These are contests and grants for writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, and journalism. The prizes are up to approximately $79,000. They are, very roughly, divided geographically. – S. Kalekar
INTERNATIONAL CONTESTS
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize
This a contest for writers from the Commonwealth of Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, Caribbean, and Pacific (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. Translated stories are also eligible.
Value: £5,000; regional prizes of £2,500 each
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Open for: Writers in Commonwealth countries
Details here.
Quarterly West Poetry and Prose Contests
Submissions for this poetry and prose (all prose: fiction, non-fiction, hybrid work, and texts that defy categorization) contest are charged; they have a fee-free submission option for writers of color. Length guidelines are, up to 6,000 words for prose, and up to 3 poems. They will accept prose submissions until 1st November, or until their submission cap is reached. There is a first and a second prize for both poetry and prose categories.
Value: $500 and $200 each, for poetry and prose
Deadline: 1 November, or until filled, for prose; 1 November 2023 for poetry (see guidelines)
Open for: Fee-free submissions open for writers of color
Details here and here.
(Quarterly West Magazine is also open to submissions of new media, translations, and book reviews year round – there is no cash payment for these.)
Bennington College Young Writers Award
This is an international contest for young writers, and the categories are poetry (a group of three poems), fiction – a short story (1,500 words or fewer) or one-act play (run no more than 30 minutes of playing time), and nonfiction – a personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer). There are first, second, and third prizes in each of the three categories. Young Writers Award finalists and winners are also eligible for undergraduate scholarships at Bennington, ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 each year (see guidelines).
Value: $1,000, $500, $250 each in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry categories, and scholarships
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Open for: Students in 9th to 12th grades or secondary school (for international students)
Details here and here.
(And The Kenyon Review will open for the Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers from 1st to 30th November 2023; it is for poets who are sophomores and juniors in high school. The poems by the winner and runners-up will be published in The Kenyon Review, and the winner receives a full scholarship to the Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop. Details here.)
PEN/Robert J Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers
This is an award for 12 emerging fiction writers for their debut short story published during a given calendar year in a literary magazine or cultural website.
Value: $2,000 each
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Open for: Debut published short stories
Details here and here.
Black Mountain Institute: Shearing Fellowship
This is a residential fellowship for emerging and distinguished writers who have published at least one book with a trade or literary press. Apart from the cash stipend, this fellowship includes: a semester-long letter of appointment; eligibility for health coverage; office space in the BMI offices on the campus of UNLV; free housing (fellows cover some utilities) in a unique and vibrant arts complex in the bustling district of downtown Las Vegas. While there are no formal teaching requirements, this is a “working fellowship” (see guidelines).
(The page also has details of City of Asylum fellowships, now closed, which provides safe haven for writers whose voices are muffled by censorship, or who are living with the threat of imprisonment or assassination; these are associated with the International Cities of Refuge network, which serves as an umbrella organization and information clearinghouse for local asylum programs worldwide – also see their Residencies, Scholarships, and Grants list; the information is dated, but it is a great resource for artists at risk.)
Value: $40,000 over 9 months, residency
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
The African Poetry Book Fund: Two Awards
The African Poetry Book Fund(APBF) runs poetry awards, two of which are open for submissions now; the deadline for one is early November and for the other, early December.
— Evaristo Prize for African Poetry: The Evaristo Prize for African Poetry was formerly called the Brunel International African Poetry Prize. It is for poets born in Africa, or who are nationals of an African country, or whose parents are African, and who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published (self-published poetry books, chapbooks, and pamphlets are exempt). These poems, though, may have already been published. Writers need to submit 10 poems exactly, of up to 40 lines each. Only poems written in English can be considered, but they accept poems in translation too. In the case that the winning work is translated, a percentage of the prize money would be awarded to the translator. The submission category for this contest will open on Submittable during the submission period.
Value: £1,500
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Open for: African poets
Details here (guidelines) and here (Submittable).
— Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry: It is for poets born in Africa, or who are nationals of an African country, or whose parents are African, and who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published (this includes self-published books if they were sold online, in stores, or at readings. Writers who have edited and published an anthology or a similar collection of other writers’ work remain eligible). Manuscripts have to be at least 50 pages long. Only poems written in English can be considered, but they accept poems in translation too. In the case that the winning work is translated, a percentage of the prize money would be awarded to the translator. Apart from a cash prize, the winner also gets publication from the University of Nebraska Press.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 1 December 2023
Open for:
Details here (guidelines) and here (Submittable).
(See all the African Poetry Book Fund contests here.)
True Story Award
This is a new global journalism award, for previously published work. “The True Story Award will be conferred by an independent foundation and honours reporters writing in 10 languages, who have distinguished themselves by the depth of their research, the quality of their journalism and its social relevance. … The winner will receive 25 000 Swiss francs in prize money, while all the 36 nominees (one per text) will be invited to the True Story Festival in Bern, Switzerland. The True Story Award is open to all journalists anywhere in the world who produce written reportage.” Works can be submitted in the following 10 languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Works written in other languages can be submitted in 3 categories: Europe, World I, and World II (World II also in Hindi). Submissions in the original language must include a summary in English of at least 400 words. The award will be given to the kind of reportage that demonstrates the following qualities: a narrative account of real events, in-depth research on location, rigorously researched facts and linguistic richness. The texts’ length should be between 3 000 and 17 000 words. Texts published in print or online between 1st September. 2022 and 30th September 2023 are eligible. They may have been published in daily or weekly newspapers, magazines or on websites. Re-published texts, books and manuscripts are ineligible. Texts must be submitted by their authors.
Value: CHF25,000, CHF15,000, CHF10,000
Deadline: 5 November 2023
Open for: Journalists worldwide
Details here.
Thin Air Magazine: The Bird in Your Hands Prize
This is a literary contest that only wants submissions from new, upcoming, and established BIPOC voices; send fiction, poetry, or non-fiction of up to 500 words. “The winner of the contest will be awarded $500, published in Issue 30 of Thin Air Magazine, and interviewed for Thin Air Online. The winner and runners-up will also be invited to read their work at the Northern Arizona Book Festival held in April 2024. First and second runners-up will be awarded an honorarium.”
Value: $500
Deadline: 5 November 2023
Open for: BIPOC writers
Details here and here.
Cave Canem: Derricotte/Eady Prize
Their website says, “Since 2015, Cave Canem has collaborated with O, Miami to spotlight exceptional chapbook-length manuscripts by Black poets. The winner of the prize receives a $1000 award, publication of their manuscript by O, Miami Books, 10 copies of the chapbook, a residency in The Writer’s Room at The Betsy Hotel in Miami, and a featured reading at the O, Miami Poetry Festival in April.”
Deadline: 5 November 2023
Pay: $1,000, residency
Open for: Black poets
Details here and here.
(They are also open for the Cave Canem Fellowship for Black poets, deadline 10th November 2023 – see the Submittable page for details. They have a Cave Canem Fellows and Faculty Fund for their Fellows and faculty, as well – see this page for details.)
Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest
This is an annual contest, they want flash fiction or narrative poetry about weird Christmas. There are three prompts the writers can choose to write on: stocking stuffer (any weird Christmas story), weird Christmas specials (take a well known Christmas show … and mess it up), and weird cards (use a weird Christmas card the editor has posted, as a prompt) – see guidelines for details. Writers can send multiple entries. Stories have to be up to 350 words.
Value: $75 first prize for the best overall story, $50 prize for a winner in each prompt, and $5 for every honorable mention (10-12)
Deadline: 6 November 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Patrick Henry Fellowship
This fellowship is from the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College in Chestertown, Md. It is for those working on American history and/or legacy. The residential fellowship supports work on the subject by both scholars and non-academics in many genres. Applicants should have a significant project currently in progress — a book, film, oral history archive, podcast series, museum exhibition, or similar work. The project should address the history and/or legacy – broadly defined – of the U.S. founding era and/or the nation’s founding ideas.
Value: $45,000, health benefits, book allowance, faculty privileges, residency
Deadline: 15 November 2023
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival: Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize
This prize will be awarded to a Brooklyn- focused non-fiction essay which is set in Brooklyn and is about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters. “We are seeking compelling Brooklyn stories from writers with a broad range of backgrounds and ages (minimum age 18 years old) who can render Brooklyn’s rich soul and intangible qualities through the writer’s actual experiences in Brooklyn.” Essays have to be 4-10 pages (up to 2,500 words). Value: $500
Deadline: 15 November 2023
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize
This poetry prize recognizes outstanding work by student writers in the 11th grade in the US or abroad. Contest judges are poets on the Princeton University Creative Writing faculty. They will open for submissions end-October.
Value: $500, $250, $100
Submission period: 30 October to 26 November 2023
Open for: Student writers in the 11th grade
Details here.
The One Teen Short Story Contest
This contest is open for short fiction by writers around the world ages 13-19. There are three categories, ages 14-15, 16-17, and 18-19. About the kind of stories they want, they say, “We are interested in great short stories of any genre about the teen experience—literary, fantasy, sci-fi, love stories, horror, etc. What’s in a great short story? Interesting teen characters, strong writing, and a beginning, middle, and end.” Also, they want “Some examples of stories we look out for are ones that deal with issues of identity, friendship, family, and coming-of-age. Gratuitous profanity, sex, and drug use are best avoided. We’re open to all genres of well-written young adult fiction between 2,000 and 4,500 words. Because of our format, we can only accept stories that are strong enough to stand alone (as opposed to excerpts from novels-in-progress).” They also accept translations (see guidelines). A parent or legal guardian must sign a consent form for writers under 18. Apart from cash prizes, winners get 25 copies of the magazine featuring their work. The contest winners will also have the opportunity to work with a One Teen Story editor prior to publication.
Value: $500
Deadline: 27 November 2022
Open for: All teen writers
Details here and here.
Speculative Literature Foundation’s Gulliver Travel Grant
This grant is to help writers of speculative literature (in fiction, poetry, drama, or creative non-fiction) in their non-academic research. It is to be used to cover airfare, lodging, and/or other travel expenses. Writing samples (speculative literature) are part of the application requirement (see guidelines). This grant is awarded on the basis of interest and merit. Applicants need not have prior publishing credits to apply. The application portal for this grant will open during the submission period. They also have other grant submission periods coming up.
Value: $1,000
Submission period: 1-30 November 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here (Gulliver Travel Grant) and here (schedule for all grants).
Dappled Things: The J. F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction
Dappled Things is a space for emerging writers to engage the literary world from a Catholic perspective. For this contest, they want stories of up to 8,000 words “with vivid characters who encounter grace in everyday settings—we want to see who, in the age we live in, might have one foot in this world and one in the next.”
Value: $500, $250
Deadline: 30 November 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here.
The Society of Authors: The Betty Trask Prize
This is for UK, Ireland, or Commonwealth based writers under 35, for a debut novel. Writers can enter a published or self-published book or an unpublished manuscript which must be in a traditional or romantic, and not experimental, style.
Value: £10,000 for the winner, and a fund of £16,200 will be divided equally between shortlisted authorsDeadline: 30 November 2023
Open for: UK, North Ireland, Commonwealth writers (see guidelines)
Details here.
ServiceScape Short Story Award
For this award, any genre or theme of short story is accepted. All applicants should submit a work of short fiction or non-fiction, 5,000 words or fewer. Read the guidelines carefully – they reserve the right to modify or terminate the contest at any time without prior notice.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 30 November 2023
Open for: All writers
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. Minotaur is an imprint of Macmillan.
Value: $10,000 advance against royalties
Deadline: 30 November 2023
Open for: All writers (see guidelines)
Details here.
(Minotaur is also running a First Crime Novel Competition, which has a mid-December deadline.)
The London Society: Love Letters to London
This is an international, themed contest, about London. “Tell us why you love this city. Write a Love Letter to London of up to 500 words. Entries are to be around the theme of “Love Letters to London of the Future” and can be about any aspect of London’s past, present or future. It can be reportage, an historical essay, a ‘think piece’, a spot of futurology, a work of fiction, a poem.” There are 4 categories: Aged 11 and under; 12-18 year olds; Open – all other entrants; and Poetry. Entries can have been published elsewhere but must fit the brief and have been written in 2023.
Value: £500, £250, and £100 each for Open and Poetry categories; £500, and 4 runners up prizes of £150 each for 11 and under, and 12-18 categories
Deadline: 1 December 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Ohio University: E.W. Scripps School of Journalism – 2024 Kiplinger Fellowship
This is an international journalism fellowship, and will open in October for applications. “The Kiplinger Fellowship will be held April 14-20 at Ohio University and the Scripps School of Journalism. This upcoming fellowship will focus on the critical reporting topic of Immigration and Migration. If you are a working journalist with at least five years of experience covering this issue, please consider applying. The fellowship is made up of a combination of international and U.S. journalists. Kiplinger will pay all of your lodging and training for the week. We will cover most of your meals and a large percentage of your travel.”
Value: Unspecified; covers training, lodging, meals and some social events + travel stipend
Open for: Journalists in all media
Deadline: 2 December 2023
Details here.
(And early-career science writers with less than three years of professional science writing experience – see guidelines and exceptions – should see The Open Notebook/Burroughs Wellcome Fund Early Career Fellowship Program; there is a stipend of $6,000, and mentorship; international applications are welcome; the deadline is 31 October 2023; details here.)
(A couple of contests with later deadlines are:
— Defenestration.net Lengthy Poem Contest: They are reading entries for a lengthy poem, of at least 120 lines and up to chapbook-length (see guidelines). It is best to divide it into parts or sections, though this is not a strict requirement. Poem cycles will be considered. Please note, the shortlisted poems will be posted on the website, which will be followed by fan voting. The prize is $300, and the deadline is 1 January 2024. Details here.
— San José State University: Center for Steinbeck Studies – The Steinbeck Fellows Program: This awards writers of any age and background a $15,000 fellowship to finish a significant writing project. Fellowships are currently offered in Creative Writing (excluding poetry) and Steinbeck Studies; Fellows may be appointed in many fields, including fiction, drama, creative non-fiction, and biography. The creative writing fellowship does not require that there be any direct connection between your work and Steinbeck’s. The emphasis of the program is on helping writers who have had some success but have not published extensively, and whose promising work would be aided by the financial support and sponsorship of the Center and the University’s creative writing program. There are up to 6 fellowships of $15,000 each, and the deadline is 5 January 2024. Details here and here.)
FOR US AND CANADA
(Canadian writers may also be interested in the Commonwealth Prize and Betty Trask Prize; and US-based writers, in the Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize, Patrick Henry Fellowship, and Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize, in the international section.)
Changes Book Prize
The Changes Book Prize gives a cash award and publication for a poet’s first or second poetry manuscript of 48-80 pages – it is open to US residents who have not published (or committed to publishing) more than one book-length collection of poetry with a registered ISBN.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Open for: US residents, for a first or second poetry book
Details here and here.
Academy of American Poets: Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize
This prize is given to honor exceptional poems that help make real for readers the gravity of the vulnerable state of our environment at present; poets may submit one poem. It is for US writers (see guidelines). In addition to the prize money, all three poems will be published in the popular Poem-a-day series.
Value: $1,000, $750, $500
Deadline: 15 November 2023
Open for: US poets (see guidelines)
Details here and here (Submittable)
(The Academy of American Poets also has other prizes, including the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award, a $1,000 award recognizing a poetry collection translated from any language into English and published in the previous calendar year, deadline 15 February 2024, details here; and the Ambroggio Prize, a $1,000 publication prize given for a book-length poetry manuscript originally written in Spanish and with an English translation, deadline 15 February 2024, details here; see all the Academy of American Poets’ prizes here.)
Polar Expressions: Student Contests for Short Story and Poetry
Polar Expressions runs annual short story and poetry contests for Canadian students, from kindergarten to grade 12. Poems should be up to 32 lines and stories up to 450 words, on any topic.
Value: First prizes of $60-100 (Canadian) for students of various grades, as well as second and third prizes; additional cash prizes for schools
Deadlines: 24 November 2023 for short stories, 30 November 2023 for poetry
Open for: Canadian students
Details here.
Grist Fellowships
These are opportunities for US-based journalists with a demonstrated interest in environmental issues – the mission of the Grist fellowship program is to help underrepresented, early-career climate journalists gain a stronger foothold in our industry. They have openings for 4 Fellows, in Environment Justice, Indigenous Affairs, Climate News, and Climate Solutions – click on each fellowship link on the main guidelines page to get details. It is a paid writing opportunity for 12 months. There are writing samples and other submission requirements for each fellowship. Applicants should have a four-year degree, or equivalent professional experience, and strong understanding of Grist’s brand. Writers can work remotely from anywhere in the US; they must have a US address, and be eligible to work in the US (see guidelines). They will soon open for applications; see their FAQ here.
Value: $55,000 annual base pay, other benefits, and mentorship
Application period: 26 October to 26 November 2023
Open for: Those eligible to work in the US
Details here.
U.S. Naval Institute – Information Warfare Essay Contest
This prize is for an essay of up to 2,500 words. “The Nation’s adversaries and competitors are proving to be formidable in the digital battlespace—using online platforms, social media, malicious code, disinformation, and cyberattacks to undermine elections, steal intellectual property, spy on governments, sow discord, and weaken alliances. Essayists can choose to answer any of the following questions (see guidelines) or write on another information warfare topic that interests them.” See guidelines for the theme details/topics. The contest is open to “all contributors – active-duty military, reservists, veterans, and civilians”.
Value: $5,000, $2,500, $1,500
Deadline: 30 November 2023
Open for: “All contributors – active-duty military, reservists, veterans, and civilians”
Details here.
(See all the US Naval Institute’s contests here, including the Leadership essay contest with a November deadline; only Junior officers from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard can participate.)
The New York Times Newsroom Fellowship Program
Their website says, “It is a yearlong program for up-and-coming journalists that replaced our newsroom’s summer internships in 2019. We believe the fellowship provides superior training, offers greater benefits for participants and our newsroom, and establishes relationships that will pay off for years to come. … The program is designed for journalists with some experience who are early in their careers, including recent college graduates.” Applicants must be eligible to work in the US. The position will be at their New York office, unless otherwise stated (see guidelines). Apart from a reporting fellowship, they have others, including photo editor, visual investigations, and more; see here.
Value: Approximately $79,000 (see here)
Deadline: 1 December 2023
Open for: Early-career journalists eligible to work in the US
Details here.
Pulitzer Center: Connected Coastlines Grants
This is an opportunity for US-based journalists. The Pulitzer Center is seeking applications from journalists who want to report stories as part of Connected Coastlines, a nationwide climate reporting initiative in U.S. coastal states. This initiative is building a consortium of newsrooms and independent journalists across the U.S. to report on the local effects of erratic weather patterns on coastal populations using the latest climate science. Their guidelines say, “We are eager to receive proposals from staff journalists and freelancers who wish to report on coastal stories, underpinned by recent climate science, data, or research, for publication or broadcast by small and regional news outlets in U.S. coastal states.” They prioritize proposals that can be completed, including publication, in 1-4 months. The ideal range for most awards will be $2,000 to $8,000. Grants are open now and approved on a rolling basis.
Value: $2,000-8,000
Deadline: Open now, approved on a first come, rolling basis
Open for: US-based journalists
Details here.
FOR UK & IRELAND
(Also see the Commonwealth Prize and Betty Trask Award, in the international section.)
Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize
This prize is for young UK-based writers. They want fiction or non-fiction of 1,000-1,500 words on the relevance of Benjamin Franklin’s relevance in our time. The quote for this year’s competition is “Government must depend for its Efficiency either on Force or Opinion.” From ‘The Colonist’s advocate’, VII. (Feb 1, 1770). Writers are asked to interpret this quote for its significance today.
Value: £750, £500
Deadline: 30 November 2023
Open for: UK writers aged 18-35
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
