These are contests for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays. Prizes range from $100 to $72,000, and none of them charge an entry fee. They are, very roughly, divided geographically. – S. Kalekar
PRIZES OPEN FOR INTERNATIONAL WRITERS
Fourteen Hills: Stacey Doris Memorial Poetry Award
This is a poetry contest – send one poem of 3 to 10 pages. Their guidelines say, “Stacy Doris was a poet, translator, and an Associate Professor in San Francisco State University’s Department of Creative Writing, where she taught for ten years. … Doris created new worlds with her unexpected poetics. Following upon her spirit of creative invention, engaging wit and ingenious playfulness, discovery in construction, and radical appropriations based on classical forms, pastiche, etc., and love, the Stacy Doris Memorial Poetry Award is given to a poet with a truly inventive spirit.” Works that don’t win will be considered for publication in Fourteen Hills.
Value: $500
Deadline: 1 January 2022
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Defenestration.net Lengthy Poem Contest
They are reading entries for a lengthy poem, of at least three 120 lines, or roughly chapbook-length (see guidelines). Poem cycles are accepted. They do not want prose poems. It is best to divide it into parts or sections, though this is not a strict requirement.
Value: $300
Deadline: 1 January 2022
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies: Steinbeck Fellowships
These are fellowships to help writers complete a book project. Up to six Steinbeck Fellows are selected each year from disciplines including fiction, creative non-fiction, biography, drama, and Steinbeck studies (no poetry). Also, “In awarding fellowships, the selection committee considers the quality of the candidate’s proposal and any factors that would lead to expectations of future publication and other achievement. The creative writing fellowship does not require that there be any direct connection between Steinbeck’s works and that of the applicant.“
Value: $15,000, residency at San José State University
Deadline: 3 January 2022
Open for: Unspecified
Details here
The Leon Levy Centre for Biography: Biography Fellowships
These are four resident fellowships at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City, to nonfiction writers working on biographies. preference in the award of fellowships is given to those who have not yet published a biography or received fellowships for the writing of a biography. We also welcome applications from published and accomplished writers who are undertaking their first biography. The Leon Levy Center for Biography does not award fellowships for memoirs, essays, plays, films, or fiction. One of the application requirements is a sample of the proposed biography, a maximum of 2,500 words. (Also see the Sloan Fellowship, given annually to a writer working on a biography of a figure in the field of science or technology.)
Value: $72,000, residency
Deadline: 4 January 2022
Open for: Writers working on biographies
Details here
Walter Muir Whitehill Prize in Early American History
This prize is for an essay on early American history (up to 1826), not previously published, with preference being given to New England subjects. Essays should be 40-60 pages, and can be emailed or mailed.
Value: $2,500
Deadline: 15 January 2022 (postmarked)
Open for: Unspecified
Details here
Lilith Magazine Fiction Contest
This magazine publishes work of interest to Jewish women. They like work with both feminist and Jewish content. Submit up to 3,000 words.
Value: $250
Deadline: 15 January 2022 (extended)
Open for: All writers
Details here
The Hillman Prize for Journalism
This is for journalists who pursue investigative reporting and deep storytelling in service of the common good. Recipients exemplify reportorial excellence, storytelling skill, and social justice impact. The categories are: Book (bound volumes and ebooks), Newspaper Journalism (story or series/in print or online), Magazine Journalism (story or series/in print or online), Broadcast Journalism (story/series/documentary that has aired on television or radio), Web Journalism (story/series or multimedia that did not appear in print), and Opinion & Analysis Journalism (any medium) – includes all types of advocacy, opinion, commentary and analysis, normally short-form and/or frequent, regardless of medium; open to newspaper and magazine columnists, TV and radio presenters, podcasters, blogs, and bloggers. The US prize is open to all journalists and subjects globally but the work must have been primarily accessible to a US audience; the Canadian prize, too, is open to all journalists and subjects globally but the work must have been primarily accessible to a Canadian audience, and must have been published in Canada.
Value: $5,000 each
Deadline: 15 January for Canadian, 30 January 2022 for US entries
Open for: Journalists
Details here and here
(They also have Labor and Workforce Reporting Grants – they accept pitches on a rolling basis, and grants are up to $5,000.)
Learning Pool: Tall Tales Short Story Competition
This is a story contest for children. Writers ages 7-12 can enter. Their guidelines say, “We are asking you to write a short story of no more than 500 words based on a mythical character of your choice. Whether it’s a shy dragon or a surfing mermaid, a silly werewolf or a scary fairy, we want to read your story. If you’re feeling really creative, send us a picture of your character to bring your story to life.” There are two categories, for ages 7-9 and 10-12 years. Writers have to ask an adult to submit their stories on the contest website. Royalties will be donated to Make-a-Wish International.
Value: £200 for winners in each category, £100 for runners-up
Deadline: 21 January 2022
Open for: Writers ages 7-12 years
Details here.
Good Story Grant
They will award two grants, and writers of all levels, in all genres, can apply. Their guidelines say, “The 2022 Good Story Grant aims to help two writers reach the next step in their creative journeys. This grant is open to writers of all skill levels, and working in all genres and categories. The award is $1,500 US, used however you’d like … as long as it has to do with writing and helps you tell your story. This year’s award is two grants. One open to all writers and one open to writers who identify as BIPOC, with the aim of championing underrepresented voices.” One of the requirements is an essay on what the grant will mean to you and how you will use the funds,
Value: $1,500 for two writers
Deadline: 31 January 2022
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest
The magazine runs a short story contest thrice a year. Readers of this magazine are interested in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. While the writing should appeal to a reader with these interests, stories can be on any theme. Stories should be up to 3,000 words, but up to 4,000 words will be considered.
Value: $100
Deadline: 31 January 2022
Open for: All writers
Details here.
AKO Caine Prize for African Writing
This is for a published short story by an African writer (see guidelines), of 3,000-10,000 words. The story must have been published in the five years preceding the submissions deadline. Submissions have to be made by publishers only. Works published in translation are also eligible (see ‘Rules of Entry’ for details).
Value: £10,000, and £500 and travel expenses for up to five short-listed candidates
Deadline: 31 January 2022
Open for: African writers
Details here and here.
The Drip Action Theatre Company: Joy Goun Award
They are looking for plays that are 30-40 minutes long, and these will be performed in the UK as part of the Arundel Festival Theatre Trail. Their website says the Train “is a great showcase for both new and established writers, from the UK and beyond.” There is a prize for the best submitted script, as well as for other successful playwrights. Seven plays will be chosen from the open call, along with a specially commissioned piece.
Value: £250; £200 each for other successful playwrights
Deadline: 31 January 2022
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award
They want a short story, of up to 8,000 words, that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration. They want to see Moon bases, Mars colonies, orbital habitats, space elevators, asteroid mining, artificial intelligence, nano-technology, realistic spacecraft, heroics, sacrifice, adventure. They do not want stories that show technology or space travel as evil or bad, galactic empires, paranormal elements, UFO abductions, zombie stories, thinly veiled copies of previous winners, non-standalone novel excerpts, or screenplays.
Value: 8c/word, and various non-cash awards
Deadline: 1 February 2022
Open for: All writers
Details here.
(They also have a fantasy short story contest, the Baen Fantasy Adventure Award, that pays $0.08/word for stories of up to 8,000 words in all fantasy genres, and will open for submissions from 14 February to 30 April 2022.)
Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for Playwriting
Playwrights have to write to a prompt: What does it mean to be a human in a computerized world?
Value: $5,000
Deadline: 1 February 2022
Open for: All playwrights
Details here
(A couple of contests with later deadlines are:
— National Endowment for the Arts’ Creative Writing Fellowships for US writers – they are accepting applications for poetry this year, awards are up to $25,000, and the deadline is 10 March 2022; and
— Robert Louis Stevenson Fable Competition for writers globally – write a fable in up to 350 words, in the style of Robert Louis Stevenson; and they accept entries from minors as well as multiple entries; please read the guidelines carefully, all entrants grant the Robert Louis Stevenson Club the right to publish any entries; prizes are £500 and £100, and the deadline is 2 April 2022.)
PRIZES FOR US- AND CANADA-BASED WRITERS
(Also see The Hillman Prize for Journalism in the section above.)
Minotaur Books: The Tony Hillerman Prize for Best First Mystery Set in the Southwest
This is for US and Canadian writers, for a first novel (manuscript) of mystery – in which a serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story, and the emphasis is on the solution rather than the details of the crime – of approximately 60,000 words. The story’s primary setting must be one or more of the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and/or Utah. Each manuscript will be assessed based on the following criteria, weighted as indicated: publishable quality of manuscript (60%); creativity (20%); and originality (20%). In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken based on the higher score in the “publishable quality of manuscript” category. Minotaur is an imprint of St Martin’s Press, which is part of Macmillan.
Value: $10,000 advance against royalties
Deadline: 1 January 2022
Open for: US and Canadian writers
Details here
Homebound Publications: The Prism Prize for Climate Literature
This is for a work of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry manuscript in the genre of climate literature. The final manuscript of up to 75,000 words (for fiction and non-fiction) and a market assessment and/or statement of marketing intentions are part of the submission requirement. The contest is for authors living in the US or UK.
Value: $1,000, publication contract
Deadline: 8 January 2022
Open for: US and UK authors
Details here and here
National Endowment for the Arts: Translation Project Fellowship
These are for published translators. The fellowship is for the translation of works of prose, poetry, or drama from other languages into English. They encourage translations of writers and of work that are not well represented in English translation. The proposed projects must be for creative translations of literary material into English.
Value: Up to $25,000
Deadline: 12 January 2022
Open for: Published translators who are citizens or permanent residents of the US
Details here and here.
The John F Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
This is for US high school students in grades 9 through 12. Essays must describe an act of political courage by a US elected official who served during or after 1917, the year John F Kennedy was born. The official may have addressed an issue at the local, state, or national level. Essays should be 700-1,000 words and must quote at least five sources.
Value: $10,000, $3,000, $1,000 each for finalists, $100 each for semi-finalists
Deadline: 14 January 2022
Open for: US high school students
Details here (also see tabs on the page for various details)
Douglas B. Rogers Conditions of a Free Society Essay Competition
This competition is meant to encourage undergraduate students in the US and Canada to join the Center for Political and Economic Thought at Saint Vincent College in discussing themes of Western Civilization such as individual freedom, limited constitutional government, free market economics, and the philosophical and moral foundations of America and the West. This year students are asked to consider a particular passage from Edmund Burke’s Speech on Moving Resolutions for Conciliation With the Colonies, and address the following prompt: “Ignored at a critical time preceding hostilities, comment on how Burke’s salient arguments may have provided proscriptive emollients to America’s bitter internecine conflict resultant from a perspectival bias towards the compact formed by the United States Constitution.”
Value: $2,000; $1,000; $500
Deadline: 15 January 2022
Open for: Undergraduate students in the US and Canada
Details here.
The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest
This contest is for registered undergraduate full-time Juniors or Seniors at accredited four-year colleges or universities in the US. Students are invited to write an essay about an ethical issue they have encountered, and analyze what it has taught them about ethics, and themselves. See guidelines for potential topics and issues.
Value: $10,000, $5,000, $3,000, two prizes of $1,000 each
Deadline: 18 January 2022
Open for: Students in the US (see guidelines)
Details here.
Zócalo Public Square Poetry Prize
They want poetry from US poets whose poem best evokes a connection to place. “The prize interprets “place” in many ways: A place may possess historical, cultural, political, or personal importance, and may be literal, imaginary, or metaphorical.”
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 22 January 2022
Open for: US poets
Details here.
Poetry Northwest: James Welch Prize for Indigenous Writers
This is a poetry prize for Indigenous writers in the US – “new, emerging, and established poets who are community-recognized members of tribal nations within the United States and its trust territories (including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Chamorros, and American Samoans). Only poets who have not published more than one book-length collection are eligible; however, previous publication is not a requirement.” Submit up to three poems. Apart from cash prizes, two poets will also be invited to read at a literary venue.
Value: $1,000 each
Deadline: 31 January 2022
Open for: Indigenous writers in the US
Details here and here.
Bucknell University: Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing
This residency is offered by Bucknell University, and provides writing time of up to four months. It’s for writers of fiction or creative non-fiction working on a first or second book. There are two residencies, in fall and spring semesters. Some record of publication is desirable.
Value: $5,000 and residency
Deadline: 1 February 2022
Open for: US writers
Details here.
(Also see details of the Bucknell Seminar for Undergraduate Poets, for those in the US – fellowships include tuition, housing in campus apartments and meals, and the application deadline is 31 January 2022; and some travel scholarships are also available.)
PRIZES FOR UK- AND IRELAND-BASED AUTHORS
(Also see Homebound Publications: The Prism Prize for Climate Literature, in the section above)
Discoveries 2022
This prize is run by The Women’s Prize Trust, Audible, Curtis Brown Literary Agency, and Curtis Brown Creative writing school. It is for UK- and Ireland-based women writers, for a novel-in-progress – send the first 10,000 words and a synopsis. Apart from a cash prize, the winner also gets literary representation.
Value: £5,000
Deadline: 17 January 2022
Open for: UK- and Ireland-based women writers
Details here.
Curtis Brown Creative: The New Beginnings Poetry Competition
This prize is for UK- and Ireland-based writers, and it celebrates the launch of their online poetry-writing course. The theme is ‘New Beginnings’, and writers can interpret it as they like. Poems should be up to 40 lines. Entrants must not have previously published a full collection of poetry with a traditional publisher.
Value: £500, online poetry writing course
Deadline: 21 January 2022
Open for: UK- and Ireland-based poets
Details here.
Red Dragonfly: Taking Flight Playwriting Competition
This is for playwrights with East and South-East Asian heritage, and who are UK-based. They want one-page ideas for a one-hour play.
Up to 10 shortlisted writers will attend a free workshop and mentorship sessions, before a winner is finalized.
Value: £1,000
Deadline: 31 January 2022 (for ideas)
Open for: UK-based writers of East and South-East Asian heritage and those from the British East and South-East Asian communities (see guidelines)
Details here.
SOHO Theatre: The Verity Bargate Award
This is the 40th anniversary of their playwriting award. They want a play, of at least one hour production time (usually 40 pages, though monologues may be shorter). Musicals and plays with songs are accepted, but will be judged on text alone. Also, “If you’ve never written before, that’s fine by us. What matters is that great stories are told – human, inspiring and urgent stories which can only exist in this moment.”
Value: £7,500, production
Deadline: 21 January 2022
Open for: Any playwright who has had fewer than three professional productions and who lives in the UK or Republic of Ireland
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She is the author of 182 Short Fiction Publishers. She can be reached here.
