Contest Database
View our curated results of the best free literary contests!
Name | Deadline | Type | Status | Top Prize | WW Rating | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize | 10/18/24 | Published Poetry Book | Active | €10,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline October 18 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest from 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. | ||||||
Manchester Cathedral Poetry Competition | 10/23/24 | Individual Poems | Active | £200.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline October 23 (must be received by this date; don't enter before August 27). Neutral free contest gives prizes up to 200 pounds for unpublished poems, 30 lines maximum. The 2024 theme is "Ecopoetry and Place". The first entry is free, additional entries 5 pounds each. Enter by email. This was formerly a contest for religious poetry but that is no longer required. | ||||||
Zocalo Public Square Book Prize | 10/25/24 | Published Prose Book | Active | $10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline October 25 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 20). Highly recommended free contest gives $10,000 for the best US-published nonfiction book, published or forthcoming in the current calendar year, that best enhances our understanding of community and the forces that strengthen or undermine human connectedness and social cohesion. Books may be scholarly or general-interest nonfiction from a variety of disciplines including philosophy, history, journalism, and political science. Submit by mail. | ||||||
Marfield Prize/National Award for Arts Writing | 10/27/24 | Published Prose Book | Active | $10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline October 27 (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. | ||||||
ALCS Tom-Gallon Trust Award | 10/31/24 | Short Fiction | Active | £2,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before August 28). Highly recommended free contest from the Society of Authors gives top prize of 2,000 pounds for a short story (5,000 words maximum) by a resident of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth, or the Republic of Ireland who has had at least one short story published or accepted for publication. Previously published work accepted. Complete your entry form and upload your story online. | ||||||
Authors with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses Literary Prize | 10/31/24 | 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 preceding year and October 31 of the current year. | ||||||
Eric Gregory Awards | 10/31/24 | 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. | ||||||
Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize for Fiction | 10/31/24 | 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. | ||||||
Lex:lead Essay Competition | 10/31/24 | 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 2024, the question to be addressed is "How can laws regulating climate change and the environment 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. | ||||||
McKitterick Prize | 10/31/24 | 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 | 10/31/24 | 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 Society Children's History Book Prize | 10/31/24 | 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 Society. | ||||||
Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers | 10/31/24 | 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. | ||||||
Queer Adventurers LGBTQIA Writing Contest | 10/31/24 | Creative Nonfiction | Active | $150.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before June 30). Neutral free contest gives $150 top prize for personal essays, between 1,000-1,500 words, by LGBTQIA adults on a theme that changes annually. This year's theme is "Border Crossings", and essays must connect this theme to outdoor adventures and LGBTQ+ identity. Submissions are accepted via sponsor's online Google Form; upload your essay as a Google Doc, provide a brief bio, and complete a demographic survey. | ||||||
Short Story Substack's Monthly Contest | 10/31/24 | 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. | ||||||
Solstice Prize for Young Writers | 10/31/24 | Individual Poems Short Fiction | Active | £100.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest from Writing East Midlands gives prizes of 100 pounds in each age category (7-11, 12-14, 15-17, and 18-25 years) for unpublished nature-themed poems, stories, or blog posts by young writers residing in the UK. Send one poem, maximum 40 lines, or one prose piece, maximum 500 words, by mail or online. For 2024, sponsor seeks entries about any aspect of nature. | ||||||
USNI General Prize Essay Contest | 10/31/24 | 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. Authors must be USNI members or those eligible for membership. Essays must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere; no simultaneous submissions. Enter via sponsor's online submissions portal. | ||||||
Writers & Artists Working-Class Writers' Prize | 10/31/24 | Novel Excerpt Prose Manuscript | Active | £200.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest gives 200 pounds prize, mentoring sessions, networking event opportunities, a complimentary one-year membership to The Society of Authors, and various Bloomsbury books to an unagented and uncontracted UK or Republic of Ireland resident age 18+ who self-identifies as a writer from a working-class background, for a writing sample (2,000 words maximum) that must be the beginning of an unpublished prose work-in-progress. Aside from the writing sample mentioned earlier, entrants are also required to submit a one-page synopsis for the full manuscript and a 200-word piece of writing about themselves and why this prize speaks to them. Submit these materials using the sponsor's online entry form. Sponsored by Bloomsbury Publishing, publisher of The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook, an annual directory of markets and advice for writers. | ||||||
Bennington College's Young Writers Awards | 11/01/24 | Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | $1,000.00 | 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 $1,000 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. | ||||||
Commonwealth Short Story Prize | 11/01/24 | Short Fiction | Active | £5,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 1). Highly recommended free contest for citizens of the British Commonwealth (the UK and countries once ruled by the British Empire) aged 18+ awards up to 5,000 pounds for an unpublished short story, 2,000-5,000 words. One entry per person; must be submitted by the author. Story must not have been published before May 1 of the year following the deadline. Translations into English are eligible if translator is also a citizen of a Commonwealth country. Enter online only. See full terms and conditions on sponsor's website. Sponsored by Commonwealth Foundation, a cultural initiative which encourages emerging writers from the Commonwealth regions of Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. | ||||||
Evaristo African Poetry Prize | 11/01/24 | 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 pounds 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. | ||||||
International Booker Prize | 11/01/24 | Published Prose Book | Active | £25,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines September 6, November 1, December 13 (must be received by these dates; don't enter before July 10). Highly recommended free contest awards 25,000 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, and other required materials specified in the contest's full rules of entry by September 6 (if slated for publication between May 1 and December 31, 2024) or December 13 (if slated for publication between December 31, 2024 and April 30, 2025). Any imprint that has more than 6 books to submit may nominate additional titles as call-ins; all call-in nomination forms and other required application materials must be submitted by November 1. Sponsored by the Booker Prize Foundation and coordinated by Parallel.Net. | ||||||
PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers | 11/01/24 | Short Fiction | Active | $2,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 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 the first published short story, 12,000 words maximum, by a US citizen or permanent resident. 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 are forthcoming in the current calendar year. Each eligible publication may submit up to 4 stories by different authors. | ||||||
Quarterly West Poetry and Prose Contests | 11/01/24 | Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | $500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 1). Recommended free contest gives publication and prizes up to $500 for previously unpublished poetry or prose (prizes awarded in each genre). For poetry, submit 1-3 poems, totaling 8 pages maximum; for prose, submit one longer piece (maximum 6,000 words) OR 1-3 flash prose pieces (maximum 1,000 words apiece). Limit one entry per genre. Note that submissions are capped at 600 entries in poetry and 500 entries in prose for the current 2024 contest, so early entry is strongly encouraged. Enter online. Sponsored by Quarterly West, an online literary journal run by students in the University of Utah's creative writing PhD program. | ||||||
Stowe Prize for Literary Activism | 11/01/24 | Published Prose Book | Active | $10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 30). 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. | ||||||
Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize | 11/01/24 | Individual Poems | Active | $1,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 1). 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". Also, the top three 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. | ||||||
William F. Deeck Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers | 11/01/24 | 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. | ||||||
Disabled Poets Prize | 11/04/24 | Individual Poems Poetry Chapbook | Active | £500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 4 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 9). Recommended free contest awards prizes up to 500 pounds for unpublished poems and poetry chapbook manuscripts ("pamphlets" in the UK) by deaf or disabled authors aged 18+ in the UK. The winning chapbook will also be published by Verve Poetry Press. Each entrant may submit one poem, 40 lines maximum, and one manuscript, 28 pages maximum with 27 lines per page. Submit by mail or online. | ||||||
Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing | 11/05/24 | Published Prose Book | Active | C$25,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadlines October 1, November 5 (must be received by these dates; don't enter before August 14). Recommended free contest awards C$25,000 for literary nonfiction books about Canadian politics by Canadian citizens or permanent residents and first published in Canada during the eligibility period. Deadline varies depending on when the book was published: Books published between April 1, 2024 and September 30, 2024 must be received by October 1; those published between October 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024 must be received by November 5. 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. | ||||||
Dylan Thomas Prize | 11/08/24 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | £20,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 8 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 9). 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. | ||||||
Leonard L. Milberg '53 High School Poetry Prize | 11/10/24 | Individual Poems | Active | $1,500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 10 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 21). Recommended free contest sponsored by the Princeton University creative writing program awards prizes up to $1,500 for poems of any length by 11th-graders (high school juniors). Winners published on website. Contest is judged by the Princeton University creative writing faculty, which includes many acclaimed authors. Submit up to three poems online. | ||||||
Brooklyn Nonfiction Prize | 11/15/24 | 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 | 11/15/24 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | Neutral | ||
Deadline November 15 (must be received by this date; don't enter before August 15). 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, and books published by vanity or print-on-demand presses. Publisher should complete entry form online and send 6 copies of book. | ||||||
Washington State Book Awards | 11/15/24 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | Neutral | ||
Deadlines June 30, September 15, November 15, January 17 (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. | ||||||
Arts & Letters Awards | 11/20/24 | Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | C$1,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 20 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 1). Highly recommended free contest for residents of the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Prizes are as follows: senior division (age 21+): numerous awards of C$1,000 (poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, dramatic script, and French language); junior division (15 years and under compete separately from ages 16-20): numerous awards of C$350 (poetry, prose, and French language). Entries must have been written by one author in the past 12 months and be unpublished. Only one submission per person per art form (literary arts, French language, music, visual arts, or digital multimedia); i.e., literature entrants must choose between poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama genres. Submit your completed application form and your entry by email. | ||||||
Jewish Children's Book Awards | 11/29/24 | Prose Manuscript | Active | £1,000.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline November 29 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest gives two prizes of 1,000 pounds apiece (one for a writer, one for an illustrator) for a previously unpublished English-language story, 1,200 words maximum, that is suitable for readers aged 4-8 and is "Jewish in content, either inspired or informed by Jewish history, folklore, values, festivals, or texts" by Jewish authors/illustrators aged 16+ living in Europe and the UK. Submissions may also be made in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian, and Yiddish. No simultaneous submissions. Enter online, and be sure to include an explanatory note in English describing the Jewish content in under 200 words. All entries will be considered for publication by contest sponsor Green Bean Books, a family-owned Jewish children's book publisher. Individuals may enter both the writer and illustrator prizes but must enter each prize separately. For full details about the illustrator prize, see the sponsor's rules page. Enter via email. | ||||||
Anita McAndrews Poetry Award | 11/30/24 | Individual Poems | Active | $200.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline November 30 (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. 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, and permission to publish; short bio is optional. Sponsored by the Poets for Human Rights organization. | ||||||
Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize | 11/30/24 | Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | £750.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 30 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest for UK residents aged 18-25 gives prizes up to 750 pounds for short fiction or essays of 1,000-1,500 words on a question exploring Franklin's relevance in our time. 2024 theme is the Benjamin Franklin quote "Truth will be Truth tho' it sometimes prove[s]...distasteful." Entrants should interpret this quote for its significance today. Enter by email. | ||||||
Betty Trask Prize | 11/30/24 | Prose Manuscript | Active | £10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 30 (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 also must be under 35 as of December 31 of the deadline year. If published, the work must have been published between December 1 of the previous year and the deadline date. Send 5 copies of book (if published), or upload the ms. online (if unpublished). Complete entry form online. Sponsored by the Society of Authors. | ||||||
Queen's Knickers Award | 11/30/24 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | £5,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 30 (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 two titles per imprint. Publisher should complete the online entry form and upload a digital version of the book, then send 5 hard copies of the title by post. | ||||||
Renee Duke Youth Poetry Award | 11/30/24 | Individual Poems | Active | $100.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline November 30 (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. 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. | ||||||
ServiceScape Short Story Award | 11/30/24 | Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | $1,000.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline November 30 (must be received by this date; don't enter before December 1). 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. | ||||||
Short Story Substack's Monthly Contest | 11/30/24 | 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. | ||||||
Somerset Maugham Awards | 11/30/24 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | £4,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 30 (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 five copies of the book. Limit two entries per imprint. Sponsored by the Society of Authors. | ||||||
UNT Rilke Prize | 11/30/24 | 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. |