Contest Database
View our curated results of the best free literary contests!
Name | Deadline | Type | Status | Top Prize | WW Rating | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A Public Space Emerging Writer Fellowships | 03/31/24 | Individual Poems Fellowship Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction Fellowship | Active | $1,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before March 1). Recommended free contest awards three prizes of $1,000 and five-month fellowships for aspiring writers who have not yet published or been contracted to write a chapbook or book-length work with a US publisher but whose writing shows exceptional talent. Winners also receive publication in A Public Space, guest pass to attend APS Master Classes, one-year subscription to APS, as well as participation in a public reading. Submit a previously unpublished short story or essay, 6,000 words maximum, OR a previously unpublished poetry, 15 pages maximum, AND a comprehensive cover letter containing all the information stipulated in the sponsor's guidelines. No email or postal submissions permitted; submit all application materials online. Sponsored by A Public Space, an independent literary magazine. | ||||||
Ann Petry Award | 03/31/24 | Prose Manuscript | Active | $3,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 30). Highly Recommended free contest awards $3,000 and publication by Red Hen Press for a work of previously unpublished prose (either a novel or a collection of short stories or novellas) by a Black writer. Authors who have already had a full-length work published by Red Hen Press or who currently have a full-length work under consideration by Red Hen Press are ineligible. Submit your manuscript, 150 pages minimum, online. | ||||||
Anne Brown Essay Prize | 03/31/24 | Creative Nonfiction | Active | £1,500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before November 1). Recommended free contest from Scotland's Wigtown Book Festival gives 1,500 pounds for a literary essay, maximum 4,000 words, by an author aged 16+. Entrants must be resident in Scotland, born in Scotland or have a longstanding association with Scotland. Unpublished essays are preferred, but authors and their publishers are also invited to submit work published no earlier than July 1 of the year preceding the deadline year. Enter by email. This prize commemorates Anne Brown (1942-2021), former Wigtown Book Festival chair of trustees and a widely respected BBC radio producer. | ||||||
Archibald Lampman Award | 03/31/24 | Published Poetry Book | Active | C$1,500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest from Arc: Canada's National Poetry Magazine awards C$1,500 for the best published poetry book (at least 48 pages in length) by a resident of Canada's National Capital Region (Ottawa). Send 4 copies of book published during the previous year by a recognized publisher. | ||||||
Caine Prize for African Writing | 03/31/24 | Short Fiction | Active | £10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 17). Highly recommended free contest awards 10,000 pounds for published, English-language short stories, 3,000-10,000 words, by African writers, defined as someone who was born in Africa, or who is a national of an African country, or who has a parent who is African by birth or nationality. Up to 4 shortlisted authors receive 500 pounds plus a travel stipend. Story must have been first published within the five years preceding the deadline date. Publisher must enter via sponsor's online submissions portal. Entries must be accompanied by a letter from the publisher conveying a brief biography of the writer, and specifying which African country the writer comes from. | ||||||
Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award | 03/31/24 | Short Fiction Novel Excerpt | Active | $2,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before February 1). Highly recommended free contest from Sisters in Crime awards $2,000 grant for adult crime fiction, 2,500-5,000 words, by an author of color who has not published more than ten pieces of short fiction or two books. (Preference is given to previously unpublished authors.) Prize must be used for "activities related to crime fiction writing and career development". Winner is required to submit a report about how the prize was spent and serve as a member of next year's award selection committee. Send short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript-in-progress, resume, and cover letter describing how the applicant is emerging in the genre and how the grant money would be used. Submit application materials via sponsor's online portal. Eleanor Taylor Bland, after whom the prize is named, was a prolific African-American crime fiction writer. | ||||||
Foley Poetry Award | 03/31/24 | Individual Poems | Active | $1,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 1). Recommended free contest from the Jesuit magazine 'America' awards $1,000 and publication for a poem on any topic of 45 lines or less. (Past winning poems have touched on morally significant issues, but have not been "religious" poetry in the conventional sense.) No simultaneous submissions. Submit online or by mail. | ||||||
Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize | 03/31/24 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | $5,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest sponsored by the Goethe-Institut New York honors an outstanding literary translation from German into English published in the US or Canada during the preceding calendar year. Novels, novellas, short stories, plays, poetry, biographies, essays, and correspondences are eligible. Prize is $5,000, a fully funded trip to the Frankfurt Book Fair, and an invitation to the award ceremony in New York. American publishers should complete online submission form and then send 5 copies of the book. | ||||||
Jack L. Chalker Young Writers' Contest | 03/31/24 | Short Fiction | Active | $150.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest awards prizes up to $150 for science fiction/fantasy stories, maximum 2,500 words, by Maryland residents or students aged 14-18. Winners receive complimentary registrations for Balticon convention for themselves and their parents or guest, and the winning stories are published in the convention's souvenir book as well as online. Multiple entries allowed per writer. Submit story along with cover letter via email or postal mail. Sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. | ||||||
L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest | 03/31/24 | Short Fiction | Active | $6,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31. Highly recommended free contest for emerging writers of short science fiction, fantasy, and horror awards quarterly prizes of $1,000 plus an annual $5,000 grand prize for one of the four winners. Send only one story per quarter, maximum 17,000 words. See website for eligibility rules. Entrants may not have professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. | ||||||
Lewis Galantiere Award | 03/31/24 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | $1,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 1). Recommended free contest from the American Translators Association awards $1,000 for a distinguished book-length literary translation from any language, except German, into English. Entries must have been published in the US in the past two years (in 2022 or 2023 for the 2024 contest), and authors should be US citizens or permanent residents. Publishers should submit the book plus supporting materials and excerpts from the original language online. See website for details. Contest runs in even-numbered years only, alternating with the Ungar German Translation Award. | ||||||
Orwell Prize for Journalism | 03/31/24 | Published Prose Book | Active | £3,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before November 15). Highly recommended free contest awards Journalism Prize of 3,000 pounds for the best political writing first published in the UK or Ireland between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. Entries may be published journalistic articles, broadcasts, or blogs. All entrants must have a clear relationship with the UK or Ireland as described in the contest rules. Submit 3 or 4 distinct journalistic items, which may be published articles (in print or online), radio broadcasts, podcast episodes, or television packages. If applicable, make sure that the total broadcast/listening time for all items submitted is no longer than 2 hours total. Each entry should be accompanied by a supporting statement, 1,200 characters maximum, offering a brief project summary. No limit to the number of journalists who may enter from a single publication or organization. Enter online. | ||||||
Parsec SF/Fantasy/Horror Short Story Contest | 03/31/24 | Short Fiction | Active | $200.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 1). Neutral free contest for fantasy, sci-fi, and horror stories gives prizes up to $200 and publication in the program book for Confluence, an annual convention hosted by Pittsburgh-based Parsec. Send 1 story, maximum 3,500 words each, on this year's theme ("AI Mythology") via sponsor's online submissions portal. The contest is open to non-professional writers (those who have not met eligibility requirements for SFWA or equivalent: who have not earned over $1,000 from the sale of their writing). | ||||||
Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation | 03/31/24 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | £3,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest awards 3,000 pounds for a translation of modern Arabic literature into English. Genre can be poetry or literary prose. For current contest, books must have been published between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024 and be available for purchase in the UK via a distributor or online. The source text must have been published in the original Arabic in or after 1967. Must be submitted by publisher. After submitting a completed entry form online and emailing a digital copy of the text in both languages, send 5 hard copies of translation and 4 copies of the original work to The Society of Authors, which administers the prize for the Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. | ||||||
Sarah Mook Poetry Prize for Students | 03/31/24 | Individual Poems | Active | $100.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline March 31. Neutral contest gives prizes up to $100 in four age categories for unpublished poems by students in grades K-12. Winning entries will be published online. Submit 1-2 poems, any length. Optional $5 entry fee will be donated to a charity. This contest is sponsored by David Mook in memory of his daughter, a young writer who died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm when she was in third grade. | ||||||
Short Story Substack's Monthly Contest | 03/31/24 | Short Fiction | Active | $100.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline January 31 (must be received by this date), subsequent deadlines on the last day of each month. Neutral free contest for short fiction gives a monthly prize of $100 plus 50% of the site's subscription revenue for that month, and publication in their monthly Substack newsletter that is archived on the website. Entries may be published or unpublished, as long as you have the reprint rights. Send one story, 6-10,000 words, by email to shortstorystack@gmail.com as an MS Word or Google Doc file. | ||||||
Silvers Foundation Grants for Work-in-Progress | 03/31/24 | Creative Nonfiction Prose Manuscript Fellowship | Active | $10,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before February 1). Recommended free contest from the Robert B. Silvers Foundation awards multiple grants of up to $10,000 to English-language writers of any nationality for long-form essays or full-length books in progress in the fields of literary criticism, arts writing, political analysis, or social reportage. Authors should have an editorial agreement with a publication or publishing house for the work under consideration. Submit your writing sample (500-2,000 words), which can be from the work-in-progress or from a previously published essay, article, or book, by email. Be sure to read sponsor's full rules for complete list of required application materials that must accompany your writing sample. Sponsor gives priority to projects that have not been supported by a significant advance. | ||||||
Sunken Garden Fresh Voices Poetry Competition | 03/31/24 | Individual Poems | Active | Recommended | ||
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before March 1). Recommended free poetry contest for Connecticut high school students offers up to six winners of the competition the opportunity to read their work during the Fresh Voices Celebration in late April. Winners will also be published in sponsor's online journal. Send 3-5 pages of unpublished poetry (2 poems minimum) and completed entry form (with sponsoring teacher's and parent's/guardian's signatures) by email. Sponsored by the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT. | ||||||
Great American Think-Off | 04/01/24 | Scholarly Essay | Active | $500.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline April 1 (don't enter before January 1). Neutral free contest for US writers seeks essays up to 750 words on a selected philosophical question that changes annually. Four finalists receive $500 and an expenses-paid trip to New York Mills, MN in June for debate to determine the contest winner. The 2024 topic is: "Is freedom of speech worth the cost?". Enter online, by email, or by mail. Sponsored by New York Mills Regional Cultural Center. | ||||||
Gwenn A. Nusbaum/WWBA Scholarship for Emerging Poets | 04/01/24 | Individual Poems | Active | $1,800.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline April 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 1). Neutral free contest from the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association awards $1,800 scholarship to a US citizen ages 25-35 who is "at the early stages of their career" and "demonstrates a scholastic or pre-professional track of outstanding poetic writing". The award must be used for “supportive activities to further the winner's writing career" (e.g. writing courses, workshops, conferences, and retreats). Before submitting, read sponsor's full terms and conditions. Enter online. Submit a poetry sample (ten poems OR five poems interwoven with a narrative statement), a cover letter that includes a statement of intent for your professional writing goals and your expenditure plans for the scholarship funds, as well as a resume/CV. | ||||||
Maya Angelou Book Award | 04/01/24 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | $10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline April 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 1). Highly Recommended free contest from the Kansas City Public Library gives $10,000 prize to a US author age 18+ whose published work "demonstrates a commitment to social justice and diversifies contemporary American literature". Genre alternates between poetry and fiction. 2024 contest is for a work of fiction published the previous year or scheduled for publication by November of this year. Winner will participate in a two-week book tour of Missouri colleges, universities, and libraries. Publisher must complete the online entry form and upload an electronic copy of the book via the submissions portal on the sponsor's guidelines page or mail five hard copies of the book. | ||||||
Hurston/Wright Crossover Award | 04/02/24 | Creative Nonfiction | Active | $2,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline April 2 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest awards $2,000, tuition-free attendance of a Hurston/Wright summer writers' workshop, and a complimentary ticket to the Legacy Awards Ceremony for a “stand-alone essay or excerpt from a [nonfiction] book-in-progress”, 20 pages maximum, that “explores and illuminates the various intersections of culture and society through innovative storytelling, original reporting, and/or provocative commentary” by a Black writer age 18+ who has never previously published a book in any genre and via any publishing platform. No simultaneous submissions. Sponsored by ESPN's Andscape and administered by the Hurston/Wright Foundation, this award “honors probing, provocative, and original new voices in literary nonfiction. Named after the most common dribbling move in basketball, the Crossover Award aims to highlight an unconventional winner who writes across genres and can effectively crossover between writing styles and techniques". Enter online. | ||||||
Fabula Press Short Story Contest | 04/03/24 | Short Fiction | Active | $500.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline for fee-free entries April 3 (must be received by this date; don't enter before February 21). Neutral free contest gives anthology publication and prizes up to $500 for a previously unpublished short story, 2,500-7,000 words, on any topic by authors age 18+. Limit one entry per person if submitting in the free section. Enter online. Sponsored by Hong Kong-based Fabula Press. | ||||||
Creative Capital Artist Awards | 04/04/24 | Fellowship Fellowship | Active | $50,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline April 4 (must be received by this date; don't enter before March 4). Highly recommended free contest offers 50 grants up to $50,000 for writers of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, and socially engaged and/or sustainable text-based practices. (Note that literature entries compete against the visual arts, performing arts, film/moving image, and technology categories for 2024.) Entrants must be US citizens or permanent residents, aged 25+, with 5+ years' professional writing experience, and not be full-time students. Proposals for collaborative projects by will be considered; limit one project per entrant per year. Submit a project proposal application via sponsor's online form. Writers who advance to the second round must submit three work samples, maximum 25 double-spaced pages total. | ||||||
Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize | 04/05/24 | Published Prose Book | Active | C$10,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline April 5 (must be received by this date; don't enter before March 8). Recommended free contest for debut books by Canadian authors aged 18+ gives prizes of C$10,000 in three categories: Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, and Genre Fiction (genre rotates annually). The 2024 genre for Genre Fiction is Mystery. Books must have been published or self-published in the preceding calendar year, except in Genre Fiction, where books may have been published in the three preceding years. Contest sponsor Rakuten Kobo is an international digital bookseller and self-publishing platform for e-books and audio books. | ||||||
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships | 04/08/24 | Fellowship | Active | $27,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines April 8, April 15 (registration for the online portal must be received by the first deadline date; application materials must be received by the second deadline date; don't enter before March 4). Highly recommended free contest from prestigious Poetry magazine awards five fellowships of $27,000 for US authors aged 21-31 as of April 30 who "demonstrate a commitment to poetry". Preference is given to poets "who have not had substantial institutional support in their careers thus far". Register and apply using initial forms on the sponsor's online submissions manager; after approval is received, upload 10 pages of your poetry (published work may be included) and answer questions regarding your creative practices. Enter online only. Formerly known as the Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowships. | ||||||
Edna Staebler Award for Creative Nonfiction | 04/15/24 | Published Prose Book | Active | C$10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline April 15 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest awards C$10,000 for creative nonfiction book published during the previous year with "a Canadian influence or locale" by a Canadian writer. Entry must be author's first or second published book of creative nonfiction, and it "should be distinguished by first-hand research, well-crafted interpretive writing, the writer's personal discovery or experience, and creative use of language or approach to the subject matter". For print books, send 6 copies and a completed entry form; for ebooks, email an electronic file, along with entry form. If the book is available in both print and ebook formats, provide 6 print copies only. Sponsored by Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario. | ||||||
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships | 04/15/24 | Fellowship | Active | $27,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines April 8, April 15 (registration for the online portal must be received by the first deadline date; application materials must be received by the second deadline date; don't enter before March 4). Highly recommended free contest from prestigious Poetry magazine awards five fellowships of $27,000 for US authors aged 21-31 as of April 30 who "demonstrate a commitment to poetry". Preference is given to poets "who have not had substantial institutional support in their careers thus far". Register and apply using initial forms on the sponsor's online submissions manager; after approval is received, upload 10 pages of your poetry (published work may be included) and answer questions regarding your creative practices. Enter online only. Formerly known as the Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowships. | ||||||
Purorrelato Micro-Story Contest | 04/16/24 | Short Fiction | Active | €750.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline April 16 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest gives prizes up to 750 euros for micro-stories (1,500 characters maximum, including spaces) that "encourage us to feel and think about Africa and to continue showing different realities that approach us to the continent, away from the stereotypes that have marked it for so long." Send 1-3 stories via online submission portal. Entries may be in English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese. No simultaneous submissions. | ||||||
Scotiabank Giller Canadian Book Prize | 04/19/24 | Published Prose Book | Active | C$100,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines February 16, April 19, June 21, and August 16 (must be received by these dates). Highly recommended free contest awards top prize of C$100,000 for a full-length novel, graphic novel, or short story collection written in English (either originally or in translation) by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, that is scheduled for publication in Canada between October 1 of the previous year and September 30 of the deadline year. Book must be available for sale in retail/book stores across Canada. Publishers of shortlisted titles must agree to pay C$2,000 per shortlisted book. Shortlisted authors must attend award ceremony in Toronto in November, participate in various marketing activities, and sign 2,000 copies of their book (purchased by sponsor for internal distribution). Deadline varies based on the time of year that the book was published; see website for complete schedule and entry rules. Publisher must send 5 hard copies by post AND provide e-books as PDFs. Founded in 1994 to honor literary journalist Doris Giller, the prize has been sponsored by Scotiabank since 2005. | ||||||
Whiting Foundation Creative Nonfiction Grant | 04/23/24 | Creative Nonfiction Fellowship | Active | $40,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline April 23 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest awards up to ten grants of $40,000 each for US writers completing creative nonfiction books (e.g., biography, memoir, history, cultural or political reportage, science, philosophy, criticism, food or travel writing, graphic nonfiction, personal essays, etc.) that are currently under contract with US, UK, or Canadian publishers. Using the sponsor's online submission system, submit sample chapters (25,000 words maximum), the original proposal that led to the book contract, a statement of the work to be completed and the plan for use of the grant, a signed and dated contract with the publisher, a resume, a list of other funding received for the book, and a letter of recommendation from the book's publisher or editor. | ||||||
Anthem Essay Contest for Students | 04/25/24 | Scholarly Essay | Active | $2,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline April 25 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest for 8th-12th graders awards top prize of $2,000, other large prizes, for essays on Ayn Rand's novella 'Anthem'. See website for essay topics and background on Rand's rationalist, libertarian worldview. Submit one essay, 600-1,200 words, online. Past first-prize winners are ineligible. Sponsored by the Ayn Rand Institute. | ||||||
Fountainhead Essay Contest for High School Students | 04/25/24 | Scholarly Essay | Active | $5,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline April 25 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest for high school students (11th and 12th grade) awards $5,000 top prize, other large prizes, for essays on Ayn Rand's novel 'The Fountainhead'. Essays should be based on one of the three questions on the website, and be 800-1,600 words long. Submit your essay online. Contest is looking for entries that are sympathetic to Rand's rationalist, libertarian philosophy. See sponsor's website for other student contests. | ||||||
Natan Notable Books Award | 04/26/24 | Published Prose Book | Active | $5,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines April 26, October 2 (must be received by these dates). Highly recommended free contest gives $5,000 and marketing support for a recently-published or about-to-be published nonfiction title that will catalyze conversations aligned with the themes of Natan's grantmaking: reinventing Jewish life and community for the twenty-first century, shifting notions of individual and collective Jewish identity, the history and future of Israel, and the evolving relationship between Israel and world Jewry. Submit application online and send electronic copies of the book proposal and manuscript by email. Co-sponsored by the Jewish Book Council and Natan, a nonprofit that supports Jewish and Israeli social innovation through funding new and emerging initiatives, leaders, and thinkers working in a variety of focus areas around the world. There are two submission deadlines per year: April for the Passover/Spring award, and October for the High Holidays/Fall award. The submission deadline for the Spring 2024 award is April 26, 2024, for books published for the first time between September 1, 2023 and October 31, 2024. | ||||||
Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors Contest | 04/26/24 | Individual Poems Short Fiction Creative Nonfiction | Active | $250.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline April 26 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest for writing by US military personnel, veterans, and their families gives prizes of $250 in each of 4 genres: poetry, short fiction, essay, and photography, plus publication in annual anthology from Southeast Missouri State University Press. Submit online and include 75-word bio regarding author's military connection. Entries should be 1-3 poems, maximum 5 single-spaced pages, and prose pieces, maximum 5,000 words each. One entry per genre per person. | ||||||
Al Blanchard Short Crime Story Award | 04/30/24 | Short Fiction | Active | $100.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline April 30 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest awards $100 prize, anthology publication, and New England Crime Bake conference admission for a short crime story, 5,000 words maximum, with a New England setting (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island) or by a New England writer. Mystery, thriller, suspense, caper, and horror genres all welcome. Enter up to two stories by email. Named after mystery writer Al Blanchard, who co-founded the annual New England Crime Bake regional writers' conference. | ||||||
Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize | 04/30/24 | Published Prose Book | Active | C$60,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines February 27, April 30, June 25 (must be received by these dates). Highly recommended free contest from Writers' Trust of Canada awards C$60,000 for novels or short story collections published in Canada between October 1 of the previous year and September 30 of the deadline year by Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Deadline varies depending on when the book was published: Books published between October 1, 2023 and February 26, 2024 must be received by February 27; those published between February 27 and April 29 must be received by April 30; and those published between May 1 and September 30 must be received by June 25. Publisher should send 5 hard copies of the book (or 3 bound galleys, to be followed by at least 2 copies of the book) and submit entry form, PDF of the book, press kit, and list of titles published by that publisher, to establish eligibility via sponsor's online form. See website for detailed requirements. Prize is named after Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson, Writers' Trust co-founders. | ||||||
Claudia Ann Seaman Awards for Young Writers | 04/30/24 | Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | $200.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline April 30 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest for poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction by high school students, aged 14-18, awards $200 in each genre. Award is for work already accepted for publication in the Polyphony Lit annual print magazine; no separate submission process. Poems should be 80 lines maximum, stories and essays 1,800 words maximum. Limit of 3 entries per author across the 3 genres. Enter via online form. | ||||||
CNO Naval History Essay Contest | 04/30/24 | Scholarly Essay | Active | $5,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline April 30 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest awards publication and two top prizes of $5,000 (one to a professional historian and one to a rising historian) for well-researched essays on a naval historical topic that "relates in some way to establishing and maintaining maritime superiority in today's environment" and "provides readers with a lesson learned from history that can be applied to today". The Professional Historians category includes US and international professional historians (historian jobs including history museum curators, archivists, history teachers/professors, PhDs, published history authors); the Rising Historians category includes US Sea Service-wide active, reserve, retired, and civilians who cannot be classified as "professional historians". Author may submit multiple essays, maximum 3,500 words apiece in the Professional Historians category and maximum 3,000 words apiece in the Rising Historians category. Enter online. | ||||||
Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers | 04/30/24 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | C$10,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadlines February 27, April 30, June 25 (must be received by these dates). Recommended free contest from Writers' Trust of Canada awards C$10,000 top prize for a debut book in any genre published in Canada between October 1, 2023 and September 30 of the deadline year by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community. Deadline varies depending on when the book was published: Books published between October 1, 2023 and February 26, 2024 must be received by February 27, those published between February 27 and April 29 must be received by April 30, and those published between May 1 and September 30 must be received by June 25. Publisher should send 5 hard copies of the book and submit entry form, PDF of the book, press kit, and list of qualifying titles published by that publisher, to establish eligibility via sponsor's online form. See website for detailed requirements. Prize is named in memory of editor, writer, and literary manager Dayne Ogilvie. | ||||||
erbacce-prize for poetry | 04/30/24 | Poetry Manuscript | Active | Neutral | ||
Deadline April 30 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 1). Neutral free contest gives top prize of publication of the winner's collected poetry in a perfect-bound edition. Up to two runners-up will be published in chapbook form, and four poets will be selected as "featured poets" in the quarterly poetry journal 'erbacce'. Sponsor prefers "poetry which is radical in form and/or content". Email a 5-page manuscript sample, which may include both published and unpublished poems. Based in Liverpool, UK, erbacce-press was established to give a voice to new and radical poets--those whose work may not have been accepted elsewhere. | ||||||
Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction | 04/30/24 | Published Prose Book | Active | C$75,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines February 27, April 30, June 25 (must be received by these dates). Highly recommended free contest from Writers' Trust of Canada gives top prize of C$75,000 for nonfiction published in Canada between October 1 of the previous year and September 30 of the deadline year by Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Deadline varies depending on when book was published: books published between October 1, 2023 and February 26, 2024 must be received by February 27; those published between February 27 and April 29 must be received by April 30; and those published between May 1 and September 30 must be received by June 25. Publisher should send 5 copies of the book (or 3 bound galleys, to be followed by at least 2 copies of the book) and submit entry form, PDF of the book, press kit, and list of titles published by that publisher, to establish eligibility via sponsor's online form. See website for detailed requirements. | ||||||
Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize for Canadian Youth | 04/30/24 | Individual Poems | Active | C$400.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline April 30 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest for Canadian citizens or residents attending junior high or high school awards top prizes of C$400 in each of two age categories: Junior (grades 7-9) and Senior (grades 10-12). Winning poems will be featured in a special edition chapbook slated for nationwide distribution. Submit 1 poem, 1 page maximum, online. Sponsored by The League of Canadian Poets. | ||||||
Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers | 04/30/24 | Creative Nonfiction | Active | $200.00 | Neutral | |
Deadlines April 30, June 30, August 31, October 31 (must be received by these dates). Neutral free contest gives prizes up to $200 and web publication for essays, 1,000-5,000 words, by unpublished writers, defined as those whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $250 in any single year. Nonfiction categories are General, Biographical, Travel, and Animal. April 30 deadline is for entries in the Animal Nonfiction category; June 30 deadline is for entries in the General Nonfiction category; August 31 deadline is for entries in the Biographical Nonfiction category; and October 31 deadline is for entries in the Travel Nonfiction category. The Preservation Foundation is a Tennessee-based nonprofit with the goal of preserving the extraordinary stories of ordinary people. "Since our object is to preserve these stories for future generations, not to put them up one year and take them down the next, all contest entries will be posted on our website and must remain on the site for as long as the Preservation Foundation exists." Submit up to 2 entries in each of the 4 nonfiction categories via email. | ||||||
Short Story Substack's Monthly Contest | 04/30/24 | Short Fiction | Active | $100.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline January 31 (must be received by this date), subsequent deadlines on the last day of each month. Neutral free contest for short fiction gives a monthly prize of $100 plus 50% of the site's subscription revenue for that month, and publication in their monthly Substack newsletter that is archived on the website. Entries may be published or unpublished, as long as you have the reprint rights. Send one story, 6-10,000 words, by email to shortstorystack@gmail.com as an MS Word or Google Doc file. | ||||||
Toronto Book Awards | 04/30/24 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | C$10,000.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline April 30 (don't enter before January 2). Neutral free contest for published books of literary or artistic merit that are evocative of Toronto, published between May 1, 2023 and May 31, 2024. The winning author is awarded C$10,000; shortlisted authors each receive C$1,000. There are no separate categories: novels, short story collections, books of poetry, biographies, histories, social studies, books about sports, children's/YA books, graphic novels, photographic collections, etc. are judged together. No reprints, textbooks, e-books, ghostwritten or self-published works. Publishers must submit six copies of the book for consideration. A brief description of how/why the book is evocative of Toronto must be included with each submission. Sponsored by Toronto Cultural Partnerships. |