A prize of $30,000 and a one-semester appointment as writer-in-residence at Bard College is given annually to a fiction writer under the age of 40. The winner must give at...
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.
PEN America
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 6/1/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two grants of $5,000 each are given annually for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction works-in-progress “by immigrant and refugee writers, recognizing that the literature of...
read moreNational Book Foundation
Cash Prize: $10,000
Entry Fee: $135
Application Deadline: 6/6/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Four prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and young people’s literature written by U.S. writers and published in the United...
read moreTowson University
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 6/15/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction by a current resident of Maryland who has lived in the state for at least three years...
read more42 Miles Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 6/15/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by 42 Miles Press, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner is also invited to give a reading at Indiana...
read moreTusculum Review
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 6/15/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Tusculum Review is given annually for a collection of poems, a short story, or an essay in alternating years. The winner’s work is...
read moreUniversity of Akron Press
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 6/15/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication by University of Akron Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Eduardo C. Corral will judge. Using only the online submission system...
read moreOmnidawn Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 6/16/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Ewa Chrusciel will judge. Using only the online submission...
read moreGriffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Cash Prize: $6,960
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 6/20/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $10,000 Canadian (approximately $6,960) is awarded for a debut poetry collection by a living Canadian poet or permanent resident. The winner is also offered a six-...
read moreGriffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Cash Prize: $90,479
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 6/20/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $130,000 Canadian (approximately $90,479) is given annually for a poetry collection written in or translated into English by a living poet or translator from...
read moreArtist Trust
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 6/23/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Grants of $1,500 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers who are residents of Washington State. Students enrolled in a degree-granting program...
read moreBarrow Street Press
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication by Barrow Street Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50 to 80...
read moreLos Angeles Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
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...
read moreLascaux Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and online publication in Lascaux Review is given annually for a work of flash fiction. Previously published or unpublished stories are eligible. Using...
read moreUniversity of North Texas Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of North Texas Press is given annually for a collection of short fiction. Using only the online submission system, submit a...
read moreCider Press Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Cider Press Review, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online...
read moreKinsman Quarterly
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
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...
read moreAnthology Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,089
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,089) and publication in Anthology Magazine is given annually for a single poem. Rachael Hegarty will judge. Using only the online...
read moreUniversity of Pittsburgh Press
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $15,000 and publication by University of Pittsburgh Press is given annually for a collection of short fiction. Writers who have published at least one previous book...
read moreBauhan Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Bauhan Publishing, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Anthony Walton will judge. Using only the online submission...
read moreAutumn House Press
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives a $1,500 travel and publicity grant. Matthew Olzmann...
read morePoetry London
Cash Prize: $6,482
Entry Fee: $13
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A first-place prize of £5,000 (approximately $6,482), a second-place prize of £2,000 (approximately $2,593), and a third-place prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,296) are given...
read moreThe Moth
Cash Prize: $3,267
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Michigan Quarterly Review is given annually for an essay or a work of nonfiction in hybrid form. Using only the online submission...
read moreVine Leaves Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 7/1/25
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Vine Leaves Press will be given for a book of nonfiction, including biography, memoir, and hybrid work. Using only the online submission...
read more