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. 

3 MILE HARBOR PRESS POETRY AWARD
https://3mileharborpress.submittable.com/submit
$40 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 28, 2025. The winner will receive a $500 award, and the publication of their book as a perfect-bound edition. The winner will also receive 25 author copies. Send a manuscript of 48-88 pages in a single document via our online submissions manager, Submittable. Manuscripts may include poems that have been previously published in periodicals, anthologies chapbooks, or on the web, but the manuscript may not have been published as a larger body of work.

WRITING BATTLE
https://writingbattle.com/
$39 ENTRY FEE. Start writing January 12 and submit by January 19, 2025. Involves a 1000 word story / Drama, Romance, Rom-Com, Comedy. The Battle begins with prompts being dealt to you. The prompts must be incorporated into your story. Use your limited redraws to swap them until you feel inspired. In a limited amount of time, rise to the challenge and submit your best story using the prompts. Your story will only compete against others in its same genre. Once the top stories from each of the four genres have been selected, the industry judges take over and pick the four winners. The cash prize pool is split amongst the genre finalists and semi-finalists.

CRAFT MEMOIR EXCERPT AND ESSAY CONTEST
https://www.craftliterary.com/craft-memoir-excerpt-essay-contest-2024/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 15, 2025. Eager to read your best longform creative nonfiction, from 1,001 to 6,000 words total. Both excerpts from book-length projects and stand-alone essays will be considered. Three winners will receive $1,000 each and publication. Our team will also select two “editors’ choices” to publish alongside the three grand-prize winners. All fifteen shortlisted creative nonfiction writers will receive a $1,000 scholarship to PocketMFA.

DRIFTWOOD PRESS SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://driftwoodpress.submittable.com/submit
$30 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 15, 2025. The Grand Prize winner will receive $400 USD and five copies of the issue in which the story appears. The winner will also have the opportunity to be interviewed about their work; the interview will be published alongside the story. Runner-ups will be offered publication, an accompanying interview, $200 USD, and one copy of the issue in which their work appears. 1,000-5,000 soft word limit.

COLORADO PRIZE FOR POETRY
https://coloradoreview.colostate.edu/colorado-prize-for-poetry/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 14, 2025. The Colorado Prize for Poetry is an international poetry book manuscript contest established in 1995. Each year’s prizewinner receives a $2,500 honorarium and publication of his or her book by the Center for Literary Publishing. Manuscripts must be at least 48 pages and no more than 100 pages. They may be composed of any number of poems. No limited to Colorado residents. They have a limited number of fee waivers for writers experiencing financial hardship.

PORTER HOUSE EDITOR’S PRIZE
https://porterhousereview.org/contests/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2024. The Porter House Review staff is excited to announce our 2024 – 2025 Editor’s Prizes in Poetry, Nonfiction, and Fiction. The three winners of  Porter House Review Editor’s Prize will each receive an award of $750 and publication in our literary journal. During the week of December 22nd through December 28th, the submission fee will be waived. Submit a maximum of 5 poems or fewer. Limit your nonfiction submissions to 6,000 words or fewer. Limit your fiction submissions to 8,000 words or fewer.

ELIZABETH ALEXANDER WRITING AWARD
https://sites.smith.edu/meridians/awards/elizabeth-alexander-creative-writing-award/
NO ENTRY FEE NOTED. MAY APPEAR WHEN SUBMITTING. Deadline December 31, 2024. The award is open to all genres, including: poetry, fiction, play scripts, and non-fiction. Manuscripts of 3-5 poems. Prose and non-fiction manuscripts should be no longer than 7,500 words. Play scripts should be no more than 5,000 words. Offers a $500 prize, a reading and retreat at Smith College, and publication in Meridians. Works engaging with feminism, race, and transnationalism will be prioritized.

THE WRITERS COLLEGE
https://www.thewriterscollege.com/free-writing-competition-my-writing-journey/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2024. The My Writing Journey Competition is free to enter and open to writers from around the world. Write us a 600-word essay on the theme: The best writing tip I’ve ever received. We’ll publish the best piece in our newsletter and on our blog – plus the winner receives $200 (R2 000 or £100).

RUMPUS PRIZE FOR POETRY, FICTION, AND CREATIVE NONFICTION
https://therumpus.net/the-rumpus-prize/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 2, 2025. Submit previously unpublished poetry, short stories, and/or creative nonfiction. All submissions will be read by The Rumpus’s editorial team, and our final judges will be Kaveh Akbar (Poetry),Rachel Khong (Fiction), and Megan Stielstra (Creative Nonfiction). Prizes (6 total, 2 in each genre) $1,000 first-place prize and publication in three genres: poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Honorable mentions receive $200 and publication in each of the three genres.

NOT QUITE WRITE PRIZE FOR FLASH FICTION
https://notquitewritepodcast.com/prize/
ENTRY FEE AU$35 / ~US$22 (20% early bird discount available). Deadline January 26 2025 AEDT. The Not Quite Write Prize challenges writers to break the writing “rules” while still telling a compelling 500-word story. Compete for a share of AU$4,000 in cash prizes and the coveted Not Quite Write Prize trophy. Winners are read aloud on the Not Quite Write podcast and receive a publishing contract for the annual Not Quite Write Prize print anthology. Hosted in Australia but open to writers worldwide. First prize AU$1,500 plus a trophy and publication.

THE ANDROMEDA AWARD
https://www.theandromedaaward.com/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 18, 2024. The award is open to anyone based in the UK or USA who has a full-length science fiction or fantasy novel. First Prize – $5,000. Second Prize – $3,000 + a place on Curtis Brown Creative’s nine-week Writing Fantasy course. Third Prize – $1,000 + a place on the six-week online Curtis Brown Creative course of their choice (courses include Writing Science Fiction, Writing Gothic & Supernatural Fiction and many others). The submission must not exceed 120,000 words in length.

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.

LILITH’S ANNUAL FICTION CONTEST
https://lilith.org/contact/writing-for-lilith/
Deadline December 31, 2024. Lilith magazine—independent, Jewish & frankly feminist—seeks quality short stories with heart, soul, and chutzpah, 3,000 words or under. First prize: $300 and publication. We especially like fresh fiction with feminist and Jewish nuance and are eager to read submissions from writers of color and emerging writers of any age.

RATTLE CHAPBOOK PRIZE
https://www.rattle.com/chapbooks/guidelines/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 15, 2025. Every year, three winners will receive $5,000, 500 copies, distribution to Rattle’s 8,000+ subscribers. Open to writers, worldwide; poems must be written primarily in English (no translations, except by the author). Individual poems may be previously published in any format, but the manuscript as a whole must be unpublished as a collection. Manuscripts may be 15 – 30 pages of poems.

NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARDS
https://www.indiebookawards.com/
$75 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 14, 2025. Books, manuscripts, galley proofs written in English and published in 2023, 2024 or 2025 or with a 2023, 2024 or 2025 copyright date are accepted. Winners receive a cash prize, gold medal, digital promotional stickers, social media coverage, literary exposure, and invitation to attend the gala reception. 80+ categories are offered.

NEXT GENERATION SHORT STORY AWARDS
https://shortstoryawards.com/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 27, 2025. Stories and poems in English that are unpublished are accepted. Winners receive a cash prize, gold medal, digital promotional stickers, social media coverage, literary exposure, stories published in an Anthology of Winners and a complimentary copy of the Anthology of Winners. Length should not exceed 5000 words. 30+ categories are offered.

LASCAUX PRIZE IN SHORT FICTION
https://lascauxreview.com/contests/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2024. Stories may be previously published or unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are accepted. Winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication in The Lascaux Review. Length should not exceed 10,000 words. All genres and styles are welcome.

ALPINE FELLOWSHIP POETRY PRIZE
https://alpinefellowship.com/poetry-prize
Deadline March 1, 2025. Awarded for the best poetic response on the 2025 theme, which will be announced in January. The winner and runners-up will receive cash prizes and will be invited to attend our annual symposium. First place: £3,000. Second place: £1,000. Third place: £1,000. Will also offer up to £500 travel expenses to help with travel to the event and meals and accommodation during the symposium dates are also covered. Open to all nationalities. You may submit one poem or a collection of poems as long as all the poems in the collection speak to the theme. There is a maximum of 500 words per entry.

GEMINI POETRY OPEN
https://gemini-magazine.com/poetry-open-2025/
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 2, 2025. First prize $1,000. Second Prize $100. Four Honorable Mentions $25. Any subject, style or length. Entry fee includes three poems.

MUDFISH POETRY PRIZE
https://mudfish.org/submissions/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 15, 2025. A prize of $1,200 and publication in Mudfish is given annually for a single poem. Winning poem and two honorable mentions will be published in Mudfish 25. Entry fee entitles three poems to be submitted.

JACOBS/JONES AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY PRIZE
https://www.ncwriters.org/programs/competitions/jacobs-jones-african-american-literary-prize/
$10-20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 2, 2025. The winner receives $1,000 and possible publication of the winning entry in The Carolina Quarterly. The competition is open to any African-American/Black writer whose primary residence is in North Carolina. Entries may be fiction or creative nonfiction, but must be unpublished, no more than 3,000 words, and concerned with the lives and experiences of African-American/Black North Carolinians.

ARC POETRY CONTEST
https://arcpoetry.ca/contest/poem-of-the-year/
$40 CDN ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 1, 2025. Arc’s annual poetry contest is among the richest in the country, offering $5,000 for the winning poem, a $500 award for the poem selected as Honourable Mention, and a $250 prize for the Readers’ Choice selection. In addition, all 10 to 12 shortlisted poems receive paid publication in Arc and online. The length of each poem must not exceed 100 lines.

DREAMERS: STORIES OF MIGRATION, SENSE OF PLACE AND HOME
https://www.dreamerswriting.com/submit/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2025. Prize: $250 to the first place winner. Submit your stories of migration and/or your sense of place, of home or lack of, and your empathy to the plight of migrants around the world. Interpret the theme of this contest in any way that is fitting for you, keeping in mind the theme of Dreamers Creative Writing – that of heartfelt stories. You do not need to be a migrant to enter this contest.

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.

STORY UNLIKELY SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://www.storyunlikely.com/#contest
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline January 31, 2025. There are no restrictions on genre: fantasy, sci-fi, memoir, fiction/nonfiction, etc. Limit 4,000 words (5,000 for members). There are no restrictions on age or location of participant. $1,500 first place, $1,000 second place, $500 third place. The winning story will be featured on Story Unlikely’s website, will be strongly considered for our annual (print) sample magazine, and may be sent out as the bonus story for signing up, which means a lot of exposure to the winner. All three placing stories will be published in the monthly issue, and all three will be illustrated. To be eligible for the contest, all writers must be signed up to Story Unlikely’s monthly issue. Did we mention it’s free?

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.

LASCAUX PRIZE IN SHORT FICTION
https://lascauxreview.com/contests/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2024. Stories may be previously published or unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are accepted. Winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication in The Lascaux Review. Length should not exceed 10,000 words. All genres and styles are welcome.

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.