Upcoming Writing Contests

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A prize of $25,000 and a two- to three-day residency at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan, is given annually for a book of fiction or nonfiction published in the previous two years “that centers on the creative process of an artist or the arts—broadly defined—as its theme.” The winner will also participate in an event cohosted by the National Writers Series in Traverse City, Michigan, in April 2026. Using only the online submission system, submit a book of any length published in 2023 or 2024 by May 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,500, publication by Jaded Ibis Press, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a novel, a novel-in-stories, or a short story collection by an author who identifies as having a historically marginalized voice. The winner will also receive up to $550 from the publisher toward submission fees for other relevant writing contests that honor published books. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50,000 to 80,000 words with a $20 entry fee by April 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $5,000, publication by New York Quarterly Books, and 25 author copies is given annually for a collection of narrative poetry. The winner is also invited to give a reading in Paterson, New Jersey, in partnership with the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College. Joe Weil will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 10 pages from a manuscript with a $25 entry fee (fee may be waived for those experiencing financial hardship) by March 31. Semi-finalists will be notified by June 1 and asked to submit full manuscripts of 70 to 90 pages by June 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $3,000 will be given annually for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction translated from any language into English and published in the previous year. The translator will receive $2,000, and the editor will receive $1,000. Translators who have not published a book in translation are eligible. Publishers or translators may submit a book published in 2024 by March 17. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Bellingham Review are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The Parallel Award for Poetry is given for a poem or group of poems. The Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction is given for a short story or a work of flash fiction. The Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction is given for an essay or a work of flash nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of any length, three pieces of flash fiction or nonfiction of up to 1,500 words each, or a story or essay of up to 4,000 words with a $15 entry fee by March 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $5,000, an interview in Writer’s Digest, and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference is given annually for a single poem, a short story, or an essay (among other categories). Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication on the Writer’s Digest website are also given for a rhyming poem, a non-rhyming poem, a short story, and a personal essay. Using only the online submission system, submit a poem of up to 40 lines, a story of no more than 4,000 words, or an essay of up to 2,000 words by the early bird deadline of May 5. The entry fee for poetry is $20 ($15 for each additional poem); the entry fee for prose is $30 ($25 for each additional entry). Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $2,000, a gift certificate for a two-year membership to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website is given annually for a humorous poem. A second-place prize of $500 is also awarded. Jendi Reiter and Lauren Singer will judge. Unpublished and previously published works are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a poem of up to 250 lines by April 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Two prizes of $3,500 each, two gift certificates for two-year memberships to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually for a short story and an essay. Unpublished and previously published works are eligible. Sarah Halper and Mina Manchester will judge in fiction and creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit a short story or essay of up to 6,000 words with a $25 entry fee by May 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Up to 10 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 contract with a publisher in Canada, the United Kingdom, or the United States as of April 23 are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 25,000 words of a book-in-progress; the original proposal to publishers that led to the contract (if applicable); a signed contract; a statement of work yet to be completed; a plan for the use of funds; a list of grants, fellowships, or other funding received for the book-in-progress; a résumé; and a letter of support from the book’s editor or publisher by April 23. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Factory Hollow Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner also receives a monthlong residency in a private apartment at the Tomaž Šalamun Centre for Poetry in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in summer 2026. Prose poetry, hybrid works, and translations of works of poetry by living writers from any language into English (with the relevant permission) are also eligible. Graham Foust will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 20 to 28 pages with a $17 entry fee ($13 for students) by March 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $25,000 will be given annually for a book of fiction published in the previous year that “reflects the concepts and ideas that were central to [Ursula K. Le Guin’s] own work, including but not limited to: hope, equity, and freedom; non-violence and alternatives to conflict; and a holistic view of humanity’s place in the natural world.” Nominate any number of story collections, novellas, or novels published between April 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, during the month of March. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $5,000 and publication by University of Pittsburgh Press is given annually for a debut poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 100 pages and a curriculum vitae with a $25 entry fee by April 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Publication by University of Iowa Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50 to 150 pages with a $20 entry fee during the month of April. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $3,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 88 pages with a $30 entry fee by April 30. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem written in metrical verse. The winner also receives a scholarship to attend and give a reading at the Frost Farm Poetry Conference in Derry, New Hampshire, in August. Maryann Corbett will judge. Submit any number of poems with an $8 entry fee per poem by March 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection by a poet living in the United States. Sierra DeMulder will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 120 pages and a brief bio with a $25 entry fee by March 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet living in the United States. Randall Mann will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 120 pages and a brief bio with a $25 entry fee by March 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a book of nonfiction by a writer living in the United States. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 45,000 to 80,000 words and a brief bio with a $25 entry fee by May 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $15,000 is given annually for a debut novel by an American citizen published in the United States during the current year. Six finalists receive $1,000 each. Self-published works, books published exclusively in e-book editions, and novels previously published in other countries are not eligible. Publishers may submit 10 finished copies or bound galleys/edited manuscripts of a novel published, or scheduled to be published, in 2025 with a $100 entry fee by March 14. Small independent publishers may apply for a fee reduction. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000, publication by Texas Review Press: The University Press of Sam Houston State University, and 10 author copies will be given annually for a poetry chapbook. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of up to 40 pages with a $20 entry fee by March 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000, publication by Texas Review Press: The University Press of Sam Houston State University, and 10 author copies will be given annually for a novella. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 20,000 to 50,000 words with a $20 entry fee by March 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $2,000 is given biannually for a work of flash poetry or prose. Submit a work of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction of up to 100 words with a $15 entry fee by April 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,500, publication by Saturnalia Books, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Hadara Bar-Nadav will judge. All entries are also considered for the Alma Book Awards, which offer two prizes of $1,000 each and publication. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages with a $30 entry fee by April 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Prime Number Magazine are given annually for a poem and a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a poem of up to three pages or a short story of up to 5,300 words with a $15 entry fee by March 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Poetry International is given annually for a single poem. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of any length with a $15 entry fee ($3 for each additional poem) by April 30. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
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 consultation with the literary agency Aevitas Creative Management. Writers who have not published a book or a chapbook with a print run of over 300 copies are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit three to five pages of poetry or up to 6,000 words of prose with a $30 entry fee (there is no entry fee for current subscribers), which includes a subscription to Ploughshares, by May 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $2,000, a year of mentorship, and publication in Dreamers Creative Writing Magazine is given annually to a fiction writer who is the parent of a child under the age of 10. The winner also receives an invitation to give a virtual reading for the Pen Parentis Literary Salon in November. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 350 words with a $20 entry fee (there is no entry fee for Pen Parentis members) by April 17. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication by Orison Books are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction. Phillip B. Williams will judge in poetry, and Tessa Fontaine will judge in fiction. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of 50 to 100 pages or a novel, novella, or collection of short stories or flash fiction of at least 30,000 words with a $25 entry fee by April 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. The winner also receives 20 copies of a letterpress broadside of the winning poem, which will be published in Omnidawn Newsletter. Jennifer Hasegawa will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a poem of 8 to 24 lines with a $14 entry fee ($17 for two poems and $30 for up to five poems) by April 16. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Oberon is given annually for a single poem. Submit up to three poems of no more than two pages each with an $18 entry fee, which includes an issue of Oberon, by April 10. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review is given annually for an essay. Lyric essays, memoir-style essays, and literary journalism are eligible. Robin Hemley will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit an essay of 500 to 10,000 words with a $23 entry fee, which includes an issue of North American Review, by April 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Noemi Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of any length with a $25 entry fee by May 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Three prizes of $1,500 each and publication in New Ohio Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Submit a poem or group of poems of up to six pages or a story or essay of up to 20 pages with a $22 entry fee, which includes a subscription to New Ohio Review, by April 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Five prizes of $10,000 each and publication by participating trade, university, or small press publishers are given annually for poetry collections by U.S. poets. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 64 pages with a $35 entry fee by March 21. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $2,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a short story, a work of flash fiction, an essay, a memoir, or an excerpt from a longer work of fiction or creative nonfiction. A second-place prize of $1,000 is also awarded. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 15,000 words of prose with a $27 entry fee by March 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication by Moon City Press are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages of poetry or 30,000 to 65,000 words of prose with a $27 entry fee by May 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Marsh Hawk Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Elaine Equi will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 84 pages with a $30 entry fee by April 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Lascaux Review is given annually for a single poem. Previously published and unpublished poems are accepted. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems of any length with a $15 entry fee by March 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $10,000 is given in alternating years for a poetry collection or a book of fiction by an author whose work “demonstrates a commitment to social justice and diversifies contemporary American literature.” This year the award will be given for a poetry collection. The winner agrees to participate in a reading tour of Missouri colleges, universities, and libraries as well as a ceremony sponsored by the Kansas City Public Library, the University of Missouri, and the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Publishers may submit a digital copy or five print copies (or unbound galleys) of a poetry collection published in 2024 (or scheduled to be published by the end of November 2025) by April 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
A prize of $25,000 is given annually to a writer “who, like Paul Engle, represents a pioneering spirit in the world of literature through writing, editing, publishing, or teaching, and whose active participation in the larger issues of the day has contributed to the betterment of the world through the literary arts.” Poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers are eligible. Submit a nomination, including the writer’s curriculum vitae and a statement about how the writer embodies the spirit of the prize, by March 31. Self-nominations are not accepted. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,500 and publication by the Word Works is given annually to a U.S. or Canadian poet for a poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages with a $25 entry fee by March 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Two prizes of $1,000 each, publication by the Inlandia Institute, and 20 author copies are given annually for a poetry collection by a U.S. resident and a poetry collection by a poet residing or working in Inland Southern California, including Riverside and San Bernardino Counties as well as any non-coastal area of Southern California, from Death Valley to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 100 pages with a $20 entry fee by April 30. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Indiana Review is given annually for an essay. Submit a work of prose of up to 6,000 words with a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Indiana Review, by March 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Indiana Review is given annually for a single poem. Submit up to three poems of any length with a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Indiana Review, by March 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $3,000 is given annually for a work of nonfiction that recognizes “the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative.” The winner is also provided with money for travel and lodging to attend a reception and award ceremony at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, in September. Works-in-progress as well as published or unpublished prose are accepted. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 10 pages of nonfiction, a brief bio, and a one-page project description by May 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,500 and publication on the Ghost Story website is given biannually for a short story with a supernatural or magical realist theme. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 1,500 to 10,000 words with a $20 entry fee by April 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a short story. The editors will judge. Submit a story of any length with a $10 entry fee by March 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Fourth Genre is given annually for an essay. Sonya Huber will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit an essay of up to 6,000 words with a $20 entry fee by April 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Four Way Books is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner is also invited to participate in a reading either virtually or in person in New York City, as public health guidelines allow. Kimiko Hahn will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages with a $30 entry fee by March 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Florida Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. The editors will judge. Submit up to five poems of any length or up to 30 pages of prose with a $25 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Florida Review, by April 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.