Genre: Fiction

Open Season Awards

Malahat Review
Entry Fee: 
$22
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
Three prizes of $2,000 Canadian (approximately $1,455) each and publication in Malahat 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 no more than 100 lines each or a short story or essay of up to 2,500 words with a $30 Canadian (approximately $22) entry fee by the early-bird deadline of September 30 or a $45 Canadian (approximately $33) entry fee by November 1. All entry fees include a subscription to Malahat Review. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Prize for Fiction

Dzanc Books
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of $5,000 and publication by Dzanc Books is given annually for a novel. Eugene Cross, Mubanga Kalimamukwento, and Tara Isabel Zambrano will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 40,000 words, a synopsis, and a brief bio with a $25 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Novel Excerpt Contest

Masters Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
November 9, 2025
A prize of $3,000 and publication in Masters Review is given annually for an excerpt of an unpublished novel or novel-in-progress displaying “a strong voice, compelling characters, and carefully constructed narrative arcs” by an emerging writer. The winner will also receive a consultation with literary agent Marin Takikawa of the Friedrich Agency. Writers who have not published a book or who have published a book with a circulation of less than 5,000 are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit an excerpt of up to 6,000 words with a $20 entry fee by November 9. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Short Story Collection Prize

Dzanc Books
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of $2,500 and publication by Dzanc Books is given annually for a story collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 40,000 words, a synopsis, and a brief bio with a $25 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Short Fiction Contest

Moment Magazine
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a story that relates to Judaism or Jewish culture or history. The winning story will be considered for publication in Moment Magazine. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 5,000 words with a $25 entry fee by November 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize

Fiction Collective Two
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
A prize of $15,000 and publication by Fiction Collective Two, an imprint of University of Alabama Press, is given annually for a novel, a story collection, a novella, or a novella collection. Writers who are from or are residing in the United States and who have published at least three books are eligible. Kazim Ali will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of any length, a brief bio, and a list of at least three previously published books with a $25 entry fee (waivers are available based on financial need) by November 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Tags: 
novel | novella | short stories | book awards

Editors’ Poetry & Prose Prize

Action, Spectacle
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
October 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Action, Spectacle is given annually for a poem, a short work of fiction, or a short work of creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit any number of poems totaling up to 10 pages or a short story, essay, or excerpt from a longer work of no more than 8,500 words with a $20 entry fee by October 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Cullman Center Fellowships

New York Public Library
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 26, 2025
Fifteen fellowships are given annually to artists, academics, and creative writers, including poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators, whose work will benefit directly from access to the research collections at the New York Public Library. The fellows each receive $90,000, an office at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library’s main branch in the Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, and full access to the library’s collections from September 2026 through May 2027. Fellows are required to work on their projects at the Cullman Center for the duration of the fellowship. Writers currently enrolled in a graduate degree-granting program are ineligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of up to 4,500 words, a project proposal of no more than 1,500 words, a curriculum vitae, and three reference letters by September 26. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Tags: 
research

Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest

Fiction Collective Two
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
A prize of $3,000 and publication by Fiction Collective Two is given annually for a novel, a story collection, a novella, or a novella collection. Writers who are from or are residing in the United States and who have not previously published a book with Fiction Collective Two are eligible. Alvin Lu will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of any length with a brief bio and a $25 entry fee (waivers are available based on financial need) by November 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Tags: 
fiction | novel | novella | short stories | book awards

Rome Prize

American Academy in Rome
Entry Fee: 
$50
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
Half-term and full-term fellowships of $16,000 and $30,000 respectively are given annually to artists, academics, and creative writers, including poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, to support the development of a project. In addition to a stipend, the fellows are each provided with meals, a private workspace, and a bedroom with a private bathroom as they join the Academy’s residential community on the Janiculum Hill in Rome, alongside other fellows and visiting artists and scholars. All applicants, except those applying for the National Endowment for the Humanities postdoctoral fellowships, must be U.S. citizens at the time of their application. Writers who in the past six years have published a book in their respective genre are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 20 pages of poetry or prose, a résumé, a project proposal, and contact information for three references with a $50 entry fee by November 1 (or an $80 entry fee by November 15). Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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