Welcome to my Calendar of free writing contests! Subscribe to the once-a-month newsletter here to get updated when this list posts.
Dates posted are either due dates or the dates of one-day events. Follow the Calendar on Twitter so you don’t miss any events that haven’t gotten to me as of this writing. Or check out these lists for monthly/weekly or future contests:
Short Stories
- 5+ Monthly Contests
- 6/30 SFF Writers of the Future (Up to 17,000 words.)
- 6/30 BCSA Writing Competition (1500-2500 words related to British/Czech/Slovak relations.)
- 6/30 Boston Review* (Up to 5000 words. *Entry is only free to those living outside the USA, Canada, and Western Europe.)
- 6/30 SFF Electric Athenaeum (3000-10,000 words on theme “inhumanity.”)
- 7/1 Winter Tangerine (Up to 12 pages.)
- 7/5 Peek’d Competition (Minimum 500 words.)
- 7/8 USA: NY Stone Canoe
- 7/30 Lumberloft (Up to 5000 words on theme “death from above.”)
- 7/31 USA: MD, SFF Baltimore Science Fiction (1000-5500 words.)
- 7/31 Diverse Diverse Worlds (Work sample up to 5000 words)
- 7/31 Environmental Dumpling (Up to 6000 words with environmental themes.)
- 8/1 Oleb/Pen 2 Paper (3000-8000 words relating to disability.)
- 8/1 USA: DE Delaware Division of the Arts
- 8/2 USA: OR Oregon Literary Fellowships
- 9/4 Middle Grade: Historical/Fantasy/Adventure IWSG Anthology Contest (3500-5000 words.)
Essays/Short Nonfiction
Creative nonfiction only. List does not generally include informative scholarship essays.
- 1+ Weekly Contest
- 7/1 Margolis Award (Up to 30 pages relating to social justice in a positive way.)
- 7/8 USA: NY Stone Canoe
- 7/15 Langdon Review (Submit a minimum 3500-word sample.)
- 7/31 Nonfiction I Can’t Stop Laughing! (Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
- 7/31 NZ Landfall (Up to 4000 words.)
- 7/31 Environmental Dumpling (Up to 6000 words with environmental themes.)
- 8/1 Oleb/Pen 2 Paper (3000-8000 words relating to disability.)
- 8/1 USA: DE Delaware Division of the Arts
- 8/2 USA: OR Oregon Literary Fellowships
Poetry
Includes poetry collections and chapbooks.
- 1+ Weekly Contest
- 6/30 Blue Mountain Poetry Card Contest (For poems suitable for a greeting card.)
- 6/30 Ekphrasis Prize (3-5 poems, any length.)
- 6/30 Letheon Prize (1-3 poems up to 50 lines relating to a doctor/patient setting.)
- 6/30 SFF Electric Athenaeum (3000-10,000 words on theme “inhumanity.”)
- 7/1 Purorrelato (200-1400 words that must relate to Africa in some way.)
- 7/1 Winter Tangerine (Up to 8 pages.)
- 7/1 Mystery Cozy Cat Press (Up to 2 pages.)
- 7/5 Peek’d Competition (Minimum 500 words.)
- 7/8 USA: NY Stone Canoe
- 7/15 Singapore Poetry (1-3 poems that contain the word “Singapore.” Those from Singapore cannot enter.)
- 7/15 Langdon Review (Up to 10 poems.)
- 7/31 Nonfiction I Can’t Stop Laughing! (Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
- 7/31 Collection Broken River Prize (20-40 page chapbook.)
- 7/31 Environmental Dumpling (1-5 poems with environmental themes.)
- 8/1 Oleb/Pen 2 Paper (3000-8000 words relating to disability.)
- 8/1 Gahagen/Goodwin
- 8/1 USA: DE Delaware Division of the Arts
- 8/2 USA: OR Oregon Literary Fellowships
- 8/15 Collection, USA: DE, MD, VA, PA, NJ, NY, WVA, NC and District of Columbia Dogfish Head Prize
Flash Fiction
- 10+ Monthly Contests
- 6/30 Writer’s HQ (Up to 500 words.)
- 6/30 SFF Writers of the Future (Up to 17,000 words.)
- 6/30 Bulwer Lytton (Single sentence story up to 60 words.)
- 7/1 Purorrelato (200-1400 words that must relate to Africa in some way.)
- 7/30 Lumberloft (Up to 5000 words on theme “death from above.”)
- 7/31 CAN Polar Expressions (Up to 750 words.)
- 7/31 Environmental Dumpling (Up to 6000 words with environmental themes.)
Novels and Collections (Fiction/Nonfiction)
See the poetry section for poetry collection/chapbook contests.
- 5+ Monthly Contests
- 7/8-12 Pass or Pages* (*Accepted genres TBD.)
- 7/15 UK/IRE Fitzcarraldo Editions (At least 30,000 words.)
- 7/24 SFF #SFFPit Pitch Party
- 7/31 Diverse Diverse Worlds (Work sample up to 5000 words)
Children’s/MG
For picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels by adult authors. See “Youth” for contests for young authors.
- 9/4 Middle Grade: Historical/Fantasy/Adventure IWSG Anthology Contest (3500-5000 words.)
For Published Writers
Includes those who have published short stories, essays, novels, and poetry. Submission may or may not be the published work itself, depending on the contest. Does not include contests requiring the publisher to submit.
- 6/30 Heinz Literature Prize (For story collections by authors who have published one book or three short stories.)
Other
- 5+ Monthly Contests
- 6/30 SFF Writers of the Future (Up to 17,000 words.)
Youth
Does not include student scholarship essays, unless they are creative nonfiction.
- 1+ Monthly Contests
- 6/30 SFF Writers of the Future (Up to 17,000 words.)
- 7/8 H.G. Wells Story Competition (Stories 1500-5000 words.)
- 7/31 Foyle Young Poets Award (Poetry.)
- 7/31 UK/IRE Betjeman Prize (Poetry.)
- 7/31 CAN Polar Expressions (Flash fiction up to 750 words.)
