free non fiction writing competitions 2022

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Free writing contests, free writing contests is your source for a listing of 2023 writing contests that you can enter. the largest collection of free creative writing contests - hand-picked for writers of all skill levels. your online location for an updated list of writing contests from around the world delivered daily., flash fiction writing contest, horror writing contest, dialogue only writing contest, dribble flash fiction, non-fiction writing contest, write a rant, the storm writing contest, western writing contest, a first book chapter, this sentence starts the story, 75 words flash fiction, hershey story writing contest, write a script, science fiction writing contest, future flash fiction, share your story, fantasy writing contest, l ron hubbard writing contest, true story contest, 100 word flash fiction, flash fiction, about the writing contests.

Writing contests are carefully reviewed by our staff to help ensure that only the very best make it to our website. We understand and appreciate that entering writing contests is often a leap of faith. Our goal is to provide writing contests from reputable companies. These are companies that provide a panel of judges (a committee) to judge the contests. The winners are announced shortly after the deadline is reached. Deadlines are solid and do not change. The fiction writing contests should contain clear guidelines of the type of writing that is accepted. Free fiction writing contests sometimes require a specific genre such as science fiction. The free online writing competitions listed are clear on what type of writing is required. If there are any restrictions on word count you should be aware of this. If there are this will be stated in the contest announcement. Contest announcements will contain any requirements that an author should be aware of. Pay careful attention not just to the word count rqruirement but also the genre requirements, deadline and format requirements for your submission. We post free writing competitions that we believe have a fair and easy submission and judging process. You will find it easy to enter the contests above. Your writing contest will be judged in a fair matter. Prior to entering a contest we recommend reading our latest blog which explains how to write for a contest and what steps to take.

Length Of Your Entry

The most common question we hear is how long should your contest entry be. Flash fiction is a popular form of writing. For these contests your goal is to tell a complete story using a specific amount of words. You'll see a number of flash fiction contests on this listing. For those your word count must be exact (in most cases). So if the free fiction writing contest requires 100 words that should be the total in the body of your work (no more, no less). Normally the title of your work is not included in the count. Some writing contests do not have a word count requirement. For these contests we recommend keeping the word count to 5,000 words or less. The judges for free online writing competitions are not going to want to read a novel when a short story is requested. So keep in mind the number of words when writing your contest piece. Understand longer pieces may not be as well received. But most contests will have guidelines.

Have fun with the free writing competitions. Be creative. Try new things. Whether you win or lose entering a contest, getting feedback (most of our contests give feedback to the author) and learning is the most important thing you can take away from these contests. So enjoy your free writing contests 2023!

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35 Writing Contests to Enter Right Now (2022)

35 Writing Contests to Enter Right Now (2022)

Find 35 excellent writing contests below for 2022. They're all open to direct, unagented submissions. Polish your manuscript and submit it to one of these great publishers (and, if you're looking for a class in fiction , poetry , nonfiction , or screenwriting , we've got you covered): New American Press

Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,500, publication by New American Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Eduardo C. Corral will judge. Using only the online...

Hippocrates Prize

Prizes for poetry and medicine.

A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,379) and publication in the Hippocrates Prize anthology and as a video recording on the Hippocrates website is given annually for a single...

Arrowsmith Press

Derek walcott prize for poetry.

A prize of $1,000 will be given annually for a poetry collection published in English by a writer who is not a citizen of the United States. The winner will also receive an...

Academy of American Poets

Raiziss/de palchi book prize.

A prize of $10,000 is given biennially for the translation into English of a significant work of modern Italian poetry published in the United States. Books by living...

Ambroggio Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Arizona Press is given annually for a book of poetry originally written in Spanish by a living writer and translated into...

Furious Flower Poetry Prize

Furious flower poetry center.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Obsidian , the literary journal of Illinois State University, is given annually for a group of poems. The winner also receives a $500...

Milkweed Editions

Ballard spahr prize for poetry.

A prize of $10,000 and publication by Milkweed Editions is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet currently residing in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South...

Harold Morton Landon Translation Award

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a book of poetry translated from any language into English and published in the United States during the previous year. David Shook will...

Sarabande Books

Morton and mccarthy prizes.

Two prizes of $2,000 each and publication by Sarabande Books are given annually for collections of poetry and fiction. For the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry, submit a...

Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition

A prize of $1,500 and publication on the competition website is given annually for a short story by a writer whose fiction has not appeared in a nationally distributed...

Hidden River Arts

Willow run poetry book award.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Hidden River Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a...

Sustainable Arts Foundation

Writing awards.

Up to twenty awards of $5,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers with children. Writers with at least one child under the age of...

Black Caucus of the American Library Association

Self-publishing literary awards.

Two prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for a poetry e-book and a fiction e-book by an African American writer self-published in the United States during the previous year...

Fish Publishing

Flash fiction prize.

A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,164) and publication in the Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a short short story. The winner is also invited to give a...

Omnidawn Publishing

First/second poetry book contest.

A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 100 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. Mary Jo Bang will judge. Submit a...

Little Tokyo Historical Society

Short story contest.

A prize of $500 and publication in Rafu Shimpo and on the Discover Nikkei website is given annually for a short story that takes place in the Little Tokyo district of...

Association of Writers & Writing Programs

Two prizes of $5,500 each and publication by a participating press are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection. In addition, two prizes of $2,500...

Austin Community College

Balcones prizes.

Two prizes of $1,500 each are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction published during the previous year. Authors or publishers may submit three copies of...

Tupelo Press

Snowbound chapbook award.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Tupelo Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Submit a manuscript of 20 to 36 pages with a $25 entry fee by February 28. All...

Red Hen Press

Women’s prose prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a book of fiction or nonfiction by a writer who identifies as a woman. Melanie Conroy-Goldman will...

University of Wisconsin

Wisconsin institute for creative writing fellowships.

An academic year in residence, which includes a stipend of at least $39,000, at the University of Wisconsin in Madison is given annually to at least five writers working on a...

Alabama State Council on the Arts

Literary arts fellowships.

Fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in the state of Alabama for at least two years. Using...

Broadside Lotus Press

Naomi long madgett poetry award.

A prize of $500 and publication by Broadside Lotus Press is given annually for a poetry collection by an African American poet. Submit two copies of a manuscript of 60 to 90...

Mississippi Arts Commission

Literary artist fellowships.

Grants of up to $5,000 each are given in alternating years to Mississippi poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. This year the fellowships will be offered in...

Poets & Writers

Maureen egen writers exchange award.

Two prizes of $500 each are awarded annually to a poet and a fiction writer from a select state. Each winner will also receive a monthlong residency at the Jentel Artist...

Selected Shorts

Stella kupferberg memorial short story prize.

A prize of $1,000 and tuition for a 10-week writing class through New York City's Gotham Writers Workshop is given annually for a short story. The winning work will be...

Persea Books

Lexi rudnitsky editor’s choice award.

A prize of $2,000 and publication by Persea Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a U.S. poet who has published at least one book of poetry. Using only the online...

Colorado Review

Nelligan prize for short fiction.

A prize of $2,500 and publication in Colorado Review is given annually for a short story. Ramona Ausubel will judge. Submit a story between 2,500 and 12,500 words with a...

University of Notre Dame

Andrés montoya poetry prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Notre Dame Press is given biennially for a debut poetry collection by a Latinx poet residing in the United States. John...

National Poetry Series

Open competition.

Five prizes of $10,000 each and publication by participating trade, university, or small press publishers are given annually for poetry collections. The 2022 publishers are...

Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Forrest Gander will judge. Submit up to three poems of no more than three pages each with a $10 entry fee by March 15....

Airlie Press

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Airlie Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a...

Prairie Schooner

Raz-schumaker book prizes.

Two prizes of $3,000 each and publication by University of Nebraska Press are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection. Kwame Dawes will judge....

Eludia Award

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Sowilo Press is given annually for a first book of fiction by a woman writer over the age of 40. Using only the online submission system,...

James Jones Literary Society

First novel fellowship.

A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a novel-in-progress by a U.S. writer who has not published a novel. Runners-up will each receive $1,000. Using only the online...

A Public Space

Writing fellowships.

Three six-month fellowships of $1,000 each are given annually to emerging fiction and nonfiction writers who have not published a full-length book. The fellows will work with...

First Pages Prize

A prize of $2,000, developmental editing support, and an agent consultation will be given annually for the first five pages of a work of fiction or creative nonfiction. A...

Bauhan Publishing

May sarton new hampshire poetry prize.

A prize of $1,000, publication by Bauhan Publishing, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Rebecca Kaiser Gibson will judge. Submit a manuscript of 50...

Fordham University at Lincoln Center

Poetic justice institute prizes.

Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication by Fordham University Press are given annually for poetry collections. The winners also receive a publicity consultation and headline...

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40 Free Writing Contests: Competitions With Cash Prizes

by Kelly Gurnett | Oct 3, 2022

writing contests

Have you ever Googled “writing contests”? Many require “reading fees” or prizes — like seeing your work in print — that you can only receive if you pay for it.

Some legitimate contests do charge small entry fees, but often a fee can be a red flag for a scam, so those might be the ones you want to stay away from.

Besides, there are plenty of free writing contests that encourage and inspire boundless creativity with real cash prizes and career-advancing opportunities! Since it can be hard for a writer to know where to find them, we did the legwork for you.

We found 40 reputable, well-reviewed, free writing contests for poets, fiction writers, essayists and more. With thousands of dollars in cash prizes and numerous opportunities to secure a publishing contract, you’re sure to find the right free writing contest for your work.

(If you don’t mind paying a little money to enter, our friends over at Smart Blogger have rounded up some great writing contests that have small entry fees. And if you’re still hungry for more opportunities, we also have posts on writers grants and writing fellowships .)

free non fiction writing competitions 2022

Fiction and nonfiction writing contests this year

Ready to share your novel or personal essay with the world? Whether you’re a newbie or more established writer, you’re likely eligible for a few of these contests.

Here are some fiction and nonfiction writing contests worth considering .

1. L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest

Whatever your feelings about L. Ron Hubbard’s work and philosophy, the prizes for this regular contest are nothing to sneeze at. Every three months, winners earn $1,000, $750 and $500, plus an additional annual grand prize of $5,000.

Submissions must be short stories or novelettes (up to 17,000 words) in the genre of science fiction or fantasy, and new and amateur writers are welcome to apply.

Deadlines: Quarterly on March 31, June 30 and September 30.

This boutique publishing firm offers cash prizes and promotional packages to winning authors. Submit a novel of 10,000 words or more in any fiction genre (no fanfic or poetry).

Inkitt’s writing contest runs monthly and gives authors the chance to win cash prizes up to $300, exclusive book badges and promotional packages while showcasing their books to Inkitt’s audience of more than 3 million users. Winners are determined by Inkitt’s unique algorithm based on overall reader engagement.

Deadline: See individual contest pages.

Disclosure: Inkitt is an advertising partner of The Write Life. We hold our advertisers to high standards and vetted this contest just like others on this list.

3. Drue Heinz Literature Prize

You can win $15,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press with this prize, awarded for a collection of short fiction.

You may submit an unpublished manuscript of short stories , two or more novellas or a combination of novellas and short stories. Your total word count should be between 150 and 300 typed pages. You must also have already published a novel or book-length work of fiction “with a reputable publisher,” or no fewer than three short stories or novellas in nationally-recognized journals.

Deadline: Annual submissions must be postmarked between May 1 through June 30.

4. St. Francis College Literary Prize

Since 2009, this biennial literary award has honored mid-career writers who have recently published their third, fourth or fifth work of fiction. The winner receives $50,000 and may be invited to the St. Francis College campus in Brooklyn, New York, to deliver a talk about their work or teach a mini fiction workshop to St. Francis students.

Deadline: Biennially; the contest was not offered the last two years due to the pandemic and limited campus access

5. Young Lions Fiction Award

This $10,000 award recognizes “young authors,” which the rules define as any author aged 35 or younger. Submit any novel or collection of short stories published or scheduled to be published in the calendar year. Works must be written for adults; children’s or YA pieces are ineligible.

Deadline: Submissions for this year are open as of May; deadline is TBA

6. Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prizes

One of the best-loved small presses in the creative writing world, Graywolf Press hosts a variety of contests for both established and up-and-coming writers. Graywolf also offers smaller fiction and nonfiction prizes, with genres rotating by year; 2020 was a nonfiction year, so fiction was up in 2021, then back to nonfiction in 2022, and so on. These awards include a sizable advance — $12,000 in previous years — as well as publication with Graywolf.

Deadline: Contest is held annually with rotating genres; this year’s deadline is TBA.

7. The Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans

Hosted by the prestigious Iowa Review, the Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award is offered to U.S. military veterans and active-duty members writing in any genre about any subject. Manuscripts of up to 20 pages will be accepted, and the first-prize winner will receive $1,000 and publication in the Review. A second place prize of $750 is also available, as well as three runner-up prizes of $500 each.

Deadline: Biennially. The next contest will be held in 2022.

8. New Voices Award

Presented by Lee & Low Books, an award-winning children’s book publisher, this award is given for a previously unpublished children’s picture book manuscript of no more than 1,500 words written by a writer of color or Indigenous/Native writers who’s a resident of the U.S.

The winner receives $2,000 cash and a standard publication contract, and an additional Honor Award winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000. You may submit up to two manuscripts.

Deadline: Submissions for this year will be accepted May 1 to July 31.

9. Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence

For 15 years, this contest has provided visibility for emerging African American fiction writers and enables them to focus on their writing by awarding a $15,000 cash prize. Eligible authors should submit a work of fiction, such as a novel or short story collection, published in the calendar year. (Galleys for publication within the year are also accepted.)

Deadline: Annually; the deadline is August 15, each year

10. PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

Honoring the best work of fiction published by an American author in a single calendar year, this award has been given to the likes of John Updike, Philip Roth and Ann Patchett. Novels, novellas and collections of short stories are all eligible.

The winner receives a hefty cash prize — up to $15,000 in the past — and an invitation to read at the award ceremony in Washington, D.C. Plus, there are no submission fees or application forms to deal with; just send a PDF of each book (as many as you’d like) to [email protected]

Deadline: Each year , submissions will be accepted from July 1 to October 31.

11. PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers

This contest requires you to have already published a short story in a literary magazine or journal or cultural website. But if you’ve made your debut (but gone no further), you may be eligible for the generous cash prize of $2,000, which is annually awarded to 12 emerging writers, whose works are then published together in an anthology.

Short stories of up to 12,000 words are eligible and must be published in the calendar year preceding the year in which the award is given. Additionally, keep this in mind: Submissions are only eligible if submitted by an editor. Authors may not submit their own work.

Deadline: Annual submission window between June and November.

12. Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards

Fiction and nonfiction writers who have recently published a book that “contribute[s] to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of cultural diversity” are eligible for this award, which offers $10,000 cash as well as media and publicity opportunities. Plus, winners receive their prize at a ceremony in Cleveland.

Submissions must be published in the prior year (so books published last year are eligible for the award this year).

Deadline: Annual submission window is September 1 through December 31.

13. Marfield Prize (aka National Award for Arts Writing)

Presented by the Arts Club of Washington, this award seeks to honor nonfiction books that deal with the “visual, literary, media, or performing arts.” The prize is $10,000 and may be awarded to works of criticism, art history, memoirs and biographies, and essays.

Deadline: Annually in the last quarter of the year; the submission window is usually between November 16 to December 31.

14. W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction

If you’re a war buff, this competition is for you. It awards $5,000 — and a 24-karat-gold-framed citation of achievement — to the best piece of fiction set during a period when the U.S. was at war (war may either be the main plot of the piece or simply provide the setting). Submissions may be adult or YA novels.

Deadline: Annually on December 1.

15. Friends of American Writers Chicago Awards

FAW presents two annual awards: an Adult Literature Award for literary fiction or nonfiction, and a Young People’s Literature Award for a children’s/YA book.

Authors must reside in the state of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota or Wisconsin — or they must set their book in one of those locations. Prize amounts vary from year to year, but you don’t have to bother with an application and all winners are celebrated at the organization’s May luncheon.

Deadline: Annually in December

16. Hektoen Grand Prix Essay Contest

Hektoen International, an online journal dedicated to medical humanities, offers two prizes annually for essays of no more than 1,500 words: $5,000 is awarded to the winner and $2,500 to the first runner-up. Eligible topics are broad so long as they have a relation to medicine, and many include art, history, literature, education and more.

Deadline: Annually; September 15 is usually the deadline

17. Biopage Storytelling Writing Contest

There’s no denying it: social media is a huge part of our 21st-century lives. It’s easy to get used to limiting our communications to 280-character and emoji-strewn snippets, which is why this marketing firm is hosting an essay writing contest to “remind people of the benefits of writing.”

Essays of up to 5,000 characters (roughly 1,000 words) will be accepted, and right now they’re looking for stories of COVID-19 quarantine life. The grand prize winner will receive $300, and five runners-up will be awarded $100 each.

The contest is free to enter, but you’ll need to register for a Biopage account to be eligible.

Deadline: July 31, each year

18. St. Martin’s Minotaur / Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition

Writers 18 and older who have never had a novel published (in any genre) are eligible for this prize, awarded to an original book-length manuscript where “murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story.” The winner receives a publication contract with Minotaur Books and an advance of $10,000 against future royalties.

Deadline: December 17, each yea r

19. ServiceScape Short Story Award

ServiceScape, a platform matching freelance writers, editors and graphic designers with clients (i.e. a great place to look for paid writing work !) offers a yearly Short Story Award of $1,000 to a winning fiction or nonfiction work of 5,000 words or fewer. The winner will also have their story featured on the ServiceScape blog, which sees thousands of readers each month.

Deadline: November 29, each year

20. Stowe Prize

This biennial prize of $10,000 honors an American author whose adult fiction or nonfiction work has had an impact on a critical social justice issue (as did Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin ). The book must be written by a U.S. author and have been published in the United States during the previous three calendar years.

Deadline: Contact the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center for this year’s deadline .

21. The Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction essays of no more than 5,000 words on any subject are eligible for consideration for this award, whose winner receives $250 and publication in Lunch Ticket , the literary and art journal produced by the MFA community of Antioch University Los Angeles.

Works must not have been published elsewhere. Award winners are required to submit a 100-word biography, recent photo and a short note thanking the Woods family for their generosity and support.

Deadlines: Biannual reading periods are in February for the Summer/Fall issue and in August for the Winter/Spring issue.

22. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms Essay Contest

Each year, this Canadian organization offers three prizes, ranging from $500 to $1,500, to the essay with the most thoughtful, well-reasoned arguments around a specific human-rights theme. (For example, 2022’s prompt was, “ Canadian governments are making Digital ID technologies a precondition of access to essential services and goods. What can Canadians do to protect their Charter rights and freedoms against the dangers of these technologies? ”

The contest is open to Canadian college and university students, and essays should be 2,500 words or less in length.

Deadline: October 31, each year

23. Write the World

For young writers ages 13-18, these cool contests also serve as mini workshops. Recognizing that “a first draft is never perfect,” submissions actually receive peer review by authors, writing teachers and other experts and writers are given the chance to revise their pieces based on this feedback before submitting them for final prize consideration.

Contests vary each month, but there’s a $100 prize for the winner and $50 for the runner-up (plus $50 for the best peer-reviewer). All three are featured on Write the World’s blog alongside comments from a guest judge. And since each month’s prompt is from a different genre, developing writers get a chance to test out different styles.

Deadline: Monthly.

Stuck with writer’s block and looking for a way to jumpstart your escape? Prose offers weekly challenges meant to spark your creativity; many are just for fun, but look for the weekly numbered challenges posted by Prose (rather than community members or sponsors) for a chance to win money.

Prizes are typically between $100 to $200 and word counts are low — some as low as under 150, some as high as 500. So even if all you get from the prompt is a chance to flex your brain, it’s not a bad deal.

Deadline: Weekly and monthly.

25. The Restless Books Prize For New Immigrant Writing

First-generation immigrants have a chance to win $10,000 and publication by Restless Books for telling their stories (real or imagined). The contest alternates annually between fiction (novel or short story collection) and nonfiction (memoir, essay collection, narrative nonfiction). In 2021, it went to a work of nonfiction of at least 25,000 words; 2022 will be fiction.

Deadline: S ubmission window is usually between January and March.

26. AFSA National High School Essay Contest

The U.S. Institute of Peace and the American Foreign Service Association sponsor this annual high school essay contest, where the winner receives a $2,500 cash prize, an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., and a full-tuition paid voyage with Semester at Sea upon the student’s enrollment at an accredited university. Essays should be between 1,000 and 1,250 words and have to answer all aspects of the prompt as well as demonstrate an understanding of the Foreign Service.

Runners-up get a pretty sweet deal, too — a $1,250 cash prize and a full scholarship to participate in the International Diplomacy Program of the National Student Leadership Conference.

Deadline : April, each year.

27. Science-me a Story

Born in 2018, the Society of Spanish Researchers invites talented and original writers to write a 100-word blurb for a hypothetical novel. This might sound really easy, but your blurb has to quickly hook readers and make them want to read more. Open to anyone over 18 anywhere in the world, your real or fictional short story for this competition must be either in English or Spanish and “conceived from the objective of scientific dissemination to primary school” to qualify for the cash prizes: £150, £100 and £50.

28. VCU Cabell First Novelist Award

Virginia Commonwealth University sponsors this award that honors an outstanding debut novel published in the preceding calendar year. While you may have published previous books in a different form, the submission must be your first published book marketed as a novel.

The award is a $5,000 cash prize, and the winning author must agree to attend the award event, usually scheduled for November.

Deadline : Annually; the submission window runs from July 1 through December 30

29. Daisy Utemorrah Award

The Daisy Utemorrah Award is for an unpublished manuscript of junior or YA fiction written by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples currently living in Australia. Generously supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the State Government of Western Australia, the winner of the award receives $15,000 and a publishing contract with Magabala Books.

Deadline : Submission window usually opens at the beginning of each year

30. Ultimate Meal Plans Nutrition Scholarship

College students studying nutrition, kinesiology or exercise-science fields: you’re going to be all over this one. Twice per year, the Ultimate Paleo Guide (aka the best paleo resource on the internet) awards $500 scholarships to two deserving students who meet all eligibility requirements — as well as write an 800-word essay about why you chose your field, an impact you’d like to make in your career, a challenge you’ve faced and more.

Deadlines: January 30 (awards in March) and July 31 (awards in September).

31. Insecure Writer’s Support Group Annual Anthology Contest

As long as you stick to the guidelines, The Insecure Writer’s Support Group’s annual contest welcomes your 5,000- to 6,000-word (previously unpublished) creative story. But before you send it off, make sure your story is polished and formatted! Plus, the prizes aren’t too shabby — winning stories will be edited and published, authors will receive royalties, and the top story will even get to give the anthology its title.

Deadlines: September 1, each year.

32. Short Fiction Prize

If you’re an undergrad at a college in the U.S. or Canada, this writing competition is for you. (Traditionally, this contest has encouraged applicants with an Asian background, but anyone is invited to apply.) Submissions should be no more than 7,500 words.

One winner will get a $1,000 prize as well as a scholarship to the next Southampton Writers Conference .

Deadline : Submission window is usually between March 1- July 14

33. Bacopa Literary Review Contest

The Bacopa Literary Review is an international journal published by the Writers Alliance of Gainesville. Each year, it opens submissions for pieces in four genres: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry and prose poetry. Find detailed guidelines for each genre on its website. First place gets $300, and the second prize in each of the four genres gets $100.

Deadline: May 30, each year

Poetry contests this year

Curious about opportunities for poets? Your stanzas — rhyming or not — could be worth a fair amount of money in these poetry competitions.

Check out these poetry writing contests.

34. Black Voices in Children’s Literature Writing Contest

This contest is open to Black writers who are over the age of 18 and residents of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota or Wisconsin. It’s hosted by Strive Publishing and Free Spirit Publishing and seeks to fill the need for Black representation in children’s and young adult books. Original board and picture books for children aged 0-4 and picture books for ages 4-8 are eligible, provided they feature contemporary, realistic Black characters and culture and focus on character development, self esteem, community and other aspects of positive childhood development.

Three prizes, ranging from $250 to $1,000, will be awarded, and the first-place winner will be “seriously considered” for publication, though it’s not guaranteed.

Deadline: Usually late July , each year.

35. James Laughlin Award

If you’re already a published poet, this is the award for you; it’s given for a second book of poetry due to come out in the forthcoming year. The winner receives $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid week-long residency at The Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. In addition, copies of the winning book are distributed to 1,000 members of the Academy of American Poets.

Deadline: Annual submission window is January 1 through May 15.

36. African Poetry Book Fund Prizes

The APBF awards three prizes annually for African Poetry. The Luschei Prize for African Poetry gives $1,000 for a book of original African poetry published in the prior year.

The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets gives $1,000 and a publication contract for a book-length collection of poetry by an as-yet-unpublished African author.

The Brunel International African Poetry Prize is a new prize that grants £3,000 to a poet who was born in Africa, or has African parents, who has not yet had a full-length book of poetry published. (U.S. citizens qualify.) To submit, you’ll need 10 poems.

Deadlines: See individual prize pages.

37. Tufts Poetry Awards

Claremont Graduate University presents two awards each year to poets they deem to be “outstanding.” The Kate Tufts Poetry Award grants $10,000 for a published first book of poetry that shows promise.

The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award grants a mammoth $100,000 for a published book of poetry by an established or mid-career poet.

Deadline: Submission window is July 1 to June 30, each year

38. Graywolf Press Walt Whitman Award

The Walt Whitman Award is a $5,000 prize awarded, along with publication, to an American poet with a winning first book manuscript. He or she also receives an all-expenses-paid six-week residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Umbria, Italy.

Graywolf Press is also one of the publishers of the Cave Canem Poetry Prize , “a first book award dedicated to the discovery of exceptional manuscripts by Black poets.” Winners receive $1,000 and Graywolf publishes every third winner of the prize.

Deadline : July 1 to Sept 1, each year

39. Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

Now in its 21st year, this humor contest wants your best published or unpublished work for a grand prize of $2,000; runners-up are awarded $500 and 10 honorable mentions will receive $100 each. Writers of all ages from eligible countries can submit an original, humorous poem with 250 lines or less, and it must be in English.

Deadline : April 1, each year (and no, this isn’t an April Fools joke)

40. The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize

This writing competition is looking for the best piece of unpublished, themed writing. For example, one year, the theme was “Untamed: On Wilderness and Civilization.” Submissions may be prose, poetry or non-academic essays. Maximum word count is 2,500, and this is open to all nationalities and to anyone 18 or older. The winner gets a £10,000 cash prize, second place gets £3,000 and third place gets £2,000.

Deadline : Applications open at the beginning of each year. Follow the Alpine Fellowship on Instagram for updates.

Where to find more legitimate, free writing contests

Looking for more opportunities to submit your work? Here are a few great sites to keep an eye on for writing contests.

Winning Writers

A number of the contests found on our list came highly recommended by this site, which compiles some of the best free literary contests out there. Along with a wide range of recommended contests for writers of all stripes, Winning Writers also lists some contests and services to avoid — which is just as useful!

They also offer a handful of contests themselves , including the North Street Book Prize .

Poets & Writers

Another fantastic source for legitimate writing contests we consulted when compiling this list, Poets & Writers vets competitions, contests, awards and grants to make sure they’re following legitimate practices and policies. It’s worth checking out regularly as it features both annual and one-time contests.

(This listing contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!)

The original version of this story was written by Kelly Gurnett . We updated the post so it’s more useful for our readers.

Photo via Viktoriia Hnatiuk / Shutterstock

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The Best Writing Contests of 2023

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Every Friday, Reedsy sends out five writing prompts. Enter your response within a week for a chance at $250. Winners may also be included in a future issue of Reedsy’s literary magazine, Prompted.

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Deadline: December 31, 2023

Fiction, Short Story

Evening Standard Stories Competition

Evening Standard

We’re searching for fresh new voices who can take the idea of ‘belonging’ in a surprising direction, or tackle it in a way that stops us in our tracks. This competition is not limited to a ‘short story’. Submissions can be a piece of spoken word or performance, perhaps it’s a monologue, a script or a self-contained episode of a narrative podcast. Entries can be submitted as written, audio, or film.

Mentorship with top industry contacts

Publication in Evening Standard media

Deadline: April 12, 2023

Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Script Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult

Inspiring Fiction's Contest for Fantasy Writers

Inspiring Fiction

A new short story contest open to all fantasy writers. The winner will be published in the first issue of Mirk Fantasy Magazine, a new genre magazine produced by the team behind Tangled Web Magazine. Three runners up will also be published alongside a selection of stories from our general submissions pile.

Deadline: April 30, 2023

Fantasy, Fiction, Short Story

Brouhaha - The short story writing contest

We are looking for original, unpublished pieces of fiction, with a maximum word count of 3,000 words. The theme for this contest is “Brouhaha,” and we encourage all writers to interpret this theme in their own unique way. All genres are welcome.

Deadline: April 15, 2023

Gemini Magazine Short Story Contest

Gemini Magazine

Entries may be any subject, style, or length. Entries must be previously unpublished but those from personal blogs will be considered.

2nd: $100 | 3 honorable mentions: $25 | Publication

Deadline: March 31, 2023

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story

Narratively's 2023 Profile Prize

Narratively is looking for profile pieces that tell the story of ordinary people or communities doing extraordinary things. The grand prize winner will receive $3,000, and the two finalists will receive $1,000 each. Guest judges are renowned journalists Gay Talese, Lisa Lucas and Rebecca Traister.

$1000 for two other finalists

Deadline: April 14, 2023

Essay, Non-fiction

Bacopa Literary Review

Bacopa Literary Review is an annual international print journal published by the Writers Alliance of Gainesville. Our Bacopa Literary Review Editors’ blog shows the quality of writing we seek by highlighting work we respect from previous Bacopa issues as well as other sources.

£200 in 6 categories

$100 Honorable mention in 6 categories

Deadline: April 16, 2023

Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Essay, Flash Fiction, Humor

Elegant Literature's Contest For New Writers

Elegant Literature

One of the largest awards open to unpublished writers, and the only one closed to professionals. We are the first magazine to pay pro rates and only accept submissions from new writers, paying new authors over $50,000 last year. One new writer receives the grand prize. We also choose the best stories, pay the authors above-professional rates, and publish them in our magazine. March head judge is Creag Munroe.

Paid publication, 25 x $20 USD | Free entry to Novelist Accelerator | Now Novel Package

Deadline: April 01, 2023

Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult, Flash Fiction, Science Writing

New Deal Writing Competition

Genesee Valley Council on the Arts

GVCA is excited to announce the eighth annual New Deal Writing Competition! This competition challenges writers to use a painting chosen by the staff at GVCA as inspiration for a short story. This year’s painting is “Small Town” by Edmund Yaghjian, an oil painting.

2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50

Young Sports Journalist Competition 2023

Pitch magazine is pleased to announce the launch of the Young Sports Journalist competition 2023! We are seeking well-argued articles from students aged 14-24 for this competition.

£150 in each category

Publication | Work experience at The Times and FIPP

Deadline: April 07, 2023

Geminga: $250 for Tiny Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, or Art

Geminga is a neutron star so small it was difficult to detect. It was named, in part, for a transcription of gh’è minga, meaning “it’s not there.” With Geminga: $500 for Tiny Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, or Art, Sunspot Lit honors the power of the small. No restrictions on theme or category. Word limit is 100 for fiction and nonfiction. Micropoetry is limited to 140 characters. Graphic novelsshould be 4 pages or less.

Publication in digital and print

Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult

New Writers Poetry Competition 2023

The New Writers Poetry Competition 2023 is open to published and unpublished poets from around the world. There is no specific theme but poems should be no longer than 40 lines. NewWriters.org.uk will donate £1.00 from each entry to First Story (a creative writing charity in the UK).

2nd: £300 | 3rd: £200

Deadline: July 12, 2023

King of Essay

To all TV shows nerds: we're incredibly excited to announce a competition for the best essay based on the TV series you are keen on. This is a new challenge for folks who may be under budget and interested in winning subscriptions on streaming services (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney).

Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, or Disney+ subscription for 6 months

Deadline: May 15, 2023

Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult

7 Day Story Writing Challenge

Register now for our next 7-day story writing challenge. A secret theme, a randomly assigned genre and just 7 days to write a story of no more than 2,000 words. Our 7 day story writing challenges take place throughout the year. The challenges are free and you can even get feedback on your story. Take part in one challenge or take part in all of them!

Deadline: May 14, 2023

First Pages Prize

This international prize is open to unagented writers anywhere in the world for the first five pages (1,250 words) of a longer work of fiction or creative nonfiction. This year we will award three prizes in BOTH fiction and creative nonfiction! In addition to cash awards, winners receive developmental mentoring, consultation with a literary agent, and publicity.

Developmental Mentoring & Agent Consultation

Deadline: April 10, 2023

Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize

Exceptionally international in scope, the prize supports writers who have not yet published a book-length work, with no limits on age, gender, nationality, or background. The winners of each category (fiction, poetry and life writing) will receive a £1,000 cash prize and publication, and will be published in Wasafiri’s print magazine. Shortlisted writers will have their work published on Wasafiri’s website.

Mentoring & Publication

Deadline: June 30, 2023

Fiction, Poetry, Memoir, Non-fiction

The Mysterious Case

The theme of this contest is "The Mysterious Case". The main character or characters of your entry must have a suspenseful investigation with a mystery in the plot. This change must occur in the story before the end of the fourth chapter and must be mentioned in your book description.

2nd: €250 | 3rd: €100

Deadline: April 02, 2023

Crime, Fiction, Novel

The 2023 Ink Across Borders Prize

The European Society of Literature

This competition is seeking out literary talent in Africa, Asia, and other typically underrepresented parts of the world. We want to build bridges between the West and the East, the North and the South. To ensure writers from these places have the opportunity to gain international attention, we’re launching The 2023 Ink Across Borders Prize.

The Synopsis Skirmish—a contest for querying authors

Darling Axe Editing

Summarize your novel in 500 words for a chance at a $1000 CAD prize pool! Our judge, Michelle Barker, will be asking herself one question: "Does this synopsis convince me that I'm in the hands of an adept novelist with a unique and engaging story to tell?"

2nd: $200 CAD | 3rd: $100 CAD

Deadline: May 31, 2023

Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Nature and Place Poetry Competition

The Rialto working in association with the RSPB, BirdLife International, Cambridge Conservation Initiative and The University of Leeds Poetry Centre. Poems are invited that deal with any aspect of nature and place – these terms will be given a wide interpretation by the judge Ian McMillan.

2nd: £500 | 3rd: £250

Deadline: March 01, 2023 (Expired)

The Pinch Literary Awards & Page Prize

The Pinch Literary Journal

The 2023 Pinch Literary Awards accepts poetry and fiction. The 2023 Page Prize accepts non-fiction.

$2000 for poetry & fiction winners

$1000 for Page Prize winner

Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Non-fiction

Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry

Beloit Poetry Journal

Submit 1-3 unpublished poems on any subject in any style up to a maximum of 10 pages per entry. (We enjoy long poems!)

The Bath Novel Award

The Bath Novel Awards

The Bath Novel Award is a £3,000 international prize for emerging writers of adult fiction. Submit the first 5,000 words plus a one page synopsis of your novel for adults or young adults. Shortlisted entries will receive manuscript feedback and literary agent introductions.

£1800 for one longlistee

Fiction, Novel, Young Adult

North Street Book Prize

Winning Writers

Submit a self-published or hybrid-published book, up to 200,000 words in length. One grand prize winner will receive $10,000, a marketing analysis and one-hour phone consultation with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a $300 credit at BookBaby, three months of Plus service (a $207 value) and a $500 account credit from Book Award Pro, and 3 free ads in the Winning Writers newsletter (a $525 value)

$1,000 for top winner in each category | $300 for honorable mentions

Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Children's, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Write By The Sea Writing Competition

Write By The Sea

Flash Fiction (700 words), Short Story (2,500 words), Poetry (40 lines) Memoir/Personal Essay (1,000 words). The winner of each category will receive a cash prize of €500, a beautiful hand-crafted WBTS 2023 Writing Competition trophy and a free weekend pass to Write By The Sea festival 2023. All four winning pieces will be published on the Write By The Sea website.

2nd: €200 | 3rd: €300

Deadline: June 04, 2023

Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Poetry, Short Story

Dave Williamson National Short Story Competition

Manitoba Writers' Guild

Open to writers across Canada. Short prose in English, 2,500-5,000 words in any fiction genre. We actively encourage submissions from all writers who are 18 years of age or older.

2nd: $600 CAD | 3rd: $400 CAD

Chapter One Prize

Gutsy Great Novelist

The Gutsy Great Novelist Chapter One Prize is awarded for an outstanding first chapter of an unpublished novel. The prize is open internationally to anyone over 18 writing a novel in English in any genre for adult or YA readers. Winners will be announced March 31, 2023.

2nd: $500 |3rd: $250

Fiction, Novel, Young Adult, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller

Romance on the Road

Write an original, factual, first-person travel story about a time you experienced romance while traveling. Feel free to explore romance in all of its manifestations, but ensure that your travel story builds itself around the context of a place or experience. Editors will be looking for originality, voice, and a satisfying story arc that captures attention and makes use of imagery to pull the reader along at every step.

Deadline: March 19, 2023

Non-fiction, Romance, Travel

Aurora Polaris Creative Nonfiction Award

Trio House Press

We seek un-agented full-length creative nonfiction manuscripts including memoir, essay collections, etc. 50,000 - 80,000 words.

Deadline: August 31, 2023

Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction

100 Word Writing Contest

100 words per entry. Submit as many entries as you’d like. All ages. All genders. All nationalities. All writers welcome. This year's theme is the power of words. The words we write, the words we say, the words we keep to ourselves. They make a difference in the lives of those around us. How can you use your words to instill a sense of calm, of hope, of community? To remind one another of the beauty of diversity. To encourage us to support, love, and inspire one another.

2nd: writing coach package 3rd: developmental or diversity editing package.

Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult

Southword Literary Essay Competition

Munster Literature Centre

The competition is open to original, unpublished, personal essays between 2500 ‒ 5000 words. We’re looking for personal, confessional essays which border on memoir ‒ gripping essays full of memories and feelings. The best indicator of the kind of thing which interests us is what we have published in past issues; essays by Kim Addonizio, Sandra Beasley, Simon Van Booy, Carlo Geblér, Thomas Lynch, Anthony Walton, Helen Mort and Kim Moore.

8 Runners-Up: €500

Deadline: February 28, 2023 (Expired)

FemmeFluenza 3.0

This is our third exclusively-for-women-writers story-writing international contest. ‘Cos life is all about celebrating womanhood and surviving through various challenges it brings along! Theme: Separation. Word count: 1000 – 2500 words. Author eligibility: Writers of age 16 and above, from all across the globe. All entries must be in English. Only original works that have not been published in print, digital or online publications will be considered.

Deadline: February 20, 2023 (Expired)

International Welsh Poetry Competition 2023

International Welsh Poetry Competition

The first Welsh Poetry Competition was set up by poet & writer Dave Lewis in 2007. The aim is to inspire people to capture life in the present day and to give a voice to a new generation of poets and writers. We are not interested in purely academic types of literature but would much rather see pure raw passion burst onto the creative writing scene in Wales.

2nd: £250 | 3rd: £125

International Poetry Book Awards 2023

Poetry Book Awards

The Poetry Book Awards is an annual, international book award given to the best poetry books produced by indie writers, self published authors or books published by small, truly independent presses. We are proud to be a Welsh based international awards programme, open to all indie authors and self published poets globally.

2nd: £200 | 3rd: £100 | Publication

Deadline: July 31, 2023

NextTribe Short Story Contest for Women (Over 45)

We believe women age 45+ have much fuel to write good stories, so our contest is exclusively for this demographic.

2 runners up: $100 | Publication in NextTribe

Deadline: May 08, 2023

Discover the finest writing contests of 2022 for fiction and non-fiction authors — including short story competitions, essay writing competitions, poetry contests, and many more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. If you’re looking to stick to free writing contests, simply use our filters as you browse.

Why you should submit to writing contests

Submitting to poetry competitions and free writing contests in 2022 is absolutely worth your while as an aspiring author: just as your qualifications matter when you apply for a new job, a writing portfolio that boasts published works and award-winning pieces is a great way to give your writing career a boost. And not to mention the bonus of cash prizes!

That being said, we understand that taking part in writing contests can be tough for emerging writers. First, there’s the same affliction all writers face: lack of time or inspiration. Entering writing contests is a time commitment, and many people decide to forego this endeavor in order to work on their larger projects instead — like a full-length book. Second, for many writers, the chance of rejection is enough to steer them clear of writing contests.

But we’re here to tell you that two of the great benefits of entering writing contests happen to be the same as those two reasons to avoid them.

When it comes to the time commitment: yes, you will need to expend time and effort in order to submit a quality piece of writing to competitions. That being said, having a hard deadline to meet is a great motivator for developing a solid writing routine.

Think of entering contests as a training session to become a writer who will need to meet deadlines in order to have a successful career. If there’s a contest you have your eye on, and the deadline is in one month, sit down and realistically plan how many words you’ll need to write per day in order to meet that due date — and don’t forget to also factor in the time you’ll need to edit your story!

For tips on setting up a realistic writing plan, check out this free, ten-day course: How to Build a Rock-Solid Writing Routine.

In regards to the fear of rejection, the truth is that any writer aspiring to become a published author needs to develop relatively thick skin. If one of your goals is to have a book traditionally published, you will absolutely need to learn how to deal with rejection, as traditional book deals are notoriously hard to score. If you’re an indie author, you will need to adopt the hardy determination required to slowly build up a readership.

The good news is that there’s a fairly simple trick for learning to deal with rejection: use it as a chance to explore how you might be able to improve your writing.

In an ideal world, each rejection from a publisher or contest would come with a detailed letter, offering construction feedback and pointing out specific tips for improvement. And while this is sometimes the case, it’s the exception and not the rule.

Still, you can use the writing contests you don’t win as a chance to provide yourself with this feedback. Take a look at the winning and shortlisted stories and highlight their strong suits: do they have fully realized characters, a knack for showing instead of telling, a well-developed but subtly conveyed theme, a particularly satisfying denouement?

The idea isn’t to replicate what makes those stories tick in your own writing. But most examples of excellent writing share a number of basic craft principles. Try and see if there are ways for you to translate those stories’ strong points into your own unique writing.

Finally, there are the more obvious benefits of entering writing contests: prize and publication. Not to mention the potential to build up your readership, connect with editors, and gain exposure.

Resources to help you win writing competitions in 2022

Every writing contest has its own set of submission rules. Whether those rules are dense or sparing, ensure that you follow them to a T. Disregarding the guidelines will not sway the judges’ opinion in your favor — and might disqualify you from the contest altogether.

Aside from ensuring you follow the rules, here are a few resources that will help you perfect your submissions.

Free online courses

How to Craft a Killer Short Story

The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction

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Understanding Point of View

Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love

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Bonus resources

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After you submit to a writing competition in 2022

It’s exciting to send a piece of writing off to a contest. However, once the initial excitement wears off, you may be left waiting for a while. Some writing contests will contact all entrants after the judging period — whether or not they’ve won. Other writing competitions will only contact the winners.

Here are a few things to keep in mind after you submit:

Many writing competitions don’t have time to respond to each entrant with feedback on their story. However, it never hurts to ask! Feel free to politely reach out requesting feedback — but wait until after the selection period is over.

If you’ve submitted the same work to more than one writing competition or literary magazine, remember to withdraw your submission if it ends up winning elsewhere.

After you send a submission, don’t follow it up with a rewritten or revised version. Instead, ensure that your first version is thoroughly proofread and edited. If not, wait until the next edition of the contest or submit the revised version to other writing contests.

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A List of Writing Contests in 2022 | Exciting Prizes!

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Writing competitions are vital for any poets and writers who want to be successful. But it’s important to know which poetry competitions, short story contests, and nonfiction contests are worth the effort. So we took a deep dive into the web, looking for the writing contests in 2022 that are both exciting and dependable.

Suffice it to say, you won’t find any sham contests in this list!

Writing Contests in 2022

We love bringing you useful information that can help you along in your writing career. In fact, as your editors and proofreaders , we consider it our duty! So, w e have brought you only the best poetry competitions and the most exciting nonfiction contests.

Whether you’re a poet or a writer, the themes and challenges you’ll find here are sure to make your writing juices flow!

Along with the usual poetry competitions, short story contests, and nonfiction contests, we have a mixed contest category. These contests are open to both poets and writers, accepting entries in multiple genres.

If you can’t find entries for December, don’t worry! We’ll add those as new competitions are declared and more writing contests in 2022 go live. So, make sure to keep an eye out on this page!

Without further ado, let’s begin our list of writing contests in 2022.

September 2022

The month of September has a good mix of short story competitions, poetry contests, book writing competitions, and nonfiction contests. While we couldn’t find an essay contest for you this month, there are several mixed competitions that feature the nonfiction category.

Short story contests 2022

1. the face project .

Each day, the organizer uploads an oil portrait. You have to write a story on this image and send it as your submission. This unique contest allows you to submit up to 28 stories!

Word limit: 1,000

Prize: Feature in a unique art publication

Closing date: 04 September 2022

2. Women’s Fiction Competition 2022 – Short Story

The short story contest is organized by Mslexia . All shortlisted stories will appear in an ebook anthology while the four finalists will be published in the December 2022 edition of Mslexia .

Word limit: 3,000

Prizes: £3,000, three prizes of £100

Entry fee: £12

Closing date: 19 September 2022

3. The Booksie 2022 Short Story Competition

This short story contest is organized by Booksie, an online writing platform. The organizers are looking for stories to make them “laugh, cry and see the world in a slightly different way.”

Word limit: 5,000

Prizes: $500, two prizes of $100

Entry fee: $5.99

Closing date: 24 September 2022

4. Henshaw Short Story Competitions

The short story contest is organized by the Henshaw Press. For a fee of £14, you can get critiques from the competition judges after the results have been announced.

Word limit: 2,000

Prizes: £200, £100, £50

Closing date: 30 September 2022

5. Writer Contest – Writers of the Future

This is the most influential story contest in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. It has three quarterly winners and one yearly winner, who receives a grand prize of an additional $5,000.

Word limit: 17,000

Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500

Poetry contests 2022

6. 20 syllable poem contest.

This poetry contest invites you to create powerful poems in 20 syllables. Do you think you’re up for the challenge?

Word limit: 20 syllables

Closing date: 10 September 2022

7. One Page Poetry Contest – 2022

This poetry contest invites poets to submit a single page of poetry. Aside from this, there are no regulations of genre, style, or theme on the entries.

Word limit: None

Prize: $2,000, $1,000, $500

Closing date: 20 September 2022

8. Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2022

The poetry competition will be judged by Joshua Bennet and Victoria Kennefick. Winners will read their entries alongside judges at the prize-night celebrations!

Word limit: 45 lines

Prizes: £2,000, £1,000, £500

Closing date: 26 September 2022

9. Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

The poetry contest awards one top prize for a poem in any style or genre and another for a poem with rhyme. Soma Mei Sheng Frazier and Michal Jones will judge the contest.

Word limit: 250 lines

Prizes: Two prizes of $3,000 and ten prizes of $200

10. Patricia Eschen Prize for Poetry

This poetry contest is sponsored by the Dennis Myner Trust. Entry is free, but limited to one entry per person. Katrina Naomi and Penelope Shuttle are the judges.

Word limit: 41 lines

Prizes: £1,000, £500, £300

Book writing competitions 2022

11. tales by moonlight novella competition .

The novella writing contest invites entries written in the genre of fantasy with magic as theme. The winner will be determined by audience voting!

Word limit: 15,000–20,000

Closing date: 15 September 2022

12. New Memoir Award

This memoir writing competition asks you to send a 300 word overview of your memoir along with the entry. As you’re longlisted and shortlisted, you’ll be asked to submit more words.

Word limit: 5,000–8,000

Prizes: £1,500, £750, three prizes of £150

Entry fee: £24

13. Miller Williams Poetry Series and Prize

Organized by the University of Arkansas Press, this prize is awarded to the best book of poetry. The organizers are looking for poems that “vivify and disturb.”

Word limit: 60–90 pages

14. The XJ Kennedy Poetry Prize

Texas Review Press has organized this poetry competition every year since 1998. It awards one poet with a publishing contract, a $10,000 advance against royalties, and 20 copies of the book.

Word limit: 50–100 pages

Mixed: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction contests

15. wild atlantic writing awards .

This flash fiction and nonfiction contest will be held in two separate categories. The top ten stories in each category will be published on the Ireland Writing Retreat website with the writers’ permission.

Genres: Flash fiction and creative nonfiction

Word limit: 500

Prizes: €500 and a coupon of €1,000 per category

Entry fee: €10

Closing date: 09 September 2022

16. The Moth Nature Writing Prize

This competition invites poets and writers to submit entries in the genre of nature writing. The winning entry will be published in the winter issue of The Moth .

Genres: Not specified

Word limit: 4,000

Prize: €1,000

Entry fee: €15

17. Olga Sinclair Prize 2022

This writing competition invites poets and writers to submit their entries with no limitations of genre or style. They usually set a theme for their contest, but have decided against it this year.

Prizes: £500, £250, £100

18. Dreamers Flash Fiction and Nonfiction Contest

This flash fiction and nonfiction competition is organized by Dreamers . The winning story will be published in the December 2022 issue of the magazine.

Genres: Flash fiction and nonfiction

Word limit: 300–1,000

Prizes: $150 CAD

Entry fee: $15 CAD

October 2022

While the month of October is dominated by flash fiction and short story contests, it also features a decent number of poetry competitions. After a thorough search, we have also found a nonfiction contest for this month!

Short fiction competitions 2022

1. sas fiction contest 2022-2023.

Organized under the Saints & Sinners LGBTQ+ Literary Festival, the short story contest welcomes queer stories. Top ten finalists will be published in an anthology, for which there will be a book release party.

Theme: Saints and sinners

Word limit: 3,000–7,000

Closing date: 01 October 2022

2. TWFest Fiction Contest 2022-2023

The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival has organized this short story competition. It is open to only unpublished authors, so writers who have self-published are not eligible.

Word limit: 7,000

Closing date: 02 October 2022

3. Bath Flash Fiction Award

This flash fiction competition is currently open for its July to October round. 50 longlisted entries will be offered publication and the published writers will receive a free print copy of the anthology.

Word limit: 300

Prizes: £1000, £300, £100, two prizes of £30

Entry fee: £25

Closing date: 15 October 2022

4. Creative Writing Contests – Calvino Prize

The fiction writing contest is organized by the Creative Writing Program at the University of Louisville. You may submit up to 25 pages of any piece of fiction.

Word limit: 25 pages

Prizes: $2000, $300

5. The Raven Short Story Contest

The short story contest is organized by Pulp Literature and the winning entry will be published in the Spring 2022 issue of the magazine. The contest has an early bird entry fee of $15, so hurry up!

Word limit: 2,500

Early bird deadline: 15 September 2022

6. TWFest Very Short Fiction Contest 2022-2023

The flash fiction writing contest is open to writers who haven’t published a book of short fiction yet. The winning entry will be published in New Orleans Review Archive Features.

Closing date: 16 October 2022

7. The GBP Short Story Prize 2022/23

The Galley Beggar Press has organized this short story competition for both published and unpublished writers. Shortlisted entries receive £200 while the longlisted one receive gift vouchers.

Word limit: 6,000

Prizes: £2500, some prizes of £200, and others

Entry fee: £10

8. Letter Review Prize for Short Stories

Letter Review has organized this short story competition to provide an opportunity for fiction writers. All longlisted and shortlisted writers have a chance to get published with Letter Review.

Word limit: 400–3,000

Prizes: $600, $250, $150

Closing date: 31 October 2022

9. Fiction Factory Short Story Competition

The short story contest welcomes entries on any theme. The winning entry will be published on the website and published in an anthology at a later date.

10. The Larry Brown Short Story Award

Pithead Chapel has organized this short story contest. Five finalists will be published in the January 2023 issue of the magazine. Don’t forget to attach a cover letter with your entry!

Prizes: $500, $50, $50

Entry free: $10

Poetry competitions 2022

11. martha richardson poetry prize 2022.

Ballarat Writers has organized this poetry contest to celebrate the poet Martha Richardson. I will publish the winning entry on their website in December 2022.

Word limit: 40 lines

Prizes: AUS $1,000, AUS $400, AUS $100

Entry fee: AUS $20 per poem

12. 2023 Peter Porter Poetry Prize

This is one of Australia’s most respected poetry contests. It awards single-authored poems in memory of the late Australian poet Peter Porter.

Word limit: 70 lines

Prizes: $6,000 AUD, four prizes of $1,000 AUD

Closing date: 03 October 2022

13. SAS POETRY Contest 2022-2023

The poetry contest invites LGBTQ+ poets around the world to submit their entries. One entry may consist of up to 2–4 poems. Top finalists will be published in a poetry chapbook.

Word limit: 400 lines

14. TWFest Poetry Contest 2022-2023

The poetry competition invites entries with up to 2–4 poems. It is open to poets who haven’t published a book of poetry. Writers who have published in other genres are eligible to enter.

15. Anthology Poetry Award 2022

Organized by Anthology , the poetry competition awards a top poem with the cash prize and publication. The organizers advise you to go through earlier issues to learn about the type of material they publish.

Entry fee: €15

16. National Poetry Competition

One of the world’s most prestigious contests, it runs alongside the Peggy Poole Award, which will award one poet from North West of England, mentorship from a judge of this competition.

Prizes: £5,000, £2,000, £1,000, £200

17. Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award

Red Hen Press has organized this competition, awarding an unpublished book of poetry with a cash prize and publication. The winner also receives a four-week residency at PLAYA residency.

Word limit: 48–96 pages

Nonfiction contests

18. 2022 nonfiction contest.

The contest is organized by EVENT magazine. The organizers urge writers to explore the form of creative nonfiction. Entry to the contest comes with a one-year subscription of the magazine.

Prizes: $1,500, $1,000, $500

Entry fee: $34.95

19. Quarterly Creative Nonfiction Contest

WOW! Women on Writing has organized this essay writing contest. You may opt for a critique from the judges by paying a fee of $25. The entries are limited to 300, so don’t waste any time!

Word limit: 200–1,000

Prizes: $500, $300, $200

Entry free: $12

Book writing contests

20. grindstone 2022 novel prize.

Send the first 5,000 words of a manuscript longer than 50,000 words in length, targeted to adults or young adults. All longlisted works will be forwarded to top agencies in the UK.

Prizes: £1,000, £500, four prizes of £125

Entry fee: £16

21. The Megaphone Prize

This writing competition invites debut writers of color to send their short story collections. It also allows 25 fee waivers for writers with low income. Award-winning writer Deesha Philyaw is the judge.

Word limit: 35,000–80,000

22. Novel Opening & Synopsis Award

The novel writing contest invites you to submit one chapter of your novel with a synopsis. Your novel need not be completed or published to qualify for the award.

Word limit: 3,000 words; an additional 750 words for synopsis

Prizes: £500, £200

23. Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize

This writing competition is organized by The Missouri Review . The organizers invite poets and writers to submit entries in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry

Word limit: 8,500

Prizes: Three prizes of $5,000

24. 2022 Short Story and Poetry Competition

The competition invites poets and writers to send their entries in two categories. Both categories feature three contests, which increases your chances of winning! The contest also has a lower fee for full-time students.

Genres: Short story and poetry

Word limit: 3,000 and 40 lines

Prizes: £1000, £200, £100 per category

Entry fee: £7.5 per story/poem

25. She Writes Press and SparkPress Toward Equality in Publishing

She Writes Press has organized this writing contest to recognize two BIPOC women writers with publication packages and a 500 book print run. The contest also welcomes trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer people.

Genres: Fiction and nonfiction

Word limit: 50 pages

Prizes: Publication packages

26. SaveAs Writers’ International Writing Competition 2022

The writing contest invites poets and writers to submit entries that display a link to any mythology. The contest celebrates the centenary of the publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses .

Genres: Fiction and poetry

Word limit: 3,500 for short story; 60 lines for poetry

Prizes: £200, £100, and £50 for both categories

Entry free: £3 for poetry; £4 for story

27. The Bedford Competition

The writing competition is open to all international poets and writers over 17 years of age. The organizers donate the proceeds from the contest to charities that support literary and literacy skills.

Word limit: 3,000 for short story; 40 lines for poetry

Prizes: £1,000, £300, and £200 for both categories

Entry free: £7.5 for poetry or story

November 2022

We’ve found some interesting contests for you in November, including a travel writing contest and a six-word contest! We managed to jot down two nonfiction contests this time around, and they’re both in the genres of creative nonfiction.

Flash fiction contests 2022

1. the smokelong quarterly award for flash fiction .

The grand prize winner of this flash fiction writing competition will be automatically nominated for several other influential prizes. You may submit entries in other languages as long as it’s accompanied by an English translation!

Prizes: $2,500, $1,000, $500, multiple prizes of $100

Entry free: $12 / $14

Closing date: 02 October / 15 November 2022

2. Fiction Factory Flash Fiction Competition

The writing competition is organized by Fiction Factory and welcomes entries in all genres except children’s and young adult literature.

Closing date: 30 November 2022

3. New Writers Flash Fiction Competition 2022

The organizers of this flash fiction competition invite you to submit works of fiction of any genre, style, or theme. All entrants can submit up to three entries.

Word limit: 300

Prizes: £700, £200, £100

4. Flash Fiction Competition

This quarterly flash fiction contest will start accepting entries on the 1st of September. All longlisted entries stand a chance to be published in the contest anthology!

Word limit: 180–360

Prizes: £1,200, £600, £300, £150

Starting date: 01 September 2022

Short story contests

5. western writing contest.

FanStory has organized this short story competition for stories with Old West themes. The contest has a limit of one entry per writer, and all writers receive feedback on their submission.

Word limit: 2,000–5,000

Closing date: 29 November 2022

6. ServiceScape Short Story Award 2022

ServiceScape has organized this short story competition to help new writers reach bigger audiences. All genres and themes are welcome, and the winning story will be published on their blog.

7. Fish Short Story Prize

This year, Sarah Hall will judge the esteemed short story competition. Ten winners will be published in the Fish Anthology 2023. The top two winners also get additional prizes!

Prizes: €3,000, €300, €300, seven prizes of €200, and more

Entry free: €20

8. Brick Road Poetry Book Contest

This poetry contest is open to book length poetry manuscripts. The winning entry receives a publishing contract, and other finalists will also be considered for publication.

Prizes: $1,000 and 25 copies of the book

Entry free: $30

Closing date: 01 November 2022

6. Edwin Markham Prize for Poetry 2022

The poetry competition by Reed Magazine “celebrates the wonderful diversity of forms, styles, and levels of diction available to the contemporary poet.” You may submit up to five poems in one entry.

Word limit: None

Closing date: 02 November 2022

8. Sonnet Poetry Contest

This poetry contest invites poets to submit sonnets in iambic pentameter, the way Shakespeare wrote it! The organizers have provided detailed instructions on the kind of sonnet they accept, so make sure to go through those!

Word limit: 14 lines

Closing date: 06 November 2022

9. Cafe Writers Poetry Competition

Cafe Writers has organized this poetry contest and it will be judged by Jennifer Wong this year. The contest offers a fee concession for UK poets with a household income of less than £16,000.

Prizes: £1,000, £300, £200, £100, five prizes of £50

Entry free: £4 per poem

Closing date: 14 November 2022

10. Lune Poetry Contest

This poetry competition has been organized by FanStory. Lune is known as the American Haiku and is written in three lines. All poets receive feedback on their submission.

Word limit: 13 syllables

Closing date: 16 November 2022

11. Minute Poetry Contest

A minute poem has three four-line stanzas that follow a “8,4,4,4” syllable structure. So the poem is twelve lines in total, written in strict iambic meter. Are you ready to take on the challenge?

Word limit: 60 syllables

Closing date: 22 November 2022

12. Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition

Munster Literature Centre has organized this poetry contest, to be judged by Suji Kwock Kim. The top prize comes with a featured reading at Cork International Poetry Festival and all finalists will be published in Southword .

Prizes: €2,000, €500, €250, ten prizes of €50

Entry free: €7 per poem

13. Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction 2022

The nonfiction contest invites writers to submit stand-alone essays of creative nonfiction. It is organized by Reed Magazine and accepts only unpublished work.

Word limit: 5,000

Closing date: 12 November 2022

14. True Story Contest

The nonfiction contest is organized by FanStory. The organizers ask you to submit a true story that will “allow readers insight into your feelings, observations and/or thoughts.”

Book writing competitions

15. the caledonia novel award.

The novel writing contest invites you to send the first 20 pages of your manuscript along with a synopsis of 200 words. They have some sponsored entries for writers with low income.

Word limit: 20 pages

16. Bath Children’s Novel Award

Leading literary agents in the genre of children’s fiction judge this contest in search of “potential rather than perfection”. Junior Judges, aged up to seventeen years old, will select the shortlisted entries!

Entry fee: £29

17. Quill Prose Award

This competition awards queer people’s writing in the genre of fiction or nonfiction. The organizers seek to “work against the negative politics of labeling while honoring and empowering authors who identify as queer.”

Word limit: 25,000

18. Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Competition

This mystery novel competition invites writers to send published manuscripts that revolve around murder or other serious crimes. This is a great opportunity for self-published writers!

Word limit: 65,000

Mixed: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction contests

19. six word wonder contest 2022.

This eccentric contest invites poets and writers to compose anything in under six words: a poem, a story, a memoir, or even a joke! It allows you to send up to six entries at once, so why not take the chance?

20. Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest

The writing competition is organized by Tadpole Press. Write a hundred words without the constraints of genre or theme, and see where you end up!

Word limit: 100

Prize: $1,000 and others

December 2022

We’ll keep adding to this list as the year passes and more contests go live with a December deadline. For now, these are our entries for this month, and poetry contests outnumber all others!

Short fiction contests

1. 7 day story writing challenges .

The short story contest runs every seven days, and those registered are assigned a genre and a secret theme. Writers who register don’t need to re-register for a new cycle of the contest.

Closing date: 31 December 2022

2. Flash Fiction Competition

Flash 500 organizes this flash competition as a quarterly open-themed contest. The competition “truly reflects the skill required to encapsulate an entire story in just 500 words.”

Prizes: £300, £200, £100

Poetry competitions

3. four line poem contest.

The organizers of this poetry competition want you to write a four line poem with this syllable structure: 1, 5, 5, 9. All poets receive feedback on their submission. Think you’re up for the challenge?

Word limit: 20 syllables

Closing date: 22 December 2022

4. The Moth Poetry Prize

This is one of the biggest poetry contests awarding a single unpublished poem. Nobel Prize-winning poet Louise Glück is the judge this year. The winner will be announced at a special award ceremony at Poetry Ireland in Dublin.

Prize: €6,000

Closing date: 31 December 2022

5. Blue Mountain Arts Poetry Contest

This is the 41st bi-annual poetry contest Blue Mountain Arts has organized. Poets are invited to send both rhyming or non-rhyming poems, but the organizers have a preference for non-rhyming poetry.

Prizes: $350, $200, $100

6. The Poetry.com Contest

The platform organizes monthly poetry competitions where all participants vote for the winning entry. Every month, the organizers offer five free entries for poets who can’t pay the entry fee.

Word limit: 75 lines

7. 2023 Poetry Competition

The Society of Classical Poets has organized this poetry contest, inviting poets to submit their entries with a meter. The organizers encourage rhyme and other traditional techniques, but they’re not required.

Word limit: 108 lines

Entry free: $20

Nonfiction contest

8. free writing competition – my writing journey .

This essay writing contest invites you to submit entries on the given theme. The winning entry will be published on The Writers College blog and newsletter. Send the essay in the body of your email, and not as an attachment!

Theme: The best writing tip I’ve ever received

Word limit: 600

9. Orna Ross Green Stories Novel Prize

The writing competition invites novels that engage with green solutions and raise awareness about “the necessary transformations towards a sustainable economy”. Send three chapters from your novel with a synopsis.

Word limit: 4,000–10,000

Prizes: £1000, £500

Closing date: 01 December 2022

10. Chimera Fantasy Awards

This fantasy book writing competition is in its inaugural year, inviting unpublished and self-published writers to submit the first 20,000 words of their manuscripts along with a synopsis. The 12 shortlisted entries will be published on their website!

Word limit: 20,000

Prizes: £2500, £1200, £600

11. First Crime Novel Competition

The novel writing contest is open to writers who haven’t yet published a book, but self-published authors are eligible to enter! Just make sure the manuscript you’re submitting hasn’t been self-published.

Word limit: 40,000–66,000

Closing date: 16 December 2022

Mixed contest

12. 2023 work anthology .

Unleash Press has organized this writing contest, inviting poets and writers to submit entries about “the job you loved… The job you loathed… The job that told you about yourself.”

Genres: Essay, fiction, drama, poetry

Entry free: $10

We hope this list of writing contests in 2022 got you excited to write some poems, stories, or essays, and win some prizes.

If you happen to win any of these contests, be sure to inform your editors! In case you don’t win any, remember that it’s not the prizes that are important, but the writing practice you’ll get out of this experience.

For now, dear poets and writers, good luck!

Found this article helpful?

11 comments on “ A List of Writing Contests in 2022 | Exciting Prizes! ”

Hello! Is it possible to have a flash fiction competition added to this list? If so, can you please add Pigeon Review’s contest here?

Hi Nathaniel! The flash fiction contest has been added. Thanks for reaching out to us!

Love the article. A great set of contests!

Great job on the list, I can see you’ve curated the best contests for us. Especially love the poetry contest entries…

Nice job ! What about travel writing and opinion pieces, plays and screenplays ?

Hi Shipra! We’ll be sure to look for these contests and add them in the next round. Thanks for your suggestion!

Please add more December competitions..

The Chimera Fantasy Awards are in their inaugural year, offering prizes of £2500, £1200 and £600 to self-published and unpublished fantasy novelists. Entrance fee is just £6.

Hi Lukas! We’ve added the fantasy contest to the list. Good luck on your inaugural year! We hope it’s a huge success.

This is a great oppotunity thank you

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Curiosity Never Killed the Writer

39 Writing Contests in August 2022 — No entry fees

T his August there over three dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $100,000 to a free writing class. None charge entry fees.

Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month’s contests go to Free Contests . Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline is past, you can prepare for next year.

______________________

Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants . Restrictions : Open to women and trans artists in Greater Philadelphia to fund art for social change projects. People living in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties Delaware who are 18 years of age or older and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible. Genres : Art in traditional or nontraditional modes, mediums or disciplines. Prize : $2500. Deadline : August 1, 2022.

Source Writing Prize . Restrictions : Open to writers who have not written for Source before. Genre : Book reviews, exhibition reviews or texts introducing sets of pictures, so these would be good models to follow. “But we are also interested in others forms of writing so if you want to submit something in a different form then please do.” Prize : £500 / 570 euro. Deadline : August 1, 2022.

Lee & Low Books New Voices Award is sponsored by Lee &Low Publishers. Restrictions : The contest is open to writers of color who are residents of the United States and who have not previously had a children’s picture book published. Genre : Children’s books — fiction, nonfiction or poetry. Prize : $1,000 and publication. Deadline : August 1, 2022.

Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships . Restrictions : Delaware poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in Delaware for at least one year prior to application and who are not enrolled in a degree-granting program. Genres : Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction. Prize : Established Professional Fellowships of $6,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $3,000 each. Deadline : August 1, 2022.

Epigram Books Fiction Prize . Restrictions : Authors must be Singaporean, Singaporean permanent resident or Singapore-born. Genre : A full-length, original and unpublished novel written in the English language. Prize : $20,000. Deadline : August 1, 2022.

Granum Foundation Prize helps U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works — such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, and memoirs — or to help launch these works. Additionally, a Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be awarded to support the completion of a work translated by a U.S.-based writer. Prize : One winner will receive $5,000; up to three finalists will be awarded $500 or more; $500 or more will be awarded to one writer working in translation. Deadline : August 2, 2022.

Oregon Literary Fellowships . Two fellowships (one $10,000 grant and one $3,500 grant) are reserved specifically for writers of color. There are also fellowships for women/gender-nonconforming writers as well as special fellowships for fiction writers who have lived in Oregon over the past 5 years. Deadline : August 5, 2022.

Peter Blazey Fellowship . Restrictions : Applicants must either be an Australian citizen or have Australian residency. Genre : Non-fiction in the fields of autobiography, biography or life writing. Prize : $15 000, and a one-month writer-in-residency at The Australia Centre. Deadline : August 8, 2022.

Stone Canoe . Restrictions : Open to people who live or have lived in Upstate New York (not New York City). Genres : Drama, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. Prize : $500 and publication. Deadline : August 8, 2022 for poetry. (It is difficult to find this information on their website.)

Scotiabank Giller Prize . Restrictions : Open to books published in Canada in English between July 1, 2022, and September 30, 2022. Must be nominated by publisher. Genre : Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize : $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline : August 12, 2022.

Rebecca Swift Women’s Poetry Award . Restrictions : Open to women poets in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Prize : £1,000. Deadline : August 12, 2022.

Waterford Poetry Prize . Restrictions : Open to residents of Ireland. Genre : Poem. Prize : First prize is €400 plus attendance at a designated writing course. Deadline : August 12, 2022.

4thWrite Short Story Prize . Restrictions : Open to Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic writers aged 18+ living in the UK or Ireland. Genre : Short story, 6,000 words maximum. Prize : £1,000, a one-day publishing workshop at 4th Estate and publication of their story on the Guardian website. Deadline : August 14, 2022.

Apparition Lit . Genre : Flash fiction between 1k words max based on the theme. Prize : $30. Deadline : August 14, 2022.

Wintermute Lit . Restrictions : Open to emerging writers who have not published a full-length manuscript or chapbook. The work you submit can have been previously published but not awarded large national/international awards. Genre : Speculative fiction, maximum of 4500 words. Prize: Winners receive cash prizes, speculative books of their choice, and publication in Wintermute. Deadline : August 14, 2022. Reprints accepted .

The Yale Drama Series . Genre : Original, unpublished full-length plays, with a minimum of 65 pages. Prize : $10,000. Deadline : August 15, 2022.

Society of Classical Poets Haiku Competition . Genre : Haiku. Prize : $100. Deadline : August 15, 2022.

The Gotham “Manuscript-to-Market” Fellowship . Restrictions : Open to people of color who have completed a book manuscript (or nonfiction book proposal) and are ready to go to market with their book. Three fellowships will be offered every year. Prize : Admittance to the Gotham Writers Conference — the panels and presentations as well as a seat at a pitching roundtable with two agents in your genre. The Gotham course How to Get Published or Nonfiction Book Proposal. A one-on-one Agent Evaluation session and a Query Letter Coaching session, both with a literary agent. Deadline : August 15, 2022.

Quarterly West . Genre : Poetry chapbook. Prize : $500. Deadline : August 15, 2022.

Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence . Restrictions : Emerging African American writers. Genres : Short story collection or novel published in the current year. Prize : $10,000. Deadline : August 15, 2022.

Ligonier Valley Writers . Genre : Flash fiction on theme of “mermaids, selkies, and other water dwellers”;1000 words max. Prize : The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15. Deadline : August 15, 2022.

Women’s Prize for Fiction . Genre : Published novel by a woman. Entrants must be writing in English and must be published in the UK between 1 April 2022 and 30 September 2022. All subject matters and women of any age, from any nationality or country of residence are eligible. Prize : £30,000.00. Deadline : August 26, 2022.

Frank O’Connor International Short Story Fellowship . Restrictions : Open to writers living within Munster and a commuting distance from Cork City. “The Short Story Fellow must have at least two full-length works of fiction published at the time of deadline, of which at least one must be a short story collection. The ideal candidate will be a writer respected by peers and experienced in the giving of writing workshops.” Genre : Short fiction. Fellowship : A stipend of €8000, in four monthly instalments of €2000. Deadline : August 29, 2022.

The Canadian Women Artists’ Award . Restrictions : Open to Canadian women living in New York who are between the ages of 21 and 35 before the application deadline. Genre : Fiction, poetry. Grant : $5,000. Deadline : August 30, 2022.

Debra E. Bernhardt Labor Journalism Prize . Genre : Article that furthers the understanding of the history of working people. Articles focused on historical events AND articles about current issues (work, housing, organizing, health, education) that include historical context are both welcome. The work should be published in print or online between August 31, 2021 and August 30, 2022. Prize : $1000. Deadline : August 30, 2022.

Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction . Genre : Essay, maximum 5,000 words. Prize : $250 top prize. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation or Multi-Lingual Texts . Restrictions : Translators and authors of multi-lingual texts. Genres : Poetry and prose. Prize : $200. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

Storyhouse . Genre : Biographical nonfiction. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. 1000–10,000 words in length. Stories must be suitable for children. Prize : $200. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

Poetry Archive NOW! WordView 2022 . Genre : Poetry. “Make a video/film recording of yourself reading or reciting a single poem which you have written in 2022.” Prize : £100. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize . Genre : Poetry collection (in English), at least 48 pages long, published between July 1 of the previous year and June 30 of the deadline year by an upstate New York author. Prize : $2000. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

What’s Your Story? Restrictions : Open to Victorian residents. (Australia) Genre : Poetry, short stories, CNF. Prize : $500. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

Kindle Storyteller Award (UK) . Restrictions : The prize is open to all authors who publish their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk. Genre : Book. Prize : £20,000. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers . Restrictions : The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $750 in any single year. Genre : Biographical Nonfiction. Prize : First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to “revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful.” Genre : Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize : $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline : August 31, 2022. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award . Restrictions : Open to authors aged 18–35 as of December 31 of the deadline year. Books must have been first published in the UK and/or the Republic of Ireland, in the English language, between June 23 of the preceding year and August 31 of the deadline year. Authors must be UK or Irish citizens, or residents for the three years preceding the award. Genre : Published or self-published book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Prize : £10,000. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing . Genre : Scholarly essay. All work submitted must have been written or published within the last year. Prize : $3,000. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing . Genre : Short story with an overall word-count of 2000 on theme: ‘Storytelling” Prize : £100. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

YORKSHIRE PRIZE: The Good Old Days . Restrictions : The Yorkshire Prize is open to residents of Yorkshire, UK. Genre : Short story set in Yorshire, maximum word count of 2000 per entry. Prize : £100, and two further commendations of £25. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

#GWstorieseverywhere . Genre : Micro fiction or essay on theme of Dreamy. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. Prize : Free Gotham class. Deadline : August 31, 2022.

Like this article? For more articles about the publishing world, useful tips on how to get an agent, agents who are looking for clients, how to market and promote your work, building your online platform, how to get reviews, self-publishing, as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers (no agent required) visit Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity .

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Erica Verrillo

Helping writers get published and bolstering their flagging spirits at http://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/

Free Guide – 2022 Winter Guide to Writing Contests

free non fiction writing competitions 2022

Love writing contests? So do we.

That’s why we’ve created your ultimate guide to writing contests in early 2022. Inside, you’ll find contests for every genre, all with deadlines in the upcoming months. Prizes range from $25 to $10,000, and while most require entry fees, others are free to enter. We’ve also included tips for selecting which competitions to enter and insight as to how contests are judged. Don’t wait – download our guide today!

Free Download- 2022 Winter Guide to Writing Contests

Stay in touch with The Writer

Keep up with current events in the writing world.

… and how to put them right! Advice and opportunities for new, aspiring and upcoming journalists and writers of non-fiction

Writing Contests (North America)

free non fiction writing competitions 2022

For a list of contests from UK and Europe, some of which are open to writers outside Europe, click here .

We aim to avoid listing competitions whose terms and conditions request copyright in entries submitted — or make other unreasonable demands. T&Cs are usually checked, but some may slip through. Please check carefully before participating.

Note that some entry fees may seem expensive, but often offer additional benefits, such as an annual magazine subscription.

MARCH 2023 DEADLINES

28th March The Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest C$1,000 top prize. C$40 entry (includes a Canadian subscription).

31st March Restless Books Immigrant Writing Prize in Nonfiction For “outstanding debut literary works by first-generation immigrants, awarded for fiction and nonfiction in alternating years. The winner receives $10,000 and publication by Restless Books”. Opens December 5th to works of nonfiction.

APRIL 2023 DEADLINES

1st April Zone 3 Press Creative Nonfiction Book Award Manuscript 120-250 pages. $25 fee. “Manuscripts that embrace creative nonfiction’s potential by combining lyric exposition, researched reflection, travel dialogues, or creative criticism are encouraged. Memoir, personal narrative, essay collections, and literary nonfiction are also invited.” Entries open 1st January.

Terry Tempest Williams Creative Nonfiction Prize 500–10,000 words. $1,000 first prize.

14th April Narratively Profile Prize For “surprising and awe-inspiring stories about one-of-a-kind people or groups”. 1,500–7,000 words. $20 entry fee. $3,000 top prize / 2 x $1,000 runners-up.

16th April The Gulf Coast Prize for Nonfiction For “a single prose work not exceeding 7,000 words”. $26 entry fee. $1,500 top prize, plus 2 x $250.

27th April F(r)fiction Creative Nonfiction Contest $500 or $1,000 top prize (contradictory information on site). $15 entry fee.

30th April Tom Howard / John H Reid Fiction & Essay Prize Essay first prize $3,000. $22 entry. 6,000 words max.

Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest Any genre. $10 entry; $1,000 top prize. “The theme is humor as a way to change something negative into something better. As we process the grief, uncertainty, and anxiety from the past few years, how can we use humor to experience joy, growth, and lightness?”

MAY 2023 DEADLINES

15th May Ploughshares Emerging Writers Contest Opens 1st March. Open to writers who have yet to publish a book. Nonfiction is 6,000 words max. Free to subscribers; $24 to enter / subscribe. $2,000 prize in each category (also fiction / poetry).

31st May Storyhouse General Nonfiction Contest No entry fee. $100 top prize. $50 runner up.

JUNE 2023 DEADLINES

1st June The Fiddlehead’s Annual Creative Nonfiction Contest Opens 1st March. C$2,000 for best creative nonfiction essay. Entry fees: C$35 (Canada) / C$45 (elsewhere), plus C$10 for subsequent entries.

15th June Living Spring Publishers Baby Boomers Plus Contest “Tell us about an experience growing, or use your experience gained and tell us a story. The entry may be fiction or nonfiction. This contest is for anyone who was born 1966 or earlier. The entry fee is $20. The word count for this contest is 900–5,000 words … First, second and third place finalists receive cash prizes of $500, $200 and $100 respectively.”

30th June North Street Book Prize For “self-published or hybrid-published books” in one of several categories, including creative nonfiction and memoir. Entry fee $75. Category top prize: $1,000, plus runner up $300. Opens 15th February.

FUTURE DEADLINES

NB : Most of the following are included on the basis of having run in the previous year, but may be provisional or as yet unconfirmed for the upcoming month specified.

March 2023 Zone 3 Press Creative Nonfiction Book Award

May 2023 2023 Curt Johnson Prose Awards The Iowa Review Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans

June 2023 Hunger Mountain’s Creative Nonfiction Prize A&U Magazine Christopher Hewitt Award Narratively Spring 2022 Memoir Prize Preservation Foundation Storyhouse General Nonfiction Contest

July 2023 Women on Writing Nonfiction Contest

August 2023 Constance Rooke Creative Non-Fiction Prize / Malahat Review AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards Tulip Tree Publishing’s Stories That Need to Be Told Contest The Preservation Foundation Biographical Nonfiction Contest

September 2023 Writers Digest Personal Essay Awards Puerto del Sol Prose Competition Terrain.org 13th Annual Contest Peninsula Pulse’s Hal Prize The Travelers’ Tales Solas Awards for Best Travel Writing Touchstone Literary Magazine Debut Prize in Nonfiction for Emerging Writers The Lascaux Prize in Creative Nonfiction 2022 San Francisco Writing Contest Dreamers Creative Writing Flash Fiction/Nonfiction Contest

October 2023 Jeffrey E Smith Editors’ Prize American Literary Review Prizes Event Magazine’s Non Fiction Contest Narrative’s Fall 2022 Story Contest The Preservation Foundation Travel Nonfiction Writing Contest Tuscon Festival of Books Literary Awards Sowell Emerging Writers Prize WOW! Women On Writing Nonfiction Essay Contest Storyhouse General Nonfiction Contest

November 2023 Ned Stuckey-French Nonfiction Contest Room Magazine Short Forms Contest Cutthroat Writing Awards The Malahat Review Open Season Awards MayDAY Magazine Creative Nonfiction Prize Brooklyn Nonfiction Prize Carve Magazine’s Prose & Poetry Contest Red Hen Press Quill Prose Award ServiceScape Short Story Award Prairie Fire Creative Nonfiction Contest 55th New Millennium Writing Awards Soul Making Keats Literary Competition

December 2023 Briarpatch’s Writing in the Margins Awards The Eunice Williams Nonfiction Prize TCK Publishing Nonfiction Writing Contest

January 2024 Mississippi Review Prize The DISQUIET Prize The Writer 100-Word Contest H.R.Percy Short Creative Non Fiction Prize John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest North Carolina Writers’ Network’s Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Contest National Magazine Awards (Canada) The BookLife Prize Iowa Review Awards

February 2024 Montana Prize in Creative Nonfiction Ottawa Tourism Travel Writing Award The Writers’ Union of Canada Short Prose Competition Lazuli Literary Group Writing Contest SPJ’s New America Award Red Hen Women’s Prose Prize Creative Nonfiction Collective Writing Contest AWP Prize for Creative Nonfiction CBC Nonfiction Prize The Writer Essay Contest

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"Writing Contests & Writing Competitions in 2023: The Definitive Guide"

"a comprehensive and regularly updated list of writing contests in 2023. whether you are an aspiring or established author, here you will find a complete list of short story, novel, poetry, books and essay competitions where you can submit your fiction and non-fiction masterpieces for the chance to win great prizes and receive notoriety for your work.".

The Story of the Year Contest is back for the sixth year, seeking diverse short stories that are ‘easy to read, and hard to put down.’ The 2022 competition will run from October 4th to December 27th and will feature four distinct award categories. Winners will be announced March 7, 2023 to receive over $12,000 in cash prizes, in addition to publication in both digital and print form.

The Story of the Year Contest is back for the sixth year, seeking diverse short stories that are ‘easy to read, and hard to put down.’

The 2022 competition will run from October 4th to December 27th and will feature four distinct award categories. Winners will be announced March 7, 2023 to receive over $12,000 in cash prizes, in addition to publication in both digital and print form.

You’ve just been given access to your own source code. You’re free to change it in any way you’d like. But, the changes you make might have unforeseen consequences.

Imagine what change(s) you would make to your own source code. Then, explore the possible consequences of your edits. What is it like living in the world as an altered, potentially superpowerful person? We encourage you to explore what would happen if your edits create outcomes that are misaligned with your goals.

Are you sick of prince charming showing up to save the day? The jock falling for the (secretly beautiful) nerd? The billionaire falling for his intern? Then this is the contest for you!

We want to read your most heart-wrenching tales this spooky season. So don’t hold back, give us your best tear-jerkers, terrifying tales, or maybe your MC’s are just having a tough ol’ time before they finally find each other.

It’s time to break out of your comfort zone and bring your readers on a bumpy ride ;)

Xavier Knight is a womanizing, adrenaline-chasing, troublemaker and New York's favorite bad-boy billionaire. When his father grows tired of Xavier's antics, he arranges a marriage with Angela Carson. Angela is everything Xavier is not: kind-hearted, warm, and innocent. But Xavier can see right through her. She’s a gold-digger. And he’s going to make her life as “Mrs. Xavier Knight” a living hell.

Calling all "The Arrangement" fans and fanfiction writers! Whether it’s a steamy short story of Xavier and Angela’s 'sexcapades,' a full-length novel of an alternate reality, or anything in between; we want you to share your best stories that are inspired by “The Arrangement.”

Start reading The Arrangement for free on Inkitt!

We’re looking for first chapters that grab our attention and leave us wanting more. Your chapter should set the stage for the story to come, establishing key elements like character, world and conflict.

All qualified entrants will receive professional feedback and have the opportunity to revise their story prior to judging.

Word count: 2,000 to 3,000 words.

-Stories are judged by leading professional genre authors, including Orson Scott Card, Brandon Sanderson, Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Herbert, Sean Williams, Larry Nevin, Nnedi Okorafore, Kathryn Kress, and many more. (https://www.writersofthefuture.com/writer-judges/)

-All winning stories are published in the annual anthology and you retain the rights to your story. -Submissions open to all countries.

-Stories are judged blind. Authors of every age, gender, race, and nationality compete on equal ground.

-Names and addresses are removed for blind judging based on the merit of the storytelling alone.

-Must be a new author to enter. (https://www.writersofthefuture.com/contest-rules-writers/)

-17,000 word limit.

-Free online writing workshop available to get an edge on the competition.

LiteraTea are looking for submissions to their Emerging Writers Short Story Contest

LiteraTea employs a rolling reading period. Once sufficient qualified entries, around 100, are received, finalists will be selected and announced.

A community reading period follows this announcement, prior to judging. Then, the contest will reset .

LiteraTea's Emerging Writers’ Contest is dedicated to supporting writers who would benefit from our Advanced Writers' Program, LiteraTea's highest membership level.

The word count of your submission should be 1200-3000 words.

Submission is free!

Seeking short fiction of any genre between 250 - 750 words. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, great writing, and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants.

Electronic submissions via e-mail only; reprints/previously published okay; simultaneous submissions okay; multiple submissions are okay as long as they are submitted in their own individual e-mail. Open internationally.

Limit: 300 entries.

The nights are getting darker, the weather is getting colder, and the atmosphere is getting that little bit spookier. It can all mean only one thing, that Spooky Season is well and truly here.This fall, we want you to write your creepiest, scariest, spookiest stories to celebrate this Halloween season. Whether it is a horror, thriller, suspense or mystery, your story should have the reader wanting to sleep with their light on. Are you up for the challenge?

Submit your horror, thriller, mystery or suspense novel for the chance to win a publishing contract, social media spotlights, and an Inkitt certified badge for your story!

The Voices of Impact Awards™ celebrates and equips people with stories that inspire humanity. It’s perfect for Authors, Speakers, Coaches, Trainers, Entrepreneurs, and anyone with a powerful story. Think of a broad speaking platform like TEDx, mixed with an awards show like the Grammy's, with a touch of the excitement of American Idol, that's us. We're the platform where stories will be shared, heroes will emerge, and lives will be changed. Will you be one of them?

Writing Battle is an international online writing competition. You have 5 Days to write a 2000 word Short Story using prompts. Writing Battle is a supportive and growing community that holds a quarterly competition for writers, by writers. Write an up-to 2000 word Short Story and submit within 5 days. After the submission deadline, the stories are separated by genre and battle in parallel tournaments. Industry judges include the likes of Nebula and Hugo winner, Ken Liu (THE GRACE OF KINGS).

Galatea Stories

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Inkitt is the world’s first reader-powered publisher, providing a platform to discover hidden talents and turn them into globally successful authors. Write captivating stories, read enchanting novels, and we’ll publish the books our readers love most on our sister app, GALATEA and other formats.

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COMPETITIONS

AUSTRALIAN WRITERS' RESOURCE

[email protected]

UPDATED 03/03/2023

The following information has been extracted from other websites and no assurance can be given as its correctnes s.

Give your hard work the best chance to win, make sure that you follow the entry requirements!

If the entry conditions don't specify it, then generally you can submit the same entry to different competitions at the same time - but if your entry places in one then you should inform the organisers of the other competitions. It is then up to them whether your entry is disqualified or not.

Allow for time to post and double-check closing dates, particularly if the organiser is in another time zone.

NEW LISTINGS THIS MONTH About Kids Books Short Story Prize Aniko Press Summer Flash Competition Boree Log Poetry Competition Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards Dulcie Stone Writers Competition Eastwood/Hills Fellowship of Australian Writers Literary Competition Fremantle Round House John Gavin Writing Competition Fresh Words Young Writers Competition Gosnell Writers Circle - Aspiring Young Authors Award Grenville Henry Lawson Festival Short Story & Verse Competition IEU QLD & NT Literary Competition Kids News Junior Journo Competition Kyogle Writers Festival Poetry Competition Limnisa Short Story Competition Moorabool Young Writers Awards Periscope Open Fiction Award - 1st Quarter 2023 Peter Cowan 600 Short Story Competition Positive Words Mini-Competition - March Positive Words Mini-Competition - April Positive Words Mini-Competition - May Positive Words Mini-Competition - June Positive Words Mini-Competition - July Positive Words Mini-Competition - August Positive Words Mini-Competition - September Positive Words Mini-Competition - October Positive Words Mini-Competition - November Positive Words Mini-Competition - December Positive Words Short Story & Poetry Competition Randolph Stow Young Writers Award RD Walsh Memorial Writing for the Environment Prize Ros Spencer Poetry Prize South Perth Young Writers Award The Australian / Vogel's Award for Young Writers The Best of Times Short Story Competition The Fogarty Literary Award The Masters Review Anthology XII University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor's International Poetry Prize Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival Short Story Competition Write a Book in a Day Write4Fun Schools Poetry and Short Story 'Cool Writings' Writing Competition

AWC Furious Fiction

Opens: 5pm (Sydney/Melbourne time) quarterly Closes: 55 hours later Open to: 17 years and older Theme: Story prompt provided Accepts: Flash Fiction Size: 500 words Entry Fee: Nil Prize : First: $500

Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition

Closing Date: Quarterly competitions - see website Open to: All Theme: None Accepts: Flash Fiction Size: 500 words Entry Fee: £5 for one story, £8 for two stories Prize : First: £300, Second: £200, Third: £100 Little Stories, Big Ideas Closing Date: Quarterly competitions - see website Open to: Australian Secondary School Students Theme: See website * Accepts: Any literary style - Year 10 - 12 Size: 100 words Entry Fee: Nil Prize : First: VentralIP Hosting and Domain Name Package (value $140), Second: Express Media membership and latest issue of Voiceworks magazine, Third: $50 voucher from Readings Bookstore * Accepts: Any literary style - Year 7 - 9 Size: 100 words Entry Fee: Nil Prize : First: $50 voucher from Readings Bookstore, Second: StoryCraft Writing Mentorship

THROUGH THE YEAR

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Guide to christian writing contests in 2017

Your Ultimate Guide to Writing Contests Through 2022

Regardless where you are on your writing journey, you can benefit from entering contests.

The right contest can tell you:

And you could win cash.

That’s why my team researched a wide range of high-quality contests. We’ve included free competitions and also many with modest entry fees.

SiWC Writing Contest

1st: $1,000 plus publication

Honorable Mention: $150

Deadline: 09/17/21

Sponsor: Surrey International Writers’ Conference

Description: Short stories in any genre must be 2,500-4,000 words. They must be unpublished (including online). Writers must pay the $15 entry fee for each submission. Under 18s welcome too.

Great American Fiction Contest

1st: $1,000, publication in The Saturday Evening Post

Runners-up (5): $200

Deadline: 7/1/21

Sponsor: The Saturday Evening Post

Description: The Saturday Evening Post welcomes unpublished short stories of 1,500 to 5,000 words in any genre touching on the publication’s mission, “Celebrating America—past, present, and future.” No extreme profanity or graphic sex. Work published on a personal website or blog is still eligible.

WOW / Women On Writing Quarterly Flash Fiction Competition

1st: $400, $25 Amazon gift certificate

2nd: $300, $25 Amazon gift certificate

3rd: $200, $25 Amazon gift certificate

Runners-up (7): $25 Amazon gift certificate

Honorable mentions (10): $20 Amazon gift certificate

Entry Fee: $10 (or $20 with feedback)

Deadline: Quarterly (next 5/31/21 and 8/31/21)

Sponsor: WOW / Women On Writing

Description: This flash competition runs four times a year and is open to all styles and genres. The competition closes each quarter after 300 entries have been received, or at deadline. WOW / Women On Writing runs a quarterly nonfiction essay competition too, also with cash prizes.

Bristol Short Story Prize

1st: £1,000 ($1,400)

2nd: £500 ($700)

3rd: £250 ($350)

Shortlisted (17): £100 ($140)

Entry Fee: £9 ($12.50)

Deadline: 5/5/21

Sponsor: Bristol Short Story Prize

Description: Published and unpublished writers around the world over 16 eligible. Stories must be no more than 4,000 words in any genre or style, written in English. Enter online or by mail.

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award

Prize: £2,500 ($3,450)

Entry Fee: £18 ($25)

Deadline: 8/31/21

Sponsor: Aesthetica Magazine

Description: Short stories of up to 2,000 words on any theme are eligible for this international literary prize “celebrating innovation in content, form, and technique.” Unpublished or previously published work. Multiple entries permitted, though each incurs an entry fee.

University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize

Prize: $10,000 advance and publication

Deadline: 9/1/21

Sponsor: University of New Orleans

Description: The Publishing Laboratory at the University of New Orleans aims to offer “innovative publicity and broad distribution” for an unpublished novel or short story collection. No word limit or restriction on subjects. Open to authors worldwide.

The Bath Novel Award

Prize: £3,000 ($4,150)

Entry Fee: £28 ($39)

Deadline: 5/31/21

Sponsor: The Bath Novel Award

Description: First 5,000 words of a novel plus one-page synopsis. Unpublished or self-published writers only. Any genre suitable for adults or young adults. Free entry for writers on a low income.

The Times/Chicken House Competition

Prize: £10,000 ($13,800) advance plus publishing contract

Deadline: 5/14/21

Sponsor: The Times (newspaper) and Chicken House (publisher)

Organizers are “looking for original ideas, a fresh voice, a diverse range of entries and stories that children will love!” Full-length submissions only (ideally 30,000 to 80,000 words). Suitable for children or young adults. International entries welcome. One manuscript per writer.

Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction

Prize: $5,000 and publication by Dzanc Books

Deadline: 9/30/21

Sponsor: Dzanc Books

Description: Requests “daring, original, and innovative” novels. Open to all, published, unpublished, or agented.

Claymore Award

Prize: Discounted admission to Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference, with introductions to agents/editors

Deadline: TBD 2021

Sponsor: Killer Nashville

Description: First 50 double-spaced pages of unpublished English-language manuscripts. Should contain elements of thriller, mystery, crime, or suspense. Killer Nashville suggests “Action, Adventure, Alternate History, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Suspense, Thriller, and Western.” No cash prize.

Diode Editions Book & Chapbook Contests

Prize: $1,000, 25 author copies, and publication of selected poems in Diode Poetry Journal

Deadline: 8/15/21

Sponsor: Diode Editions

Description: Poetry books and chapbooks of 58-85 pages. Translations, collaborations, hybrid works, and prose poetry also accepted.

Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize

Prize: $2,500 plus publication

Deadline: 5/1/21

Sponsor: Wick Poetry Center

Description: Open to poets who’ve not yet published a full-length collection. Submissions of 50-70 pages. Winner’s poetry published by Kent State University Press.

Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry

Prize: $2,000 plus publication

Deadline: 6/15/21

Sponsor: Lynx House Press

Description: Awarded annually for a full-length volume of poems (U.S. authors only). Poems published in journals, magazines, or chapbooks can be included. All entries receive a Blue Lynx book.

Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition

1st: €750 ($890)

2nd: €500 ($590)

3rd: €250 ($295)

Entry Fee: €5 ($6)

Deadline: Ongoing

Sponsor: Ó Bhéal

Description: Each Tuesday, five new words are published on Ó Bhéal’s website. Entrants have a week to write and submit a poem (up to 50 lines) containing all five words. Winner and shortlist announced March 2022. International entries welcome.

The Montreal International Poetry Prize

Prize: $20,000 CAD ($15,920 USD)

Entry Fee: $20 CAD ($16 USD)

Deadline: 5/15/22

Sponsor: Department of English at McGill University and others

Description: The Montreal Prize is awarded every 2 years for a single poem of 40 or fewer lines. Submissions open in January 2022. Entry fee rises to $25 CAD ($20 USD) from 2nd May.

Nonfiction Writing Contests

Narrative Prize

Deadline : Yearly on June 15th

Sponsor : Narrative

Description : Awarded for the best piece published by a new or emerging writer in Narrative.

Lascaux Prize in Creative Nonfiction

Winner: $1,000 and bronze medallion

Finalists: $100

Deadline: 9/31/21

Sponsor: The Lascaux Review

Description: Requests entries of “memoirs, chronicles, personal essays, humorous perspectives, literary journalism—anything the author has witnessed, experienced, learned, or discovered.” 10,000 words or shorter, written in a non-academic style.

Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction

Deadline: 11/1/21

Sponsor: Reed Magazine

Description: Submissions of no more than 5,000 words. Requests “personal essays or narratives” not “scholarly papers or book reviews.” Piece should be a standalone essay, not an excerpt.

2021 Travel Writing Competition

Prize: £1,000 ($1,385)

Entry Fee: £8 ($11)

Deadline: TBD 2022

Sponsor: Globe Soup

Description: Writers worldwide can enter an unpublished “article, opinion piece, destination guide, literary nonfiction, memoir, or any other form of nonfiction travel writing.” 2,000 words maximum.

53-Word Story Contest

Prize : Publication, a free book from Press 53

Deadline : Frequent writing contests; deadline is 15th of each month.

Sponsor : Prime Number Magazine

Description : Submit a 53-word story based on a prompt. No prize beyond publication.

The Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans

1st: $1,000 and publication in The Iowa Review

3rd (3 selected): $500

Deadline : TBD 2022

Sponsor : The Iowa Review

Description : Due to a donation from the family of veteran and antiwar author, Jeff Sharlet, The Iowa Review holds The Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans . Note: U.S. military veterans and active duty personnel only. Any genre and any topic, including poetry, short stories, and creative nonfiction.

New Writers Awards

Prize : Winning authors tour several colleges, giving readings & lectures, and publicizing their books. Each receives an honorarium of at least $500 per college, plus travel expenses and more.

Deadline : TBD 2021

Sponsor : Great Lakes Colleges Association

Description : Newly published writers’ award for a first published volume of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Note: Publishers (not writers) are invited to submit works that “emphasize literary excellence.” Entries must be published in the United States or Canada in either 2020 or 2021. Children’s books not accepted.

Young Lions Fiction Award

Prize : $10,000

Sponsor : New York Public Library

Description : Awarded to a writer of 35 or younger for a novel or a collection of short stories. Seeks to encourage young and emerging writers of contemporary fiction.

The Iowa Short Fiction Award

Prize : Publication in the University of Iowa Press

Deadline : 09/30/21

Sponsor : University of Iowa Press

Description : Annual competition, seeking 150-page (or longer) collections of short stories. Writers must not have a (traditionally) published novel or fiction collection. Entries must be postmarked between August 1st and September 30th.

Pen/Faulkner Award for Fiction

Winner: $15,000

Finalists (4 selected): $1,500

Deadline : October 2021

Sponsor : Pen/Faulkner Foundation

Description : Accepts traditionally published (not self-published) books and is peer-juried. Winner receives a substantial cash prize and is honored as “first among equals.” Advanced reading copies or proofs permitted for books due in November or December 2021.

Friends of American Writers Literary Award

Prize : $1,000 – $3,000

Sponsor : Friends of American Writers Chicago

Description : Current or former residents of the American Midwest (or books set in the Midwest). Traditionally published novels or creative nonfiction books welcome. Authors must have three or fewer books published, including the submission. Self-published books and e-books not accepted.

Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards

Prize : $10,000 (4 awards)

Deadline : 12/31/21

Sponsor : Cleveland Foundation

Description : Seeks fiction, poetry, and nonfiction books published the previous year (books published in 2021 are eligible for the 2022 prize) “that contribute to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of cultural diversity.” Four top prize awards, for fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and lifetime achievement. Self-published work and e-books not accepted.

Cabell First Novelist Award

Sponsor : Virginia Commonwealth University

Description : Seeks to honor first-time novelists “who have navigated their way through the maze of imagination and delivered a great read.” Novels published the previous year are accepted. Winning author (and, typically, their agent and editor) attend public reading and Q&A, with travel expenses provided.

The Gabo Prize

Prize : $200 and publication

Deadline : Every February and August

Sponsor : Lunch Ticket

Description : For translators and authors of multilingual texts (poetry and prose). Award given twice yearly, in June and December.

Transitions Abroad Expatriate and Work Abroad Writing Contest

All Finalists: $50

Sponsor : Transitions Abroad Publishing, Inc.

Description : Seeking inspiring articles or practical mini-guides based on personal experience of moving, living, and working abroad. 1,200-5,000 words.

Short Fiction Prize

Prize : $1,000 and a scholarship to the 2022 Southampton Writers Conference.

Deadline : 6/1/21

Sponsor : Stony Brook University

Description : Seeking short stories (no more than 7,500 words) by undergraduates at American or Canadian colleges. Winning short story considered for publication in TSR: The Southampton Review .

The Wallace Stegner Prize in Environmental Humanities

Prize : $5,000 and publication.

Sponsor : The University of Utah Press

Description : Wallace Stegner was a student of the American West, an environmental spokesman, and a creative writing teacher. In his memory, the University of Utah Press seeks book-length monographs about environmental humanities. Projects focusing on the American West preferred.

Drue Heinz Literature Prize

Prize : $15,000 and publication

Deadline : May 1 – June 30 yearly

Sponsor : University of Pittsburgh Press

Description : Seeks unpublished short fiction or novella collections. Only open to previously published writers.

Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence

Prize : $15,000

Sponsor : Baton Rouge Area Foundation

Description : Honors novels and short story collections by African-American writers ( must be US citizens). Entries to be published in 2021 accepted. Self-published books not eligible.

International Flash Fiction Competition

Three runners-up: $2,000

Sponsor : The César Egido Serrano Foundation

Description : With over 40,000 participants, this prize invites authors to submit flash fiction in Spanish, English, Arabic, and Hebrew. Stories must be original, unpublished, and 100 words or under.

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize

1st: £10,000 ($13,840)

2nd: £3,000 ($4,150)

3rd: £2,000 ($2,770)

Sponsor: The Alpine Fellowship

Description: This prize has an annual theme (2021’s was “Untamed: On Wilderness and Civilization.”) Entries must be unpublished and a maximum of 2,500 words. Poetry, prose, or non-academic essays welcome.

W.Y. Boyd Literary Award

Prize : $5,000 and framed certificate

Deadline : Yearly on December 1st

Sponsor : American Library Association

Description : The Association seeks Military fiction published in the previous year. Young adult and adult novels only.

BCALA Literary Awards

Prize : 4 of $500

Sponsor : Black Caucus of the American Library Association

Description: One prize each for literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books as well as first novels. Aims to “acknowledge outstanding achievement in the presentation of the cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Authors must be African American, born in the US, with books published during 2021.

Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize

Prize : $12,000 and publication

Sponsor : Graywolf Press

Description : Awarded to the most promising and innovative literary nonfiction project by an emerging writer. Accepts memoirs, essays, biographies, histories, and more, from writers or agents. These should be works-in-progress, not yet published.

New Voices Award

Prize : $2,000 and publication ($1,000 for the Honor Award winner)

Sponsor : Lee and Low Books

Description : Seeks a children’s picture book manuscript by a U.S. writer of color or a Native/Indigenous writer. Must not have not previously published a children’s picture book. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry accepted that addresses the needs of children of color and Native nations. Max 1,500 words, with human protagonists, aimed at children 5-12.

St. Martin’s Minotaur / Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition

Prize : Publication and a $10,000 advance

Sponsor : Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America

Description : Seeks mysteries by unpublished or self-published novelists. Murder or other serious crime must be at the heart of the work. Electronic submissions only.

Stowe Prize

Sponsor : Harriet Beecher Stowe Center

Description : Named for the abolitionist and author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin , this prize recognizes a U.S. author (fiction or nonfiction) whose work has made a tangible impact on a social justice issue in the past 3 years.

ServiceScape Short Story Award

Deadline : 11/30/21

Sponsor : ServiceScape

Description : Accepts original, unpublished work (5,000 words or fewer) in any genre, fiction or nonfiction.

The Marfield Prize

Sponsor : The Arts Club of Washington

Description : Celebrates nonfiction books about an artistic discipline published the previous year, including “art history and criticism, biographies and memoirs, and essays.” Fiction, children’s books, and self-published works not eligible.

Bacopa Literary Review Contest

Second (4 awards): $100

Deadline : 05/31/21

Sponsor : The Writers Alliance of Gainesville

Description : Seeks work in the categories of poetry, prose poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. One first prize, plus one second prize for each category. All contributors receive print copy of the Bacopa Literary Review.

Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award

Prize : $.08 per word and publication

Sponsor : National Space Society and Baen Books

Description : The National Space Society and Baen Books sponsors this short fiction contest in memory of Jim Baen. Stories (maximum 8,000 words) should show the near future of manned space exploration.

James Laughlin Award

Prize : $5,000, an all-expenses-paid weeklong residency at The Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, and distribution of the winning book to Academy of American Poets members.

Deadline : Submissions accepted yearly between January 1 and May 15

Sponsor : The Academy of American Poets

Description : Offered since 1954, the James Laughlin Award is given to recognize a second book of poetry due in the next calendar year from a U.S. publisher.

Parsec Short Story Contest

First: $200 and publication

Sponsor : Parsec, Inc.

Description : Seeks science fiction, fantasy, and horror short stories from non-professional writers. There is an annual theme, which must be integral to the story in some way.

Tony Hillerman Prize

Deadline : 1/2/21

Sponsor : Western Writers of America and St. Martin’s Press, LLC

Description : Seeks unpublished mystery novels (approximately 60,000 words) set in the Southwest by unpublished mystery novelists.

The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing

Prize : $10,000 advance and publication

Sponsor : Restless Books

Description: Looking for complete, unpublished fiction or nonfiction manuscripts from emerging writers (unpublished) who are first-generation residents of their country. Fiction manuscripts must be complete, 45,000 words or more. Nonfiction manuscripts may be a 25,000 word sample plus detailed proposal.

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by Kaelyn Barron | 1 comment

nonfiction writing contests blog post image

Writing contests aren’t just for poets and novelists—there are lots of opportunities for nonfiction writers to share their essays, reports, and other works for a chance to win prizes like cash or even publishing deals.

We’ve put together a list of short story contests that you can enter today so you can hone your talent, grow your confidence, and get exposure for your work.

2021 Nonfiction Writing Contests

Below are 20 nonfiction writing contests you can enter in 2021 for a chance to win cash prizes, publication, and more.

Word Counts for Nonfiction Contest Submissions

Maximum word counts for nonfiction writing contest submissions can vary greatly, but most of the contests listed above have a range of 1,000–5,000 words for the maximum word count.

However, there are some exceptions, including several contests looking for completed manuscripts, so word counts can exceed 40,000 words. Be sure to read the guidelines for each contest carefully before entering.

What Is the Purpose for Writing Creative Nonfiction?

Creative nonfiction is a genre of writing that uses creative elements—such as dialogue, scene-setting, and narrative arcs—to tell a true story. To be considered nonfiction, all parts of the story must be true and accurate.

Many forms of journalism, travel writing, and personal essays can be considered creative nonfiction.

The purpose of creative nonfiction is to inform readers as regular nonfiction would, but it does so by building a narrative around the facts by introducing the scene and building the characters of real people so readers can better relate to them.

Enter TCK Publishing’s First Annual Nonfiction Writing Contest

TCK Publishing invites you to enter our first annual Nonfiction Writing Awards Contest . Submissions are open now through December 31, 2021 . The grand prize is $1,000. Enter your nonfiction piece today!

Here are more of our writing contests that are open for submissions:

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:

As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.

Will you be updating your list of nonfiction writing contests for 2022? If so, we are excited to let you know that we have decided to host the Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest twice a year—with deadlines every April 30 and November 30.

More info: https://www.tadpolepress.com/100-word-writing-contest

We would appreciate you including this updated deadline information if you do update this list.

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TCK Publishing invites you to enter our first annual Nonfiction Writing Awards Contest. Submissions are open now through December 31, 2021. The grand prize is $1,000. Enter your nonfiction piece today! Here are more of our writing contests that are open for submissions: 2021 TCK Publishing Reader's Choice Book Awards Contest - closes 11/12/2021