Here are 26 contests for writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and plays, with prizes from £75 to $50,000. Some have geographic restrictions. None have a submission fee, and some deadlines are approaching quickly. – S. Kalekar
International Contests
The Restless Book Prize for New Immigrant Writing
This is a prize for a debut literary work by a first-generation immigrant. The prize alternates between fiction and non-fiction. For this cycle, they are reading fiction manuscripts. Apart from the cash prize, the winner also gets publication.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 1 May 2020
Open for: First-generation residents of their country
Details here.
Remastered Words Contest
This organization creates audio dramatizations of short story submissions and an audio recording. Submit a story of up to 5,000 words in any fantasy sub-genre.
Value: £75, £50, £25, and royalties
Deadline: 1 May 2019
Open for: All writers
Details here
2020 ALTA Travel Fellowship
Each year, between four and six fellowships are awarded to emerging (unpublished or minimally published) translators to help them pay for hotel and travel expenses to the annual American Literary Translators Association conference (in Tucson, AZ). Among the fellowships is the Peter K. Jansen Memorial Travel Fellowship, which is preferentially awarded to an emerging translator of color or a translator working from an underrepresented Diaspora or stateless language. Also see their other awards for published works, some of which do not charge a submission fee.
Value: $1,000 each
Deadline: 4 May 2020 (extended)
Open for: Unspecified
Details here and here.
Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation: Author of Tomorrow Award
This international contest is designed to find the adventure writers of the future. Writers must enter a piece of short fiction. The work must fall within what can be defined as adventure writing (see guidelines). There are three categories: for writers ages 16-21, 12-15, and under 11.
Value: £1,500 in the 15-21 group, £1,000 in the 12-15 group, £100 in the under-11 group
Deadline: 5 May 2020
Open for: All writers ages 21 and under
Details here.
Green Stories Writing Competitions: QuiBi (8-10 minute episodes for new platform)
Their guidelines say, “We are looking for 3 – 15 ten minute episodes of 8-10 minutes each (suitable for new platform Quibi – designed for mobile phones) that in some way touches upon ideas around building a sustainable society. … We will consider all genres – rom-com, literary fiction, science fiction, mystery, crime etc. – but stories must engage with the idea of environmentally sustainable practices and/or sustainable societies.” Apart from the cash prizes, BBC Writers room have agreed to read the top five scripts and follow up with any writers they think have promise. In addition, Red Production Company have agreed to read the winning script and consider it for production.
Value: £500, £100, £50; best student submission prize of £50
Deadline: 23 May 2020
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests
These are international essay contests for students centred around Ayn Rand’s works. All runner-up prizes have more than one winner. One of the contests has a whopping $25,000 prize – the deadline for that is a few months away yet. The guidelines also say, “All entries become the property of the Ayn Rand Institute and will not be returned. Essays may be reproduced on our website and/or shared with third parties for purposes of marketing the contest.” The deadline for the contest around The Fountainhead is in May 2020. For this book, they will accept work by those in 11th and 12th grade. Submit an essay on one of three specific themes centred around Ayn Rand’s novel, The Fountainhead.
Value: $10,000, $2,500, $500, $50
Deadline: 28 May 2020
Open for: All students
Details here.
Humane Education Network: A Voice for Animals
This is an international essay contest for students in two categories: for 14-15-year-olds, and for 16-18-year-olds. The essay themes include mistreatment of one animal species, the preservation of one endangered species, and the history of animal welfare movement (see guidelines). Participants must currently be attending middle or high school, or be home-schooled, and less than 19 years of age on January 22, 2020. The contest is also open for those for whom English is a second language. Entries can be essays (1,400-1,500 words), essays with photos, or videos.
Value: Total prize purse up to $5,900; individual prizes of up to $500
Deadline: 31 May 2020
Open for: All students
Details here.
Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest
This is an international fiction contest. While the story should appeal to the audience of this magazine, all themes will be considered. Their readers have interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Ideally, stories should not exceed 3,000 words, but those up to 5,000 words will be considered.
Value: $100
Deadline: 31 May 2020
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Sapiens Plurum: Interspecies Interaction
Sapiens Plurum conducts an annual short fiction contest, opening on Earth Day of each year. The purpose of the contest is to entice authors to conceive of the future in terms of desirable outcomes, and imagine how we might get there. The topic of this year’s contest is, ‘Interspecies Interaction’. Their guidelines say, “How can technology increase empathy and connection? The news today is full of examples of technology creating dissension and amplifying differences. We ask authors to imagine ways that technology can improve how we relate to each other and bring us closer, even across species. We welcome stories that view life from another species’ point of view and/or explore empathy between different forms of life.” (See guidelines for extensive details). Submissions should be 1,500-3,000 words.
Value: $1,000, $500, $300
Deadline: 31 May 2020
Open for: All writers
Details here.
The Black Orchid Novella Award
They want novellas (15,000-20,000 words) that confirm to the tradition of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series. They should focus on the deductive skills of the sleuth. Their guidelines also say, “We need to stress that a novella is not a padded short story. A novella needs to be as tight and fast-paced as a short story or a novel. Authors need to ensure that the story they want to tell is properly sized for whatever format they choose.” They are not looking for derivatives of the Nero Wolfe series, or the milieu. They accept mailed submissions only.
Value: $1,000 and publication in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
Deadline: 31 May 2020 (postmarked)
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Bacopa Literary Review Writing Contest
They have prizes in fiction (1,000-3,000 words), fiction short-shorts (up to 750 words), creative non-fiction (up to 2,500 words), poetry, and humor (up to 1,500 words).
Value: $300 first prize, $100 second prize in each
Deadline: 31 May 2020
Open for: All writers
Details here
Words Without Borders Poems in Translation Contest
This is a poetry translation contest. It is open to contemporary international poetry translated from other languages into English. Apart from the cash prize, four winning translated poems will be co-published on Words Without Borders, the digital magazine for international literature, and in Poem-a-Day, the popular daily poetry series produced by the Academy of American Poets, throughout September, which is National Translation Month.
Value: $150 each for winning poets and translators
Deadline: 1 June 2020
Open for: All poet-translators
Details here.
Atlanta Review: Dan Veach Prize for Younger Poets
The Dan Veach Prize for Younger Poets solicits poems from college-age students, aged 18-23, on any subject or style. Poems with an international focus are especially welcomed, but all poems must be written in English. Students may submit up to two poems (40 lines or fewer for each poem). A letter of recommendation from a teacher or other person well-acquainted with the student’s writing must accompany the poem(s). The recommendation letter should affirm that these poems are the student’s original work.
Value: $100
Deadline: 1 June 2020
Open for: College-age poets (18-23 years)
Details here.
Writing For Peace
This is an international contest for young writers (ages 13-19) to expand their empathy skills by researching an unfamiliar culture and writing from the point-of-view of a character within that new world, while exploring social, political, and environmental pressures, and universal themes. They accept fiction, non-fiction, and poetry submissions (see guidelines for themes).
Value: $200
Deadline: 1 June 2020
Open for: All writers aged 13-19
Details here.
Green Stories Writing Competitions: Full-length novel
This is a contest for a full-length novel (for adults – they hope to do a contest for children’s novels later in the year). Their guidelines say, “We are looking for Full-Length Novels for adults that in some way touch upon ideas around building a sustainable society. … We will consider all genres – rom-com, literary fiction, science fiction, mystery, crime etc. – but stories must engage with the idea of environmentally sustainable practices and/or sustainable societies.” Submissions should be 5000 – 10,000 words (of a 50,000-100,000 word novel) that must include the following: the first chapter; another chapter that best showcases how your novel meets the green stories criteria; a third chapter (suggest the final chapter if possible); and a one-page synopsis. Apart from the cash prize, they have agreement from Peter Cox from the literary agency, Redhammer Management, to provide a one to one mentoring session with the winners (at their office in London or virtual meeting).
Value: £500, £100, £50; best student submission prize of £50
Deadline: 2 June 2020
Open for: All writers
Details here.
WRITERS IN THE US (+ CANADA AND CUBA)
CINTAS Foundation: Fellowship in Creative Writing
This is a creative writing fellowship for writers having Cuban citizenship or direct lineage (having a Cuban parent or grandparent). Applications can be in English or Spanish. Fellows who are not U.S. citizens and who are living abroad must provide a U.S. taxpayer identification number when they accept the fellowship to receive payment. There are also fellowships for other disciplines.
Value: $20,000
Deadline: 1 May 2020
Open for: Writers having Cuban citizenship or direct lineage
Details here.
Whiting Foundation: Creative Nonfiction Grant
This is for US writers with contracted books. Their Submittable page is updated to add, “In recognition of the growing strain that COVID-19 has placed on publishers, we are allowing writers without a final contract in hand to apply, if they have agreed on final terms with a US publisher and are only waiting on the publisher’s contracts department for the executed contract.” (See guidelines). Up to eight grants will be awarded to US writers of creative non-fiction, for books under contract by US publishers – the subjects are history, cultural or political reportage, biography, memoir, the sciences, philosophy, criticism, food or travel writing, graphic non-fiction, and personal essays, among other categories. The work should be intended for general, not academic, audiences. One of the application requirements is three sample chapters, or up to 25,000 words.
Value: $40,000
Deadline: 4 May 2020
Open for: US writers with a contracted book
Details here.
James Laughlin Award
This is for a second full-length poetry manuscript by a US poet, contracted by a publisher. Manuscripts have to be 48-100 pages long. Translations and new editions of previously published books are not eligible.
Value: $5,000, residency
Deadline: 15 May 2020
Open for: US poets (see guidelines)
Details here.
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 nine-month fellowship also entails working at the library. All genres are welcome, including fiction, non-fiction, scripts, or poetry. (The format is flexible and can include illustrated children’s books or graphic novels, but the majority of our submissions are generally Young Adult novels.) Applicants must be US citizens and cannot have prior professional book publications. Application includes a writing sample and a proposal.
Value: $20,000, paid in instalments
Deadline: 29 May 2020
Open for: Those eligible to work in the US, as a U.S. citizen or green card holder
Details here.
The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture: Hiett Prize in the Humanities
This prize is aimed at identifying candidates in the early stages of their careers devoted to the humanities and whose work shows extraordinary promise to have a significant impact on contemporary culture. Applications include a Narrative Profile of Accomplishments and Published Work, and a plan for Future Scholarship and/or Project in the Humanities. Applicants must be active and continuing in their work. Age and length of experience are not necessarily limiting factors. Past winners have included writers of columns, nonfiction, poetry and memoir, and journalists.
Value: $50,000
Deadline: 1 June 2020 (extended)
Open for: Those resident in the US
Details here.
ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction
They want short stories (up to 5,000 words) that illuminate the role of the law and/of lawyers in modern society. This contest is for US citizens or legal permanent residents.
Value: $3,000
Deadline: 1 June 2020
Open for: US writers
Details here.
The Stony Brook Short Fiction Prize
This prize is for short fiction of up to 7,500 words. It is for undergraduates enrolled full time in US and Canadian universities and colleges for the academic year 2018-19. This prize has traditionally encouraged submissions from students with an Asian background, but they urge all students to enter.
Value: $1,000, scholarship to the Southampton Writers Conference
Deadline: 1 June 2020
Open for: Undergraduate students from the US and Canada
Details here
Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest
For this year’s essay contest, the theme is ‘The Ideas of Milton Friedman: Exploring the Connections between Economic Freedom and other Freedoms or Aspects of the Human Condition.’ (See their extensive guidelines for details). The contest is for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students studying in Canada and Canadian students studying abroad.
Value: CAD1,500, CAD1,000, CAD500 each in high school, undergraduate, and graduate categories
Deadline: 1 June 2020
Open for: Canadian students
Details here.
Berton House Writer-in-Residence
This is for published Canadian writers (of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, young readers, playwriting). Four writers will be selected to live and work in Dawson City, Yukon, in the childhood home of noted Canadian author Pierre Berton. Residents will receive an honorarium. Housing and travel costs are covered. Special access requirements will not affect a writer’s application or chances of being selected.
Value: CAD9,000, Residency
Deadline: 8 June 2020
Open for: Canadian writers
Details here.
WRITERS IN UK (+ EUROPE)
The Nick Darke Award
This is an award for UK and Europe-based playwrights. The application includes one full-length stage play script of minimum 45 minutes (no maximum), and a synopsis.
Value: £6,000
Deadline: 4 May 2020
Open for: Playwrights in UK and Europe
Details here.
Wales Writer in Residence
This is a contest for UK-based writers for a complete original English language script, written for any medium – such as by way of example only Stage, TV, Radio, Film, Online – that is at least 30 minutes/pages in length and no longer than 70 pages. They also need a one-page pitch for an original audio drama that authentically reflect a contemporary or future Wales, editorially appropriate for a BBC Radio 4 broadcast. Writers must be able to represent the culture of Wales with authenticity (for example they may be from, or have lived or worked in Wales). The winner will receive a from BBC Wales a £6,000 bursary and six months residency with BBC Wales; and from National Theatre Wales, a £6,000 bursary and six months residency with National Theatre Wales.
Value: £12,000
Deadline: 11 May 2020
Open for: UK-based writers (see guidelines)
Details here.
Author 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.