A prize of $1,000, publication by Codhill Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. James Sherwood will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 70...
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.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/30/24
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a debut novel published during the current year. The winner is also provided money for the cost of travel and lodging to attend the...
read moreBoulevard
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a short story by a writer who has not published a nationally distributed book. The editors will...
read moreBefore Columbus Foundation
Cash Prize: $0
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Not Genre-Specific
Awards are given annually for books published in the United States during the current year to recognize “outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America’s...
read moreTwo Sylvias Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $24
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Two Sylvias Press, and 20 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection by a writer over 50 who identifies as female (including...
read moreBaton Rouge Area Foundation
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $15,000 is given annually to an emerging African American writer for a book of fiction published in the current year. The winner is also provided money for the cost...
read moreBurnside Review Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Burnside Review Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Ananda Lima will judge. Using only the online...
read moreBlack Caucus of the American Library Association
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a debut novel, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) by African...
read moreLascaux Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Lascaux Review is given annually for a short story. Previously published and unpublished stories are eligible. The editors will...
read moreAction, Spectacle
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Cross-Genre
A prize of $1,000, publication by Action, Spectacle, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a chapbook of poetry, prose, or hybrid-genre work. Using only the online...
read morePoetry Society of America
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,500 and publication on the Poetry Society of America website is given annually to a poet over 40 who has published no more than one poetry collection. Using only...
read moreMichigan Quarterly Review
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Michigan Quarterly Review is given annually for a short story. Ghassan Zeineddine will judge. Using only the online submission...
read moreLitMag
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $2,500 and publication in LitMag is given annually for a short story. The winner will also have their work reviewed by agents Lisa Bankoff (Bankoff...
read moreAlternating Current Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $18
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Cross-Genre
A prize of $1,000, publication by Alternating Current Press, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection, story collection, essay collection, novel,...
read morePoetry Society of America
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Poetry Society of America website is given annually for poetry from a manuscript-in-progress. Using only the online submission system,...
read moreTupelo Press
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $3,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives a two-week residency at Gentle House in...
read moreMichigan Quarterly Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Michigan Quarterly Review is given annually for a single poem. Cyrus Cassells will judge. Using only the online submission system...
read morePress 53
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 53 author copies is given annually for a story collection. Claire V. Foxx will judge. Submit a manuscript of 100 to 250 pages...
read moreThe Moth
Cash Prize: $6,605
Entry Fee: $17
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Poetry
A prize of €6,000 (approximately $6,605) is given annually for a single poem. Three runners-up prizes of €1,000 (approximately $1,101) each are also given. The four shortlisted...
read moreOhio University Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Ohio University Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Natalie Shapero will judge. Using only the online submission system,...
read morePoetry Society of America
Cash Prize: $20,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the United States in a print or online journal, a chapbook, or a book during the...
read moreTampa Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review is given annually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 500 to 5,000 words...
read moreAmerican Library Association
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 12/31/24
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a novel published in the current year that is set in a period when the United States was at war. Publishers or authors may submit seven...
read moreMississippi Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 1/1/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Mississippi Review are given annually for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. Current or former University of...
read more