A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a short story collection or a novel. Susan Straight will judge. Using only the online submission system...
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.
Winning Writers
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Poetry
Two prizes of $3,000 each and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually for a poem in any style and a poem that either rhymes or is written in a traditional...
read moreCalifornia State University in Fresno
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Anhinga Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Cathy Park Hong will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages with a $25 entry...
read moreUniversity of Iowa Press
Cash Prize:
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Fiction
Two awards of publication by University of Iowa Press are given annually for first collections of short fiction. Writers who have not published a book of fiction are eligible....
read moreBoulevard
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for an essay by a writer who has not published a full-length book in any genre with a nationally...
read moreLascaux Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Lascaux Review website is given annually for an essay. The winner and finalists will also be published in Volume 8 of the ...
read moreDzanc Books
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Dzanc Books is given annually for a story collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a story...
read moreHackney Literary Awards
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for an unpublished novel. Submit a manuscript of any length with a $30 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines...
read moreDzanc Books
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 and publication by Dzanc Books is given annually for a novel. Tina May Hall, Anne Valente, and Jessie van Eerden will judge. Using only the online submission...
read moreGhost Story
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication on the Ghost Story website and in the Ghost Story print anthology, 21st Century Ghost Stories, is given twice yearly for a...
read moreUniversity of Massachusetts Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Five prizes of $1,000 each and publication by University of Massachusetts Press are given annually for a first poetry collection, a poetry collection, a short story collection...
read moreUniversity of Arkansas Press
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $5,000 and publication by University of Arkansas Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Patricia Smith will judge. Using only the online submission system...
read moreDzanc Books
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $3,000 and publication by Dzanc Books will be given for a novel, memoir, story or essay collection, or cross-genre work by a writer from a minority, underrepresented...
read moreTennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/1/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Louisiana Literature is given annually for a short story by a writer who has not published a full-length book of fiction. The winner...
read moreZoetrope: All-Story
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 10/1/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Zoetrope: All-Story website is given annually for a short story. The winner and finalists are considered for representation by...
read moreAmerican Literary Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 10/1/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in American Literary Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission...
read moreCarlow University
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 10/1/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize valued at $2,500 is given annually to a woman poet over 40 who has not published a book in any genre. The winner receives $2,500 and publication in Voices From the...
read morePulitzer Prizes
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $75
Application Deadline: 10/1/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Five prizes of $15,000 each are given annually to U.S. writers to honor books of poetry, fiction, general nonfiction, U. S. history, and biography or autobiography (including...
read moreAfrican Poetry Book Fund
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 10/1/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 will be given annually for a book of poetry by an African poet published in the previous year. Writers who were born in Africa, who are a national or a...
read moreMissouri Review
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/1/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $5,000 each and publication in Missouri Review are given annually for a group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Submit up to 10 pages of poetry or...
read moreMad Creek Books
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $23
Application Deadline: 10/3/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,500 and publication by Mad Creek Books, the literary trade imprint of Ohio State University Press, is given annually for a poetry collection. Kathy Fagan and...
read moreOmnidawn Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 10/12/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 100 author copies is given annually for a work of fabulist fiction. Molly Gloss will judge. Submit a manuscript of...
read moreUniversity of Louisville
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/15/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Miracle Monocle is given annually for a work of fiction written in the fabulist experimental style of Italo Calvino. The winner will...
read moreTennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 10/15/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Antenna::Signals is given annually for a group of poems. The winner will also be invited to give a reading at the Tennessee Williams...
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