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 usually DUE DATES, or the exact dates of one-day events. Follow @writevent or search #writevent to see all upcoming contests on Twitter. Or check out these lists for monthly, weekly, or future contests:
Short Stories
- 5+ Monthly Contests
- 12/9 Nobrow Competition (Up to 3000 words on theme “the censor.”)
- 12/31 SFF Center of Gravity (For stories up to 17,000 words. Horror included.)
- 12/31 SFF Writers of the Future (For stories up to 17,000 words. Horror included.)
- 12/31 The Aleph (For stories up to 10,000 words.)
- 12/31 The Caribbean Writer (For short stories that relate to the Caribbean, up to 3500 words.)
- 12/31 Lilith Magazine Fiction Competition (For up to 3000 words that relate to the experience of Jewish women.)
- 12/31 USA:Collection Tartt Fiction Prize (For story collection of 160-275 pages.)
- 1/6 USA:OK Egen Exchange Award (For short fiction up to 25 pages.)
- 1/15 Other Cosmos Prize (Rewrite the last chapter of a the Cosmos serial novel.)
Essays/Short Nonfiction
Creative nonfiction only. List does not generally include informative scholarship essays.
- 1+ Weekly Contest
- 12/9 Nobrow Competition (Up to 3000 words on theme “the censor.”)
- 12/15 Chicken Soup: You Go Girl (Up to 1200 words on theme “you go girl.”)
- 12/16 Be Animal Essay Contest (Up to 1000 words on one of three nature-related themes.)
- 12/31 Chicken Soup: Self-Care and Me-Time (Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
- 12/31 The Caribbean Writer (For personal essays that relate to the Caribbean, up to 3500 words.)
- 1/15 Chicken Soup: The Magic of Cats (Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
- 1/15 Chicken Soup: The Magic of Dogs (Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
Poetry
Includes poetry collections and chapbooks.
- 1+ Weekly Contest
- 12/15 Female Women Artists Datebook (Up to 30 lines that promote healing and/or activism.)
- 12/15 Nonfiction Chicken Soup: You Go Girl (Up to 1200 words on theme “you go girl.”)
- 12/31 Nonfiction Chicken Soup: Self-Care and Me-Time (Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
- 12/31 The Caribbean Writer (For poetry up to 10 pages that relates to the Caribbean.)
- 12/31 Blue Mountain Arts (For poetry suitable for a greeting card.)
- 12/31 PoC/Collection Drinking Gourd Prize (For collections of 25-35 pages by people of color.)
- 12/31 Postman Award for Metaphor (For any poems of any length that include a metaphor.)
- 12/31 College: USA/CAN Lyric College Poetry Contest (1-3 poems of up to 39 lines each.)
- 1/6 USA:OK Egen Exchange Award (For poetry of 7-10 pages.)
- 1/15 DiBiase Poetry Prize (For any poems, any length.)
- 1/15 Chicken Soup: The Magic of Cats (Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
- 1/15 Chicken Soup: The Magic of Dogs (Up to 1200 words on title theme.)
- 1/15 LatinX/USA:Collection Montoya Poetry Prize (For a poetry collection of 48-100 pages.)
Flash Fiction
- 10+ Monthly Contests
- 1/1 Nature of Cities Flash Contest (For stories up to 750 words on theme “city in a wild garden.”)
- 12/31 Writers HQ Flash Contest (For stories up to 500 words.)
Novels and Collections (Fiction/Nonfiction)
See the poetry section for poetry collection/chapbook contests.
- 5+ Monthly Contests
- 12/5 #PitMad Pitch Party
- 1/? #SFFPit Pitch Party (January date TBA.)
- 1/3 Crime/Mystery Minotaur/MWA First Crime Novel Contest
- 1/15 #IWSGPit Pitch Party
Children’s/MG
For picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels by adult authors. See “Youth” for contests for young authors.
- None this month (that I could find).
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.
- 12/13 UK/IRE Sunday Times/Audible (For stories up to 6000 words by any author previously published in the UK/IRE.)
- 12/20 Fantasy Yardley Fantasy Song (For songs within published fantasy stories.)
Other
- 5+ Monthly Contests
- 12/20 Yardley Fantasy Song (For songs within published fantasy stories.)
- 12/31 The Caribbean Writer (For one-act plays that relate to the Caribbean, up to 3500 words.)
- 1/15 Cosmos Prize (Rewrite the last chapter of a the Cosmos serial novel.)
Youth
Does not include student scholarship essays, unless they are creative nonfiction.
- 1+ Monthly Contests
- 12/20 Rider University (For short fiction, poetry, and personal essays.)
- 12/31 Society of Classical Poets (For traditional poetry up to 108 lines by ages 13-19.)
