A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a debut novel published during the current year. The winner is also provided money for the cost of travel and lodging to attend the...
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.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/30/26
Genre: Fiction
Plentitudes
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Plentitudes is given annually for a single poem, a short story, an essay, and a work of flash fiction or nonfiction....
read moreBefore Columbus Foundation
Cash Prize: $0
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/26
Genre: Not Genre-Specific, Poetry
Awards are given annually for books published in the United States during the current year in recognition of “outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of...
read moreLitMag
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $3,000 and publication in LitMag is given annually for a short story. The winner will also have their work reviewed by agents Lisa Bankoff (Bankoff...
read moreTampa Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review is given annually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 1,000 to 5,000 words...
read morePress 53
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 53 author copies is given annually for a story collection. Kevin Morgan Watson will judge. Submit a manuscript of 100 to 250...
read moreBlack Caucus of the American Library Association
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a debut novel, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) by African...
read moreBoulevard
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 12/31/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a short story by a writer who has not published a nationally distributed book. The editors will...
read moreThe Moth
Cash Prize: $7,002
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of €6,000 (approximately $7,002) is given annually for a single poem. Three runners-up prizes of €1,000 (approximately $1,167) each are also given. The winner and...
read moreBurnside Review Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Burnside Review Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Danielle Pafunda will judge. Using only the online...
read moreTupelo Press
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $3,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives a two-week residency at Gentle House in...
read moreOhio University Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Ohio University Press is given annually for a poetry collection. George David Clark will judge. Using only the online submission system,...
read moreSlipstream Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/1/27
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Slipstream Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The editors will judge. Submit a manuscript of up to 40 pages...
read moreMississippi Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 1/1/27
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Mississippi Review are given annually for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. Current or former University of...
read moreNorth Carolina Writers’ Network
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 1/2/27
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story or an essay that “seeks to convey the rich and varied existence of Black North Carolinians.” The winning entry is...
read moreGemini Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 1/2/27
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 $10...
read moreSan José State University
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/4/27
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Six yearlong residencies at San José State University in San José, California, which include stipends of $15,000 each, are given annually to fiction writers and creative...
read moreLeon Levy Center for Biography
Cash Prize: $72,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/4/27
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four yearlong fellowships of $72,000 each, writing space at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City, access to research facilities, and research assistance from a graduate...
read moreSanta Fe Writers Project
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $35
Application Deadline: 1/4/27
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication by Santa Fe Writers Project is given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction. Nikesha Elise Williams will judge. Using only the...
read moreFlorida Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/7/27
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Florida Review, and 50 author copies is given annually for a chapbook of short fiction, short nonfiction, or graphic narrative....
read moreTexas Institute of Letters
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/8/27
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two awards of $5,000 each will be given annually for a book of fiction and a debut book of fiction. Additionally, an award of $4,000 will be given for a book of nonfiction. An...
read moreTexas Institute of Letters
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 1/8/27
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three awards of $1,000 each will be given annually for a poem written in English or Spanish, a short story, and a short work of nonfiction. Works by writers who have lived in...
read moreWinter Anthology
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $11
Application Deadline: 1/10/27
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Winter Anthology is given annually for a group of poems, a short story, a novel excerpt, or an essay. Using only the online...
read moreWOMR/WFMR Community Radio
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 1/11/27
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Marge Piercy will judge. Submit up to five poems of no more than two pages each with a $15 entry fee by January 11, 2027...
read more