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
- 9/30 Pressfuls Story Contest (500-10,000 words.)
- 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
- 10/15 USA:NC North Carolina Fiction Contest (Up to 5000 words.)
- 10/25 UK Dinesh Allirajah Prize (2000-6000 words on theme “artificial intelligence.”)
- 10/25 Horror Campfire Story Contest (For campfire-sized horror.)
- 10/31 UK Benjamin Franklin House (1000-1500 words on a given Ben Franklin quote.)
- 10/31 SciFi Aftermath Story Contest (Up to 5000 words involving the dire state of our environment, etc.)
- 11/1 Commonwealth Commonwealth Story Prize (2000-5000 words, Commonwealth countries only.)
- 11/1 USA:VT Vermont Writer’s Prize (Up to 1500 words.)
- 11/30 Servicescape Story Award (Up to 5000 words.)
Essays/Short Nonfiction
Creative nonfiction only. List does not generally include informative scholarship essays.
- 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.)
- 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
- 10/15 Travel Fearless Footsteps (1000-1500 words on overcoming fears.)
- 10/31 UK Benjamin Franklin House (1000-1500 words on a given Ben Franklin quote. May be scholarly articles.)
- 10/31 Kraemer Intergenerational Contest (Up to 500 words containing intergenerational characters, eg a grandparent and a grandchild.)
- 11/1 USA:VT Vermont Writer’s Prize (Up to 1500 words.)
- 11/15 CAN:Lab/Newf Labrador/Newfoundland Arts and Letters Awards
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.)
- 10/31 Kraemer Intergenerational Contest (Up to 500 words containing intergenerational characters, eg a grandparent and a grandchild.)
- 10/31 USA: Undocumented Frontier New Voices (Up to 5 poems.)
- 10/31 UK/Northern Ireland, Age: Under 30 Gregory Awards (Collection up to 50 pages.)
- 11/1 USA:VT Vermont Writer’s Prize (Up to 1500 words.)
- 11/1 Treehouse Climate Action Poem (Any length regarding dire state of environment.)
- 11/15 CAN:Lab/Newf Labrador/Newfoundland Arts and Letters Awards
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.)
- 10/25 Horror Campfire Story Contest (For campfire-sized horror.)
- 11/1 USA:VT Vermont Writer’s Prize (Up to 1500 words.)
- 11/2 Weird Christmas Flash (Max 350 words for “weird” stories about Christmas or other winter holidays.)’
- 11/30 Servicescape Story Award (Up to 5000 words.)
Novels and Collections (Fiction/Nonfiction)
See the poetry section for poetry collection/chapbook contests.
- 5+ Monthly Contests
- 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
- 10/23 SavvyAuthors “Take the Horror Out” Pitchfest (Multiple genres accepted.)
- 10/24 Picture Book #PBPitch Pitch Party
- 10/28 Diverse #DVPit Children’s Teen
- 10/29 Diverse #DVPit Adult
- 10/31 Age:40+ McKitterick Prize
- 10/31 UK/IRE/Commonwealth, Novel-In-Progress Rogers Writers Award
- 11/1 Mystery Deeck Malice Domestic (Traditional mystery.)
- 11/15 CAN:Lab/Newf Labrador/Newfoundland Arts and Letters Awards
- 11/20 Inspirational #FaithPitch
Children’s/MG
For picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels by adult authors. See “Youth” for contests for young authors.
- 9/30 Jewish Taylor Award
- 10/23 Novel SavvyAuthors “Take the Horror Out” Pitchfest (Multiple genres accepted.)
- 10/24 Picture Book #PBPitch Pitch Party
- 10/28 Diverse; Novel #DVPit Children’s Teen
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.
- 10/31 UK/IRE/Commonwealth Gallon Award (Up to 5000 words by anyone with at least one story published.)
- 10/31 UK McKitterick Prize (Books previously published in the UK are accepted.)
Other
- 5+ Monthly Contests
- 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.)
- 10/15 Novella Story Catcher Contest (15,000-45,000 words; SFF, historical romance, or suspense.)
- 11/1 USA:VT, Drama Vermont Writer’s Prize (Up to 1500 words.)
- 11/15 CAN:Lab/Newf Labrador/Newfoundland Arts and Letters Awards
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.)
- 10/31 Girls Thorp Poetry Contest (1-2 poems by high school girls.)
- 11/15 CAN:Lab/Newf Labrador/Newfoundland Arts and Letters Awards
