Writing Contests 2024: Cash Prizes & Free Entries!

• Sep 08, 2024
• 15 min read

• Tags:Essay, Novel, Poetry, Short Story, Writing Contests

If you have great ideas but struggle to pen them, don’t worry. Almost all poets and writers fail at writing consistently, and we have a solution. We’ve listed the best creative writing contests in 2024!

You can go through the list to find any writing competitions in 2024 that inspire you to write. If you aren’t confident in your draft, try looking for some free writing contests! Whether you’re looking for poetry contests, short story writing competitions, or essay contests, we’ve listed them all. So, which one will you enter?

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Here is a month-wise list of the best writing contests in 2024:

January 2024

The new year opens with plenty of poetry competitions but few essay contests and almost no free writing contests. With several mixed contests listed this month, however, we’re sure our poets and writers will be satisfied!

Poetry contests 2024

1. Gemini Poetry Open Contest 2024

Gemini Magazine has organized this poetry contest 2024 to offer six finalists with publication in its March/April 2024 issue. The poems may have been uploaded on personal blogs, but previously published poems are ineligible.

Word count: 3 poems of any length

Prizes: $1,000, $100, four prizes of $25

Entry fee: $9

Closing date: 02 January 2024

2. 2024 Poetry Competition

The organizers of this poetry contest seek to honor James Allen, the first person to breed Snowdrops from the wild. This is one of the free poetry contests for children and teens, who can participate through separate categories.

Theme: Nature unbound

Word count: 30 lines

Entry fee: £4

Closing date: 07 January 2024

3. 2024 William Matthews Poetry Prize

Asheville Poetry Review has organized this contest to offer three deserving poets with publication. Previously published poems and works of translations are not eligible. All entries will be considered for publication!

Word count: 3 poems of any length

Prizes: $1,000 and $250

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 16 January 2024

4. Magma 2023/24 Poetry Competition

This poetry contest is held in two categories: The judge’s prize and the editor’s prize. Three winners from both categories will be published in Magma . The winners and ten commended poets will be invited to read their poems at a contest event.

Category 1: 11–50 lines

Category 2: Up to 10 lines

Prizes: £1000, £300, £150 per category

Entry fee: £5

Closing date: 31 January 2024

5. Kent and Sussex Poetry Society Open Poetry Competition 2024

This is one of the poetry competitions that does not allow simultaneous submissions, at least for contests that announce results before 16 April 2024. Winning entries will be published online and included in an annual Folio publication.

Word count: 40 lines

Prizes: £1000, £300, £100, 4 prizes of £50

Entry fee: £5

Closing date: 31 January 2024

Short story writing contests 2024

6. The Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction

Running between 19–21 January 2024, this unique flash fiction contest challenges authors to break a specific rule of writing. It’s called an anti-prompt, and you’ll have to pair this with two prompts to write your entry in 60 hours. Exciting, isn’t it?

Word count: 500

Prizes: $1,000 AUD, $500 AUD, $200 AUD, $100 AUD, 4 prizes of $50 AUD

Entry fee: $25 AUD

Closing date: 21 January 2024

7. Story Unlikely Short Story Contest [Free writing Contest!]

This is one of the best short story competitions that welcome all genres: fantasy, sci-fi, memoir, and even nonfiction! All winning entries are published in the monthly issue of Story Unlikely and the winning entry may be published in the annual print issue.

Word count: 4,500

Prizes: $750, $500, $250

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 31 January 2024

Essay contest 2024

8. The 2024 Calibre Essay Prize

One of the best essay contests of 2024, this competition promotes nonfiction of all kinds: “personal or political, literary or speculative, traditional or experimental.” You may include illustrations in your essay, but the total file size should be below 3 MB.

Word count: 2,000–5,000

Prizes: $5,000 AUD, $3,000 AUD, $2,000 AUD

Entry fee: $30 AUD

Closing date: 22 January 2024

Book writing contests 2024

9. 2023 Exeter Novel Prize

This novel writing contest invites non-agented writers to submit a previously unpublished manuscript. Send the first 10,000 words of your novel and include a 500-word synopsis. Self-published writers are welcome to enter!

Word count: 10,000

Prizes: £1000, five prizes of £100

Entry fee: £20

Closing date: 01 January 2024

10. Cai Emmons Fiction Award

Red Hen Press has organized this novel writing contest 2024 to honor the late novelist Cai Emmons. All authors who haven’t published a full-length work with Red Hen Press are eligible to enter.

Word count: At least 150 pages

Prize: $5,000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 15 January 2024

11. Desert Writers Award

The organizers of this award support one deserving writer of creative nonfiction while they work on their book. Make sure to highlight your interest in desert literature in your biographical statement and project description!

Word count: 10 pages

Prize: $5,000

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 15 January 2024

12. North American Poetry Book Award

The Poetry Society of Virginia has organized this poetry competition to award one full-length book of poetry. Self-published and audiovisual works are ineligible, but books that have won other pre-publishing awards are allowed.

Word count: At least 64 pages

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $36

Closing date: 15 January 2024

13. Bardsy Winter Anthology Contest

This unique fiction writing contest invites authors to send the first chapters of their in-progress novel or memoir. The best thing is, that you receive feedback on your entry and you can revise it accordingly before judging begins!

Word count: 2,500–3,000

Prizes: $1000, some prizes of $50

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 15 January 2024

Mixed writing contests 2024

14. Mississippi Review Writing Contest 2024

Mississippi Review has organized this poetry, short story, and essay contest 2024 to award publication to three winners. You can submit online or via post, and the postal entry fee is $15. All the best!

Categories: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction

Word count: 3–5 poems (10 pages) for poetry; 1,000–8,000 words for prose

Prizes: 3 prizes of $1,000

Entry fee: $16

Closing date: 01 January 2024

15. The DISQUIET Prize

The organizers of this writing competition offer one winner a fully paid trip to attend the DISQUIET International Literary Program in Lisbon. Three additional winners receive fee waivers for the program and they can opt for a cash prize of $1,000 in its stead.

Categories: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction

Word count: 10 pages for poetry; 25 pages for prose

Prizes: A paid trip to Lisbon and other prizes

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 05 January 2024

16. The Winter Anthology Contest

This unique writing competition 2024 welcomes poets and writers to submit any published or unpublished piece of any length! The winner will be published in Volume 14 of The Winter Anthology and finalists will be considered for publication.

Categories: Poetry and prose

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $11

Closing date: 10 January 2024

February 2024

February features a good balance of poetry and short story competitions, but essay contests are, as always, quite rare. What’s more, we’ve managed to find six free writing contests, perhaps the highest this number has been in a single month!

Poetry competitions 2024

1. Yeats Poetry Prize

WB Yeats Society of NY has organized this poetry competition to honor the “valuable contributions poets and poetry make to human consciousness”. The judge may recognize some honorable mentions aside from the top two prizes.

Word count: 60 lines

Prizes: $1,000, $500

Entry fee: $15 per poem

Closing date: 01 February 2024

2. Claire Keyes Poetry Award

Soundings East , the literary journal of Salem State University has organized this poetry competition 2024. The final judge, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, will select a group of poems that will be awarded with publication in the journal.

Word count: 1 page per poem

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $10 (8–10 poems)

Closing date: 01 February 2024

3. Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards

This poetry contest awards three poets with publication in Paterson Literary Review . Entries to this contest must be submitted via mail. Although the competition honors Ginsberg, the organizers urge you not to emulate his style in your entry.

Word count: 2 pages per poem

Prizes: $2,000, $1,000, $500

Entry fee: $18 (3–5 poems)

Closing date: 01 February 2024

4. West Chester University Poetry Awards

These free poetry competitions are open to undergraduate poets enrolled in a US college or university. You can submit up to three poems for each award with the contact information of a referring professor.

Word count: Various

Prizes: 2 prizes of $1,500, 3 prizes of $1,000, 2 prizes of $500

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 16 February 2024

5. Heroica Poetry Prize for Women and Non-Binary Authors and Poets

Heroica has organized this poetry competition in 2024 for women and non-binary poets. The prize-winning and longlisted entries will be published in print in the first Heroica Poetry Anthology.

Prizes: £125, £50, £25

Entry fee: £2 for 1 poem, £5 for 3 poems; £10 for unlimited series

Closing date: 29 February 2024

Short story contests 2024

6. American Short(er) Fiction Prize

American Short Fiction has organized this flash fiction contest to award one writer with a cash prize and publication. Dantiel W. Moniz—writer of the story collection Milk, Blood, Heat —will judge the competition. All entries will be considered for publication!

Word count: 1,000

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $18

Closing date: 01 February 2024

7. Short Short Story Contest

The organizers of this short story contest help immigrants achieve their dreams by teaching them various courses. Alongside one overall winner and four winners for each topic, one prize will be awarded to a teen writer.

Themes: bicycle(s), eclipse, fire, suitcase(s)

Word count: 100

Prizes: $300, 5 prizes of $100

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 01 February 2024

8. WOW! Winter 2024 Flash Fiction Contest

This women-centric flash fiction contest 2024 offers 17 prizes aside from the top three entries. You can opt for a critique of your work with an entry fee of $20. The entries are limited, so make sure to submit your entry soon!

Word count: 250–750

Prizes: $400, $300, $200

Entry fee: $10

Closing date: 28 February 2024

9. Edinburgh Short Story Award

In its tenth year, this short story competition offers five top prizes and publication to the top 20 (or more) entries. The contest offers free entries to Scottish writers who receive some form of income support.

Word count: 2,000

Prizes: £3,000, £500, £250, special prizes of £750 and £300

Entry fee: £10

Closing date: 28 February 2024

10. Imagine Little Tokyo 2024 Short Story Contest [Free Writing Contest!]

The Little Tokyo Historical Society has organized this free short story contest in two categories: English and Japanese. These short stories should be set in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles and reflect the neighborhood’s culture. Now here’s a worldbuilding challenge like no other!

Word count: 2,500

Prizes: 2 prizes of $500

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 29 February 2024

Essay contests 2024

11. The Sarabande Prize in Essay

One of the rarer essay writing competitions, the winner gets a collection of essays with a publishing contract. You may edit your entry within a week of submission, but not after that. The selected work will undergo the complete book editing process before publication with Sarabande Books.

Word count: 100–250 pages

Prize: $3,000

Entry fee: $29

Closing date: 15 February 2024

Book writing contests 2024

12. Paterson Poetry Prize

This writing contest awards publication to one poet with the strongest collection of poems. The winner can claim the prize only if they’re available for an in-person or virtual reading at the Poetry Center in Paterson.

Word count: At least 48 pages

Prize: $2,000

Entry fee: $18 per story

Closing date: 01 February 2024

13. Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry

This poetry competition awards one poet with a cash prize and publication with a standard royalty contract. Translations and previously published manuscripts are not eligible. Sarabande Books will consider all finalists for publication!

Word count: At least 48 pages

Prize: $3,000

Entry fee: $29

Closing date: 15 February 2024

14. Ambroggio Prize [Free Writing Contest!]

This one-of-a-kind free poetry contest awards a manuscript “originally written in Spanish and with an English translation”. Make sure to exclude the “Acknowledgements” page from your entry while submitting! The contest is open to US citizens only.

Word count: 48–100 pages

Prize: $1,000

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 15 February 2024

15. Center for African American Poetry and Poetics Book Prize [Free Writing Contest!]

Autumn House Press has organized this free writing competition to honor one poet-writer of African descent. The book may be of any genre that “intersects with … poetry, hybrid work, speculative prose, and/or translation.”

Word count: 48–168 pages

Prize: $3,000

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 15 February 2024

16. Harold Morton Landon Translation Award [Free Writing Contest!]

This free poetry contest 2024 honors a manuscript translated into English from any other language. Collaborations of up to two translators are eligible but self-published works will not be considered. The contest is open to US citizens only.

Word count: At least 48 pages

Prize: $1,000

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 15 February 2024

17. Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction

The organizers of this short fiction contest welcome you to submit a collection of short stories, one or more novellas, or a short novel. The manuscript must be unpublished, but individual works may have appeared in magazines or anthologies.

Word count: 150–250 pages

Prize: $3,000

Entry fee: $29

Closing date: 15 February 2024

Mixed writing competitions 2024

18. Slippery Elm Prize for Poetry and Prose

Slippery Elm has organized this writing contest to offer publication to poets and writers in their online and print issues. All entrants will receive a copy of the winning issue and be considered for publication!

Categories: Poetry and prose

Word count: None for poetry; 5,000 words for prose

Prizes: $500 per category

Entry fee: $15 (3 poems; 1 prose entry)

Closing date: 01 February 2024

19. Elmbridge Literary Competition 2023–24

This contest features four categories for children and teens and only the adult category has an entry fee. Sampson Low will publish the winning entries from all categories together in a chapbook.

Categories: Poetry and short story

Theme: Fame

Word count: 30 lines for poetry; 1,500 words for a short story

Prizes: £250, £150, £100 per category

Entry fee: £5

Closing date: 23 February 2024

20. 2024 Writing Competition

This writing contest is part of the Bournemouth Writing Festival and offers anthology publication to 40 poets and writers. All winners will be invited to the launch party, receive a free copy of the anthology, and get two tickets to a BWF event.

Categories: Poetry and flash fiction

Theme: Lines in the sand

Word count: 30 lines for poetry; 400 words for prose

Prize: Anthology publication

Entry fee: £5

Closing date: 29 February 2024

21. The Canterbury Tales Writing Competition 2023/24 [Free Writing Contest!]

This free writing competition offers young poets and writers prize not only for themselves but also for their school library! There are three age groups and the top three prizes in each group for both, students and their libraries. Exciting, right?!

Categories: Poetry and short story

Theme: Being part of a group

Word count: 500

Prizes: £300, £150, £100 (to the student); 1000, £500, £250 (to the school library)

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 29 February 2024

March 2024

March is overloaded with poetry competitions, perhaps in anticipation of April, the poetry writing month. Short story contests were hard to come by, but we did manage to find some free poetry contests!

Poetry contests

1. BSFS Poetry Contest 2024 [Free Writing Contest!]

Baltimore Science Fiction Society has organized this poetry competition. You may submit up to three poems exploring themes of science fiction/fantasy/horror/science. The winners also receive convention membership.

Word count: 60 lines

Prizes: $100, $75, $50

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 01 March 2024

2. The Alpine Fellowship Poetry Prize 2024 [Free Writing Contest!]

This free poetry contest welcomes you to submit a single poem or a collection, as long as all the poems relate to the theme. Prize winners will be invited to attend The Alpine Fellowship’s annual symposium, offering up to £500 as travel expenses.

Theme: Language

Word count: 500

Prizes: £3,000, £1,000, £1,000

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 01 March 2024

3. The Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition 2024

The Limerick Writers’ Centre has organized this international poetry contest and invites entries in Irish or English. Poet Arthur Broomfield will judge the English poems while Tomás Ó Coileáin will judge the Irish ones.

Word count: 40 lines

Prizes: €200, €50

Entry fee: €3.5

Closing date: 16 March 2024

4. The London Magazine Poetry Prize 2024

The London Magazine offers cash prizes and publication to three poets through this poetry competition. Students and poets with a low income can submit entries at an entry fee of £5!

Word count: 40 lines

Prizes: £500, £300, £200

Entry fee: £10

Closing date: 31 March 2024

5. The E.H.P. Barnard Poetry Prize

This poetry contest, organized by the artist Tom Niell, is open only to UK-based poets. Along with the cash prize, the winner also gets a poem video, performed, produced, and promoted. Exciting, right?

Location: UK

Theme: Travel

Word count: 400

Prizes: £100, £75, £50

Entry fee: £2

Closing date: 31 March 2024

6. The Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2024

The Caterpillar has organized this poetry competition with Joseph Coelho as the judge. The winning entries will be published in the Irish Times online and the first prize winner also gets a week at Circle of Misse in France.

Prizes: €1,000, €500, €250

Entry fee: €15

Closing date: 31 March 2024

7. The Plough Prize 2024

In its twenty-first year, this renowned poetry contest will be judged by Roger McGough. There is no restriction on the subject. You may send your entry via post, but make sure it reaches the organizers before the deadline.

Word count: 40 lines

Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250

Entry fee: £5

Closing date: 31 March 2024

8. The Plaza Prose Poetry Prize

The Plaza Writers has organized this poetry competition to highlight prose poetry. The top ten entries will be selected for anthology publication. Contest judge Carrie Etter is looking for “thrilling experiments with the prose poem form”.

Word count: 450

Prizes: £750, £200, £50

Entry fee: £11

Closing date: 31 March 2024

Short story writing contests 2024

9. Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

This short story competition has been organized by Symphony Space and sponsored by Selected Shorts. The winning entry will be performed by an actor and published in Electric Literature .

Word count: 750

Prize: $1,000 and a 10-week course with Gotham Writers

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 01 March 2024

10. Peter Carey Short Story Awards 2024

This short story contest awards two Australian authors with cash prizes, digital publication in Meanjin , as well as the magazine’s standard contributor fee. An additional prize of 500 AUD will be awarded to a writer who lives, works, or studies in Moorabool Shire.

Location: Australia

Word count: 2,000–3,000

Prizes: 2,000 AUD, 1,000 AUD

Entry fee: 15 AUD

Closing date: 14 March 2024

11. Indignor House Writing Competition 2024

Indignor House Publishing has organized this short story writing contest to support emerging voices in fiction. 25 entries will be selected for publication in an anthology, of which winners will receive a hardcover copy.

Theme: Fear

Word count: 5,000

Prizes: $500, $250, $150

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 31 March 2024

Essay contest 2024

12. Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest

This essay contest welcomes you to submit outstanding personal essays. All entries will be considered for publication in The New Quarterly and the organizers will pay an honorarium of $250 upon publication.

Location: Canada

Word count: 2,000–5,000

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $40

Closing date: 28 March 2024

Book writing contests 2024

13. PFD Queer Fiction Prize back for 2024

Peters Fraser + Dunlop, a London-based literary agency, has organized this book writing contest to support emerging queer writers. The submissions do not have to be on LGBTQIA+ experiences as long as the author identifies as such.

Categories: Adult and YA/children’s fiction

Word count: Three chapters and a synopsis

Prize: Agency representation

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 01 March 2024

14. 2024 Airlie Prize

Airlie Press has organized this poetry contest to award one book of poetry with publication. The editors at Airlie Press, previous winners, and guest readers will form the panel of judges. Translated works are not eligible.

Word count: 48–90 pages

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 01 March 2024

15. The 2024 Chapter One Prize for Novelists

Gutsy Great Novelist has organized this novel writing competition to award three novelists writing in any genre. They have some strict submission guidelines, so make sure you go through them before submitting your entry!

Word count: The first chapter

Prizes: $1,000, $500, $250

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 01 March 2024

16. The Hazel Rowley Prize

This contest awards the best book proposal by a first-time biographer. Along with the cash prize, the winner receives agent exposure and publicity for the project through the Biographers International Organization website and newsletter.

Word count: 20 pages

Prize: $5,000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 01 March 2024

17. Raz-Shumaker Book Prize

This book writing contest awards one poetry and one short story collection with publication by the University of Nebraska Press. Poets and writers are free to enter both contests. Self-published books are not eligible for this contest.

Categories: Poetry and short story

Word count: At least 50 pages for poetry; at least 150 pages for fiction

Prizes: $3,000 per category

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 15 March 2024

18. Rubery Book Awards

This book writing competition is for indie writers, self-published authors, and writers who have published with independent presses. The categories for the contest are decided after all submissions have been collected.

Prizes: £2,000, some prizes of £200

Entry fee: £45

Closing date: 31 March 2024

Mixed writing contests

19. Wild Women Contest

Open to poets and writers of all gender identities, this writing competition only requires entries to celebrate the “wild woman spirit”. All submissions will be considered for publication in TulipTree Review and all collaborators will be paid $50.

Word count: 5 pages for poetry; 10,000 words for prose

Prizes: $1,000

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 08 March 2024

20. The Screenwriting Challenge

One of the more interesting writing competitions in 2024, this contest randomly assigns you a genre for round one. The top five from each genre group move on to round two, from which the top three move on to round three. Go check it out!

Word count: 12 pages for round 1

Prizes: $4,500, $1,750, $1,000, $500, $350, $250, $225, $200, $175, $150

Entry fee: $55

Contest duration: 15–23 March 2024

21. The 2024 Perkoff Prize

The Missouri Review has organized this poetry, short story, and essay contest to recognize emerging poets and writers. You may submit your entry online or via post. The entry fee includes a one-year subscription to the magazine.

Categories: Poetry, short story, and essay

Word count: 10 pages for poetry; 8,500 words for a short story and an essay

Prizes: $1,000 per category

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 15 March 2024

22. The Hope Prize

This short story and essay contest offers anthology publication to the winners and some shortlisted writers. The royalties from the anthology will be donated to Beyond Blue, an Australian mental health charity.

Categories: Short story and essay

Theme: Hope

Word count: 2,000–5,000

Prize: 10,000 AUD, 2,000 AUD, 1,000 AUD

Entry fee: 22 AUD

Closing date: 22 March 2024

23. Seasons Writing Competition 2024

This writing contest awards the best pieces of poetry and fiction from the submitted entries and no category prizes are awarded. All shortlisted poets and writers will be published in a contest anthology!

Categories: Poetry, short story, flash fiction, script

Theme: Light and Shadow

Word count: 2,500 words for a short story; 1,000 words for flash fiction

Prizes: 500 AUD, 400 AUD, 300 AUD, 200 AUD, some prizes of 100 AUD

Entry fee: 5 AUD

Closing date: 31 March 2024

April 2024

As if to make up for March, April features a ton of short story writing contests but only two poetry competitions. As always, essay writing contests are few and far between. Don’t worry though, we’ll keep adding to this list every month!

Poetry competitions 2024

1. Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest [Free Writing Contest!]

Unique among free poetry contests, this competition invites you to submit one humorous poem. The winner will receive a Duotrope gift certificate and the top 13 entries will be published online. Both unpublished and previously published works are eligible!

Word count: 250 lines

Prizes: $2,000, $500, $250, 10 prizes of $100

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 01 April 2024

2. Nature and Place Poetry Competition 2024

The Rialto has organized this poetry contest, inviting poets to dwell on any aspect of nature and place. While judging, Zaffar Kunial will interpret these terms widely. All longlisted entries will be published on The Rialto website.

Word count: 40 lines

Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250

Entry fee: £7

Closing date: 01 April 2024

Short story contests 2024

3. Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize 2024

The grand prize winner of this short story competition gets a week’s residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, literary feedback, and agent consultation. The contest offers 40 free entries and 60 half-priced entries!

Word count: 2,000

Prizes: €2,000, 2 prizes of €1,000

Entry fee: €20

Closing date: 14 April 2024

4. Purorrelato 2024 Micro-Story Contest [Free Writing Contest!]

Casa África has organized this micro story writing contest to encourage writers to write about Africa in newer ways. The micro story must relate to Africa in some way and may be written in Spanish, English, French, or Portuguese.

Word count: 1,500 characters

Prizes: €750, €375, €225

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 16 April 2024

5. 2024 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize

One of the world’s leading short story contests, the Jolley Prize is in its fifteenth year. The three winning stories will be published in the August or September 2024 issue of the Australian Book Review .

Word count: 2,000–5,000

Prizes: 6,000 AUD, 4,000 AUD, 2,500 AUD

Entry fee: 30 AUD

Closing date: 22 April 2024

6. SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction

This flash fiction contest has been running twice yearly since 2018. The grand prize winner is automatically nominated for The Best Small Fiction, The Pushcart, Best of the Net, and other contests.

Word count: 1,000

Prizes: 2,500, $1,000, $500, some prizes of $100.

Entry fee: $16

Closing date: 30 April 2024

7. Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest

This short story competition challenges you to pack a punch in 100 words. The second runner-up wins a writing coaching package valued at $450 and the third, a developmental and diversity editing package valued at $250.

Word count: 100

Prizes: $2,000 and others

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 30 April 2024

8. The Creative Writing NZ Short Story Prize 2024

This short story contest accepts only online entries. Lucie Brownlee is the guest judge this year. The winner and runners-up receive a free online course and publication on the Creative Writing NZ website.

Location: New Zealand

Word count: 3,000

Prizes: $1,000, 2 prizes of $200

Entry fee: $9

Closing date: 30 April 2024

9. Short Story Competition

Organized by Cranked Anvil Press, this quarterly short story competition welcomes all genres and themes. The winning entries will be published online, and all longlisted entries will be considered for eventual anthology publication.

Word count: 1,500

Prizes: £100, £50

Entry fee: £5

Closing date: 30 April 2024

10. Los Angeles NaNo Anthology

This free short story contest is a golden opportunity for writers worldwide. Writers must submit a story revolving around the theme “Utopia- or is it?” and the prompt “You must include something/someone that gets stuck”. The winning entries will be published in the Los Angeles NaNo Anthology’s 10th edition “Trouble in Paradise”.

Wordcount: 4,000

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 30 April 2024

Essay contest 2024

11. Terry Tempest Williams Creative Nonfiction Prize

North American Review has organized this essay contest to offer publication to the winners and honorable mentions. The organizers welcome “the lyric essay, the hermit crab essay, the braided essay, the memoir, the personal essay, literary journalism, and everything in between.”

Word count: 500–10,000

Prizes: $1,000

Entry fee: $23

Closing date: 02 April 2024

Book writing competitions 2024

12. Self-Published Book Awards

This book writing contest only accepts self-published books that are printed and bound. If you’ve published an eBook, there’s still time enough to print your book through self-publishing services ! The contest accepts entries in seven categories.

Prizes: $10,000, 7 prizes of $1,000

Entry fee: $100

Closing date: 01 April 2024

13. First Pages Prize

This book writing contest seeks to support un-agented writers. The top three winners in both categories receive a developmental mentorship and agent consultation via Zoom. Edwidge Danticat will judge both categories.

Categories: Fiction and creative nonfiction

Word count: 1,250 (First five pages of your book)

Prizes: $2,000, $1,500, $1000 per category

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 10 April 2024

14. Jonathan Holden Poetry Chapbook Contest

This poetry competition is open to poets who haven’t yet published a full-length work of poetry. Self-published books are not eligible. All participants receive an eBook copy of the winning chapbook.

Word count: 25 to 40 pages

Prize: $250 and 10 copies of the printed chapbook

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 10 April 2024

Mixed writing contests 2024

15. Nimrod Literary Awards

All shortlisted poets and writers for this writing competition will be published and offered a standard publishing rate of $10/page. Poets may submit one long poem or a few short poems within the page limit.

Categories: Poetry and fiction (short story or self-contained novel excerpt)

Word count: 3–10 pages of poetry; 7,500 words for fiction

Prizes: $2,000 and $1,000 per category

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 01 April 2024

16. Mairtin Crawford Award

This writing contest is for poets and writers “working towards their first full collection of poetry, short stories, or a novel.” Both published and unpublished writers are welcome to enter, but they must not have published full-length works.

Location: UK

Categories: Poetry and short story

Word count: 3–5 poems for poetry; 2,500 for short story

Prizes: £500, 2 prizes of £250 per category

Entry fee: £10

Closing date: 10 April 2024

17. F(r)iction Contests

This is essentially four writing competitions rolled into one. Wole Talabi, Sherrie Flick, C. S. E. Cooney, and Marin Sardy form the panel of judges. All submissions are considered for publication!

Categories: Poetry, short story, flash fiction, and essay

Word count: 3 pages for poetry, 1,001–7,500 for short story; 1,000 for flash fiction; 6,500 for essay

Prizes: $300 for poetry, $1,000 for short story, $300 for flash fiction, $500 for essay

Entry fee: $10 for poetry and flash fiction, $15 for a short story and essay

Closing date: 30 April 2024

May 2024

As is the trend now, May has made up for the dearth of poetry competitions in April. While there are few short story contests this month, we did find two essay contests. Surprisingly, May features a wealth of book writing competitions!

Poetry contests 2024

1. International Poetry Contest

Atlanta Review invites you to submit five poems of any length in your entry. Aside from the grand prize winner, 20 poets will be published in the contest issue and 30 more will receive honorable mentions. All 50 poets will receive awards and a free copy of the contest issue.

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $15 (for five poems)

Closing date: 01 May 2024

2. The Letter Review Prize for Poetry [Free Contest!]

The organizers of this poetry competition welcome poems of all kinds, with no restrictions on subject or style. Two to four winners are announced, among whom the cash prize is equally distributed.

Word count: 70 lines

Prize: $1,000 (total prize pool)

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 03 May 2024

3. Montreal International Poetry Prize

One of the most well-known poetry contests, the Montreal Prize awards one poet each year. The judges will shortlist 60 poems, all of which will be published in The Montreal Poetry Prize Anthology . Translations aren’t allowed unless a poet translates their own work.

Word count: 40 lines

Prize: $20,000 CAD

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 15 May 2024

4. Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize

This poetry competition awards one poem with publication in The American Poetry Review . All entrants receive a copy of the magazine. You may submit up to three poems, as long as the entire entry is no larger than 3 pages.

Word count: 3 pages

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 15 May 2024

5. James Laughlin Award [Free Writing Contest!]

This poetry competition is for a second book of poetry, to be published in the coming year. Publishers that have previously published at least four books of poetry are welcome to enter. Translated books are not eligible.

Location: US

Word count: 48–100 pages

Prize: $5,000

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 15 May 2024

6. Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize

This contest awards a book of poetry published in a standard edition in the previous year (2023). Self-published and translated books are not eligible. Publishers may submit more than one title.

Location: US

Word count: At least 48 pages

Prize: $25,000

Entry fee: $75

Closing date: 15 May 2024

7. Guy Owen Prize

Southern Poetry Review has organized this poetry contest, inviting you to submit three to five poems. You may submit online or via post, and the entry fee includes a one-year subscription to the magazine.

Word count: 10 pages

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 31 May 2024

Short story competitions 2024

8. The Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction [Free Contest!]

This short story writing contest will shortlist 20 entries, of which 2–4 will be announced as the winners. All entries will be considered for publication, future anthologies, and submission to the Pushcart Prize!

Word count: 5,000

Prize: $1,000 (total prize pool)

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 03 May 2024

9. Twist in the Tale Writing Competition

This interesting short story contest will assign you a genre, a “twisted” subgenre, and an event/character/object/subject. The contest also features weekly challenges and monthly mini-contests. It’s a community experience like no other!

Word count: 1,000

Prizes: $1,200, $400, $250, $150, $100, and others

Entry fee: $30

Closing date: 13–19 May 2024 (6-day contest)

10. WOW! Flash Fiction Contest

One of the WOW! 2024 writing contests, this is an open-prompt competition, open to women worldwide. You can opt for a critique of your writing at a $20 entry fee. The contest features only 300 entries, so hurry up and submit yours!

Word count: 250–750

Prizes: $400, $300, $200, and others

Entry fee: $10

Closing date: 31 May 2024

Essay contests 2024

11. The Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction [Free essay writing contest!]

One of the few essay contests in May 2024, this competition is open to essayists worldwide. Entries are judged blind and all entrants receive judges’ feedback on their essays. If you’d like to enter more than one essay, the fee is $5 per additional entry.

Word count: 5,000

Prize: $1,000 (total prize pool)

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 03 May 2024

12. James A. Winn Prize in Nonfiction

Michigan Quarterly Review has organized this essay contest in memory of English Professor James A. Winn. Ten shortlisted entries will be presented to Judge Elizabeth Goodenough. All entries will be considered for publication.

Word count: 1,500–7,000

Prize: $1,500

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 31 May 2024

Book writing contests 2024

13. Cheshire Novel Prize

This international book writing competition invites un-agented authors to submit an excerpt and a 500-word synopsis of their novel. Shortlisted authors will be asked to submit their entire manuscript. Self-published writers are welcome to enter!

Word count: The first 5,000 words

Prize: £1500

Entry fee: £29

Closing date: 01 May 2024

14. The Backwaters Prize in Poetry

This poetry book contest invites you to submit a collection of poems or a single long poem. The Backwaters Press will offer publication to both winning manuscripts. Only collections with 95% unpublished material are eligible to enter.

Word count: 60–85 pages

Prizes: $2,000, $1,000

Entry fee: $32

Closing date: 01 May 2024

15. The Letter Review Prize for Unpublished Books [Free Contest!]

The Letter Review invites poets and writers to submit excerpts of their unpublished books. The organizers may request entire manuscripts only from the winners. Make sure to include a one-page synopsis/abstract and a 200-word bibliography!

Word count: The first 15 pages for poetry; the first 5,000 words for prose

Prize: $1,000 (total prize pool)

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 03 May 2024

16. Leapfrog Global Fiction Prize

This international book writing contest is open to literary and mainstream fiction, including science fiction. Short story collections are allowed. Self-published books are allowed, as long as they haven’t sold more than 200 copies!

Word count: Minimum 22,000

Prize: Publication with Leapfrog Press and $150 for all finalists

Entry fee: $35

Closing date: 05 May 2024

17. The Fugere Book Prize for Finely Crafted Novellas

Regent House Publishing has organized this novella competition with its panel of editors as the judges. English translations of novellas written in other languages are allowed. Make sure not to send artwork or photographs, however!

Word count: 17,000–40,000

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 15 May 2024

18. Goldfinch Novel Award 2024

This novel contest invites manuscripts written for adults or young adults. Submit an excerpt of your novel with a one-page synopsis. Along with the cash prize, the winner gets a free Goldfinch membership and a Creative Writing Course worth £150.

Location: UK and Ireland

Word count: The first 5,000 words

Entry fee: £10

Closing date: 15 May 2024

19. Changing Light Prize for a Novel-in-Verse [Free Contest!]

This interesting book writing contest combines the forms of poetry and novel. Along with the cash prize, the winner receives 20 copies of their book and a standard royalty contract. The winning manuscript will be published in three formats: trade paper, eBook, and Kindle.

Word count: 90–160 pages

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 25 May 2024

Mixed writing contests 2024

20. The Untold Tales Youth Writing Competition [Free Contest!]

The organizers of this writing contest invite poets and writers under 25 years of age to submit entries in English or Spanish. The writing should be “focused on a true, fact-based untold tale celebrating and/or illuminating the importance of human rights.”

Categories: Poetry, short story, short narrative

Word count: 500 words for poetry; 1,000 words for prose

Prizes: $100 per category

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 01 May 2024

21. Leeway Transformation Award [Free Contest!]

Open to women, transgender, and gender-nonconforming artists, poets, and writers, this award isn’t project-based. Rather, it seeks to honor a creative based in Greater Philadelphia who has been working for social change.

Location: US

Categories: Various

Prizes: $15,000

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 01 May 2024

22. Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

This short story and essay contest offers online publication to 12 outstanding writers of fiction and nonfiction. Both published and unpublished entries are welcome. The top two winners receive two-year gift certificates from Duotrope.

Word count: 6,000

Prizes: $3,500 per category and 10 prizes of $300

Entry fee: $22

Closing date: 01 May 2024

23. Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition 2024

This writing contest features nine categories, awarding almost 500 poets and writers with various prizes. As if that wasn’t enough, the names and titles of honorable mentions will be listed on the Writer’s Digest website. Quite the exposure for new writers!

Categories: Various

Word count: 40 lines for poetry; 4,000 words for a short story, and 2,000 for an essay

Prizes: $5,000, 9 prizes of $1,000, $500, $250, $100, and $50 (per category)

Entry fee: $20 for poetry; $30 for manuscript

Closing date: 06 May 2024

24. The Bridport Prize 2024

This esteemed writing competition offers anthology publication, agent consultation, and editorial advice to the winning poets and writers. It also offers other prizes such as the Young Writer Award and the Dorset Award.

Categories: Poetry, short story, flash fiction, novel, memoir

Closing date: 31 May 2024

a. Poetry Contest 2024

Word count: 42 lines

Prizes: £5,000, £1,000, £500

Entry fee: £12

b. Short Story Contest 2024

Word count: 5,000

Prizes: £5,000, £1,000, £500

Entry fee: £14

c. Flash Fiction Contest 2024

Word count: 250

Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250

Entry fee: £11

d. Novel Contest 2024

Word count: 5,000–8,000

Prizes: £1,500, £750, 3 prizes of £150

Entry fee: £24

e. Memoir Contest 2024

Word count: 5,000–8,000

Prizes: £1,500, £750, 3 prizes of £150

Entry fee: £24

June 2024

June is bursting with creative opportunities! From free to paid, there are exciting poetry, short story, and book-writing contests waiting for you. For essay writing enthusiasts, we also managed to find four amazing essay writing contests.

Poetry contests 2024

1. Boulevard magazine poetry contest

This poetry contest invites writers to submit a group of 3 poems. The winning group of poems will be published in the Boulevard magazine.

Prize: $1000

Entry fee: $18

Closing date: 1 June 2024

2. Dan Veach Prize [Free Writing Contest!]

Organized by the Atlanta Review magazine, this is a free poetry contest. Currently accepting submissions from college students aged 18-23, the winning entries will be published in the Atlanta Review’s Fall/Winter issue.

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 1 June 2024

3. Peggy Willis Lyles Haiku Awards [Free Writing Contest!]

This free contest welcomes writers to submit a maximum of 2 unpublished haiku poems. Open to haiku poets globally, winners will receive a cash prize and a copy of Red Leaves: Selected Haiku of Peggy Lyles .

Prize: $200, $100, $50

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 1 June 2024

4. McLellan Poetry Prize

This contest invites writers to submit any number of poems on their choice of subject or theme. The poems must be unpublished and not accepted for publication.

Word count: 90 lines

Prize: £1000, £250

Entry fee: £7 for the 1st poem, £5 per poem for 2nd and subsequent poems

Closing date: 2 June 2024

5. Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year

Allowing poets to submit poems on any subject, 35 poems will be chosen from all the submitted entries. The shortlisted poems will feature in the Poet of the Year Anthology .

Word count: 60 lines

Prize: £200, £100, £50

Entry fee: £5 per poem

Closing date: 7 June 2024

6. Poetry London prize

Judged by Hannah Sullivan, this contest is open to poets anywhere in the world. The submitted poems must be in English. Winning entries will be published in the Poetry London magazine.

Prize: £5000, £2000, £1000

Entry fee: £5 for Poetry London magazine subscribers, £10 for non-subscribers

Closing date: 30 June 2024

Short story competitions 2024

7. Defenestrationism contest

This competition is looking for stories that “include an incident of Defenestrationism– the art, or -ism, of throwing people out of windows”. This need not be literal and the incident can be sudden, a violent shift or change. Zombie fiction is discouraged.

Prize: $75, $30, $30

Closing date: 2 June 2024

8. Imagine 2200

Organized by the American magazine Grist , this contest is looking for “stories rooted in creative climate solutions”. Anyone who is 18 years or older can participate.

Word count: 2,500-5,000 words

Prize: $3000, $2000, $1000, 9 prizes of $300

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 24 June 2024

9. Moth Short Story Prize

Open to any writer over 16 years of age, the winning entries will be published in the Irish Times . Prizes also include a trip to Circle de Misse in France plus open travel stipend! This contest will be judged by Louise Kennedy.

Prize: £3000, Circle de Misse trip, £1000

Entry fee: £15 per entry

Closing date: 30 June 2024

10. Salamander 2024 Fiction Contest

Accepting unpublished stories from writers worldwide, the winning entries will be published in the Salamander magazine. The story submitted must not exceed 30 double-spaced pages in 12-point font.

Prize: $1000, $500

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 1 June 2024

11. FFF Competition

This flash fiction contest invites writers to submit stories on any theme. The winning entries will be published on the Free Flash Fiction website.

Wordcount: 100-300 words

Prize: £150, 2 prizes of £50, 3 prizes of £40

Entry fee: £3.95, £2.55

Closing date: 23 June 2024

Essay contests 2024

12. Goi Peace Foundation International Essay Contest

Open to anyone who is 25 years old or under, this essay writing contest only accepts one entry per person. Participants can submit their essays written in English, Japanese, or French.

Theme: Experience of overcoming conflict

Word count: 700 words

Prize: 100,000 yen, 50,000 yen

Closing date: 15 June 2024

13. Solid essay contest

An amazing opportunity for new writers, the winning essay entries will receive a scholarship. To participate, writers will have to write an essay on technology’s role in shaping the future or select the topic of climate change.

Word count: 600-800

Prize: $1000, $700, $500

Closing date: 19 June 2024

14. Hubert Butler Essay prize

To participate in this essay writing contest, the author must be above 18 and should be a European or UK citizen. The subject for the essay is: “With narratives of conflict currently distorted by misinformation and the substitution of memory for history, what are the chances of reconciliation?”

Wordcount: 3,000

Prize: 1 prize of €1,500, 2 prizes of €500

Closing date: 28 June 2024

15. Fountain Essay Contest 2024

Open to writers worldwide, interested participants can submit 1 entry per person. While the Chicago Manual of Style is preferred for essay writing, other styles can also be used.

Theme: Where is home?

Wordcount: 1500-2000

Prizes: $1000, $500, $300, 2 prizes of $150

Closing date: 30 June 2024

Book writing contests 2024

16. The Novel Prize

This contest rewards unpublished fictional works that “explore and expand the possibilities of the form, and are innovative and imaginative”. The winning entries will be published in North America, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Prize: $10,000

Closing date: 1 June 2024

17. Chicken House Prize

This contest invites writers to submit a “complete fiction manuscript of any genre for children aged 7 up to YA”. The winner will receive a publishing contract plus an offer of representation.

Prize: £7,500

Closing date: 1 June 2024

18. Creative Arts Book Award

This contest allows writers to submit original works of fiction or non-fiction. Poetry books cannot be submitted to this contest.

Prize: $25,000, 2 prizes of $250

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 1 June 2024

19. Towson prize for literature

Founded in 1979, this contest accepts manuscript submissions of poetry, fiction, drama, and imaginative non-fiction. Open to Maryland (USA) writers only, the manuscript must be published 3 years before the time of nomination or scheduled for publication within the year it’s nominated.

Prize: $1,000

Closing date: 15 June 2024

20. Scotiabank Giller Prize

To be eligible to participate in this contest, the writer must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. The book should be a first-edition novel, graphic novel, or collection of short stories published between 1st May and 30th June 2024. Unfortunately, self-published books aren’t eligible.

Prize: $10,000, shortlisted translation ($7,000-author, $3,000-translator), (translation wins- $70,000-author, $30,000- translator)

Closing date: 21 June 2024

21. Atwood Gibson Prize

Organized to encourage Canadian writers, this contest awards the best Canadian novel or short story collection. Funded by the Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie, the authors receive a generous cash prize.

Prize: $60,000, $5000

Closing date: 25 June 2024

22. Drue Heinz Literature Prize

Open to writers all over the world, participants can submit a manuscript of short stories, 2 or more novellas, or a combination of novellas and short stories. Winning entries will be published by the University of Pittsburgh Press and receive support in book promotion.

Prize: $15000

Closing date: 30 June 2024

Mixed writing contests 2024

23. Arizona Authors Association Literary Contest

Arizona Literary Magazine has organized this poetry, short story, and essay writing competition in three categories and several subcategories. The 24 winning poets and writers will be published in the magazine.

Location: US and Canada

Categories: Unpublished poetry, short story, essay, novel; Published books of fiction and nonfiction, others

Word count: 50 lines for poetry; 5,000 for short stories and essays; 25 pages for a novel

Prizes: $500, 3 prizes of $200, $100, $75, $50 each , 11 prizes of $25

Entry fee: $35 for unpublished and $45 for published poets and writers

Closing date: 01 June 2024

24. Questions Writing Prize

This contest welcomes writers to submit fiction/non-fiction works on any topic. Only young Australian writers, aged 18-30 years are open to participate in this contest.

Prize: $3000

Word count: 1,500-2000

Closing date: 1 June 2024

25. Manitoba poetry and short story contest

Interested participants can either submit 3 poems or 1 story to participate in this exciting contest. The winning entries will be published on the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba website and winners will be given cash prizes.

Prize: $125, $75, $50

Closing date: 7 June 2024

26. International Wizard of Oz Club Contest

This contest has 3 categories: fiction, non-fiction, and art. All the entries must be about the land of Oz created by Frank Baum in the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz .

Prize: $100, $50

Word count: 10,000 words

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 15 June 2024

27. Wells Festival of Literature

Organized as a part of the Wells Festival of Literature, this contest awards amazing fictional works of poetry and prose. The winners will receive amazing cash prizes and will be invited to the celebratory event of the festival on 25th October 2024.

Categories: Open Poetry, Short Story, Book for Children, Young Poets

Closing date: 30 June 2024

a. Wells Festival Open Poetry Contest 2024

The poems can be on any subject. Each poem submitted must not exceed more than 35 lines of text in length. Multiple submissions are allowed.

Prize: £1000, £500, £250

Entry fee: £6

b. Wells Festival Short Story Contest 2024

You can submit 1 or more short stories on any topic of your choice to participate in this content. Make sure to mention the story’s word count on the first page!

Prize: £750, £300, £200, £100

Entry fee: £6 per story

c. Wells Festival Book for Children Contest

This competition requires you to submit either the first two chapters or the first 20 pages of the children’s book you’ve written. You also need to attach your book’s synopsis.

Prize: £750. £300, £200

Entry fee: £6 per book

d. Young Poets Contest

Open to writers aged 16-22 years old, this contest allows participants to submit poems on any subject. The poems must not exceed 35 lines of length.

Prize: £200, £150, £100

Entry fee: £3 per poem

28. Writers’ Trust Prize for Non-Fiction

This contest rewards the best Canadian non-fiction of the year. Participants can submit a biography, memoir, or non-fiction book of essays, commentary, and criticism.

Prize: $75,000, $5,000

Closing date: 25 June 2024

29. Writers of the future contest

Writers who have not professionally published “a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium” are eligible to participate. Manuscripts belonging to the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and dark fantasy are also accepted.

Prize: $5000, $1000, $750, $500

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 30 June 2024

July 2024

July is the perfect month to let your creativity soar! We’ve found exciting poetry, book, and short story competitions for you! As always, essay writing competitions are scarce. Don’t worry though, we’ll keep adding to this list every month!

Poetry contests 2024

1. Local Word Poetry Prize

In its second year, this contest is open to Australian residents who are 16 years or older. The winning entry will be published on the Geelong Regional Library Corporation (GRLC) website.

Wordcount: 75 lines

Prize: $2,000, $250

Entry fee: Free!

Closing date: 1 July 2024

2. Ledbury Poetry Competition 2024

A part of the Poetry Ledbury Festival, this contest is open to writers who are 18 years or older. Judged by Maya C. Popa this year, participants can submit unpublished poems up to 40 lines.

Location: UK

Prize: £1000, £500, £259

Entry fee: £6

Closing date: 8 July 2024

3. Vice Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize

Interested participants can submit 1-6 poems. 60 longlisted poems will be published in an online prize anthology.

Prize: AUD$15,000, AUD$5,000, AUD$5,000

Entry fee: $AUD25

Closing date: 14 July 2024

4. Rattle poetry prize

Welcoming writers worldwide to participate, this contest accepts poems primarily written in English. Participants can send 4 poems per entry on any topic of their choice.

Prize: 1 prize of $15000, 1 prize of $5000, 10 prizes of $500

Entry fee: $30

Closing date: 15 July 2024

5. The Tenth Gate Prize

To participate, writers must have two previously published full-length poetry collections. The winning entry will be published.

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 15 July 2024

6. Muriel Craft Bailey Poetry Contest

Judged by Charles Rafferty, this contest accepts original, unpublished submissions. The winning entry will be published in the Comstock Review .

Prize: $1.000, $250, $100

Entry fee: $27.50 (per submission)

Closing date: 15 July 2024

7. Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize

Judged by Kim Addonizio, this contest is open to writers worldwide. The top 5 finalists’ entries will be published in the Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine .

Prize: $1,000, $500, $250

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 31 July 2024

8. Winchester Poetry Prize 2024

Judged by Clare Shaw, this contest encourages poets worldwide to submit poems on any subject. The results will be announced on 5th October 2024 and winning entries will be published in a competition anthology.

Location: UK

Wordcount: Not more than 40 lines

Prize: £1000, £500, £250

Entry fee: £6 for the 1st poem, £5 for each subsequent poem

Closing date: 31 July 2024

9. Experimental Poetry Contest

This exciting contest allows participants to submit poems of any form and style. The winning entry will be published in the Connecticut River Review.

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 31 July 2024

Short story competitions 2024

10. HWA Short Story Award

To participate in this contest, writers must submit a story that is set atleast 35 years in the past. The stories of 6 shortlisted writers will be published together in an eBook.

Wordcount: 3,500 words

Entry fee: £5

Closing date: 1 July 2024.

11. HG Wells short story competition

Free for writers 21 years or under, this contest accepts original, unpublished short stories. The winning entries will be published in the HG Wells Short Story Competition Anthology.

Theme: The Fool

Prize: £1,000

Entry fee: £10 for writers over 21, £5 for writers with a student ID

Closing date: 8 July 2024

12. The Paul Cave Prize for Teenage Fiction

Organized to encourage teenage fiction, writers can submit stories about a murder mystery, science, technology, sports, etc. Winning entries will be published on the contest website and in the Paul Cave Prize for Teenage Fiction 2024 book.

Prize: £100, £50, £25

Entry fee: £30 (1 entry), £40 (2 entries)

Closing date: 30 July 2024

13. Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition 2024

Funded by the Munster Literature Centre, this contest invites writers of all nationalities to submit their stories. The selected stories will be published in the literary journal Southward.

Word count: 3,000

Prize: €2,000, €500, €250

Closing date: 31 July 2024

14. Inspiring Fiction Contest

This contest is seeking submissions for “thrilling and thought-provoking short stories”. To participate, writers will have to explore the theme of freedom through genres like crime, fantasy, and speculative fiction.

Wordcount: 1000-2500

Entry fee: £5

Closing date: 31 July 2024

15. Fiction Factory Competition

This competition welcomes all stories except those related to children and young adult fiction. Stories must be submitted in a MS Word document.

Wordcount: 3000 words

Entry fee: £7.00 (1 story), £13 (2 stories), £18 (3 stories)

Closing date: 31 July 2024

16. Anthology Short Story Competition

Open to writers worldwide, this short story competition welcomes submissions on any theme or style. The winning entry will be published in the future issue of Anthology.

Word count: 1,500 words

Prize: €1000, €250, €150

Entry fee: €18 per entry

Closing date: 31 July 2024

Essay contests 2024

17. Forum Essay Prize 2024

This contest is seeking submissions of “bold, visionary, and persuasive essays”. The winning essay will be published in the issue of Forum for Modern Language Studies.

Theme: The Art(s) of Delight

Wordcount: 6000-8000 words

Prize: £500, £200

Closing date: 1 July 2024

Book writing contests 2024

18. Wasifiri New Writing Prize

This contest is open to all writers who have not yet published a book. The winning entries will be published in the Wasafiri magazine.

Wordcount: 3000 words

Prize: £1000

Entry fee: £12 (single entry), £16 (double entry)

Closing date: 1 July 2024

19. The St. Laurence Book Award

This contest rewards an unpublished collection of poetry or prose. The winning entry will be published and the author will receive 10 copies.

Prize: $1.000

Entry fee: $14

Closing date: 1 July 2024

20. Press 53 Award

Rewarding “outstanding, unpublished collection of poems”, this contest welcomes submissions of writers 18 years or older. The participant must reside in the United States.

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $30

Closing date: 31 July 2024

21. Kingsley Tuft Poetry Award

Interested participants must submit their first book of poetry published between 1st July 2023 and 30th June 2024. Make sure to mail 8 copies of the book and the entry form before the deadline!

Prize: $100,000

Closing date: 1 July 2024

22. North Street Book Prize

To participate, writers must submit self-published/hybrid published books. Winning writers will also receive a $500 credit at the self-publishing platform BookBaby and book cover consultation from Laura Duffy Design.

Categories: mainstream/literary fiction, romance, mystery, thriller, young adult, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, poetry, children’s picture books, middle grade, art books, creative non fiction, graphic novels, and memoirs

Prize: $10,000, $1,000, $300

Entry fee: $79 per book

Closing date: 1 July 2024

23. Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize

Every year, this contest awards a poet who hasn’t yet published a full-length poetry book. Interested poets must submit an unpublished manuscript of 48-90 pages.

Prize: $1,500

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 7 July 2024

24. Petrichor Prize

Open to writers 18 years or older, participants can submit more than 1 manuscript. The winning entry will be published by Regal House Publishing.

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 15 July 2024

Mixed writing contests 2024

25. Bellevue Literary Review Prize

This contest is currently accepting submissions in 3 categories: poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Simultaneous submissions are accepted.

Wordcount: 5,000 words

Prize: $75 (poetry), $150 (prose)

Entry fee: $5

Closing date: 1 July 2024

26. Robert and Adele Schiff Awards

Simultaneous submissions of fiction and non-fiction works are accepted by this contest. Writers can submit 8 pages of poetry (5 poems), a 10,000-word fictional work or a 5,000-word work of literary non-fiction.

Prize: $1,000 (per category)

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 15 July 2024

27. Work-in-Progress Contest

This contest supports writers to complete a book of fiction, nonfiction or poetry. Winning writers will also get guidance from editors and their interview will be featured in Unleash Lit .

Closing date: 15 July 2024

August 2024

Ready to unleash your creativity and showcase your talent? We’ve found amazing poetry, book, and short story competitions for you. Although there aren’t many essay writing competitions, we’ll continue updating this list every month.

Poetry contests 2024

1. Coniston Prize

Open to female poets worldwide, this contest awards a group of exceptional poems. The poems of all winners and finalists will be published in the October Coniston’s Prize issue.

Prize: $1,000, $175 for 10 finalists

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 1 August 2024

2. Waterford Poetry Prize (Free poetry writing contest!)

Only writers staying in Ireland are eligible to participate in this contest. This concept accepts unpublished poems in PDF/Word format.

Wordcount: 40 lines max

Prize: €400, €300, €200

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 12 August 2024

3. Grayson Books Poetry Contest

Accepting electronic submissions only, this contest looks for poetry submissions of 50-90 pages. The winning entry will be published by Grayson Books.

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $26

Closing date: 15 August 2024

4. Cantor Prize

Judged by Juan Morales, this contest is open to Colarodo writers and global writers submitting a poem about Colorado. Previously published poems and simultaneous submissions are allowed.

Prize: $1,000, $100 each (5 prizes)

Entry fee: 1 poem ($10), 2 poems ($20), 3 poems, (25), 4 poems ($35)

Deadline: 31 August 2024

5. Oxford Poetry Prize

Judged by Rachel Long, this contest rewards a single poem written in English. The winning poems will also receive the opportunity for publication in Oxford Poetry .

Wordcount: 50 lines (maximum)

Prize: £1000, £200, £100

Closing date: 31 August 2024

6. Off the Grid Poetry Prize

Open to poets 60 years or older, manuscripts submitted for this contest must be of atleast 50 pages. The winner will also receive additional services of book promotion, book printing, audiobook creation.

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 31 August 2024

7. Richard-Gabriel Rummonds Poetry Prize

Open to writers residing in the United States, entrants need to be 18 or older to participate. The winning entry will secure publication by Ex Ophidia Press.

Prize: $2,000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 31 August 2024

8. Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize (Free poetry contest!)

Only New York residents who have published a poetry collection between 1st July 2023 and 30th June 2024 are eligible to participate in this contest. The winner will get an opportunity to read their poetry and teach at Utica University in April 2025.

Prize: $2,000

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 31 August 2024

Short story competitions 2024

9. George Dila Flash Fiction Contest

This contest welcomes submissions of unpublished flash fiction works. Three winning stories will be published in September 2024’s contest issue.

Wordcount: Less than 1,000 words

Prize: 3 prizes of $100

Entry fee: $6 per entry

Closing date: 15 August 2024

10. Free Flash Fiction Competition

Writers who are16 years or older are eligible to participate in this contest. Welcoming submissions of fiction works on any theme, the winning entry also secures publication.

Word count: 100-300 words

Prize: £150, £50.00 (2 prizes), £40.00 (3 shortlisted stories)

Entry fee: £2.55 via BACS, £3.95 via PayPal or Stripe

Closing date: 23 August 2024

11. Summer Short Story Award

Inviting submissions of unpublished fiction or creative nonfiction, this contest will be judged by Colin Barrett. Simultaneous and multiple submissions are allowed. The winning entry will secure an agency review and online publication.

Word count: Less than 6000 words

Prize: $3000, 2 cash prizes for finalists ($200, $300)

Entry fee: $20 per entry

Closing date: 25 August 2024

12. Gemini Flash Fiction Prize

This flash fiction contest invites writers to submit literary works on any subject and style. The maximum word-limit is 1,000 words.

Prize: $1,000, $100, $25 each (4 honorable mentions)

Entry fee: $8

Closing date: 31 August 2024

13. Edinburgh Flash Fiction Award

Accepting stories in all genres, this contest is open to writers worldwide. The authors of the top 20 stories will secure publication in an anthology. This contest also rewards one writer living in Scotland with the Golden Hare award and a bizarre, quirky story with the Write Mango Flash Award.

Wordcount: Up to 200 words

Prize: £2,000, £300, £150, £500 for Golden Hare award, £300 for Write Mango Flash award

Entry fee: £10.00 per story

Closing date: 31 August 2024

14. Summer Flash Fiction Contest

Hosted by WOW!, this quarterly writing contest accepts submissions in any style and genre. The winning entry will be published. Top 10 entries will each receive a $25 Amazon gift certificate. With this, 10 honorable mentions will each get a $20 Amazon gift certificate.

Prize: $600, $300, 200, $25 worth Amazon gift certificates to 7 runner-ups,

Wordcount: 250-750 words

Entry fee: $10

Closing date: 31 August 2024

Essay writing contests 2024

15. Creative Non Fiction Essay Contest

Judged by Safiya Sinclair, this contest seeks submissions of creative, non-fiction essays of 5,000 words. Every entry must include a cover letter, an essay manuscript, and the entry fee.

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 2 August 2024

16. Platt Family Essay Contest (Free essay contest!)

Under-graduate students who are currently enrolled in an American University or college during the Spring semester are eligible to participate in this contest. Make sure to include a works cited page or bibliography with the essay!

Prize: $1,000, $500, $250

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 31 August 2024

Book writing contests 2024

17. Aspen Words Literary Prize

This prize is annually given to “an influential work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue”. Welcoming writers worldwide, works about violence, religion, race, immigration, or any other social issues are eligible for submission.

Prize: $35,000

Entry fee: $105 per book

Closing date: 7 August 2024

18. Other Futures Award

This contest rewards a manuscript that “challenges conventions of genre and language, content and form”. The chosen manuscript will secure publication by FuturePoem, a standard royalty contract and 25 author copies.

Prize: $1000

Entry fee: $28, ($18, $9 need-based fees), $35 to sponsor someone’s fees

Closing date: 15 August 2024

19. Open Poetry Book Contest

Accepting only online submissions, this contest is open to writers worldwide. The winning entry is published and the winner gets 20 printed copies.

Prize: $3000

Entry fee: $30 per entry

Closing date: 16 August 2024

20. Book of the Year Awards Contest

In its tenth year, this contest welcomes authors to submit fictional/non-fictional books. The entries must be already published and available for sale/presale on Amazon or other online publishing platforms.

Prize: $2,500, $1,000 each (2 prizes), $500 each (2 prizes) $250 each (2 prizes) (totaling to $6000)

Entry fee: $49 (1st category), $35 (additional category)

Closing date: 16 August 2024

21. Kenneth Patchen Award

To participate, writers can submit a manuscript of any length in Word or PDF format. The winning entry will be published by the Journal of Experimental Fiction.

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 31 August 2024

Mixed writing contests 2024

22. Granum Foundation Prize (Free writing contest!)

This contest invites submissions of poetry books, essay collections, short story collections, novels, and memoirs. Additionally, the Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be awarded to a work translated in English. Open to US-based writers, only one entry per person is allowed.

Prize: $5.000 (Granum Foundation prize), $1500 or more (Granum Foundation Translation Prize), $500 or more (3 finalists)

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 1 August 2024

23. Stories That Need to Be Told

This contest welcomes submissions of poetry and prose works. Five additional prizes will be given to stories related to humor, passion, depth, or any form of love.

Wordcount: Poetry (5 pages per poem), prose (10,000 words)

Prize: $1,000, $200 each (5 prizes), $200 (wild card)

Entry fee: $20 per entry

Closing date: 9 August 2024

24. Gulf Coast Prize

This prize rewards a novel or short story collection that “illuminates a vital contemporary issue”. Writers can submit a literary work that explores violence, religion, race, or any other social issue. Only 4 submissions are allowed per publishing house.

Prize: $35,000

Entry fee: $26 per entry

Closing date: 7 August 2024

25. Lab Prize

To participate, writers can submit their unpublished novel or short story collection on any topic. The winning entry will be published by The University of New Orleans Press.

Prize: $10,000

Entry fee: $28

Closing date: 31 August 2024

26. SaveAs Writers International Writing Competition

Organized to pay a tribute to climbers U.K.’s 1924 Everest expedition climbers, this contest accepts poetry and short story submissions. Judged by Frances Knight, the entry needs to be centered around the theme “Risking All”.

Wordcount: 60 lines max (poems), 3,500 (short stories)

Prize: £200, £100, £50

Entry fee: £4 per poem, £10 for 3 poems, £5 for a short story, £12 for 3 short stories

Closing date: 31 August 2024

27. Northwind Writing Award (Free writing contest!)

This contest includes the following categories: prose poetry, poetry, short fiction, nonfiction/essay/memoir. Only writers residing in the US, Canada, U.K., and Canada are eligible to participate.

Prize: $ 100 per category

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 31 August 2024

September 2024

This September, gear up for some exciting writing contests and showcase your creativity! We’ve discovered amazing poetry, essay, book, and short story contests, both free and paid. Dive in, participate, and stay tuned: We’ll continue updating this list as we find new contests!

Poetry contests 2024

1. Frontier Poetry Award

Judged by Nancy Miller Gomez, this contest rewards an unpublished poetry chapbook or manuscript. The winning entry will be published and the author will receive 50 book copies.

Prize: $2000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 1 September 2024

2. Banyan Review Poetry Prize

Seeking poetry submissions on any topic, this contest awards a single, well-crafted poem. Interested poets can submit 5 unpublished poems in a single file (docx).

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 2 September 2024

3. New Women’s Voices Chapbook competition

Women who have not yet published a full-length collection are eligible to participate in this contest. To enter, they must submit a poetry chapbook along with a bio, title page, and acknowledgements.

Prize: $1,500

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 15 September 2024

4. Brittingham and Felix Pollak Prizes

To participate, interested poets can submit their original poetry manuscript in PDF format. The winning entry and 4 additional entries will be chosen for publication by the University of Wisconsin Press.

Word count: 50-90 pages

Prize: $1,500

Entry fee: $28

Closing date: 15th September 2024

5. Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2024

Open to writers worldwide, this contest welcomes poetry submissions on any theme. Accepting multiple submissions, this contest will be judged by Jane Yeh and Glyn Maxwell.

Word count: 45 lines max

Prize: £2,000, £1,000, £500

Entry fee: £6 / €7 / $8 per poem

Closing date: 23 September 2024

6. Miller Williams Poetry Prize

Currently accepting poetry manuscript submissions, this contest only allows one entry per author. The winning entry will also secure publication.

Wordcount: 60-90 pages

Prize: $5,000

Entry fee: $28

Closing date: 30 September 2024

7. X.J. Kennedy Poetry Prize

Every year, this contest rewards a full-length poetry collection. The winner gets a fellowship at Vermont Studio Center, a royalty contract and 10 published book copies.

Wordcount: 50-100 pages

Prize: $10,000

Entry fee: $28

Closing date: 30 September 2024

8. One Page Poetry Contest

This contest welcomes entries of single-page poems in any genre and form. The first 100 entries will be published in an anthology by One Page Poetry.

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

Entry fee: $25 per poem

Closing date: 30 September 2024

Short story competitions 2024

9. Stories Out of School Contest (Free short story contest!)

Open to adults who are 18 years or older, this contest is seeking submissions of original, unpublished works. The story’s protagonist or narrator must be a K-12 teacher.

Wordcount: 6-499 words

Prize: $1,000

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 1 September 2024

10. Lorian Hemingway Short Story Contest

Open to writers worldwide, this contest awards the best, original, unpublished fiction stories. Interested participants can submit stories in any theme or style. Multiple submissions are allowed.

Word count: 3500 words or less

Prize: $1500, $500 each (2 prizes)

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 1 September 2024

11. The Fiddlehead Fiction Contest

Judged by Zilla Jones, this contest is seeking submissions of original, unpublished short stories. The winning entries will be published in The Fiddlehead magazine.

Wordcount: 6000 words or less

Prize: $2000

Entry fee: $35 (first entry), $10 (each additional entry)

Closing date: 3 September 2024

12. SIWC Writing Contest

Organized as a part of the Surrey International Writing Conference, this contest invites writers from all over the world to submit their stories. Allowing authors to submit stories in any genre, every entry must also include an attached cover letter.

Wordcount: 2,500-5000 words

Prize: $1,000, $150 (honorable mention)

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 15 September 2024

13. Ink of Ages Fiction Prize (Free writing contest!)

Open to all writers who are 13 years old and above, this contest seeks historical and mythological story submissions. The story must “be set 50 years ago”.

Wordcount: 1500-2000 (18+ entrants), 800-1000 (13-17 years old)

Prize: $200, $100, $50

Entry fee: Free!

Closing date: 15 September 2024

14. Solas Awards

Accepting submissions of the best travel stories, this contest is open to US and Columbia’s writers above 18 years of age. The stories submitted must be true accounts of any events you’ve experienced.

Word count: 750 words max

Prize: $1000, $750, $500

Entry fee: $35

Closing date: 21 September 2024

15. Mslexia Women’s Short Story Competition

Judged by Leone Ross, this contest is open to all female writers worldwide. The entries of the winner and top 3 finalists will be published in December 2024’s Mslexia edition. They’ll also be included in the eBook anthology Best Women’s Short Fiction 2024 .

Prize: £3,000, £100 (3 prizes)

Entry fee: £12.00

Closing date: 23 September 2024

16. Bardsy Short Story Contest

This contest recognizes the most well-written, unpublished short story. All entrants receive in-depth feedback for their submission, allowing them to make revisions before the judges final review.

Wordcount: 1500-2000 words

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 23 September 2024

17. Anthology Flash Fiction Award

This contest welcomes writers of all nationalities to submit unpublished flash fiction works on any theme or genre. Seeking “clever and unique writing”, the winning entry will be published in the future issue of Anthology .

Entry fee: €12

Closing date: 30 September 2024

18. Writers College Short Story Contest

Writers whose works are unpublished or whose writings are published less than 4 times are eligible to participate. Open to writers worldwide, only one entry per author is allowed.

Theme: It didn’t have to be this way

Wordcount: 1400-2000 words

Prize: $1,000, $500, $250

Closing date: 30 September 2024

Essay writing contests 2024

19. Immerse Education Essay Competition (Free essay contest!)

Students who are 13-18 years old are eligible to participate in this essay contest. 10 winners and runner-ups will get scholarships to pursue their education with Immerse.

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 12th September 2024

20. Ayn Rand Essay Contests

International contests related to two Ayn Rand books ( The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged ) are open. To participate, interested students must select an Ayn Rand book to receive an essay topic about the chosen book.

Prize: $25000 (The Fountainhead essay contest), $2500 (Atlas Shrugged essay contest)

Closing date: 13 September 2024 (The Fountainhead essay contest), 20 September 2024 (Atlas Shrugged essay contest)

21. Boulevard Nonfiction Contest

Currently seeking entries of unpublished essays, this contest accepts simultaneous submissions. The winning entry will be published in the Boulevard magazine.

Wordcount: 8,000 words max

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $18

Closing date: 30 September 2024

Book writing contests 2024

22. First Book Award

To be eligible to participate, the entrant must reside in the US or must have been a US resident 10 years before the submission deadline. The winner will also receive a 6-week paid trip to Civitella Ranieri Center Italy where they’ll join a group of artists, writers, and publishers.

Prize: $5,000

Entry fee: $35

Closing date: 1 September 2024

23. Lightscatter Press Prize

Judged by John Murillo, this contest rewards the best full-length poetry manuscript. Writers can submit entries on any genre and theme.

Wordcount: 48-64 pages

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $30

Closing date: 17 September 2024

24. Surrealist Art Prize

Organized by the museum dAda mUse in Launceston, Tasmania, this contest is open to Australian poets. The submitted entries must be unpublished and should center around the theme surrealism.

Prize: $1500, $750

Entry fee: $22

Closing date: 20 September 2024

25. George Garrett Prize

Open to all writers above 18 years of age, this contest accepts manuscripts of novels and short story collections. The winner will receive a standard royalty contract and 10 published book copies.

Wordcount: 40,000-100,000

Prize: $2,000, $1,000 (runner-up)

Entry fee: $28

Closing date: 30 September 2024

26. Iowa and John Simmons Short Fiction Awards (Free writing contest!)

These awards are annually given to the two best short story collections. The winning entry is published by the University of Iowa Press.

Wordcount: 150 pages or more

Entry fee: Free!

Closing date: 30 September 2024

Mixed writing contests 2024

27. Hunger Mountain Literary Prizes

This contest features 3 categories: short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. The winning entries will be published in the Hunger Mountain.

Wordcount: up to 3 poems (poetry), less than 6000 words (short story or creative nonfiction)

Prize: $500 (per category)

Entry fee: $20 (per category)

Closing date: 1 September 2024

28. Dogwood Literary Awards

Every year, this contest rewards an outstanding story, essay, or poem. Make sure to include a brief bio and contact information in the attached cover letter!

Wordcount: 22 pages (fiction/ non-fiction prose works), 10 pages max. (poetry)

Prize: $1000 per category

Entry fee: $12

Closing date: 5 September 2024

29. Aesthetica Creative Writing Award

Inviting submissions of poetry and short fiction on any theme, this contest is “looking for the best new writing talent”. Multiple submissions are allowed. The winning entry will be published by Aesthetica.

Wordcount: Poetry (40 lines max.), short fiction (up to 2,000 words)

Prize: £5000

Entry fee: £12 (poetry), £18 (short fiction)

Closing date: 8 September 2024

30. Fractured Lit 2024 Elsewhere Prize

Judged by Tara Campbell, this contest invites micro, flash, and sudden fiction submissions. Seeking submissions revolving around “the forgotten, the hidden, the otherworldly”, the winning entries will be published.

Word count: 100-1500 words

Prize: $3000, $300, $200

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 15 September 2024

31. Lazuli Literary Group Writing Contest

This contest accepts entries of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays, philosophical works, stageplays, fragments, etc. The winning entry will be published online in Azure: A Journal of Literary Thought .

Word count: 150 pages max

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 24 September 2024

32. Dreamquest Poetry and Writing Contest

Open to all writers worldwide, this contest invites submissions of poems and short stories. The literary work can be in any style and theme.

Wordcount: 30 lines or less (poetry), 5 pages max (prose)

Prize: Poetry ($250, $125, 50), Prose ($500, $250, $100)

Entry fee: $10 (per short story), $5 (per poem)

Closing date: 30 September 2024

33. The Paul Cave Prize

This contest welcomes submissions of poetry, flash fiction, short stories, and novellas from writers all over the world. The winning entry will be published in the Paul Cave Prize for Literature 2024 book.

Wordcount: 30 lines max (poetry), 300 words max (flash fiction), 1,000 words max (short stories), 10,000 words max (novellas)

Prize: £150 (novella), £75 (short story), £35 (flash fiction), £35 (best poem)

Entry fee: £13 (1 short story), £20 (2 short stories), £26 (1 novella), £42 (2 novellas), £10 (up to 3 poems/ flash fiction), £20 ( up to 8 poems/flash fiction)

Closing date: 30 September 2024

34. Break Out! Writers Prize

Seeking poetry and prose submissions, this contest is open to students who have enrolled in an accredited university. The winning entries will be published in the Summer Issue of Epiphany .

Prize: $1000

Closing date: 30 September 2024

35. Hackney Literary Awards

This writing contest rewards original works of poetry, short stories, and unpublished novels. Open to Alabama’s writers, interested participants can upload their entry in PDF, doc, or docx formats.

Prize: $2500 (poetry and short fiction), $5000 (unpublished novel)

Entry fee: $15 (poetry), $20 (short story), $30 (novel)

Closing date: 30 September 2024

36. Philip Levine Prize

Accepting writing contests from writers worldwide, this contest awards the best unpublished full-length poetry manuscript. The winning entry is published by Black Lawrence Press.

Wordcount: 48-80 pages

Prize: $2,000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 30 September 2024

37. The Moth Nature Writing Prize

Open to writers above 16 years of age, this contest annually awards poetry and prose submissions. Judged by Can Flyn, the winner also gets a week’s staycation at the Circle of Misse in France.

Prize: €1,000, €500, €250

Entry fee: €15

Closing date: 30 September 2024

38. Anthology Nature Writing Competition

Accepting submissions of unpublished, original short stories and essays, this contest allows multiple entries. The winning entry will be published in the Anthology magazine.

Theme: Nature

Entry fee: €15

Closing date: 30 September 2024

39. Montana Prize for Humor

Judged by Molly McNearney, this contest accepts fiction, nonfiction, and poetry submissions. The winning entries will secure publication in the Whitefish Review .

Prize: $1000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 30 September 2024

40. Lascaux Prize in Creative Nonfiction

Interested participants can submit memoirs, chronicles, personal essays, humorous perspectives, literary journalism, or short stories of any genre. The winner will receive a bronze medal and the winning entry will be published in The Lascaux Review .

Wordcount: 10,000 words or less

Prize: $1000

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 30 September 2024

41. Juniper Prizes

This contest annually awards a short story collection and novel. The winning entry is published by the University of Massachusetts Press.

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $30

Closing date: 30 September 2024

42. PEN/Faulkner Award

This contest accepts submissions of short story collections, novellas, and novels published between 1st January 2024 and 31st December 2024. Open to U.S. citizens, submitted entries must be traditionally published by “commercial, university, or independent presses in the U.S”.

Prize: $15000, $5000 each (finalists)

Entry fee: $95

Closing date: 30 September 2024

43. Willie Morris awards

This contest invites submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry works exploring the perspectives of the American South. The winner gets a paid trip to Oxford, Mississippi, where they can read their work at an Oxford conference for the book.

Prize: $12,000 (fiction and nonfiction), $3,000 (poetry)

Closing date: 30 September 2024

October 2024

October brings a flood of amazing writing opportunities! We’ve handpicked diverse writing contests for essays, poetry, books, short stories, and more. Check back often: we’ll be adding new contests regularly!

Poetry contests 2024

1. Litmag’s Emily Dickinson Award

To participate, writers can submit 1-3 poems. The winning entry will secure publication in LitMag and receive an agency review by Amy Bishop-Wycisk.

Prize: $1,500, $100 each (for 3 finalists)

Entry fee: $18

Closing date: 1 October 2024

2. Vivian Shipley Poetry Award

Open to poets of all nationalities, writers can submit unpublished poems in a single document. There should only be one poem per page.

Prize: $1,000, $100, $50

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 1 October 2024

3. Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

While the Tom Howard Prize is given to unpublished poems of any genre/form, the Margaret Reid Prize is given to poems that rhyme or have a traditional style. The 12 best entries will be published online.

Wordcount: 250 lines

Prize: $3500, $3500

Entry fee: $22

Closing date: 2 October 2024

4. Peter Porter Prize

This contest invites writers of all nationalities to submit unpublished poems. Each entry must be a poem written by a single author of not more than 60 lines.

Prize: AU$6000, $1000 each (4 shortlisted poets)

Entry fee: $20 (current Australian Book Review subscriber), $30 (standard/non subscriber)

Closing date: 7 October 2024.

5. Steve Kowit Poetry Prize

To participate, poets need to submit a single, unpublished poem which is not submitted to other publications. The winning entry will be published in the San Diego Poetry Annual .

Prize: $1000, $250, $100

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 15 October 2024

6. Gerald Cable Book Award

Sponsored by Silverfield Book Press, this contest rewards an original book-length poetry manuscript. Judged by Rodger Moody, the winning entry secures publication and 25 book copies.

Wordcount: 48 pages or more

Prize: $1000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 15 October 2024

7. Jake Adam York Prize

Accepting submissions of full-length poetry collections, this contest is open to writers residing in the US or are US citizens. The winning entries will be published by Milkweed Editions.

Prize: $2000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 19 October 2024

Short story competitions 2024

8. Supernatural Fiction Award

This contest invites submissions of stories on magical realism, paranormal, and supernatural themes. The winning entries will be published in the anthology 21st Century Ghost Stories – Volume III .

Word count: 1500-10,000

Prize: $1,500

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 1 October 2024

9. All-Story Short Fiction Competition

To participate, writers can submit their unpublished short stories in Word or PDF format. Open to writers from all over the world, the entries will be judged by C Pam Zhang.

Prize: $1000, $500, $250

Entry fee: $30 per story

Closing date: 1 October 2024

10. A Story Initiative

Inviting story submissions related to money and personal finance, this contest is open to U.S. residents who are 18 years and older. The winning and finalists’ entries will be distributed in 300+ outlets worldwide.

Prize: $1000, $150 each (finalists)

Closing date: 2 October 2024

11. Galley Beggar Short Story Prize

Judged by Claire Armistead, Mathilde Merouani, and Clare Pollard, this contest is open to writers of all nationalities. The stories must be unpublished and written in English.

Word count: 6000 words or less

Prize: £2500

Entry fee: £11 per story

Closing date: 13 October 2024

Essay writing contests 2024

12. Personal Essay Awards

Writer’s Digest welcomes all essayists to submit their best work. The top ten entries will be published in the magazine’s May/June 2024 issue. The grand prize winner also receives a paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference!

Word count: 2,000

Prizes: $2,500, $1,000, $500, 7 prizes of $100

Entry fee: $25 (early bird deadline)/ $30

Closing date: 03 September 2024 (early bird deadline) /01 October (final deadline)

Book writing contests 2024

13. Spokane Prize 2024

This contest encourages submissions of unpublished fiction manuscripts containing short stories. The winning manuscript is published by Willow Spring Books.

Word count: 98 pages or more, minimum 3 stories

Prize: $2000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 1 October 2024

14. Permafrost Book Prize

Organized by Permafrost magazine, this contest will award the best manuscript in fiction this year. The winning entry will be published by the University of Alaska Press.

Word count: 45,000-90,000 words

Prize: $1000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 1 October 2024

15. Honickman First Book Prize

Judged by Nicole Sealey, this contest is open to poets who have not yet published a book-length collection of poems. The winning book will be distributed by Copper Canyon Press.

Word count: 48 pages or more

Prize: $3000

Closing date: 2 October 2024

16. Alice James Award

Open to US residents, this contest invites submissions of unpublished, full-length poetry manuscripts. Make sure to include a numbered table of contents with your manuscript!

Prize: $2000

Entry fee: $30

Closing date: 11 October 2024

17. Barbara Stevens Poetry Book Manuscript Competition

Open to poets worldwide, this contest awards the best poetry book manuscript. Judged by Diane Seuss, each entry must include a title and table of contents.

Word count: 48-80 pages

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $20 (for National Federation of State Poetry Societies’ members), $25 (for non members).

Closing date: 15 October 2024

18. Novel Excerpt Contest

This contest allows writers to submit any excerpt from their novel “with a clear grasp of craft: character, setting, and most importantly story”. The winning entry will be published online.

Word count: 6000 words or less

Prize: $3000, $300 (second place), $200 (third place)

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 27 October 2024

19. River Teeth Book Prize

This contest annually awards a book-length manuscript of nonfiction. The winning entry will be published by The University of New Mexico Press.

Prize: $1000

Entry fee: $27

Closing date: 31 October 2024

20. Comstock Review Chapbook Contest

This contest rewards a poetry collection that has not been previously published. The winning entry will be published and the winner will receive 50 copies.

Prize: $1000

Entry fee: $30

Closing date: 31 October 2024

21. Helena Whitehill Book Award

Judged by Ilya Kaminsky, this contest is open to all writers worldwide. Interested participants can submit an unpublished “full or chapbook-length manuscript or a creative nonfiction manuscript with a table of contents”.

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $30 per entry

Closing date: 31st October 2024

Mixed writing contests 2024

22. The Letter Review Prize

This contest features four categories: short fiction, non fiction, poetry, and unpublished books. Open to writers all over the world, the first entry of every category is free.

Prize: $1000 per category

Entry fee: $5 for every additional entry after the 1st entry

Closing date: 1 October 2024

23. Eyelands Book Awards

One of the rare contests based in Greece, this international book writing contest accepts submissions of novels, poetry, novellas, short story collections, YA books, historical fiction, memoirs, and graphic novels.

Prize: 5-day trip to Athens, video promotion, publication of unpublished books

Word count: 250.000 words (all categories of published books), 150.000 words (unpublished text), 250 pages (text/poetry collection by a single author)

Entry fee: 40 euros ($ 45), Early bird submission 30 euros ($ 35) till 1 September 2024

Closing date: 20 October 2024

24. American Literary Review Awards

This contest will reward the best short story, poem, and essay. The winning entry will be published in the Spring online issue of the American Literary Review .

Word count: 8000 words max (short fiction), 6000 words max (creative nonfiction

Prize: $1,000 each (3 prizes)

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 1 October 2024

25. Dzancs Book Prize for Fiction

This contest has 3 categories: fiction novels, poetry, and short story collection. The winning entries will secure publication

Prize: $5000 (fiction novels), $2500 (short story collection), poetry ($1000)

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 1 October 2024

26. Jeffrey E. Smith Editors Prize

This contest accepts poetry, fiction, and nonfiction submissions. The winning entries will be published in the Spring issue of the Missouri Review.

Word count: Up to 8000 words (fiction or nonfiction), 6-12 pages (poetry)

Prize: $5000 per category (poetry, fiction, and nonfiction)

Entry fee: $25 (Standard) / $30 (All Access)

Closing date: 1 October 2024

27. Tennesssee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival

This festival features 2 categories: SAS Fest contests (short fiction and poetry), TWFest writing contests (one act plays, short fiction, poetry, very short fiction). While TWFest writing contests are organized to encourage the works of emerging writers, SAS fest writing contests are for promoting works of LGBTQ+ writers.

Prize: $1500 (one-act play), $1,000 (poetry), $1,500 (fiction), $500 (very short fiction)

Entry fee: $25 (one-act play), $20 (SAS Poetry Contest), $20 (SAS Short Fiction Contest), $25 (TW Fest Fiction Contest), $10 (very short fiction)

Closing date: 2 October 2024 (SAS Short Fiction Contest, TWFest Fiction Contest, TWFest One Act Play Contest), 16 October 2024- (SAS Poetry Contest, TWFest Poetry Contest, TWFest One Act Play Contest.TWFest Very Short Fiction Contest)

28. Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship (Free writing contest!)

This contest annually supports one writer who hasn’t yet published a book or enrolled for an advanced degree program. The winner will receive a 1-year mentorship at the One Story magazine, plus an opportunity to participate in One Story’s 1-week summer writers’ conference.

Word count: 3000-5000 words

Prize: $2,000

Entry fee: Free!

Closing date: 9 October 2025

29. Sixfold Poetry and Short Story Awards

To participate in these contests, writers must submit their fiction or poetry manuscript in PDF format. Consisting of 3 rounds, participants must vote on 6 randomly assigned manuscripts of their genre. The best 15 short stories and top 30 poems will be published.

Prize: $1000

Entry fee: $5

Closing date: 24 October 2024

30. John Lewis Writing Grants (Free writing contest!)

Featuring fiction, nonfiction, and poetry categories, this contest is organized to “inspire the voices of Black writers in Georgia”. Open to Afro-American and emerging Black writers in Georgia who are 18 years or older, participants can only apply in one genre.

Prize: A grant of $500

Entry fee: Free!

Closing date: 29 October 2024

31. Bedford Competition

Open to all writers above 17 years old, this contest invites submissions of short stories and poems. Interested participants can submit 1-3 short stories/poems.

Prize: £1500, £300, £200

Entry fee: £17

Closing date: 31 October 2024

32. Tuscon Festival of Books Literary Awards

To participate, writers who are 18 years or older can submit poetry, fiction, and nonfiction works. This contest does not accept children’s stories, academic, and “how-to” nonfiction.

Prize: $1,000, $500, $250

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 31 October 2024

Other writing contests

1. Bennington Young Writers Award (Free writing contest!)

This international writing contest encourages students from the 9th-12th grades to participate. Students can submit their creative works in 3 categories: poetry, fiction (short story), and nonfiction (essays).

Wordcount: Poetry (a group of 3 poems), short story and essay (1,500 words or less)

Prize: $1,000, $500, $250

Entry: Free!

Closing date: 1 November 2024

2. Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award

Founded in 1998, this contest accepts submissions of unpublished poetry collections. Judged by Jason Schneiderman, the winning manuscript shall be published by Red Hen Press.

Wordcount: 48-96 pages

Prize: $3000

Entry fee: $25

Closing date: 1 November 2024

3. Cloudbank’s Literary Contests

Cloudbank Books has organized 3 contests: a poetry contest, a flash fiction contest, and the Vern Rutsala Book Prize contest . Accepting submissions from writers worldwide, the winning entries will secure publication.

Word count: 5 poems (poetry), 500 words max (flash fiction), and 60-90 pages (Vern Rutsala Book Prize)

Prize: $1000 (Vern Rutsala Book Prize), $200 (winning poem or flash fiction work),

Entry fee: $3 per entry (poetry and flash fiction), $25 per entry (Vern Rutsala Book Prize)

Closing date: 1 November 2024 (Vern Rutsala Book Prize)

4. Edwin Markham Poetry Prize

This contest accepts unpublished works in any form and style. Writers can submit up to 5 poems per submission. Make sure to include a 50-word bio with your submission!

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $20

Closing date: 1 November 2024

5. James Hearst Poetry Prize

To participate, writers can submit up to 5 poems per submission. All winning entries, runner-ups, honorable mentions, and finalists will be offered publication in North American Review’s spring issue.

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $23

Closing date: 2 November 2024

6. Servicescape Short Story Award

This contest awards original works of short fiction and non-fiction. Writers can submit a story on any theme and genre.

Word count: 5,000 or lower

Prize: $1,000

Closing date: 30 November 2024

7. Bath Children’s Novel Award

This contest is currently looking for “novels for children or teens, chapter books and picture book texts”. Unpublished, self-published and independently published books from writers all over the world are welcome.

Prize: £5,000

Entry fee: £29.99

Closing date: 30 November 2024

8. Lascaux Prize for Short Fiction

This contest accepts both, published and published short fiction stories. The winning entry will be published in The Lascaux Review .

Prize: $1,000

Entry fee: $15

Closing date: 31 December 2024

We’ll keep updating this list every month, adding more paid and free writing contests in 2024. If you’d like us to look for some specific types of contests, feel free to let us know in the comments! As providers of expert self-publishing services , it’s our duty to help you out and we take it very seriously!

Want to stick around and read more about writing? Here are some articles to begin with:

• What Is Show, Don’t Tell? (Meaning, Examples & 6 Tips)
• How to Write a Book Description (Examples + Free Template)
• What Is a Book Teaser and How to Write It: Tips and Examples
• A Guide on How to Write a Book Synopsis: Steps and Examples
• How to Write a Book Review (Meaning, Tips & Examples)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to participate in writing contests?

Only poets and writers who fit into a certain writing contest’s eligibility criteria can participate in that contest. These criteria commonly involve the genre and style, nationality, and age range. However, anyone passionate about writing can find some contests that cater to them!

Can I submit previously published work to writing contests?

You can submit previously published work to very few writing contests. Most writing competitions ask for unpublished work, and some even consider online blogs and social media posts as published work. This is because most contests offer publication to the winning entries in their magazines or contest anthologies.

What genres are typically covered in free writing competitions?

Most genres are covered in free writing competitions. We’ve mostly found free poetry writing competitions and short story competitions. There are also a few essay writing contests and book writing competitions where you can take part. If you’re looking for an incredibly specific subgenre, it might be tough to find a free writing contest in 2024 that’s reputable.

Where can I get updates on the results of the contest?

You can get updates on contest results on the specific contest’s website. Organizers also email participants, notifying them whether their entry was shortlisted.

What are the submission guidelines for free writing contests?

The submission guidelines for all free writing contests aren’t the same. Check the contest’s rules and guidelines page if you’re unsure how to format and submit your entry. In the absence of one, you can email the contest organizers and ask for more details.