Genre: Fiction

Edwidge Danticat, Andrew Sean Greer, and Ruth Ozeki

Caption: 

In this Spring 2026 Book and Author Festival virtual event hosted by Penguin Random House, Library Journal, and School Library Journal, Edwidge Danticat, author of Dèy (Knopf, 2026), Andrew Sean Greer, author of Villa Coco (Doubleday, 2026), and Ruth Ozeki, author of The Typing Lady: And Other Fictions (Viking, 2026), talk about their new books with librarian Jen Jumba.

Genre: 

Creative Writing Award

Aesthetica
Entry Fee: 
$16
Deadline: 
August 31, 2026
Two prizes of £2,500 (approximately $3,383) each and publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing anthology are given annually for a poem and a short story. In addition, the winner in poetry receives a membership to the Poetry Society in London, a course from the arts organization Poetry School, and two online master classes from the creative writing nonprofit Arvon. The winner in short fiction receives a five-day online course from Arvon and a consultation with the literary agency Redhammer Management. Both winners receive subscriptions to Granta, London Magazine, and Mslexia; a membership to Litopia, an online writers community; and a six-week writing course from Curtis Brown Creative. Using only the online submission system, submit a poem of up to 40 lines with a £12 (approximately $16) entry fee or a short story of up to 2,000 words with an £18 (approximately $24) entry fee by August 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Summer Short Story Award for New Writers

Masters Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
August 30, 2026
A prize of $3,000 and publication in Masters Review is given annually for a short story or an essay by an emerging writer. Writers who have not published a book, self-published writers, and writers who have published books only with indie presses are eligible. The winning story will also be sent to agents Victoria Cappello (Bent Agency), Sarah Fuentes (United Talent Agency), Andrea Morrison (Writers House), Heather Schroder (Compass Literary), Nat Sobel (Sobel Weber Associates), and Marin Takikawa (Friedrich Agency) for review. Submit a story or essay of up to 6,000 words with a $20 entry fee from July 1 to August 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literary Awards

American Literary Review
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
September 1, 2026
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 system, submit up to three poems of any length or 8,000 words of prose with a $15 entry fee by September 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition

Munster Literature Centre
Entry Fee: 
$22
Deadline: 
July 31, 2026
A prize of €2,000 (approximately $2,350) and publication in Southword is given annually for a short story. The winner also receives a four-night stay at a hotel to give a reading at the Cork International Short Story Festival in October. Submit a story of up to 3,000 words with a €19 (approximately $22) entry fee by July 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Translation Awards

American-Scandinavian Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 15, 2026
A prize of $5,000 and publication of an excerpt in Scandinavian Review is given annually for an English translation of a work of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction written in a Nordic language (Danish, Faroese, Finnish, Greenlandic, Icelandic, Norwegian, Sami, or Swedish). A prize of $2,000 and publication is also awarded annually to a translator whose literary translations from a Nordic language have not previously been published. An additional prize of $2,000 and publication is awarded for a translation from the Danish. Translations of works by 20th- and 21st-century Nordic authors that have not been published in English are eligible for all three prizes. Using only the online submission system, submit 15 to 25 pages of poetry in translation or 25 to 50 pages of prose in translation, a copy of the original work, a biographical statement about the author whose writing is being translated and the significance of their work, a document signed by or on behalf of the author granting permission for the translation to be entered into the competition, and a curriculum vitae by September 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellowships

The Center For Fiction
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
July 31, 2026
Nine fellowships of $5,000 each, a one-year membership to the Center for Fiction, and a year of access to the Writers Studio writing space are given annually to fiction writers living in New York City who have not yet published a book of fiction. Winners also have the opportunity to meet with editors and agents who represent new writers and to receive critical feedback on their work. Applicants who will be enrolled in a degree-granting program in 2027 or are currently under contract with a publisher for a work of fiction are ineligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a short story or novel excerpt of up to 7,500 words and proof of New York City residency during the month of July. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Short Story Competition

Anthology Magazine
Entry Fee: 
$21
Deadline: 
July 31, 2026
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,179) and publication in Anthology Magazine is given annually for a short story. Submit a story of no more than 1,500 words with an €18 (approximately $21) entry fee by July 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Stories That Need to Be Told Contest

TulipTree Publishing
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
August 9, 2026
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that responds to the following prompt: “What if the only way to save yourself from this reality is to write yourself a new one?” The winner also receives publication in the annual Stories That Need to Be Told anthology. Submit a poem of up to five pages or a story or essay of up to 10,000 words via e-mail with a $20 entry fee (sent via postal mail or Square Point of Sale) by August 9. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

St. Lawrence Book Award

Black Lawrence Press
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
August 31, 2026
A prize of $1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a debut collection of poems, short stories, or essays. The editors and a panel of previous winners will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of 45 to 95 pages or a prose manuscript of 120 to 280 pages with a $30 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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