A prize of $2,000 and publication by Alice James Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet residing in the United States. Submit a manuscript of 50 to 100 pages...
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.
Cloudbank Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 11/10/20
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 moreSoutheast Missouri State University Press
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 11/13/20
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 moreThe Story Prize
Cash Prize: $20,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 11/15/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a short story collection written in English and first published in the United States in the previous year. Two runners-up will receive...
read moreLitMag
Cash Prize: $1,250
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 11/15/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,250 and publication in LitMag is given annually for a piece of flash fiction. The winning story will also be reviewed by literary agency Sobel Weber...
read moreNightboat Books
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 11/15/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Nightboat Books is given annually for a poetry collection. Kazim Ali will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a...
read morePushcart Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 11/15/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given occasionally for a fiction or nonfiction manuscript that has been rejected by a commercial publisher. The award recognizes “worthy manuscripts that...
read moreYale University Press
Cash Prize:
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 11/15/20
Genre: Poetry
An award of publication by Yale University Press is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has not published a full-length book of poetry. Carl Phillips will...
read morePerugia Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 11/15/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Perugia Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection by a woman. Submit a manuscript of 45 to 85 pages with a $27 entry...
read moreNarrative
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $26
Application Deadline: 11/19/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a poem, a short story, an essay, or an excerpt from a longer work of fiction or creative...
read moreNowhere Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 11/20/20
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 moreNew Guard
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $22
Application Deadline: 11/20/20
Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication in the New Guard are given annually for a poem and a short story. Shanna McNair and Scott Wolven will judge. Using only the...
read moreWhite Pine Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 11/30/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by White Pine Press is given annually for a poetry collection by a U.S. citizen. Submit a manuscript of 60 to 80 pages with a $20 entry fee by...
read moreBeloit Poetry Journal
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 11/30/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Beloit Poetry Journal, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The editors will judge. Using only the online...
read moreQuarter After Eight
Cash Prize: $1,008
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 11/30/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,008.15 and publication in Quarter After Eight is given annually for a prose poem, a short short story, or a micro-essay. Using only the online submission...
read moreUniversity of North Texas
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 11/30/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published in the previous year by a mid-career poet. Public health conditions permitting, the winner will also...
read moreBOA Editions
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 11/30/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by BOA Editions is given annually for a first book of poetry by a U.S. resident. Aimee Nezhukumatathil will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48...
read moreNarrative
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 11/30/20
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 prose. A second-...
read moreLitMag
Cash Prize: $1,250
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 11/30/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,250 and publication in LitMag will be given annually for a piece of flash fiction. The winner will also have their work reviewed by agents from the Bent...
read moreFish Publishing
Cash Prize: $3,939
Entry Fee: $26
Application Deadline: 11/30/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of €3,000 (approximately $3,939) and publication in the annual Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a short story. The winner will also be invited to attend...
read moreBrunel University London
Cash Prize: $3,668
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 11/30/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of £3,000 (approximately $3,668) is given annually for a group of poems by a poet who was born in Africa, is a national of an African country, or whose parents are...
read moreMunster Literature Center
Cash Prize: $2,378
Entry Fee: $8
Application Deadline: 11/30/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of €2,000 (approximately $2,378), publication in Southword, and a weeklong residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Annaghmakerrig, Ireland, is given annually...
read morePushcart Press
Cash Prize:
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/1/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Publication in The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses is awarded annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction published by literary magazines...
read moreAmerican Library Association
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/1/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a novel published in the previous year that is set in a period when the United States was at war. Publishers or authors may submit seven...
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