52 Writing Competitions for 2018

When we last published our list of upcoming writing competitions, Donald Trump had just been elected to the White House and we weren’t entirely sure if we’d make it all the way through 2017. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if you – like us – spent the year feverishly writing and submitting fiction and poetry to writing contests across the world, hoping to get some of your writing into the annals of humanity’s canon before the seemingly inevitable Trumpocalypse.

As things currently stand, however, we are still alive (we think), and so that means we’re rapidly hurtling toward another year and another suite of opportunities to get your writing out there and published.

For our part here at Nothing in the Rulebook, we’ll endeavour to ensure 2018 is filled with a multitude of writerly insights and discussion, and (just for you) we’ve compiled a list of upcoming writing competitions scheduled for the year ahead.

Included are details about word counts, deadlines and direct links to each event.

If you’d like to add a writing competition to our list then please feel free to contact us!

1. Your Writing Life competition

2000 word essay contest about any aspect of the writing life – including your own. Any topic is fair game, so long as it pertains to some aspect of writing.

The grand prize is US$1,000 and publication in the magazine, The Writer. However, every essay we receive will be considered for paid publication in the magazine.

Deadline for entries is January 1^st 2018 and there is a submission fee of US$25 to enter.

2. Henshaw Press short story competition

Submissions for fictional short stories of up to 2000 words on any theme are sought by Henshaw Press for their 2017 competition.

First prize receives £100 – with monetary prizes also available for second and third placed winners. The deadline for entries is 10^th January 2018.

3. Bath Novella in Flash award

Your novella-in-flash submission must be in between 6,000 and 18,000 words long. Individual flashes (or chapters) within the novella should not be more than 1000 words long.

£300 prize for the winner, two runner-up prizes of £100 plus publication in a one-volume three-novella collection. Each published author receives five copies.

Deadline for entries is January 29^th 2018.

4. The Caine Prize for African Writing

For published African authors of fiction. Must be over 3000 words in length and written for adults. Advisable length for the stories is between 3000 and 10,000 words. There is a cash prize of £10,000 and works must be written in or translated into English.

Deadline for submissions is January 31^st.

5. The Fiction Desk Ghost Story Competition 2017

Entry fee is £8 for ghost stories between 1000 and 7000 words in length. Though the website also runs competitions throughout the year for flash fiction stories. Deadline is Thursday, January 31^st 2017 and first prize receives £500

6. Memoir Magazine #MeToo contest

The theme for the #MeToo Trigger Warning Nonfiction Essay Contest is Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse.

Sexual violence is a public health, human rights and social justice issue. So, here’s your chance to use your voice to Change the Culture. You are not alone. Memoir Magazine stands with you! Together we can shatter the silence and end sexual violence. Your essay may be humorous, sad, upsetting. It can be one paragraph long, or several pages. It’s all up to you, but most of all it should be your untold truth expressed in your unique voice.

Submissions can range in length from 100 to 7000 words. There is a US$12 entry fee and the winner receives US$500. Deadline for entries is January 31^st.

7. New Welsh Writing Awards 2018

The New Welsh Writing Awards 2018, run by New Welsh Review in association with Aberystwyth University and AmeriCymru is open for entries.

Now in its fourth year, the Awards were set up to champion the best short-form writing in English

Each category winner will receive £1,000 cash, e-publication by New Welsh Review on their New Welsh Rarebyte imprint and a positive critique by leading literary agent Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown. Subsequent prizes include residential courses and weekend breaks.

Entries close at midnight on 2^nd February 2018.

8. Newcastle Short Story Award 2018

One for Australian writers. First prize is AU$2000. The deadline for submissions is  5^th February 2018 and the entry fee is AU$15. The maximum word limit is 2000 words, which includes both titles and any subheadings.

9. Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2018 Short Story Competition

First prize receives £500 and a place on an Arvon residential writing course of your choice, as well as publication of your story on the W&A website. Closing date for writing submissions is Tuesday February 13^th 2017 and all submissions must be unpublished prose of 2000 words or fewer.

10. Everything change Climate Fiction competition 2018

The competition owners are looking for stories that illustrate, explore, or illuminate the impact of climate change on humanity and/or the Earth. They enthusiastically invite submissions in all genres of short fiction, including speculative, realistic, literary, experimental, hybrid forms, and more. Work will be selected and judged by Kim Stanley Robinson, The New York Times bestselling author of Shaman, the Mars trilogy, and New York 2140. The winning story will receive a US$1000 prize, and nine finalists will receive US$50 prizes. Selected work will be published in an anthology by the Imagination and Climate Futures Initiative at Arizona State University.

Submissions must be no more than 5000 words and the deadline for entries is 28^th February 2018.

11. The Margery Allingham Short Story Competition

The Margery Allingham Short Story Competition is open until February 28, 2018.

Submit stories up to 3,500 words. Your story should fit into crime writer Margery’s definition of what makes a great story: “The Mystery remains box-shaped, at once a prison and a refuge. Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it.”

Prize: £500 plus two weekend passes to Crimefest 2019 and a selection of Margery Allingham books.

Entry Fee: £12

12. 1000 word writing challenge

1000 words on a set theme. £5 to enter for a chance to win £100. Deadline for entries is February 28^th 2018.

13. The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is a writing competition sponsored by the stage and radio series Selected Shorts.

Submissions must be no more than 750 words long and there is a US$25 fee to enter.

The deadline for entries is March 1^st 2018.

14. Ginosko Literary Journal 2018 Flash Fiction contest

You can submit two pieces of flash fiction of no more than 800 words each to the  Ginosko Flash Fiction Contest, which closes on the 1^st March 2018.

Prizes include US$ 500 and publication on the Ginosko Literary Journal website.

The entry fee is US$ 5.

15. Bridgend Writing contest 2018

Stories on a theme of your own choice, between 1500 to 1800 words.

Winner receives £200.

The deadline for entries is March 1^st 2018 and there is a £5 entry fee.

16. Nelligan Prize

International writing prize for writers of all stripes and nationalities. Deadline is March 14^th, 2018 for submissions of 12,500 words or less. Entry fee is US$15 and first prize is US$2000.

17. Enizagam Journal writing competitions

Enizagam is a literary journal featuring poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and interviews by writers from all over the world.

They have launched their writing competitions for both fiction and poetry ahead of their 12^th journal issue.

Winners will receive US$1000 and blurbs about their work from literary judges.

There is an entry fee of US$20 and the deadline for submissions is March 23^rd 2018.

Further details about guidelines below.

Fiction submission guidelines: Fiction submissions should consist of one short story up to 4,000 words long. Entries may be in any literary style, and address any subject. We do not publish novel excerpts. Please expect a response within 4 weeks of the deadline.

Poetry submission guidelines: Poetry submissions may be up to ten pages long, with no more than one poem per page. Entries may be in any poetic form (including free verse), and address any subject. Please expect a response within 4 weeks of the deadline.

18. Audiojam playscript competition

This unique competition enables authors to create a lasting keepsake of their treasured work. All genres of plays are accepted and it doesn’t matter if your work has been previously published. Up to five plays will be accepted and produced in Audiojam’s studio and broadcast across the world to an existing listener base.

There is no entry fee. Winners will see their playscripts adapted t for audio, directed and produced with professional actors. Your play will also be promoted on Soundcloud and the Audiojam website.

Deadline for entries is March 31^st 2018.

19. The Killer Nashville Claymore Award

Every year, the Killer Nashville Claymore Award assists new and rebranding English-language fiction authors get published, including possible agent representation, book advances, editor deals, and movie and television sales.

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 entry fee is US$40 and the deadline for submissions is April 1^st 2018.

20. The Bath Short Story Award

An award for local, national and international writers. Closing date for submissions is April 23^rd, 2018. Short stories of up to 2200 words in all genres and styles are welcome – there is no minimum word limit. First prize receives £1000 and there is also a local prize for Bath residents, as well as The Acorn Award of £50 for unpublished writers of fiction. Entry fee is £8.

21. Momaya short story competition

“Coming of Age” is the theme for the 15th annual Momaya Short Story Competition.  While entries for the Momaya Competition may be on any topic and are judged on their own merit, the judges will select additional stories for publication based on their treatment of the “Coming of Age” theme.

The judging panel includes editors from Random House, Penguin, and a published novelist. Submit your short story (3,000 word limit) and entry fee of £12 /US$15 by 30 April 2018 in order to compete for prize money and publication in the Momaya Annual Review 2018.

22. Bath Novel Award

The Bath Novel Award 2018 is an international prize for unpublished and self-published novelists. The winner will receive £2,500, with manuscript feedback and literary agent introductions for those shortlisted. In addition, the writer of the most promising longlisted novel will receive a free place on an online editing course with Cornerstones Literary Consultancy.

Submit your first 5000 words along with a one page synopsis by 30th April 2018.

There is an entry fee of £25.

23. The Bristol Short Story Prize

Entries are welcomed for unpublished stories written in English. The deadline for submissions is 1^st May 2018 and stories can be on any theme or subject. Maximum length of 4000 words. An £8 entry fee and first prize is £1000. There are also 17 further prizes of £100 for all shortlisted writers.

24. Writer’s Digest Competition

The winner of this annual award will receive US$5000 and an interview in Writer’s Digest. There are a variety of different award categories so it’s best to check the website for details. Deadline is May 4^th 2018.

25. LuneSpark Young Writer’s Short Story contest

LuneSpark are looking for talented young writers to submit their work for their 2018 short story contest.

Stories must be below 1650 words (they recommend 1500 as a standard).

There is a US$ 15 registration fee (plus an additional US$ 1.82 processing fee) and first prize will receive US$ 500.

The deadline for entries is May 4^th 2018, although you need to register by April 28^th.

26. Bridport Prize

International open competition founded in 1973. Four categories in poetry (max 42 lines); short story (max 5,000 words); flash fiction (max 250 words) and the Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award for a First Novel (max 8,000 words from opening chapters plus 300 word synopsis).

The 2018 competition will be launched on 22^nd January. Deadline usually looms towards the end of May each year.

Entry fees and prizes vary depending on category. Full information about this world-renowned competition can be found online.

27. Smokelong Quarterly award for flash fiction 

In honour of Smokelong Quarterly’s 15^th Anniversary, this fantastic flash fiction magazine are transforming their general submissions queue into a contest submission portal.

Stories must be below 1000 words in length and not have been previously published.

The grand prize is US$ 1500. At least 14 finalists will receive a cash prize as well and publication in SmokeLong’s 15^th-anniversary issue.

The competition will run from February 5^th until May 20^th 2018.

28. ‘The Wedding Gift’ writing competition

UK Solution Loans are running their annual short story competition this year. Inspired by the UK Royal Wedding, the theme of this year’s writing contest is ‘The Wedding Gift’.

The winner will receive £200 and publication on the Solution Loans website, with £50 and publication for three runners-up.

The competition is free to enter and submissions must be between 1500 – 2500 words in length.

The deadline for entries is May 31st, 2018.

29. Wundor short fiction contest 2018 

Whether it takes you one page to tell your story or your manuscript is a little thicker, the fine folk at Wundor Editions would like to read it. The only stipulation is that the word count of your submission should be no greater than 45,000 words.

They are looking for short stories, pieces of flash fiction and novellas. The winner and two runners up will have an extract of their work published on the Wundor website. Their work will be strongly considered for publication in print, in which case a publishing contract will be offered.

The winner will also receive £500.

There is a £10 entry fee and the deadline for submissions is May 31st 2018.

30. Literary Taxidermy short story competition

The Literary Taxidermy Short Story Competition is open to all. To enter, writers must provide an original story of up to 3000 words in any genre. The catch: We provide your opening and closing lines chosen from a classic work of literature. You provide the rest.

Three winning stories will be selected, for a total prize of US $1500. In addition, winners and runners-up will be published by Regulus Press in a forthcoming 2018 Anthology of Literary Taxidermy.

Entries to the competition open on 5 March 2018 and close on 4 June 2018.

There is a voluntary entry fee.

31. Impress Books prize for new writing

This is a manuscript contest for unpublished writers. Winners receive a print and eBook publishing contact with Impress, as well as a £500 advance.

The deadline for entries is 29 June 2018, and there is a £25 entry fee.

You need to submit 6000 words of your manuscript, along with a synopsis and publishing proposal, as well as an author bio.

32. The Brighton Prize

The Brighton Prize offers cash prizes for new short and flash fiction. If you’re a writer with a brilliant short story that will both challenge and excite the judges; this is for you.

Submissions are currently open for flash fiction up to 350 words, and short stories of 1-2000 words.

The winner of the short story prize will receive £500, and the winner of the flash fiction prize will receive £100.

There is an entry fee of £8 for short stories and £6 for flash fiction.

The deadline for submissions is 30th June.

33. Crimson Cloak writing contest

The team behind Crimson Cloak Publishing are looking for stories of 3000 to 5000 words where the main character slowly falls in love with the reader. Sound simple enough?

There is an entry fee of US$ 20 and the winner receives a publishing contract for their story which will see them receive 100% of royalties generated from it.

The deadline for submissions is 30th June.

34. Adventure Writers Writing Competition 2018

Adventure Writers are an international writing competition now in their ninth year, and have just one category: Adventure.

They accept traditionally published, epublished and manuscript novels. There is a US$ 1000 cash prize for the winners.

A US$25 entry fee is charged, and all proceeds go to promoting the contest, the finalists and the winner.

Deadline for entries is 30th June.

35. Grist competition 2018

2018 marks the centenary of women’s suffrage in the UK. It is a lesser-known fact that 2018 also marks the centenary of working class men being given the vote. Inspired by the Representation of the People Act 1918, the new GRIST anthology, Trouble & Strife will showcase poems and stories of protest -celebrations of why and how people have banded together to bring about a change in their own or others lives.

Submissions are welcomed from published and unpublished authors and poets (maximum 5,000 words or 40 lines of poetry).

There is a submission fee of £5 and the winner receives £500.

The deadline for entries is 15th July.

36. The Sean O Faolain Short Story Prize

The competition is open to original, unpublished and unbroadcast short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or fewer. The story can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Translated work is not in the scope of this competition.

First Prize: €2,000, a week-long residency at Anam Cara Retreat and publication in the literary journal Southword.

There is a fee of €15 per entry and the deadline for submissions is 31st July.

37. To Hull and Back, writing competition 2018

To Hull And Back Short Story Competition is an annual short story contest with a humorous twist that celebrates the most imaginative and amazing short stories from writers all over the world.

First prize is £1000 and publication.

Max word count is 2500 and the deadline for entries is July 31^st 2018.

The fee for entries is £11.

38. New Millennium Writings 

There is no restriction on style or genre in this writing competition, which closes on July 31st 2018.

First Place in each category receives a US$1000 cash prize, a certificate to document the success, publication online and in print, in New Millennium Writings, and two complimentary copies.

Select Finalists, and all Poetry Finalists, will be published in New Millennium Writings and receive two complimentary copies.

6000 word limit for fiction and non-fiction; 1000 word limit for flash fiction

There is a minimum US$ 20 to enter.

39. The Preservation Foundation’s 2018 contest for unpublished writers 

The Preservation Foundation are a non-profit organisation aiming to “preserve the extraordinary stories of ‘ordinary’ people.”

Stories must be non-fiction in one of four categories: General, Biographical, Travel, and Animals. Submissions must be between 1000 – 10,000 words in length.

There are no entry fees and prizes of US$ 200 for winners, US$ 100 for runners-up, and US$ 50 for finalists in each category.

Deadline for entries is August 31^st 2018.

40. Gotham Writers travel writing competition

Gotham Writers want to hear about your travel adventures, but in a unique way. Picture a memorable moment from a travel experience. (You can even make one up.) Now, visualise this moment as a photograph. Then…write a caption for that photograph in 15 words or fewer. It’s about capturing the moment in the caption so readers can see the photograph in their mind’s eye.

Whoever writes the best caption will win a free Gotham class of his or her choosing.

There is a deadline of 25 September 2018 for entries.

41. The Caterpillar Story Prize

The prize is for a story written by an adult for children (aged 7–11). The judges are looking for stories that will inspire, delight and move our young readers. The stories can be on any subject and in any style, as long as they are age appropriate, and the word limit is 1,500.

The winning story will receive €1,000 and appear in the winter issue of The Caterpillar.

Entry fee is €12 per story

The closing date is 30 September 2018.

42. Bare Fiction Magazine Short Story Competitions

Any style/genre of writing in a variety of forms, including short stories, flash fiction and poetry. An annual competition with submission deadline of October.

Short story submissions must be below 3000 words and the associated entry fee is £8. Winners of each category receive £500.

43. Early Works Press

Annual writing competition accepts entries of any style or genre. Winners are published in anthology containing 10 to 20 stories (length dependent). There is a £5 entry fee for stories up to 4000 words in length and £10 fee for stories up to 8000 words long. Deadline is October each year, though the publishers also run other competitions throughout the year, so it’s worth keeping an eye on their site for details.

44. PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

For American citizens with books published in the calendar year (or scheduled to be published) – no self-published books will be accepted. No submission fees, with a deadline of October.

45. ServiceScape short story award

For this award, any genre or theme of short story is accepted. All applicants should submit their original unpublished work of short fiction or nonfiction, 5,000 words or fewer, to be considered. Along with receiving an award for

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, the winner will have his or her short story featured within the ServiceScape blog, which reaches thousands of readers per month.

There is no entry fee and the deadline for entries is 30th November 2018.

46. Five Aspects 2018 poetry award

Five aspects are a wonderful not-for-profit organisation that works with children with emotional and behavioural disorders.

The theme of the competition is The Spirit of Childhood.  Childhood is a time of magic and mystery, powerful emotions and experiences that remain in our hearts a lifetime.  Some of these experiences are wonderful and nourish us into old age, other experiences are more painful and cast long shadows that we struggle to shake. We are looking forward to reading poems that capture the essence of childhood in all its guises.

Max 40 lines, plus title.

There is an entry fee of £4 and the winning entry receives £150.

Deadline for entries is 31st December 2018.

47. Cinnamon Press Writing Competitions

Any style or genre of writing is eligible for their rolling competition deadlines, which fall throughout the year between September and July. Entry fees vary according to form of writing, such as poetry, novels, short stories and flash fiction.

48. Manchester Writing Competition 2018

There are two prizes – one for fiction and one for poetry. Both competitions offer a £10,000 first prize. Deadline for entries is September 2018 and the competition will open in February 2018. The fiction prize will be awarded to the best short story of up to 2500 words, and is open to international writers aged 16 or over. The poetry prize will be given to the best portfolio of three to five poems (maximum length: 120 lines). The entry fee for each competition is £17.50.

49. Tethered by Letters F(r)iction contest

Literary publisher and resource for writers Tethered by Letters run this tri-annual publication, F(r)iction, – an art and literature imprint that is distributed around the world. It features short fiction, flash fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and even a selection of graphic stories. It also showcases amazing artwork.

First prize for the short story contest is US$1000 and there is an entry fee of US$18. The first prize for both the poetry and flash fiction contests is US$300 and there is a US$10 entry fee.

Visit the website for information about upcoming deadlines

50. The Short Story ‘Monthly 500’ Flash Fiction competition 

The Short Story was established in 2015 and has quickly developed into an influential platform for short fiction. They champion short stories, flash fiction, and micro-fiction.

Every month, they invite submissions for their flash fiction competition, the winner of which receives publication on their website and £50.

The deadline for each month’s contest is midnight on the last day of each month.

There is an entry fee of £2.28 and entries must be no longer than 500 words (including title).

51. Reedsy Short Story Contest(s)

Every Friday, Reedsy kicks off a weekly short story contest by sending out a newsletter that includes five themed writing prompts. Subscribers have one week (until the following Friday) to submit a short story based on one of the prompts. The winner receives US$ 50 and publication on Reedsy’s Medium blog.

There is no entry fee.

52. Austin Film Festival competitions

Austin Film Festival 2018 is offering a number of different writing contests for you to sink your teeth into. In their 25^th year, the Austin Film Festival (AFF) have helped many writers break into the industry of film and television.

AFF currently offer writing competition categories for screenplays, teleplays, short screenplays, digital series scripts, stage plays, and fiction podcast scripts.

Deadlines for the competitions vary, with some differences in entry fees depending on whether you enter before, early, regular, or late/final deadlines.

Prizes include cash awards and the opportunity to meet famous figures from the industry. Check out their website for information