These are contests, grants, and fellowships for fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The prizes are up to $90,000 per year. They are, very loosely, divided geographically. – S. Kalekar
Owl Canyon Press Short Story Hackathon
They’re running their 5th contest. Their website says, “Writing teams (2 authors per team) are invited to create and submit a pair of short stories consisting of 50 paragraphs. The contest provides the 1st paragraph and two alternate 50th paragraphs with writing team co-authors taking turns writing a common/shared story from paragraphs 2 through 49 (thus the tag-team handle) and then spinning off two versions using the two alternative 50th paragraphs.” (See the paragraphs in their FAQ, here.) There is no maximum word count, but each paragraph has to be at least 50 words. Writers to not have to live in the US to enter the contest. They take any genre of stories, including literary, sci-fi, dystopian, and romance.
Value: $2,000, $1,000, $500
Deadline: 1 September 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here, here, and here.
The Academy for Teachers: Stories Out of School Flash Fiction Contest
They want honest, unsentimental stories, of 6-749 words, about teachers and schools. The contest is open to all writers, whether or not they are a teacher. The story’s protagonist or narrator must be a K-12 teacher. Sentimentality is discouraged and education jargon is forbidden. Apart from a cash prize, the writer receives publication in A Public Space.
value: $1,000
Deadline: 1 September 2023
Details here and here.
American-Scandinavian Foundation Translation Awards
The American-Scandinavian Foundation annually awards translation prizes for outstanding translations of poetry, fiction, drama, or literary prose written by a Scandinavian author born after 1900. The Leif and Inger Sjöberg Award is for those whose translations from a Nordic language have not been previously published. There is also the Nadia Christensen Prize, the Wigeland Prize (this is for the best translation by a Norwegian), and the Inger and Jens Bruun Translation Prize, which recognizes the best Danish translation. The application includes 25-50 pages of prose or 15-25 pages of poetry.
Value: $2,500 (Nadia Christensen Prize); $2,000 (Leif and Inger Sjöberg Award); $2,000 (Wigeland Prize), $2,000 (The Inger and Jens Bruun Translation Prize)
Deadline: 1 September 2023
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
On the Premises: Picture This
They want a story of 1,000-5,000 words based on a visual prompt on their website. They do not want children’s fiction, exploitative sex, over-the-top grossout horror, or stories that are obvious parodies of existing fictional worlds/characters created by other authors.
Value: $250, $200, $150, $75
Deadline: 1 September 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.
Planet New Writers’ Competition
This is an essay contest for new writers (those who have never published a book – please see guidelines), on any subject. Entries for the contest run by this Welsh magazine should be 1,500-2,000 words. Their guidelines say, “We would welcome creative and unconventional ways of exploring the essay form as well as a more traditional style. Planet features writing which is in-depth, yet sufficiently accessible for a non-specialist readership. What we are looking for most are lively, well-crafted essays which leave a lasting impression. We would especially welcome submissions that relate to Wales in some way, however obliquely.” There is no age restriction.
Value: £200
Deadline: 1 September 2023
Open for: All new writers
Details here.
Princeton Arts Fellowship
This is for artists in many disciplines, including literary, whose achievements have been recognized as demonstrating extraordinary promise in any area of artistic practice and teaching. This is a two-year program and there is a teaching duty attached. Writers do not have to be US citizens to apply. You can apply for this fellowship twice in a lifetime.
Value: $90,000 per year ($180,000 for the two-year fellowship), residency at Princeton
Deadline: 12 September 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Princeton: Hodder Fellowships
Potential Hodder Fellows are composers, choreographers, performance artists, visual artists, writers, translators or other kinds of artists or humanists who have “much more than ordinary intellectual and literary gifts”; they are selected more “for promise than for performance.” Most writers have had their first book published. The Hodder is designed to provide Fellows with the “studious leisure” to undertake significant new work. There are no formal teaching duties attached. Fellows have access to shared spaces on campus at Princeton, for the duration of their fellowship.
One does not have to be a US citizen to apply for this fellowship. Also, Fellows need not reside in the US during the fellowship (see FAQ; scroll down to Hodder Fellowship Details).
Value: $90,000, additional $5,000 for research
Deadline: 12 September 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here.
The Forge Competition
The Forge literary magazine holds a flash fiction and non-fiction contest. Send a piece of up to 1,000 words. They have both fee-free and tip-jar submissions; fee-free submissions will close once they reach 100 submissions per category. The tip-jar submissions too may close early, if they reach their Submittable limit.
Value: $1,000
Reading period: 1-14 September 2023, or until filled
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Harvard University: Radcliffe Institute Fellowships
These are for various disciplines, including creative arts – which include, but are not limited to, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, as well as journalism, and playwriting. Their guidelines also say, “Applicants may apply as individuals or in a group of two to three people working on the same project. We seek diversity along many dimensions, including discipline, career stage, race and ethnicity, country of origin, gender and sexual orientation, and ideological perspective. Although our fellows come from many different backgrounds, they are united by their demonstrated excellence, collegiality, and creativity.” The fellowship pays $78,000, and an additional $5,000 for project expenses in 2023-24; fellows also get an office at Harvard University, additional funds for moving expenses, childcare and housing, etc. The deadline for some disciplines, including creative arts, is in mid-September.
Value: $78,000; additional funds for project expenses, and other things
Deadline: 14 September 2023
Open for: Published writers and journalists
Details here, here, here, and here.
Changing Skies: Climate Crisis
Changing Skies is a journal affiliated with the University of Colorado Boulder, and is a subsidiary of Hindsight, partnering with Mission Zero Fund. They publish writing – prose, poetry, comics, and art – on the climate crisis. They are also running a fee-free climate crisis-themed prose (fiction and creative non-fiction) and art contest, with cash prizes. The contest deadline is 17 September 2023; please note, they consider all work for print or online publication. Submission for the contests, as well as for Changing Skies and Hindsight magazines, is via Submittable, here; please be sure to submit in the correct category.
Value: $500, $200 for prose writing; $300 for art
Deadline: 17 September 2023
Details here and here
New York Public Library: Cullman Centre Fellowship
This is for writers whose project draws on the collection housed in The New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (formerly the Humanities and Social Sciences Library). Visual artists can also apply (see guidelines).
Value: $85,000 and residency
Deadline: 29 September 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.
Last Stanza Poetry Journal: I Never Knew
They award one prize to an outstanding poem, from general submissions to their journal. The theme for this issue is, I Never Knew. “As with every issue, poems submitted do not need to follow the prompt/theme. … A single $100 award will be given for an outstanding poem. There is never a reading fee. An interview with the prize winner will be published in the same or next issue (optional).”
Poems can be any style, but preferably non-rhyming, of up to 64 lines.
Value: $100
Reading period: 1-30 September 2023
Open for: All poets
Details here.
Speculative Literature Foundation’s Working Class Writers Grant
This grant is to help writers of speculative literature. This grant is awarded annually to assist working class, blue-collar, poor, and homeless writers, and writers from these backgrounds, who have been historically underrepresented in speculative fiction due to financial barriers. One of the submission requirements is a writing sample, of poetry, drama, fiction, or creative non-fiction (see guidelines); the submitted work must be speculative. Unlike their other grants, writers may receive this grant anonymously or pseudonymously. They have other grant submission periods coming up.
Value: $1,000
Reading period: 1-30 September 2023
Open for: All writers from working class background
Details here (Working Class Writers Grant) and here (schedule for all grants).
Willie Morris Awards for Southern Writing
These awards are for works that evoke the American South. For fiction and non-fiction, the awards are for published books; for poetry, send a poem of up to 3 pages on the theme.
Value: $12,000 for prose; $3,000 for poetry
Deadline: 30 September 2023
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
International Human Rights Arts Festival: Creators of Justice Literary Awards
They want submissions of fiction (up to 2,500 words), essays, and poetry; they feature works which “highlight the struggle for human rights and social justice the world over. These may be imagined in any manner in which the writer sees fit, however, it must be based in our signature values. We do not publish work which is based in anger, or stems from an “us v. them” mentality.” There is also a Youth award for under-18s.
Value: $150, $100, $50 each for fiction, essays, and poetry
Deadline: 30 September 2023
Details here.
Fundación César Egido Serrano’s VIIth Microfiction Contest
This is a contest for a microfiction story. Languages accepted are Spanish, English, Arabic or Hebrew. Writers over 14 years from anywhere in the world can participate, and there is no theme. Writers can send up to 3 stories, of up to 100 words each. Participants must read the rules carefully, they say they can publish the participating stories without compensation. Participating writers can vote on up to 50 stories.
Value: $20,000 for the winning story; three other prizes of $2,000 each, one for each participating language
Deadline: 30 September 2023 (they reserve the right to extend the deadline.)
Details here and here.
International Human Rights Arts Festival: Art of Unity Creative Award
They accept literary (poetry; essays and short stories under 2500 words); video; music; dance; performance or visual work around the theme: “Never again: Remembering to heal and overcome. The most important hallmark of Holocaust remembrance and education is the phrase ‘never again.’ Unfortunately, tribal divisions, ethnic cleansing and genocides continue in the 21st Century. We are looking for submissions in any creative media (which can be exhibited online), and which highlight aspects of human unity, and positive cross-pollination between groups, ethnicities, religions and/or nations.” There is also a Youth award for under-18s.
Value: $150, $100, $50
Deadline: 30 September 2023
Details here.
Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest
They want a short story on any theme. Stories should ideally be up to 3,000 words, though those up to 4,000 words are considered. Readers of the magazine are interested in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Their newsletter subscribers include publishers, artists, musicians, and fellow writers. Their guidelines say, “While your writing should appeal to a reader with these interests and in these creative professions, all story themes are considered.”
Value: $150
Deadline: 30 September 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Green Stories Project: Short Stories Competition – Microbes
They want a short story on the Microbes theme. The Green Stories Project includes contests by the University of Southampton, and their mission is “to create a cultural body of work that entertains and informs about green solutions, inspires green behaviour and raises awareness of the necessary transformations towards a sustainable economy.” Send a short story of 1,000-3,000 words. They have detailed guidelines on the theme, including, “It may appeal to writers with a scientific bent as it aims to use fiction to raise awareness of Environmental Biotechnology (EB) and what microbial systems can do for us.” Entries will be judged on two criteria: Well written, engaging story; and directs attention towards a better future involving EB or promotes how EB works to minimise a pollutant footprint.
Value: £500, £200, £100
Deadline: 30 September 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here.
CAPTRS Universe of Threats Essay Contest: Infrastructure Threat Contest
The Center For Advanced Preparedness And Threat Response Simulation (CAPTRS) is running a scenario writing contest for their Universe of Threats game; you can read more about it here and about that, and an upcoming contest, here. For this contest, they say, “This contest prompts applicants to submit an original essay describing a threat scenario related to one or more of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors (in the US). Complex threat scenarios which include threats across multiple infrastructure sectors are encouraged. Scenarios must be plausible and may explore interdependent social, economic, political, environmental or technological forces that shape the unfolding threat.” And, “We invite you to submit a one page ground truth document … which specifies the sector(s) experiencing the threat, the details and origin of the threat, and the considerations for the unfolding response which may not be explicitly stated in your essay. The cause of the threat may be from humans, nature or space. … In addition to the ground truth, submit an original essay/story which is an extension and more detailed story around the ground truth you created. Complex threat scenarios which include threats across multiple infrastructure sectors are encouraged.” You may submit as an individual or a team. Teams can include up to 6 members and must identify a team lead (see guidelines regarding teams, including the award and split). The essays can be up to 2,500 words, and ground truth, up to 1,000 words.
Value: $5,000; $2,500 (up to 2 winners); $1,000 (up to 5 winners)
Deadline: 30 September 2023
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
(They also have an upcoming contest, on natural disaster threats, see here – scroll down.)
Mallorqueta Inaugural Short Story Contest
They want a short story of up to 5,000 words. The narrative must have a connection to Mallorca, either in setting or relevance to Mallorcan culture. The winning piece will be published in the first issue of Mallorqueta magazine, scheduled for 1 March 2024, and receive a cash payment. They accept entries in all genres. The competition is open to authors of all nationalities. Submissions may be in English, Catalan or Spanish.
Value: €300
Deadline: 1 October 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Bonus: The Iowa Short Fiction Award & John Simmons Short Fiction Award
These awards offer publication for two collections of short stories. Manuscripts must be at least 150 pages. Both awards offer a standard publishing contract. The prize is manuscript publication under a standard University of Iowa Press contract. The prizes are open for all writers who have not published a volume of prose fiction.
Value: A standard contract
Deadline: 30 September 2023
Open for: Unpublished prose writers (see guidelines)
Details here and here.
(A couple of contests with later deadlines are:
— The Commonwealth Short Story Prize – a contest for writers from the Commonwealth (see the list of eligible countries here) – send a piece of short fiction, in any genre, of 2,000-5,000 words. They take entries in several languages apart from English. The top prize is £5,000, regional prizes are £2,500, and the reading period is 1 September-1 November 2023. Details here.
— Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition: This is an international contest for novel manuscripts in the malice domestic genre, for writers who have never been the author of any published mystery novel. “Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story. Whatever violence is necessarily involved should be neither excessive nor gratuitously detailed, nor is there to be explicit sex. The suspects and the victims should know each other. There are a limited number of suspects, each of whom has a credible motive and reasonable opportunity to have committed the crime. The person who solves the crime is the central character. The “detective” is an amateur, or, if a professional (private investigator, police officer) is not hardboiled and is as fully developed as the other characters. The detective may find him or herself in serious peril, but he or she does not get beaten up to any serious extent. All of the cast represent themselves as individuals, rather than large impersonal institutions like a national government, the mafia, the CIA, etc.” The work must be at least 65,000 words. The prize is $10,000 advance against royalties, and the deadline is 30 November 2023. Details here. Minotaur is an imprint of Macmillan.
Minotaur is also running a First Crime Novel Competition, which has a December deadline.)
WRITERS IN THE US / CANADA
(US-based writers should also see the Willie Morris Awards for Southern Writing in the international section above; and writers in Canada, the Commonwealth Short Story prize. Writers in the US and Canada should also keep an eye out for the Guggenheim Fellowships.)
The Debra E. Bernhardt Labor Journalism Prize
This award is given for a published article that furthers the understanding of the history of working people. Articles must be focused on historical events OR focused on current issues (work, housing, organizing, health, education) and include historical context. The article must be published in print or online between August 31, 2022 and August 30, 2023. The prize is given to insightful work that contributes to the understanding of labor history; shows creativity; demonstrates excellence in writing; and adheres to the highest journalistic standards of accuracy. Publications and subject matter should target the United States and Canada.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 5 September 2023
Open for: Unspecified; but publications and subject matter should target the US and Canada
Details here.
Fulbright Scholarships
This is a program for US citizens. Their website says, “The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers over 400 awards in more than 135 countries for U.S. citizens to teach, conduct research and carry out professional projects around the world.” There are opportunities for higher education faculty and administrators, professionals, artists, journalists, scientists, and independent scholars outside of the academy. Applicants can opt for teaching, research, teaching/research, and professional projects, in various countries. The opportunities range from a few months to a year. The awards for the 2024-25 cycle can be found here.
Value: Various
Deadline: 15 September 2023
Open for: US Citizens
Details 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.
Value: Unspecified
Deadline: 1 October 2023
Open for: US writers
Details here.
WRITERS IN THE UK/IRELAND
(Also see the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, above.)
The Michael Marks Environmental Poet of the Year prize
This is an opportunity for UK-based poets. They want a poetry portfolio of 150-200 lines of poetry on the environment, and the place of the human within it. This may include the climate crisis directly or indirectly. They have extensive guidelines on the theme. The winning poet will be invited to participate in events (see guidelines).
Value: £1,000
Deadline: 1 September 2023
Open for: UK-based poets
Details here.
New Writing North: Northern Writers’ Awards — NorthBound Book Award
This is for writers living in the north of England. The NorthBound Book Award, supported by the University of York and in partnership with Saraband, is open to writers of fiction or narrative non-fiction who have completed a full manuscript. New, emerging or established writers may apply for this award.
Value: £5,000 advance against royalties
Deadline: 12 September 2023
Open for: Writers in the north of England
Details here, here, and here.
(They also have various other awards.)
Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter Literary Festival Poetry Contest: Against the Odds
This is for writers living in Ireland. They want poetry, of up to 30 lines, on the theme, Against the Odds.
Value: €150, €100
Deadline: 15 September 2023
Open for: Poets in Ireland
Details here.
The Michael Marks Poetry Award
This is for a poetry pamphlet published or soon to be published in the UK (between September 24th 2022 and September 22nd 2023). The judges will take into account the quality of the pamphlet as an object as well as the poetry, but the latter will be of most importance. The winning poet will receive a cash award, and a winner’s residential trip to Greece in association with the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies.
Value: £5,000
Deadline: 22 September 2023
Open for: Poetry pamphlets published/soon to be published in the UK
Details here.
(Also see their prizes for pamphlet illustration and pamphlet publishers, on the guidelines page of Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets 2023.)
Writers & Artists: Working-Class Writers Prize
This prize is for writers with a working class background, in the UK and Ireland. Submission requirements include the beginning of a work-in-progress in any genre of prose, of up to 2,000 words. They have other prizes also apart from the cash prize, including mentorship, and a year’s free subscription to The Society of Authors.
Value: £200, mentorship, other prizes
Deadline: 2 October 2023
Open for: UK writers
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
