Welcome to my Calendar of free writing contests! Subscribe to the once-a-month newsletter to get updated when this list posts! Dates posted are DUE DATES, unless it is a one-day event. Follow @writevent or search #writevent to see all upcoming contests on Twitter.
Short Stories
- 5+ Monthly Contests
- 3/11 USA:WY Blanchan/Doubleday Memorial Awards
- 3/13 Harper’s Bazaar (Up to 2200 words.)
- 3/29 Limnisa Competition (Up to 1000 words inspired by picture.)
- 3/31 SFF Writers of the Future (Up to 17,000 words.)
- 3/31 Crime/Thriller Lindisfarne Prize (Up to 10,000 words.)
- 3/31 Age:50+ Older Writers Grant (Up to 5000 words.)
- 4/1 Dead Awake (Up to 10,000 words.)
- 4/15 Everything Change (Up to 5000 words of climate fiction, see site.)
- 4/15 SFF/Horror Parsec Contest (Up to 3500 words on theme “forging.”)
- 4/20 Science Me A Story (Scientific stories up to 4 pages.)
- 4/20 Ecrire Competition (5000-10,000 words on a cause that impassions you.)
- 4/30 South Africa SA Writers College (Up to 2000 words.)
Creative Nonfiction
Creative nonfiction only. List does not include informative scholarship essays, articles, or journalism.
- 1+ Weekly Contest
- 3/11 USA:WY Blanchan/Doubleday Memorial Awards
- 3/31 Age:50+ Older Writers Grant (Up to 5000 words.)
Poetry
Includes poetry collections and chapbooks.
- 1+ Weekly Contest
- 3/11 USA:WY Blanchan/Doubleday Memorial Awards
- 3/15 Diverse: African American Madgett Award (60-90 pages.)
- 3/30 Foley Award (Up to 45 lines.)
- 3/31 Age:50+ Older Writers Grant (Up to 10 pages.)
- 3/31 Spirit First (Any length on mindfulness/meditation.)
- 4/1 Wergle Flomp (Humor poetry up to 250 lines.)
- 4/27 Is Royalty Relevant? (Up to 50 lines regarding real-life royalty.)
Flash Fiction
- 10+ Monthly Contests
- 3/21 Green Stories (Up to 500 words on building sustainable societies.)
- 3/29 TL;DR Word Herd (Has a small fee, but it’s all for charity, with cash prizes.)
- 3/29 Limnisa Competition (Up to 1000 words inspired by picture.)
- 4/14 Bulwer Lytton (50-60 words.)
Novels and Books (All Ages)
- 5+ Monthly Contests
- 3/31 Immigrant Restless Books Prize (At least 25,000 words.)
- 4/13 Secret Agent
- 4/15-17 Diverse Sourcebooks #Ownvoices Pitchfest
- 4/18-19 #RevPit
- 4/22 Diverse #DVPit (YA/Children’s)
- 4/23 Diverse #DVPit (Adult)
For Published Writers
Contests for those who have published short stories, essays, novels, or poetry. Submission may or may not be the published work itself, depending on the contest. Does not include contests requiring the publisher to submit.
- None this month (that we could find).
Other
- 5+ Monthly Contests
- 3/10 Rolling With Style (“Photo story” contest according to theme.)
- 3/31 Drama: Age:50+ Older Writers Grant (Up to 10 pages.)
- 3/31 UK Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (For scripts of an opening scene of title show.)
- 4/1 Alpine Fellowship (Plays up to 500 words on theme “forgiveness/retribution.”)
Youth
Does not include student scholarship essays, unless they are creative nonfiction.
- 1+ Monthly Contests
- 3/23 Virgilio Memorial (For haiku and senryu poetry.)
- 3/26 Radiant Peace Awards (Personal essays up to 500 words on theme.)
- 3/27 Writing Wizardry (Up to 500 words by ages 11 and under.)
- 3/27 Waterston Desert Writing (750-1,000 word personal essays relating to the desert.)
- 3/31 Chalker Contest (Sci-fi/fantasy stories up to 2500 words, ages 14-18.)
- 3/31 Potter Poets (Up to 2 pages of poetry by high school students.)
- 3/31 Mook Poetry Prize (Poetry, any length, grades K-12.)
- 3/31 UK Chester Cathedral (Poetry up to 40 lines on theme “journeys.”)
- 3/31 UK Write on Art (Short stories up to 600 words on a chosen piece of art from the site.)
