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...
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.
Whiting Foundation
Cash Prize: $40,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 4/23/25
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
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...
read moreInlandia Institute
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/30/25
Genre: Poetry
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...
read moreBeloit Poetry Journal
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 4/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Beloit Poetry Journal is given annually for a single poem. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems...
read moreMarsh Hawk Press
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 4/30/25
Genre: Poetry
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...
read moreUniversity of Pittsburgh Press
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 4/30/25
Genre: Poetry
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...
read morePoetry International
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 4/30/25
Genre: Poetry
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...
read moreTupelo Press
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 4/30/25
Genre: Poetry
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...
read moreAutumn House Press
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $35
Application Deadline: 4/30/25
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given annually for a book of nonfiction. The winner also receives a $1,500 travel and publicity grant. May-lee Chai...
read moreTadpole Press
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 4/30/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
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....
read moreGhost Story
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/30/25
Genre: Fiction
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....
read moreUniversity of Iowa Press
Cash Prize: $0
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 4/30/25
Genre: Poetry
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...
read moreBreakwater Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $10
Application Deadline: 5/1/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Breakwater Review is given annually for a single poem. Submit up to three poems of any length with a $10 entry fee by May 1. All...
read moreInterlochen Center for the Arts
Cash Prize: $25,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/1/25
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
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...
read moreHigh Desert Museum
Cash Prize: $3,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/1/25
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
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...
read moreAtlanta Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 5/1/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Atlanta Review is given annually for a single poem. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems of any length...
read moreBackwaters Press
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $32
Application Deadline: 5/1/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Backwaters Press, an imprint of University of Nebraska Press, is given annually for a poetry collection. An honorable mention prize of $1,...
read moreMoon City Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 5/1/25
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...
read moreWinning Writers
Cash Prize: $3,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 5/1/25
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
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...
read moreNoemi Press
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 5/1/25
Genre: Poetry
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...
read moreF(r)iction
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 5/2/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 is given biannually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 1,001 to 7,500 words with a $15 entry fee by May 2. All...
read moreWriter’s Digest
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 5/5/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
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...
read moreAcademy of American Poets
Cash Prize: $25,000
Entry Fee: $75
Application Deadline: 5/15/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $25,000 is given annually for a poetry collection by a living poet published in the United States during the previous year. The winner also receives a 10-day...
read moreAcademy of American Poets
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 5/15/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a second book of poetry by a living poet to be published in the next calendar year. The winner also receives an all-expenses-paid...
read moreCrook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $35
Application Deadline: 5/15/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a debut novel primarily set in the American South. Authors living anywhere are eligible. Self-published books are accepted, but books...
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