Contest Database
View our curated results of the best free literary contests!
| Name | Deadline | Type | Status | Top Prize | WW Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coppercoat Brian Black Memorial Award | 08/30/26 | Creative Nonfiction | Active | £1,500.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline August 30 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest awards 1,500 pounds for an article of up to 1,800 words about an inspiring encounter while sailing. The 2026 theme is "Our Inspiring Seas". Open to UK residents aged 16 and over. Article must be accompanied by 20-30 original captioned images. Submit work via the sponsor's online form. The sponsor also offers a photography competition in Adult and Junior categories. Sponsored by Yachting Monthly in partnership with Coppercoat. | ||||||
| Debra E. Bernhardt Labor Journalism Prize | 08/31/26 | Scholarly Essay | Active | $1,000.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline August 31 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest gives $1,000 for a published article that furthers the understanding of the history of working people in the US or Canada. Entries should have been published in print or online between September 1, 2024 and August 31 of the deadline year. Articles focused on historical events, and articles about current issues (work, housing, organizing, health, education) that include historical context, are both welcome. Enter by email. Co-sponsored by the New York Labor History Association and LaborArts. | ||||||
| Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction | 08/31/26 | Creative Nonfiction | Active | $250.00 | Neutral | |
Deadlines February 28, August 31 (must be received by these dates; don't enter before February 1, August 1). Neutral twice-yearly contest awards $250 and publication in Lunch Ticket, the literary journal of the Antioch University Los Angeles MFA program, for an unpublished creative nonfiction essay, 3,500 words maximum. Enter via online form. | ||||||
| Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize | 08/31/26 | Published Poetry Book | Active | $3,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline August 31. Recommended free contest from Utica University awards $3,000 for a poetry collection, at least 48 pages long, published between July 1 of the previous year and June 30 of the deadline year by an upstate New York author. Winner must agree to attend award ceremony at Utica University, give a reading, and meet with students in a master class. Entries may be submitted by author or publisher. Send 2 copies plus entry form and CV listing creative and scholarly accomplishments. | ||||||
| Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation and Multilingual Texts | 08/31/26 | Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | $200.00 | Neutral | |
Deadlines February 28, August 31 (must be received by these dates; don't enter before February 1, August 1). Neutral free contest gives $200 and publication in Lunch Ticket for multilingual texts and English translations of poetry or literary prose. Send 1-3 poems (any length) or 1 story/essay (maximum 3,500 words). If submitting a translation, please include a translator's statement as well as the original work along with your translation. See sponsor's terms and conditions regarding rights and permissions for the translated works. Enter online. Lunch Ticket is the literary journal of the MFA community of Antioch University of Los Angeles; the prize is named for Colombian novelist and Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. | ||||||
| Intrepid Times Travel Writing Contest | 08/31/26 | Creative Nonfiction | Active | $300.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline December 10 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest gives $300 prize and online publication for a nonfiction, first-person travel story, 1,500-1,800 words, on a theme that changes each time. For Winter 2025, the theme is "A Human Moment". Sponsored by Intrepid Times, a weekly digital publisher that exclusively features what it calls "travel writing with heart". Intrepid Times runs these themed contests on an irregular schedule, once or twice per calendar year. | ||||||
| Iowa Short Fiction and John Simmons Short Fiction Awards | 08/31/26 | Prose Manuscript | Active | Recommended | ||
Deadline August 31 (don't enter before July 1). Recommended free contest from the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop seeks two manuscripts of short fiction (each 150 double-spaced pages minimum) by authors who have not previously published books of prose fiction in English. (Books in other genres or languages and self-published books do not disqualify you.) Prize is publication by the University of Iowa Press under a standard royalty contract. Enter online or by post. | ||||||
| Kindle Storyteller Award | 08/31/26 | Poetry Manuscript Prose Manuscript | Active | £20,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline August 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before May 1). Recommended free contest from Amazon UK awards top prize of 20,000 pounds for previously unpublished English-language books, minimum 24 pages when in paperback format, in any genre, by authors aged 18+. To qualify, entries must be enrolled in Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Select program online and made available for sale both as an e-book and in print exclusively through Amazon during the entry period. Winner will also receive a marketing campaign to support the winning book on Amazon.co.uk. | ||||||
| PADIBA Awards | 08/31/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | $750.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline August 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before July 1). Neutral free contest gives four prizes of $750 in the categories of Picture Book, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, and Young Adult for books where the main character has two or more marginalized identities, such as race, ethnicity, appearance, disability, neurodivergence, gender and sexual identity, religion, economic class, or family structure. Eligible books must have been traditionally published or scheduled for publication within this calendar year. Online application must be received by the deadline. Sponsor will then send the judges' addresses for mailing the books. PADIBA stands for "Pedro and Daniel Intersectionality Book Award". It is sponsored by Read Your World, the sponsor of Multicultural Children's Book Day. Each $750 prize will be shared equally with the authors, illustrators, and/or translators listed on the book cover. | ||||||
| Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers | 08/31/26 | 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 | 08/31/26 | 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. | ||||||
| Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing | 08/31/26 | Short Fiction | Active | £100.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline August 31 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest gives online publication and top prize of 100 pounds for a short story, maximum 1,500 words, on a theme that changes annually, by a writer age 16+. For 2026, the theme is "Titles", and the sponsor seeks entries that "are shaped by, and reflect, the title they choose" as well as "show how powerfully a title can inspire a story of its own". No simultaneous submissions. Limit one story per author. Entry must be based on the title of one of Val Wood's books, and the story must clearly reflect the chosen title. Stories must not have been previously published, broadcast, or awarded a prize. Enter by email. Prize is named after contest sponsor and British author, Val Wood. | ||||||
| Barbellion Prize | 09/01/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | £1,000.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline September 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before April 2). Neutral free contest awards prizes up to 1,000 pounds for a published fiction or nonfiction book representing disability or illness by an author who is chronically ill, disabled, or who has personal, direct experience with illness or disability. Books must be first editions published between October 1 of the previous year and September 30 of the deadline year. Submit via sponsor's online entry page. | ||||||
| PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers | 09/01/26 | Short Fiction | Active | $2,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline September 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before June 1). Highly recommended free contest from PEN America gives 12 prizes of $2,000 and anthology publication for an author's first published short story, 12,000 words maximum. Entries must be submitted online by editor. Eligible publications may be digital or print literary magazines, journals, or cultural websites. Stories must have been published in or be forthcoming in the current calendar year. Each eligible publication may submit up to 4 stories by different authors. | ||||||
| Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award | 09/01/26 | Prose Manuscript | Active | $1,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline September 1 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest offers $1,000 for an unpublished middle-grade fiction book with Jewish content by a writer with no prior published works of children's literature. Manuscripts should be 64-200 double-spaced pages. Submit your MS., cover letter, CV, and completed application form online. This award from the Association of Jewish Libraries is named for novelist Sydney Taylor, author of the 'All-of-a-Kind Family' classic children's books. | ||||||
| The Observer/Redstone Press Postcard Story Prize | 09/01/26 | Individual Poems Short Fiction | Active | £300.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline September 1 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest awards 300 pounds, publication, and online writing masterclass for a short story, poem, or other piece of writing of up to 250 words inspired by postcard images selected by sponsor. Submit via sponsor's online form. Sponsored by the Redstone Press in partnership with The Observer. | ||||||
| Young Lions Fiction Award | 09/03/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | $10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline September 3 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest sponsored by the New York Public Library awards $10,000 for the best published book of fiction (novel, short story collection, or graphic novel) by a US author age 35 or under. Books must have been published or scheduled for publication during the current calendar year. Must be submitted by publisher. See website for nomination form. Send completed form, PDF of galley or final book manuscript, author's bio, and any available reviews of the work by using sponsor's online portal. Then send 12 hard copies of the nominated book by post with tracking. | ||||||
| Stories Out of School Flash Fiction Contest | 09/06/26 | Short Fiction | Active | $1,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline September 6 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest gives prizes up to $1,000 and possible print and online publication for an unpublished flash fiction piece, 6-499 words, in which the protagonist or narrator is a K-12 teacher. Author need not be a teacher, but they must be 18+. Submit one story online. Sponsored by the Academy for Teachers, which organizes master classes and other events that bring New York City's teachers together with our culture's most brilliant and creative minds. | ||||||
| Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award | 09/07/26 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | £10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline September 7 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest gives prizes up to 10,000 pounds for a published or self-published book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction (all genres compete together) by an author aged 18-35 as of December 31 of the deadline year. Books must have been first published in the UK and/or the Republic of Ireland, in the English language, between November 1 of the preceding year and October 31 of the deadline year. Authors must be UK or Irish citizens, or residents for the three years preceding the award. Send 8 physical books and one electronic copy. Sponsored by the Society of Authors. | ||||||
| Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing | 09/09/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | C$40,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadlines September 9, November 11, January 7 (must be received by these dates). Recommended free contest awards C$40,000 for literary nonfiction books about Canadian politics by Canadian citizens or permanent residents and first published in Canada during the deadline year. Deadline varies depending on when the book was published: Books published between January 1, 2026 and September 8, 2026 must be received by September 9; those published between September 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 must be received by November 11, 2026; and books published between November 11, 2026 and December 31, 2026 must be received by January 7, 2027. Publishers should complete online entry form and upload author and book cover images as well as a PDF copy of each submitted title. Send 5 copies of the book. Sponsored by the Writers' Trust of Canada and named after Shaughnessy Cohen, an outspoken and popular Member of Parliament from Ontario. | ||||||
| Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing | 09/14/26 | Scholarly Essay | Active | $3,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline September 14 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest from Gulf Coast literary journal awards publication and prizes up to $3,000 for a critical art writing piece, maximum 1,500 words, by young and mid-career writers who "deal with the spirit of the age and [are] unafraid to ask difficult questions". Critical art writing genre includes thematic essays, exhibition reviews, scholarly essays, as well as other creative approaches and formats to writing on the visual arts. Previously unpublished work and work that has been published within the last year will be considered. Submit online. | ||||||
| American-Scandinavian Foundation Translation Prizes | 09/15/26 | Poetry Manuscript Prose Manuscript | Active | $5,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline September 15 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest awards $5,000 Nadia Christensen Prize for unpublished English translations of modern poetry, fiction, drama, or literary prose originally written in Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, or Swedish by a Nordic author born after 1900. $2,000 Leif & Inger Sjoberg Prize will be awarded to an individual whose Nordic translations have not previously been published; $2,000 Wigeland Prize will be awarded to a Norwegian translator; $2,000 Inger and Jens Bruun Prize also will be awarded for the best Danish translation; and $2,000 Turid Sigurdardottir Prize will be awarded for a Faroese or Icelandic translation. Submissions should not exceed 25 double-spaced pages of poetry or 50 double-spaced pages of prose. See sponsor's guidelines for additional required application materials. Enter online. Sponsored by the American-Scandinavian Foundation. | ||||||
| Washington State Book Awards | 09/15/26 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | Neutral | ||
Deadlines June 30, September 15, November 15, January 16 (must be received by these dates). Neutral free contest recognizes seven authors for published books of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction/memoir, and general nonfiction/biography for adults, along with children's book awards for picture, young reader, and young adult books, that were published during the calendar year. Authors must currently reside in Washington. An author who lives in Washington part of the year and considers Washington to be home is eligible. Publisher or author should complete entry form online and submit 6 copies of book (4 copies for children's books). Sponsored by The Washington Center for the Book at The Washington State Library. | ||||||
| Bukhman International Booker Prize | 09/24/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | £50,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines July 23, September 24, October 22 (must be received by these dates; don't enter before July 2). Highly recommended free contest awards 50,000 pounds each for author and translator of an English translation of a novel or collection of short stories published in the UK or Ireland between May 1 of the deadline year and April 30 of the following year by an established UK/Ireland imprint. Author and translator need not be UK/Ireland citizens or residents, but entries must be submitted by an established UK/Ireland publisher. E-books and self-translated works welcome, but self-published titles are ineligible. Submit completed entry form, 10 copies of the work, a PDF of the text, and other required materials specified in the contest's full rules of entry by July 23 (if slated for publication between May 1 and November 30, 2026) or September 24 (if slated for publication between December 1, 2026 and April 30, 2027). Any imprint that has more than 3 books to submit may nominate additional titles as call-ins; all call-in nomination forms and other required application materials must be submitted by October 22. Sponsored and coordinated by the Booker Prize Foundation. | ||||||
| Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Contest | 09/30/26 | Short Fiction | Active | $150.00 | Neutral | |
Deadlines January 31, May 31, and September 30 (must be received by these dates). Thrice-yearly free neutral contest awards $150 and web publication for short fiction. The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film, and theatre, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-20th century America. Entries should appeal to a reader with these characteristics. Submit a story of up to 4,000 words (3,000 words is ideal), along with a brief 100-word story synopsis, by email. | ||||||
| L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest | 09/30/26 | 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. | ||||||
| Sejong Cultural Society International Sijo Competition | 09/30/26 | Individual Poems | Active | $500.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline September 30 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest from the Sejong Cultural Society awards a $500 top prize for an English-language sijo poem, 3 lines maximum, on any topic. Be sure to read more about this Korean poetic form in the resources provided on the sponsor's rules page. Submissions must be unpublished and may not have previously won any awards. Limit one sijo per author. Enter online. | ||||||
| Short Story Substack's Monthly Contest | 09/30/26 | 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. | ||||||
| VersoFrontera | 09/30/26 | Poetry Manuscript | Active | Neutral | ||
Deadline September 30 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest from Texas Review Press awards a standard royalty contract for a poetry manuscript in any style or form, 50-100 pages, by any poet writing in English, or a combination of English and Spanish, who has not yet published a full-length collection of poetry. Enter online. Sponsored by Texas Review Press in collaboration with the VersoFrontera Literature and Arts Festival. | ||||||
| Willie Morris Award for Southern Poetry | 09/30/26 | Individual Poems | Active | $3,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline September 30 (must be received by this date; don't enter before July 1). Recommended free contest gives $3,000 and expenses-paid trip to award ceremony in Oxford, Mississippi for an unpublished poem that evokes the American South. Submit one poem, maximum 60 lines, online. | ||||||
| Willie Morris Awards for Southern Fiction and Southern Nonfiction | 09/30/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | $12,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline September 30 (must be received by this date; don't enter before July 1). Highly recommended free contest offers prizes of $12,000 apiece for the authors of a novel and a nonfiction book published in the deadline year and about the Southern US. Winners also receive an expenses-paid trip to Oxford, Mississippi. Authors should be "under-recognized, original voices in conversations about the South". Titles must "ask readers to engage with or reflect on the complexities of the American South"; be uplifting, optimistic, and hopeful; and demonstrate a "sense of period, place, and people". Publisher, editor, or author should submit registration form online and then send one hard copy to prize sponsor. | ||||||
| Working Class Writers Grant | 09/30/26 | Fellowship Fellowship | Active | $1,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline September 30 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 1). Recommended free contest awards $1,000 for published or unpublished writing samples (poetry, drama, fiction, or nonfiction) by working-class, blue-collar, financially disadvantaged, and homeless writers. Submit a sample of up to 10 pages of poetry or drama, or 5,000 words of fiction or creative nonfiction. Along with your writing sample, send a 750-word personal statement that addresses both your relevant financial background and what you hope to accomplish with the help of this grant as well as a 1-page bibliography of any previously published work. If sending a segment of a novel or novella, include 1-page synopsis. See website for other submission requirements. Enter online via sponsor's submissions portal. Sponsored by Speculative Literature Foundation. | ||||||
