essay competition 2023 for adults

Essay Writing Contests: The Ultimate List of 2024

Did you know that the very first recorded essay contest can be traced back to the early 16th century, initiated by none other than the renowned philosopher and essayist Michel de Montaigne? In 1580, Montaigne published his collection of essays titled 'Essais,' which not only marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of the essay as a literary form but also contained an implicit challenge to his readers. He encouraged them to engage with his ideas and respond by writing their own essays, essentially laying the groundwork for what we now recognize as essay contests.

Fast forward to the vibrant year of 2024, and this tradition of writing competitions has evolved into a global phenomenon, offering emerging writers from all walks of life a captivating platform to share their thoughts, emotions, and narratives with the world.

In this article, our essay writer will review essay writing contests, presenting you with an exclusive selection of the most promising opportunities for the year ahead. Each of these competitions not only provides a stage to demonstrate your writing prowess but also offers a unique avenue for personal growth, self-expression, and intellectual exploration, all while competing for impressive writing awards and well-deserved recognition.

Top Essay Writing Contests in 2024

If you enjoy expressing your thoughts and ideas through writing, you're in for a treat. Essay writing competitions in 2024 offer you a chance to do just that and win some great prizes in the process. We've put together a list of contests specially designed for students like you. These contests cover various interesting essay topics , giving you a unique opportunity to showcase your writing skills and potentially earn cash prizes or scholarships. So, let's jump right into these fantastic opportunities.

2024 International Literary Prize by Hammond House Publishing

The 2024 Writing Competition beckons writers with over £3000 in cash prizes, publication opportunities in anthologies, and a chance to participate in a televised Award Ceremony. Sponsored by the University Centre Grimsby, this annual contest, now in its eighth year, draws entries from approximately 30 countries worldwide. Entrants can vie for prizes across four categories, gaining exposure at the televised award ceremony and receiving expert feedback at the annual literary festival.

And if you're determined to learn how to overcome writer's block for this contest, we have a wealth of expert tips and strategies to guide you through the process!

Deadline: 30th September 2024

• 1st Prize: £1000
• 2nd Prize: £100
• 3rd Prize: £50

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International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition by Vine Leaves Press

Vine Leaves Press welcomes writers worldwide, prioritizing voices from marginalized communities such as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and individuals with chronic illnesses or disabilities, among others. Submissions, which must be in English and previously unpublished, are accepted from February 1, 2024, until July 1, 2024. Manuscripts can be either narrative (50,000 – 80,000 words) or experimental (at least 100 pages), adhering to specific formatting guidelines, including anonymity to ensure impartial judging. Each submission requires a $25 entry fee via Submittable, and multiple entries are allowed. Entries will be judged based on originality, creativity, writing quality, and adherence to genre, with finalists announced in October 2024, shortlisted in January 2025, and winners in March 2025.

Deadline: July 01, 2024

• The winner will receive a cash prize of $1000.
• Publication of the winning manuscript will occur in 2026 by Vine Leaves Press.
• Runners-up will also be considered for publication.

Solas Awards by Best Travel Writing

The Solas Awards, continuing a tradition since 1993, celebrate travel stories that inspire. They're looking for engaging tales that capture the essence of exploration, whether funny, enlightening, or adventurous. Winners may get published and join a community of fellow storytellers. Entries in essay, non-fiction, and travel genres are welcome with a $25 submission fee.

Deadline: September 21, 2024

• $1,000 Gold
• $750 Silver
• $500 Bronze

Vocal Challenges by Creatd

Vocal, in partnership with Voices in Minor (ViM), announces a creator-led challenge in celebration of International Women's Day, open to all Vocal creators. Participants are invited to write a 600-800 word piece about a woman who has inspired them for International Women's Day in the Year of the Dragon 2024. Submissions must adhere to specific length criteria and can be of any genre or format. Vocal will review entries and create a shortlist, from which ViM will select two co-grand prize winners and ten runners-up.

Deadline: Mar 12, 2024

• 2 Co-Grand Prizes: $200
• 10 Runners-up: $20

Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition 2024

The Re:think Essay Competition welcomes students aged 14 to 18 worldwide to participate in crafting essays under 2000 words, following MLA 8 citation style, with submissions undergoing plagiarism and AI checks. Essay prompts cover diverse themes, such as the role of women in STEM , provided by distinguished professors from prestigious institutions like Harvard, Brown, UC Berkeley, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT. To maintain anonymity during review, submissions should be in PDF format without personal details.

Deadline : 10th May, 2024

• Gold: $150 cash, $500 CCIR scholarship, digital certificate, interview, Cambridge invite.
• Silver: $100 cash, $300 CCIR scholarship, digital certificate, interview, Cambridge invite.
• Bronze: $50 cash, $200 CCIR scholarship, digital certificate, interview, Cambridge invite.

The Hudson Prize by Black Lawrence Press

Each year, Black Lawrence Press presents The Hudson Prize, inviting submissions for an unpublished collection of poems or prose. This competition is open to writers at all stages of their careers, offering the winner book publication, a $1,000 cash prize, and ten copies of the published book. Entries are read blind by a panel of editors, requiring manuscripts to adhere to specific formatting guidelines, including pagination and font choice. Poetry manuscripts should be 45-95 pages, while prose manuscripts should range from 120-280 pages.

Deadline : March 31, 2024

• Top prize $1,000

Irene Adler Prize by Lucas Ackroyd

Introducing The Irene Adler Prize essay writing contest, offering a $1,000 US scholarship to the winner, with up to two $250 awards for honorable mentions. Open to women pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D. degrees in journalism, creative writing, or literature worldwide, regardless of age. Unlike previous years, this year's competition welcomes applicants from any country. The application period runs from January 30, 2024, to May 30, 2024, with no late submissions accepted. Each application requires a 500-word essay on one of five provided prompts and a completed entry form, both submitted via email.

Deadline : May 30, 2024

• 2x honorable mentions: $250

100 Word Writing Contest by Tadpole Press

With a doubled first-place prize of $2,000 USD, participants are invited from all corners of the globe, regardless of age, gender, or nationality. Pen names are accepted, and winning entries will be published under those names. Previously published pieces are also welcome, with no restrictions. Any genre is accepted, with the theme centered around creativity. Each entry must be 100 words or less, including the title.

Deadline : April 30, 2024

• 1st place: $2,000 USD.
• 2nd place: Writing coaching package valued at $450 USD.
• 3rd place: Developmental and diversity editing package valued at $250 USD.

African Diaspora Awards 2024 by Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc

The African Diaspora Award 2024 seeks original works from Afro-descendants, including short stories, flash fiction, essays, poetry, or visual art. Winners can earn up to $1000 USD and publication in Kinsman Quarterly and "Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora." Submissions reflecting cultural themes are due by June 30, 2024. Authors retain copyrights, and entrants must be 18 or older. No plagiarism is allowed, and Kinsman Quarterly employees cannot enter. Various genres are accepted with specific word count limits.

Deadline : June 30, 2024

• Grand Prize: $1000 cash and publication in Kinsman Quarterly & anthology.
• 1st Runner Up: $300 cash and publication 
• 2nd Runner Up: $200 cash and publication 
• 3rd Runner Up: $50 cash and publication
• Top 6 Finalists: $25 Amazon gift card and publication 
• 6 Honorary Mentions: Publication in Kinsman Quarterly & anthology.

Work-In-Progress (WIP) Contest by Unleash Press

The Unleash WIP Award 2024 offers $500, feedback, coaching, and a feature in Unleash Lit to help writers with their book projects in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. All writers can apply. So, if you're looking for resources like free Harvard online courses to hone your writing skills, consider entering this competition. Submissions of the first 25 pages and answers to questions are due by July 15, 2024. Multiple entries are okay, but follow the rules, especially keeping your submission anonymous. Unleash also welcomes previously self-published works.

Deadline : July 15, 2024

• Top prize: $500
• Additional prizes: Coaching, interview, and editorial support

Aurora Polaris Creative Nonfiction Award by Trio House Press

Open to all writers, the poetry manuscripts should be 48-70 pages, and the prose manuscripts should be up to 80,000 words. Submissions must be from U.S. residents and must be original works. AI-generated submissions and translations are not eligible. Manuscripts should be sent as a single Word doc. or docx. file with no identifying information, and a cover letter with bio and contact details should be uploaded separately.

Deadline: May 15, 2024

• $1,000, publication, and 20 books

Poetry & Spoken Word Competition 2024 by Write the World

Young writers aged 13 to 19.5 are invited to enter this upcoming competition, with submissions of 50 to 500 words. Inspired by Audrey Lorde's words and the power of poetry, participants are encouraged to craft original poems or spoken word pieces advocating for change and self-expression. Winners, including top prizes for written and recorded performances, will be announced on June 14. Malika Booker, a renowned British poet, serves as the guest judge. To enter, writers should sign up on Write the World, respond to the prompt, and submit their final entries before the deadline.

Deadline : May 27, 2024

• Best entry: $100
• Best Peer Review: $50

Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award

The Killer Nashville essay writing contests seek to uncover new talent and recognize outstanding works by established authors, aiming to introduce their works to a broader audience. With numerous fiction and non-fiction categories available, writers have the opportunity to showcase their talent across a wide range of genres. The top prize includes a $250 award, and entry requires a fee of $79. Genres eligible for entry encompass crime, essay, fantasy, fiction, humor, memoir, mystery, non-fiction, novel, poetry, science fiction, script writing, short story, and thriller.

Deadline : June 15, 2024

• Top prize: $250

Journalism Competition 2024 by Write the World

In this upcoming competition, young writers aged 13 to 19.5 are invited to participate, with entries ranging from 400 to 1000 words. Participants are tasked with exploring and reporting on significant events within their own country, fostering a deeper understanding of local issues. Optional draft submissions for expert review are available until July 8, with feedback returned to writers by July 12. Winners will be announced on August 9. To enter, writers must sign up for a free account on Write the World, respond to the prompt, and submit their final entries before the deadline.

Deadline : July 22, 2024

National Essay Contest by U.S. Institute of Peace

This year, AFSA is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the United States Foreign Service. They've been involved in important events throughout history, like making decisions about war and peace, supporting human rights, and responding to disasters. Now, AFSA wants students to think about the future of diplomacy. They're asking students to imagine how diplomats can adapt to the changing world and its challenges. It's a chance for students to explore how diplomacy can continue to make a difference in the world.

Deadline : April 01, 2024

• Top prize: $2,500
• Additional prizes: Runner-up: $1,250

In 2023, the world of writing competitions offers a diverse tapestry of opportunities for writers across the globe. From exploring the depths of nature to delving into the mysteries of microfiction, these competitions beckon with enticing prizes and platforms for your creative voice. So, pick your favorite, sharpen your pen, and embark on a journey of literary excellence!

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Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

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7 Essay Writing Contests to Look Out For in 2023

7-minute read

• 28th December 2022

Essay contests are not only a great way to exercise your essay-writing skills but also an awesome way to win cash prizes, scholarships, and internship or program opportunities. They also look wonderful on college applications as awards and achievements.

In this article, you’ll learn about 7 essay writing contests to enter in 2023. Watch the video below, or keep reading to learn more.

1. Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest 

Deadline: Now–April 30, 3023

Who may enter:

This is an international contest for people of all ages (except for residents of Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus due to US government restrictions).

Contest description:

●  The contest is organized by Winning Writers, located in MA, USA.

●  They accept stories and essays on any theme, up to 6,000 words each. This contest defines a story as any short work of fiction and an essay as any short work of nonfiction.

●  Your stories and essays must be submitted in English.

●  You may submit published or unpublished work.

Entry fee: USD 22 per entry

●  Story: First Prize is USD 3,000.

●  Essay: First Prize is USD 3,000.

●  10 Honorable Mentions will receive USD 300 each (any category).

●  The top 12 entries will be published online.

Official website

Please visit the competition’s official website for more information on judges and submissions.

2. 2023 Calibre Essay Prize 

Deadline: Now–January 15, 2023, 11:59 pm

Who may enter: All ages and any nationality or residency are accepted.

●  This contest is hosted by the Australian Book Review.

●  Your essay must be between 2,000 and 5,000 words.

●  You may submit nonfiction essays of all kinds, e.g., personal, political, literary, or speculative.

●  You may enter multiple essays but will need to pay separate fees for each one.

●  Your essay must be unpublished.

Entry fee: AU 30 for non-members

Prize: AU 7,500

Official website:

For more information on this contest, please visit its official website.

3. John Locke Institute Essay Competition 

Deadline: June 30, 2023

●  Students from any country.

●  Students aged 15 to 18 years by the competition deadline.

●  Students aged 14 years or younger by the competition deadline are eligible for the Junior prize.

●  The contest is organized by the John Locke Institute.

●  Your essay cannot exceed 2,000 words.

●  There are seven subjects or categories for essay submissions: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law.

Entry fee: Free to enter

●  The best overall essay winner receives an honorary John Locke Fellowship, which comes with a USD 10,000 scholarship to attend one or more summer schools or gap year courses.

●  There is also a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category and the Junior category is a scholarship worth USD 2,000 toward the cost of a summer program.

●  All winning essays will be published on the Institute’s website.

For more information about this competition and the John Locke Institute, please visit the official website . Also, be sure to check out our article on all you need to know about this contest.

4. The American Foreign Service Association 2023 Essay Competition 

Deadline: April 3, 2023

●  Students in grades 9–12 in any of the 50 states, DC, the US territories, or if they are US citizens or lawful permanent residents attending high school overseas.

●  Students attending a public, private, or parochial school.

●  Home-schooled students.

●  Your essay should be 1,000–1,500 words.

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●  You will select a country or region in which the United States Foreign Service has been involved at any point since 1924 and describe how the Foreign Service was successful or unsuccessful in advancing American foreign policy goals – including promoting peace – in this country or region and propose ways in which it might continue to improve those goals in the coming years.

●  Your essay should follow MLA guidelines.

●  Your essay should use a variety of sources.

●  The first-place winner receives USD 2,500, a paid trip to the nation’s capital from anywhere in the U.S. for the winner and their parents, and an all-expense-paid educational voyage courtesy of Semester at Sea.

●  The runner-up receives USD 1,250 and full tuition to attend a summer session of the National Student Leadership Conference’s International Diplomacy program.

Please visit the American Foreign Service website for more information.

5. The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) 2023 Essay Contest 

Deadline: Mid-February 2023–June 1, 2023

Who may enter: High school (including homeschooled), college, and graduate students worldwide.

●  The 2023 essay contest topic is marriages and proposals.

●  High school students may focus on Pride and Prejudice only or bring in other Austen works.

●  Undergraduate and graduate students should discuss at least two Austen novels of their choice.

●  Your essay must be in MLA format and 6 to 8 pages (not including your Works Cited page).

●  Your essay must be written in English.

●  First place wins a USD 1,000 scholarship.

●  Second place wins a USD 500 scholarship.

●  Third place wins a USD 250 scholarship.

●  Winners will also receive one year of membership in JASNA, publication of their essays on this website, and a set of Norton Critical Editions of Jane Austen’s novels.

For more information and submission guidelines, please visit JASNA’s official website .

6. 2023 Writing Contest: Better Great Achievements by EngineerGirl

Deadline: February 1, 2023

●  Students in Grades 3–12. If international or homeschooled, please select your grade level based on if you were attending a public school in the U.S.

●  This contest is organized by EngineerGirl.

●  Students should write a piece that shows how female or non-white engineers have contributed to or can enhance engineering’s great achievements.

●  You should choose one of the 20 Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century as a topic and explore the technologies developed in the last century and the new ones being developed today. Make sure to follow the specific guidelines for your grade level.

●  Essays should be 650–750 words based on your grade level.

●  Please visit the contest’s website to see specific requirements based on your grade.

Winners in each grade category will receive the prizes listed below:

●  First-place winners will be awarded USD 500.

●  Second-place entries will be awarded USD 250 .

●  Third-place entries will be awarded USD 100 .

For more information and submission guidelines, please visit the official website .

7. World Historian Student Essay Competition

Deadline: May 1, 2023

Who may enter: Students enrolled in Grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools and home-study programs worldwide.

●  Your essay must address the following issue: In what way has the study of world history affected my understanding of the world in which I live?

●  Your essay should be 1,000 words.

Prizes: USD 500

For more information and submission requirements, please visit the contest’s official website.

Essay contests are a great way to expand your writing skills, discuss a topic that is important to you, and earn prize money and opportunities that will be great for you in the long term. Check out our articles on writing thesis statements, essay organization, and argumentative writing strategies to ensure you take first place every time.

If you need help with your essays and would like to make sure that every comma is in place, we will proofread your first 500 words for free !

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200+ Writing Contests to Join in 2023

• on Nov 15, 2022
• in Writing Tips
• Last update: April 16th, 2023

Writing could be rewarding in itself, but joining a writing contest could be even more exciting. Whether you need a push to finish your manuscript or want to get better exposure, competing with other writers is a great way to prove your talent and advance in the writing field.

Are you ready to win some awards? Take a look at the writing contests happening in 2023 and start sharpening your skills.

The 2022 Exeter Novel Prize

Eligibility & Restrictions

To apply, submit a 10,000 word novel in Englishm with a synopsis of not more than 500 words. Any entries received without a synopsis will be disqualified.The novel can’t have been published by a traditional publishing house. Anyone above 18 can enter. All genres including children’s of Middle Grade (9-12), Young Adult, and New Adult are acceptable.

The 2022 Charles Causley International Poetry Competition

The poem/s may be on any subject; 40 lines of text maximum, no minimum. Entries must never have been traditionally published, self-published, published on any website, or broadcasted in any form.

Mississippi Review Contest

The contest is open to all writers in English except current or former students or employees of The University of Southern Mississippi. Fiction and non-fiction entries should be 1000-8000 words; poetry entries should be three to five poems, totaling ten pages or less.

Arachne Press Opportunity for Deaf writers

Stories and poems must be: unpublished, written in English and up to 2000 words long unless otherwise specified.

Mississippi Review Prize

Submit three to five poems totaling up to 10 pages, or a short story or an essay of 1,000 to 8,000 words,

James Knudsen Prize for Fiction

Submissions must be original, previously unpublished work of fiction, no longer than 7500 words. UNO students and alumni are ineligible. Previous contest winners as well as current or former students of the judge are also ineligible to submit.

Kay Murphy Prize for Poetry

Submissions must be original, previously unpublished poetry. You may submit up to three poems per entry. UNO students and alumni are ineligible to submit. Previous contest winners, along with current or former students of the judge are also ineligible to submit.

Jacobs/Jones African American Literary Prize

The winning entry is considered for publication in the Carolina Quarterly. Black writers who live in North Carolina are eligible. Submit a short story or essay of up to 3,000 words

DISQUIET Prize

Anyone above 18 can enter. Only previously unpublished work in English can be submitted. Entries should be the work of a single author. For fiction: ONE short story or novel excerpt, maximum 25 (double-spaced) pages per entry. For non-fiction: ONE nonfiction piece or book excerpt, maximum 25 (double-spaced) pages per entry. For poetry: No more than SIX poems per entry, up to 10 pages total.

Fan story 15 Syllable Poem

Anyone can enter. Write a poem with exactly 15 syllables.

San José State University Steinbeck Fellowships in Creative Writing

To enter the contest, please submit the following: proposal or prospectus for work to be written (one to three pages including basic timeline), resumé, 3 letters of recommendation (sent directly from recommender—the online system will prompt you for their email addresses), and a writing sample of no more than 25 pages.

Gemini Magazine Poetry Contest

Any Subject, Style or Length. Entries Must Be Unpublished. Poems on Personal Blogs Are OK.

Orna Ross Green Stories Novel Prize

Typically novels around 60,000 – 95,000 words. Submit three chapters* (minimum of 4000 words, maximum 10,000 words). Open to all adults (18+) of any nationality, as long as the submission is in English and has not been published elsewhere.

Immerse Education Essay Competition

The Immerse Education Essay Competition is open to entries from young people aged 12-18 interested in all subjects, from Architecture to Medicine, Creative Writing to Film Studies. If participants are successful, they should be aged 13 and above before the start of their programme.

The Henshaw Short Story Competition

Entries must be fictional short stories of up to 2000 words on any theme. All entries must be the original work of the author, must not have been published before the date of submission.

Fan Story Non-Fiction Writing Contest

If a word count is not specified above there is no word count requirement. Recommended length is 5,000 words or less. This contest is open to all members. Past contest winners can join the contest. One entry per person. New entries to the site only. If you already posted a work on FanStory.com that work is not eligible for a contest.

Fan story 100 Word Flash Fiction

Anyone can enter. The entry should be exactly 100 words.

Amazing Women’s Edition Writing Contest

Each entry must incorporate the theme of Local Heroines. All students must be in grades K to 8 and live in the United States. Both the text and art must be solely created by the students. One book entry per person. Each book must be between 20 and 30 pages. The cover, dedication and back pages do not count towards this number

Bethesda Essay Contest

Residents of Washington, D.C. and the select counties of Maryland (Montgomery, Prince George’s, Howard and Frederick) and Virginia (Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William) are eligible. High School entries must be residents or attend a school in Montgomery County, MD or Washington, D.C. Essays must be limited to 500 words or less about a topic of the writer’s choosing. Only one entry per person. Stories must be limited to 4,000 words or less.

The Winter Anthology Contest

Anyone can enter. Please send as much poetry or prose of which you are the sole author and that were not written earlier than 1999.

Tanka Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter.

John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest

Essays can be no more than 1,000 words but must be a minimum of 700 words. Citations and bibliography are not included in the word count. Essays must be the original work of the student. Essays must have a minimum of five sources.

The Royal Society of Literature Encore Award

The award is open for any published second novel, which must be a full-length work of fiction. The writer must have been resident in the United Kingdom (UK) or the Republic of Ireland (RoI) for the past three years. Novellas or children’s books are ineligible. Books published with vanity publishers are not eligible.

Law Day Contest

The contest is only open to students who live in Oklahoma. Entries are limited to one per student in each contest.

Colorado Prize for Poetry

The competition is open to anyone, except Colorado State University students, alumni, and employees. Manuscripts must be at least 48 pages but no more than 100 pages. They may be composed of any number of poems. The theme and style are both open. Manuscripts may consist of poems that have been published, but the manuscript as a whole must be unpublished.

Full Bleed Fifth Issue Contest

Essays of up to 7500 words, Full Bleed publishes shorter, recurring columns of approximately 1000 to 2000 words. These include “Close Looks”, in which writers offer in-depth critiques of individual artworks, and “Studio Visit”, in which the writer visits with and interviews a contemporary artist. We welcome essay proposals by Nov. 15 or earlier. Alternatively, you may submit completed works by Jan. 15.

Ethos Literacy Annual Short Short Story Contest

The story cannot be longer than 100 words. Incorrectly hyphenated words will be counted as two words. Examples: old-man, hot-fire. The title is not included in the word limit.

Rattle Chapbook Prize

Each poet may submit 15–30 pages of poems in English only (no translations).Individual poems may be previously published in any format, but the manuscript as a whole must be unpublished as a collection.

Driftwood Press Poem Contest

Submitters may send up to five poems in a single document for consideration. Each poem must not exceed sixty lines. Prose poetry, experimental poetry, and poetry with a visual element are all welcome. Any submissions should be written primarily in English.

Rose Post Creative Non-Fiction Contest

The competition is open to any writer who is a legal resident of North Carolina or a member of the North Carolina Writers’ Network. Simultaneous submissions are ok, but please notify them immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. Each entry must be an original and previously unpublished manuscript of no more than 2,000 words.

Desert Writers Award

The application requires a project proposal, a biographical statement, and a writing sample of no more than 10 pages. Please submit all materials in one document.

Heron Tree Volume 10

Poems that have previously appeared online (temporarily or permanently, on your own or a third-party site) should not be submitted, nor should work that has already been published electronically or in print. Simultaneous submissions are welcome with timely notification of acceptance elsewhere.

Storytellers of Tomorrow Contest

We’re inviting all high-school-age students to submit unpublished, original English-language stories of up to 2,000 words in length for the 8th Annual “Storytellers of Tomorrow” Contest. The sole criterion for earning prizes in this contest is simply overall quality, meaning that well-edited, engaging, and evocative stories have the best chance of winning over the judges.

Bath Novella-In-Flash Award

Anyone above 16 can enter. Novella-in-flash entries must not have been previously published in print or online, broadcasted, or won a prize. It must be written in English, between 6,000 and 18,000 words long.

PSV North American Book Award

The book of poetry submitted must be the work of a single author, at least 64 pages long, and published in 2022 by an established press. It is expected that the book will contain both new and previously published poems. Manuscripts, videos, CDs, chapbooks, and self-published books are not eligible, nor are books that have already won an award

Fan Story Faith Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. The theme of this poetry contest is “faith”.

NCH Essay Competition

The Competition is open to students who are currently in their penultimate year of secondary education (the equivalent of Y12 in England) and who are interested in studying a humanities or social sciences subject at university. Submitted essays should answer one of the specified questions. Pupils can submit up to 1,500 words.

Fan Story 3 Line Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. The poem has to have a syllable count of either 5-7-5 or 5-7-7. It shouldn’t rhyme. But the poem must address a loved one.

Stage It! 10-Minute Plays Competition

Plays are adjudicated by at least two theatre professionals and the critique forms are available to the playwrights after the competition, by request. Comedy or drama plays of all types are accepted. Plays that should be staged or that would be loved by audiences. After all, the title is “STAGE IT!”

The Short Story Challenge 2023

In the 1st Round, the maximum length of the stories is 2,500 words. In the 2nd Round, the maximum length is 2,000 words. In the 3rd Round, the maximum length is 1,500 words. In the 4th Round, the maximum length is 1,250 words

Poetry Society of Virginia 2023 Contest

All entries must be in English, typed, unpublished, origi­nal, and not scheduled for publication before May, 2022. All entries not in compliance with category specifications will be disqualified.

The Nine Dots Prize

All are welcome to submit: the only stipulation is that applicants must be 18 years of age or over. Responses and the resulting book must be in English.

The Crime Essays Writing Contest 2022

All entrants must be aged 18 or over. Stories submitted MUST be your own work and a work of fiction. Stories must not exceed 3000 words, this includes the title. Should your word count exceed 3000 words, it will be disqualified from the competition.

The Bournemouth Writing Prize

Anyone above 16 can enter. Short Story length: Up to 3000 words maximum. It can be about any topic and in any style. Poetry length: Up to 42 lines. We are looking for poetry that is fresh and unexpected. All entries should be in English and be accompanied by a short (75 word) biography of the author and postal address. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must never have been previously published, broadcasted, or won a prize in another writing competition.

The Bournemouth Writing Prize 2023

Short Story: Up to 3000 words maximum. It can be about any topic and in any style. They are looking for real storytellers who create great characters to tell them something fresh, and surprise or touch them. Poetry: Up to 42 lines.They are looking for poetry that is fresh and unexpected. Again, this can be about anything that you wish. You may have been inspired by the personal impact of recent world events or you may want to offer a story of hope for the future, the choice is yours.

Retreat West First Chapter Competition

Submit your first chapter only. International entries are welcome but first chapters must be written in English and can be up to 3,000 words (no minimum word count) and on any theme and subject (except children’s fiction).

Cúirt New Writing Prize 2023

Poetry entries must consist of three poems under 50 lines each. Short stories should be no longer than 2,000 words. The story or poems submitted should not have been accepted for publication elsewhere. There is no restriction on theme or style.

Magma Poetry Competition

Poems may be on any subject, and must be in English and your own original work. They must not have been published, self-published, accepted for publication in print or online, broadcasted, or have won or been placed in another competition at any time. Length: 11–50 lines.

Driftwood Press Short Story Contest

The entry should be between 1,000-5,000 words. The work must not have been previously published. Submit works written in English only, no translations.

10th Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition

Poems cannot exceed 50 lines in length (including line breaks), and must include all five words listed for the week. A modicum of poetic license is acceptable. As long as the original spelling is intact. Poems should be newly written, during this 7-day period. There is no limit to volume of entries. Entrants should be at least 18 years of age at the date of submission.

Pulp Fictional

Stories must be your own work and not have been published, in any way, online or in print, or won any other competitions. anyone over the age of 18 can enter. Simultaneous submissions are fine as long as you withdraw your entry if it wins, or is placed in, any other competition. You can enter as many times as you want but must pay each time.

Parracombe Prize 2023

To enter, simply submit a short story of no more than 2,023 words. Entries must be in English, your own original work, and must not have been published or accepted for publication elsewhere.

The Kent and Sussex Poetry Society Open Competition

The competition is for anyone aged 16 and over. Poems must be in English, your original work, on any subject, in any style, no longer than 40 lines. Poems should have neither been published elsewhere (including self-published) by 18th April 2023. Nor should they be entered into any other competition for which the results will be announced prior to 18th April 2023.

Fish Publishing Short Memoir Prize

The entries can’t have been previously published. Maximum number of words is 4,000 in English.

GCWA Writing Contest

Writing Contest is open to GCWA members and the public — adults 18 and over, youth 11 to 17. Original, unpublished submissions only. Fiction / Nonfiction / Children’s Stories —1500 words maximum. Poetry – 40 lines maximum.

Lancashire Authors’ Association Open Competition

Anyone 16 or above can enter. The story must be exactly 100 words. Entries must be original, unpublished work which is not currently submitted for publication or entered into any other competition or award.

The Big Moose Prize

The Big Moose Prize is open to traditional unpublished novels as well as novels-in-stories, novels-in-poems, and other hybrid forms that contain within them the spirit of a novel. Manuscripts should be 90-1,000 pages in length.

The BookLife Prize

Both unpublished or self-published books in the English language are eligible for the BookLife Prize. Entries must contain 40,000 to 100,000 words.

Clash of the Query Letters

One page—maximum 500 words. Only original, unpublished, unrepresented work may be submitted. Word documents & PDFs are accepted. The winning submissions will be published on the Chopping Blog. All entrants will be notified of winners and shortlist by email.

Arts & Letters Prize

Send only one submission per genre at any one time. (In other words, submitting a short story and an essay at the same time is fine, but please wait to hear from us before submitting another story.), All submissions must be typed and all prose double-spaced.

Norm Strung Youth Writing Awards

Students may enter one piece of writing between 500 and 1,000 words in length, typed, and double spaced. Each entry must be original work of the entrant, and have an out door theme.

The Plaza Prizes: Memoir: First Chapters

Memoirs can be in any style or form, but must be in English, and written for adults. A 300-word One-Pager (summary of your Memoir). The opening chapters of your Memoir. (5,000 words, max). Entries will be disqualified if they are over the word limit, or have no One-Pager, and there will be no refund.

2023 River of Words Competition

The contest is open to K–12th grade students, ages 5–19. Students must be enrolled in school to be eligible. All entries must be submitted by a parent, guardian, educator, or facilitator unless the student is 18 years old or older. Poems should not exceed 32 lines in length (written) or 3 minutes (signed). For ASL poetry, please include a brief written summary of the poem’s content.

Cambridge Autumn Festival Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. The word limit is 1500 words.The theme for this year’s competition is “A hard day’s work” .

Teignmouth Poetry Festival Open Poetry Competition

Poems may be on any subject, must be the original work of the entrant, unpublished and not accepted for publication in any medium. They must not have been awarded a prize in any other competition. Poems should be in English and not exceed 40 lines of text, no minimum. Titles, epigraphs, dedications and blank lines are not included in the line count.

The British Haiku Society Poetry competition

Anyone can enter. Submissions must be in English, unpublished and not concurrently entered for any other competition, and remain unpublished until the results are declared. Submissions should not appear in any print or online publication, social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), or forums as the competition is anonymous. There is no limit on the number of submissions per competitor.

The Tampa Review Prize for Poetry

Entrants should submit a collection of poems. Manuscripts must be previously unpublished. Some or all of the poems in the collection may have appeared in periodicals, chapbooks, or anthologies, but these must be identified. Manuscripts must be at least 48 typed pages. The preferred length is between 60 and 100 pages.

Cheshire Prize for Literature

The writer must have been born, live or have lived, study or have studied, work or have worked, in Cheshire. Entry must be an original and previously unpublished piece of creative work in one of four categories themed around all aspects of the pandemic including “lockdown”: poetry, short fiction, children’s literature and scriptwriting.

National High School Poetry Contest

Entrants must be a high school student or a home-schooled student in grades nine through twelve. Students from anywhere in the United States may enter. Poems may be in rhyme, free verse, Haiku or other accepted poetry forms and of any length, up to a maximum of 40 lines. No entry may have been previously published.

EngineerGirl Essay Contest

Elementary school student stories must be no more than 650 words. Middle school student essays must be no more than 700 words. High school student essays must be no more than 750 words. You must also include a reference list of 3-10 resources. Each resource should be listed using the APA citation style.

St. Gallen Symposium Esay Competition

Essay (max. 2,100 words, excl. abstract, bibliography, and footnotes). Individual work expected, no group work allowed. The essay must be written exclusively for this contest. The idea must be the author’s own.

Arizona Mystery Writers Mary Ann Hutchison Memorial Story Contest for Youths

Writers from 9-17 years of age. Total word count—2500 words or less—placed on upper right-hand corner of page 1 only. Story title must appear on every page—upper left-hand corner.

Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award

Write a short story of no more than 8,000 words, that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration.

Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards

Be current high school seniors at a public high school in the United States graduating Spring of 2023. Be 21 years of age and under. Plan to enroll in an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or approved vocational-technical school Fall 2023.

Ottawa Travel Writing Contest

Each entry must include a PDF or a link to the article along with the name, address, e-mail address and telephone number of the entrant, the name of the publication and the date the item was published. Entries must have appeared in print or online between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022.

Winter Flash Fiction Writing Battle

1000 Word limit (not including title page). Name or address cannot be written anywhere. All stories are separated into their respective genres and each compete in a single-elimination tournament specific to its genre.

Fan Story Flash Fiction Contest

Anyone can enter. Entry should be exactly 150 words.

Bath Flash Fiction Award

Anyone above 16 can enter. Entries can be on any theme or subject but must be original and written in English. They must also be for adult or young adult readers. Non-fiction and fiction written for children under 13 years are not eligible. Max length is 300 words. Entries must not have been previously published in print or online, been broadcast or won a prize.

Kathleen Mitchell Award

Entrants must be aged 30 years or under at the 7 February 2023 closing date, have been born in Australia or the United Kingdom, or are currently an Australian citizen, and have been living in Australia for the 12 months preceding the 7 February 2023 closing date.

NFPW Communications Contest for High School Students

All 2023 contest entries must have been published, e-published, broadcasted, or issued between February 1, 2022, and January 31, 2023. Entries must be produced by a current high school student or a recently graduated student who produced the work in their senior year after February 1, 2022.

NFPW Communications Contest for Professionals

The NFPW National Communications contest is a two-tiered competition offering categories across the communication spectrum. This contest is open to anyone regardless of age, gender, professional status or location.

Next Generation Indie Book Awards

The 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards is open to all indie book authors and publishers including independent publishers (small, medium or otherwise), university presses, self-published authors, e-book authors, seasoned authors and even first time authors in the U.S., Canada or internationally who have a book, a manuscript, or a galley proof written in English and published in 2021, 2022 or 2023 or with a 2021, 2022 or 2023 copyright date.

The Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize

The work you submit must be unpublished, and must not have been accepted for future publication or self-published. In addition, anyone who has previously had a full-length novel accepted for publication is not eligible to enter. Entrants must be resident in the UK or Ireland.

Writers’ & Artists’ Short Story Competition

Submit a short story (for adults) of no more than 2,000 words on the theme of ‘love’.

Adventures in Fiction Spotlight First Novel Award

Current and previous apprentices are not eligible. Novelists commercially published (in English) are not eligible. Self published writers are eligible.

Apprentice Writer

Poetry and prose should be single spaced and in 12pt Times New Roman font. If your poetry or prose is visual (includes drawings or special typography) submit it as a PDF.

Fan Story Love Poem Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. But it must clearly be a love poem.

Achievement Awards in Writing

Sophomores and juniors in the current academic school year are eligible to be nominated by their school’s English department. Nominations should be based on whether the writer exhibits the power to inform and move an audience through language. Entries are only accepted from teachers; students may not self-nominate. Schools in the United States, Canada, Virgin Islands and American Schools Abroad are eligible to nominate students. Nominating schools must be US accredited.

Promising Young Writers Program

Eighth-grade students in the current academic school year are eligible to be nominated by a school committee or department. It is recommended nominees be decided upon by several teachers. Students MAY NOT self-nominate. Nominees must demonstrate evidence of effective writing. Schools in the United States, Canada, Virgin Islands, and American Schools Abroad are eligible to nominate students. Nominating schools must be US accredited.

Ambroggio Prize

U.S. Citizen. Poets are not eligible to apply if they have studied with the judge in full-time accredited courses within the last three years. Works translated into Spanish from another language are ineligible.

Morton and McCarthy Prizes

This contest is open to any short fiction writer of English. Employees and board members of Sarabande Books, Inc. are not eligible. Works that have previously appeared in magazines or in anthologies may be included. Translations and previously published collections are not eligible. Length: between 150-250 pages.

Robert Watson Literary Prize

Anyone who is an active Greensboro Review subscriber can enter. Entries must be previously unpublished. No simultaneous submissions. Length restrictions: no more than 7,500 words or 25 pages for fiction; up to 500 words for flash fiction; up to 10 pages for poetry.

Anchorage Annual Statewide Creative Writing Contest

The contest is open to Alaska residents. College students who maintain Alaska residency may enter. All judges, editorial or administrative employees of Anchorage Daily News, faculty or administrative employees of the University of Alaska and board members of the Alaska Center for the Book, and their immediate family are ineligible. Contestants may enter one work of fiction (not to exceed 5,000 words), one work of non-fiction (not to exceed 5,000 words), and up to three poems. A contestant may enter all categories in their age group.

Harold Morton Landon Translation Award

Only books published in the United States during 2022 are eligible for the 2023 prize. U.S. Citizens. Books must be published in a standard edition (48 pages or more). Collaborations by up to two translators are eligible.

Fan Story Write A Script Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a script of any size (can be a small script as shown in the example) for any medium on any topic.

SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest

All students enrolled in grades 9-12 in U.S. public, private and home schools within the United States. Students must submit original work. The essay should be 300-500 words. Entries may be typed or handwritten but must be double-spaced.

Willow Run Poetry Book Award

Submit a poetry manuscript of 75 to 100 pages. Individual poems included in the submission may have been published, as long as all rights have reverted to the poet.

Lazuli Literary Group Writing Contest

Both previously published and unpublished works are eligible, provided that potential publication in AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought does not infringe on previously held rights.

The Christopher Tower Poetry Competition

Entrants must be at least 16 years of age, and under 19 years of age, on 24 February 2023. Entrants must be in full or part-time education at a school, college or other educational institution in the United Kingdom. Students enrolled on higher education courses are not eligible to enter the competition.

Fan Story ABC Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a one-stanza, five-line poem.

Fan Story 6 Word Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a poem with only 6 words.

The Elmbridge Literary Competition

Short stories must be in English, previously unpublished and a maximum length of 1000 words (8-13 years) or 1500 words (14+). Poems must be in English, previously unpublished and a maximum length of 30 lines typed, using a standard, legible font, double-spaced on single sides of A4 paper.

The Letter Review Prize for Poetry

Poems must not exceed 70 lines in length. There are no style or subject restrictions: all poems welcome. You should include a short biography of less than 200 words in your cover letter and ensure that it is suitable for publication.

The Letter Review Prize for Short Stories

The letter review prize for flash fiction, margery allingham short mystery competition.

The international competition is open to all – both published and unpublished authors from all over the world – and is for short stories of up to 3,500 words. The story cannot have been previously published anywhere, or shortlisted for this competition.

Flash 500 Short Stories Competition

Stories should range between 1,000 and 3,000 words, with strong characters, a well-crafted plot and realistic dialogue (where used).

Fish Publishing Flash Fiction Prize

Maximum number of words is 300. The title is not included in the word limit. The winning stories must be available for the Fish Anthology, and therefore must not have been published previously. Fish holds publishing rights for one year after publication, after which publishing rights revert to the author

Southword Poetry Prize

Manuscripts must be between 16 and 24 pages in length, in the English language and the sole work of the entrant with no pastiches, translations or versions. The poems can be in verse or prose.

The Canterbury Tales Writing Competition

The competition is open to all students of school age including not only those in schools and college communities, but also students who are home educated and in any other young people’s community organisations. The maximum word count is 500 words. There is no minimum word count.

The Annual Lancaster Writing Award

The word limit for criticism and fiction is 1500 words. The limit for poems is 25 lines. The limit for screenplays is 8 pages. Essays you have written at school are eligible for entry. To enter you must be in year 12 or 13.

Scottish Arts Trust Short Story Competition

The Scottish Arts Club Short Story Competition is open to all writers worldwide, published and unpublished, who are over 16 years by 1 September 2022. You do not have to be Scottish to enter the competition. Word limit: 2,000 words (not including the title)

The Isobel Lodge Award

The Isobel Lodge Award for New Scottish Writing is a special award within the competition that is only open to unpublished writers resident in Scotland on 1 January 2022. If you have a work of fiction that has been published online or in print but were not paid for it by a publisher or competition you can qualify for the Isobel Lodge Award. Writers also qualify if they have self-published a work of fiction. Authors of commercially published non-fiction may also submit stories for the Isobel Lodge Award.

Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest

Entrants must be Canadian (citizen or resident). Submissions must be unpublished, nor can they have been accepted for publication elsewhere. Submissions are accepted online only. No word limit.

Minds Shine Bright’s Annual Competition

Short stories: 5000 words/Flash Fiction: 1000 words /Poetry: 240 lines/Scripts: 90 pages, Each submission must be original, unpublished fiction written by the submitting author. Each submission must be entered into one of four categories including: poetry, micro/flash fiction, short stories or script writing.

The Debut Dagger Award

You must never have had a publishing contract for any work of fiction over 20,000 words at time of entry. You must not have had any work of fiction over 20,000 words available to the public in the last five years. Manuscript submissions must fall within the prescribed word count limit of 4,500 including synopsis and excluding headings, and cannot exceed it by even a few words.

BCALA Self-Publishing Ebook Contest

This contest is free and open to all self-published authors who meet the requirements. All eBooks submitted to the contest must be: in the poetry or fiction genres, a PDF or an ePUB file, in the English language, an original work that you own the rights to, and written by an African American author born in the U.S.

Red Hen Press Women’s Prose Prize

25,000 word minimum, 80,000 word maximum. Entries will be accepted via Submittable only. The award is open to all women writers with the following exceptions: Authors who have had a full-length work published by Red Hen Press, or a full-length work currently under consideration by Red Hen Press, employees, interns, or contractors of Red Hen Press, and relatives of employees or members of the executive board of directors.

The Plaza Prizes: Poetry

Poems can be in any style or form, but must be in English, and written for adults. Maximum 60 lines. Enter the correct version of your work. If you make a mistake, entry fees will not be refunded.

Fan Story Haiku Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Only haiku poems.

BSFS Poetry Contest

Entries should address the themes of science fiction/fantasy/horror/science. Limit: 3 poems/person, maximum 60 lines each.

Nature and Place Poetry Competition

Poems must have a title and must be no more than 40 lines, excluding the title, and be typed in black ink on one side of A4. Poems must be the original work of the entrant and must not have been published, self-published or published online or broadcast. Poems are judged anonymously so the poet’s name, address, etc., MUST NOT appear on the poem.

Blue Mesa Awards

This competition is open to original English language works in the genres of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. The submission must be an unpublished work. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable.

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize

Applicants must be aged 18 or above at the time of entry. All entries must be written in English. Submissions must be standalone and cannot be extracts from a larger piece. A maximum of 2,500 words per entry.

Fowey Festival Short Story Competition

Anyone above 16 can enter. The title for the competition is “Breaking Point”. Length: max 1500 words. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must never have been previously published, commended, long-listed or short-listed in another writing competition.

Evesham Festival of Words Short Story Competition

Open to adults only (i.e. over 16 years of age at the closing date). Word count: A maximum of 2,200 words, excluding the title.

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

Entries should be 750 words or less. Stories can be on any theme. Translated work is not accepted.

Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition

Stories must be original unpublished fiction, typed and double-spaced, and may not exceed 3,500 words in length. There are no theme or genre restrictions. Copyright remains the property of the author.

Eludia Award

All women age 40 and above, who do not yet have a book-length publication of fiction, can enter. The author must be unpublished and the entry should be in English.

James Jones First Novel Fellowship

Entrants must have never published a novel, are U.S. citizens or permanent residents of America with Green Cards, and may have published any other type of work including non-fiction articles and short stories. A two-page (maximum) outline or synopsis of the entire novel and the first 50 pages of the novel-in-progress are to be submitted. A specific format for the outline or synopsis is not required.

Fan Story Cinquain Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Entries must adhere to the contest’s syllable specifications.

Dream One Quest Poetry Contest

All poems must be written or translated into the English language, 30 lines or fewer, and must be neatly hand printed or typed.

Dream One Quest Writing Contest

All short stories may be on any subject or theme, written or translated into the English language. For example, any fiction, non-fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, diary, screenwriting, stage plays, and journal entries are accepted.

Rhyming Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a poem that has a rhyme scheme. How it rhymes is up to you.

Write The World Opinion Writing Competition

TBA (On Mar 6, 2023)

The Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest

Entrants must be Canadian (citizen or resident). Submissions must be unpublished, nor can they be accepted for publication elsewhere. Submissions are accepted online only.

Southword Fiction Story Prize

Anyone can enter. There is an upper limit of 5000 words for short stories. Only unpublished work.

Driftwood Poetry Collections

Anyone can enter. It should be between 40-100 pages of poetry. Experimental poetry, hybrid work, poetry with a visual element, prose poetry, and any avant-garde poetry are welcomed! Submissions should be primarily in English, but collections with a moderate bilingual component will of course be considered.

Rubery Book Award

There is no publication date restriction. Submitted work can be fiction (all genres), young adult, children’s, biographies, non-fiction, self-help, cookery, poetry, photography etc. There are no limits on the type.

The Fish Poetry Prize 2023

Anyone can enter. Poem length is restricted to 60 lines. The title is not included in the word limit, and it must be in English. The winning poem must be available for the Fish Anthology and, therefore, must not have been published previously. Fish will hold publishing rights for one year only after publication.

National Indie Excellence Awards (NIEA)

Your book must be available for sale by the submission deadline. Put all the categories in which you submit on one Submission Form and be sure to place a copy of the submission form and in each book you send in, one for each category. All titles must have an ISBN and be published books.

The Plaza Prizes: Literary: First Chapters

Entries can be in any style or form, but must be in English, and written for adults. A 300-word One-Pager (story synopsis). The opening chapters of your Literary novel. (5,000 words, max). Entries will be disqualified if they are over the word limit, or have no One-Pager, and there will be no refund.

The Plaza Prizes: Prose Poetry

Prose poems can be in any style or form, but must be in English, and written for adults. Maximum 50 lines. Enter the correct version of your work. If you make a mistake, entry fees will not be refunded. (You will have to enter again.)

KET Education Young Writers Contest

Entrants must be in kindergarten through twelfth grade, and must be a legal resident of Kentucky. Only single-author stories written within the current school year are eligible.

Jack L. Chalker Young Writers’ Contest

Submissions shall be no more than 2,500 words in length. Contestants shall be no younger than 14 and no older than 18 years of age as of May 29 in the contest year and shall reside or attend school in Maryland.

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Length limit: 250 lines maximum. Authors from all countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Crimea (due to US government restrictions). The poem you submit should be in English.

Zone 3 First Book Award in Poetry

Anyone can enter. Only unpublished work of a full-length collection of poems (48 pages or more) is eligible; those with chapbooks may participate. Manuscript should be 48-80 pages.

The Claymore Award

The contest is limited to only the first 50 double-spaced pages of unpublished English-language manuscripts containing elements of thriller, mystery, crime, or suspense NOT currently under contract.

The Mysterious Case Writing Contest

You must have a Neovel account. You must write at least 4 chapters before the end of the contest. This contest is open to all audiences. The main character or characters of your entry have to carry out an investigation in relation to a mysterious event.

The American Foreign Service Association’s National High School Essay Contest

Students whose parents are not in the Foreign Service are eligible to participate if they are in grades nine through twelve in any of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories, or if they are U.S. citizens/lawful permanent residents attending high school overseas.

Oklahoma Poem Contest

Only Oklahoma residents are eligible to enter. Poems will be judged in 4 categories: K-4th, 5th-8th, 9th-12th, and Adult. The maximum length for poems is 30 lines. Poems can be rhymed or unrhymed.

Etel Adnan Poetry Prize

Manuscripts must be between forty-eight and ninety pages. Individual poems may have been published in chapbooks, journals, and anthologies. Work in translation is not accepted.

Write The World Poetry & Spoken Word Competition

TBA (On Apr 3, 2023)

Fan Story Rhyming Poem Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a poem of any type. But there must be a rhyme scheme.

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

Residents of the following countries are not eligible to enter: Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to US government restrictions). You may submit stories and essays on any theme, up to 6,000 words each.

Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize

Do not include any preambles, or bios within your submitted manuscript. Manuscripts must have a table of contents. Manuscripts must be typed in a no less than 12-point font, paginated, and 48 – 84 pages in length (single spaced).

FAPA President’s Book Awards

Acceptable publishing dates for books submitted for the 2023 President’s Book Awards will be books with a copyright date from 2021 to 2023. There are 37 categories in which you may enter. The same book may be entered in multiple categories.

Adventure Writer’s Competition

For the purposes of this competition, an adventure novel is defined as an original, invented (fictional) prose narrative between 50,000 and 200,000 words dealing with a series of human experiences through a connected sequence of events that are action-adventure in nature.

Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest

Word Limit: 100 words or less per entry. Word limit includes the title and introduction, though these are not required. Entry Limit: You may submit as many entries as you’d like, but each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee. Writers: All ages. All genders. All nationalities. All writers welcome.

World Historian Student Essay Competition

Only students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs can apply. Past winners may not compete in the same category again. The entry should be approximately 1,000 words.

Fan Story New Arrival Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. This is a “New Arrival” contest which is designed to welcome new members to the site.

Writers’ Digest Annual Writing Competition

Rhyming Poem and Non-rhyming Poem: 40 lines maximum. Only count the lines containing text. Do not count blank lines between stanzas & do not count the title or contact information. Memoirs/Personal Essay, Nonfiction Essay or Article and Children’s/Young Adult Fiction: 2,000 words maximum.

Fan Story Loop Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Loop Poetry requires that the last word of each line becomes the first word of the next line. The rhyme scheme is abcb.

Write The World Food Writing Competition

TBA (On May 8, 2023)

We the Students Essay Contest

All students who are legal US residents or citizens, older than 14 and younger than 19, may apply. Each submission must adhere to the topics and should fully answer the question and all sub-parts. Each submission must adhere to the word limits for each question (between 500 and 800 words).

Fan Story 80 Word Flash Fiction Contest

The submitted work must be between 78 – 82 words.

The Peter Hinchcliffe Fiction Award

Entrants must be Canadian (citizen or resident). Submissions must be unpublished, nor can they be accepted for publication elsewhere. Submissions are accepted online only. While there is no word limit to short fiction entries, most fall within the range of 2000 – 5000 words.

Fan Story My Faith Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Share a poem that is about your faith or how faith has impacted your life. Any type of poem accepted.

CYGNUS Book Awards for Science Fiction | Chanticleer Book Reviews

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. No erotica. No graphic violence. Published works before Jan 1, 2020 will be disqualified. All works that have been published must be published after Jan. 1, 2020. Novels must be 60,000 plus words.

Script Pipeline TV Writing Contest

Cover page should include the title, but remove any contact information (name, email address, etc.). Logline and genre on the title page as well is preferred. Co-writers are allowed. List each writer’s name when registering your script. Script should be an original pilot. We will not be accepting spec scripts of existing shows.

The Bridport Novel Prize

Writers above 16 living in Britain and Ireland and British writers living overseas can enter. Entries must be an exclusive effort and writers must not have previously published a novel, (although self-published and ebooks are accepted). Novel entrants who have had other types of books traditionally published e.g. poetry, memoir, non-fiction, are eligible to submit. Length: between 5,000 to 8,000 words.

The Bridport Short Story Prize

Writers above 16 writing in English can enter. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must not have been published, self-published, published on any website, blog or online forum, broadcast nor winning or placed in any other competition. Short story length: 5000 words max.

The Bridport Poetry Prize

Writers above 16 writing in English can enter. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must not have been published, self-published, published on any website, blog or online forum, broadcast nor winning or placed in any other competition. Poetry length: 42 lines max.

The Bridport Flash Fiction Prize

Writers above 16 writing in English can enter. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must not have been published, self-published, published on any website, blog or online forum, broadcast nor winning or placed in any other competition. Flash fiction length: 250 words max.

Chanticleer Cozy and Not-So-Cozy Mystery Book Awards

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. E-pub accepted. All published novels must have ISBN/ASIN designation, manuscripts are not required to have this designation at the time of submission. Entries must be in the English language. No erotica. No graphic violence. Published works before Dec. 31, 2019 will be disqualified. Novels must be 60,000 plus words. Each entry must be accompanied by the entry fee.You may enter more than one novel into a given contest.

The Writing District Prize

Anyone can enter.Your story must be written in English. A maximum of 3,000 words.

Chanticleer Historical Fiction Pre-1750s Writing Contest

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. E-pub accepted. All published novels must have ISBN/ASIN designation, manuscripts are not required to have this designation at the time of submission. No erotica. No graphic violence. Copyrighted works before Dec. 31, 2018 will be disqualified.

Jane Austen Society Essay Contest

All students in school, university, or graduate school can apply. Essays should be directed to a well-informed general audience, not a strictly academic one, and should be based primarily on the student’s own observations, with adequate support from the Jane Austen work under discussion

Farnham Flash Fiction Competition

Anyone can enter. Story length: 500 words.

Fan Story Take A Photo Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a poem about a photo you’ve taken.

Ocean Awareness Contest

All students aged 11 – 18 can apply. All entries must be original work in English and not previously submitted. Students ages 11-14 may enter the Junior Division (Creative Writing: up to 750 words; Poetry & Spoken Word: no more than 1 page). Students ages 15-18 may enter the Senior Division (Creative Writing: up to 1,250 words; Poetry & Spoken Word: no more than 2 pages).

Fan Story 20 Syllable Poem Contest

Write a poem that has exactly 20 syllables. Any format.

Narrative Magazine: Narrative Prize

Submissions are accepted only through the electronic submission system. Submissions through postal services or email aren’t accepted. All manuscripts should be in 12-point type, with at least one-inch margins, and sequentially numbered pages. Fiction and nonfiction should be double-spaced. Poetry should be single-spaced.

Living Springs Publishers Baby Boomer Plus Contest

Submitted stories must: Be between 900 and 5000 words, written in the English language, wholly the original work of the entrant, written solely by the entrant, and the author must own all rights to the story.

Poetry Chapbook Prize

Each manuscript should consist of a 20-30 page chapbook in a standard 12-point font. Chapbooks may not have been previously published nor be forthcoming, though individual poems may have been published elsewhere (provided rights have reverted to the author).

This Sentence Starts The Story

Anyone can enter. Write a story that starts with this sentence: The house was empty. You have the option to put it in quotes (for dialogue) and to change the punctuation at the end for proper grammar.

Fan Story 3-6-9 Poem Contest

Anyone can enter. The poem should have three stanzas. The subject can be anything.

Write The World Letter Writing Competition

TBA (On Jun 5, 2023)

True Story Contest

Anyone can enter. Share a true story from your life. Write a story that shares a moment, an object, a feeling, etc. This does not have to be a profound memory, but should allow readers insight into your feelings, observations and/or thoughts. Use at least 100 words. No poetry.

Fan Story Nonet Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. It has to be a nonet, but it can be on any subject and rhyming is optional.

Winning Writers North Street Book Prize

Anyone can enter except those from Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to US government restrictions). Length limit: 200,000 words maximum in English. You may submit a collection of short stories or essays as a single entry.

The Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest

Anyone can enter. Must be original and unpublished. Each entry must consist of a single sentence. The entry shouldn’t go beyond 50 or 60 words.

Christopher Fielden’s Biennial Competition: To Hull And Back

Stories must be no longer than 2,500 words in length. This includes the title. To make this crystal clear, if your entry contains 2,502 words or more, it will be disqualified. There is no minimum word count.

The Writers Of The Future

All amateur writers can enter. Entries must be original works by the entrant, in English. Entries may not have been previously published in professional media. Entries must be works of prose, up to 17,000 words in length. No poetry, or works intended for children.

Fan Story Share A Story In A Poem Contest

Anyone can enter. In this contest you are challenged to write a poem that tells a story and also rhymes.

Fan Story 2-4-2 Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a 2-4-2 syllable poem. The subject can be anything.

Fan story Horror Writing Contest

Anyone can enter. Put your readers on edge or terrorize them.

Write The World Creative Nonfiction Competition

TBA (On Jul 3, 2023)

WOW! Women on Writing Creative non-fiction Essay Contest

All women can enter. Entries should be creative non-fiction in English. Maximum words: 1000. Minimum words: 200.

Polar Expressions National Poetry and Short-Story Contest

All work must be original and will be checked for plagiarism. Entries should not have been previously published. You may enter one poem and/or one short story only! Poems must be 48 lines or less.

Chanticleer: The Laramie Awards

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. E-pub accepted. All published novels must have ISBN/ASIN designation, manuscripts are not required to have this designation at the time of submission. No erotica. No graphic violence, please. Published works before January 1, 2019 will be disqualified.

Chanticleer: The Goethe Awards

Ozma book awards for fantasy fiction | sword & sorcery fiction | chanticleer book reviews.

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published E-pub accepted. Entries must be in the English language. No erotica. No graphic violence. Copyrighted works before Dec. 31, 2019 will be disqualified. Copyrighted works before Dec. 31, 2019 will be disqualified. You may enter in more than one category. However, each entry must be accompanied by the entry fee.

Hearten Book Awards for Uplifting Non-Fiction Works | Chanticleer Book Reviews

Books may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. Entries must be in the English language. No erotica. No graphic violence. Works published before January 1, 2019 will be disqualified. Books must be 40,000 plus words. You may enter in more than one category. However, each entry must be accompanied by the entry fee. You may enter more than one book into a given contest.

Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Writing Competition

Anyone can enter. Theme: Detour. Length: maximum 1,000 words. Stories can be a fictional tale or a tale inspired by a true story.

Faith Flash Contest

Anyone can enter. Write exactly 300 words. Title does not count in word count. Fiction or non-fiction welcomed.

Chanticleer: The Dante Rossetti Awards

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published E-pub accepted. All published novels must have ISBN/ASIN designation, manuscripts are not required to have this designation at the time of submission. No erotica. No graphic violence. Published works before Dec. 31, 2019 will be disqualified.

Anthology Magazine Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. Stories submitted must be on the theme of ‘Memories’ in English. To enter, submit an original, unpublished short story, written in English on the subject of ‘Memories’ with a maximum of 1,500 words.

Chanticleer: The Chatelaine Awards

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published E-pub accepted. All published novels must have ISBN/ASIN designation, manuscripts are not required to have this designation at the time of submission. No erotica. No graphic violence. Published works published before January 1, 2019 will be disqualified. Novels must be 50,000 plus words.

Minute Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. The Minute Poem is a poem that follows the “8,4,4,4” syllable count structure. It must have 12 lines total and 60 syllables.

Two Line Poem Contest

Anyone can enter. Write an essence poem. The poem should be of two lines with six syllables per line, each containing an internal rhyme and an ending rhyme.

Non-Fiction Investigative and Journalistic Works | Chanticleer Book Reviews

Works may be published on the web or in print or may be non-published. E-pubs accepted. Word Documents and PDFs are accepted. International entries are accepted but they must be written in the English language. Entries must be in the English language. Works published before December 30, 2018 will be disqualified. Works must be 10,000 plus words. Works must be 10,000 plus words. You may enter more than one work into a given contest.

Mind and Spirit Non-Fiction Guides and Works | Chanticleer Book Reviews

Free verse poetry contest.

Anyone can enter. No restrictions.

5-7-5 Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. The entry should be a 5-7-5 poem that follows the structure of a Haiku but without any limitation to the topic.

Four Line Poem Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a four line poem that has a specific syllable count. The subject can be anything.

Business, Technology, and Enterprise Non-Fiction Guides and How-To Book Awards | Chanticleer Book Reviews

Books may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published E-pubs accepted. Entries must be in the English language. Entries must be in the English language. Works published before December 31, 2018 will be disqualified. You may enter in more than one category. However, each entry must be accompanied by the entry fee. You may enter more than one book into a given contest.

Chanticleer: The Gertrude Warner Awards

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. E-pubs and Word files accepted. All published novels must have ISBN/ASIN designation, manuscripts are not required to have this designation at the time of submission. No erotica. No graphic violence. Copyrighted works before Dec. 31, 2019 will be disqualified. 20,000+ word count .

Chanticleer: The Clue Book Awards

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. E-pub accepted. All published novels must have ISBN/ASIN designation, manuscripts are not required to have this designation at the time of submission. No erotica. No graphic violence. Published works before Dec. 31, 2019 will be disqualified. Novels must be 60,000 plus words.

Chanticleer: The Little Peeps Awards

Early Readers and Picture Books may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. E-pub accepted. All published novels must have ISBN/ASIN designation, manuscripts are not required to have this designation at the time of submission. Published works before Dec. 31, 2019 will be disqualified.

Chanticleer: The Journey Awards

Books may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. E-pubs accepted. Word Documents and PDFs are accepted. All published books must have ISBN/ASIN designation, manuscripts are not required to have this designation at the time of submission. Works published before Dec. 31, 2019 will be disqualified. Books must be 50,000 plus words.

Global Thriller Writing Contest | Chanticleer Book Reviews

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. E-pub accepted. All published novels must have ISBN/ASIN designation, manuscripts are not required to have this designation at the time of submission. Entries must be in the English language. No erotica. No graphic violence. Published works before Dec. 31, 2019 will be disqualified. Novels must be 60,000 plus words.You may enter in more than one category. However, each entry must be accompanied by the entry fee.You may enter more than one novel into a given contest.

Manchester Poetry Prize

The Competition is open internationally to anyone aged 16 or over who is not excluded by these Rules. There is no upper age limit for entry. a portfolio comprising a minimum of three and a maximum of five poems. There is no minimum or maximum line limit for each individual poem, but the overall maximum length of the poems combined must not exceed 120 lines.

Manchester Fiction Prize

The Competition is open internationally to anyone aged 16 or over who is not excluded by these Rules. There is no upper age limit for entry. a short story of up to 2,500 words in length. There is no minimum word count.

Miller Williams Poetry Prize

Anyone can enter. Length: Manuscripts must be between sixty and ninety pages. The manuscript must be previously unpublished. Individual poems may have been published in chapbooks, journals, and anthologies. Work in translation is not accepted.

Paranormal Writing Competition | Chanticleer Book Reviews

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. E-pub accepted. Entries must be in the English language. No erotica. No graphic violence. Published works before Dec. 31, 2019 will be disqualified. Novels must be 50,000 plus words. You may enter in more than one category. However, each entry must be accompanied by the entry fee.

The Grindstone Novel Prize

A 100 word elevator pitch of your novel. The opening 5,000 words of your manuscript (10% margin). A 300-400 word synopsis summarising the key plot points of your novel. Please endeavour to submit your novel in Times New Roman, size 12, 1.5 or 2.0 line spaced for ease of reading. If this is not possible, please use another easily readable font.

The Raven Short Story Contest

This contest is for previously unpublished short fiction between 250 and 2500 words in length. Multiple entries are welcomed. Total entries limited to 200.

Non-Fiction Guides and How-To Book Awards | Chanticleer Book Reviews

Books may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. Entries must be in the English language. No erotica. No graphic violence. Works published before December 30, 2018 will be disqualified. Books must be 50,000 plus words OR at least 75 pages for Photobooks, Graphic Books, Charts, and other types of visual books or cookbooks/instructional books (knitting, etc). You may enter in more than one category. However, each entry must be accompanied by the entry fee. You may enter more than one book into a given contest.

The Larry Brown Short Story Award

The submitted story must be less than 4,000 words. No previously published work will be considered. The writer’s name and contact information should only appear within the cover letter box in Submittable.

Anthology Poetry Competition

Submit an original, unpublished poem, written in English with a maximum of 40 lines. There is no limit to the number of entries you can submit. There is no age limit. All poems are judged anonymously and therefore the poet’s name must not appear on the poem itself. Name and contact details should be on the entry form only.

Flash 500 Novels competition

Anyone can enter. Entries may have appeared online in private (password protected) peer review sites, but should not have been published in any commercial online form including blogs or personal websites or accepted for publication elsewhere. Chapters must not exceed 3,000 words and must be accompanied by a one page synopsis of the balance of the story. Entries must be in English.

CIBA Fiction Series Book Awards | Chanticleer Book Reviews

Novels must be published: Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. Entries must be in the English language. No erotica. No graphic violence. Each book in the series must be at least 60,000 plus words. YA and Middle-Grade Works may be less but at least 40,000 words. The first book in the series must have been published AFTER January 1, 2010. You may enter in more than one category. However, each complete series entry must be accompanied by the entry fee.

20c Wartime Historical Fiction | Chanticleer Book Reviews

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. E-pub accepted. Entries must be in the English language. No erotica. No graphic violence. Published works before Dec. 31, 2018 will be disqualified. Novels must be 60,000 plus words.You may enter in more than one category. However, each entry must be accompanied by the entry fee.You may enter more than one novel into a given contest.

Satirical & Allegorical Fiction Book Awards | Chanticleer Book Reviews

Novels may be Manuscripts, Self-published, Indie Published or Traditionally Published. Entries must be in the English language. No erotica. No graphic violence. Published works before Dec. 31, 2018 will be disqualified. Novels must be 50,000 plus words.You may enter in more than one category. However, each entry must be accompanied by the entry fee.You may enter more than one novel into a given contest.

Contemporary & Literary Novel Writing Contest | Chanticleer Book Reviews

Atlas shrugged essay contest.

The Atlas Shrugged novel essay contest is open to all students globally. Atlas Shrugged is a heroic mystery novel written by Ayn Rand. Choose a prompt and write a 800-1,600 word essay.

The Prime Number Magazine 53-Word Story Contest

Your story must be 53 words—no more, no less—titles are not included in the word count. Stories not meeting this rule will be disqualified. Send only stories; poetry with line breaks will not be considered. Hyphenated words count as one word. One submission per person. There are no age restrictions.

Shooter Literary Magazine: Shooter Flash Competition

Stories up to 1,000 words long on any theme/genre are welcomed . Stories must be no longer than 1,000 words excluding title. Stories may be submitted at any time as submissions are open on a rolling basis. Stories can be previously published or unpublished, and writers may submit multiple stories for consideration.

While not all the contests mentioned here will be suitable, there are surely a few that you’ll find inspiring. So check the ones that you are most interested in and start preparing to win some awards!

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10 Comments

Now that I am in my senior years, I find that I find that I have more time to return to writing stories of which there are many in my head. I think that with some structure like joining a contest or other writing formats, that it would be motivating for me to commit to writing, fiction initially.

Great to hear that you’re returning to writing! Participating in writing contests can definitely provide structure and motivation to commit. It’s also a great way to receive feedback on your writing and potentially gain recognition for your work.

Best of luck! 🙂

May we please add another writing competition to the list? Here are the details below:

Atlas Shrugged novel Essay Contest

Eligibility and Restrictions: The Atlas Shrugged novel essay contest is open to all students globally. Atlas Shrugged is a heroic mystery novel written by Ayn Rand. Choose a prompt and write a 800-1,600 word essay. First prize: $10,000; 3 second prizes: $2,000; 5 third prizes: $1,000; 25 finalists: $100; 50 semifinalists: $50. Please visit the website to apply: https://aynrand.org/students/essay-contests/atlas-shrugged/

Genre: Fiction Sub-Genre: Novel Entry Fee: Free Deadline: Nov 6 Prize: 84 cash-prizes up to $10,000

Thank you for sharing this information about the Atlas Shrugged Novel Essay Contest. We appreciate your contribution to the list of writing contests. The contest looks interesting and we will definitely consider adding it to our list.

Thank you again for bringing it to our attention.

Thank you for featuring the Anthology Short Story Competition! We also have a Poetry Competition that would be worth adding to your list. Here are the details: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/poetry-competition/ Thanks!

Thank you for bringing this to our attention! We’ll definitely take a look at the Anthology Poetry Competition and consider adding it to our list.

Thank you for listing the Poetry Competition. We have also launched Flash Fiction and Travel Writing competitions this year: Travel Writing: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/travel-writing-competition/ Flash Fiction: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/flash-fiction-competition/

Would love if you could add them as well! Thank you.

Sure! Thanks for letting us know about your latest writing contests. We’ll make sure to add both in our next article update.

If you’re still updating this post, Bardsy has a contest we would love to have on your list!

Here is the contest information and link.

Contest Name: 2023 Winter Anthology Contest: Compelling First Chapters

Grand Prize: $1000 and anthology publication.

Finalist Prize: All finalists will receive $50 and anthology publication.

Prompt: Enter the first chapter of your in-progress novel or memoir. Your goal is to create a sample that compels readers to click buy. That means we’re looking for first chapters that capture our attention and leave us eager to keep reading.

Prerequisites: An original, unpublished first chapter. 2,500-3,000 words. Entrants must be 18+. Please do not send short stories or your entire manuscript. English only.

Deadline: 01/15/24.

Entry Fee: $20

https://bardsy.com/contest

Hi ALex, thank you for letting us know about your contest. We’ll try to add it in in the next update.

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At PaperTrue, we’ve always believed that writing competitions are more than just about winning. It’s a community experience where you can interact with fellow poets and writers, and learn from each other’s work. So, it’s our job to provide you with an updated and detailed list of writing contests 2023!

But which contests should you participate in? Out of the hundreds of poetry contests, short story competitions, and essay contests held each year, which ones will best reward your hard work? As experts who provide self-publishing services , we want nothing but success for you. What better way to ensure this than to bring you the best writing competitions 2023?

Transform your book, short story, essay, or poem into a masterpiece! Learn more

Here are the best international writing competitions 2023:

Poetry competitions 2023

1. the bridport poetry prize  .

The top three winning poems are automatically entered into the Forward Prize For Poetry competition, with the chance to win a further £1000. The first prize also features in the Bridport anthology.

Word count: 42 lines

Prizes:   £5,000, £1,000, £500, ten prizes of £100

Entry fee: £12

Closing date: 31 May 2023

2. International Poetry Contest

The winning entry for this poetry competition will be published in the Fall 2023 issue of Atlanta Review . Fifty additional entries will be published in the contest issue and will receive an award and a free copy. 

Word count: 5 poems

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 01 May 2023

3. The 9th Singapore Poetry Contest  

This poetry contest invites entries on any theme, provided they incorporate the word “snail”. Simultaneous submissions are not allowed, and the poems should be accompanied by a short letter and biographical note.

Prompt: Snail

Word count: 3 poems

Prizes: $300, $200, $100

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 15 May 2023

4. Kunitz Prize for Younger Poets  

This poetry writing contest aims to honor the late Stanley Kunitz’s dedication to mentoring poets. The winning entry will be published in the September/October issue of The American Poetry Review and all entrants will receive a copy.

Word count: 3 pages

5. Patricia Cleary Miller Award for Poetry  

New Letters has organized this poetry writing competition. Send six poems in one entry with a cover sheet stating the genre and title of each poem. All the best!

Word count: 30 pages

Prize: $2,500

Entry fee: $24

Closing date: 22 May 2023

6. The Auroras & Blossoms Haiku Anthology  

This haiku contest is free to enter, but you may opt to donate to them. Donors will be eligible for royalties on every haiku that is published. With a 1% royalty rate for each haiku, you may earn up to 10% in royalties.

Word count: 3–10 haikus

Prize: 1% royalties per haiku (for donors)

Short story contests 2023

7. the bridport short story prize  .

The organizers for this short story writing contest enter the shortlisted UK-based writers into the BBC Short Story Competition. Literary agent A.M. Heath reads the entire shortlist and considers representation.

Word count: 5,000

Entry fee: £14

8. Writing Battle

This exciting short story writing competition assigns you a genre when the contest starts, and you get two days to write your story. All entrants vote for the winners, which means everyone is a judge!

Word count: 300–500

Prizes: Four prizes of $800 and four prizes of $200

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 05 May 2023 

9. The Raymond Carver Short Story Contest

The mission for this short story competition is to “deliver exciting new fiction from writers all over the world”. It accepts entries in literary fiction alone, so genre fiction (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, romance) is not eligible.

Word count: 500–2,000

Prizes: $1000 NZD, $500 NZD, $200 NZD

Entry fee: $6 NZD

10. The Folly International Short Story Prize  

The organizers of this short story contest in 2023 seek “content that takes risks, screams with honesty, and celebrates life’s extraordinary moments”. Winning and shortlisted stories will be published in Folly Journal.

Word count: 10,000

Prizes: $2000, $500, $250, two prizes of $125

Entry fee: $18

Closing date: 17 May 2023

11. Robert Day Award for Fiction  

This short story writing competition is part of the New Letters group of contests. Make sure you attach one cover sheet stating the genre and the title of the story.

Word count: 8,000

12. The Writing District Prize 2023  

This short story competition accepts entries on any theme, subject, or genre. The judges will select a longlist of 20 entries, from which 3 will be finalized. Make sure to go through the contest guidelines before you hit submit! 

Word count: 3,000

Prizes: $1,000, two prizes of $100

13. WOW! Flash Fiction Contest  

Open to women writers worldwide, this flash fiction competition awards Amazon gift certificates to 7 runners up and 10 honorable mentions. At a $20 entry fee, you may opt for a critique along the subject, content, and technicalities of your piece.

Word count: 250–750

Prizes: $400, $300, $200, and others

Entry fee: $10

14. Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction  

The Flannery O’Connor Award series has published more than 70 short-story collections. Short stories may have appeared in magazines or online platforms, but may not have been published as a collection.

Word count: 40,000–75,000

Entry fee: $30

15. Autumn House Fiction Contest  

Through this fiction contest, Autumn House awards one writer with publication, a $1,000 honorarium, and a $1,500 publicity grant. All fiction sub-genres (short stories, short-shorts, novellas, or novels) or any combination of sub-genres are eligible!

Word count: 37,500–75,000

Book writing contests

16. the bridport prize novel award  .

This novel writing competition allows you to participate even if you haven’t finished writing it yet! Send up to 8,000 words from the first chapter(s) of your novel along with a 300-word synopsis.

Word count: 5,000–8,000

Prizes: £1,500, £750, three prizes of £150

Entry fee: £24

17. 2023 Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize

This poetry book contest awards an “unpublished manuscript of original Anglophone poetry by an author of Asian heritage residing anywhere in the world”. The winning manuscript will be published in Spring 2024 by Gaudy Boy.

Word count: 70–120 pages

Prize: $1,500

18. James Laughlin Award  

This incredibly specific poetry competition honors “a second full-length print book of original poetry, in English, by a living poet, forthcoming in the next calendar year.” To be eligible, a book must be under contract with a U.S. publisher.

Word count: 48–100 pages

Prize: $5,000

19. Idaho Prize For Poetry  

This poetry book competition awards one poet with publication and 20 complementary author copies. There are no restrictions on the genre, style, or subject—the organziers are simply looking for the best manuscript!

Entry fee: $28

20. 2023 Fugere Book Prize  

Regal House Publishing has organized this book writing contest to award finely-crafted novellas. Translations, previously published, and collaborative manuscripts are not eligible. Make sure you follow their submission guidelines!

Word count: 17,000–40,000

Entry fee: $25

21. 2023 Adaptation Contest

This interesting book writing contest seeks “published books (fiction and nonfiction), graphic novels/comics, and short stories for film & TV development”. Go through all the criteria for picture books and short stories before you hit submit!

Word count: 5,000 words (plus a 1–3 page-long synopsis)

Entry fee: $45 / $50 / $55

Closing date: 20 May 2023 / 15 August 2023 / 31 August 2023

22. 2023 Unpublished Contest  

Book Pipeline has organized this writing contest in 2023 “exclusively for unpublished manuscripts across eight categories of fiction and nonfiction”. Aside from the cash prizes, the finalists receive circulation to publishers, agents, editors, and film and TV producers.

Word count: 5,000 (plus a 1–3 page-long synopsis)

Prizes: $20,000, $2,500 per category

Entry fee: $45 / $55 / $60

Closing date: 25 May 2023 / 20 August 2023 / 05 September 2023

23. The Bath Novel Award 2023

Along with the cash prize, the winner of this esteemed novel contest receives the Minerva trophy. Send the first 5,000 words with a one-page synopsis. Self-published writers are welcome to participate!

Word count: 50,000

Prize: £3,000

Entry fee: £29

Closing date: 31 May 2023 

24. 2023 Anhinga Prize for Poetry  

This 2023 poetry competition awards one poet with publication by Anhinga Press and 25 author copies. Make sure to add a cover page with your manuscript. Octavio Quintanilla will judge the contest.

Prize: $2,000

25. Autumn House Poetry Contest

The Autumn House staff and select outsiders are the preliminary readers for this poetry competition and the final judge is Toi Derricotte. The winner receives a $1,000 honorarium and a $1,500 publicity grant to promote their book.

Word count: 50–80 pages

26. Max Ritvo Poetry Prize  

Louise Glück is the judge for this exciting poetry book contest! The contest awards publication and a comprehensive marketing campaign to one unpublished poet. Translations are not eligible.

Word count: More than 48 pages

Prize: $10,000

Flash fiction competitions 2023

27. the bridport flash fiction prize  .

The flash fiction competition is part of the Bridport Prize family of writing contests. The winning entry will be published in an anthology. Fiction written for children is not recommended.

Word count: 250

Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250, five prizes of £100

Entry fee: £11

28. Pulp Fictional Flash Fiction Contest  

The organizers of this flash fiction competition prefer stories that are “scary and unusual, strange and unnerving”. The cash prizes may increase depending on the number of writers that submit their entries!

Word count: 1,000

Prizes: £250, £100, £50

Entry fee: £6

Mixed writing contests  

29. the 2023 bloom writing contest  .

The European Society of Literature invites poets and writers to send entries on the theme of beauty. The organizers of this writing competition believe that “good literature isn’t confined to a particular category”, so be sure to do your best!

Theme: Beauty

Categories: Short story, essay, and poetry

Word count: 2,500

Prize: €500

Entry fee: €3

30. Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition  

This esteemed writing contest will award almost 500 winners with cash prizes and publication. The competition will be held in nine categories, so be sure to check out their submission guidelines!

Categories: Various

Prizes: $5,000 grand prize and $1,000, $500, $250, $50 per category

Entry fee: $20–$30 (depending on categories) 

Closing date: 05 May 2023

31. The Emerging Writer’s Contest

Ploughshares encourages emerging writers to send their entries, and self-published writers don’t qualify. The winners also receive a conversation with Aevitas Creative Management regarding their writing careers.

Categories: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry

Word count: 6,000 for fiction and nonfiction, 3–5 pages for poetry

Prize: $2,000 per category

32. Yeovil Literary Prize

Yeovil Community Arts Association has organized this set of writing competitions to encourage poets and writers worldwide. The contest is a great opportunity to get your work read by major agents and publishers!

a. Novel Writing Contest

Prizes: £1250, £500, £125

Entry fee: £14.5

b. Short Story Competition

Word count: 2,000

Prizes: £600, £250, £125

Entry fee: £8

c. Poetry Competition

Word count: 40 lines

Entry fee: £5

d. Children’s and Young Adult Novel

Word count: 3,000 words, 500-word synopsis

Entry fee: £12.5

e. Writing Without Restrictions

Word count: —

f. Western Gazette Best Local Writer Award

Prize: £100

33. The Synopsis Skirmish

The organizers of this unique writing contest in 2023 want you to write a synopsis of your novel “with style but without gimmick”. Can you walk the fine line between understanding the form and introducing a fresh take?

Word count: 500

Prizes: $700 CAD, $200 CAD, $100 CAD

Entry fee: $5 CAD

1. Annual Mudfish Poetry Contest  

Mudfish has organized this poetry contest to award deserving poets with publication in the magazine. All entries will be considered for publication. Deborah Landau is the judge for this contest.

Word count: 3 poems of any length

Prize: $1,200

Closing date: 15 June 2023

2. The Poetry London Prize  

The poetry competition provides some free entries for writers from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Unfortunately, self-published poets are not eligible for this contest.

Word count: 80 lines

Prizes: £5,000, £2,000, £1,000

Entry fee: £10

Closing date: 30 June 2023 

3. Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors

The organizers of this short story contest seek “stories set between today and the year 2200, in a future that shows the path to a clean, green, just world.” Make sure you go through their guidelines before you participate!

Word count: 3,000–5,000

Prizes: $3,000, $2,000, $1,000, nine prizes of $300

Closing date: 13 June 2023

4. Anthology Short Story Competition

Anthology has organized this short story contest in 2023 “to recognize and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication”. Make sure you go through some issues of the magazine for some context!

Word count: 1,500

Prizes: €1,000, €250, €150

Entry fee: €18

Closing date: 31 August 2023 

5. The Moth Short Story Prize  

This prestigious short story competition is open to anyone over the age of 16 with no restrictions of theme or style. The winning entry will be published in the Irish Times while other finalists will be published online.

Prizes: €3,000, travel stipend for a week at Circle of Misse, €1,000

Entry fee: €15

Closing date: 30 June 2023

6. The Writers College Short Story Competition  

This short story contest is for unpublished writers or writers who have been published fewer than four times in any genre. Only per entry is allowed for each writer, so make sure you send your best work!

Prizes: $1,000 NZ, $500 NZ, $250 NZ

Essay writing contests

7. the international peace essay contest for ukraine war  .

This essay contest has been organized to encourage writers to share their ideas on peacebuilding. Answer one of the three provided questions in your essay and send it across. All the best!

Prize: $100

Closing date: 01 June 2023

8. International Essay Contest for Young People  

This writing competition for teenagers and young writers invites entries in English, French, and Japanese. The contest is “an effort to harness the energy, creativity and initiative of the world’s youth”.

Theme: Youth Creating a Peaceful Future

Word count: 700

Prizes: $740, $370, gift certificates

9. Free Global Writing Competition  

The winning entry for this essay contest will be published in The Writers College newsletter and blog. Entries are restricted to one entry per writer, so make sure you send nothing short of your best essay!

Theme: The best writing tip I’ve ever received

Word count: 600

Prize: $200

10. 2023 Housatonic Book Awards  

This book writing contest awards three writers with a cash prize in exchange for appearing at Western Connecticut State University, including a $500 travel stipend and hotel residency.

Categories: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry

Word count: Various

Prize: $1,000 per category

11. Green Stories Novel Prize  

The aim of this novel writing contest is to “use fiction as a way to reach a wider audience, and support winning authors to translate their stories into published books”. Your novel should be at least 60,000 words, but you’re required to send only three chapters.

Word count: 4,000–10,000

Prizes: $1200, $600

Closing date: 26 June 2023

12. North Street Book Prize  

The top prize winner in this book contest also gets a one-hour phone conversation with the contest judge, Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Self-published writers are welcome to enter!

Categories: Various (eight genres)

Word count: 200,000

Prizes $10,000 (grand prize) and $1,000, $300 (per category)

Entry fee: $75

13. Geri Digiorno Prize  

Raleigh Review has organized this interesting writing competition to recognize the work of multi-disciplinary artists. Send a combination of poetry, visual art, and flash nonfiction and get a chance to be published in the magazine!

Categories: Nonfiction, poetry, visual art

Prize: $300

Entry fee: $5

14. 2023 International Competitions  

The Wells Festival of Literature has arranged four writing competitions in 2023 that accept entries in different genres. All the contests feature an additional prize for local poets and writers.

a. 2023 Open Poetry Competition

Word count: 35 lines

Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250, and £100 for a local poet

b. 2023 Short Story Competition

Word count: 1,000–2,000

Prizes: £750, £300, £200, and £100 for a local writer

c. 2023 Book for Children Competition

Word count: first two chapters or first twenty pages

Prizes: £150, £75, £50

d. 2023 Young Poets Competition

Entry fee: £3

1. Submit | Valiant Scribe  

Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250

Closing date: 15 July 2023 

2. Amy Award | Alison Wearing  

Closing date: 09 July 2023 

3. Ledbury Poetry Competition 2023

Closing date: 10 July 2023 

4. Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition  

Closing date: 12 July 2023

5. The Sentence Expansion Extravaganza

Closing date: 15 July 2023

6. Bardsy – Current Short Story Anthology Contest

Closing date: 07 July 2023 

7. Page One Prize

Closing date: 14 July 2023

8. 2023 Start Here | Hastings Book Fest  

Category: Poetry and short fiction

August 2023

1. the coniston prize  .

Radar Poetry has organized this poetry competition to award a group of poems. The contest is open to people who self-identify as women and welcomes poems that are “cohesive in some way, whether connected by subject matter, theme, voice, style, or imagery.”

Word count: 3–5 poems in a single document

Prizes: $1,000, ten prizes of $175

Closing date: 01 August 2023

2. Fischer & Cantor Prizes

The Telluride Institute has simultaneously organized these two poetry contests 2023. The Fischer Prize welcomes entries on all subject matter, while the Cantor Prize is open to poets living in or writing about Colorado.

Prizes: $1,000, five prizes of $250 | $500, two prizes of $250

Entry fee: $10 | $6

Closing date: 30 August 2023

3. 2023 Unpublished Contest  

4. 20th annual gival press short story award 2023.

Gival Press has organized this short story contest 2023 in the hopes of eventually publishing an anthology of contest winners. There is a long list of submission guidelines, so make sure you follow them all!

Word count: 5,000–15,000

Closing date: 08 August 2023

5. Summer Short Story Award for New Writers  

The organizers of this short story writing competition are looking for the best literary fiction. They ask only one thing from today’s new writers: “Dazzle us, take chances, and be bold.” All finalists  receive agency reviews from six agencies!

Word count: 6,000

Prizes: $3,000, $300, $200

Closing date: 27 August 2023

6. Flash Fiction Contest 2023   

Gemini Magazine has organized this flash fiction contest to award six finalists with online publication in its October 2023 issue. Entries on any subject and style are eligible. All entries are read blind.

Prizes: $1,000, $100, four prizes of $25

Entry fee: $7

Closing date: 31 August 2023

7. WOW! Women On Writing Contests: Flash Fiction and Essay Contest

The organizers of this flash fiction competition seek “to provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants.” The top 10 stories are published in the WOW! Women On Writing e-zine. The contest is limited to only 300 entries!

Prizes: $400, $300, $200

8. Oxford Flash Fiction Prize

This flash fiction competition runs in partnership with the Bodleian Libraries’ Gifts and Books exhibition at the University of Oxford. The £50 prize recognizes a new voice and shortlisted entrants are offered publication in an end-of-year anthology.

Theme: Gifts

Prizes: £1000, £200, £100, £50

9. The University of New Orleans Press Publication Prize  

The organizers of this competition seek to “bring innovative publicity and broad distribution to authors”. Short story collections and novellas are eligible for entry. Self-published writers are welcome to enter!

Prize: $10,000 advance on royalties

10. Granum Foundation Fellowship Prize   [Free Contest!]

This book writing competition awards a US-based writer with the opportunity to complete a substantive literary work or to launch one. An additional prize is awarded to a work of translation by a US-based writer.

Categories: Novel, memoir, short story, essay, and poetry

Word count: Variable

Prizes: $5,000, $1,500

13. The Deborah Tall Lyric Essay Book Prize  

Seneca Review Books has organized this contest to “encourage and support innovative work in the essay”. Essay writers are welcome to submit cross-genre and hybrid work, verse forms, text and image, connected pieces, and “beyond category” projects. 

Word count: 48–120 pages

Entry fee: $27

14. 2023 Omnidawn Open Poetry Book Contest  

One of several Omnidawn poetry contests 2023, this competition awards one poet with publication, a cash prize, and 20 printed copies. If your manuscript contains images, make sure they’re completely original!

Word count: 40–90 pages

Prize: $3,000 and 20 printed copies

Entry fee: $35

Closing date: 13 August 2023

15. Grayson Books Poetry Contest  

One of two poetry competitions 2023 organized by Grayson Books, this contest offers publication to a single poet. You may include a brief bio in the submission form and add acknowledgments in the manuscript, but it’s not compulsory.

Word count: 50–90 pages

Prize: $1,000 and 10 printed copies

Entry fee: $26

Closing date: 15 August 2023

16. Fool for Poetry International Chapbook Competition  

Munster Literature Centre has organized this poetry writing competition to award both new and established poets with publication. Aside from the winners, the organizers will list 25 poets as “highly commended”.

Word count: 16–24 pages

Prizes: €1,000, €500, and 25 printed copies for both winners

Entry fee: €25

17. The 2024 Kenneth Patchen Award for the Innovative Novel  

Journal of Experimental Fiction has organized this novel writing competition with Carla M. Wilson as the judge. Make sure your manuscript doesn’t contain any identifying information and add a separate sheet with your contact information.

18. The St. Lawrence Book Award  

Black Lawrence Press has organized this book writing contest with its editorial staff and previous winners as the judges. The competition is open to poets and writers who have not published a full-length manuscript in any genre. 

Categories: Prose and poetry

Word count: 120–280 pages for prose; 45–95 pages for poetry

Prize: $1,000 and ten printed copies

19. The Kindle Storyteller Award [Free Contest]

This book writing contest is open to poets and writers of all genres who have published their work through Kindle Direct Publishing. While there is a judging panel, readers also play a role in selecting the winner.

Categories: Any genre

Word count: At least 25 pages

Prize: £20,000, a book launch merchandising package, and a Kindle Oasis E-reader

20. The Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize [Free Contest!]

This contest is open to books of poems published between 01 July 2021 and 30 June 2022 by a resident of Upstate New York. Unfortunately, self-published works are not eligible.

Word count:   At least 48 pages

21. Off the Grid Press    

This poetry competition 2023 is open to poets aged 60 and above. Along with the cash prize, the winner receives publication, promotion, and distribution for their book in print and audiobook formats.

Word count: At least 50 pages

Other interesting contests in 2023

22. aesthetica creative writing award  .

This writing competition invites poets and writers to submit entries on any theme. The cash prizes come with additional prizes such as magazine subscriptions and course enrolments!

Categories: Poetry and fiction

Word count: 40 lines for poetry and 2,000 words for fiction

Prizes: £2,500 per category and several other exciting prizes

Entry fee: £12 for poetry and £15 for fiction

23. Stories That Need to Be Told Contest

This interesting writing contest 2023 invites you to tell a story—whether you do it in a poem or an essay is up to you! Along with the grand prize, five prizes will be awarded for “stories that excel in the merits of Humor, Passion, Depth, and (any form of) Love”.

Prizes: $1,000, six prizes of $200

Closing date: 09 August 2023

September 2023

1. four-line poem contest.

Part of the Fanstory group of writing contests 2023, this poetry competition is sure to get you excited. Write a poem in four lines with a 1-5-5-9 syllable structure. Think you’re up to the challenge?

Word count: 20 syllables

Entry fee: $12.95

Closing date: 14 September 2023

2. Letterkenny Literary Festival Poetry Competition [Free Contest!]

Open to poets from Ireland, this poetry contest celebrates the birth of Brendan Behan and his connections with Letterkenny. Five shortlisted entrants will be invited to read their entry at the literary festival, where the winners will be announced.

Theme: Against the Odds

Word count: 30 lines

Prizes: €150, €1000

Closing date: 15 September 2023

3. TRIO International Poetry Competition

Trip Uganda has organized this poetry competition with Jon Sait as its administrator, who won the 2004 National Poetry Competition. All entries will be considered for publication in the next edition of Red Poets .

Prizes: £1,000, £300, £100, four prizes of £25

Closing date: 30 September 2023

4. VII International Short Tales Contest [Free Writing Contest!]

The César Egido Serrano Foundation has organized this international short story contest 2023 to promote “harmony between different cultures, religions and ideologies”. Writers can submit entries in Spanish, English, Arabic or Hebrew.

Word count: 100

Prizes: $20,000, three prizes of $2,000 each

5. Manchester Writing Competition

Manchester Metropolitan University invites poets and writers worldwide to participate in their writing competition. The organizers offer 100 reduced-price (£10) to participants with low income.

Categories: Short story and poetry

Word count: 2,500 for short story, 120 lines for poetry

Prize: £10,000 per category

Closing date: 01 September 2023

October 2023

1. 2024 peter porter poetry prize  .

Australian Book Review has organized this poetry contest 2023 to honor the poet Peter Porter. The five shortlisted poems will be published in the January–February 2024 issue of ABR . Entrants will receive digital access to ABR for four months!

Word count: 70 lines

Prizes: $6,000 AUD, four prizes of $1,000 AUD

Entry fee: $30 AUD

Closing date: 09 October 2023

2. Editor’s Choice Award

This interesting contest invites poets and writers to send “hybrid work—your lyric essays, prose poems, short-shorts, collages, micro-memoirs”. The competition begins accepting entries on 01 May 2023, so keep your drafts ready!

Word count: 8,000 

Closing date: 16 October 2023

3. Diode Editiona Full-Length Book Contest  

Diode Editions has organized this poetry writing competition to award an unpublished poet. The winning manuscript will be published within a year and select poems from it will appear in the 17th Anniversary Issue of diode poetry journal .

Word count: 55–95 pages

Prize: $1,500 and 10 author copies

Closing date: 30 October 2023

4. Diode Editions Chapbook Contest  

The organizers of this poetry contest allow collaborations and hybrid work. Diode Editions may select more than one chapbook as the winner, and each winner will receive a cash prize and publication.

Word count: 25–55 pages

Prize: $750 and 10 author copies

5. Anthology Poetry Competition  

Well-known among writing contests 2023, this poetry competition was “established to recognise and encourage excellence in the craft of poetry writing”. There is no restriction on theme and style, but you can refer to past issues for a better idea of what they publish.

Closing date: 31 October 2023

6. National Poetry Competition  

One of the most prestigious poetry contests in 2023, The Poetry Society has been organizing this competition since 1978. Jane Draycott, Will Harris, Clare Pollard comprise the panel of judges for this year.

Prize: £5,000

7. The Chilling Pen Award [Free Contest!]

This short story competition seeks to unearth hidden gems in the horror genre. The judging criteria are as follows: Quality, Originality, Fear Factor, and Overall Impact. So go ahead and write something to chill the panel to its bones!

Prizes: $500, $300, $100

Closing date: 01 October 2023

8. Anthology Flash Fiction Competition

Anthology has organized this flash fiction contest to “inspire creativity, great writing and to provide a platform for publication.” The winning entry will be published in a future issue of the magazine.

Prize: €300

Entry fee: €8 / €10

Closing date: 31 May 2023 / 31 October 2023

Mixed Contest 2023

9. the bedford competition  .

The organizers of this writing contest help poets and writers get published and donate all proceeds to charities that support literary and literacy skills. All winning and shortlisted entries will be published by Ostrich Books. 

Word count: 3,000 for short story; 40 lines for poetry

Prizes: £1,500, £300, £200

Entry fee: £9

November 2023

There are few poetry contests this month, but the wealth of short story competitions more than makes up for it. We hope that the two essay contests we managed to find keep the nonfiction writers happy!

Poetry contests 2023

1. edwin markham prize for poetry 2023     .

Reed Magazine welcomes poets to submit entries in a wide variety of forms and styles. You may send up to five poems in a single document with a 50-word bio. Make sure to pay attention to the formatting guidelines when you submit!

Closing date: 01 November 2023

2. James Hearst Poetry Prize  

North American Review has organized this poetry competition to honor its past contributing editor and celebrated poet, James Hearst. While there’s no restriction on form, the organizers suggest that you submit shorter poems. 

Entry fee: $23

3. Cafe Writers Poetry Competition 2023

This international poetry contest offers one free entry to any UK resident who can’t pay the entry fee. One Norfolk resident is awarded the Norfolk Prize and a cash prize of £100. Martin Figura is the sole judge this year.

Prize: £1,000, £300, £200, £100, five prizes of £50

Entry fee: £4

Closing date: 30 November 2023

4. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize

BOA Editions, a not-for-profit publishing house of poetry and poetry in translation, has organized this contest to honor its late founder. The contest is only open to poets who are yet to publish a full-length manuscript.

5. Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition

Suji Kwock Kim is the judge for this international poetry competition 2023. The poem can be on any subject or style. The organizers offer free entries of two poems each for thirty poets currently residing in a developing country.

Prize: €2,000, €500, €250, two prizes of €50

Entry fee: €7

6. John Steinbeck Award for Fiction 2023

Reed Magazine has organized this story writing contest to invite entries for its Issue 157. The organizers are open to all styles, including experimental and literary. Make sure to add a 50-word bio with your entry!

7. The Scribble Annual Short Story Competition 2023  

Park Publications, the publisher of Scribble , has organized this short story contest. The winning entry will be published in the winter 2023 edition of the magazine. Annual subscribers of Scribble receive a free entry.

Prizes: £100, £50, £25

8. Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize

This short story contest is open to entries in all genres of speculative fiction, from fairy tale and horror to afro-futurism and science fiction. The results will be announced in January 2024. The winning entry will be published in North American Review ’s summer issue. 

Prize: $1,333

9. Commonwealth Short Story Prize [Free Writing Contest!] 

Commonwealth Foundation has organized this free short story contest to offer publication to writers residing in Commonwealth countries. The winning story, along with four regional winning stories, will be published in Granta .

Word count: 2,000–5,000

Prizes: £5,000, four prizes of £2,500

10. Curious Curls Fiction Contest  

Curious Curls Publishing has organized this short story competition in an effort to begin publishing shorter fiction. Besides the cash prizes, the winners will receive video promotion and a free book!

Prizes: $250, $125, $100

Entry fee: $2.50

Closing date: 15 November 2023

11. Ironclad Creative Short Story Competition

In its second year, this short story competition welcomes writers to submit entries in any genre. Alongside the winners, ten longlisted writers will be offered publication in the contest anthology. All the best!

Theme: Dusk

Closing date: 16 November 2023

12. WOW! Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest

WOW! welcomes women writers to submit their best work to this open-prompt flash fiction contest 2023. You can opt for a critique of your work at an entry fee of $20. There are only 300 entries, so hurry up and start writing!

13. New Writers Flash Fiction Competition 2024

New Writers has organized this flash fiction contest to award three writers with publication on their website. Entries published online or on social media are not eligible. Stephanie Curly is the head judge.

Word count: 300 

Prizes: £1,000, £300, £200

Entry fee: £8 (early bird entry fee) / £10 

Closing date: 30 November 2023 / 31 January 2024

Essay contests

14. gabriele rico challenge for nonfiction 2023.

This nonfiction writing contest welcomes creative nonfiction such as essays and narratives, but not scholarly papers or book reviews. The piece you send must be a stand-alone work and not part of a larger manuscript.

15. Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest [Free Contest!]

The Atlas Shrugged novel essay contest is open to all high school and college students globally. Atlas Shrugged is a heroic mystery novel written by Ayn Rand. Choose from three prompts and submit an award-winning essay!

Word count: 800–1,600

Prizes: $10,000, 3 prizes of prizes $2,000, 5 prizes of $1,000, 25 prizes of $100, 50 prizes of $50

Closing date: 06 November 2023

Book writing contests 2023

16. the changes book prize  .

This poetry book competition awards a first or second book of poetry with publication. The winner also receives national distribution, extensive publicity, and a launch event for their book. Eileen Myles is the judge for the contest.

Word count: 48–80 pages

17. Evaristo Prize for African Poetry [Free Contest!]

This poetry contest 2023 is open to African poets who haven’t yet published a full-length poetry book. Self-published poets are welcome to enter! In the case of a translated work, a percentage of the prize will be awarded to the translator.

Word count: 10 poems, no more than 40 lines each

18. Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest  

Fiction Collective Two (FC2) has organized this writing contest 2023 for American writers who haven’t published with them before. You may submit a piece previously published in anthologies, but self-published manuscripts are not eligible! 

Mixed writing contests

19. f(r)iction contests 2023  .

The organizers of this contest invite poets and writers to submit work that “actively pushes boundaries, that forces us to question traditions and tastes.” Make sure you follow their formatting guidelines while submitting your entry!

Categories: Poetry, short story, and flash fiction

Word count: 3 pages for poetry; 1,001–7,500 words for short story; 1,000 words for flash fiction

Prizes: $300 for poetry; $1,000 for short story; $300 for flash fiction

Entry fee: $10 for poetry; $15 for short story; $10 for flash fiction

20. The SmokeLong Grand Micro Competition 2023

This microfiction writing competition welcomes entries in fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid genres. All shortlisted entries will be published in the winter 2023 issue of SmokeLong Quarterly.

Word count: 400

Prizes: $1500, $500, $300, some prizes of $100

Entry fee: $13

Closing date: 10 November 2023

21. McNally Robinson Booksellers Writing Competitions 2023

Prairie Fire has organized these creative writing contests to offer outstanding poets and writers with publication in its summer issue. Note that a poetry entry consists of three poems and your total line count should be less than 150.

Categories: Poetry, short story, and creative nonfiction

Word count: 150 lines for poetry; 5,000 words for short story and nonfiction

Prizes: $750, $350, $150 per category

Entry fee: $34

Closing date: 30 November 2023 

Other interesting writing competitions 2023

22. ink 2 screen one act challenge  .

This unique writing competition challenges screenwriters to write a one-act screenplay during the month of November. You can discuss your progress with other participants and you’ll receive detailed feedback on your entry!

Word count: 60 pages

Entry fee: $45

23. Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest  

This exciting contest welcomes poets and writers to try their hand at creating written beauty in just 100 words. The judges are looking for “creativity, uniqueness, and how the story captures a new angle, breaks through stereotypes.”

Prizes: $2,000, a writing coaching program, an editing package

24. Anthology Travel Writing Competition  

The organizers of this travel writing contest are looking for “an engaging article that will capture the reader’s attention, conveying a strong sense of the destination and the local culture”.

Entry fee: €10/€15

December 2023

Poetry competitions 2023 dominate December, but we’ll keep looking for more short story contests and essay writing contests. Our beloved poets and writers have had a great year of writing, and it’s our job to help them further! We have also included many free writing contests in 2023 for budding and seasoned writers. 

1. Joy Bale Boone Poetry Prize  

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College has organized this poetry competition 2023. Winners and finalists will be published in the Spring 2024 issue of The Heartland Review , of which 20 finalists will receive a free copy.

Prizes: $500, $140, $100

Closing date: 01 December 2023

2. Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry [Free Contest!]

This poetry writing contest rewards one unpublished poet with a cash prize and publication. While self-published poets are not eligible, editors or anthology contributors are welcome to submit!

Prizes: $1,000

3. Women’s Poetry Competition 2023  

Mslexia has organized this poetry contest to offer the 4 winners and 16 additional finalists with publication. Previously unpublished poets are eligible for the Unpublished Poetry Prize and £250 cash prize!

Prizes: £2,000, £500, two prizes of £250

Closing date: 04 December 2023

4. 21st Gival Press Poetry Award 2023  

Gival Press has organized this poetry contest 2023 to reward one unpublished manuscript. Self-published books are not allowed. There are no restrictions on the theme or style, the organizers want “simply good poetry”.

Word count: At least 45 pages

Closing date: 15 December 2022

5. The Moth Poetry Prize 2023

Among the most reputed poetry competitions worldwide, The Moth Poetry Prize invites poets to submit their unpublished poems. Four shortlisted poems will appear in the Irish Times online and the overall winner will be announced in spring 2024.

Prizes: €6,000, three prizes of €1,000, eight prizes of €250

Closing date: 31 December 2023 

6. The 2023 Society of Classical Poets International Poetry Competition

This 2023 poetry contest requires all entries to be in meter. Rhyme and other traditional techniques are encouraged as well, but not required. You may submit up to three poems in an entry if the total line count is below 108.

Word count: 108 lines

Prize: $2,000, three prizes of €1,000, eight prizes of €250

Closing date: 31 December 2023

7. The Tampa Review Prize for Poetry

One of the best poetry contests out there, this competition accepts previously unpublished manuscripts. Individual poems may have appeared in periodicals, chapbooks, or anthologies. All entries include a one-year subscription to Tampa Review .

Short story contest 2023

8. the w.s. porter prize for short story collections  .

This short story competition in 2023 honors the master of the genre, O. Henry himself. Regal House Publishing will publish the winning short story collection. The organizers seek “a masterfully written short story collection”.

Word count: 100–350 pages

9. Short Short Story Competition 2024

The grand prize winner of this contest gets a paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Conference along with a cash prize. All finalists will be published in the September/October 2024 issue of Writer’s Digest .

Prizes: $3,000, $1,500, $500, $100

Closing date: 15 December 2023

10. The Danahy Fiction Prize  

While the organizers of this short story contest have provided an ideal word count, entries falling slightly outside the range are allowed. Make sure your entry is double-spaced and attach a cover page with your details.

Word count: 500–5,000

11. 2024 MWA First Crime Novel Competition [Free Contest!]

Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America (MWA) has organized this novel writing contest in 2024 to offer a deserving writer with publication. Self-published works are not eligible, but self-published writers are welcome to submit a new manuscript!

Word count: 60,000–65,000

Prize: $10,000 (as an advance against royalties)

12. The Masters Review Chapbook Open

The Masters Review has organized this prose chapbook contest to offer one emerging writer with publication. The organizers “encourage you to be bold, to experiment with style and form.” Think you’re up for the challenge?

Word count: 25–45 pages

Prize: $3,000 and 75 contributor copies

Closing date: 17 December 2023

13. Valorious Awards

This science fiction contest for published writers only features 100 entries. The organizers stress the quality of writing, so make sure your book has been meticulously edited and proofread!

Word count: At least 65,000

Prize: $500, $250, $150

Writing contests 2024

The year 2024 brings us a fresh crop of writing contests for poets and writers. Stay tuned as we keep adding more competitions to our ever-expanding list!

1. Colorado Prize for Poetry  

Colorado State University has organized this poetry competition to offer one poet with publication. The Center for Literary Publishing will publish 500 copies of the winning entry! Translations and self-published manuscripts are not eligible. 

Closing date: 14 January 2024

2. Rattle Chapbook Prize  

This poetry contest honors the form of chapbooks by offering publication to three poets. Each winning copy will reach Rattle ’s 8,000 subscribers. As the organizers say, “This will be a chapbook to launch a career.”

Word count: 15–30 pages

Prizes: Three prizes of $5,000

Closing date: 15 January 2024

3. New Writers Flash Fiction Competition 2024

Entry fee: £8 / £10

Closing date: 31 January 2024

4. Terry Tempest Williams Creative Nonfiction Prize  

This essay contest welcomes all kinds of creative essays from lyric essays to literary journalism. Objective essays are also allowed but should have a personal touch. All semi-finalists will be considered for publication!

Word count: 500–10,000

Closing date: 01 April 2024

Read our latest article, to know more about writing competitions 2024 .

If you were hoping for some more short story, poetry, or essay contests, don’t worry! As more contests are announced, we’ll keep adding to this list. So make sure to bookmark this page for the latest writing competitions 2023!

For more resources on writing and editing, feel free to explore our Resource Center. For now, here are a few articles you may be interested in:

• 2024’s Top 10 Self-Help Books for Better Living
• 5 Elements of a Short Story & 6 Stages of a Plot  
• How to Create Powerful Conflict in Your Story  
• Theme of a Story | Meaning, Common Themes & Examples
• How to Write Dialogue: 7 Rules, 5 Tips & 65 Examples   

Found this article helpful?

9 comments on “ Writing Contests 2023: Cash Prizes, Free Entries, & More! ”

Thanks for compiling this list, it’s very helpful for poets & writers like myself!

Please add this writing contest to your list: Biopage Storytelling Writing Contest (Biannual) Thank you!

Hi Paul! The contest has been added to the list. Thanks for reaching out!

Hello! You might be interested in featuring the Anthology Short Story and Poetry Competitions 2023 in this list. Thanks!

Hi Dearbhaile, I’ve added the writing contests to our list. Thanks for suggesting them!

The Atlas Shrugged Novel Essay Contest is open to all students globally. Kindly add it to your list!

Thank you for reaching out, Nelly! I’ve added the contest to our list.

Anthology now has a Flash Fiction competition!

Thank you for compiling the list!

Leave a Comment: Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

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Best Writing Contests in 2024

Showing 425 contests that match your search.

National Poetry Competition 2024

The Poetry Society

Genres: Poetry

The competition, run by The Poetry Society since 1978, is one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for a single unpublished poem. Judged by Stephen Sexton, Romalyn Ante, John McAuliffe. Open to all poets worldwide aged 18+.

Additional prizes:

Runners-up receive £2,000 and £1,000. Commended entries receive £500

💰 Entry fee: $8

📅 Deadline: October 31, 2024

The Reedsy Prompts Contest

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

Every Friday, Reedsy sends out five writing prompts. Enter your response within a week for a chance at $250. Winners may also be included in a future issue of Reedsy’s literary magazine, Prompted.

$25 credit toward Reedsy editorial services

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024

Fabula Press Short Story Contest

Fabula Press

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Horror, Mystery, and Science Fiction

The Fabula Press Short Story Contest encourages exceptional storytelling across genres, with no specific theme. Participants can submit entries for both free and paid categories. Winning stories may be published in an anthology.

2nd place: $250 3rd place: $100 Stories selected for publication: $75

📅 Deadline: June 11, 2024 (Expired)

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The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award

The Ghost Story

Genres: Horror

Twice each year TGS awards $1,500 and both online and print publication to the winner of our short story competition. Two other writers receive Honorable Mention awards that include publication and cash prizes of $300. Online publication dates are June 1, and October 31.

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)

Ironclad Creative Short Story Competition

Ironclad Creative CIC

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novella, Romance, Science Fiction, and Thriller

The Ironclad Creative Short Story Competition is held quarterly, encouraging original short stories based on a provided prompt. The latest competition had a theme of '7.12am' and featured multiple prize-winning entries. The organization aims to support writers, especially those with low incomes and neurodivergent backgrounds.

2nd: £50 3rd & 4th: £25 10 short-listed entries ge4t publication

Oxford Poetry Prize

Partus Press Ltd

The Oxford Poetry Prize is an annual competition for a single poem in English. The prize opens on May 1, 2024, with a deadline of August 31, 2024. The guest judge for this year is Rachel Long. Winners receive cash prizes and publication in Oxford Poetry.

Second: £200 Third: £100 Publication offered to all winning poets.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: August 31, 2024 (Expired)

8th Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition

At around noon each Tuesday (GMT), from 12 April 2022 to 31 January 2023, five words are posted on the Ó Bhéal Five Words competition page. Entrants have one week to compose and submit poems that include all five words given for the week. The competition runs for 42 weeks, and a prize of 750 euro is awarded to one winner.

📅 Deadline: January 30, 2024 (Expired)

Solas Awards

Travelers' Tales, a division of Solas House, Inc.

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, and Travel

The Solas Awards honor excellence in travel writing, with cash prizes and publication opportunities. Entries must be original, true stories with specific word count guidelines. The contest runs annually, with winners announced on March 1 each year.

Silver: $750 Bronze: $500 Certificates of merit for Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners in other categories; $100 honorarium for publication in books.

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: September 21, 2024

John Steinbeck Award for Fiction

Reed Magazine

Genres: Fiction

The John Steinbeck Award for Fiction recognizes exceptional works of fiction. Aesthetically, they are open to most styles and approaches, including experimental and literary. All works should be stand-alone short stories, not chapters of a longer work.

Entry includes a free copy of the latest edition of Reed.

📅 Deadline: November 01, 2024

Love Poem Poetry Contest

FanStory.com Inc.

Write a love poem. All forms of poetry accepted. Your love poem can be fictional or non-fictional. It can be humorous or serious. The choice is yours. But it must clearly be a love poem.

📅 Deadline: July 18, 2024 (Expired)

Great American Think-Off

New York Mills Regional Cultural Center

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

The Great American Think-Off is an annual philosophical essay contest that invites participants to submit essays on significant questions of life. The contest culminates in a live debate where finalists present their arguments, and the audience votes on the best perspective.

Four cash prizes of $500 each for finalists.

📅 Deadline: April 01, 2024 (Expired)

Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize

Kent State University

This prize is offered annually to a poet who has not previously published a full-length collection of poems. The prize awards the winner with $2,500 and publication of their first full-length book of poetry by the Kent State University Press. The winner and the competition's judge will give a reading together on the Kent State campus.

Publication by Kent State University Press

💰 Entry fee: $30

📅 Deadline: May 01, 2024 (Expired)

Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction

Lambda Literary

Genres: LGBTQ and Non-fiction

Lambda Literary’s Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction, in memory of the beloved activist and author, honors lesbian/queer-identified women and trans/gender non-conforming nonfiction authors. The award will go to a writer committed to nonfiction work that captures the depth and complexity of lesbian/queer life, culture, and/or history.

📅 Deadline: February 16, 2024 (Expired)

Future Scholar Foundation Short Story Competition

Future Scholar Foundation

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Short Story

A monthly short story competition for elementary and middle school students, with prompts and a maximum word count of 350. Winners have their work published and receive gift cards.

1st place: $25 Amazon gift card 2nd place: $15 Amazon gift card 3rd place: $5 Amazon gift card All winners are published in the Hall of Fame.

📅 Deadline: September 28, 2024

Annual Short Story Contest

We are looking for stories (of any genre) ranging between 1,000 and 3,000 words, with strong characters, a well-crafted plot and realistic dialogue (where used). Make us laugh, make us cry, but most of all, make us feel!

£200 for 2nd place, £100 for 3rd place

📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)

A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology

Warm Mug of Cozy

Genres: Crime, Flash Fiction, Mystery, and Short Story

Do you like writing short cozy mysteries? If so, we would love to invite you to submit your work for potential inclusion in our first Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology. Theme: No restriction, as long as your story follows the classic rules of Cozy Mystery.

2% royalties per published story ($)

Creative Writing NZ Short Story Prize 2024

Creative Writing NZ

Genres: Short Story

The Creative Writing NZ Short Story Prize 2024 is an international competition open to entrants worldwide. Entries can be on any subject, theme, or genre, with a maximum of 3000 words. Judged anonymously, the winner will receive $1,000, and two runners-up will each receive $200, along with free online courses and publication on the website.

Two runners-up will receive $200 each and a free online course. Winner will also receive a free online course and publication on the website

💰 Entry fee: $9

Promising Young Writers Contest

National Council of Teachers of English

Genres: Children's

Through collaboration and community, shared stories and shared experiences, NCTE supports teachers and their students in classrooms, on college campuses, and in online learning environments. The Promising Young Writers Program stimulates and recognizes the writing talents of eighth-grade students and to emphasize the importance of writing skills among eighth-grade students.

The NCTE Certificate of Recognition

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: February 15, 2024 (Expired)

J. Michael Samuel Prize for Emerging Writers Over 50

Genres: LGBTQ

The J. Michael Samuel Prize honors emerging LGBTQ writers over the age of 50. This award is made possible by writer and philanthropist Chuck Forester, who created it out of the firmly held belief that “Writers who start late are just as good as other writers, it just took the buggers more time.” The prize will go to an unpublished LGBTQ writer over 50 working in any genre.

IndieReader Discovery Awards

IndieReader

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Novel

Where talented authors meet publishing professionals with the power to make a difference in the success of their books. Every author who enters a title in the IR Discovery Awards will receive a verdict, written by an IndieReader reviewer and based on their assessment after reading the complete book.

First look consideration by a top, NYC-based literary agency

$500, publicist consultation service, Reedsy credit, custom author website

💰 Entry fee: $150

📅 Deadline: February 14, 2024 (Expired)

The Letter Review Prize for Poetry

The Letter Review

This Prize is free to enter. 2-4 Winners are published. We Shortlist 10-20 writers. Seeking poems up to 70 lines. Judges’ feedback available. Open to writers from anywhere in the world, with no style / theme restrictions. Judged blind. All entries considered for publication + submission to Pushcart.

Publication by The Letter Review

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024

Miller Williams Poetry Prize

University of Arkansas Press

Every year, the University of Arkansas Press accepts submissions for the Miller Williams Poetry Series and from the books selected awards the $5,000 Miller Williams Poetry Prize in the following summer. For almost a quarter century the press has made this series the cornerstone of its work as a publisher of some of the country’s best new poetry. The series and prize are named for and operated to honor the cofounder and longtime director of the press, Miller Williams.

Publication through the University of Arkansas Press

💰 Entry fee: $28

Global Experience Travel Writing Contest

Genres: Travel

Have you been marked by travel? If so, tell us how. Engaging with the genre of creative nonfiction, seize upon memorable incidents from your travel history — study abroad, domestic travels, even your discovery of Northfield. Entertain us. Make us laugh. Move us. Help us travel with you.

📅 Deadline: April 07, 2024 (Expired)

Muriel Craft Bailey Poetry Contest

The Comstock Review

Here 's how it works: our editorial staff chooses approximately fifty to sixty finalists. The highest scoring finalists (25 or so) are considered Special Merit poems. Special Merit poems go to the judge. The judge determines the top three prize winners. The entire editorial staff then selects the Honorable Mentions from the remaining Special Merits.

Publication by The Comstock Review

📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024 (Expired)

The Moth Poetry Prize

The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the biggest prizes in the world for a single unpublished poem. The prize is open to anyone, as long as the poem is previously unpublished, and each year it attracts thousands of entries from new and established poets from over 50 countries worldwide.

3x runners up: €1,000 | 8x further prizes of €250 | Publication online in Irish Times

💰 Entry fee: $16

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2023 (Expired)

The Booksie 2024 Short Story Contest

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Romance, and Short Story

The Booksie 2024 Short Story Contest invites writers to submit original short stories, with a maximum length of 5,000 words. The contest offers a grand prize of $500, along with badges for winners encoded on the blockchain. The contest aims to promote creativity and originality across all genres.

Gold winner badge, optional publication contract worth $100. Runners-up receive $100 cash and a silver winner badge

💰 Entry fee: $7

Inspiring Fiction's Special Edition Short Story Contest

Inspiring Fiction

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller

The contest invites participants to explore the theme of freedom through crime, speculative, and fantasy fiction. Winning entries will be published in a special bumper issue of Tangled Web Magazine and Mirk Fantasy Magazine.

Winner published in a special issue.

💰 Entry fee: $6

📅 Deadline: July 31, 2024 (Expired)

Trio Award for First or Second Book

Trio House Press

The Trio Award for First or Second Book includes $1,000, publication, and twenty books. The Trio Award for First or Second Book is only open to poets with less than two books published.

📅 Deadline: March 15, 2024 (Expired)

Tor House Prize for Poetry

Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation

The annual Tor House Prize for Poetry is a living memorial to American poet Robinson Jeffers. The contest is open to well-crafted poetry in all styles, ranging from experimental work to traditional forms, including short narrative poems. Poems should be no longer than 3 pages.

$200 for honorable mention

Dream Quest One Poetry Contest

Dream Quest One

The Dream Quest One Poetry Contest is an international competition aimed at encouraging writers and poets to showcase their original works. The contest is open to all, regardless of experience, and accepts entries in various styles and themes. The mission is to inspire creativity and support literary talents.

Second Place: $250 Third Place: $100 Winners may also have their work published online.

Southam Book Festival Flash Fiction Competition

Southam Book Festival

Genres: Flash Fiction

The Flash Fiction Competition challenges participants to submit a story of no more than 100 words. This year's theme requires the inclusion of specific terms related to 'tip'.

2nd prize: £30 3rd prize: £20

💰 Entry fee: $3

📅 Deadline: September 08, 2024 (Expired)

BRMCWC Foundation Awards

Blue Ridge Mountains Conference

Genres: Christian

The mission of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference is to inspire writers to connect with God, other writers, and industry professionals as they embrace their calling with excellence. The entrant must be registered for the entire conference in order to compete.

💰 Entry fee: $45

Nature and Place Poetry Competition

The Nature and Place Poetry Competition 2024 is a poetry contest organized by The Rialto in association with RSPB, BirdLife International, Cambridge Conservation Initiative, and The University of Leeds Poetry Centre. It invites poets to submit unpublished poems focused on nature and place.

£20 per poem published in The Rialto.

HNS 2024 First Chapters Competition

Historical Novel Society

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Novel, Romance, Thriller, and Young Adult

The HNS UK 2024 First Chapters Competition is for the first three chapters of a full-length historical novel that has not been previously published in any form. We are looking to recognize and promote excellence in storytelling and the craft of historical fiction and its subgenres. The competition coincides with the HNS UK 2024 conference and the overall winner will be announced at the conference.

Category winners: £500 and HNS UK 2024 conference ticket

💰 Entry fee: $50

Snowbound Chapbook Award

Tupelo Press

The Snowbound Chapbook Award is an annual contest for poetry manuscripts. The winner receives a cash prize, publication, and a book launch. The contest aims to discover and promote emerging poets.

Publication by Tupelo Press, 25 copies of the winning title, a book launch, and national distribution. Finalists will be considered for publication.

📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025

Discover the finest writing contests of 2024 for fiction and non-fiction authors — including short story competitions, essay writing competitions, poetry contests, and many more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. If you’re looking to stick to free writing contests, simply use our filters as you browse.

Why you should submit to writing contests

Submitting to poetry competitions and free writing contests in 2024 is absolutely worth your while as an aspiring author: just as your qualifications matter when you apply for a new job, a writing portfolio that boasts published works and award-winning pieces is a great way to give your writing career a boost. And not to mention the bonus of cash prizes!

That being said, we understand that taking part in writing contests can be tough for emerging writers. First, there’s the same affliction all writers face: lack of time or inspiration. Entering writing contests is a time commitment, and many people decide to forego this endeavor in order to work on their larger projects instead — like a full-length book. Second, for many writers, the chance of rejection is enough to steer them clear of writing contests. 

But we’re here to tell you that two of the great benefits of entering writing contests happen to be the same as those two reasons to avoid them.

When it comes to the time commitment: yes, you will need to expend time and effort in order to submit a quality piece of writing to competitions. That being said, having a hard deadline to meet is a great motivator for developing a solid writing routine.

Think of entering contests as a training session to become a writer who will need to meet deadlines in order to have a successful career. If there’s a contest you have your eye on, and the deadline is in one month, sit down and realistically plan how many words you’ll need to write per day in order to meet that due date — and don’t forget to also factor in the time you’ll need to edit your story!

For tips on setting up a realistic writing plan, check out this free, ten-day course : How to Build a Rock-Solid Writing Routine.

In regards to the fear of rejection, the truth is that any writer aspiring to become a published author needs to develop relatively thick skin. If one of your goals is to have a book traditionally published, you will absolutely need to learn how to deal with rejection, as traditional book deals are notoriously hard to score. If you’re an indie author, you will need to adopt the hardy determination required to slowly build up a readership.

The good news is that there’s a fairly simple trick for learning to deal with rejection: use it as a chance to explore how you might be able to improve your writing.

In an ideal world, each rejection from a publisher or contest would come with a detailed letter, offering construction feedback and pointing out specific tips for improvement. And while this is sometimes the case, it’s the exception and not the rule.

Still, you can use the writing contests you don’t win as a chance to provide yourself with this feedback. Take a look at the winning and shortlisted stories and highlight their strong suits: do they have fully realized characters, a knack for showing instead of telling, a well-developed but subtly conveyed theme, a particularly satisfying denouement?

The idea isn’t to replicate what makes those stories tick in your own writing. But most examples of excellent writing share a number of basic craft principles. Try and see if there are ways for you to translate those stories’ strong points into your own unique writing.

Finally, there are the more obvious benefits of entering writing contests: prize and publication. Not to mention the potential to build up your readership, connect with editors, and gain exposure.

Resources to help you win writing competitions in 2024

Every writing contest has its own set of submission rules. Whether those rules are dense or sparing, ensure that you follow them to a T. Disregarding the guidelines will not sway the judges’ opinion in your favor — and might disqualify you from the contest altogether. 

Aside from ensuring you follow the rules, here are a few resources that will help you perfect your submissions.

Free online courses

On Writing:

• "How to Craft a Killer Short Story" ( Click here )
• "The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Novel" ( Click here )
• "Understanding Point of View" ( Click here )
• "Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love" ( Click here )
• "Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character" ( Click here )
• "Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine" ( Click here )

On Editing:

• "Story Editing for Authors" ( Click here )
• "How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript Like a Pro" ( Click here )
• "Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Novel: Steps From a Bestselling Writer" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Short Story in 9 Simple Steps" ( Click here )
• "100 Literary Devices With Examples: The Ultimate List" ( Click here )
• "20 Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft" ( Click here )
• "How to Write Fabulous Dialogue [9 Tips + Examples]" ( Click here )
• "8 Character Development Exercises to Write 3D Characters" ( Click here )

Bonus resources

• 200+ Short Story Ideas ( Click here )
• 600+ Writing Prompts to Inspire You ( Click here )
• 100+ Creative Writing Exercises for Fiction Authors ( Click here )
• Story Title Generator ( Click here )
• Pen Name Generator ( Click here )
• Character Name Generator ( Click here )

After you submit to a writing competition in 2024

It’s exciting to send a piece of writing off to a contest. However, once the initial excitement wears off, you may be left waiting for a while. Some writing contests will contact all entrants after the judging period — whether or not they’ve won. Other writing competitions will only contact the winners. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind after you submit:

Many writing competitions don’t have time to respond to each entrant with feedback on their story. However, it never hurts to ask! Feel free to politely reach out requesting feedback — but wait until after the selection period is over.

If you’ve submitted the same work to more than one writing competition or literary magazine, remember to withdraw your submission if it ends up winning elsewhere.

After you send a submission, don’t follow it up with a rewritten or revised version. Instead, ensure that your first version is thoroughly proofread and edited. If not, wait until the next edition of the contest or submit the revised version to other writing contests.

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Home  >  Our Contests  >  Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

Welcome to the 33rd annual Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest. Submit published or unpublished work. $12,000 in prizes.

It looks like you're viewing this page with a mobile device. If you need help entering our contest, please email [email protected] .

Please submit during October 15, 2024-May 1, 2025

• STORY: First Prize, $3,500
• ESSAY: First Prize, $3,500
• The top two winners will also receive two-year gift certificates from our co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value)
• 10 Honorable Mentions will receive $500 each (any category)
• Top 12 entries published online
• Enter via Submittable

For this contest, a story is any short work of fiction, and an essay is any short work of nonfiction. Final judge: Mina Manchester , assisted by Sarah Halper . Please submit as many entries as you like. All themes accepted. Entries may be published or unpublished. Length limit: 6,000 words maximum. No restriction on age of author. All countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, or Belarus (due to US government restrictions). Fee: $25 per entry. Read the winning entries from the 31st contest.

First time entering? We prepared this brief video to guide you. See also our short entry checklist , then click the button below to submit. The results of our 32nd contest will be announced on October 15, 2024.

Our 32nd Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest is now closed. Our 33rd contest will open on October 15, 2024.

Supplemental contest information (copyright, privacy, special assistance, etc.)

FROM A PAST WINNER...

This contest was formerly known as the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest. Fiction and nonfiction (essays) are now judged separately.

What to Submit

Short stories, essays, or other works of prose. There are no restrictions on style or theme. Each entry should be your own original work. You may submit the same work simultaneously to this contest and to others, and you may submit works that have been published or won prizes elsewhere. (However, please do not submit work that has previously received recognition at Winning Writers.)

Works written with the aid of a text-generating AI such as ChatGPT are not eligible. Prizes and Publication Fiction Category First Prize, $3,500 cash Essay Category First Prize, $3,500 cash

Ten Honorable Mention entries will receive $500 cash each (any category)

All entries that win cash prizes will be published on the Winning Writers website and announced in the Winning Writers Newsletter (circulation 50,000+). Finalists may also be recognized.

Most Countries Eligible; English Language Due to US government restrictions, we regret we are unable to accept entries from Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, or Belarus. All other countries are eligible. The works you submit should be in English. If you have written a work in another language, you may submit an English translation. Anonymous Judging Entries are judged anonymously. Please omit your name and all identifying information from your entry. Please also omit any publishing credits from your entry. All the information we need is collected on our online entry form. Here is a brief video describing how we judge entries anonymously. No Age Restriction Writers of all ages may enter. Privacy Your privacy is assured. We will not rent your information to third parties. Copyright If your entry wins any cash prize, you agree to give Winning Writers a nonexclusive license to publish your work online. This includes possible publication in one or more ebooks. From time to time, selected winning entries may also be published in printed collections. If you win a prize and we wish to publish your work in print, we will ask you for permission to include your entry in one of these books. You may accept or decline this invitation as you choose. Your entry will not be published in print without your consent, and you retain all other rights. You are free, for example, to publish your work in print or online elsewhere, and to enter it into other contests, whether or not you win a prize in this contest.

Refunds Generally entry fees are not refundable. However, if you believe you have an exceptional circumstance, please  contact us  within one year of your entry.

Contest History Contest founder John Howard Reid (d. 2018) won first prizes and other awards in prestigious literary events. A journalist and magazine editor, he published several historical novels, a collection of poetry, a guide to winning literary contests, and over fifty books of film criticism and movie history. For several years, Mr. Reid was assisted by Dee C. Konrad, a former Associate Professor in the English faculty of Barat College of DePaul University and Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Assistance If you have questions, please email them to  [email protected] .

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The best writing contests to enter in 2023

If you like this article, you’ll love my weekly newsletter.  Sign up for next week’s instalment .

The New Year brings opportunities to flex our writing muscles and try something new. With our motivations and intentions on a high, now is the best time to enter writing competitions in 2023. If you’re ready to show the world your writing talent, there are many writing contests with free entry and some with minimal entry fee open around the world. Here’s a list of writing competitions currently open until to December 31, 2023.   

Short Story Competitions

The Masters Review Winter Short Story Award for New Writers

The Masters Review Short Story Award for New Writers is a bi-annual contest that recognizes the best fiction from emerging writers.

Genre: Short Story, Fiction

Open to: All Emerging, Unpublished Writers

Deadline: January 31, 2023 

Word Limit: 6,000 words

Entry Fee: $20

Prize: First Prize $3,000 + publication online, Second Prize $300, Third Prize $200

All winners receive publication and agency review.

The Writing District Prize 2023

The Writing District Prize is judged by W T Paterson, a three-time Pushcart Prize nominee.

Genre: Short Story

Theme: Open

Country: USA (Open Internationally)

Closing date: May 31st, 2023 at 4pm (EST)

Results announced: July 31st

1st prize: $1000 and publication on website

2 Runners-up: $100 each

Entry fee: $15

Word count: 3000 words maximum.

2023 Bristol Short Story Prize

This is an annual international writing competition open to all published and unpublished UK and non-UK based writers.

Open to: Published and Unpublished writers over the age of 16.

Deadline: April 26, 2023

Word Limit: Short story no more than 4,000 words

Entry Fee: £9

Prize: First Prize £1,000, Second Prize £500, Third Prize £300. Each of the 17 remaining shortlisted writers will receive £100. Twenty stories will be published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology, Volume 16.

The Reedsy Prompts Contest 

Every Friday, Reedsy releases a weekly newsletter with a theme and five writing prompts. Writers have one week to submit a short story based around the prompts.

Genre: Fiction

Theme: Different themes each week.

Open to: No restrictions stated

Deadline: Weekly* December 31, 2023

Word limit: Submissions between 1,000 – 3,000 words

Entry Fee: $5

Prize: $250 to the weekly winner with the story published on the Reedsy Blog within seven days.

2023 The Minds Shine Bright Writing Competition

The arts business Minds Shine Bright runs two fiction writing competitions per year. This is their current competition. It’s open to short stories, poems, short scripts and flash fiction.

Genre: Not stated

Theme: Confidence – the theme must be included in each entry

Deadline: February 28, 2023

Word limit: Flash Fiction 1000 words, Short Story 1,000 to 5,000 words, Short Script 5,000 words, Poetry up to 260 lines

Entry fee: $5 for each entry (maximum two entries per entrant)

•                         The Overall winner receives $1600
•                         $800 for each of the four category winners
•                         $175 for each commended entry
•                         Minds Shine Bright will also publish the winners and commended entries in an e-book.  

Scottish Arts Club Short Story Competition

This writing competition is organized by the Scottish Arts Club in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has come a long way from its beginnings in 2014.

Theme: Any topic in unpublished format

Open to: Published and unpublished writers over the age of 16

Word Limit: 2,000 words

Entry Fee: £10 per story, free entry for writers living in Scotland whose immediate family receives any form of income support.

Prize: First prize: £3,000 (open to writers worldwide)

Second prize: £500 (open to writers worldwide)

Third prize: £250 (open to writers worldwide)

Isobel Lodge Award: £750 (open to unpublished writers living in Scotland)

Write Mango Award: £300 (open to writers worldwide)

Publication is offered to authors of the top 20 stories in the club’s next anthology.

Creative Writing Competitions

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2023

Celebrating its 15 th year of supporting outstanding writers, it was launched after the publication of Aesthetica Magazine as a way of supporting then next generation of literary talent.

Genre: Fiction and Poetry

Theme: Any theme, however, we are particularly interested in works that reflect upon our everchanging world

Open to: Established and Emerging writers celebrating innovative poetry and short fiction

Deadline: August 31, 2023

Word Limit: Fiction 2,000 words, Poetry no more than 40 lines

Entry Fee: £12 for Poetry, £18 for short stories

Prize: Poetry winner £2,500, Short Fiction winner £2,500 prize money

• Publication in the  Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual
• A Five-Day Course from Arvon (Poetry & Fiction Winners)
• One year print subscription to  Granta  (Poetry & Fiction Winners)
• One year digital subscription to  Mslexia  (Poetry & Fiction Winners)
• Full membership to The Poetry Society (Poetry Winner)
• A Course from  the Poetry School (Poetry Winner)
• One year print subscription to  Poetry London  (Poetry Winner)
• Consultation with Redhammer Management (Fiction Winner)

Bridport Prize International Creative Writing Competition

This contest is organized by the Bridport Arts Centre in Bridport, England with five categories: poetry, short story, flash fiction, novel and memoir (opens in June 2023)

Genre: poetry, short story, flash fiction, and novel

Theme: Any unpublished work, must not have won or been placed in another writing competition

Open to: Anyone over the age of 16

Deadline: May 31, 2023 

Word Limit: Poetry 42 lines, Short story 5,000 words, Flash Fiction 250 words, Novel 8,000 words and a synopsis,

Entry Fee: £14 per short story, £11 per flash fiction, bursaries available for underrepresented writers

Prize: Short Story First place: £5,000 Second place: £1000, Third place: £500 Highly commended 10 x £100

Flash Fiction First Place: £1000, Second place: £500, Third place: £250, highly commended 10 x £100

Poetry First prize: £5,000, Second prize £1,000, £500

Novel Winner, £1500 plus package Up to a year’s mentoring from The Literary Consultancy through their Chapter & Verse scheme (worth £2,640) and a detailed critique from the novel judge, Runner-up £750 plus package, includes f ull manuscript appraisal and Industry Day place from The Literary Consultancy. 

The Unsealed

Write an inspiring letter your future self or write a letter to yourself from your future self. You can talk about achieving your dreams, persevering through obstacles or starting a family. Write anything you like, as long as it inspires.

Genre: Non-Fiction

Theme:  The letter must be a true story about your life, without mentioning anyone’s name except your own

Open to: You must be over 18 and a member of The Unsealed Community. One entry per person.

Deadline: 11:59pm, 3 April 2023 Eastern Time

Word limit: From 500 to 800 words

Entry fee: $5 USD

Prize: First Place $400 USD, Bonus Prize $100 USD

The Elegant Literature Award for New Writers

Every month $3000 is awarded to the best story. It is one of the largest awards competitions open to unpublished writers and closed to professional writers. Each month, the contest is based on a short fiction prompt. One new author receives the grand prize. Authors of best stories selected each month are published and paid above professional rates in the magazine.

Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary, Crime Romance, all Genres welcome

Theme:  Changes each month

Open to: Any new or unpublished author from around the world, except Quebec aged 13 or older, must be a member of ElegantLiterature.com and in a membership tier that allows contest entry

Deadline: At the end of each month

Word limit: From 500 to 2000 words

Entry fee: Free, but must be a member of the magazine, can enter as many times as you wish

Prize: $3,000 USD. Plus, the winner and 9 selected stories from all submissions will be chosen for publication. These will be purchased at a rate of 10cents/word.

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

The 31 st annual Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction and Essay Contest for published and unpublished work with $9,000 in prizes.

Genre: Fiction and Essay

Theme:  none

Open to: All countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia or Belarus (due to government restrictions).

Deadline: April 30, 2023

Word limit: 6000 words 

Entry fee: $22 per entry

Prize: $3,000 First Prize for Story (short work of fiction), $3,000 for Essay (short work of non-fiction).  Plus, top two winners will each receive two-year gift certificates from Duotrope (a $100 value), 10 honourable mentions receive $300 each (any category), top 12 entries are published online.

Globe Soup 7 Day Story Writing Challenges

The 7 Day Story Writing Challenges take place throughout the year, running for exactly 7 days. Before a challenge begins, all those registered are randomly divided into 12 groups. Each group corresponds to a different genre. When the challenge begins, you will receive an email with your randomly assigned genre and the secret theme challenge. You must write a short story suited to the assigned genre and theme.

Genre: Various Genres from Crime to Horror, Romance, Humour, Fantasy, Thriller. The genre options change with each challenge.

Theme:  Secret, revealed in an email before contest begins

Deadline: Seven Days throughout the Year

Word limit: 2,000 words

Entry fee: Free

Prize: £500

Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition

Get a chance for your work to be seen by editors and agents in the 91 st Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition. Almost 500 winners will be chosen.

Genre: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story

Open to: Must be aged 18 and years or over the age of majority in the jurisdiction in which they reside, open to US and Non-US residents except from Syria, Iran, North Korea, or Sudan.

Deadline: June 5, 2023 with an early bird deadline of May 5, 2023  

Word limit: Memoirs/Personal Essay, Non-Fiction Essay or Article and Children’s/Young Adult 2000 words, Mainstream/Literary short story, genre short story and humor, 4,000 words, Inspiration Writing 2,500 words, Rhyming Poem and Non-Rhyming Poem, 40 lines maximum

Entry fee: $25 Poetry, $35 Manuscript, Early bird rates$20 for poetry, $30 for manuscript

Prize: Grand Prize $5000 cash, an interview with them in Writer’s Digest (Nov/Dec 2023) issue, and writersdigest.com, paid trip to Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, special trophy, a slot at Pitch slam at conference receiving one-on-one attention from editors and agents, and publication of winning piece on WriterDigest.com, First place in each category will receive $1000 in cash, publication of winning piece on writersdigest.com, Second Place in each category $500, Third Place in each category  $250, Fourth place $100, Fifth place $50

Poetry Competitions

The Heartland Review Press 2023 Poetry Chapbook Contest

Submit no more than 30 pages of your best poetry. Any theme, any style. The Heartland Review Press wishes to award that best writing that contributes the most to the craft of poetry.

Genre: Poetry.

Theme: Any theme, any style.

Open to: Entrants must be citizens of Australia or have permanent residency in Australia.

Deadline: May 1, 2023

Word limit: Poems must be no more than 80 lines of text

Entry fee: $20

Prize: Top Prize $500, plus 10 copies

Werle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

On its 22 nd year, the contest seeks to find the best humour poems for published or unpublished work with a total of $3500 in prizes.

Genre: Humour, Poetry

Open to: Authors from all countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to government restrictions).

Deadline: April 1, 2023

Word limit: 250 lines

Entry fee: none

Prize: Top Prize $2000, plus 2-year gift certificate Duotrope worth $100; Second Prize $500 and Honourable Mentions Ten awards of $100 each, Top 12 entries published online

Anthology Poetry Award

Established to recognise and encourage excellence in the craft of poetry writing and to provide a platform for publication open to original and previously unpublished English language poems.

Genre: Poetry

Theme: No restriction to theme or style

Open to: Poets of all nationalities, living anywhere in the world.

Deadline: October 31, 2023, with very Early Bird deadline of February 28, 2023, Early Bird Deadline of June 30, 2023

Word limit: 40 lines

Entry fee: £18

Prize: Top Prize £1000 and chance to see their work in future issue of Anthology, plus one year subscription to Anthology, Second Prize £250 Third Prize £150

The Nervous Ghost Press Book Prize

The Nervous Ghost Press Book Prize is awarded to two authors every year for outstanding work of literature in poetry and prose.

Genre: Poetry and Prose

Theme: None stated

Open to: All writers in the US. All work must be unpublished, original and written by the author.

Deadline: March 31, 2023

Word limit: Poetry between 48-128 pages, Prose between 50,000 and 100,000 words

Entry fee: None

Prize:  For Poetry: $1000, Publication, CA Reading Tour, Author Copies, For Prose: For Poetry: $1000, Publication, CA Reading Tour, Author Copies

Creative Writing Ink Poetry Prize 2023

Poems of any genre may be entered in the Creative Writing Ink Poetry Prize for 2023.

Country: Ireland (international entries welcomed)

Closing date: May 31st, 2023 at 4pm (GMT)

Results announced: July 31st 1st prize: €1000, a free creative writing course of the winners choice and publication on the website.

Entry fee: €6 for first entry, €5 for each subsequent entry.

Word count: 42 lines maximum.

Open theme/subject/genre

The Alpine Fellowship Poetry Prize 2023

Theme: Flourishing

Open to: Open to anyone aged 18 and above

Deadline: March 1, 2023

Word limit: 500 words

Entry fee: not specified

Prize: The winner of the Poetry Prize will receive a cash prize, all runners up will receive travel expense to be used to attend the 2023 symposium to be held in Sweden on August 10 to 13, 2023

• 1st prize: £3,000 cash grant

• 2nd prize: £1,000 travel expense

• 3rd prize:£1,000 travel expense

The Plough Prize 2023

On its Twentieth year, the Plough Prize is an international open competition of poems, of up to 40 lines on any subject.

Theme: Any subject.

Open to: Anyone, except employees and trustees of The Plough Arts Centre. Poems must not have been published or awarded prior to March 31, 2023.

Entry fee: £5 online entry, £6 postal entry

Prize: First Prize £1000, Second Prize £500, Third Prize £250

Why should you think about joining a writing competition this year? Flexing your writing muscles can be the motivation you need to keep writing. It can get your creativity juices flowing. It can revive your interest in your unfinished passion projects or just push you to explore new themes or genres. You may even win the top prize, get exposure for your writing and even secure new projects. Best of all, there’s a huge satisfaction in completing a high-quality piece of writing you are proud of.

About the writer

Maida Pineda is an author of two books and a freelance food and travel writer of twenty-four years. She has a Master of Arts degree in Gastronomy. She has lived in 5 countries, and seven cities. Melbourne, Australia is currently her home with her dog, Spark. She wishes to join and win a writing competition in 2023.

You can find more about Maida  in her website , or connect with her on Instagram , Facebook and Twitter .

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Writing Contests, Grants & Awards

• See Recent Winners
• View the Submission Calendar

The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.

Harvard University

Radcliffe institute fellowships.

Fellowships of $78,000 each, office space at the Radcliffe Institute, and access to the libraries at Harvard University are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and...

Finishing Line Press

New women’s voices chapbook competition.

A prize of $1,500 and publication by Finishing Line Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook by a writer who identifies as a woman and has not yet published a full-length...

Lightscatter Press

Poetry prize.

A prize of $1,000, multimodal publication by Lightscatter Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection or hybrid work written by an emerging writer....

University of Wisconsin Press

Brittingham and felix pollak prizes.

Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication by University of Wisconsin Press are given annually for poetry collections. Ron Wallace will judge. Using only the online submission...

Cave Canem Foundation

Derricotte/eady chapbook prize.

A prize of $1,000; publication by O, Miami Books; and 10 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook by a Black poet. The winner will also receive a residency in the...

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

Writing fellowships.

Fellowships of approximately $50,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers on the basis of “exceptional creative ability.” Citizens...

Travelers’ Tales

Solas awards.

A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Travelers’ Tales website is given annually for a travel essay. Writers from Arizona and Vermont are eligible for publication but not...

Coffee-House Poetry

Troubadour international poetry prize.

A prize of £2,000 (approximately $2,602) is given annually for a single poem. A second-place prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,301) is also given. Both winners receive...

New York Public Library

Cullman center fellowships.

Fifteen fellowships are given annually to artists, academics, and creative writers, including poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators, whose work...

Texas Review Press: The University Press of SHSU

George garrett fiction prize.

A prize of $2,000, publication by Texas Review Press: The University Press of SHSU, and 10 author copies is given annually for a short story collection or novel. Using only the...

University of Mississippi

Willie morris award for southern poetry.

A prize of $3,000 is given annually for a single poem that evokes the U.S. South. The winner will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Oxford, Mississippi, for the awards...

California State University in Fresno

Philip levine prize for poetry.

A prize of $2,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner is also invited to give a public reading at...

Dzanc Books

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Dzanc Books will be given for a poetry collection. Jonathan Fink and Keith Taylor will judge. Using only the online submission system,...

Lascaux Review

Prize in creative nonfiction.

A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Lascaux Review website is given annually for an essay. Previously published and unpublished essays are eligible. Using only the...

University of Iowa Press

Iowa short fiction award.

Two prizes of publication by University of Iowa Press are given annually for debut collections of short fiction. Submit a manuscript of at least 150 pages by September 30....

Connecticut Poetry Society

Vivian shipley poetry award.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Connecticut River Review and on the Connecticut Poetry Society website is given annually for a single poem. Aaron Caycedo-Kimura...

Willie Morris Award for Southern Nonfiction

A prize of $12,000 is given annually for a book of nonfiction published during the current year that asks readers “to engage with or reflect on the complexities of the U.S....

University of Massachusetts Press

Juniper prizes.

Five prizes of $1,000 each and publication by University of Massachusetts Press are given annually for a debut poetry collection, a poetry collection by an author who has...

Nature Writing Prize

A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,094) and online publication in Irish Times is given annually for a poem, a story, or an essay that features “an exploration of the...

Prize for Fiction

A prize of $5,000 and publication by Dzanc Books is given annually for a novel. Farah Ali, Chika Unigwe,...

Ghost Story

Supernatural fiction award.

A prize of $1,500 and publication on the Ghost Story website is given biannually for a short story with a supernatural or magical realist theme. The editors will judge....

Hackney Literary Awards

Novel contest.

A prize of $5,000 is given annually for an unpublished novel. Submit a manuscript of any length with a $30 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines...

Nonfiction Contest for Emerging Writers

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for an essay by a writer who has not published a full-length book in any genre with a nationally...

PEN/Faulkner Foundation

Award for fiction.

A prize of $15,000 is given annually for a book of fiction published during the current year. Four finalists each receive $5,000. The winner and finalists will also be invited...

Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction

A prize of $12,000 is given annually for a novel published during the current year that asks readers “to engage with or reflect on the complexities of the U.S. South.” The...

Your Ultimate Guide to Writing Contests Through 2024

Regardless where you are on your writing journey, you can benefit from entering contests.

The right contest can tell you:

• Where you stand
• How you measure up against the competition
• What you still need to learn

And you could win cash.

That’s why my team researched a wide range of high-quality contests. We’ve included free competitions and also many with modest entry fees.

• Short Story Writing Contests
• Full Manuscript Writing Contests
• Poetry Writing Contests

Great American Fiction Contest

Prize: 1st: $1,000, publication in The Saturday Evening Post

Runners-up (5): $200

Entry Fee: $10

Deadline: TBD 2024 (Annual Contest)

Sponsor: The Saturday Evening Post

From Website: “Unpublished short stories of 1,500 to 5,000 words in any genre touching on the publication’s mission, “Celebrating America—past, present, and future.” No extreme profanity or graphic sex. Work published on a personal website or blog is still eligible.”

SiWC Writing Contest

Prize: 1st: $1,000 plus publication

Honorable Mention: $150

Entry Fee: $15

Deadline: September 15, 2024

Sponsor: Surrey International Writers’ Conference

From Website: “Short stories in any genre must be 2,500-4,000 words. All submissions must contain original material and may not have been previously published, accepted for publication, or have been a winner in another contest prior to the deadline.”

WOW / Women On Writing Quarterly Flash Fiction Competition

Prize: 1st: $400, $25 Amazon gift certificate

2nd: $300, $25 Amazon gift certificate

3rd: $200, $25 Amazon gift certificate

Runners-up (7): $25 Amazon gift certificate

Honorable mentions (10): $20 Amazon gift certificate

Entry Fee: $10 (or $20 with feedback)

Deadline: Quarterly (next deadline February 2, 2024)

Sponsor: WOW / Women On Writing

From Website: “Runs four times a year and is open to all styles and genres. Closes each quarter after 300 entries have been received, or at the deadline. WOW also runs a quarterly nonfiction essay competition with cash prizes.”

Bristol Short Story Prize

Prize: 1st: £1,000 (~$1,242)

2nd: £500 (~$621)

3rd: £250 (~$310)

Shortlisted (17): £100 (~$124)

Entry Fee: £9 (~$11)

Deadline: TBD 2024

Sponsor: Bristol Short Story Prize

From Website: “Open to all published and unpublished writers 16 and up. No geographical restriction, but all entries must be in English. Maximum length 4,000 words (not including title). No minimum length. Stories can be on any subject.”

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award

Prize: £2,500 (~$3,105)

Winners also receive further non-monetary prizes including publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual.

Entry Fee: £18 (~$22) (Poetry Category entry fee is ~$15) 

Deadline: August 31, 2024

Sponsor: Aesthetica Magazine

From Website: “Fiction entries should be no more than 2,000 words. Works published or entered elsewhere are accepted. Any theme accepted. You may enter as many times as you wish, however, each work requires a separate fee and submission form.”

The Lascaux Prize

Prize: $1,000

Finalists receive $100

Deadline: June 20, 2024

Sponsor: The Lascaux Review

“Flash Fiction and Creative Nonfiction categories. 

Flash fiction entries should not exceed 1,000 words. All genres and styles welcome. 

From Website: “Creative nonfiction entry length must not exceed 10,000 words. All topics welcome but should be written in a nonacademic style. May include memoirs, chronicles, personal essays, humorous perspectives, literary journalism—anything the author has witnessed, experienced, learned, or discovered.”

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize

Prize: First place: £3,000 cash grant (~$3,726)

Second place: £1,000 travel expense (~$1,242)

Third place: £1,000 travel expense (~$1,242)

Entry Fee: Free

Deadline: March 1, 2024

Sponsor: The Alpine Fellowship

From Website: “Entries must fit the annual theme. Maximum of 2,500 words. All genres of writing are permitted, including fiction, non-fiction, and non-academic essays. Open to all nationalities but must be written in English. Stories must not have been published, self-published or accepted for publication in print or online. No entries that have won or been placed in another competition at any time.”

ServiceScape Short Story Award

Deadline: November 29, 2024

Sponsor: ServiceScape

From Website: “All entries must be original, unpublished works of short fiction or nonfiction, up to 5,000 words in length. Any genre or theme accepted.”

Bacopa Literary Review Contest

Prize: $200 Award 

$100 Honorable Mention in each of six categories

Sponsor: The Writers Alliance of Gainesville

From Website: “Awards in 6 categories (contestants may submit to only ONE category). Fiction (up to 2,500 words), Creative Nonfiction (up to 2,500 words), Humor (up to 2,000 words), Formal Poetry (1-3 poems), Free Verse Poetry (1-2 poems), Visual Poetry (1 poem).”

Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award

Prize: $.08 per word and publication

Deadline: February 1, 2024

Sponsor: National Space Society and Baen Books

From Website: “Write a short story of no more than 8,000 words, that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration. What they want to see: Moon bases, Mars colonies, orbital habitats, space elevators, asteroid mining, artificial intelligence, nano-technology, realistic spacecraft, heroics, sacrifice, and adventure.”

Parsec Short Story Contest

Prize: First place: $200 and publication in the Confluence program book. 

Second place: $100 

Third place: $50 

Best Youth Story: $50

Deadline: March 31st, 2024

Sponsor: Parsec, Inc.

From Website: “Each annual contest is based on a theme provided. This can be conveyed in the setting, plot, characters, and dialogue; the only limit is your imagination. The theme must be integral to the story in some way and not just mentioned in passing. No minimum word count, no more than 3500 words. The 2024 Contest theme is ‘AI mythology.’” 

The Raymond Carver Short Story Contest

Prize: First place: $2000 

Second place: $500 

Third place: $250 

Two Editor’s Choice: $125

Entry Fee: $18

Deadline: May 15, 2024

Sponsor: Carve Magazine

From Website: “One short story per entry. No limit to entries. Must be previously unpublished (including online) with a 10,000 maximum word count. We accept entries from anywhere in the world, but the story must be English-language. No genre fiction (romance, horror, sci-fi); literary fiction only.”

Blurred Genres Flash Contest

Prize: First Place: $750 

Second Place: $350 

Third Place: $150 

Publication of Top Five

Sponsor: Invisible City (University of San Francisco)

From Website: “Based on a theme (for example last year’s theme was “Levity”) that can be interpreted through prose, poetry, or some combination of the two. All genres and themes are welcome. Contest submissions must be 750 words or less and can be flash fiction/nonfiction, prose poetry, or some unique combination of the three. Submissions must be the original work of the submitter and unpublished (and not slated for future publication).”

Imagine 2200: Write the future

Prize: First Place: $3,000

Second Place: $2,000 

Third Place: $1,000

An additional nine finalists will each receive $300 

All winners and finalists will have their stories published in an immersive collection on Grist’s website

Sponsor: Grist

From Website: “Imagine 2200 is an invitation to writers from all over the globe to imagine a future in which solutions to the climate crisis flourish and help bring about radical improvements to our world. 3,000 to 5,000 word stories envisioning a world where we prioritize our well-being, work to mend our communities, and lead lives that celebrate our humanity.”

The Elegant Literature Award For New Writers

Prize: First place: $3,000 and 10c/word and publication. Free enrollment in the New Novelist Accelerator.

Second – Tenth: 10c/word and publication.

Eleventh – Thirty-fifth: $20 and an honorable mention in the magazine

Entry Fee: Requires Elegant+ Membership ($9.99 a month)

Deadline: Ongoing (monthly)

Sponsor: Elegant Literature Magazine

From Website: “Write a story involving annual theme. New or unpublished authors may enter. Word count is 500-2000. All genres are welcome as long as it involves the theme.”

F(r)iction Contests

Prize: $300.00 and consideration for publication in F(r)iction

Entry Fee: $10 for a single entry, $12 for three entries

Deadline: April 30, 2024

Sponsor: F(r)iction

From Website: “Competitions in several categories, short stories (1,001 – 7,500 words), flash fiction (up to 1,000 words), and Poetry (up to three pages per poem). Entries are accepted regardless of genre, style, or origin. Experimental, nontraditional, and boundary-pushing literature is strongly encouraged. Their guidelines include the phrase ‘Strange is good.’”

Manchester Fiction Prize

Prize: £10,000 (~$12,420)

Entry Fee: £18 (~$22) 

100 reduced-price (£10 or ~$13) entries are available to entrants who might not otherwise be able to take part in the competition.

Sponsor: Manchester Metropolitan University

From Website: “The Manchester Fiction Prize asks for a short story of up to 2,500 words in length. Stories submitted should be new work, not previously published elsewhere. The Prize is open internationally to those aged 16 or over.”  

Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition

Prize: Grand Prize $5000, an interview with them in Writer’s Digest (Nov/Dec 2023 issue) and on WritersDigest.com, a paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, including a special trophy presentation at the keynote, a coveted Pitch Slam slot at the Writer’s Digest Conference where the winner will receive one on one attention from editors or agents, and publication of their winning piece on WritersDigest.com

First Place: $1,000 and publication of their winning piece on WritersDigest.com

Second Place: $500 

Third Place: $250 

Fourth Place: $100 

Fifth Place: $50 

Sixth through Tenth Place: $25 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com.

Entry Fee: $20-30 (varies depending on category)

Deadline: May 6, 2024 

Sponsor: Writer’s Digest

From Website: “Only original works that have not been published (at the time of submission) in print, digital, or online publications will be considered. Self-published work in blogs, on social media, etc. will be considered. For the script category, only unproduced scripts will be considered. Entries in the Nonfiction Essay or Article category may be previously published. All entries must be in English. Memoirs/Personal Essay, Nonfiction Essay or Article, and Children’s/Young Adult Fiction: 2,000 words maximum. Mainstream/Literary Short Story, Genre Short, Story, and Humor: 4,000 words maximum. Inspirational Writing: 2,500 words maximum. Rhyming Poem and Non-rhyming Poem: 40 lines maximum.”

Emerging Writer’s Contest

Prize: Publication, $2,000, review from Aevitas Creative Management, and a 1-year subscription for one winner in each of the three genres

Entry Fee: Free for subscribers to Ploughshares, $24 for nonsubscribers

Sponsor: Ploughshares (Emerson College)

From Website: “The contest is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have yet to publish or self-publish a book. Fiction and Nonfiction: Under 6,000 words. Poetry: 3-5 pages.”

Wells Festival of Literature Short Story Competition

Prize: First Place £750 (~$932)

Second Place £300 (~$373)

Third Place: £200 (~$248)

Entry Fee: £6 (~$8)

Sponsor: Wells Festival of Literature

From Website: “Stories may be on any subject and should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words. All entries must be the exclusive and original work of the entrant. At the time of entry, the work submitted must not have been entered into any other Competition and must not have been published in any format or location.”

Anthology Short Story Competition

Prize: First Place: €1,000 (~$1098), the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology, and a one-year subscription to Anthology 

Second Place: €250 (~$275)

Third Place: €150 (~$165)

Entry Fee: Early Bird: €12 (~$13)

Standard fee: €18 (~$20)

Deadline: July 31, 2024

Sponsor: Anthology Publishing

From Website: “Established to recognize and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, the Anthology Short Story Competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. There is no restriction on theme or style. Stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words.” 

The Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize

Prize: £1,000 (~$1,246) and publication in Wasafiri’s print magazine

Entry Fee: £10 (~$12) for a single entry, £16 (~$20) for a double entry

Sponsor: Wasafiri Magazine 

From Website: “Exceptionally international in scope, the prize supports writers who have not yet published a book-length work, with no limits on age, gender, nationality, or background. No entry may exceed 3,000 words. A single poetry entry can include up to three poems, which together total no more than 3,000 words.”

2024 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

Prize: $1000 and a free 10-week course with Gotham Writers

Entry Fee: $25

Sponsor: Gotham Writers and Selected Shorts

From Website: “This long-running series at Symphony Space in New York City celebrates the art of the short story by having stars of stage and screen read aloud the works of established and emerging writers. Selected Shorts is recorded for Public Radio and heard nationally on both the radio and its weekly podcast.”

Robert and Adele Schiff Awards

Prize: $1,000 All entries will be considered for publication in The Cincinnati Review

Entry Fee: $20

Sponsor: The Cincinnati Review (University of Cincinnati)

From Website: “Writers may submit up to 8 pages of poetry, 40 pages of a single double-spaced piece of fiction, or 20 pages of a single double-spaced piece of literary nonfiction, per entry. Previously published manuscripts, including works that have appeared online (in any form), will not be considered. There are no restrictions as to form, style, or content; all entries will be considered for publication. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable under the condition that you notify us if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.” 

Salamander 2024 Fiction Prize

Prize: First Place: $1,000 and Publication

 Second Place: $500 and Publication

Deadline: TBD 2024 

Sponsor: Salamander Magazine

From Website: “All entries will be considered for publication and will be judged anonymously. Each story must not exceed 30 double-spaced pages in 12-point font. Previously published works and works accepted for publication elsewhere cannot be considered. Salamander’s definition of publishing includes electronic publication.”

BOA Short Fiction Prize

Prize: $1,000 and publication by BOA Editions, Ltd.

Deadline: May 31, 2024

Sponsor: BOA Editions, Ltd.

From Website: “Entrants must be U.S. citizens, legal residents of the U.S., or have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), or Legal Permanent Status (LPS). Entrants must be at least 18 years of age. Minimum of 90 pages; maximum of 200 pages. Manuscript text should be at least 12 pt. font, double-spaced. As with all BOA fiction titles, our prize-winning short story collections are more concerned with the artfulness of writing than the twists and turns of plot. It is our belief that short story writing is a valuable and underserved literary form that we are proud to support, nurture, and celebrate.”

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

Prize: First Place: $3,000 

Entry Fee: $22

Deadline: May 1, 2024

Sponsor: Winning Writers (Co-sponsored by Duotrope)

From Website: “For this contest, a story is any short work of fiction, and an essay is any short work of nonfiction. All themes accepted. Entries may be published or unpublished. Length limit: 6,000 words maximum. No restriction on the age of the author.”

Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction

Prize: $1,333

Deadline: November 1, 2024

Sponsor: Reed Magazine

From Website: “C reative nonfiction, such as personal essays or narratives, not scholarly papers or book reviews. All works should be stand-alone essays, not chapters of a longer work. Previously published work is not eligible. Up to 5,000 words.”

53-Word Story Contest

Prize: Publication in Prime Number Magazine and a free book from Press 53.

Deadline: Ongoing. 15th of each month

Sponsor: Prime Number Magazine

From Website: “New prompt each month. Judges are looking for stories with a surprising approach to the prompt, something unusual and creative. Stories must be 53 words—no more, no less. Stories with fewer than or more than 53 words will be disqualified. Send only stories; poetry with line breaks will not be considered.”

Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction

Prizes: Three Winners are announced who are published and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are Longlisted. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies.

Deadline: Awarded every two months

Sponsor: Letter Review

From Website: “Word Length: 0 – 5000 words. Open to anyone in the world. There are no genre or theme restrictions.”

Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction

Entry Fee: $20.

From Website: “0 – 5000 words. Open to anyone in the world. We welcome all forms of nonfiction including: Memoir, journalism, essay (including personal essay), fictocriticism, creative nonfiction, travel, nature, opinion, and many other permutations.”

University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize

Prize: $10,000 advance on royalties and a contract to publish with the University of New Orleans Press

Entry Fee: $28

Sponsor: University of New Orleans

From Website: “Entries must be unpublished novels or short story collections. The work does not have to be regionally focused. There is no word limit. There is no restriction on subjects covered. The contest is open to all authors from around the world, regardless of publishing history.  Works of fiction (novels and short story collections) only. Submissions must be your entire manuscript.”

The Bath Novel Awards 

Prize: Two £3,000 (~$3738) prizes are awarded annually for the best manuscript as judged by literary agents

All shortlistees win feedback on their full manuscript.

Entry Fee: £29 (~$36)

Deadline: May 31st 2024

Sponsor: The Bath Novel Award (co-sponsored by Cornerstones Literary Consultancy and Professional Writing Academy)

From Website: “Submit the opening 5,000 words plus one-page synopsis of novel manuscripts for adults or young adults. Completed works must be over 50,000 words. Novels can be for adult or young adult readers and any genre. Must be your original work and submitted in English. Novels can be unpublished, self-published, or independently published.”

The Times/Chicken House Competition

Prize:  First Place: worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House with a royalty advance of £10,000 (~$12,459), plus an offer of representation by this year’s agent judge, Davinia Andrew-Lynch of Curtis Brown. 

Second Place: Lime Pictures New Storyteller Award. A publishing contract with a royalty advance of £7,500 (~$9,344) plus an offer of representation by Davinia Andrew-Lynch.

Entry Fee: £20 (~$25)

Deadline: June 1, 2024

Sponsor: The Times and Chicken House 

From Website: “To enter, you must have written a completed full-length novel suitable for children/young adults aged somewhere between 7 and 18 years. A minimum of 30,000 words and a maximum of 80,000 words suggested.”

The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction

Prize: $5,000 advance and publication by Dzanc Books

Deadline: September 30, 2024

Sponsor: Dzanc Books

From Website: “The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction recognizes daring, original, and innovative novels (generally over 40,000 words, but there is no hard minimum). The contest is open to new, upcoming, and established writers alike. Agented submissions are also eligible, and we ask that you include all agency contact information with the application. All submitted works must be previously unpublished novel-length manuscripts and should include a brief synopsis, author bio, and contact information.”

Claymore Award

Prize: Discounted admission to Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference, with introductions to agents/editors (And probably publishing contract)

Entry Fee: $45 (Full critique included for $125)

Deadline: April 1, 2024

Sponsor: Killer Nashville

From Website: “The contest is limited to only the first 50 double-spaced pages of unpublished English-language manuscripts containing elements of thriller, mystery, crime, or suspense NOT currently under contract. These can include Action Adventure, Comedy, Cozy, Historical, Investigator, Juvenile/YA, Literary, Mainstream/Commercial, Mystery, Nonfiction, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Short Story Collections, Southern Gothic, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, and Western manuscripts, and any of their derivatives. (Self-published manuscripts are considered already published and are not eligible.)”

St. Martin’s Minotaur / Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition

Prize: Publication and a $10,000 advance

Sponsor: Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America

From Website: “Open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any published novel and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. All Manuscripts submitted must be original works of book length (no less than 220 typewritten pages or approximately 60,000 words), written in the English language, written solely by the entrant, and must not violate any right of any third party or be libelous. Murder or another serious crime is at the heart of the story.”

The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing

Prize: $10,000 advance and publication

Sponsor: Restless Books

From Website: “Created in 2015 to honor outstanding debut literary works by first-generation immigrants, awarded for fiction and nonfiction in alternating years. Fiction manuscripts must be complete. Nonfiction submissions must consist of either a complete manuscript or a sample of at least 25,000 words and a detailed proposal that includes a synopsis and an annotated table of contents. All submissions must be in English (translations welcome). Fiction candidates must not have previously published a book of fiction in English. Nonfiction candidates must not have previously published a book of nonfiction in English.”

New American Fiction Prize

Prize: $1,500 and a book contract, as well as 25 author’s copies and promotional support

Deadline: January 15, 2024

Sponsor: New American Press

From Website: “Manuscripts should be at least 100 pages, but there is no maximum length. All forms and styles of full-length fiction manuscripts are welcome, including story collections, novels, novellas, collections of novellas, flash fiction collections, novels in verse, and other hybrid forms.”

Your Next Best Read

Prize: First Place (Fiction & Nonfiction): $100 Cash Price, 6-month Advertising Package, Press Release, Editorial Review, Newsletter Announcement, Promotional Creatives

Second Place Awards (Fiction & Nonfiction): 6-month Advertising Package, Editorial Review, Newsletter Announcement

Third Place (Fiction & Nonfiction): 3-month Advertising Package, Editorial Review, Newsletter Announcement

Deadline: May 5, 2024

Sponsor: Excalibre Publishing

From Website: “ The contest is open to writers of all backgrounds, ages, and nationalities. Both published and unpublished works are welcome. We encourage submissions in various/ALL genres –  fiction, non-fiction, poetry (submit in nonfiction), and short stories. No specific wordcount requiered. Submissions must be in English.”

Letter Review Prize for Manuscripts

Prizes: Three Winners are announced who have a brief extract published, receive a letter of recommendation from our Judges for publishers, and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are Longlisted.

Entry Fee: $25.

Deadline: Awarded Every two months

From Website: “Please submit the first 5000 words of your manuscript, whether it be prose or poetry. Open to anyone in the world. The entry must not have been traditionally published. We are seeking all varieties of novels, short story collections, nonfiction, and poetry collections. We will accept manuscripts which are unpublished, self published, and some which are indie published. Review full entry guidelines for further details.”

2nd place in fiction & non-fiction $750 cash prize and trophy

3rd place in fiction & non-fiction $500 cash prize and trophy

Winner of each of the 80+ categories $100 cash prize and gold medal

Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize

Prize: $2,500 plus publication

Entry Fee: $30

Sponsor: Kent State University Press

From Website: “Offered annually to a poet who has not previously published a full-length collection of poems. The winner and the competition’s judge will give a reading together on the Kent State campus. The competition is open to poets writing in English who have not yet published a full-length collection of poems (a volume of 50 or more pages published in an edition of 500 or more copies).”

Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry

Prize: $2,000 plus publication

Sponsor: Lynx House Press

From Website: “Awarded for an unpublished, full-length volume of poems by a U.S. author, which includes foreign nationals living and writing in the U.S. and U.S. citizens living abroad. Manuscripts may include poems that have appeared in journals, magazines, or chapbooks. Poems that have previously appeared in full-length, single-author collections, are not eligible.”

Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition

Prize: First Place: €750 ($890) 

Second Place: €500 ($590) 

Third Place: €250 ($295)

Entry Fee: €5 ($6)

Deadline: Every Tuesday at 12pm (Irish time) from April 11, 2023 – January 30, 2024

Sponsor: Ó Bhéal

From Website: “Five words will be posted on this competition page. Entrants will have one week to compose and submit one or more poems which include all five words given for that week. Entry is open to all countries. Poems cannot exceed 50 lines in length (including line breaks), and must include all five words listed for the week.”

Letter Review Prize for Poetry

Prizes: Three Winners are announced who are published and share in the $800 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are Longlisted. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies.

Entry Fee: $15.

From Website: “70 lines max per poem Open to anyone in the world. There are no style or subject restrictions.”

• Advice for Researching Writing Competitions

This list includes only a few of the many writing contests you can find online.

Here are some tips for looking into options on your own:

1. Narrow your search with details that are relevant to you, for example, “writing contests in Texas,” “writing contests for women authors,” or “writing contests for veterans.” 

2. Be genre-specific.

3. Include the year in your search to ensure the most up-to-date results. 

4. Carefully read the guidelines and eligibility requirements. 

5. Pay attention to the contest sponsor. Only submit to reputable hosts.  

Worried your writing isn’t quite ready to compete? Take my free writing assessment and see personalized guidance on how to improve your skills. https://jerryjenkins.com/quiz/

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Student opportunities, david mccullough essay prizes.

David McCullough at Trinity School in Manhattan, October 15, 2019

The 2024 David McCullough Essay Prize Contest is now closed for submissions.

This contest is named in memory of David McCullough (1933–2022)—a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and Gilder Lehrman Life Trustee—and honors his career telling America’s stories and examining its histories. Learn more about his life and legacy here .

High school students attending schools in our Affiliate School Program are eligible and encouraged to participate. They are invited to submit an original essay, written independently or for a 2023–2024 class, that has been revised, expanded, and adapted to conform with the new McCullough Prize specifications. The two essay categories are as follows:

Research Essay: Students are invited to submit a research essay incorporating primary and secondary sources on a topic in American history from 1491 to 2001.

Interpretive Essay: Students are invited to submit an interpretive essay focusing on close reading and analysis of one primary source from American history, 1491 to 2001, in the Gilder Lehrman Collection of more than 86,000 historical documents.

More requirements for both essay categories can be found in these updated 2024 rubrics .

All participants will receive a certificate of participation suitable for framing. Prize winners in each of our two categories—research essays and a new interpretive essay category—will receive cash awards as follows:

• 1st Prize: $5,000 (plus a $500 prize awarded to the school)
• 2nd Prize: $1,500 (plus a $500 prize awarded to the school)
• Five 3rd Prizes: $500 each

 A panel of Gilder Lehrman master teachers will choose the pool of finalists, from which a jury of eminent historians will choose the winners. Essays will be evaluated for their historical rigor, the clarity and correctness of their style, their use of evidence, and their qualities of empathy and imagination. 

Winners will be notified and announced no later than Friday, September 13, 2024.

General Requirements

Font and Page Style: Papers should be submitted in 12-point, Times New Roman font with one-inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides. Essays should be free of teacher commentary or other notes.

Organization: Top essays have an introduction, body, and conclusion and a clearly stated, well-developed thesis statement with supportive historical evidence.

Essay Topics: Essays can be on any topic related to American history from 1491 to 2001. Essays in the interpretative category must feature a primary source (letter, broadside, art, political cartoon, speech, etc.) from the Gilder Lehrman Collection .

Stay up to date, and subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.

Learn how the Institute impacts history education through our work guiding teachers, energizing students, and supporting research.

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The Best Student Writing Contests for 2023-2024

Help your students take their writing to the next level.

When students write for teachers, it can feel like an assignment. When they write for a real purpose, they are empowered! Student writing contests are a challenging and inspiring way to try writing for an authentic audience— a real panel of judges —and the possibility of prize money or other incentives. We’ve gathered a list of the best student writing contests, and there’s something for everyone. Prepare highly motivated kids in need of an authentic writing mentor, and watch the words flow.

1.  The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

With a wide range of categories—from critical essays to science fiction and fantasy—The Scholastic Awards are a mainstay of student contests. Each category has its own rules and word counts, so be sure to check out the options  before you decide which one is best for your students.

How To Enter

Students in grades 7-12, ages 13 and up, may begin submitting work in September by uploading to an online account at Scholastic and connecting to their local region. There are entry fees, but those can be waived for students in need.

2.  YoungArts National Arts Competition

This ends soon, but if you have students who are ready to submit, it’s worth it. YoungArts offers a national competition in the categories of creative nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, short story, and spoken word. Student winners may receive awards of up to $10,000 as well as the chance to participate in artistic development with leaders in their fields.

YoungArts accepts submissions in each category through October 13. Students submit their work online and pay a $35 fee (there is a fee waiver option).

3. National Youth Foundation Programs

Each year, awards are given for Student Book Scholars, Amazing Women, and the “I Matter” Poetry & Art competition. This is a great chance for kids to express themselves with joy and strength.

The rules, prizes, and deadlines vary, so check out the website for more info.

4.  American Foreign Service National High School Essay Contest

If you’re looking to help students take a deep dive into international relations, history, and writing, look no further than this essay contest. Winners receive a voyage with the Semester at Sea program and a trip to Washington, DC.

Students fill out a registration form online, and a teacher or sponsor is required. The deadline to enter is the first week of April.

5.  John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest

This annual contest invites students to write about a political official’s act of political courage that occurred after Kennedy’s birth in 1917. The winner receives $10,000, and 16 runners-up also receive a variety of cash prizes. ADVERTISEMENT

Students may submit a 700- to 1,000-word essay through January 12. The essay must feature more than five sources and a full bibliography.

6. Bennington Young Writers Awards

Bennington College offers competitions in three categories: poetry (a group of three poems), fiction (a short story or one-act play), and nonfiction (a personal or academic essay). First-place winners receive $500. Grab a poster for your classroom here .

The contest runs from September 1 to November 1. The website links to a student registration form.

7. The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest

Looking for student writing contests for budding playwrights? This exclusive competition, which is open only to high school juniors, is judged by the theater faculty of Princeton University. Students submit short plays in an effort to win recognition and cash prizes of up to $500. ( Note: Only open to 11th graders. )

Students submit one 10-page play script online or by mail. The deadline is the end of March. Contest details will be published in early 2024.

8. Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students

The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding work by student writers in 11th grade. Prizes range from $100 to $500.

Students in 11th grade can submit their poetry. Contest details will be published this fall.

9. The New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest

This contest is also a wonderful writing challenge, and the New York Times includes lots of resources and models for students to be able to do their best work. They’ve even made a classroom poster !

Submissions need to be made electronically by November 1.

10.  Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

The deadline for this contest is the end of October. Sponsored by Hollins University, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest awards prizes for the best poems submitted by young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. Prizes include cash and scholarships. Winners are chosen by students and faculty members in the creative writing program at Hollins.

Students may submit either one or two poems using the online form.

11.  The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers is open to high school sophomores and juniors, and the winner receives a full scholarship to a  Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop .

Submissions for the prize are accepted electronically from November 1 through November 30.

12. Jane Austen Society Essay Contest

High school students can win up to $1,000 and publication by entering an essay on a topic specified by the Jane Austen Society related to a Jane Austen novel.

Details for the 2024 contest will be announced in November. Essay length is from six to eight pages, not including works cited.

13. Rattle Young Poets Anthology

Open to students from 15 to 18 years old who are interested in publication and exposure over monetary awards.

Teachers may choose five students for whom to submit up to four poems each on their behalf. The deadline is November 15.

14. The Black River Chapbook Competition

This is a chance for new and emerging writers to gain publication in their own professionally published chapbook, as well as $500 and free copies of the book.

There is an $18 entry fee, and submissions are made online.

15. YouthPlays New Voices

For students under 18, the YouthPlays one-act competition is designed for young writers to create new works for the stage. Winners receive cash awards and publication.

Scroll all the way down their web page for information on the contest, which accepts non-musical plays between 10 and 40 minutes long, submitted electronically. Entries open each year in January.

16. The Ocean Awareness Contest

The 2024 Ocean Awareness Contest, Tell Your Climate Story , encourages students to write their own unique climate story. They are asking for creative expressions of students’ personal experiences, insights, or perceptions about climate change. Students are eligible for a wide range of monetary prizes up to $1,000.

Students from 11 to 18 years old may submit work in the categories of art, creative writing, poetry and spoken word, film, interactive media and multimedia, or music and dance, accompanied by a reflection. The deadline is June 13.

17. EngineerGirl Annual Essay Contest

Each year, EngineerGirl sponsors an essay contest with topics centered on the impact of engineering on the world, and students can win up to $500 in prize money. This contest is a nice bridge between ELA and STEM and great for teachers interested in incorporating an interdisciplinary project into their curriculum. The new contest asks for pieces describing the life cycle of an everyday object. Check out these tips for integrating the content into your classroom .

Students submit their work electronically by February 1. Check out the full list of rules and requirements here .

18. NCTE Student Writing Awards

The National Council of Teachers of English offers several student writing awards, including Achievement Awards in Writing (for 10th- and 11th-grade students), Promising Young Writers (for 8th-grade students), and an award to recognize Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines.

Deadlines range from October 28 to February 15. Check out NCTE.org for more details.

19. See Us, Support Us Art Contest

Children of incarcerated parents can submit artwork, poetry, photos, videos, and more. Submissions are free and the website has a great collection of past winners.

Students can submit their entries via social media or email by October 25.

20. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry & Prose

The Adroit Journal, an education-minded nonprofit publication, awards annual prizes for poetry and prose to exceptional high school and college students. Adroit charges an entry fee but also provides a form for financial assistance.

Sign up at the website for updates for the next round of submissions.

21. National PTA Reflections Awards

The National PTA offers a variety of awards, including one for literature, in their annual Reflections Contest. Students of all ages can submit entries on the specified topic to their local PTA Reflections program. From there, winners move to the local area, state, and national levels. National-level awards include an $800 prize and a trip to the National PTA Convention.

This program requires submitting to PTAs who participate in the program. Check your school’s PTA for their deadlines.

22. World Historian Student Essay Competition

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international contest open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, as well as those in home-study programs. The $500 prize is based on an essay that addresses one of this year’s two prompts.

Students can submit entries via email or regular mail before May 1.

23. NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship

The National Society of High School Scholars awards three $2,000 scholarships for both poetry and fiction. They accept poetry, short stories, and graphic novel writing.

Apply online by October 31.

Whether you let your students blog, start a podcast or video channel, or enter student writing contests, giving them an authentic audience for their work is always a powerful classroom choice.

If you like this list of student writing contests and want more articles like it, subscribe to our newsletters to find out when they’re posted!

Plus, check out our favorite anchor charts for teaching writing..

You Might Also Like

Best 2024 Competitions for Students in Grades K-12

Competitions in STEM, ELA and the arts, and more! Continue Reading

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Article Contents

Brain 2023 essay competition.

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Masud Husain, Brain 2023 essay competition, Brain , Volume 146, Issue 7, July 2023, Page 2657, https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad160

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The response to our inaugural essay competition last year was remarkable. The impressive quality of submissions and diversity of subjects considered by the authors—who included researchers, clinicians, patients, carers, as well as people who have no immediate link to neurology—was extraordinary. The thoughtful and sometimes moving nature of those essays have encouraged us to launch a new competition this year.

We seek writing that stimulates, provokes and makes our readers reflect. We emphasize that essays for Brain are NOT scientific articles. Nor are they academic pieces, but rather writing that provides a broader perspective on life for the general reader. Essays do NOT have to focus on neurological topics or the brain but they should make our readers reflect. They can be opinionated, entertaining or amusing, but most importantly, they should be enlightening, illuminating some aspect of the human condition, and written well.

The best submissions will be published in our Essay section, highlighted on Brain’s website and social media, and made freely available to all readers. Last year’s winning essay was published in the January 2023 issue of Brain, while the two runners-up had their submissions published in February and March of the journal.

What are we looking for in an essay? Aldous Huxley famously began the Preface to his Collected Essays (1960) with: ‘What is true of the novel is only a little less true for the essay. For, like the novel, the essay is a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything’. According to Huxley, essays often focus either on the personal or autobiographical; or the objective or factual; or the abstract and universal. ‘Most essayists are at home and at their best in the neighbourhood of only one.’ However, he concluded: ‘The most richly satisfying essays are those which make the best not of one, not of two, but of all the three worlds in which it is possible for the essay to exist. Freely, effortlessly, thought and feeling move … from the personal to the universal, from the abstract back to the concrete, from the objective datum to the inner experience’.

We want an essay to be a coherent, carefully crafted piece of writing that aspires to achieve all these elements, providing an absorbing experience that stays with our readers long after they have enjoyed the text.

If you’re interested to submit an essay, or know someone who does, please read the following carefully :

This competition is open to anyone who would like to write an essay.

Essays have a limit of 2000 words. Please provide a word count at the end of the text.

Essays do not have an abstract but must have an introductory paragraph (∼100 words) to set the scene or summarize the contents for the reader.

Ideally, they don’t have subheadings but could have breaks within the text to divide up sections.

To reiterate, Essays are NOT scientific articles or academic texts. They do not have to cover neurological topics. They are supposed to stimulate, provoke and make our readers reflect.

If necessary, you can add up to 10 references, but Essays don’t have to have any references.

Please consider adding up to two images, ideally without copyright, to accompany your text.

Submit your text to the Brain pre-submission email address: [email protected]

Please DO NOT put your name, affiliation or any other information that can identify you anywhere on the text. Submissions will be judged by a panel that is blind to who you are or where you come from.

Only one submission per author is allowed.

All the information you need is provided here—if you read the text carefully. Please don’t send in further questions about the competition.

Deadline for submission: 15 October 2023.

We’re very much looking forward to reading your essays.

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MEET THE WINNERS OF THE QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION 2023

The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) is the world's oldest international schools' writing contest, established by the Society in 1883. With thousands of young people taking part each year, it is an important way to recognise achievement, elevate youth voices and develop key skills through creative writing.

Each year, entrants write on a theme that explores the Commonwealth's values, fostering an empathetic world view in the next generation of leaders and encouraging young people to consider new perspectives to the challenges that the world faces. Themes have included the environment, community, inclusion, the role of youth leadership, and gender equality.

In the past decade alone, this high-profile competition has engaged approximately 140,000 young people, over 5,000 schools and thousands of volunteer judges across the Commonwealth.

Celebrating the Commonwealth Year of Youth, the theme, 'A Youth-Powered Commonwealth,’ asked QCEC entrants to explore the power young people hold within the global community and to consider how this power can be harnessed to make a meaningful impact in the world.

We were thrilled to receive a record-breaking 34,924 entries to the QCEC from every Commonwealth region, with the winners and runners-up from India and Malaysia. Find out more about this year's winners below and watch their reactions on discovering this significant achievement!

Siddhi   Deshmukh

Senior Winner  

A creative thinker and a voracious reader, Siddhi De shmukh is from the city of Mumbai, India. Siddhi is a 17 year-old student currently studying in Mayo College Girls’ Scho ol, Ajmer. She is the President of the English Creative Writing Society , and head of the World Scholar’s Cup club at her school. Siddhi’s role is instrumental in writing and directing the upcoming Annual School Play, and she is also an act ive member of Mayo College Girls’ School’s English Editorial Team. Siddhi’s passions lie in studying English Literature, History, Psychology, and Political Science, and she plans to pursue her passions in the future.

Siddhi is a canine lover and values her time that she spends with her dog, Snowy, whenever she is home. One of her major interests is films, as she finds them immensely empowering, and she loves watching them with her mother. A huge fan of Hozier, Bowie and the Beatles, Siddhi also finds inspiration in music and books. Her favourite authors include J.R.R Tolkien, Donna Tartt and Oscar Wilde. Siddhi, through her expression of writing, delves into the existential conflict of human existence and her writing is often inspired by the experiences she draws from her personal life.

Read her winning entry , 'An Angel That Burns' .

Shreeya Sahi

Junior Winner 

Ever since Shreeya was young, she was hungry for stories, and always wanted more. Now, at age 12, she loves writing stories as much as reading them.

She currently lives in Panchkula, a cosy town in Northern India. Shreeya has hopped through schools with varied philosophies in USA and India. The different perspectives and thoughts have shaped her into who she is today. 

Her passion lies in creating magic from the mundane. She fills empty sketchbooks with whimsical drawings, bakes with whatever's in her kitchen, and delights in skipping stones on a still pond. 

For the Queens Commonwealth Essay competition Shreeya wrote a letter to the Little Prince, expressing her admiration for him. She is grateful for her family, friends, and facilitators and wishes all of them could be present for the award ceremony. A special nod to Mr. Gibbs and Mrs. Mckeown, who seeded her love for writing, and her steadfast mom and comical brother, who were there for every story twist.

Read her winning entry, 'Dear Little Prince' .

Yong   Sin Kong

Senior Runner-up

Yong Sin K ong is a 15-year-old Form 3 student from Kluang High School. She has been an avid enjoyer of storytelling since her early years, whether it be in the form of literature, cinema, or th eatre. Whenever she writes, she draws inspiration from the people she idolises, ranging from Neil Gaiman to Lin Manuel-Miranda. She is an ardent fan of the Beatles, musicals, 80s coming-of-age films, and dystopian novels. More often than not, you can find her dancing around her room to the latest Taylor Swift album or diligently journaling with glitter gel pens. In Johor, Malaysia, she shares her life with her family and her loyal dog, Mimi.

Read her winning entry , ‘Observations made at a Local Kopitiam, 13th of March, 2023’ . 

Mitali   Ragtah

Junior  Runner-up

Isabel Allende once s aid, “Write what should not be forgotten.”

That is a quote 11-year-old Mitali Rag tah has always lived by on her journey as a young writing enthusiast. In the gloomy winters of 2020, during the lockdown, 9-year-old bookworm Mitali wanted to do something different. So, she brought together some short poetry and voilà, her first book, “Freedom then and now” was written.

Then she wrote her second book in 2022, “Fairy tales with a twist”. It was inspired by all the girls who believed they were weak and powerless and needed a prince to solve all their problems. Mitali strongly believes in and advocates gender equality and for this she has participated in some in-school organisations and many debate clubs.

When she isn’t scribbling away, Mitali likes to hang out with her family and friends, play soccer and perform the classical India dance, Bharatnatyam.

Read her winning entry, 'Water Girl of India' .

2022 WINNERS

We were thrilled to receive a record-breaking 26,322 entries to the QCEC from every Commonwealth region, with the winners and runners-up from New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and India.

2021 WINNERS

We were delighted to receive a record-breaking 25,648 entries to The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2021, with entries from every Commonwealth region on the topic 'Community in the Commonwealth'. 

2020 WINNERS 

From more than 11,000 entries, four pieces were selected as the Winners and Runners up of The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2020. Read them here and watch the Awards Ceremony.

2019 WINNERS

The 2019 Winners and Runners-up were drawn from across the Commonwealth and wrote inspiring poems, stories and narratives on the topic 'A Connected Commonwealth'. 

September 7, 2024 by Our Reporter

Essay contest winners get reward

Emmanuel CHIDI-MAHA

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Commentary | Colin Fleming: Adults can also embrace a ‘back…

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Commentary | Colin Fleming: Adults can also embrace a ‘back to school’ attitude

Most of us eventually leave school behind, but I have long believed that the adult who lives life best starts a form of school again and again, and the early days of a fresh new school year for children can be a perfect reminder. 

Recently, I was paid a visit here in Boston by my two nieces, ages 4 and 8, and my nephew, who is 10, from Chicago. We did various Boston activities — Freedom Trail! — and we had chats. Like about the upcoming school year. 

Neither of the two older kids were pleased with the teachers they’d been assigned. They were said to not be fun. Foreboding reputations preceded each of them. 

“Children,” I said, doing my best to make myself sound like some wise man on a hill and also keep things light, “none of us will ever get anywhere with attitudes like these. Let me tell you about a ‘mean’ teacher I had,” at which point I told them about Ms. Ferris. 

She was my third grade teacher. In first grade, I was a model citizen — dare I say, a paragon of behavior. There was a boy in my class from straitened circumstances. Our teacher would give him money out of her own pocket so that he could have something to eat. I’d be assigned to walk with him to the cafe across the street. These were different times. But my point is, I was trusted. 

Come the next year, you’d think I was Marlon Brando in “ The Wild One .” Problem child. My teacher was Ms. Pucci. Everyone raved about her. Best pedagogue in the land. 

Every day, though, I was in trouble. No recess for me. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. I thought I was the same kid. I asked Ms. Pucci what I could do better. She answered, “Colin, you give me cold pricklies, and I want warm fuzzies.” 

Ugh. This lady. What are you going to do? 

I got through that year and then learned that my teacher for third grade was to be the dreaded Ms. Ferris, who was talked about like she was the Wicked Witch of the West. I half-expected her to be a tint of green. Happiness went to die in Ms. Ferris’ class. I figured, OK, at least she’s not Pucci. I’ll take my chances. 

That was my attitude going in. Ms. Ferris was spoken about like she was 108, but she was probably 34. She had us write stories. She encouraged our imaginations. I wrote. And wrote. And wrote some more. Every day I wrote a story. 

And each morning I’d share it with Ms. Ferris. Sometimes I wouldn’t even go out for recess, and I was a sporty kid. I’d stay inside, and we’d talk about writing and books. One day, Ms. Ferris said to me, “You have an imagination that other people don’t. It’s a gift. Let it take you places.” 

She wasn’t just the best teacher I ever had; she was one of the most important people who has ever been in my life. She helped introduce me, to me. 

My niece and nephew, both agog, swore to enter the school year with open minds. Because you don’t know until you know. Often, we think we know before we do, and then we never know at all. 

So while the days of a crisp apple in your lunch bag and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils may be behind you, they’re also in front of you in a different manner. We’re always free to have the right attitude that allows us to learn. It’s funny that we think that’s a kid thing. Just as it’s ironic that we must grow up and continue to grow by being, at least in part, our own teachers. 

I think about Ms. Ferris often as I commit myself to learning things that I didn’t know the day before. The classroom abounds. It’s not solely something in a building or back in your past. ‘Tis the season to be reminded of what it can do for you. Don’t rob yourself of what that means. 

The bus awaits, children. And for you adults as well.

Colin Fleming is the author of “Sam Cooke: Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963,” an entry in Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 series.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected] .

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