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. 

ANTHOLOGY PERSONAL MEMOIR COMPETITION
https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/memoir-competition/
€15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 31, 2025. First prize of €500 and the winning entry published in Anthology magazine. The Anthology Personal Memoir Competition is open to original and previously unpublished memoirs in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. In the spirit of authenticity, there are no constraints on themes or writing styles. Memoirs submitted must not exceed a maximum of 1,500 words.

ANTHOLOGY SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/short-story-competition/
€18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 31, 2025. The winner will receive €1,000 and the winning story will be published in a future issue of Anthology. Second prize €250. Third prize €150. The Anthology Short Story Competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world.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. Writers can submit as many entries as they wish, each with an entry fee.

ROCK PAPER POEM
https://rockpaperpoem.com/2025-RockPaperPoem-Poetry-Prize.html
$10 ENTRY FEE (3 POEMS). Deadline May 31, 2025. Open to anyone 18 years of age and older writing in English, from anywhere in the world. Grand Prize – $300. Two Runners-Up – $150 each. Send 1-3 of your best, previously unpublished poems. Poems published on a blog or social media are not eligible. No theme; any subject; maximum two pages per poem.

RIVER HERON POETRY PRIZE
https://www.riverheronreview.com/the-rhr-poetry-contest
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2025. The River Heron Poetry Prize awards the winning poet $500 and 2 runners-up $100 each, a Zoom reading, plus publication. Two finalists will also be announced and awarded a Zoom reading and publication. Poets may submit up to 3 poems, 5 pages maximum.

ASJA – OUTSTANDING ARTICLE AWARDS
https://www.asja.org/what-we-do/awards/awards-rules-and-guidelines/
$40 or $60 PER ENTRY. Deadline May 16, 2025. Multiple categories: personal platform/online writing, business writing, reporting, first-person essays, wellness/fitness, food/drink, health, how-to, lifestyle, op-eds, profiles, essays, science, social change, technology, trade, travel, and environment/climate ($500 prize).

BATH NOVEL AWARD
https://bathnovelaward.co.uk/the-bath-novel-award-international-writing-prize/
£29.99 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2025. The Bath Novel Award is a £5,000 international prize for adult and YA manuscripts in every genre. The prize is open to unagented writers, who are unpublished, self-published or independently published without advance. We welcome writers of every age, gender, nationality and residency. The winner will be announced in September 2025 and awarded £5,000 along with our beautiful Minerva trophy, inspired by the iconic sculpture in Bath’s Roman Baths. One longlistee will also win a place worth £1,980 on the 18 week virtual course Edit Your Novel the Professional Way courtesy of Cornerstones Literary Consultancy and the Professional Writing Academy.

WINCHESTER POETRY PRIZE
https://www.winchesterpoetryfestival.org/wpp25
£6 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 31, 2025. 1st prize: £1000. 2nd prize: £500. 3rd prize: £250. The Kathryn Bevis Prize will be awarded for the best poem entered by a Hampshire-based poet. The longlist will be announced mid September, with winners announced live at a special prize-giving ceremony as part of Winchester Poetry Festival at The ARC, Winchester on Sunday 12 October 2025. Winning and commended poems will be published in a competition anthology that will be available on the day.

FROME FESTIVAL SHORT STORY COMPETITION
https://fromeshortstorycompetition.co.uk/apply/
£8 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2025. 1st Prize £400, 2nd Prize £200, 3rd Prize £100, plus prizes for local authors. Seeking stories on any theme and in any style but must be written in English and be between 1,000 and 2,200 words in length.

AESTHETICA LITERARY PRIZE (POETRY AND SHORT FICTION)
https://aestheticamagazine.com/creative-writing-award/
£12-£18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 31, 2025. Aesthetica is looking for the best new writing talent. The £5,000 international literary prize is open to poetry and short fiction entries on any theme, celebrating innovation in content and form. £2,500 for the Poetry Winner, £2,500 for the Short Fiction Winner. Poetry entries should be no more than 40 lines. Fiction entries should be no more than 2,000 words.

PLOUGHSHARES EMERGING WRITER’S CONTEST
https://pshares.org/submit/emerging-writers-contest/
$30 ENTRY FEE. (MEMBERS FREE.) Deadline May 15, 2025. Recognizes work by an emerging writer in each of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We consider authors “emerging” if they haven’t published or self-published a book in any genre. One winner in each genre per year will receive $2,000 and publication in the literary journal. The winners will also receive a conversation with our partnering literary agency, Aevitas Creative Management, regarding their work and writing careers.

UNCHARTED MAGAZINE PRIZE FOR NOVEL EXCERPT
https://www.unchartedmag.com/2024-calendar/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 15, 2025. We’re looking for the best 5,000 words or fewer of your novel in progress! Have a favorite chapter? An exciting and noteworthy prologue? A section where the dialogue crackles and the characters loom larger than life on the page? Give us a chance to read the most captivating section of your novel—and make us want to read more! The three cowinners of this prize will each receive $1,000 and publication. All entries will be considered for publication.

WOW! FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline: May 31, 2025. Seeking flash fiction of any genre between 250 and 750 words. Open internationally. Limit: 300 entries. First Place: $400, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Second Place $300 and same. Third Place $200 and same. Seven Runners Up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication and interview. Ten Honorable mentions receive $20 Amazon Gift Card. Top 10 stories are published in the WOW! Women On Writing e-zine, and contestants are interviewed on WOW’s blog, The Muffin.

READ MAGAZINE SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://readmagazine.substack.com/p/short-story-contest-2025-w-reading
$5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2025. First Prize: $200. Second Prize: $100. Third Prize: $50. 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. Limit 3500 words.

THE LAUREL REVIEW PROUD TO BE: WRITING BY AMERICAN WARRIORS CONTEST
https://thelaurelreview.submittable.com/submit
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 26, 2025. Submission to this anthology is open to veterans, military-service personal, and their families. Poetry: up to 3 poems (5 pages maximum). Keep poems in one document. Short Fiction & Essay: 5,000-word limit. The annual contest awards a $250 prize in each: Short Fiction, Poetry, Essay, Photography. (Thanks to www.erikadreifus.com)

INDIE AUTHOR PROJECT ANNUAL CONTEST
https://indieauthorproject.librariesshare.com/iap/
Deadline May 31, 2025. For authors, this contest is a powerful way to elevate your careers and writing goals, powered by the library community. The winners of this contest will receive: $2,500 to the 1st place winner and $500 each to two runner-ups in each genre; honors at the 2026 Indie Author Day Reception at ALA Annual; opportunities to promote your book(s) at public libraries; inclusion in a full-page print spread in Library Journal; and opportunities to earn royalties through the IAP Select collection (ePUB format required for eligibility). Must be indie published in Mystery/Thrillers, Romance, SciFi, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, General/Contemporary, Fiction, Memoir, or Young Adult. Author must live in the U.S. or Canada.

THE HOPE PRIZE
https://www.thehopeprize.com/
EARLY BIRD ENTRY FEE $20 AUD (approx. $13 USD / €12 EUR / £10 GBP etc.). Deadline October 31, 2025. (Opens, May 1, 2025.) The Hope Prize is an international writing competition open to writers worldwide aged 18 and over. We’re seeking powerful, original stories of hope, fiction or non-fiction, from both emerging and established voices. The winner will receive $10,000 AUD, and shortlisted stories will be published in a Simon & Schuster anthology, with royalties supporting our charity partner. This year, we’re proud to partner with CAMFED, a global leader in girls’ education and women’s empowerment across Africa. We offer a limited number of fee-free places for writers experiencing financial hardship. A maximum of 5,000 words (no minimum). The Hope Prize is a short story competition and we accept prose short stories only; either fiction or narrative nonfiction (including memoir). We do not accept poetry, essays, or academic writing. Genre, style, and subject matter are open (and we encourage bold self expression and boundary pushing), though stories should align with the core themes of hope, courage, and resilience, as personally experienced or imagined by you, the writer.

PAIRED FICTION AWARD
https://periscopeliterary.wordpress.com/
£16 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 1, 2025. Theme: When The Smoke Clears. Limit 1000 words. First Prize £400. Open internationally. Writers must pair up on their own initiative with someone they know, or be bold and reach out to a person whose work they admire with a request for collaboration. For administrative purposes, we ask that you type: PERISCOPE PAIRS in the email subject line.

REEDSY WRITING PROMPT CONTEST
https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
$5 ENTRY FEE. Deadline monthly. Reedsy challenges you to create a short story based on one of their prompts. The winner will be featured on Reedsy Prompts and receive $250 via PayPal. We’ll also consider your submission for a future print and digital issue of our lit mag, Prompted. Write a short story between 1,000 and 3,000 words, submit it from your Reedsy Prompts profile.

STORYHOUSE GENERAL NONFICTION STORIES
https://www.storyhouse.org/contest2025.html
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 30, 2025. Any appropriate nonfiction topic is eligible.  Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts.  So-called “creative nonfiction” will not be considered. Stories from any country are fine, although they must be written in English. Language in the stories should be free of words or scenes not suitable for children, since many children read the stories and some actually post their stories. One prize of $200 for the winner, $100 for the runner-up, and certificates of achievement for all finalists.

STORYHOUSE BIOGRAPHICAL NONFICTION CONTEST
https://www.storyhouse.org/contest2025.html
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline August 31, 2025. A biographical entry must be a true story of an individual(s) known to the author personally–not a fictional or historical character.  Autobiography, of course, must be a true story about the author’s life, the whole or an episode. Biographical stories, especially those from older people, or about them by children and grandchildren, are especially appropriate for our mission–to “preserve the extraordinary stories of ‘ordinary’ people.” Stories from any country are fine, although they must be written in English. Language in the stories should be free of words or scenes not suitable for children, since many children read the stories and some actually post their stories. One prize of $200 for the winner, $100 for the runner-up, and certificates of achievement for all finalists.

BLACK ORCHID NOVELLA AWARD
https://www.nerowolfe.org/htm/literary_awards/black_orchid_award/Black_Orchid_award_proc.htm#qualifications
Deadline May 31, 2025. Each entry must be an original unpublished work of fiction that conforms to the literary tradition of the Nero Wolfe series. The mystery should be “traditional” in flavor. The crime must be solved using the deductive abilities of the sleuth. No coincidences. The killer must be known to the victim. No random psycho shootings. The characters (male or female) must have an engaging relationship. There needs to be some wit. The timing could be retro or current. There should be no explicit sex or violence. Entries must be 15,000 to 20,000 words in length, and submitted by the deadline. The prize is $1,000 and publication in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.

NAOMI SHIHAB NYE PRIZE
https://www.albustanseeds.org/naomi-shihab-nye-prize
$25 ENTRY FEE. Opens March 1. Deadline May 20, 2025. Open to Arab American and Arab Canadian writers to submit an English-language middle-grade manuscripts directed to readers ages 8–12. This competition, initiated by Barbara Nimri Aziz, serves to foster new talent and encourage all writers, emerging and established, to celebrate the richness of Arab creativity and their storytelling tradition. First prize: $1,000; second: $500. Minimum 200 pages.

RINKS AND ROMANCE WRITING CONTEST
https://www.inkitt.com/contests/rinks-and-romance-2025
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 30, 2025. Win a Galatea Publishing Contract and $300, a free year of Galatea Unlimited, an Inkitt VIP Badge, and a feature on our Instagram! Second place $150, third place $50. Both come with other perks. Share your most heartwarming or thrilling hockey romance and keep readers hooked. We encourage writers to submit original stories that blend the intensity of hockey with the depth of romance. Whether it’s a tale of forbidden love, second chances, or rivals-to-lovers, your story should bring the rink to life and captivate readers. Entering the contest is free; all you need to do is publish your book on Inkitt and submit it on the contest page or from the contest tab in your work settings.

FURIOUS FICTION
https://www.writerscentre.com.au/furious-fiction/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline first Friday of each month. A monthly short story challenge from the Australian Writers’ Centre. On the FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH, we will unveil a new story challenge. You then have 55 hours and a maximum of 500 words to wow us with your storytelling skills. Prize is $500 AU.

JOHN UPDIKE REVIEW EMERGING WRITERS PRIZE
https://blogs.iwu.edu/johnupdikesociety/the-jur-emerging-writers-prize/
NO ENTRY FEE. Rolling deadline. A $1000 prize plus publication in The John Updike Review, awarded annually to writers 40 years of age or younger. The writing may be scholarly or bellestristic in nature. Academics, critics, graduate students, assistant professors, novelists, poets, and short story writers are encouraged to submit 10-30 page essays. Submissions are open and rolling.

TADPOLE PRESS 100-WORD WRITING CONTEST

https://www.tadpolepress.com/100-word-writing-contest
$15 ENTRY FEE. Hosted twice a year with deadlines every April 30 and November 30. Word Limit: 100 words or less per entry. All ages. All genders. All nationalities. You may enter pieces that are brand-new or have been previously published elsewhere. Any genre. No theme. 1st place $2,000 USD. 2nd place publishing and marketing package with Compassiviste Publishing ($6,000 USD value). 3rd place manuscript assessment package with Compassiviste Publishing ($1,500-$3,000 USD value). 4th place editing package with Tadpole Press ($1,450 USD value). 5th place writing coaching package with Tadpole Press ($600 USD value). 6th-10th place $100 USD.

NOTE: See more contests by joining our newsletters. We can keep you loaded with contests without you looking anywhere else!

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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.