A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Sandy Longhorn will judge. Using only the online submission...
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.
Beloit Poetry Journal
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 4/30/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Beloit Poetry Journal is given annually for a single poem. Ellen Bass will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit...
read moreMarsh Hawk Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/30/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Marsh Hawk Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Susan Howe will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a...
read moreGhost Story
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/30/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Ghost Story website is given twice yearly for a short story with a supernatural or magic realism theme. The winning work will...
read moreWinning Writers
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/30/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $3,000 each and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually for a short story and an essay. Dennis Norris II will judge. Using only the online...
read moreUniversity of Iowa Press
Cash Prize:
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/30/20
Genre: Poetry
Publication by University of Iowa Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 50 to 150 pages with a $20 entry fee during the month of April. Visit...
read moreUniversity of Pittsburgh Press
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/30/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $5,000 and publication by University of Pittsburgh Press is given annually for a debut poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 100 pages with a $25 entry fee...
read moreWick Poetry Center
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 5/1/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,500 and publication by Kent State University Press is given annually for a debut poetry collection. The winner is also invited to teach a weeklong writing...
read moreBreakwater Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 5/1/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Breakwater Review is given annually for a single poem. Oliver Baez Bendorf will judge. Submit three poems of any length with a $10...
read moreWillie Morris Awards
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/1/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a novel published during the previous year that is set in the South and reflects Willie Morris’s “hope for belonging, for belief in a...
read moreGeorgia Review
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 5/1/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Georgia Review is given annually for a single poem. Ilya Kaminsky will judge. Submit up to three poems totaling no more than 10...
read moreMoon City Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 5/1/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Moon City Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a...
read moreWillie Morris Awards
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/1/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,500 is given annually for a single poem that evokes the American South. Susan Kinsolving will judge. Submit one poem of up to three pages by May 1. There is no...
read moreLeapfrog Press
Cash Prize: $1,150
Entry Fee: $33
Application Deadline: 5/1/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,150 and publication by Leapfrog Press is given annually for a short story collection, novel, or novella. Cris Mazza and the Leapfrog editors will judge. Using...
read moreSow’s Ear Poetry Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 5/1/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Word Process with distribution to Sow’s Ear Poetry Review subscribers, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook....
read moreAtlanta Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 5/1/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Atlanta Review is given annually for a single poem. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems of any length...
read moreRestless Books
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/1/20
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $10,000 and publication by Restless Books is given in alternating years for a debut book of fiction or nonfiction by a first-generation immigrant. The 2020 prize...
read moreAustralian Book Review
Cash Prize: $4,095
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 5/1/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of AUD $6,000 (approximately $4,095) is given annually for a story. A second-place prize of AUD $4,000 (approximately $2,730) and a third-place prize of AUD $2,500 (...
read moreWhiting Foundation
Cash Prize: $40,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/4/20
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
Up to eight grants of $40,000 each are given annually for creative nonfiction works-in-progress to enable writers to complete their books. Creative nonfiction writers under...
read moreAcademy of American Poets
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/15/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a second book of poetry by a living poet to be published in the coming calendar year. The winner also receives an all-expenses paid...
read moreCarve
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $17
Application Deadline: 5/15/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Carve is given annually for a short story. Submit a story of up to 10,000 words with a $15 entry fee ($17 for electronic submissions...
read moreAcademy of American Poets
Cash Prize: $25,000
Entry Fee: $75
Application Deadline: 5/15/20
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $25,000 is given annually for a poetry collection by a living poet published in the United States during the previous year. The winner also receives an all-expenses...
read morePloughshares
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $24
Application Deadline: 5/15/20
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Ploughshares are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Each winner also receives a...
read moreCrook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $35
Application Deadline: 5/15/20
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a debut novel set in the American South. The winner will also be entitled to a complimentary glass of wine every day for a year at Crook...
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