Two prizes of $1,000 each, publication by New Rivers Press, and 15 author copies are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction or creative nonfiction by an...
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 Rivers Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/19
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Livingston Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/19
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 moreTupelo Press
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/19
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $3,000 and publication by Tupelo Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives a weeklong residency at the Massachusetts Museum of...
read morePress 53
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/19
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 50 author copies is given annually for a story collection. Kevin Morgan Watson will judge. Submit a manuscript of 100 to 250...
read moreAshland Creek Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/19
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given for an unpublished or published book of fiction or creative nonfiction that focuses on the environment, animal protection, ecology, or wildlife. The...
read moreThree Percent
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/19
Two awards of $10,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection or novel translated into English for the first time and published in the...
read moreMississippi Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 1/1/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Mississippi Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Current or former University of Southern...
read moreNowhere Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 1/1/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Nowhere Magazine is given twice yearly for a poem, a short story, or an essay that “possesses a powerful sense of place.” Porter...
read moreBayou Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 1/1/20
Two prizes of $1,000 each and a subscription to Bayou Magazine are given annually for a poem and a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit up to...
read moreNorth Carolina Writers’ Network
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 1/2/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and possible publication in the Carolina Quarterly is given annually for a short story or an essay that “conveys the rich and varied existence of...
read moreGemini Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $8
Application Deadline: 1/2/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a single poem. The editors will judge. Submit up to three poems of any length with a $8...
read moreSan José State University
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/2/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Yearlong residencies at San José State University in San José, California, which include a stipend of $15,000 each, are given annually to fiction writers and creative...
read moreFrost Place
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 1/5/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,000 and a six- to eight-week residency at the Frost Place, Robert Frost’s former home in Franconia, New Hampshire, is given annually to a poet who has published...
read morePoets & Writers, Inc.
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/6/20
Two prizes of $500 each are awarded annually to a poet and a fiction writer from a select state. Each winner also receives an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to meet...
read more92Y Unterberg Poetry Center
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 1/10/20
Genre: Poetry
Four prizes of $500 each and publication in the Paris Review Daily are given annually for a group of poems. Winners also receive lodging and travel expenses to give a reading...
read moreWOMR/WFMR Community Radio
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 1/14/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Marge Piercy will judge. Submit up to five poems totaling no more than seven pages with a $15 entry fee by January 14,...
read moreColorado Review
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 1/14/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,000 and publication by the Center for Literary Publishing is given annually for a poetry collection. Kiki Petrosino will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 100...
read moreFrench-American Foundation
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/14/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for translations from French into English of a book of fiction and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published...
read morePublic Poetry
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/15/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication in an anthology, and an invitation to give a reading in Houston is given annually for a single poem on a theme. This year’s theme is “Wicked Wit...
read moreBreakwater Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 1/15/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Breakwater Review is given annually for a story. Submit a story of 1,000 to 5,000 words with a $10 entry fee by January 15, 2020....
read moreUniversity of Texas in Austin
Cash Prize: $25,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 1/15/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two residencies, cosponsored by the Texas Institute of Letters, at a rural retreat west of Austin are given annually to writers who are native Texans, who have lived in Texas...
read moreNew American Press
Cash Prize: $1,200
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 1/15/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,200 and publication by New American Press is given annually for a book of poetry. Corey Van Landingham will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit...
read moreBkMk Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 1/15/20
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication by BkMk Press are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection. Submit a manuscript of 50 to 110 pages of...
read moreLiteral Latté
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 1/15/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Literal Latté is given annually for a short story. Submit a story of up to 10,000 words with a $10 entry fee ($15 for two stories...
read more