Contest Database

View our curated results of the best free literary contests!

Name	Deadline	Type	Status	Top Prize	WW Rating
Caine Prize for African Writing	02/27/26	Short Fiction	Active	£10,000.00	Highly Recommended
Deadline February 27 (must be received by this date; don't enter before December 1). 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.
Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism	02/27/26	Published Prose Book	Active	$10,000.00	Recommended
Deadline February 27 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 15). Recommended free contest from the Poetry Foundation gives $10,000 for a book-length work of poetry criticism, including critical editions, biographies of poets, and essay collections published in English in the US during the previous calendar year. First-time nominators must register with the online submission portal by February 27. Applications with a 20-page sample of the book should be submitted by March 2.
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships	02/27/26	Fellowship	Active	$27,000.00	Highly Recommended
Deadlines February 27, March 2 (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 January 15). Highly recommended free contest from prestigious Poetry magazine awards five fellowships of $27,000 for US authors aged 21-31 at any time in 2026 who "demonstrate a clear 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.
American Buffalo Books Fiction Prize	02/28/26	Prose Manuscript	Active	$500.00	Neutral
Deadline February 28 (must be received by this date; don't enter before February 1). Neutral free contest gives publication and $500 for a novel, 40,000-80,000 words, that is "set in or explores the Midwest and/or the Great Plains". Former and current Kansas State University students are ineligible. Early entry is strongly encouraged because sponsor has a submissions cap of 100 manuscripts. Enter online.
Black Caucus of the American Library Association Self-Published E-Book Literary Award	02/28/26	Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book	Active	$2,500.00	Highly Recommended
Deadline February 28 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest awards two prizes of $2,500 for self-published e-books of fiction and poetry written by African-Americans that depict the "cultural, historical, or sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora". Author must be the copyright holder of the English-language work. Complete online submission process, which includes uploading the e-book file. Author can submit as many of their ebooks as they would like. Sponsored by the BCALA.
Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction	02/28/26	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.
Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation and Multilingual Texts	02/28/26	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.
Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest	02/28/26	Short Fiction	Active	$500.00	Neutral
Deadline February 28 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest awards three prizes of $500 in English-language, Japanese-language, and youth (under 18) divisions for unpublished stories set in past, present, or future Little Tokyo (Japanese-American region of Los Angeles). Maximum 2,500 words for English entries. Winning stories will be published in The Rafu Shimpo and Discover Nikkei website, and winners will be invited to an award ceremony in Little Tokyo. Submit via email. Include a signed agreement, which can be found on the sponsor's website, along with your entry. Sponsored by the Little Tokyo Historical Society.
Orwell Society Dystopian Fiction Prize	02/28/26	Short Fiction	Active	£750.00	Neutral
Deadline February 28 (must be received by this date; don't enter before November 3). Neutral free contest from the UK-based Orwell Society gives 750 pounds prize, a trophy, and journal publication for a dystopian short story, maximum 3,000 words, by a current undergraduate or postgraduate student at a British university who is also a permanent UK citizen. Enter online.
Sejong Cultural Society Sijo Writing Competition	02/28/26	Individual Poems	Active	$1,000.00	Neutral
Deadline February 28 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest from the Sejong Cultural Society awards prizes up to $1,000 for an English-language sijo poem, 3 lines maximum, by US and Canadian residents on any topic. Be sure to read more about this Korean poetic form in the resources provided on the sponsor's rules page. Entrants must participate in their age-appropriate division: Adult (19+) or Pre-college (18 and under); college students who are 18 as of the deadline date must participate in the adult category. Limit one sijo per author. Enter online.
Short Story Substack's Monthly Contest	02/28/26	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.
Tom Grass Spirit of Adventure Literary Prize	02/28/26	Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction	Active	£1,000.00	Neutral
Deadline February 28 (must be received by this date; don't enter before November 1). Neutral free contest from Steppes Travel, a luxury travel agency in Great Britain, gives prizes up to 1,000 pounds for an unpublished short story or essay, 1,500-3,000 words, that expresses the spirit of adventure. Authors should be over age 25 and have no more than one published full-length book. Contest is free till February 28, then charges 15 pounds per entry till the final deadline of March 31.
'It's All Write!' Teen Writing Contest	03/01/26	Individual Poems Short Fiction	Active	$250.00	Neutral
Deadline March 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 5). Neutral free contest for unpublished short fiction (1,000-2,500 words), flash fiction (75-200 words), and poetry (maximum 2 pages) by Washtenaw County middle and high school students (grades 6-12) awards prizes up to $250 in various age categories. Students may submit one entry per genre via online submission portal. Stories previously submitted to this contest will not be considered. Sponsored by the Ann Arbor District Library.
Flare Magazine Strength in Stories Contest	03/01/26	Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction	Active	$125.00	Neutral
Deadline March 1 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest awards prizes up to $125 and online publication for flash fiction (max 1,200 words), microfiction (max 400 words), short story (max 2,500 words), creative nonfiction (max 2,000 words), poetry, or hybrid/experimental work (max 1,200 words). 2026 theme is "Disability as a Strength". Submit via email. Sponsored by FLARE Magazine.
Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award	03/01/26	Individual Poems Short Fiction	Active	$500.00	Recommended
Deadline March 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 1). Recommended free contest gives prizes of $500 apiece for poetry and fiction writers with no more than one published book in their genre. Prize includes an expenses-paid trip to NYC for a reading and consultation with editors and agents and a month-long residency in Wyoming. Each year, a different US state's residents are eligible for this prize; in 2026, it is open to residents of Connecticut. Poetry submissions must be 7-10 single-spaced pages; fiction submissions must be 25 double-spaced pages maximum. Limit one entry per genre. Submit manuscript(s) and completed contest entry form online. Sponsored by Poets & Writers, the nation's largest nonprofit literary organization serving writers.
Republic of Letters Short Story Contest	03/01/26	Short Fiction	Active	$500.00	Neutral
Deadline March 1 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest awards prizes up to $500 for a short story of any length or theme. Submit via email. Sponsored by the Republic of Letters. Note that sponsor will close submissions once the 100-entry cap is reached; early submissions are encouraged.
Steve Miller BSFS Poetry Contest	03/01/26	Individual Poems	Active	$100.00	Neutral
Deadline March 1. Neutral free contest awards top prize of $100 for previously unpublished poems with science fiction, fantasy, or horror themes. Send 1-3 poems, maximum 60 lines each. Enter by mail, email, or through sponsor's online submission form. Sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Winners are invited to read at Balticon, their annual convention, in May. Winning poems are published in the convention's souvenir book as well as online.
Dr. Grant MacEwan Literary Arts Scholarship	03/02/26	Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction	Active	C$7,000.00	Recommended
Deadline March 2 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest from Alberta Foundation for the Arts awards a C$7,000 scholarship for an Alberta resident aged 25 or under, who "shows extraordinary talent in an eligible literary genre and who demonstrates clear educational or training goals". Eligible genres are short or long fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, stage play, screen play, radio play, and comic book/graphic novel script. Writers should submit entry (15 pages minimum) along with supporting materials. See website for detailed guidelines. Entrants must be able to prove enrollment in an acceptable undergraduate creative writing program of study or other recognized workshop; graduate programs are not eligible. Award honors the late Dr. Grant MacEwan.
North Carolina State Poetry Contest	03/02/26	Individual Poems	Active	$500.00	Neutral
Deadline March 2. Neutral free contest gives $500 for poems by North Carolina residents with no published books. Send 1-3 previously unpublished poems of any length. Previous winners, poets with a published book, UNC-system tenured/tenure-track professors, and NC State writing instructors may not enter. UNC teaching assistants and out-of-state or international undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in North Carolina universities are eligible to enter. No email entries accepted; mail hard copy entries. Prior to 2012, this prize was known as the Brenda L. Smart Grand Prize for Poetry.
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships	03/02/26	Fellowship	Active	$27,000.00	Highly Recommended
Deadlines February 27, March 2 (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 January 15). Highly recommended free contest from prestigious Poetry magazine awards five fellowships of $27,000 for US authors aged 21-31 at any time in 2026 who "demonstrate a clear 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.
Western Australian Premier's Book Awards	03/06/26	Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book	Active	A$15,000.00	Highly Recommended
Deadline March 6 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 12). Highly recommended free contest gives 8 A$15,000 prizes for the best book published or self-published during the preceding calendar year in a variety of genres. Contest is open to authors 18+ who are substantively residents of Western Australia. A Book of the Year prize of A$15,000 will be awarded for a published book in any genre written by a Western Australian resident. An A$15,000 prize for Children's Book of the Year will be awarded for a work of prose, poetry, or narrative nonfiction written for children (0-12 years old), in any genre, by an author residing in Western Australia. An Emerging Writer prize of A$15,000 is open to first-time published authors residing in Western Australia. See website for more details. Authors, publishers, or literary agents may nominate a title using the online form, then send 4 copies of book to the address provided during the online nomination process.
Jacklyn Potter Young Poets Competition	03/15/26	Individual Poems	Active		Highly Recommended
Deadline March 15 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest for high school students gives two winners an honorarium plus reading for Cafe Muse online with an established poet. Email 5 poems (maximum 2 pages per poem), published or unpublished, along with a brief bio. Sponsored by The Word Works, a literary and educational nonprofit.
Lynn DeCaro Poetry Contest	03/15/26	Individual Poems	Active	$150.00	Neutral
Deadline March 15 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 1). Neutral free contest from the Connecticut Poetry Society awards prizes up to $150 for unpublished poems by Connecticut high school students in grades 9-12. Submit 1-3 poems, maximum 40 lines each, via sponsor's online submissions portal.
Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award	03/15/26	Poetry Manuscript	Active	$500.00	Neutral
Deadline March 15 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest for African-American poets awards $500 and publication by Broadside Lotus Press for a poetry manuscript, approximately 60-90 pages. Authors who have already had books published by Lotus Press or Broadside Press are not eligible. Poems in submitted MS may have been published in periodicals or anthologies, but not in other books. Send 2 copies of MS.
Waterman Fund Alpine Essay Contest	03/15/26	Creative Nonfiction	Active	$3,000.00	Recommended
Deadline March 15 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest gives top prize of $3,000 and publication in Appalachia Journal for essays of 2,000-3,000 words that explore the relationship between the human spirit and the environment. Authors must not have been published in a national magazine on the topic of their submission or have previously published a book-length work on topics of wilderness, wildness, or the ethics and ecology of environmental issues. See website for annual theme. Enter by email. The Waterman Fund supports education and stewardship to preserve the Alpine areas of the Northeastern US.
BBC National Short Story Award	03/16/26	Short Fiction	Active	£15,000.00	Highly Recommended
Deadline March 16 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 14). Highly recommended free contest for UK nationals/residents aged 18+ with "a prior record of publication" awards top prize of 15,000 pounds for the best short story up to 8,000 words. Stories must either be unpublished or have been first published during the previous calendar year. See website for detailed eligibility rules. Enter online. Entries may be submitted by author or by their publisher or agent. Co-sponsored by the British Broadcasting Corporation and Cambridge University.
Italian Prose in Translation Award	03/17/26	Published Prose Book	Active	$5,000.00	Recommended
Deadline March 17 (don't enter before January 12). Recommended free contest awards $5,000 for a book of fiction or nonfiction translated from Italian into English and published in the previous year. May be submitted by publisher or translator. Complete nomination form online, then send hard copies of the book submitted to the judges requesting them via the addresses provided in the online entry confirmation email. Sponsored by the American Literary Translators Association.
Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize	03/17/26	Published Poetry Book	Active	$10,000.00	Highly Recommended
Deadline March 17 (don't enter before January 12). Highly recommended free contest awards $10,000 for a book of poetry translated from an Asian language (i.e., Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Sanskrit, Tamil, Thai, or Vietnamese) into English and published in the previous year. Translations of Zen Buddhist source texts are also eligible. May be submitted by publisher or translator. Complete nomination form online, then send hard copies of the book submitted to the judges requesting them via the addresses provided in the online entry confirmation email. Sponsored by the American Literary Translators Association.
Nicholas A. Virgilio Memorial Haiku and Senryu Competition for Grades 7-12	03/20/26	Individual Poems	Active	$250.00	Recommended
Deadline March 20 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 20). Recommended free contest gives publication and six prizes of $250 apiece for the best haiku/senryu by students in grades 7-12 as of the previous September. Submit 1-3 haiku and/or senryu online using sponsor's submission portal. No simultaneous submissions. Co-sponsored by the Nick Virgilio Haiku Association and the Haiku Society of America.
A Public Space Emerging Writer Fellowships	03/31/26	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 six-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	03/31/26	Prose Manuscript	Active	$3,000.00	Highly Recommended
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date). 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.
Archibald Lampman Award	03/31/26	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.
Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award	03/31/26	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 crime fiction, 2,500-5,000 words, by an author of color who has not published more than 9 pieces of short fiction or 2 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.
F. Sean Hodge Prize for Poetry in Medicine	03/31/26	Individual Poems	Active	$250.00	Neutral
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest for poetry by doctors and medical students gives two $250 awards (one for medical students, residents, and fellows, the other for physicians who have completed post-graduate training). Winning poems will be published in The Healing Muse, SUNY Upstate Medical University's literary journal. Enter 1-5 poems through the sponsor's online portal.
Foley Poetry Award	03/31/26	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 fewer. (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.
Jack L. Chalker Young Writers' Contest	03/31/26	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. Up to 3 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	03/31/26	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.
Lewis Galantiere Award	03/31/26	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 2024 or 2025 for the 2026 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	03/31/26	Published Prose Book	Active	£5,000.00	Highly Recommended
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 28). Highly recommended free contest awards Journalism Prize of 3,000 pounds for the best political writing first published between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. Entries may be published journalistic articles, broadcasts, or blogs. All entries 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	03/31/26	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, on this year's theme ("Metamorphosis") via sponsor's online submissions portal. The contest is open to non-professional writers (those who have not met eligibility requirements for SFWA full membership or equivalent: who have not earned over $1,000 from the sale of their writing).
Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation	03/31/26	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, 2025 and March 31, 2026 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	03/31/26	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	03/31/26	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.
Silvers Foundation Grants for Work-in-Progress	03/31/26	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.
Victor Howes Prize in Poetry	03/31/26	Individual Poems	Active	$500.00	Neutral
Deadline March 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before January 27). Neutral free contest from the New England Poetry Club gives $500 for a poem by an undergraduate student currently enrolled at a New England college (2-year or 4-year) who has a demonstrated interest in writing poetry. Enter online by submitting 4 poems of any length, with a brief statement (300 words max) about yourself and what draws you to poetry.