A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,056) and publication in the Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a work of flash fiction. The winner is also invited to give a...
read moreWriting Contests, Grants & Awards
The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.
Hayden’s Ferry Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 2/28/25
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Hayden’s Ferry Review will be given annually for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction. Using only the online...
read moreSixfold
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $5
Application Deadline: 2/28/25
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sixfold are given quarterly for a group of poems and a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit up to...
read moreLittle Tokyo Historical Society
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 2/28/25
Genre: Fiction
Two prizes of $500 each and publication in Rafu Shimpo and on the Discover Nikkei and Little Tokyo Historical Society websites are given annually for short stories that...
read moreWest Chester University
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 2/28/25
Genre: Poetry
Five prizes of $1,000 to $1,500 each are given annually for a single poem “composed in the traditional modes of meter, rhyme, and received forms” (Iris N. Spencer Poetry Award...
read moreAssociation of Writers & Writing Programs
Cash Prize: $5,500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 2/28/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $5,500 each and publication by a participating press are given annually for a poetry collection, a short story collection, and a novel. A prize of $2,500 and...
read moreTupelo Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 2/28/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Deborah Landau will judge. Submit a manuscript of 20 to 36 pages...
read moreRed Hen Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 2/28/25
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a book of fiction or nonfiction by a writer who identifies as a woman. Alyssa Graybeal will judge....
read moreBlack Caucus of the American Library Association
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 2/28/25
Two prizes of $2,500 each are given annually for a poetry e-book and a fiction e-book self-published by an African American writer during the previous year. The awards honor...
read moreAutumn House Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $35
Application Deadline: 2/28/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given annually for a book of fiction. The winner also receives a $1,500 travel and publicity grant. Alexandra Kleeman...
read moreBiographers International Organization
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/1/25
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a work-in-progress by a writer who has not published a biography, a book of historical nonfiction, or other book-length work of...
read moreAirlie Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/1/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Airlie Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a...
read moreWayne State University
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $500 will be given annually for a chapbook-length work of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. The 2025 prize will be given in poetry. Using only the online submission...
read moreAlabama State Council on the Arts
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
At least two fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who are legal residents of Alabama and have lived in the...
read moreMississippi Arts Commission
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Grants of up to $5,000 each are given in alternating years to Mississippi poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. This year the fellowships will be offered in...
read morePoets & Writers, Inc.
Cash Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/1/25
Two prizes of $500 each are given annually to a poet and a fiction writer residing in the United States. Each winner also receives a monthlong residency at the Jentel Artist...
read moreDayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $100
Application Deadline: 3/1/25
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for a book of fiction and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published in the previous year that “foster peace,...
read moreMasters Review
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/2/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $3,000 and online publication in Masters Review is given biannually for a short story by an emerging writer. Writers who have not published a book or who have...
read morePoetry Foundation
Cash Prize: $27,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/3/25
Genre: Poetry
Five fellowships of $27,000 each are given annually to U.S. poets between the ages of 21 and 31. Using only the online submission system, submit 10 pages of poetry and an...
read morePersea Books
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 3/7/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Persea Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who is a U.S. citizen or resides in the United States and who has...
read moreSelected Shorts
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 3/7/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and tuition for a 10-week writing class through New York City’s Gotham Writers Workshop is given annually for a short story. The winning work is published on...
read moreTulipTree Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/8/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in TulipTree Review is given annually for a single poem, a short story, or an essay “whose main characters embody the wild woman spirit...
read moreNational Endowment for the Arts
Cash Prize: $25,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 3/12/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Approximately 35 grants of $25,000 each are given annually in alternating years to poets and prose writers to “enable the recipients to set aside time for writing, research,...
read moreThe Center for Fiction
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $100
Application Deadline: 3/14/25
Genre: Fiction
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-...
read moreIndiana Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 3/15/25
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
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...
read more