Up to 15 fellowships are given annually to poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators whose work will benefit directly from access to the research...
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.
New York Public Library
Cash Prize: $75,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 9/25/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Ghost 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 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A prize of $5,000 is given annually for an unpublished novel.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 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 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 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 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 moreRed Hen Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 9/30/20
Genre: Fiction
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 moreSixfold
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $5
Application Deadline: 10/24/20
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sixfold are given quarterly for a group of poems and a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit up to...
read moreRed Hen Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 10/31/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a short story collection, a novel, or an essay collection by a queer writer. Amber Flame will judge....
read moreCloudbank Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 10/31/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Cloudbank Books is given annually for a collection of poetry, flash fiction, or a combination of the two. Christopher Buckley will judge....
read moreTucson Festival of Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 10/31/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The winners will also receive scholarships to attend a workshop on the...
read moreIndiana Review
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 10/31/20
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Indiana University Press is given in alternating years for a collection of poetry or a collection of short fiction. The 2021 prize will be...
read morePEN/Faulkner Foundation
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 10/31/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $15,000 is given annually for a book of fiction published during the current year. Four finalists will each receive $5,000. The winner and finalists will also be...
read moreSoutheast Missouri State University Press
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 11/1/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Southeast Missouri State University Press is given annually for a novel, novella, or collection of linked stories by a U.S. writer who has...
read moreBriar Cliff Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 11/1/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Briar Cliff Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. The editors will judge. Submit three poems...
read moreMalahat Review
Cash Prize: $1,490
Entry Fee: $40
Application Deadline: 11/1/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of CAD $2,000 (approximately $1,490) each and publication in Malahat Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay....
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