After a brief hiatus to our publishing schedule, we are back and still trying to pull together as many helpful tools, resources and guides to help creative folk fulfil their potential.
It is with this commitment in mind that we are thrilled to once again bring you our list of creative writing competitions from around the world, scheduled for the year ahead (2024).
So, in addition to our list of places that are always open for submissions, as well as places to submit flash fiction, and a long list of independent publishers you can submit your manuscripts to, we are thoroughly chuffed to bring you this valuable writing resource you can use to get your writing into the right places.
Included below 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. Reedsy Prompts Contest
- Genre: Fiction, Short Story
- Prize: $250
- Entry Fee: Free
- Deadline: Weekly
- Details: Respond to weekly prompts and enter for a chance to win. More info
2. Future Scholar Foundation Short Story Competition
- Genre: Short Story
- Prize: $25 Amazon gift card
- Entry Fee: Free
- Deadline: Monthly
- Details: Short stories up to 350 words. More info
3. The International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir
- Genre: Memoir, Non-fiction, Short Story
- Prize: $1,000
- Entry Fee: $25
- Deadline: June 30, 2024
- Details: Original, unpublished works up to 2000 words. More info
4. Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers
- Genre: Fiction, Poetry
- Prize: $500 and publication
- Entry Fee: $12
- Deadline: July 15, 2024
- Details: For new writers, judged by the University of Tulsa. More info
5. Rattle Poetry Prize
- Genre: Poetry
- Prize: $15,000
- Entry Fee: $30
- Deadline: July 15, 2024
- Details: No word limit on poems. More info
6. Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition
- Genre: Short Story
- Prize: €2,000 and publication
- Entry Fee: €19
- Deadline: July 31, 2024
- Details: Stories up to 3,000 words. More info
7. Stephen Spender Prize for Poetry in Translation
- Genre: Poetry in Translation
- Prize: £1,000 and publication
- Entry Fee: £10
- Deadline: July 31, 2024
- Details: Up to 60 lines. More info
8. Foyle Young Poets Competition
- Genre: Poetry
- Prize: Publication and mentorship for top winners.
- Entry Fee: Free
- Deadline: July 31, 2024
- Details: Open to poets aged 11-17, poems up to 40 lines. More info
9. Gival Press Short Story Award
- Genre: Short Story
- Prize: $1,000
- Entry Fee: $25
- Deadline: August 8, 2024
- Details: Stories between 5,000 and 15,000 words. More info
10. One Year Adventure Novel Contest
- Genre: Novel (for students)
- Prize: Various prizes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Deadline: August 15, 2024
- Details: For students under 20 who complete a novel. More info
11. Futurepoem Hybrid Literature Prize
- Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-fiction, Hybrid
- Prize: $1,000, publication, and 25 author copies
- Entry Fee: $28 (or sliding scale $9 or $18)
- Deadline: August 15, 2024
- Details: Manuscripts up to 200 pages. More info
12. Harvard International Review Summer Essay Competition
- Genre: Essay
- Prize: Various prizes, including publication.
- Entry Fee: Free
- Deadline: August 31, 2024
- Details: Essays 800-1,200 words on international issues. More info
13. 21 Futures: Financial Fallout Anthology Competition
- Genre: Short Story
- Prize: $1,000
- Entry Fee: Purchase of anthology
- Deadline: August 31, 2024
- Details: Stories up to 3,000 words on the theme “Financial Fallout.” More info
14. SaveAs Writers’ International Writing Competition – Poetry
- Genre: Poetry
- Prize: £200
- Entry Fee: £4 per poem
- Deadline: August 31, 2024
- Details: Poems up to 60 lines. More info
15. SaveAs Writers’ International Writing Competition – Prose
- Genre: Short Story
- Prize: £200
- Entry Fee: £5 per story
- Deadline: August 31, 2024
- Details: Stories up to 3,500 words. More info
16. Searchlight Awards – Best Novel Opening for Children or Young Adults
- Genre: Novel
- Prize: £500
- Entry Fee: £16
- Deadline: September 1, 2024
- Details: For the best opening of a novel. More info
17. Dogwood Literary Prize
- Genre: Poetry, Short Story, Essay
- Prize: $1,000 each for poem, short story, and essay
- Entry Fee: $12
- Deadline: September 5, 2024
- Details: Up to three poems (10 pages total) or 22 pages of prose. More info
18. Mslexia Novel Competition
- Genre: Novel (Children’s for 2024)
- Prize: £5,000
- Entry Fee: £26
- Deadline: September 18, 2024
- Details: Open to unpublished women writers. Submit the first 5,000 words of your manuscript. More info
19. Dream Quest One Writing Contest
- Genre: Fiction, Short Story
- Prize: $250 (1st), $125 (2nd), $50 (3rd)
- Entry Fee: $10
- Deadline: September 30, 2024
- Details: Short stories up to 5 pages on any theme. More info
20. The Moth Nature Writing Prize 2024
- Eligibility: Open to anyone over the age of 16, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished.
- Genres: Poetry or prose.
- Word Limit: Maximum of 4,000 words for prose.
- Entry Fee: €15 per entry. Participants can enter as many pieces as they like.
- Prizes:
- 1st Prize: €1,000 plus a week-long stay at the Circle of Misse in France.
- 2nd Prize: €500.
- 3rd Prize: €250
- Deadline: September 30, 2024.
For more details and to enter the competition, you can visit the official Moth Magazine website
21. The Caledonia Novel Award
- Genre: Fiction, Novel, Young Adult
- Prize: £1500
- Entry Fee: $36
- Deadline: October 15, 2024
- Details: Submit the first 20 pages and a 200-word synopsis. More info
22. Bedford Writing Competition
- Genre: Short Story, Poetry
- Prize: £1,500 (short story), £500 (poetry), plus additional prizes.
- Entry Fee: £8.50 per entry
- Deadline: October 31, 2024
- Details: Short stories up to 3,000 words and poems up to 40 lines. More info
23. New York Times 100-Word Narrative Contest
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Prize: Publication in the New York Times.
- Entry Fee: Free
- Deadline: Expected October-November 2024
- Details: True stories in 100 words. More info
24. New York Times Student Review Contest
- Genre: Review
- Prize: Publication in the New York Times.
- Entry Fee: Free
- Deadline: Expected November-December 2024
- Details: Reviews on various subjects. More info
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