Contest Database
View our curated results of the best free literary contests!
| Name | Deadline | Type | Status | Top Prize | WW Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eye Contact Genre Flash Fiction Prize | 10/24/26 | Short Fiction | Active | $250.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline October 24 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest awards $250 and publication for an unpublished flash fiction story of up to 1,000 words. Contest is offered twice a year, with a different genre and theme for each contest. For October 2026, genre is science fiction and theme is "Legacy". Submit via sponsor's email. Sponsored by Eye Contact Magazine, a student literary magazine at Seton Hill University. | ||||||
| Authors with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses Literary Prize | 10/31/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | £2,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest from the Society of Authors gives 2,000 pounds for a published or self-published novel which is by a disabled or chronically ill author in the UK or Ireland and which includes disabled or chronically ill characters. Books must have been published in the UK between November 1 of the calendar year before last and October 31 of the current year. | ||||||
| Betty Trask Prize | 10/31/26 | Published Prose Book Prose Manuscript | Active | £10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before August 28). Highly recommended free contest awards top prize of 10,000 pounds for a first novel (published or unpublished) of "a romantic or traditional nature", i.e. not experimental. Author must be a British national or a resident of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the Commonwealth for at least 3 years. Author must be under 35 as of the deadline date. If published, the work must have been published between November 1 of the previous year and the deadline date. Send 5 copies of book (if published), or upload the manuscript online (if unpublished). Complete entry form online. Sponsored by the Society of Authors. | ||||||
| Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize | 10/31/26 | Poetry Chapbook | Active | $500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest awards $500 and chapbook publication by Northwestern University Press for a poetry manuscript, 25-35 pages, by an emerging poet of color who is a US citizen and has not previously published a book-length volume of poetry. Winner also receives 15 copies of their book. Simultaneous submissions to other contests should be noted. See sponsor's guidelines online for details. Email MS and submission form. Co-sponsored by Northwestern University’s Poetry and Poetics Colloquium and Northwestern University Press to celebrate and publish works of lasting cultural value and literary excellence by minority poets. | ||||||
| Eric Gregory Awards | 10/31/26 | Individual Poems | Active | £4,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before August 28). Highly recommended free contest gives prizes totaling 20,000 pounds for a collection of up to 30 poems, drama-poems, or belles-lettres, maximum 50 pages total, by a writer who will be under age 30 as of the deadline date. The author must be a British national or a resident in Great Britain and Northern Ireland for at least three years. Previously published work accepted. Submit your application and poems online. | ||||||
| Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence | 10/31/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | $15,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before April 1). Highly recommended free contest for a book of fiction (novel or short story collection) by an emerging African-American US citizen published during the current calendar year gives $15,000 and travel-expenses-paid trip to Baton Rouge, LA for award ceremony. Winner must participate in educational activities and small creative writing workshops with local students during the week of ceremony. No self-published books. Send entry form and 8 copies of book (or galleys if necessary). Sponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. | ||||||
| Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize for Fiction | 10/31/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | £2,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before August 28). Recommended free contest from the Society of Authors awards prizes up to 2,000 pounds for a full-length, English-language novel focusing on the experience of travel away from home by a UK or Irish writer that was first published in the UK or Ireland between November 1 of the previous year and the deadline date. Publisher must complete sponsor's online entry form; limit two entries per imprint. | ||||||
| John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize | 10/31/26 | Published Poetry Book | Active | €10,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest awards 10,000 euros for an English-language debut poetry collection, 48 pages minimum, first published between October 1 of the previous year and the deadline date. Publisher should email a PDF of the book and a brief author bio (200 words maximum); the sponsor will then provide the publisher with a mailing address where four hard copies of the published book must be sent. Sponsored by Trinity College Dublin's Trinity Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing. | ||||||
| Lex:lead Essay Competition | 10/31/26 | Scholarly Essay | Active | $500.00 | Neutral | |
Deadlines October 31 (must be registered online by this date) and December 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before December 1). Neutral free contest awards up to 15 one-time scholarships of $500 each for English-language essays on a law and economic development topic that changes annually, written by law students who are studying in and citizens of the world's least developed countries, across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. See list of eligible nations in sponsor's downloadable rules document. For 2026, the question to be addressed is "How can artificial intelligence (AI) be regulated to reduce poverty and support economic development?" Although any and all references used by the writer must be cited within the essay, sponsor is "looking for insight and ideas that solve the problem posed; not a review of academic literature on the subject". Send your essay, maximum 5 single-spaced pages, via email. Based in New York City, Lex:lead is a nonprofit organization of lawyers seeking to create greater economic advancement and development worldwide. | ||||||
| Marfield Prize/National Award for Arts Writing | 10/31/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | $10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest awards $10,000 for a nonfiction book first published in the US in the current calendar year about an artistic discipline (e.g., visual, literary, performing, or media arts). Publishers, agents, or authors should complete the entry form and submit 3 copies of the book. Winner will participate in a short, all-expenses-paid residency in Washington, DC. Sponsored by the Arts Club of Washington. | ||||||
| McKitterick Prize | 10/31/26 | Published Prose Book Prose Manuscript | Active | £4,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before August 28). Highly recommended free contest awards 4,000 pounds for a first novel by an author over age 40 as of the deadline date. The work must either have been first published in the UK between November 1 of the previous year and the deadline date (and not first published abroad), or be unpublished. Publisher or author must submit application online; send 5 copies of the published book and upload a digital version of the book, OR upload the first 30 pages of the manuscript. Sponsored by the Society of Authors and named after Tom McKitterick, the former editor of Political Quarterly. | ||||||
| Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest | 10/31/26 | Individual Poems | Active | $350.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date). Recommended free poetry contest for female/female-identified US high school sophomores and juniors (grades 10-11) gives top prize of $350, a $5,000 annually renewable scholarship if winner enrolls at Hollins, publication in Cargoes (Hollins' student literary magazine), as well as expenses paid to the summer creative writing program. No simultaneous submissions permitted; entries must not be under consideration elsewhere. To enter, student must have a faculty sponsor at her high school or preparatory school. Submit up to 2 poems of any length online. | ||||||
| New York Historical Children's History Book Prize | 10/31/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | $10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest gives $10,000 for the best book of nonfiction history or historical fiction for middle-grade readers that was published in the US in the current calendar year. Send 6 copies to the director of the DiMenna Children's History Museum at the New York Historical. | ||||||
| Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers | 10/31/26 | 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. | ||||||
| Queen's Knickers Award | 10/31/26 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | £5,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before August 28). Recommended free contest from the Society of Authors awards 5,000 pounds top prize to the author and illustrator of a children’s illustrated book for ages 0-7 (any combination of words and/or pictures, or just pictures) that "strikes a quirky, new note and grabs the attention of a child ... [via] curiosity, amusement, horror, or excitement". Work must have been first published in the UK and Republic of Ireland between September 1 of the previous year to August 31 of the deadline year. Submissions must be made by the print publisher, and publisher may submit no more than three titles per imprint. Publisher should complete the online entry form and upload a digital version of the book, then send 4 hard copies of the title by post. | ||||||
| Short Story Substack's Monthly Contest | 10/31/26 | 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. | ||||||
| Somerset Maugham Awards | 10/31/26 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | £4,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before August 28). Recommended free contest for published books of poetry and prose gives a stipend for foreign travel. Prize amounts vary from year to year, but have been approximately 4,000 pounds. Entrants must be British nationals or have resided in Great Britain or Northern Ireland for at least 3 years; authors also must be under age 30 as of the deadline date. Book must have been first published in Britain during the current calendar year. The work submitted may be poetry, fiction, criticism, biography, history, philosophy, belles-lettres, or a travel book; dramatic works are not eligible. Publisher must complete entry form online, and send four copies of the book. Limit two entries per imprint. Sponsored by the Society of Authors. | ||||||
| USNI General Prize Essay Contest | 10/31/26 | Scholarly Essay | Active | $6,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest from the US Naval Institute gives top prize of $6,000 for previously unpublished essays, maximum 3,000 words, on a topic that "advances the understanding of sea power (Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) and other issues critical to global security". See website for this year's specific theme. Open to active-duty military, reservists, veterans, and civilians. Essays must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere; no simultaneous submissions. Enter via sponsor's online submissions portal. | ||||||
| Bennington College's Young Writers Awards | 11/01/26 | Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | $2,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 1). Recommended free contest awards online publication and prizes up to $2,000 in each of three categories (poetry, fiction, and nonfiction) to high school students. Finalists and winners are also eligible for sizeable, four-year undergraduate scholarships at Bennington if they ultimately enroll there. Entries must be sponsored by a high school teacher; writing by homeschooled students must be sponsored by a mentor. Enter online in one category only (a group of three poems, a short story of 1,500 words maximum, or a personal or academic essay of 1,500 words maximum). Sponsored by Bennington College, a private liberal arts college in Vermont. | ||||||
| Evaristo African Poetry Prize | 11/01/26 | Individual Poems | Active | $1,500.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 1). Highly recommended free contest awards $1,500 for a selection of 10 poems, 40 lines maximum per poem, by a writer who was born in Africa, who is a national or resident of an African country, or whose parents are African. Authors must not have had a full-length poetry book published. Contest is named in honor of British writer Bernardine Evaristo and sponsored by the African Poetry Book Fund, a project of the University of Nebraska. Enter online. | ||||||
| Stowe Prize for Literary Activism | 11/01/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | $10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 1). Highly recommended free contest gives a $10,000 award to a US author whose prose work (fiction and nonfiction compete together) "illuminates a critical social justice issue in contemporary society in the United States". Nominated work must have been published in the US within the past 3 years. Authors may self-nominate. This prize was launched in 2011 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the antislavery classic 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'. Complete sponsor's online entry form. | ||||||
| William F. Deeck Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers | 11/01/26 | Prose Manuscript | Active | $2,500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before May 1). Recommended free contest awards $2,500 grant for a novel-in-progress in the malice domestic genre (i.e., traditional mystery books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie) to an author with no previous mystery publications. Required application materials to be submitted as an email attachment include an explanation of how the grant would be used, confirmation that the author has not been published in the mystery genre in any form, a short bio, a plot synopsis (200 words maximum), the first three chapters of the work-in-progress, and the candidate's contact information. Submit by email. Sponsored by Malice Domestic Ltd., a Maryland-based nonprofit for enthusiasts of this literary genre. | ||||||
| Dylan Thomas Prize | 11/06/26 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | £20,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 6 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 7). Highly recommended free contest from Swansea University awards 20,000 pounds, plus 500 pounds for shortlisted authors, for published books of poetry, fiction (novel, novella, or short story collection), radio scripts, or screenplays by authors aged 18-39. Eligible books must have been written by only one author and commercially published for the first time in the English language during the calendar year in which the deadline falls. Publisher must submit signed entry form, electronic version of the title, and 10 hard copies of the work for consideration. Publishers of shortlisted authors must agree to contribute 30 additional free copies and up to 2,500 pounds for publicity. | ||||||
| RSL Christopher Bland Prize | 11/06/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | £10,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 6 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest from the Royal Society of Literature gives 10,000 pounds for a debut book of fiction or nonfiction by an author who was aged 50+ at time of publication. Books must be submitted by an agent or publisher. Open to residents of the UK or the Republic of Ireland. | ||||||
| Neltje Blanchan/Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Awards | 11/09/26 | Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | $1,000.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline November 9 (must be received by this date, don't enter before September 14). Neutral free contest offers two prizes of $1,000 for creative writing by Wyoming residents aged 18+ with no more than one published book in each genre (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and script). Doubleday Award is for women only; Blanchan Award is for writing inspired by nature. Entries in all genres compete together. Entrant may not be a full-time high school or college student or faculty member. Complete your entry form and submit your work (poetry, maximum of 10 single-spaced pages; prose and drama, maximum of 25 double-spaced pages) online. | ||||||
| Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing | 11/11/26 | 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. | ||||||
| Brooklyn Nonfiction Prize | 11/15/26 | Creative Nonfiction | Active | $500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 15 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest gives $500 for the best Brooklyn-focused nonfiction essay which is set in Brooklyn and is about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters by writers age 18+. Winner and runners-up will be invited to read at the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival. These and other shortlisted entries will be published on the website. Editors are seeking compelling Brooklyn stories from writers with a broad range of backgrounds and ages who can render Brooklyn's rich soul and intangible qualities through the writer's actual experiences in Brooklyn. Essays should be 4-10 pages, maximum 2,500 words. Enter by email. | ||||||
| California Book Awards | 11/15/26 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | Neutral | ||
Deadline November 15 (must be received by this date; don't enter before August 1). Neutral free contest for books whose authors lived in California when the work was accepted for publication. Gold medals are awarded in the genres of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, first work of fiction, Californiana, notable contribution to publishing, juvenile literature (ages 0-12), and young adult literature. Poetry winners have been established writers. Entries must have been published during the current calendar year. No e-books, self-published titles, or books published by vanity presses. Publisher should complete entry form online and send 6 copies of book. | ||||||
| Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize | 11/15/26 | Individual Poems | Active | $1,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 15 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 15). Highly recommended free contest gives prizes up to $1,000 to US poets for previously unpublished poems of any length that "help make real for readers the gravity of the vulnerable state of our environment at present". The top four winning poems will be published in the Academy of American Poets' Poem-A-Day digital series, reaching 500,000+ readers. Poems may be submitted in Spanish but must be accompanied by an English translation. Performance or Spoken Word poets may submit their work via audio recording. Submit one entry online. | ||||||
| Washington State Book Awards | 11/15/26 | 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. | ||||||
| Anita McAndrews Poetry Award | 11/22/26 | Individual Poems | Active | $200.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline November 22 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest awards top prize of $200 for unpublished poem (1 page maximum) on topics relating to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 2026 theme is 'Survive!: Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person'. No simultaneous submissions. Email submissions to poetsforhumanrights@gmail.com in the body of the email or as a PDF attachment (no hyperlinks or Word documents); include cover sheet with name, address, telephone number, poem title, permission to publish, and short bio. Write 'poetry contest' in subject line. Sponsored by the Poets for Human Rights organization. | ||||||
| Renee Duke Youth Poetry Award | 11/22/26 | Individual Poems | Active | $100.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline November 22 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest gives $100 for an unpublished poem (maximum 1 page) by youth (aged 19 and under) relating to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 2026 theme is 'Human Rights Heroes'. No simultaneous submissions. Limit one entry per poet. Enter by email only. Write "poetry contest" in subject line. Include name, address, telephone number, age, school and grade, poem title, and permission to publish; short bio is optional. Sponsored by the Poets for Human Rights organization. | ||||||
| Encore Award | 11/30/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | £15,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 30 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest awards top prize of 15,000 pounds for a second novel published during the previous calendar year. Authors must have resided in the UK or the Republic of Ireland for the past three years, and the submitted book must have been first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland within the deadline year. UK publishers should complete the online entry form, upload a digital copy of the book, and mail 4 hard copies. Administered by the Society of Authors, formerly by the Royal Society of Literature (2016-2025). | ||||||
| Gotham Book Prize | 11/30/26 | Published Prose Book | Active | $50,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 30 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest awards $50,000 prize for a full-length book of fiction or nonfiction published during the calendar year that either focuses on or takes place in New York City. Nominate a book by completing the online form. Sponsored by political strategists and New Yorkers Howard Wolfson and Bradley Tusk. | ||||||
| ServiceScape Short Story Award | 11/30/26 | Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | $1,000.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline November 30 (must be received by this date; don't enter before December 1 of the previous year). Neutral free contest gives $1,000 and web publication for an unpublished story or personal essay, 5,000 words maximum, by an author aged 18+. Enter online. Headquartered in Andover, MA, ServiceScape is a global marketplace for freelance professionals. | ||||||
| UNT Rilke Prize | 11/30/26 | Published Poetry Book | Active | $10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 30 (don't enter before August 1). Highly recommended free contest from the University of North Texas awards $10,000 for a published book by a mid-career poet. Prize includes travel expenses for readings at UNT in the fall of the following year. Entrants must have published at least two previous books of poetry (excluding chapbooks). Eligible books must have been published between November 1 of the preceding year and October 31 of the deadline year. Publisher or author should submit three copies of book and entry form. | ||||||
