Genre: Fiction

Creative Writing Award

Aesthetica
Entry Fee: 
$16
Deadline: 
August 31, 2025
Two prizes of £2,500 (approximately $3,324) 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 London-based 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; 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.

1/2 K Prize

Indiana Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
August 15, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Indiana Review is given annually for a poem or a work of flash fiction or creative nonfiction. Submit up to three poems, stories, or essays of up to 500 words each with a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Indiana Review, by August 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Housatonic Book Awards

Western Connecticut State University
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
July 18, 2025
Three prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published in the previous year. The winners also receive $500 in travel expenses and a hotel stay to give a reading and teach a master class at Western Connecticut State University’s low-residency MFA program. Using only the online submission system, submit a PDF of a book published in 2024 with a $25 entry fee by July 18. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Translation Awards

American-Scandinavian Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 15, 2025
A prize of $2,500 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.

Kenneth Patchen Award

Journal of Experimental Fiction
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
August 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication by JEF Books, the publisher of Journal of Experimental Fiction, is given annually for an innovative novel. Derek Pell will judge. Submit a manuscript of any length with a $25 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

“Stories Out of School” Flash Fiction Contest

Academy for Teachers
Entry Fee: 
$5
Deadline: 
September 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in A Public Space is given annually for a work of flash fiction about teachers and school in which the protagonist or narrator is a K–12 teacher. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 6 to 499 words by September 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Short Story Competition

Anthology Magazine
Entry Fee: 
$21
Deadline: 
July 31, 2025
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,118) and publication in Anthology Magazine is given annually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, 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.

Oregon Book Awards

Literary Arts
Entry Fee: 
$55
Deadline: 
September 5, 2025
Four prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and general nonfiction published in the current year by writers living in Oregon. Publishers, authors, and members of the public may submit three copies of a book published between September 1, 2024, and August 31, 2025, with a $55 entry fee by September 5. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Literary Prize

Aspen Words
Entry Fee: 
$105
Deadline: 
August 4, 2025
A prize of $35,000 is given annually for a book of fiction published in the current year that “illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.” Novels and story collections published in the United States in 2025 are eligible. Publishers may submit a digital copy along with a hard copy (or a bound galley) of the book with a $105 entry fee by August 4. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

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