Contest Database
View our curated results of the best free literary contests!
| Name | Deadline | Type | Status | Top Prize | WW Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALCS Tom-Gallon Trust Award | 10/31/25 | 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. | ||||||
| Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest for Students | 10/31/25 | Scholarly Essay | Active | $25,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines July 31, October 31, December 27 (must be received by these dates). Highly recommended free contest for high school, college, and graduate students awards $25,000 annual grand prize, three $3,000 top seasonal prizes, and other large prizes, for essays on Ayn Rand's novel 'Atlas Shrugged'. After registering online for the contest, students will receive instant access to the book, the essay prompts, as well as the word limit. The winning essays in the three seasonal contests are eligible to win the annual grand prize. A student can enter any or all of the three seasonal rounds. Enter online. Contest is looking for entries that are sympathetic to Rand's rationalist, libertarian philosophy. See sponsor's website for other student contests. | ||||||
| Betty Trask Prize | 10/31/25 | 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 Highly recommended free contest awards top prize of 10,000 pounds for a first novel (published or unpublished) of "a romantic or traditional nature", i.e. not experimental.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 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 Send 5 copies of book (if published), or upload the manuscript online (if unpublished). Complete entry form online. Sponsored by the Society of Authors. | ||||||
| Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize | 10/31/25 | 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 | 10/31/25 | 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 | 10/31/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | $15,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline October 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before May 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. | ||||||
| Fountainhead Essay Contest for Middle and High School Students | 10/31/25 | Scholarly Essay | Active | $25,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines July 31, October 31, December 20 (must be received by these dates). Highly recommended free contest for middle and high school students in grades 8-12 awards $25,000 annual grand prize, three $3,000 top seasonal prizes, and other large prizes, for essays on Ayn Rand's novel 'The Fountainhead'. After registering for the contest online, student will receive instant access to the book, the essay prompt(s), as well as the word limit. The winning essays in the three seasonal contests are eligible to win the annual grand prize. A student can enter any or all of the three seasonal rounds. Submit your essay online. Contest is looking for entries that are sympathetic to Rand's rationalist, libertarian philosophy. See sponsor's website for other student contests. | ||||||
| Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize for Fiction | 10/31/25 | 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 | 10/31/25 | 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 2025, the question to be addressed is "How can legal frameworks be strengthened to promote sustainable infrastructure while balancing economic growth, environmental protection and social equity?" 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 | 10/31/25 | 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 | 10/31/25 | 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 | 10/31/25 | 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 | 10/31/25 | 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 | 10/31/25 | 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 | 10/31/25 | 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 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. | ||||||
| Short Story Substack's Monthly Contest | 10/31/25 | 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 Nature Prize for Young Writers | 10/31/25 | 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. No simultaneous submissions. For 2025, sponsor seeks entries about any aspect of nature. | ||||||
| Somerset Maugham Awards | 10/31/25 | 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 five copies of the book. Limit two entries per imprint. Sponsored by the Society of Authors. | ||||||
| USNI General Prize Essay Contest | 10/31/25 | 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. | ||||||
| Women's Prize for Fiction | 10/31/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | £30,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines August 29, October 31, November 28 (must be received by these dates; don't enter before July 7). Highly recommended free contest offers 30,000 pounds for full-length novels (no short story collections or novellas) by women, first published in the UK between April 1 of the current year and March 31 of the following year. Deadline varies depending on title's publication schedule. Translations and self-published books are not eligible. No fee, but publishers must contribute significantly toward the publicity budget for shortlisted books. Publishers should read detailed eligibility conditions on website closely before submitting. Publishers with a list of 15 or more fiction titles per year may submit up to 2 book-length novels; publishers with a list of 14 fiction titles or fewer may submit 1 book-length novel. Publishers must complete online entry form and send both a print-ready PDF file and 6 hard copies for each submitted title. It is the UK's most prestigious annual book award for fiction written by a woman. Formerly known as the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, it is now simply the Women's Prize for Fiction. | ||||||
| Bennington College's Young Writers Awards | 11/01/25 | 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. | ||||||
| Commonwealth Short Story Prize | 11/01/25 | 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 | 11/01/25 | 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. | ||||||
| Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World | 11/01/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | $2,500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 1). Recommended free contest from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators gives $2,500 for a book of nonfiction for children that was published in the current calendar year. Winner also receives recognition in all SCBWI publications, and a virtual forum to give a speech before the entire children’s book community. To enter, email a PDF of your book, a 250-word summary of your book and a 250-word essay on how your book will create a better world. | ||||||
| Stowe Prize for Literary Activism | 11/01/25 | 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 | 11/01/25 | 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. | ||||||
| Derricotte/Eady Chapbook Prize | 11/03/25 | Poetry Chapbook | Active | $1,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 3 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 1). Highly recommended free contest awards $1,000 and publication for a poetry chapbook manuscript by an author aged 21+ who identifies as a member of the African Diaspora. One manuscript per poet. Read detailed guidelines on the sponsor's page and on Submittable. Enter online. Sponsored by Cave Canem, a nonprofit that supports and publishes Black poets, in partnership with O, Miami and in collaboration with The Writer's Room at The Betsy Hotel-South Beach. | ||||||
| Jewish Children's Book Awards | 11/05/25 | Short Fiction | Active | £1,000.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline November 5 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest gives one of 1,000 pounds 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 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. Enter via email. | ||||||
| Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing | 11/05/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | C$25,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadlines September 10, November 5, January 7 (must be received by these dates). 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 deadline year. Deadline varies depending on when the book was published: Books published between January 1, 2025 and August 31, 2025 must be received by September 10; those published between September 1, 2025 and October 31, 2025 must be received by November 5; and those published between November 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025 must be received by January 7, 2026. 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 | 11/07/25 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | £20,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 7 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 8). 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. | ||||||
| Brooklyn Nonfiction Prize | 11/15/25 | 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 | 11/15/25 | 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 | 11/15/25 | 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 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. | ||||||
| Washington State Book Awards | 11/15/25 | 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. | ||||||
| Neltje Blanchan/Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Awards | 11/17/25 | Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | $1,000.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline November 17 (must be received by this date, don't enter before September 19). 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. | ||||||
| Arts & Letters Awards | 11/19/25 | Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | C$1,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 19 (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. | ||||||
| Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize | 11/19/25 | Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | £750.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 19 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 17). 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. 2025 theme is the Benjamin Franklin quote "A republic, if you can keep it." Entrants should interpret this quote for its significance today. Enter by email. | ||||||
| Anita McAndrews Poetry Award | 11/22/25 | 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. 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. Write 'poetry contest' in subject line. Sponsored by the Poets for Human Rights organization. | ||||||
| Renee Duke Youth Poetry Award | 11/22/25 | 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. 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. | ||||||
| PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers | 11/25/25 | Short Fiction | Active | $2,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline November 25 (must be received by this date; don't enter before June 25). 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 be forthcoming in the current calendar year. Each eligible publication may submit up to 4 stories by different authors. | ||||||
| Women's Prize for Fiction | 11/28/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | £30,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines August 29, October 31, November 28 (must be received by these dates; don't enter before July 7). Highly recommended free contest offers 30,000 pounds for full-length novels (no short story collections or novellas) by women, first published in the UK between April 1 of the current year and March 31 of the following year. Deadline varies depending on title's publication schedule. Translations and self-published books are not eligible. No fee, but publishers must contribute significantly toward the publicity budget for shortlisted books. Publishers should read detailed eligibility conditions on website closely before submitting. Publishers with a list of 15 or more fiction titles per year may submit up to 2 book-length novels; publishers with a list of 14 fiction titles or fewer may submit 1 book-length novel. Publishers must complete online entry form and send both a print-ready PDF file and 6 hard copies for each submitted title. It is the UK's most prestigious annual book award for fiction written by a woman. Formerly known as the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, it is now simply the Women's Prize for Fiction. | ||||||
| Encore Award | 11/30/25 | 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. UK publishers should complete the online entry form, upload a digital copy of the book, and mail 3 hard copies. Administered by the Society of Authors, formerly by the Royal Society of Literature (2016-2025). | ||||||
| Gotham Book Prize | 11/30/25 | 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. | ||||||
| Hudson Review Short Story Contest | 11/30/25 | Short Fiction | Active | $1,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline November 30 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 1). Recommended free contest awards publication in The Hudson Review and prizes up to $1,000 for previously unpublished short stories, maximum 10,000 words. No simultaneous submissions. To qualify, writers must never have been published in the magazine. Enter online or by post.The Hudson Review quarterly magazine serves as a major forum for the work of new writers and the exploration of new developments in literature. | ||||||
| Moniack Mhor Emerging Writer Award | 11/30/25 | Fellowship | Active | Neutral | ||
Deadline November 30 (must be received by this date; don't enter before November 1). Neutral free contest for emerging fiction writers residing in the UK gives a fellowship worth up to 2,000 pounds including tuition via open courses, retreat time and/or mentoring at Moniack Mhor, Scotland's creative writing center. Eligible authors should have a short story collection or novel in development, but no published books. Send a work sample up to 2,000 words and a CV by mail or online. | ||||||
| Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers | 11/30/25 | Individual Poems | Active | Highly Recommended | ||
Deadline November 30 (must be received by this date; don't enter before November 1). Highly recommended free contest is open to high school sophomores and juniors throughout the world. Prize is tuition to The Kenyon Review's two-week summer seminar for writers aged 16-18; winner and runners-up also published in the highly prestigious journal. Submit one poem via their online form. No simultaneous submissions allowed. | ||||||
| ServiceScape Short Story Award | 11/30/25 | 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 | 11/30/25 | 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. | ||||||
| Association of Jewish Libraries Jewish Fiction Award | 12/01/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | $1,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline December 1 (must be received by this date). Recommended free contest gives $1,000 prize for an English-language work of fiction (novels, short story and flash fiction collections) with significant Jewish thematic content by a single author published and available for purchase in the US during the deadline year. "Jewish thematic content" is defined by the sponsor as "an extended grappling with Jewish themes throughout the book, including Judaism, Jewish history and culture, Jewish identity, etc." Winner must attend award ceremony during sponsor's annual conference, and support will be provided to defray the cost of attending. Note that all genres compete together. Book must be written for adults. Author need not be of Jewish heritage. Titles published exclusively as e-books are ineligible. Author or publisher must send a review copy to each of the contacts listed on the sponsor's website. Sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries, an international membership organization that "fosters access to information...relating to Jews, Judaism, the Jewish experience, and Israel". | ||||||
| Charlotte and Wilbur Award for Compassion for Animals | 12/01/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | $2,500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline December 1 (must be received by this date; do not enter before October 1). Recommended free contest from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators awards prizes up to $2,500 for fiction and nonfiction books for young readers that promote compassion and respect for animals. Submissions must be a picture book, chapter book, middle-grade book (or graphic novel), or young adult book traditionally or self-published in the current calendar year. Books in translation are welcome. All genres compete together. Enter online. | ||||||
| Ezra Jack Keats Children's Book Award | 12/01/25 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | $5,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 1. Highly recommended free contest gives prizes of $5,000 in New Writer and New Illustrator categories for published picture books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. Books must have been first published in North America and in the English language during the current calendar year. Authors may be of any nationality. Winners must attend ceremony at the University of Southern Mississippi to receive award. No self-published titles. Only original stories qualify for the New Writer award; no folktales or retellings. Publisher must send 11 copies of book for consideration to the various addresses specified on sponsor's website. | ||||||
| Fresh Voices Fellowship | 12/01/25 | Fellowship Fellowship | Active | $2,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline December 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before November 1). Recommended free contest from Epiphany Magazine awards year-long editorial fellowship opportunity for one or more emerging Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, or other writer of color who does not have an MFA and is not currently enrolled in a degree-granting creative writing program. Applicants must not have published or be contracted to publish a full-length book (excluding self-publication). Fellowship includes a stipend of $2,000, a publication in a print issue of Epiphany, a one-year print subscription to Epiphany, and a Q&A to be published on Epiphany’s website. Submit a work sample, 5 double-spaced pages, that "you feel most represents you, your interests, and your literary style" via sponsor's online submission portal. Also include a cover letter, which will tell the judges about "yourself as an artist, your relationship to the mainstream literary/publishing world, and what you are hoping to gain by working in a literary magazine environment for a year." Be sure to read sponsor's complete guidelines before entering. | ||||||
| Jane Martin Poetry Prize | 12/01/25 | Individual Poems | Active | £1,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline December 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before November 3). Recommended free contest awards top prize of 1,000 pounds for unpublished poems by UK residents aged 18-30. Send 1-2 poems, maximum 2 single-spaced pages total. Contest sponsor Girton College was founded in 1869 to educate women in Cambridge, England, and was incorporated into the University of Cambridge in 1948; men have been admitted since 1977. Online entries only. | ||||||
| One Teen Story Teen Writing Contest | 12/01/25 | Short Fiction | Active | $500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline December 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 15). Recommended free contest awards publication and $500 prize for short stories, between 2,000-4,500 words, in any genre about the teen experience in each of three age categories: 13-15, 16-17, and 18-19. Sponsor is especially interested in stories that "deal with issues of identity, friendship, family, and coming-of-age". Entries must be previously unpublished, including online. Parent or legal guardian must sign consent form for writers under 18, and authors must verify their age prior to publication. Submit one story online. Sponsored by One Teen Story, a section of One Story magazine, that accepts submissions exclusively from teen writers ages 13-19 and publishes three stories a year. | ||||||
| Schneider Family Book Awards | 12/01/25 | Published Prose Book Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | $5,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 1 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest for published books of children's literature gives $5,000 in each of three categories: books for ages 0-8, 9-12, and 13-18. Fiction and nonfiction books only; both genres compete together. These awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Book must be written in English and published during the year of the current deadline. Complete online application form. Administered by the American Library Association, sponsored by Dr. Katherine Schneider. | ||||||
| Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets | 12/01/25 | Poetry Manuscript | Active | $1,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 15). Highly recommended free contest for a first book of poetry by an African writer awards $1,000 and publication with the University of Nebraska Press. Prize is for authors who have not published a book-length poetry collection; this includes self-published books if they were sold online, in stores, or at readings. "African writer" is defined as someone who was born in Africa, who is a national or resident of an African country, or whose parents are African. Submit a poetry manuscript of at least 50 single-spaced pages via online form; more than one ms. per poet may be entered. | ||||||
| Smith College High School Poetry Prize | 12/01/25 | Individual Poems | Active | $500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline December 1 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 1). Recommended free contest gives $500 for the best poem by a high school sophomore or junior girl in New England or New York. One poem per entrant, 25 lines maximum. Winner and up to three finalists will read their poems on campus at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, with the contest judge, a well-known poet. Enter online. See website for rules and entry form. | ||||||
| Tony Quagliano Poetry Award | 12/01/25 | Achievement Award | Active | $1,000.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline December 1 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest gives biennial $1,000 achievement award for poets who consistently strive for "cutting edge" and "avant-garde" innovation, which means experimental, innovative, "pushing the envelope" literature. Submit 20-page manuscript sample, which may include published and unpublished poems, along with a bibliography of at least 25 poems that have been published, including the title and date of each source publication, and a statement explaining how the poet has built and strengthened a literary community. Enter via email. Offered in odd-numbered years only. The Tony Quagliano Poetry Fund is a project of the Hawaii Council for the Humanities. | ||||||
| RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers | 12/02/25 | Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | C$10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 2 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 14). Highly recommended free contest awards top prizes of C$10,000 apiece for poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction by Canadian authors with no published books, but whose work has appeared in at least one independently edited literary magazine, journal, anthology, or journalistic source. Finalists in each genre also receive C$2,500 and an invitation to attend the award ceremony. Genre usually alternates by year, but "2025" contest is for all three genres. Submit up to 10 pages of unpublished poetry, a single unpublished story or a creative nonfiction piece (or an excerpt from a longer piece of prose), 2,500 words maximum, online. Author can make one entry in each genre in a given year. Sponsored by Writers' Trust of Canada. | ||||||
| J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award | 12/04/25 | Fellowship | Active | $25,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 4 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism gives two $25,000 fellowships to aid in the completion of a significant work of nonfiction on a topic of American political or social concern. Applicants for the award must already have a contract with a US publisher to write a nonfiction book. Applicants should submit an entry form, a copy of their original book proposal, 50-75 pages (12,000-19,000 words) from the book, a photocopy of a contract with a publisher, and an explanation of how the award will advance the progress of the book. Enter online. | ||||||
| RSL Christopher Bland Prize | 12/05/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | £10,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline December 5 (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. | ||||||
| Friends of American Writers Literary Awards | 12/13/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | $2,500.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 13 (must be received by this date; don't enter before August 1). Highly recommended free contest from Friends of American Writers gives two awards of $2,500 apiece for books of fiction or creative nonfiction for adults. Books must have been published in the current calendar year and be set in the Midwest or written by a Midwestern author. Entrants must have published no more than 3 books, including the one under consideration for the prize. The author must be a resident (or previously have been a resident for approximately five years) of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, or Wisconsin; or the locale of the book must be in a region identified above. Send 2 copies of book plus author's biographical information to the address specified on sponsor's rules page. | ||||||
| Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition | 12/14/25 | Prose Manuscript | Active | $10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 14 (must be received by this date). Highly recommended free contest gives $10,000 advance for a crime novel written by an author with no previously published books in any genre and who is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. Authors of self-published works may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work. Entries should be at least 220 double-spaced pages (60,000 words). Entrants must be over 18. Complete the online entry form and upload your manuscript. Co-sponsored by major publishing house Minotaur Books and nonprofit Mystery Writers of America. | ||||||
| Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award | 12/15/25 | Fellowship | Active | $1,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 15 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 1). Highly recommended contest gives $1,000 fellowship for completion of a manuscript-in-progress of poetry. Submit 10 pages of unpublished and/or published poetry online. Sponsored by The Poetry Society of America, the nation's oldest poetry organization. We highly recommend joining ($55 per year, $35 for students). Free to Poetry Society of America members; $15 entry fee for nonmembers. | ||||||
| Cecil Hemley Memorial Award | 12/15/25 | Individual Poems | Active | $500.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 15 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 1). Highly recommended contest awards $500 for a narrative poem. Sponsored by The Poetry Society of America, the nation's oldest poetry organization. We highly recommend joining ($55 per year, $35 for students). Submit your entry online. No entry fee to members; $10 entry fee for nonmembers. | ||||||
| Four Quartets Prize | 12/15/25 | Individual Poems Fellowship | Active | $21,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 15 (don't enter before October 1). Highly recommended free contest awards a top prize of $21,000 for a unified and complete sequence of poems, 14 pages minimum, published in the US in a print or online journal, chapbook, or book during the current year. Self-published works are ineligible. Poet, publisher, or agent may send entry form, four copies of the sequence of poems, and four copies of a paragraph-length statement describing its aims. See full application instructions on sponsor's website. Sponsored by the Poetry Society of America. | ||||||
| George Bogin Memorial Award | 12/15/25 | Individual Poems | Active | $500.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 15 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 1). Highly recommended contest awards $500 for a selection of 4-5 poems that "use language in an original way to reflect the encounter of the ordinary and the extraordinary and to take a stand against oppression in any of its forms". Submit your entry online. Sponsored by The Poetry Society of America, the nation's oldest poetry organization. We highly recommend joining ($55 per year, $35 for students). Free to Poetry Society of America members; $15 entry fee for nonmembers. | ||||||
| Lucille Medwick Memorial Award | 12/15/25 | Individual Poems | Active | $500.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 15 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 1). Highly recommended contest awards $500 for a prose poem. Sponsored by The Poetry Society of America, the nation's oldest poetry organization. We highly recommend joining ($55 per year, $35 for students). No entry fee to members; $10 entry fee for nonmembers. Submit your entry online. | ||||||
| Lyric Poetry Award | 12/15/25 | Individual Poems | Active | $500.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 15 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 1). Highly recommended contest awards $500 for a lyric poem on any subject. Sponsored by The Poetry Society of America, the nation's oldest poetry organization. We highly recommend joining ($55 per year, $35 for students). No entry fee to members; $10 entry fee for nonmembers. Submit your entry online. | ||||||
| Massachusetts Book Awards | 12/15/25 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | Neutral | ||
Deadline December 15 (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest gives statewide publicity for books copyrighted in the current calendar year by Massachusetts residents. Award categories are 1) fiction, (2) nonfiction, (3) poetry, (4) children's picture books/early readers, (5) middle-grade/young adult literature, (6) translated literature (biennial, deadlines in odd-numbered years only), and (7) graphic novel/memoir (biennial, even-numbered years). Fill out form online and follow up with two copies of book by mail. | ||||||
| Robert H. Winner Memorial Award | 12/15/25 | Fellowship | Active | $2,500.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 15 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 1). Highly recommended contest awards $2,500 for unpublished or published poetry by a mid-career poet who has not had substantial recognition, and is open to poets over 40 who have published no more than one full-length collection of poetry. Submit brief but cohesive manuscript of 10 pages online. Sponsored by The Poetry Society of America, the nation's oldest poetry organization. We highly recommend joining ($55 per year, $35 for students). Free to Poetry Society of America members; $15 entry fee for nonmembers. | ||||||
| The Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award | 12/15/25 | Individual Poems | Active | $250.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 15 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 1). Highly recommended contest awards $250 for a short poem, 16 lines maximum. Sponsored by The Poetry Society of America, the nation's oldest poetry organization. We highly recommend joining ($55 per year, $35 for students). No entry fee to members; $10 entry fee to nonmembers. Submit your entry online. | ||||||
| Griffin Poetry Prize | 12/19/25 | Published Poetry Book | Active | C$130,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadlines June 20, December 19 (must be received by these dates). Highly recommended free contest gives C$130,000 for English-language poetry books published in the current calendar year, as well as C$10,000 for shortlisted entries and a debut Canadian author. Translations are eligible, with the prize split between author and translator. See website for detailed eligibility rules. Publisher should send 4 copies of book plus entry form and a press packet. This is one of the most lucrative poetry prizes, as well as one of the most prestigious. Prize is awarded once a year, but there are ordinarily two deadlines depending on when the book was published. For the "2026" award, books published between January 1-June 30, 2025 must be received by June 20, 2025, and those published between July 1-December 31 must be received by December 19, 2025. | ||||||
| VCU Cabell First Novelist Award | 12/30/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | $5,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline December 30 (don't enter before July 1). Recommended free contest from Virginia Commonwealth University gives between $3,000 - $5,000 prize (varies based on sponsor's budget, but will be at least $3,000) for a first novel published in the US during the calendar year. Winner must attend an award event, which includes a public reading and other publicity opportunities. Email a digital copy as a PDF and send 5 hard copies of published book. | ||||||
| Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards | 12/31/25 | Published Poetry Book Published Prose Book | Active | $10,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before April 10). Highly recommended free contest for published books gives four awards of $10,000 each: one for a book of fiction, one for a poetry collection, one for a book of nonfiction, and one for a memoir or autobiography. This award honors books that have made important contributions to the understanding of racism or the appreciation of cultural diversity. Books must have been published in the current calendar year. Plays, screenplays, e-books, unpublished, print-on-demand, and self-published works not eligible. Author, publisher, editor, or publicist should submit the entry form online and then send 5 hard copies of the book. Sponsored by The Cleveland Foundation, the world's first community foundation. | ||||||
| Benjamin L. Hooks Book Award | 12/31/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | $1,000.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline December 31. Recommended free contest gives $1,000 for a nonfiction book published in the current calendar year that best furthers understanding of the American Civil Rights Movement and its legacy. Send one copy of the book by the deadline date; finalists may be asked to send additional copies. Sponsored by the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute, an an interdisciplinary center for civil rights studies at the University of Memphis. | ||||||
| Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award | 12/31/25 | Individual Poems Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction | Active | $500.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline December 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before October 15). Neutral free contest gives $500 for creative writing that engages with feminism, race, and transnationalism (all genres compete together). Send 3-5 poems OR one story or essay, maximum 7,500 words, OR one play script, maximum 5,000 words. No simultaneous submissions. Enter online. Meridians is a literary journal at Smith College, a women's liberal arts college in Western Massachusetts. | ||||||
| L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest | 12/31/25 | 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. | ||||||
| Lex:lead Essay Competition | 12/31/25 | 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 2025, the question to be addressed is "How can legal frameworks be strengthened to promote sustainable infrastructure while balancing economic growth, environmental protection and social equity?" 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. | ||||||
| Lilith Magazine Fiction Competition | 12/31/25 | Short Fiction | Active | $300.00 | Neutral | |
Deadline December 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before September 1). Neutral free contest gives $300 for unpublished stories touching on the experience of Jewish women. Send one story, maximum 3,000 words (shorter stories preferred). Sponsored by Lilith, a Jewish feminist magazine. Contest is open to writers of all genders. Enter online or by email. | ||||||
| Natan Notable Books Award | 12/31/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | $5,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 31 (rolling deadline). Highly recommended free contest gives $5,000 and marketing support for a recently-published or about-to-be published nonfiction title that will catalyze conversations aligned with the themes of Natan's grantmaking: reinventing Jewish life and community for the twenty-first century, shifting notions of individual and collective Jewish identity, the history and future of Israel, and the evolving relationship between Israel and world Jewry. Submit application online and send electronic copies of the book proposal and manuscript by email. Co-sponsored by the Jewish Book Council and Natan, a nonprofit that supports Jewish and Israeli social innovation through funding new and emerging initiatives, leaders, and thinkers working in a variety of focus areas around the world. Award will be made twice each year. | ||||||
| Neil Postman Award for Metaphor | 12/31/25 | Individual Poems | Active | $2,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 31 (rolling deadline). Highly recommended free contest awards $2,000 for the best use of metaphor in a poem published in Rattle, a prestigious journal. Submissions are accepted year-round. Send up to 4 unpublished poems, any length. Wait for a decision on your first entry before submitting more. All poems published in Rattle in a given year are automatically considered for this award. No separate application process. | ||||||
| The Lyric College Poetry Contest | 12/31/25 | Individual Poems | Active | $500.00 | Recommended | |
Deadline December 31 (don't enter before October 1). Recommended free contest gives prizes up to $500 for poems in traditional forms by full-time US or Canadian undergraduates. Submit up to 3 poems, each 39 lines maximum. Founded in 1921, The Lyric is the oldest magazine in North America in continuous publication devoted to traditional poetry. Note that contest address differs from magazine's regular address. Enter by email or by post. | ||||||
| W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction | 12/31/25 | Published Prose Book | Active | $5,000.00 | Highly Recommended | |
Deadline December 31. Highly recommended free contest gives $5,000 for the best published book of fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. Both young adult and adult fiction are eligible. Book must have been published during the deadline year. Submit 7 copies of the book and complete the online application form. Administered by the American Library Association, sponsored by William Young Boyd II. | ||||||
