Upcoming Writing Contests

Body
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Kinsman Quarterly is given annually for a group of poems, a short story, or an essay on a theme related to African culture or subculture. The winner will also have their work featured in the 2026 anthology Mosaic: Threads of African Prose & Poetry. Using only the online submission system, submit up to six poems totaling no more than 10 pages, a short story of 500 to 5,000 words, or an essay of up to 1,000 words with a $25 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Note: This listing has been updated to include information provided by the sponsoring organization after the issue went to press.
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 with a $5 entry fee by September 1. There is no entry fee for members of the Academy for Teachers. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Note: This listing has been updated to include information provided by the sponsoring organization after the issue went to press.
A prize of $1,500 and publication by BOA Editions will be given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who is a woman of color and lives in the United States, “including poets who identify as cis, trans, and non-binary people who are comfortable in a space that centers on women’s experiences, regardless of citizenship.” Submit a manuscript of 65 to 120 pages and a cover letter from July 1 to August 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Note: This listing has been updated to include information provided by the sponsoring organization after the issue went to press.
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.
Three prizes of $1,500 each, publication by Washington Writers’ Publishing House, and 25 author copies are given annually for a poetry collection, a short story collection or novel, and a poetry collection in translation. Writers who live in Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 70 to 100 pages of poetry or 150 to 250 pages of prose with a $28 entry fee by July 15. Following these guidelines, translators may submit a poetry manuscript in English along with the matching selection in the original language. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $2,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published during the current year by a resident of upstate New York. The winner will also give a reading and teach a master class at Utica University in spring 2026. Publishers or authors may submit two copies of a book of at least 48 pages published between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, and a curriculum vitae by August 31. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
A prize of $10,000 and publication by University of New Orleans Press is given annually for a short story collection or novel. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of any length with a $28 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Two prizes of publication by University of Iowa Press are given annually for debut collections of short fiction. Submit a manuscript of at least 150 pages by August 31. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
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 a two-year subscription to the literary database Duotrope and publication in the annual Stories That Need to Be Told anthology. E-mail a poem of up to five pages or a story or essay of up to 10,000 words with a $20 entry fee (sent via postal mail or PayPal) by August 9. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000, publication by the Word Works, and 30 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has published at least two full-length books of poetry. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages with a $25 entry fee (a limited number of fee waivers are available based on financial need) by July 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Art Goodtimes will judge. Submit a poem of up to 125 lines totaling no more than three pages with a $12 entry fee ($30 for three poems) by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem about the state of Colorado or written by a poet residing in Colorado. José A. “Tony” Alcántara will judge. Submit a poem of up to 125 lines totaling no more than three pages with a $12 entry fee ($30 for three poems) by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sewanee Review are given annually for a single poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Cindy Juyoung Ok will judge in poetry, Lauren Groff will judge in fiction, and Roger Reeves will judge in creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit up to six poems or a story or essay of up to 10,000 words with a $30 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Sewanee Review, from July 1 to July 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Seneca Review Books is given biennially for a collection of lyric essays. The winner will also receive an invitation to give a reading with Hobart & William Smith Colleges. Melissa Febos will judge. Hybrid work, verse forms, text and image, and “connected or related pieces” are accepted. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 120 pages with a $27 entry fee by August 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,500 and publication by the Santa Fe Writers Project is given biennially for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction. Deesha Philyaw will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a story collection, a novel, an essay collection, or a memoir of any length with a $30 entry fee by September 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Red Wheelbarrow is given annually for a single poem. The winner also receives 20 copies of a letterpress broadside of the winning poem, printed by Gary Young at Greenhouse Review Press. Stephen Kuusisto will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of no more than one page each with a $15 entry fee by July 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $15,000 and publication in Rattle is given annually for a single poem. A Readers’ Choice Award of $5,000 and publication is also given to one of ten finalists. Using only the online submission system, submit up to four poems of any length with a $30 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Rattle, by July 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Radar Poetry is given annually for a group of poems by a poet who identifies as a woman. Diane Seuss will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit three to five poems totaling no more than 10 pages with a $20 entry fee by August 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 53 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Tom Lombardo will judge. Submit a manuscript of 50 to 120 pages with a $30 entry fee by July 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Prairie Schooner is given annually for an essay. Submit up to 5,000 words of prose with a $20 entry fee by August 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,329) and publication in Oxford Poetry is given annually for a single poem. Submit a poem of up to 50 lines with a £10 (approximately $13) entry fee by August 31. A limited number of fee waivers are available based on financial need. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Jose-Luis Moctezuma will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 40 to 120 pages with a $30 entry fee from July 1 to August 16. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication in New Millennium Writings and on the journal’s website are given biannually for a poem, a short story, a short short story, and an essay. Works that have not appeared in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000, as well as previously unpublished works, are eligible. Submit up to three poems totaling no more than five pages, a short short story of up to 1,000 words, or a story or essay of up to 7,499 words with a $20 entry fee by July 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Naugatuck River Review will be given annually for a narrative poem. Octavio Quintanilla will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of no more than 50 lines each with a $20 entry fee by September 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $2,500 is given annually for a work of flash fiction, a short story, a graphic story, an essay, a memoir, or an excerpt from a 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 July 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,500 is given annually for a poem or group of poems. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems of any length with a $26 entry fee by July 18. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of €2,000 (approximately $2,235) 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. Laura Jean McKay will judge. Submit a story of up to 3,000 words with a €19 (approximately $21) entry fee by July 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
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 Talent), 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 September 7. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A fellowship of up to $5,000 is given annually to a poet, a fiction writer, a creative nonfiction writer, or a writer working in a genre outside these categories who is a resident of Maine and has lived in the state for at least one year. The fellow is expected to reside in the state for the year of the fellowship. Writers who are age 25 or older and are not enrolled in a degree-granting program are eligible. The fellowship committee can appoint a translator to assist in the review of work submitted in a language other than English. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems, stories, or essays of no more than eight pages each; an artist statement; and a résumé (or a brief bio) between July 23 and September 3. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,500 and publication on the competition website is given annually for a short story by a writer whose fiction has not appeared in a nationally distributed publication with a circulation of 5,000 or more. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 3,500 words with a $15 entry fee by September 1; submissions are also accepted from September 2 to September 15 with a $20 entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Fellowships of $3,500 each are given annually to aid Oregon writers in initiating, developing, or completing literary projects in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. These include one Women Writers Fellowship and one Writers of Color Fellowship. In addition, two Oregon Literary Career Fellowships of $10,000 each are awarded to writers who demonstrate exceptional talent; one of these two fellowships is reserved for a writer of color. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 15 pages of poetry or no more than 25 pages of prose (with an artist’s statement and an impact statement for those applying for Oregon Literary Career Fellowships) by August 8. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
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.
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.
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.
A prize of $2,500 and publication by Howling Bird Press is given in alternating years for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. The 2026 prize will be awarded in nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 17,500 to 40,000 words with a $20 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Fellowships of $78,000 each, as well as office space at the Radcliffe Institute and access to the libraries at Harvard University, are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to allow them to pursue innovative projects. Fellows, who are expected to reside in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or the surrounding Boston area during the fellowship period, September through May, also receive $5,000 to cover project expenses. Poets who have published a full-length collection or at least 20 poems in magazines or anthologies in the last five years and who are in the process of completing a manuscript are eligible. Fiction and nonfiction writers who have published one or more books, have a book-length manuscript under contract for publication, or have published at least three shorter works are eligible. Writers who are graduate students or enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of application are not eligible. For 2026–2027 fellowships, submit up to 10 poems of any length or a short story, a recent book chapter, or an essay totaling no more than 30 pages; a curriculum vitae; a project proposal; and contact information for three references by September 11. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in print and audiobook formats by Grid Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer over the age of 60. John Yau will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 50 pages with a $25 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000, publication by Grayson Books, and 10 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Alberto Ríos will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50 to 90 pages with a $26 entry fee by August 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $5,000 is given annually to a poet, fiction writer, or creative nonfiction writer to support the completion of a manuscript-in-progress. Up to three finalists are awarded at least $500 each. A Translation Prize of at least $1,500 is also given. Using only the online submission system, submit 12 poems or a prose sample of up to 25 pages by August 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Gival Press website is given annually for a short story. Submit a story of 5,000 to 15,000 words with a $25 entry fee by August 8. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Ghost Story website is given biannually for a work of flash fiction with a supernatural or magical realist theme. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit 250 to 1,000 words of prose with a $15 entry fee by July 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Los Angeles Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, a work of flash fiction, and an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of no more than 50 lines each, a short story or an essay of up to 2,500 words, or a work of flash fiction of no more than 1,000 words with a $20 entry fee by July 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Note: This listing has been updated to include information provided by the sponsoring organization after the issue went to press.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a work of flash fiction. The editors will judge. Submit a story of up to 1,000 words with an $8 entry fee by September 2. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000, publication by Futurepoem, and 25 author copies is given annually for a book of innovative poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid work “that challenges conventions of genre and language, content and form.” The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of up to 200 pages with a $28 entry fee (or a sliding-scale fee of $9 or $18 based on financial need) from July 15 to August 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,118); publication by Southword Editions, Munster Literature Centre’s publishing imprint; and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner also receives a three-night stay at a hotel to give a reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival in May 2026. Submit a manuscript of 16 to 24 pages with a €25 (approximately $28) entry fee by August 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $2,000, publication by Ex Ophidia Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Felicia Zamora will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50 to 100 pages and a brief bio with a $25 entry fee by September 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Dynamo Verlag will be given biennially for a book-length work of poetry, prose, or hybrid work. The editors will judge. E-mail a manuscript of 7,000 to 100,000 words (poetry manuscripts must be at least 80 pages in length) with an $18 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Dogwood are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems totaling no more than 10 pages or up to 22 pages of prose with a $12 entry fee by September 5. Writers who are incarcerated may submit to the contest free of charge via postal mail or the Dogwood website. All submissions are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
A prize of $1,000, publication by New Michigan Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a chapbook of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid-genre work. Ander Monson will judge. Submit a manuscript of 18 to 44 pages with a $25 entry fee by July 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Established Professional Fellowships of $8,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in Delaware for at least one year and will remain Delaware residents during the grant period. Using only the online submission system, submit 15 to 20 pages of poetry or prose, a résumé, and an artist’s statement by August 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.