By S. Kalekar
These are contests/awards/fellowships for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and journalism, with awards up to $100,000. A couple of the deadlines are in March.
A Public Space Writing Fellowship
“Writers who have not yet contracted to publish a book are invited to apply to the 2025 Writing Fellowships. Submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are welcome. Three fellowships will be awarded.” The fellowship aims to “seek out and support writers who embrace risk in their work and their own singular vision.” A writing sample is part of the submission requirement (for prose, up to 6,000 words; for poetry, up to 15 pages). If selected, the submitted manuscript is the piece that will be published in the magazine.
Value: $1,000, mentorship, other non-cash prizes
Deadline: 31 March 2025
Open for: Writers who have not yet contracted to publish a book with a US publisher (see guidelines)
Details here.
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
This prize is for humor poetry. Submit a poem of up to 250 lines.
Value: $2,000 and a two-year subscription to Duotrope; $500; $250; 10 prizes of $100 each
Deadline: 1 April 2025
Open for: All poets
Details here.
The Loveliest Fellowship
The Loveliest Review invites work in various genres for their inaugural fellowship – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, photography, art, and reviews. The theme is Justice. One winner will be chosen. A writing sample is part of the submission requirement – see guidelines.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 1 April 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers
These three-month fellowships are to afford writers uninterrupted time to focus on their work at an apartment in Carson McCuller’s childhood home in Columbus, Georgia. A spouse or companion is welcome. The application includes a writing sample of up to 20 pages.
Value: $5,000, residency
Deadline: 1 April 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here (scroll down to Academic Opportunities and click on Fellowships).
Alpine Fellowship Prizes
They have a Poetry Prize, a Writing Prize, a Theatre Prize, as well as Music, Philosophy, Refugee Scholar, and Visual Arts prizes. Please read the guidelines for each genre carefully. The theme for this year is Fear, and all works must address the theme.
Value: £3,000, and two runner-up prizes of £1,000 each in creative writing categories – poetry, writing, theatre
Deadline: 1 April 2025
Open for: all writers
Details here – click on individual tabs for various genres.
The Cave Canem Prize
This is a prize for Black poets. “The Cave Canem Prize supports the work of Black poets to overcome the obstacle of publishing their first book of poems. Awarded to one poet annually, the Prize recipient receives a monetary award, as well as having their manuscript published by one of our partner publishers…. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Cave Canem Prize, which was launched in 1999. To commemorate this historic milestone, Cave Canem has increased the monetary award to $10,000.” About eligibility, “All unpublished, original collections of poems written in English by Black poets who have not had a full-length book of poetry published by a professional press.” (See guidelines). The winning manuscript will be published by Graywolf Press. The prize/submission portal will open for submissions on 1st April 2025; there’s no deadline announced yet.
Value: $10,000
Opens on: 1 April 2025
Open for: Black poets
Details here.
Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism
They have two nonresidential fellowships; one for US journalists, and another, open internationally. Both focus on mental health. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Journalists reporting on mental health topics within the United States are encouraged to apply. In addition, a new international fellowship, introduced in 2024, will focus on the intersection of mental health and climate change. Climate change fellowship applicants should be based in countries considered the most vulnerable, outside of the United States. … Projects can be in any format — digital, audio, video, print — and applicants are encouraged to think creatively within the topic area. … Qualified applicants must be journalists with at least three years of experience.
The yearlong, nonresidential fellowships equip journalists with the resources necessary to produce compelling and solutions-based stories on mental health and substance use issues.” The deadline for applications, including for recommendation letters and letters of support, is 2nd April.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 2 April 2025
Open for: Journalists in the US and worldwide
Details here.
Eye Contact Prize in Genre Fiction
Eye Contact is literary journal affiliated with Seton Hill University. To be eligible for the prize, submit historical flash fiction (up to 1,000 words) on the ‘Experience’ theme for their next issue. The best story submitted for the magazine will win a prize. There is no separate submission process.
Value: $250 (see guidelines)
Deadline: 4 April 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.
International Women’s Media Foundation: Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship
This is a fellowship from the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), open to women and nonbinary journalists worldwide. “Since 2005, the IWMF has selected one Neuffer Fellow each year to complete a six-month Fellowship focused on human rights and social justice issues. … Those selected for the Fellowship spend a semester at the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and The Boston Globe. During their time in Cambridge, Neuffer Fellows audit a variety of classes, attend seminars and events, pursue independent research and gain newsroom experience. Neuffer Fellows are also able to audit classes at other local universities including Harvard. After the semester, those selected for the Fellowship spend two months in New York City interning for the New York Times.” While they cover transport, stay, and healthcare costs, they do not award a salary.
Value: See above
Deadline: 20 April 2025
Open for: Women and nonbinary journalists with three years of experience
Details here, here, and here.
(Click on IWMF’s Opportunities and Awards tabs on this page for more; and all their open opportunities are on their Submittable page here.)
Whiting Foundation’s Creative Nonfiction Grants
Up to 10 grants of $40,000 each are awarded to writers of creative non-fiction books. They are for “writers in the process of completing a book-length work of deeply researched and imaginatively composed nonfiction for a general adult readership. It is intended for multiyear book projects requiring large amounts of deep and focused research, thinking, and writing at a crucial point mid-process, after significant work has been accomplished but when an extra infusion of support can make a difference in the ultimate shape and quality of the work. The program’s chief objective is to foster original, ambitious projects brought to the highest possible standard.
Whiting welcomes applications for works of history, cultural or political reportage, biography, memoir, science, philosophy, criticism, graphic nonfiction, and personal essays, among other categories. Again, the work should be intended for a general, not academic, adult reader.” Projects that are under contract with a publisher in the US, UK, or Canada.
Value: $40,000 each
Deadline: 23 April 2025
Open for: Projects that under contract with a publisher in the US, UK, or Canada
Details here and here.
Fund for Investigative Journalism Grants
They are accepting applications for regular grants for investigative journalism stories based in the U.S./with a strong U.S. angle. The Fund provides grants for print and online articles, television and radio stories, documentary films, podcasts and books. Foreign-based story proposals must come from U.S.-based reporters or have a strong U.S. angle involving American citizens, government or business; all stories must be published in English, in a media outlet in the United States.
Value: Up to $10,000
Deadline: 28 April 2025
Open for: Investigative journalism stories based in the U.S./with a strong U.S. angle
Details here.
(Fund for Investigative Journalism is also accepting applications for seed grants, for $1,000-2,000, and the deadline for those is in May; for these too, journalists must be U.S.-based or working on a story with a very strong U.S. angle; details here.)
O’Shaughnessy Fellowships and Grants
The O’Shaughnessy fellowships are for people in various disciplines worldwide, including creative ones; this includes writers and journalists. It is a one-year program. “The Fellowships and Grants empower individuals of the highest caliber whose work positively impacts the world, from scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations to enduring artistic and cultural contributions.” They look for personal agency, exemplary proof-of-work, and resourcefulness in all applicants. “Fellows receive $100,000 to work on any project they choose with and support from OSV’s network of founders, investors, and experts.” They also have a sister grants program, which awards $10,000 each. There is no separate application process for the grants program; winners will be selected on the basis of their fellowship application form. The next steps, for shortlisted individuals, will be group discussions and individual interviews (see guidelines). You can learn more about past fellows and their projects here. They plan to award 10 fellowships and 20 grants each year.
Value: $100,000 each for the fellowships; $10,000 each for the grants
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Open for: Writers and journalists worldwide, as well as people in other disciplines
Details here.
Terrain.org Editor’s Prize
They welcome submissions on place, climate, and justice – fiction (short story, flash fiction series, novel excerpt, radio play, or other fiction piece), non-fiction, and poetry. They also accept translations, and art. Payment for general submissions is a minimum of $50. And, “All accepted submissions by writers of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, women, and/or other marginalized communities whose contributions explore place particularly in the context of social, environmental, or climate justice are considered for our annual Editor’s Prize of $500 per genre.” There is no separate submission process or entry fee for this contest; they have other, fee-based contests too. Certain sections, like Letter to America and ArTerrain, are open year-round, and other sections have submission periods, or are open periodically. The deadline to apply for the poetry prize is 31st March; for fiction and nonfiction, it is 30th April.
Value: The Editor’s Prize for underrepresented writers is $500 per genre
Deadline: 30 April 2025 for fiction and nonfiction (31st March poetry)
Details here.
The Baen Fantasy Adventure Award
They want stories in all fantasy genres up to 8,000 words. “It must be a work of fantasy, though all fantasy genres are open, e.g. epic fantasy, heroic fantasy, sword and sorcery, contemporary fantasy, etc.”
Value: “industry-standard rates for professional story submittals” + non-cash prizes
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here (click on contest rules).
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: £1,000 in the 16-21 group, £250 in the 12-15 group, £100 in the under-11 group
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Open for: All writers ages 21 and under
Details here and here.
Preservation Foundation Contest: Non-fictional Animal Stories
This is an international contest for unpublished writers (see guidelines). Their upcoming deadline is for the non-fiction animal stories category: “Stories should be factual and true accounts of an encounter or encounters by the author with a wild animal or animals. These include, but are not limited to, birds, fish, butterflies, snails, lions, bears, turtles, wombats, etc., as long as it is not a pet.” Entries should be 1,000-5,000 words. They want all entries, regardless of whether or not they win, to be on their website as long as the Foundation exists (see guidelines). Also see contests in other genres, which will have deadlines later in the year.
Value: $200, $100
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Open for: Unpublished writers
Details here.
New England Crime Bake: Al Blanchard Award
This is a short story award. Their guidelines say it must be a crime story, of up to 5,000 words, by a New England author or have a New England setting if the author is not from New England (the New England states are Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island). The story may include the following genres: mystery, thriller, suspense, caper, and horror. Apart from the cash award, the winner also gets published in an anthology, and admission to the Crime Bake Conference (conference attendance is not a requirement).
Value: $100
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Open for: All writers
Details here.
CNO Naval History Essay Contest – Professional Historian
This contest is supported by the US Naval Institute. Their website says, “The CNO invites entrants to submit essays that apply lessons from throughout naval history to solving today’s Navy challenges.” See guidelines for details on the theme. Essays have to be up to 3,500 words. This contest is open to: professional historians (including history museum curators, archivists, history teachers/professors, persons with history-related doctoral degrees; authors of books on naval history (not including self-published works); civilians who have published articles in an established historical or naval journal or magazine.
Value: $5,000, $2,500
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Open for: See above
Details here and here.
(They invite essays for various other prizes as well – see here.)
Waterston Desert Writing Prize
This is for a proposed book of literary non-fiction that illustrates artistic excellence, sensitivity to place, and desert literacy – with the desert both as subject and setting. A writing sample is part of the submission requirement. “The Prize provides financial and other support to writers whose work reflects a similar connection to the desert, recognizing the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative.“ Apart from the cash award, there is also a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon.
Value: $3,000
Deadline: 1 May 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.
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. The foundation also offers fellowships for other disciplines – architecture & design, music composition, photography, and visual arts. A work sample is part of the submission requirement.
Value: $25,000
Deadline: 1 May 2025
Open for: Writers having Cuban citizenship or direct lineage
Details here (scroll down), here, here.
(A couple of contests with later deadlines:
— Drue Heinz Literature Prize: This is for previously published writers of short fiction (see guidelines), and the submission period is 1 May-30 June 2025. The prize is for a short story collection, or for two or more novellas, and the award is $15,000. Details here, here, and here (Submittable – the link for this prize will open on 1 May).
— Academy of American Poets: 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. Apart from a cash prize of $5,000, the poet also receives an all-expenses-paid weeklong residency at The Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. The deadline is 15 May 2025. Details here and here.
— BBC World Service: The International Audio Drama Competition: “Writers from around the world are invited to submit their scripts for the 29th International Audio Drama Competition (previously the International Playwriting Competition) which is now open for entries. The global competition, hosted by BBC World Service and the British Council, offers the unique opportunity for writers from outside the UK to use the medium of audio drama to tell stories for an international audience. Writers can enter in one of two categories: English as a First Language and English as a Second Language. Winners will receive a cash prize, be invited to attend an award ceremony in the UK in 2026, and to participate in the recording of their dramas for a world premiere on BBC World Service platforms. Flight and accommodation expenses are covered by the BBC.” The award is £2,500, and the deadline is 4 June 2025. Details here, here, and here.)
FOR WRITERS IN THE US AND CANADA
(Also see the Cave Canem Prize for Black writers, Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism; Fund for Investigative Journalism Grants; The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers; Whiting Foundation’s Creative Nonfiction Grants; New England Crime Bake: Al Blanchard Award; CNO Naval History Essay Contest; CINTAS Foundation Fellowship in Creative Writing for Cuban writers, and Academy of American Poets: James Laughlin Award. All are in the international section, above.)
The Great American Think-Off
This is an essay contest for US-based writers. The 2025 question is, Is there only one truth, or are there many truths? Their website says, “The Great American Think-Off is an exhibition of civil disagreement between powerful ideas that connect to your life at the gut level. … People of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to submit an essay of no more than 750 words for a chance to win one of four $500 cash prizes and participate in the live debate to ultimately answer the question, determined by audience vote. … The debate is held each year on the second Saturday in June.
Writers are encouraged to ground their essays in personal experience rather than philosophical abstraction. Each year, four writers will be selected as finalists and invited to debate the question on the second Saturday in June in New York Mills, MN. Costs for winners’ travel, food, and lodging will be covered by the Cultural Center.”
Value: $500 for four writers, and other prizes – see above
Deadline: 1 April 2025
Open for: US-based writers
Details here and here.
Maya Angelou Book Award
This award is for a work has demonstrated a commitment to social justice. It is for books published in 2024, or scheduled to be published until November 2025. The award alternates between poetry and fiction, and for this cycle, books of poetry are eligible. Entrants must be available for a two-week reading tour at partnering educational institutions in Missouri (see guidelines). Entries have to be made by publishers only, not writers. See the social media announcement here.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 1 April 2025
Open for: US writers
Details here, here, and here.
Creative Capital Awards
Their website says, “The Creative Capital Awardprovides unrestricted project grants of up to $50,000 to individual artists to create new work. For the 2026 Creative Capital Open Call, Creative Capital invites professional artists to propose experimental, original, bold new works in Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Film, and Literature ….Multidisciplinary, technology, and/or socially engaged projects are welcome in all disciplinary categories. Marking 25 years of groundbreaking artist support, Creative Capital is expanding our support of individual artists across the U.S. and its territories with the launch of a new two-year initiative—the State of the Art Prize—which aims to recognize one artist from each U.S. state and inhabited territory, with an unrestricted artist grant of $10,000.”
Value: Up to $50,000
Deadline: 3 April 2025
Open for: US creators
Details here.
League of Canadian Poets: Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize
This is a poetry prize for Canadian youth; there are two categories, the Junior (grades 7-9) and Senior (grades 10-12), with three prizes in each category. Writers can submit one poem, up to one page long. Homeschooled students are welcome to submit.
Value: CAD450, CAD400, CAD350 (see submission form)
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Open for: Canadian youth
Details here and here (This page also has details of all the League of Canadian Poets’ prizes.)
ABA Journal / Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction
This is a fiction contest for US writers (see guidelines). The ABA Journal is the flagship magazine of the American Bar Association. Send a story of up to 5,000 words that illuminates the role of the law and/or lawyers in modern society.
Value: $5,000
Deadline: 1 May 2025
Open for: US writers
Details here.
PEN America: US Writers Aid Initiative
This is intended for 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. Various deadlines are listed for 2025.
Value: Unspecified
Deadline:2 May 2025
Open for: US writers
Details here.
The Amerind Museum Artist in Residence
This is a call for early-career Native American writers. “The Amerind Museum, Dragoon, AZ, seeks Artist in Residence applications from emerging Native American artists. The selected artists must be in residence at the Amerind Museum for 1 month at a time to be determined between the selected artists and Amerind’s staff. The selected artist(s) will receive housing, workspace, and a $3,000/month stipend. The artist will be asked to give a public talk about their work and/or hold some open studio hours. … We welcome visual artists, performing artists, and literary artists. We are seeking Indigenous artists who are at the beginning of their artistic careers. Artists must be enrolled members of a state or federally recognized Native American Tribe. …The artist must have reliable transportation.”
Value: $3,000, residency
Deadline: Open now
Open for: Early-career Native American writers
Details here (scroll down to Call For Artist In Residence Applications).
FOR WRITERS IN THE UK AND IRELAND
(Also see Whiting Foundation’s Creative Nonfiction Grants in the international section, above.)
The Orwell Society / NUJ Young Journalist’s Award
This is an opportunity for young UK-based journalists/those studying journalism in the UK (your birth should be after 1995). Send “an arts review on a subject of your choice (e.g. book, film, play, art exhibition, etc) of no fewer than 600 and no more than 700 words. Your review should include a headline and an indication of the target audience/publication.
OR a column on a political subject of your choice of no fewer than 600 and no more than 700 words. Your column should include a headline and an indication of the target audience/publication.” Also send “a reflection of no fewer than 250 and no more than 300 words, on how your review or column is informed by Orwell’s influence.” The contest “offers a cash prize for each winner of the two categories: columns and reviews. In addition, each winner will receive an NUJ membership. The runner-up in each category will also receive a prize. Winners and runners-up will also receive a one year free membership of The Orwell Society.”
Value: Unspecified
Deadline: 24 March 2025
Open for: Young UK-based journalists
Details here and here
(See their other prizes here, here, and here.)
The Alfred Bradley Bursary Award
This is for writers based in the North of England who are new to writing for audio. Apart from a bursary, it offers the chance of a Radio 4 Drama commission. “Submit an original and complete Drama or Comedy/Drama script written for radio, TV, stage or film with a minimum length of 30 pages (double spaced, excluding title or character pages). Please be mindful that scripts will be assessed on their suitability for Audio Drama. Pure narrative comedy or sitcoms are not eligible.”
Value: £5,000 bursary, a chance of a Radio 4 drama commission
Deadline: 21 April 2025
Open for: Writers in the North of England
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.