Free Writing Contests and Events: September 2019

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
9/4 Middle Grade: Historical/Fantasy/Adventure IWSG Anthology Contest (3500-5000 words.)
9/21 Romance Val Wood Prize (Up to 1500 words in the form of a love letter.)
9/21 Humor Slackjaw Humor Challenge
9/24 Blink of an Eye (1200-3000 words on “change.”)
9/30 Science Fiction/Fantasy/Speculative Writers of the Future (Up to 17,000 words.)
9/30 Victoria Literary Festival Competition (Up to 1800 words on theme “hats off.”)
9/30 Speculative/Gothic/Mystery/Adventure Pressfuls Contest (500-10,000 words.)
9/30 Speculative, Diverse: Indigenous/Hispanic Somos En Escrito Extra-Fiction
9/30 Collection University of Iowa Press Award (At least 150 pages.)
9/30 Owl Canyon Hackathon (50 paragraphs, with paragraphs one and twenty given.)
9/30 Speculative Beneath Strange Stars (Max 4000 words.)
10/1 Perito Prize (1000-2000 words relating to “accessibility.”)
10/12 NUHA Blogging Prizes (Various word counts and image prompts.)
10/15 A Public Space Fellowships

Essays/Short Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction only. List does not generally include informative scholarship essays.

1+ Weekly Contest
9/10 Nature Writing Nan Shepherd Prize
9/30 Golden Years: Life After 60 (Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
9/30 Can’t Stop Laughing (Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
(Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
(Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
(Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
(Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
(Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
(Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
9/30 Historical Jerry Jazz Musician (Up to 5000 words on mid-20th-century America.)
10/8 Embracing Differences Quotation Contest (Submit a personal quotation up to 20 words on the subject of embracing diversity.)
10/12 NUHA Blogging Prizes (Various word counts and image prompts.)
10/15 A Public Space Fellowships

Poetry

Includes poetry collections and chapbooks.

1+ Weekly Contest
9/30 Golden Years: Life After 60 (Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
9/30 Can’t Stop Laughing (Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
10/3 The Word Poetry Contests (On the subject of awe and wonder within the cosmic universe, etc.)
10/15 Collection Lowell Travelling Scholarship (Up to 40 pages.)

Flash Fiction

10+ Monthly Contests
9/30 Historical Jerry Jazz Musician (Up to 5000 words on mid-20th-century America.)
9/30 Writer’s HQ (Up to 500 words.)
9/30 Salisbury Story Prize (Up to 500 words on theme “river.”)
9/30 Victoria Literary Festival Competition (Up to 1800 words on theme “hats off.”)
10/1 Stories Out of School (K-12 teacher must be narrator/MC, max 750 words.)
10/15 Collection (3) SmokeLong Flash Fellowship (Submit 3 flash pieces.)

Novels and Collections (Fiction/Nonfiction)

See the poetry section for poetry collection/chapbook contests.

5+ Monthly Contests
9/5 #PitMadPitch Party
9/9-13 Middle Grade Pass or Pages
9/25-27 PitchWars Submission Window
9/30 Caribbean/Literary Nonfiction Achong Prize
9/30 Story Collection University of Iowa Press Award (At least 150 pages.)
9/30 Ikike Press (At least 50,000 words.)
9/30 Females over Age 40 Gransnet Writing Competition (Submit 20,000 words.)
9/30 Jewish, Children’s Taylor Award

Children’s/MG

For picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels by adult authors. See “Youth” for contests for young authors.

9/9-13 Middle Grade Pass or Pages
9/4 Middle Grade: Historical/Fantasy/Adventure IWSG Anthology Contest (3500-5000 words.)
9/30 Jewish Taylor Award

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
9/10 Nature Writing Nan Shepherd Prize
9/21 Romance Val Wood Prize (Up to 1500 words in the form of a love letter.)
9/30 Science Fiction/Fantasy/Speculative Writers of the Future (Up to 17,000 words.)
10/8 Embracing Differences Quotation Contest (Submit a personal quotation up to 20 words on the subject of embracing diversity.)

Youth

Does not include student scholarship essays, unless they are creative nonfiction.

1+ Monthly Contests
9/30 Salisbury Story Prize (Up to 500 words on theme “river.”)
10/3 The Word Poetry Contests (On the subject of awe and wonder within the cosmic universe, etc.)
10/8 Embracing Differences Quotation Contest (Submit a personal quotation up to 20 words on the subject of embracing diversity.)
10/12 NUHA Blogging Prizes (Various word counts and image prompts.)