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. 

WRITE OR DIE MAGAZINE FIRST EVER FICTION CONTEST
https://writeordiemagazine.submittable.com/submit/326253/write-or-dies-first-ever-fiction-contest
$18 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 1, 2025. 1st Place: $1000. 2nd Place: $400. 3rd Place: $200. Winning stories will be published in Write or Die Magazine. Your short story must be no more than 4,000 words. Submissions are open internationally to anyone writing in English. The story must be unpublished at the time of submission (this includes blogs, newsletters, and personal sites).

LITERAL LITERARY POSTCARD STORY CONTEST
https://www.geist.com/contests/the-20th-annual-literal-literary-postcard-story-contest
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 30, 2025. Send us a story and a postcard. The relationship can be as strong or as tangential as you like, so long as there is a clear connection between the story and the image. The story can be fiction or non-fiction; maximum length is 500 words. First Prize: $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $150. All winning entries will be published in Geist and on geist.com.

RYAN HUDAK LGBTQ+ WRITING AWARD
https://www.nyfa.org/awards-grants/the-ryan-hudak-lgbtq-dramatic-writing-award
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 17, 2025. The Ryan Hudak LGBTQ+ Dramatic Writing Award is an $8,000 cash award to one New York State-based playwright or screenwriter who self-identifies as LGBTQ+. Work samples are a representation of your artistic work created within the last five years. This is not a project grant; therefore you should be submitting work that is completed.

BOOKSIE POETRY CONTEST
https://www.booksie.com/contest/booksie-2025-poetry-contest-36
$6.95 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 17, 2025. Grand prize winner (Booksie Gold Poet Laureate). $1,000 cash award. Gold winner badge. Promotion across Booksie in the contest winner sections of the site. Two runners-up (Booksie Silver Poet Laureates). $100 cash. Silver winner badge. Promotion across Booksie in the contest winner sections of the site. You must be a Booksie member but membership is free. If you are not a member, you can easily become one as part of the entry process.

THE ORISON CHAPBOOK PRIZE
https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/orison-chapbook-prize-6T0fK
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 1, 2025. The Orison Chapbook Prize for manuscripts of 20 – 45 pages, in any genre (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, or hybrid). The winner receives $300 and publication. Self-published manuscripts are considered previously published.

42 MILES PRESS POETRY AWARD
https://42milespress.com/contest/
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 15, 2025. The prize is offered annually to any poet writing in English, including international poets. The winning poet will receive $1,000, publication of their book, and 50 author copies. The winner will also be invited to give a reading at Indiana University South Bend as part of the release of their book. The manuscript should be paginated (between 48 and 120 pp.) and include a table of contents and acknowledgments page.

WRITE BY THE SEA
https://writebythesea.ie/writing-competition/
€10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 6, 2025. There are four competition categories:
1. Fiction Short Story (maximum 2,500 words)
2. Flash Fiction (maximum 700 words)
3. Poetry (maximum 40 lines)
4. Memoir/Personal Essay (maximum 1,000 words)
The winner of each category will receive a cash prize of €500 and a free weekend pass to the Write By The Sea Festival 2025. All four winning pieces will be published in Issue 10 of The Waxed Lemon Literary Journal. The runners-up in each category will receive €300 and third place will receive €200.

CATAMARAN POETRY AWARD
https://catamaranliteraryreader.submittable.com/submit/
$45 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 15, 2025. The Catamaran Poetry Prize encourages the submission of previously  unpublished poetry manuscripts across a range of styles, themes, and forms. This contest is for a book length collection of poetry only. Manuscripts of fiction, creative nonfiction, translations, or screenplays are ineligible. The prize is only open to West Coast poets living in California, Washington, Oregon,  Alaska, and Hawaii. All submissions should be written in English. A  prize of $1,000 will and publication in book form will be awarded to poet for the winning poetry collection selected by the judge for publication. Manuscripts must be typed, paginated, and between 60-100 pages in length.

NEW AMERICAN FICTION PRIZE
https://newamericanpress.submittable.com/submit
$25 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 15, 2025. The winning manuscript will be published and its author will receive a publication contract including $1,500 and 25 copies. 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.

CLARISSA DALLOWAY PRIZE FOR SHORT PROSE
https://lespritliteraryreview.submittable.com/submit/323391/2025-short-prose-contest
$10-$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 8, 2025. The 2025 Clarissa Dalloway Prize for Short Prose will be awarded to the best piece of fiction, nonfiction, or hybrid work under 5,000 words. $500 and publication to the Grand Prize winner; $100 and publication to Second Place. All entries receive a digital copy of Issue Six and are considered for publication.

BLR PRIZES
https://blreview.org/blr-prizes/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline July 1, 2025. The BLR Prizes award outstanding writing related to themes of health, healing, illness, the mind, and the body. Winners are published in the spring issue of Bellevue Literary Review. For each genre of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, first prize is $1000 and honorable mention is $300.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.