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $10,000 and publication by Restless Books is given in alternating years for a debut book of fiction or nonfiction by a first-generation immigrant. The 2023 prize...
read moreNorth American Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $23
Application Deadline: 4/1/23
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review is given annually for a work of creative nonfiction. Lyric essays, memoir, personal essays, and literary...
read moreNimrod International Journal
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/1/23
Two prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Nimrod International Journal are given annually for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction. A runner-up in...
read moreWinning Writers
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 4/1/23
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,000, a gift certificate for two-year membership to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website is given annually for a humorous...
read moreSaturnalia Books
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 4/1/23
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500, publication by Saturnalia Books, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Hoa Nguyen will judge. All entries will also be considered...
read moreOrison Books
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/1/23
Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication by Orison Books are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction. Pádraig Ó Tuama will judge in poetry and David Heska...
read moreJust Buffalo Literary Center
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/3/23
Genre: Poetry
A fellowship, which includes a stipend of $1,500 and a monthlong residency in Buffalo is given annually to a poet. The fellowship includes lodging at a private apartment for...
read moreOberon
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 4/10/23
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Oberon is given annually for a single poem. Submit up to three poems of no more than two pages each with an $18 entry fee, which...
read moreFirst Pages Prize
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/10/23
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A first-place prize of $2,000, a second-place prize of $1,500, and a third-place prize of $1,000 are given annually for the first five pages of a longer work of prose, in the...
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