These are prizes/grants/fellowships for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays, TV scripts, and for journalism, up to $100,000. They are, very loosely, divided geographically. A couple of deadlines are in May. – S. Kalekar
INTERNATIONAL CONTESTS
Livingston Press Changing Light Prize for a Novel-in-Verse
This is an annual prize run by Livingston Press, affiliated with the University of Alabama. It is for a novel-in-verse; the recommended length is 90-160 pages.
Value: $500, standard contract, 20 copies
Deadline: 30 May 2024
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
The Heron’s Nest: Peggy Willis Lyles Haiku Awards
This poetry contest is run by The Heron’s Nest, a quarterly online journal of haiku. Submit up to 2 haiku for this contest.
Value: $200, $100, $50
Deadline: 1 June 2024
Open for: All poets
Details here
Fitzcarraldo Editions: 2024 Novel Prize
This is a biennial international prize for a literary fiction manuscript of at least 30,000 words. The competition is open to published and unpublished writers around the world. Writers based in Africa and Europe should submit to Fitzcarraldo Editions. Writers based in the Americas should submit via New Directions; writers based in Asia and Australasia should submit to Giramondo.
Value: $10,000 advance
Deadline: 1 June 2024
Open for: All writers
Details here.
The Africa Institute: Global Africa Translation Fellowship
The fellowship welcomes applications from across the Global South for a grant to complete translations of works from the African continent and its diaspora, into English or Arabic. This is a non-residential fellowship. Projects may be retranslations of old, classic texts, previously untranslated works, poetry, prose, or critical theory collections. The project may be a work-in-progress, or a new project feasible for completion within the timeframe of the grant. Application includes a translation sample.
Deadline: 1 June 2024
Value: $1,000-5,000
Open for: Translators in the Global South
Details here.
Defenestration.net Short Story Contest
They want a short story which should include an incident of defenestration – the art or –ism of throwing people out of windows. This need not be literal. Their team defines such an incident as follows – “a sudden, immediate, even violent shift, change, or seismical event between the beginning and the end.” There will voting by four judges for this contest, with fan voting counting as an additional judge vote.
Value: $75, two runner-up prizes of $30 each
Deadline: 2 June 2024
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest
This is for junior and senior division (11-14 and 15-18) students worldwide. The theme for this ocean awareness contest is Tell Your Climate Story (see guidelines). There are various categories: Visual Art (handcrafted and digital); Poetry & Spoken Word; Creative Writing; Film; Performing Arts: Music & Dance; and Interactive & Multimedia. Please also see their various special awards, including (but not limited to) the We All Rise Prize – five prizes of $500 each, in each category – for young underrepresented writers in the US.
Value: Awards ranging from $1,000 to $100 in each category; various special prizes (see here)
Deadline: 10 June 2024
Open for: Students ages 11-18
Details here.
The Norton Writer’s Prize
This is a non-fiction prize for undergraduates who are enrolled in an accredited 2- or 4-year college or university, enrolled during the 2023-24 year, and aged 18 and above. They will accept literacy narratives, literary and other textual analyses, reports, profiles, evaluations, arguments, memoirs, proposals, multimodal pieces, and other forms of original nonfiction pieces of 1,000-3,000 words. Entries require nomination by an instructor.
Value: Three prizes of $1,000 each
Deadline: 15 June 2024
Open for: Undergraduates
Details here (download rules)
Goi Peace Foundation: International Essay Contest for Young People
This is an international essay contest for people aged up to 25 years, in two categories – children and youth. The theme is, My Experience of Overcoming Conflict. See guidelines for theme details. Entries can be in English, French, (up to 700 words), or Japanese (up to 1,600 characters).
Value: For each category, there is one first prize is JPY100,000 (about $660); three second prizes of JPY50,000 (about $330) each; five third prizes, and 25 honorable mentions
Deadline: 15 June 2024
Open for: Children ages 14 and under; youth ages 15-25 years
Details here.
Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors
This is a climate fiction contest from Fix, Grit’s solutions lab. They want stories of 2,500-5,000 words. “Imagine 2200 is an invitation to writers from all over the globe to imagine a future in which solutions to the climate crisis flourish and help bring about radical improvements to our world.” They have detailed guidelines on the kind of stories they want, please read them carefully. Additionally, “We are also partnering with Oregon State University’s Spring Creek Project, which will offer the winning writer (or a runner-up, in the case the winner cannot accept) the opportunity to participate in its Environmental Writing Fellowship and Residency, including a writing residency at the Cabin at Shotpouch Creek for the winner to spend up to four weeks in residence to continue their climate writing project. The Fellow will receive a $3,000 honorarium from Spring Creek Project.”
Value: $3,000, residency; $2,000, $1,000; and $300 each for nine winners
Deadline: 24 June 2024
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.
Hubert Butler Essay Prize
This is a themed essay contest, of up to 3,000 words, for writers who are UK or European Union citizens. “The Hubert Butler Essay Prize is intended to encourage the art of essay-writing with a European dimension and to expand interest in Butler’s work. … The subject for the 2024 essay prize is: ‘With narratives of conflict currently distorted by misinformation and the substitution of memory for history, what are the chances of reconciliation?’“
Value: €1,500; two second prizes of €500
Deadline: 28 June 2024
Open for: UK, European Union citizens
Details here (download the entry form).
Theatre503 International Playwriting Award
They want script submissions from debut/early-career playwrights around the world. The award aims to identify and champion debut/early career playwrights. You are an eligible writer if you have not already had a full-length play of more than 65 minutes produced for 3-4 weeks or more in any theatre, and two weeks or more in a major subsidised theatre/organisation including a national tour; you’re also eligible if you only have limited international credits where longer runs are not part of a country’s ecology and/or limited screen credits. They also accept co-written and translated scripts. Musicals are not eligible. Submission is via a portal, which will open during their submission period.
Value: £3,000 in prize money and £3,000 as an advance against 8% of the gross box office
Submission period: 1-30 June 2024
Open for: Debut/early-career playwrights (see guidelines)
Details here.
The Fountain Essay Contest: Where is Home
They want an essay on the topic, ‘Where is Home’. See guidelines for details on the theme. Ideal length is 1,500-2,500 words. Also, “There is no age limit or a condition to fulfill for entry.” Please read the terms carefully, any of the entries may be published in any medium, whether or not they win the prize
Value: $1,000, $500, $300, two prizes of $150 each
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Details here and here.
Last Stanza Poetry Journal
This is a call for a themed poetry issue, on ‘A Table in the Wilderness’. A single $100 award will be given for an outstanding poem. An interview with the Editor’s Choice Award winner will be published in the same issue (optional). Poems can be any style, but preferably non-rhyming. Submit up to three poems, each no longer than 64 lines.
Value: $100
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Drue Heinz Literature Prize
This is for previously published writers (see guidelines). The prize is for a manuscript – they want a short story collection, or two or more novellas. “Eligible submissions include an unpublished manuscript of short stories; two or more novellas (a novella may comprise a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages); or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection. Manuscripts may be no fewer than 150 and no more than 300 pages.”
Value: $15,000, publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press under its standard contract
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Open for: All published writers (see guidelines)
Details here, here, and here
Preservation Foundation Contest: General non-fiction
This is an international contest for unpublished writers (see guidelines). Their upcoming deadline is for the general non-fictioncategory: “Any appropriate nonfiction topic is eligible. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. So-called “creative nonfiction” will not be considered.” Entries should be 1,000-5,000 words. Please note, they want all entries, regardless of whether or not they win, to be on their website for as long as the foundation exists (see guidelines). Also see contests in other genres, which have deadlines later in the year.
Value: $200, $100
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Open for: Unpublished writers
Details here.
The Writers College: My Writing Journey Competition
This is an international contest, open to all writers. They want a 600-word essay on the theme, The best writing tip I’ve ever received.
Value: NZ$200 (R2000 or £100)
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Open for: All writers
Details here.
(They also have a short story contest with a later deadline, for writers who are unpublished or have been published fewer than four times; see here for theme and other guidelines.)
Richard J. Margolis Award
The award is for non-fiction writers of social justice journalism. It is for a promising new journalist or essayist whose work combines warmth, humour, wisdom and concern with social justice. Applications should include 2-3 non-fiction writing samples, up to 30 pages. At least one sample should be non-memoir material.
Value: $5,000, residency at Blue Mountain Centre artists’ colony; $1,000 for runners-up
Deadline: 1 July 2024
Open for: Unspecified
Details here and here.
The BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest for Caribbean Writers
This is a short story contest for Caribbean-descended writers, by Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival (BCLF). There are two categories, with different eligibility requirements:
— The BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize is open to unpublished writers of Caribbean heritage. Self-published writers may apply. This prize seeks to unearth hidden storytellers in the United States and Canada; Details here; and
— BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean is open exclusively to Caribbean writers of all levels who reside and work in the Caribbean or are on temporary assignment overseas.
Writers should send short stories of up to 3,000 words. Details here.
Prizes: $1,750 each
Deadline: 1 July 2024
Open for: See above
Details here and here
The Forum Essay Prize: The Art(s) of Delight
This is an essay prize from Oxford Academic / Oxford University Press and is open to all researchers, whether early-career or established, on the Art(s) of Delight theme. They have detailed guidelines, including, “We are looking for bold, visionary and persuasive essays that use academic research to pursue innovative questions. … The topic may be addressed from the perspective of any of the literatures (including literary linguistics, translation and comparative literature approaches) normally covered by the journal: Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. submissions in comparative literature and literary translation studies are also welcomed, as are those dealing with visual art, film and the performing arts. Forum for Modern Language Studies aims to reflect the essential pluralism of research in modern languages and to provide a forum for worldwide scholarly discussion.
We are seeking submissions that focus on literature, film, art, or other cultural outputs that manifest delight in their content or form and/or which provoke us to find joy in how we read, write, research and teach in our discipline(s).” The winning essay will also get published in an issue of Forum for Modern Language Studies.
Value: £500
Deadline: 1 July 2024
Open for: All researchers
Details here.
The Orchards Poetry Journal: Grantchester Award
In each issue, two poems will be eligible for The Grantchester Award. Regarding submissions they say, “While we encourage rhymed verse in traditional forms, we also accept finely wrought free verse.” Send up to 3 poems, preferably unpublished. They do not have a deadline listed, but they do say, “We are now OPEN for submissions for the July 2024 issue. The journal is released biannually (usually in July and December), in print and online.”
Value: $50, $30
Deadline: Open now
Open for: All poets
Details here.
A couple of contests with later deadlines are:
— The H G Wells Short Story Competition: This is an international short story contest; they want short fiction of 1,500-5,000 words on this year’s theme, The Fool. There is no fee for The Margaret and Reg Turnill Competition for young writers, i.e. for those under 21 years, and the prize for that is £1,000. The deadline is 8 July 2024. Also see their FAQ. Details here and here.
— The Mustapha Matura and Alfred Fagon Awards: The Mustapha Matura Award is an opportunity for UK-based playwrights of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the UK, who are 25 years or younger, for a play. The play must be a minimum of 40 pages, and does not need to have been produced. However, if it has, only plays produced since August 2023 will be considered. The prize is £3,000 and mentoring from a top Black British playwright. The deadline is 31 July 2024. Details here.
And submissions are also open for Alfred Fagon Awards for UK-based playwrights of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the UK, for a play. The award is £6,000, and the deadline is 31 July 2024. Details here.
Please note, writers cannot enter both the Mustapha Matura Award and Alfred Fagon Award. Also see their Roland Rees Bursary.
— Amazon: Kindle Storyteller Award: This is an international award for those who publish their work through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing in English in any genre. Entrants must make the book available for sale in both digital and print versions through KDP between 1st May 2024 and 31st August 2024. The book must be at least 24 pages long, and can have a maximum of 2 co-authors. Please note, the books must be published through their KDP Select program (be only available on Amazon), and readers play a significant role in winner selection (see Terms & Conditions – which also lists ineligible countries/nationalities – and FAQ). The book can have up to two co-authors. The prize is £20,000, and the deadline is 31 August 2024. Details here.
FOR WRITERS IN NEW ZEALAND
Sargeson Prize
This is New Zealand’s richest short story prize. Only New Zealand citizens or permanent residents can enter. There are two categories, Open (for those 16 and over, send a story up to 5,000 words), and High School (high school students ages 16-18, send a story up to 3,000 words); those in the latter category also win a one-week summer residency at the University of Waikato, and mentoring.
Value: $10,000, $1,000, $500 for the Open category; $2,000, $1,000, $500 for the High School category (NZ dollars)
Deadline: 30 June 2024
Open for: New Zealand citizens or permanent residents
Details here (see the various tabs on this page)
FOR WRITERS IN US/CANADA
(Also see the special awards in the Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest including the We All Rise Prize foryoung underrepresented writers in the US; and The BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize for writers of Caribbean heritage in the US and Canada, in the international section above.)
Associates of the Boston Public Library Writer-in-Residence
The fellowship aims to provide an emerging children’s writer with the financial support and office space needed to complete one literary work for children or young adults. The year-long fellowship also entails working at the library. All genres are welcome, including fiction, non-fiction, scripts, graphic novels, or poetry. (The format is flexible and can include illustrated children’s books or graphic novels, but the majority of their submissions are generally Young Adult novels.) About who can apply, they say, “There is NO residency restriction to apply, but you must be able to spend at least nineteen (19) hours per week at the Boston Public Library’s Central Library in Copley Square. Must be legally eligible to work in the US, as a U.S. citizen or green card holder.” Applicants cannot have prior professional book publications. Application includes a writing sample and a proposal.
Value: $23,000, can request an additional $2,000 for training or hiring a professional (see guidelines); use of a private office (see guidelines)
Deadline: 20 May 2024
Open for: Those eligible to work in the US, as a US citizen or green card holder
Details here and here.
Nova Media Fellowship 2024
These are fellowships for US-based healthcare journalists. They want applications from “print, broadcast, and digital journalists proposing to immerse themselves in the health field and complete media projects that acknowledge and explore the many factors that promote well-being, prevent disease, contribute to healing, and increase an individual’s ability to flourish and live a fulfilling life.” And, The Media Fellowship program aims to give recipients the time, space, and resources to research, write, and speak about issues that validate and show the importance of an expansive health framework.” They do not want book proposals. About who can apply, they say, “Ideal applicants are full-time journalists with established records of publication or broadcast in local, regional, or national markets or among targeted audiences or constituencies and have relevant full-time experience. Proposals may cover international issues and involve international travel, but in 2024 we are accepting applications from U.S.-based journalists only.” They encourage applications from historically marginalized communities.
Value: $100,000 (additional $7,500 for travel – see guidelines)
Deadline: 28 May 2024
Open for: US Journalists
Details here.
The Bard Fiction Prize
This is an annual fiction prize for young US-based writers. Their website says, “The Bard Fiction Prize is awarded to a promising emerging writer who is an American citizen aged 39 years or younger at the time of application. In addition to a $30,000 cash award, the winner receives an appointment as writer in residence at Bard College for one semester, without the expectation that he or she teach traditional courses. The recipient gives at least one public lecture and meets informally with students.” Also, “To apply, candidates should write a cover letter explaining the project they plan to work on while at Bard and submit a CV, along with three copies of the published book they feel best represents their work. No manuscripts will be accepted.”
Value: $30,000, residency
Deadline: 1 June 2024
Open for: Young US writers
Details here.
Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest
For this year’s essay contest, the theme is, What would the Fraser Institute’s Essential Scholars say about the world today? (See their guidelines for details). Essays should be 1,000-1,500 words. The contest is for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students studying in Canada and Canadian students studying abroad.
Value: Prizes ranging from CAD1,500 to CAD250 each in high school, undergraduate, and graduate categories
Deadline: 5 June 2024
Open for: Canadian students
Details here (download rules and FAQ) and here
PEN America: US Writers Aid Initiative
This is intended to assist fiction and non-fiction authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, translators, and journalists. To be eligible, applicants must be based in the United States, be professional writers, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping them to address an emergency situation. Writers do not have to be PEN members to apply. The other deadline listed for this year is in October.
Value: Unspecified
Deadline:1 July 2024
Open for: US writers
Details here.
WRITERS IN UK/IRELAND
(Also see the Hubert Butler Essay Prize; and UK-based playwrights of Caribbean or African descent should also see The Mustapha Matura and Alfred Fagon Awards in the international section)
The Northern Writers’ Awards: Three awards
They have various awards through the year for writers in the north of England. They especially welcome submissions from people of colour and those from LGBTQ+, disabled and lower socio-economic backgrounds, who are particularly under-represented in this area of the TV industry. They have three awards with upcoming deadlines. See guidelines for details on eligibility and other submission requirements.
— For Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards – Bonafide Films, writers should submit a pitch of an idea for an original storyline (up to 400 words) and a sample script of up to 10 pages. The winner will be offered the unique chance to work closely with Bonafide Films, receive a bursary of £3,000 and mentoring support. The deadline is 4 June 2024.
— For Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards – Rollem Productions, writers should submit a pitch of an idea for an original storyline (up to 400 words) and a sample script of up to 10 pages. The winner will get a chance to work closely with Rollem Productions through a long-term placement, a bursary worth £3,000 and mentoring support. The winner will also be given access to the C4/NWN Northern Talent Network. The deadline is 4 June 2024.
— For Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards – Red Productions, submit an outline of an original TV drama storyline (up to 400 words) and a sample script of up to 10 pages. The winner will be offered the chance to work closely with Red Productions through Productions through a long-term placement, a bursary worth £3,000 and mentoring support. The deadline is 4 June 2024.
Awards: £3,000, other opportunities
Deadline for all three awards: 4 June 2024
Open for: Writers in the north of England
Details here (the page also has details of all their awards, including closed ones) and here.
Molly Keane Creative Writing Award
This is a short story prize for writers in Ireland. Send stories of up to 2,000 words. Apart from a cash prize, the winner also gets a course in the Molly Keane Writers Retreat, Ardmore in 2025 (see guidelines).
Value: €250
Deadline: 14 June 2024
Open for: Those resident in Ireland
Details here.
Soho Theatre: The Verity Bargate Award
This playwriting award is for UK and Ireland based playwrights. They want a play written for the stage. Submissions should be at least one hour in performance time. As a general rule of thumb, 10,000 words will correspond to one hour. Submissions must be unproduced, with a maximum of three rehearsed readings or equivalent development allowed before submission.
Value: Full production, £8,000, and other benefits
Deadline: 17 June 2024
Open for: UK/Ireland writers
Details here.
2024 Love Books Competition
This is a contest for UK writers, and part of the Malborough Lit Fest. “We want you to tell us why you love your favourite book, poem or play. Your response should be in the form of a piece of text of up to 750 words. Entrants should explain what they love about their chosen read, highlighting key areas of interest, and why they think others should try it.
We are looking for creative, passionate, and engaging responses which celebrate your love of reading.” You could write about a novel, a graphic novel, a poem, a collection of poetry, or a play. The contest is for three age groups, 13-15 years, 16-19 years, 20+ years. Entry is via a form. Value: £300, £100 for winners in each age group
Deadline: 28 June 2024
Open for: UK residents with a UK bank account
Details here.
Faber Children’s: FAB Prize
This is for undiscovered BAME writers and illustrators; you can read the prize announcement for 2024 here. Entrants must be of black, Asian or minority ethnic background and UK- or Ireland-based. For writers, they want a maximum of 5,000 words of text (no minimum word count). Also, “it does not have to be a short story (though those are welcome too!)
We do strongly advise you to complete your work insofar as you can, even if you do not enter the whole manuscript: after the ceremony agents will request the full manuscript, so in order to get the most out of the prize, it is best to have the whole manuscript ready to go.” Entries must be text or artwork for children.
Value: £1,500; second place £500 each for a writer and an illustrator, and mentorship
Deadline: 28 June 2024
Open for: UK BAME writers
Details here, here, here, and here
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
