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 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.
Bellingham Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Bellingham Review are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The 49th Parallel Award for...
read moreLivingston Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Livingston Press, and 100 author copies is given annually for a first collection of short stories by a U.S. citizen. Submit a manuscript of...
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 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 morePrairie Schooner
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Two prizes of $3,000 each and publication by University of Nebraska Press are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection. Kwame Dawes will judge....
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 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 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 moreRobinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Kim Stafford will judge. Submit up to three poems of no more than three pages each with a $10 entry fee by March 15. Send...
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 moreAirlie Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/15/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Airlie Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a...
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 moreCleveland State University Poetry Center
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/31/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by the Cleveland State University Poetry Center is given annually for a poetry collection. Shane McCrae will judge. Using only the online...
read moreIowa City UNESCO City of Literature
Cash Prize: $20,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/31/21
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $20,000 will be given annually to a writer “who, like Paul Engle, represents a pioneering spirit in the world of literature through writing, editing, publishing, or...
read moreFour Way Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 3/31/21
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 a reading in New York City....
read moreBanipal Trust for Arab Literature
Cash Prize: $4,029
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/31/21
A prize of £3,000 (approximately $4,029) is given annually for a book of poetry or fiction translated from Arabic into English and published for the first time in English...
read moreNarrative
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 3/31/21
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 fiction or...
read moreRed Hen Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/31/21
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given biennially for an essay collection, memoir, or book of narrative and/or research-driven nonfiction. Deborah Thompson...
read morePress 53
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 3/31/21
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. Stacy R. Nigliazzo will judge in poetry and Dennis...
read moreBlack Lawrence Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/31/21
A prize of $1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a collection of poems or short stories. The editors will judge. Using only...
read moreLascaux Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 3/31/21
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Lascaux Review is given annually for a single poem. The winner and finalists will also be published in the annual print edition of...
read moreIndiana Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/31/21
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Indiana Review are given annually for a poem and a story. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three...
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