Contests
Writing contests provide steps up for a writer – especially a struggling writer. A portfolio that contains contest wins means more than many clips. Can’t afford the entry fees? Consider entering one contest a quarter or something more amiable to your pocketbook. A few are free. Contests provide prizes, prestige and usually publication with many offering book contracts. Denouncing contests from your writing repertoire is like discounting an entire genre or refusing to eat yellow vegetables. You’re giving up something valuable that may serve you and your career well.
NOTE: To have your group’s contest posted, email hope@chopeclark.com with the link to the contest. It must pay a minimum of a $200 first prize, not take all rights for entering, and charge an entry fee of five percent or less.
WAASNODE FICTION PRIZE
https://www.passagesnorth.com/contests/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 15, 2024. Send your best fiction up to 10,000 words. Content and formare open. The winner receives $1000 and publication in the print issue of Passages North.
NEUTRINO SHORT-SHORT PRIZE
https://www.passagesnorth.com/contests/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 15, 2024. Send your best short-shorts (1000 words maximum). Open to any genre: stories, nonfiction, prose poems, hybrids, etc. Submit up to three short-shorts in a single document per entry. The winner receives $1000 and publication in the print issue of Passages North.
FORCE MAJEURE FLASH CONTEST
https://stormcellar.org/submit/contest/
$6 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2024. First place $300; two runners-up $100 each. Honorable mentions receive a small honorarium. Shorter than 1000 words and no more than five pages. May contain fiction, nonfiction, hybrids, marks, or images, in any combination.
PARSEC SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://parsec-sff.org/short-story-contest
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2024. The 2024 Contest theme is “AI mythology.” Ask that authors try and incorporate both concepts into their speculative work. No minimum, no more than 3500 words. The contest is open to non-professional writers who have not met the eligibility requirements for SFWA Full Membership. First-place receives $200 and publication in the Confluence program book. Second-place receives $100. Third-place receives $50.
F(R)ICTION CONTESTS
https://frictionlit.org/contests/
$10-$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2024. Short stories: 1,001 – 7,500 words. Flash fiction: up to 1,000 words per piece. Poetry: up the three pages per poem. Creative Nonfiction: up to 6,500 words. Accepts work, written in English, from anywhere in the world. Ages 13 and up. First prizes: Short Story $1,000; Flash Fiction $300; Poetry $300; Creative Nonfiction $500.
ONLY POEMS PRIZE
https://www.onlypoems.net/contest
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2024. The entry fee includes a comped two-month Substack subscription (worth $14). Poet of the Year will receive $3000 and a lifetime comped subscription to the ONLY POEMS Substack. Two Runner-ups will receive $300 each and a three-year comped subscription. All honorable mentions will receive a one-year comped subscription. Three to ten poems of all three winners will be published alongside an extensive interview in July. Submissions must be five to ten pages.
BLACK FOX PRIZE: FAIRY TALE REMIX
https://blackfoxlitmag.com/contests/
$12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2024. The theme for this round is “Fairy Tale Remix.” Please submit your strongest fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. The prize is $300 and publication in the Summer 2024 issue. All submissions are considered for publication.
CRAFT NOVELETTE PRINT PRIZE
https://www.craftliterary.com/craft-novelette-print-prize-2024/
$30 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 17, 2024. Seeking submissions of polished novelettes from 7,500 to 15,000 words. One grand-prize winner will receive $3,000, print publication, royalties, and twenty author copies. The winner will have the option of international distribution through drop-shipping at Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and other platforms, earning fifty percent of royalties on their published novelette.
THE CATERPILLAR POETRY PRIZE
https://www.thecaterpillarmagazine.com/a1-page.asp?ID=7254&page=21
€15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2024. The Prize is open to anyone over the age of 16. First prize €1,000 plus a week at Circle of Misse, second prize €500, third prize €250. Enter as as many poems as you like. There is no line limit.
BRIDPORT POETRY, SHORT STORY, FLASH, NOVEL, MEMOIR CONTESTS
https://bridportprize.org.uk/
£24 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2024. Poetry: 42 lines max. No minimum. Title not included in the line count. Short story: 5000 words max. No minimum. Flash fiction: 250 words max. No minimum. Novel anbd Memoir: 8,000 words max. 5,000 words minimum from opening chapters. PLUS 300 word synopsis which should form the first page of the submission. Poetry: 1st prize £5,000, 2nd prize £1,000, 3rd prize £500, Highly Commended 10 x £100. Short story: 1st prize £5,000, 2nd prize £1,000, 3rd prize £500, Highly Commended 10 x £100. Flash fiction: 1st prize £1,000, 2nd prize £500, 3rd prize £250, Highly Commended 5 x £100. Novel: 1st prize – £1,500 plus up to a year’s mentoring from The Literary Consultancy. Runner-up – £750 plus full manuscript appraisal. Memoir: 1st prize – £1,500 plus up to a year’s mentoring from The Literary Consultancy. Runner-up – £750 plus full manuscript appraisal.
IFFLY’S MINIGAME MARCH WRITING CONTEST
https://ko-fi.com/post/Announcing-Ifflys-MiniGame-March-Writing-Contest-P5P0ULYKN
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2024. The premise is simple: during the month of March, write and publish a complete game on Iffly.co. Our judges will review them, and select a winner! Iffly is a game-writing platform where you can write and publish a game without ANY code, programming, or design. You don’t need to have art. You don’t need to know any programming language. ALL you need to be able to do is write — and you can make a text-based game on Iffly. The winner gets $250.
WASHINGTON PRIZE
https://wordworksbooks.org/submissions/the-washington-prize/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 15, 2024. Awarded annually to a living American or Canadian poet. Prize is $1,500 and book publication for a manuscript of original poetry in English. Poets at any stage in their career may submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages.
PIPELINE UNPUBLISHED CONTEST
https://bookpipeline.com/shop/unpublished-contest
$30 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 20, 2024. Seeks unpublished manuscripts across 10 categories of fiction and nonfiction: Literary | Mystery / Horror / Thriller, Romance | Sci-Fi & Fantasy, General Fiction | Young Adult | Middle Grade, Picture Books | Nonfiction & Memoir, and Comics & Graphic Novels. Select publishers and agents get first look at the top selection for each category, including CAA, HarperCollins, and Verve Publishing. $2,500 for each category winner.
HG WELLS SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://hgwellscompetition.com/competition-rules-2024/
Zero to £10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 8, 2024. Competition offers a £500 Senior and £1,000 Junior prize and free publication of all shortlisted entries in a quality, professionally published paperback anthology. Theme: The Fool. The length must be 1,500 to 5,000 words.
WRITER’S DIGEST ANNUAL WRITING COMPETITION
https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/annual-writing-competition
$20-30 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 6, 2024. Grand prize winner receives $5,000 and a paid trip to New York to the conference (and more). The First place winner in each category will receive $1,000 and publication of their winning piece on WritersDigest.com. The Second place winner in each category will receive $500. The Third place winner in each category will receive $250 in cash. The Fourth place winner in each category will receive $100. The Fifth place winner in each category will receive $50. The Sixth through Tenth place winners in each category will receive a $25 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com. Categories: Inspirational/Spiritual, Memoirs/Personal Essay, Nonfiction Essay or Article, Genre Short Story (Mystery, Romance, etc.), Mainstream/Literary Short Story, Rhyming Poetry, Non-rhyming Poetry, Humor, Children’s/Young Adult Fiction.
THE CREATIVE WRITING NZ SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://creativewriting.co.nz/competition/the-creative-writing-nz-short-story-prize-2024/
$9 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2024. Entries on any subject, theme or genre. The winner will receive $1,000. Two runner-up prizes – $200 each. Must be written in English. A maximum of 3,000 words.
THE MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE
https://www.montrealpoetryprize.com/
$20-$25 CAD ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 15, 2024. Awards one prize of $20,000 CAD for a single poem of 40 or fewer lines. Entries may be submitted from anywhere in the world.
PERKOFF PRIZE
https://missourireview.com/contests/perkoff-prize/
$30 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 15, 2024. A tri-genre contest that awards $1000 and publication each to writers of the best story, set of poems, and essay that engage in evocative ways with health and medicine. Poetry: up to 10 pages of poetry. Fiction and Nonfiction: up to 8500 words, double-spaced.
PURORRELATO MICRO-STORY PRIZE
https://www.casafrica.es/en/event/purorrelato-2024-micro-story-contest
NO ENTRE FEE. Deadline April 16, 2024. Aims to promote literary creation that encourages readers to feel and think about Africa. TSubmit in Spanish, English, French or Portuguese, with a max length of 1500 characters. First award: 750 euros. Second award: 375 euros. Third award: 225 euros.
THE TIMES CHICKEN HOUSE CHILDREN’S FICTION COMPETITION
https://www.chickenhousebooks.com/uncategorized/the-2024-times-chicken-house-childrens-fiction-competition-is-now-open/
£20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 1, 2024. A worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House with a £10,000 advance (subject to contract) for a complete fiction manuscript of any genre for children aged 7 up to YA.
BACKBONE PRESS ANNUAL POETRY CHAPBOOK COMPETITION
https://backbonepress.org/how-to-submit/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2024. Chapbook-length manuscripts are 20-40 pages. A $250 prize, (20) author copies for personal use and distribution, a $250 travel stipend for a reading and a 45-minute free book publicity consultation with Gold Leaf Literary.
ELECTRIC BOOK AWARD
https://altcurrentpress.com/2023/01/06/electric-book-award/
$18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2024. Book-length manuscripts of literary fiction, short stories, poetry, plays, novels, long novellas, creative nonfiction, literary memoir, essay collections, or hybrid. Winner receives $1,000, our Electric Book Award digital medallion, a certificate, and book publication on Alternating Current Press, which includes distribution through Ingram and all major online retailers. Runners-up may also be offered book publication.
TIMES/CHICKEN HOUSE CHILDREN’S FICTION COMPETITION
https://www.chickenhousebooks.com/uncategorized/the-2024-times-chicken-house-childrens-fiction-competition-is-now-open/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 1, 2024. A worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House with a £10,000 advance (subject to contract) for a complete fiction manuscript of any genre for children aged 7 up to YA. The winner will also be offered representation by Lydia Silver of Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency.
THE LIME PICTURES NEW STORYTELLER AWARD
https://www.chickenhousebooks.com/uncategorized/the-2024-times-chicken-house-childrens-fiction-competition-is-now-open/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 1, 2024. A prize sponsored by leading TV production company Lime Pictures, awarded to the submission which shows the greatest TV development potential and chosen by Chicken House Publisher Barry Cunningham and Lime Pictures’ Tim Compton. The winner will receive a £7,500 publishing contract plus an offer of representation. The good news is, you don’t need to do anything extra to be considered for the Lime Pictures New Storyteller Award; simply enter the TIMES/CHICKEN HOUSE CHILDREN’S FICTION COMPETITION above as normal.
PURORRELATO MICRO-STORY CONTEST
https://www.casafrica.es/en/event/purorrelato-2024-micro-story-contest
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 16, 2024. Aims to promote literary creation that encourages us to feel and think about Africa and to continue showing different realities that approach us to the continent, away from the stereotypes that have marked it for so long. Any person over the age of 18 can participate, with a maximum of three micro-stories per author. The micro-stories could be submitted in Spanish, English, French or Portugueses, with a maximum length of 1500 characters (not words) including spaces and excluding the title. First award: 750 euros. Second award: 375 euros. Third award: 225 euros.
ABR ELIZABETH JOLLEY SHORT STORY AWARD
https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes-programs/elizabeth-jolley-story-prize/current-prize
ENTRY FEE AU$20 to AU$30. Deadline April 22, 2024. For an original work of short fiction of between 2,000 and 5,000 words, written in English. First prize: $6,000 AU. Second prize: $4,000 AU. Third prize: $2,500 AU.
FITZCARRALDO ESSAY PRIZE – UK/IRELAND
https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com/prizes/essay-prize
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 17, 2024. An annual competition for unpublished writers. The judges will be looking for essays that explore and expand the possibilities of the essay form, with no restrictions on theme or subject matter. Pays £3,000 to the best proposal for a book-length essay (minimum 25,000 words) by a writer resident in the UK & Ireland who has yet to secure a publishing deal. In addition to the £3,000 prize the winner will have the opportunity to spend up to two months in residency at the Mahler & LeWitt Studios in Spoleto, Italy, to work on their book. The book will then be published by Fitzcarraldo Editions.
THE PLOUGH PRIZE
https://www.theploughartscentre.org.uk/poetry-prize/faq
£5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2024. An international open competition for poems in English up to 40 lines on any subject. 1st Prize: £1,000. 2nd Prize: £500. 3rd Prize: £250.
NIMROD LITERARY AWARDS
https://artsandsciences.utulsa.edu/nimrod/nimrod-literary-awards/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 1, 2024. First Prize: $2,000 and publication. Second Prize: $1,000 and publication. Poetry: 3-10 pages of poetry (one long poem or several short poems). Fiction: 7,500 words maximum (one short story or a self-contained excerpt from a novel).
READ FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://readmagazine.substack.com/p/flash-fiction-contest
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2024. First prize $250. Second prize $150. Third prize $100/. All submissions considered for general publication. READ champions work that is unpretentious, original and unexpected. READ is NOT a publication for genre fiction such as romance, mystery, or sci-fi that tightly adheres to genre tropes. We will consider genre fiction that is fresh, pushes boundaries, and can be appreciated by many readers. Submitters must be subscribed to the free version of READ to be considered for publication. Flash Fiction – 1,000 words or less.
THE CATERPILLAR POETRY PRIZE
https://www.thecaterpillarmagazine.com/a1-page.asp
€15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2024. The Caterpillar Poetry Prize is an annual prize for an unpublished poem written by an adult for children aged 7–11. 1st prize €1,000 plus a week at Circle of Misse in France. 2nd prize €500. 3rd prize €250. The winning poems will be published in the Irish Times online.
DYNAMMO VERLAG BOOK CONTEST
https://www.dynamoverlag.com/
$18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 30, 2024. This contest is open to all authors writing in the English language(s) aged minimum 18 years. We accept submissions from any country, however, we can only send your catalog title to a United States address. This contest is open to poetry or prose; we simply want a scintillating book-length manuscript (minimum 8,000 words for prose and a maximum 75,000 words for prose; minimum 80 pages for poetry) that reflects what we look for in all our publications: genius, eclecticism, and originality.
THE YEOVIL LITERARY PRIZE
https://writingcompetitions.net/
ENTRY FEES £5 to £14.50. Deadline May 31, 2024. Open internationally. Categories are novel, short story, poetry, children/YA novel, and writing without restrictions. Novel (max 10,000 words) – 1st £1250, 2nd £500, 3rd £125. Short story (max 2000 words) 1st £600, 2nd £250, 3rd £125. Poetry (max 40 lines) 1st £600, 2nd £250, 3rd £125. Children’s/YA novel (max 3000 words) 1st £600, 2nd £250, 3rd £125. Writing without restrictions (see rules) 1st £250, 2nd £125, 3rd £75.
CLAIRE HARRIS POETRY PRIZE
https://gooselane.com/pages/claire-harris-poetry-prize-submissions
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 31, 2024. Eligible writers include Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who are writers from Black, Indigenous, or other racialized communities and who have not previously published a book-length collection of poetry. The prize will include a cash award of $1,000, a contract for the publication of the collection under the icehouse poetry imprint in the following year (2025), and public readings in at least three Canadian cities. The recipient of the 2024 prize will be selected by poet and essayist Kazim Ali. Manuscripts should be book-length works of poetry, i.e., approximately 48-100 pages. (Thanks ErikaDreifus.com)
GLOBAL BLACK WOMEN’S NONFICITON MANUSCRIPT PRIZE
https://cassavarepublic.biz/black-womens-non-fiction-manuscript-prize/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 24, 2024. Cassava Republic Press’s is proud to announce the launch of our inaugural $20,000 Global Black Women’s Non-Fiction Manuscript Prize dedicated to exceptional works by Black women (cis, trans and genderqueer). Winner will receive a $20,000 advance and a publishing contract with Cassava Republic Press. Two runner-up writers will each receive a $5000 advance and publication by Cassava Republic Press bringing the total prize value up to $30,000. We are asking for 5 sample chapters and a pitch letter, which should include a synopsis and a full outline of all chapters.
THE JOURNAL NONFICTION COLLECTION PRIZE
http://thejournalmag.org/book-prizes/prose-prize
$23 ENTRY FEE. SUBMIT February 1 – March 15, 2024. The Non/Fiction Collection Prize is awarded annually to a book-length collection of short stories, essays, or a combination of the two. The prize carries a cash award of $1500 and publication with The Ohio State University Press under its standard contract. The award is open to writers of fiction and creative nonfiction, whether or not they have previously published a book. Manuscripts may be no fewer than 150 and no more than 350 typed double-spaced pages, 12-point font.
DOGBERRY BOOKS WRITING PRIZE
https://www.memoirist.org/prizewinners
£25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 1, 2024. Inviting submissions of memoir or literary fiction or autobiographical novel of 70,000 – 90,000 words. Prize £500 and offer of publication.
BEST CHAPTER BOOK COMPETITION
https://www.searchlightawards.co.uk/competitions/best-chapter-book-for-5-8-year-olds-2024/
£12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2024. Best Chapter Book for 5-8-year-old readers. It can be a stand-alone story or part of a series. All you need to submit is the first chapter and a short pitch that tells us what the book is about. First prize is £350 cash prize and a one-to-one call with our agent judge. Ten shortlisted writers are included in Searchlight’s Pitch Book of winning stories, which is sent to literary agents and publishers to help your work get noticed. Your entry and biography included in our Winners’ Gallery on the Searchlight Awards’ website, which agents, publishers, friends and family can access.
BETHLEHEM WRITERS ROUNDTABLE SHORT STORY AWARD
https://bwgwritersroundtable.com/short-story-award-2/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2024. We are seeking never-published (including online or blog posts) short stories of 2,000 words or fewer on the theme: Holiday Tales. We define holiday stories as those that involve any holiday from US Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, or stories that reference those holidays. First Place: $250 and publication in our upcoming anthology: Season’s Readings: More Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales. Second Place: $100 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. Third Place: $50 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.
LEFTY BLONDIE PRESS FIRST CHAPBOOK AWARD
https://www.leftyblondiepress.com/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 1 – March 31, 2024. Lefty Blondie Press will print 250 carefully edited, handbound, hand-cut, and hand-numbered chapbooks for the winner. The poet of the winning manuscript will receive: $250, 10 (ten) author copies, 40 percent off any additional author copies. LBP will promote finalists and the winning chapbook widely on the website, social media, and other outlets. Submit 18-24 pages of poetry. We welcome chapbook submissions from poets who are age 40 years and older, self-identify as a woman, are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, writing in English, currently living in the U.S., and have not published a chapbook, collection, or full-length book in any genre. (Thanks Poets & Writers newsletter – www.pw.org)
TRIO HOUSE PRESS AWARD FOR FIRST OR SECOND BOOK OF POETRY
https://triohousepress.submittable.com/submit
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 15, 2024. The Trio Award for First or Second Book is only open to poets with fewer than two books published. Poetry manuscripts must be 48-70 pages of poetry (excluding title page, table of contents, and all front matter), written in English by a poet residing within the U.S.; prose manuscripts must be 80,000 words or fewer. No submissions from those living outside of the United States.
LOUISE BOGAN AWARD
https://triohousepress.submittable.com/submit
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 15, 2024. The Louise Bogan Award for Artistic Merit and Excellence is open to ALL poets, regardless of publication history. Poetry manuscripts must be 48-70 pages of poetry, written in English by a poet residing within the U.S.; prose manuscripts must be 80,000 words or fewer. No submissions from those living outside of the United States.
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Please remember to read ALL guidelines for a contest. FundsforWriters tries to research contests to the best of our ability, but we cannot confirm the credibility of each and every one without entering them ourselves. Be informed and be alert as you would with any market, publisher, agent or competition.
Testimonials
Dear Hope, The Emerald Theatre Company’s 10-minute play fest is going into its second year. Without you, and FundsforWriters, the first year might not have been possible. Thanks to the publicity from your newsletter, our little Memphis, Tennessee event received scripts from Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, the UK and New Zealand.
This wealth of wonderful material yielded quality vignettes that made the best local actors and stage directors (including a popular local radio personality) eager to donate their time and talent – their presence, in turn, sold tickets. We played to packed houses and everyone had a great time. To our astonishment, Vermont Pride Theatre got wind of the show and asked to put it on in its entirety this coming July – meaning the playwrights who won prizes and recognition in our fest, will now receive additional recognition along with royalties.
The bottom line is, without you, we would have had something rinky dink – with you we had something substantial. The publicity you provided on the front end made all the difference in the world! ~Caroline Sposto, www.whycaroline.com, (610) 597-9803
Hi Hope, we met at the SCWW conference in Myrtle Beach last October, and I was so impressed with your lecture that I subscribed to FFW as soon as I got home. I wanted to drop you a line to let you know that because of FFW, I submitted AND WON The 2008 William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers! My novel will be finished this week, and next weekend I’m going to Malice Domestic to accept the award. Thanks you, and keep up the great work.