non fiction essay contests

Non-Fiction Writing Competitions

Non-fiction writing competitions & essay contests intro.

This page contains regularly updated lists of essay contests, non-fiction writing competitions, prizes and awards from all over the world.

Last updated 23rd November 2024

Below are tables listing various essay contests and other non-fiction writing competitions, prizes and awards. Some are academic, some offer scholarships and others are just for fun.

Please read and make sure you fully understand the rules and the terms & conditions of each competition listed before entering.

If you run an essay contest or non-fiction writing competitions and would like me to add it to the lists below, please contact me  providing the following information in the body of an email:

• How often you will be running the contest (eg, annually, quarterly, one-off)
• The name of your competition
• A link to your website
• The country you run the competition from
• Closing date
• The date you announce winners
• Maximum word count for essays
• Any other details, including how winning writers' essays might be published and any guidelines on theme / style of essays you accept

I do my best to keep this page up-to-date, but if you spot any errors, incorrect information or links that no longer work, please get in touch  and let me know. I try and fix any problems quickly 🙂

Featured Essay / Non-Fiction Writing Competitions

Do you run essay contests or non-fiction writing competitions? Do you want them featured at the top of this page, exposing you to more writers? If so, get in touch .

Featured Competition:  FanStory

You'll Enjoy

• Contests.  Enter all contests with cash prizes for free with upgraded membership. That includes many non-fiction contests. New contests with cash prizes are announced weekly.  Click here  to view the listing.
• Feedback.  Get detailed feedback for everything you write. All skill levels welcomed.
• Community.  Share your writing and grow your fan base.  Click here  for info.

Non-Fiction Contest Highlights

• A First Book Chapter : Share the first chapter of your novel. Non-fiction writing is welcomed. Enter for your chance at the  cash prize . Deadline Jan 13th.
• True Story Contest : We all have stories to tell. True stories, small or large, that have impacted our life. Share your true story to enter this writing contest with a  cash prize . Deadline Mar 9th.
• Non-Fiction Writing Contest : Share a nonfiction story to enter this writing contest. Share a memory, a difficult time or whatever you feel from the story of your life.  Cash prize  to the winner. Deadline May 8th.
• True Story Flash : Here is a challenge. Share a true story. But there is a catch - you only get 100 words. Have fun with this writing challenge. The winner takes away a  cash prize . Deadline May 27th.

Regular Non-Fiction Writing Competitions

This table lists non-fiction writing competitions and essay contests that are run regularly: weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, bi-annually etc.

Prestigious / Large Prize Essay & Non-Fiction Writing Competitions

This table contains details of renowned non-fiction writing competitions, often offering large amounts of prize money. Any prize awarded in excess of £1,000 ($, € or other currency) is listed here.

Annual Essay / Non-Fiction Writing Competitions

This table lists non-fiction writing competitions and essay awards that are run on a yearly basis.

Memoir Competitions

This non-fiction writing competitions table lists memoir contests. There are very few current memoir competitions. If you know of any that are not listed here, please let me know .

One-Off Essay & Non-Fiction Writing Competitions

This table lists details of one-off essay and non-fiction writing competitions.

Other Non-Fiction Writing Competitions Lists

Here you will find details of other online resources that provide lists of non-fiction writing competitions and essay contests.

• TCK Publishing

A History of Closed Non-Ficition Writing Competitions

For reference, here is a record of non-fiction writing competitions that have closed.

More Writing Advice

I hope you found this "Non-Fiction Writing Competitions" page helpful. You can find lots of other publication opportunities and writing tips in the Advice section  of this website.

Note On Essay Writing Service Providers Offering Scholarships

Some of the contests and scholarships that used to be featured on my non-fiction writing competitions page were run by essay writing service providers. The more I found out about these types of business, the more I felt that they're not ethical.

Essentially, they allow students to cheat, by paying someone else to write their essay/thesis for them. While some of them do offer large cash prizes, so can be of benefit to writers, I wasn't comforable promoting these brands or being associated with them.

Due to my reservations about this business niche, essay writing service providers that run non-fiction writing competitions were removed from the lists in 2019. You will find them in the history section of the page, with a note that says, ' Essay writing service provider – unethical, so removed from lists '.

Note On Affiliate Websites Offering Scholarships

In 2017 I started to receive a lot of requests for non-fiction writing competitions listings by affiliate websites that have little or nothing to do with writing. They often offer scholarships with decent cash prizes, but were run by websites that promoted vacuum cleaners, or baby products etc. My audience are writers, so I want to keep this page on topic and relevant to them.

Therefore I am no longer accepting non-fiction writing competitions listing requests from websites that are not about writing. I've also moved any listings I did have for off-topic websites into the History of Closed Contests list, with a note saying, ' REMOVED because website has nothing to do with writing '.

This website was established in 2011. In 2024, it was redesigned. Between 2011 and 2024, thousands of people commented on the site. I’d like to thank every person for their engagement – it’s greatly appreciated.

When the site was rebuilt, transferring comments comprising hundreds of thousands of words was not feasible on most pages. The Non-Fiction Writing Competitions page comments are an exception and they appear below. New comments are welcome. Please feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions.

Cathy M I am semi retired and thinking about taking up writing. I am in the process of putting together my biographical memoirs about a woman growing up during the 20th century in America. I have had a fairly interesting life being born in Southern California just after World War II and wondered if you could direct me to whomever might be interested in reviewing it.

Chris Fielden Cathy, you could try some memoir writing competitions. I know Fish Publishing and Writers Digest accept memoir entries and are well renowned. You could also try the Creative Nonfiction website as they accept all sorts of nonfiction submissions.

If you want to do some research, the Writers' & Artists' yearbook is a good place to start. It's UK based, but contains all sorts of details about different publishers that might be appropriate for you.

I hope that's helpful and wish you the best of luck with publishing your work 🙂

Justin S Hi Christopher, this question is purely out of curiosity and not at all an attempt at criticism, but when you post potential writing competitions on your website, have any of them turned out to be fraudulent? I've heard people running into problems with the Essays Capital essay competition and was wondering if you had any more information on the legitimacy of the company and the contest.

Chris Fielden Hi Justin. No, I haven't heard of any problems regarding the Essays Capital competition.

The only website I've ever encountered that kind of problem with was called Chapter One Promotions. A couple of my users highlighted issues and with a bit of research (and personal experience, unfortunately - I had a short story due to be published by them at the time; needless to say, it never happened) I found that there were lots of complaints about the contest and made that clear on my site, linking to other resources that highlighted the problems.

So, if you have any information on issues with this particular competition, please let me know so I can research it. And if there are any relevant links you can send, that would be much appreciated.

Justin S Hello Chris. Well it's mostly from what I've seen from their facebook page. They announced a very truncated time - roughly 6 days - until winners would be notified of their status, however, there hasn't even been any emails of declination. My nephew who entered the competition told me there were no confirmation emails; no social media status updates and basically no aid from their 24/7 help desk. Looking at your description of their competition, it seems like they've done this more than once (since you wrote they hold it biannually in their description).

I'd love to know more about it if you find more information about their legitimacy.

Chris Fielden Hi Justin. Great stuff, thanks for letting me know.

I’ve had a search about and can’t find any other feedback about them, but their Twitter hasn’t been updated for months either.

It looks like there might be issue, so I’ll change the listing on my site to reflect this and link to their Facebook profile as an example. That might spur them to get in touch.

I’ll let you know if I hear from them.

Madeeha K Hi Christopher. Thanks for the links which provide us with information regarding Essay writing contests. Back in August I participated in the EssayPro writing contest. Later they extended the date for the submissions to their essay writing contest. It's now December 2016.

I've also participated in EssayHelp's writing contest which happens to also be a project linked with EssayPro writing services. Now it's been a month, I'd like to know about some Twitter handle for EssayPro so that I can know about the results of the contest, but I'm not able to get in touch with any of customer service representatives there.

It's making me a bit confused and I would very much appreciate it if you could help me in solving this matter. If the chat option is available on their site, why don't they respond to my queries?

Chris Fielden Sorry to hear about your experiences with EssayPro. And thank you for letting me know about it.

I recently liaised with Kurtis (in November), who runs it. So I assume the contest is still active.

I’ve emailed him for you and asked him what is going on.

I’ll let you know if I hear back from him.

In the meantime, this is their Twitter profile: @EssayPro_

Madeeha K Many thanks for your response. I'll be glad if you'll let me know when you hear back.

Chris Fielden Hi Madeeha

I’ve heard back from Kurtis. Please see his message below.

He said you can feel free to contact him.

I hope that’s helpful. Please let me know if you need any more help.

Hi Christopher,

The contest is actually extended, that's absolutely right. We are going to announce names of the winners after the contest is over.

We decided simply to update the page with the contest details rather than get in touch with the participants because there were not many.

EssayHelp is another organization and I can't help with that.

But I will be happy to help this person with the EssayPro contest and to answer all the questions she/he has.

Thank you for this letter.

Let me know if there is anything else you'd like to clarify.

Regards, Kurtis

Madeeha K Thanks Christopher, I've just heard from Kurtis and have found answers to most of my queries.

Chris Fielden Hi Madeeha. OK, great – thanks for letting me know 🙂

John S Hi - was looking through your list of essay prizes, and didn't see one on there which you might want to add: The Bodley Head/Financial Times Essay Prize.

Chris Fielden Thanks for this, John – much appreciated. I’ve added the competition to the listings.

Madeeha K Hi Chris. Thanks for your effort in compiling this page of essay writing competitions. Last year, I was declared winner in the edubirdie writing competition listed on your page. I also received an appreciation certificate from lifesaver essay contest, but still have some doubts about writing essays for these essay service providers.

You have mentioned that some of the contests on the page are run by essay service providers, but don't you think that most of them are run by theses types of services? I'm confused, if I write for some contests run by these services, what are they going to do with my essay later on? This is putting me off participating in these types of competition.

I haven't found any other site with this much information and love to write essays, but the thing which is confusing me is the fact that writing competitions listed on your site under the heading of regular and prestigious competitions are all run by essay service providers. Is it fine to write for them?

Chris Fielden Hi Madeeha. No problem. And congratulations on winning the edubirdie competition – that’s great news.

A lot of the contests I list are run by essay writing services. I guess it makes sense for them to run these types of competitions as they are relevant to their websites and help with marketing their brands.

Most of the competitions listed publish winning essays on their websites. That’s good for a writer’s portfolio. And cash prizes are always beneficial 🙂 Beyond that, I haven’t seen any other statements about what the competition administrators might do with an essay you submit. As you own the copyright, they couldn’t do anything without your permission anyway.

I don’t think there is any harm in submitting to these competitions. I just question the ethics of an industry that offers a service that writes essays for students – to me, it seems like offering a way of cheating. Still, the contests are separate from that and can help a writer develop and add credits to their CV. I guess it’s your call, but personally I don’t see a problem with submitting to contests run by these businesses.

If you’re worried about it, I’d simply submit to contests that are not run by these types of business. There are other sites outside of the essay writing service industry listed on my site. Maybe try some of those?

I hope that answers your question, but please let me know if you require any further information.

Padma P Hi Christopher. I want to write a novel about a girl's life - inspirational, loving, entertaining  mood swings, family, schooling and her entire life in different  situations. I want to publish it but I don't know whom to trust my novel story with.

Chris Fielden You could try Inkitt. They offer a trustworthy platform. It's free to use. I deal with them regularly and they seem like good people.

I hope that helps - good luck with your book 🙂

Sandeep N Hi Chris, you are doing great service through this site. Thank you!

I have written a book on raising human consciousness, titled RENEWAL, which I have been advised to enter into competitions. That search is what got me to your site.

Would you have any suggestions for me? Would you like to read a copy?

Chris Fielden Hi Sandeep, thank you for your message. And congratulations on publishing your book.

There are lots of competitions for books, but you'd have to look through all the rules / terms and conditions and see which ones might be suitable for your style of writing. I have a book and novel contest list on my site. You can  see that here .

I receive lots of requests to read books and can't accommodate them all, I'm afraid. But thank you for the offer.

I wish you all the best with submitting your book to competitions.

Sandeep N YOU ARE TOTALLY AWESOME CHRISTOPHER! Thanks, Sandeep.

Chris Fielden Thank you Sandeep 🙂

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Jump to navigation Skip to content

Search form

• P&W on Facebook
• P&W on Twitter
• P&W on Instagram

Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.

Find a home for your poems, stories, essays, and reviews by researching the publications vetted by our editorial staff. In the Literary Magazines database you’ll find editorial policies, submission guidelines, contact information—everything you need to know before submitting your work to the publications that share your vision for your work.

Whether you’re pursuing the publication of your first book or your fifth, use the Small Presses database to research potential publishers, including submission guidelines, tips from the editors, contact information, and more.

Research more than one hundred agents who represent poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, plus details about the kinds of books they’re interested in representing, their clients, and the best way to contact them.

Every week a new publishing professional shares advice, anecdotes, insights, and new ways of thinking about writing and the business of books.

Find publishers ready to read your work now with our Open Reading Periods page, a continually updated resource listing all the literary magazines and small presses currently open for submissions.

Since our founding in 1970, Poets & Writers has served as an information clearinghouse of all matters related to writing. While the range of inquiries has been broad, common themes have emerged over time. Our Top Topics for Writers addresses the most popular and pressing issues, including literary agents, copyright, MFA programs, and self-publishing.

Our series of subject-based handbooks (PDF format; $4.99 each) provide information and advice from authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers. Now available: The Poets & Writers Guide to Publicity and Promotion, The Poets & Writers Guide to the Book Deal, The Poets & Writers Guide to Literary Agents, The Poets & Writers Guide to MFA Programs, and The Poets & Writers Guide to Writing Contests.

Find a home for your work by consulting our searchable databases of writing contests, literary magazines, small presses, literary agents, and more.

Poets & Writers lists readings, workshops, and other literary events held in cities across the country. Whether you are an author on book tour or the curator of a reading series, the Literary Events Calendar can help you find your audience.

Get the Word Out is a new publicity incubator for debut fiction writers and poets.

Research newspapers, magazines, websites, and other publications that consistently publish book reviews using the Review Outlets database, which includes information about publishing schedules, submission guidelines, fees, and more.

Well over ten thousand poets and writers maintain listings in this essential resource for writers interested in connecting with their peers, as well as editors, agents, and reading series coordinators looking for authors. Apply today to join the growing community of writers who stay in touch and informed using the Poets & Writers Directory.

Let the world know about your work by posting your events on our literary events calendar, apply to be included in our directory of writers, and more.

Find a writers group to join or create your own with Poets & Writers Groups. Everything you need to connect, communicate, and collaborate with other poets and writers—all in one place.

Find information about more than two hundred full- and low-residency programs in creative writing in our MFA Programs database, which includes details about deadlines, funding, class size, core faculty, and more. Also included is information about more than fifty MA and PhD programs.

Whether you are looking to meet up with fellow writers, agents, and editors, or trying to find the perfect environment to fuel your writing practice, the Conferences & Residencies is the essential resource for information about well over three hundred writing conferences, writers residencies, and literary festivals around the world.

Discover historical sites, independent bookstores, literary archives, writing centers, and writers spaces in cities across the country using the Literary Places database—the best starting point for any literary journey, whether it’s for research or inspiration.

Search for jobs in education, publishing, the arts, and more within our free, frequently updated job listings for writers and poets.

Establish new connections and enjoy the company of your peers using our searchable databases of MFA programs and writers retreats, apply to be included in our directory of writers, and more.

• Register for Classes

Each year the Readings & Workshops program provides support to hundreds of writers participating in literary readings and conducting writing workshops. Learn more about this program, our special events, projects, and supporters, and how to contact us.

The Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award introduces emerging writers to the New York City literary community, providing them with a network for professional advancement.

Find information about how Poets & Writers provides support to hundreds of writers participating in literary readings and conducting writing workshops.

Bring the literary world to your door—at half the newsstand price. Available in print and digital editions, Poets & Writers Magazine is a must-have for writers who are serious about their craft.

View the contents and read select essays, articles, interviews, and profiles from the current issue of the award-winning Poets & Writers Magazine .

Read essays, articles, interviews, profiles, and other select content from Poets & Writers Magazine as well as Online Exclusives.

View the covers and contents of every issue of Poets & Writers Magazine , from the current edition all the way back to the first black-and-white issue in 1987.

Every day the editors of Poets & Writers Magazine scan the headlines—publishing reports, literary dispatches, academic announcements, and more—for all the news that creative writers need to know.

In our weekly series of craft essays, some of the best and brightest minds in contemporary literature explore their craft in compact form, articulating their thoughts about creative obsessions and curiosities in a working notebook of lessons about the art of writing.

The Time Is Now offers weekly writing prompts in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to help you stay committed to your writing practice throughout the year. Sign up to get The Time Is Now, as well as a weekly book recommendation for guidance and inspiration, delivered to your inbox.

Every week a new author shares books, art, music, writing prompts, films—anything and everything—that has inspired and shaped the creative process.

Listen to original audio recordings of authors featured in Poets & Writers Magazine . Browse the archive of more than 400 author readings.

Ads in Poets & Writers Magazine and on pw.org are the best ways to reach a readership of serious poets and literary prose writers. Our audience trusts our editorial content and looks to it, and to relevant advertising, for information and guidance.

Start, renew, or give a subscription to Poets & Writers Magazine ; change your address; check your account; pay your bill; report a missed issue; contact us.

Peruse paid listings of writing contests, conferences, workshops, editing services, calls for submissions, and more.

Poets & Writers is pleased to provide free subscriptions to Poets & Writers Magazine to award-winning young writers and to high school creative writing teachers for use in their classrooms.

Read select articles from the award-winning magazine and consult the most comprehensive listing of literary grants and awards, deadlines, and prizewinners available in print.

• Subscribe Now

Writing Contests, Grants & Awards

• See Recent Winners
• View the Submission Calendar

The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.

Red Hen Press

Quill prose award.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a story or essay collection, a novel, a memoir, or a hybrid work of prose by a queer writer. Raymond...

Quarter After Eight

Robert j. demott short prose contest.

A prize of $1,008.15 and publication in Quarter After Eight is given annually for a prose poem, a short short story, a micro essay, or other work of short prose. Lily...

Nina Riggs Poetry Foundation

Nina riggs poetry award.

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem that examines relationships, family, or domestic life and was published in a book or magazine in the last three years....

BOA Editions

A. poulin jr. poetry prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by BOA Editions is given annually for a debut book of poetry. Maya C. Popa will judge. Submit a manuscript of 65 to 120 pages with a $30 entry...

Beloit Poetry Journal

Chad walsh chapbook series.

A prize of $2,500, publication by Beloit Poetry Journal , and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The editors will judge. Using only the online...

Munster Literature Centre

Gregory o’donoghue international poetry competition.

A prize of €2,000 (approximately $2,202) and publication in Southword is given annually for a single poem. The winner will also receive a four-night hotel stay with...

Fish Publishing

Fish short story prize.

A prize of €3,000 (approximately $3,302) and publication in the annual Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a short story. The winner will also be invited to attend...

Green Linden Press

Wishing jewel prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Green Linden Press is given annually for an innovative book of poetry “that questions the boundaries of genre, form, or mode while engaging...

White Pine Press

Poetry prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by White Pine Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 60 to 80 pages with a $20 entry fee by November 30....

Tadpole Press

100-word writing contest.

A prize of $2,000 and publication on the Tadpole Press website and in Tadpole Press Literary Magazine is given biannually for a work of flash poetry or prose. Submit a...

Anton Chekhov Award for Flash Fiction

A prize of $1,250 and publication in LitMag is given annually for a work of flash fiction. The winner will also have their work reviewed by agents Jenny Bent (Bent...

Stephen Mitchell Translation Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Green Linden Press is given annually for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction translated from any language into English....

University of Georgia Press

Georgia poetry prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Georgia Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner is also invited to read from their book at the Georgia...

University of North Texas

Rilke prize.

A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published in the current year by a midcareer poet. The winner will also give a reading and book signing at the...

African Poetry Book Fund

Sillerman first book prize for african poetry.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Nebraska Press and Amalion, an independent publishing house based in Dakar, is given annually for a debut poetry collection...

Regal House Publishing

W.s. porter prize for short story collections.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Regal House Publishing is given annually for a story collection. Heather Bell Adams will judge. Submit a manuscript of 100 to 350 pages...

Waywiser Press

Anthony hecht poetry prize.

A prize of $3,000 and publication by the Waywiser Press is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has published no more than one previous collection. The winner...

Slipstream Press

Poetry chapbook contest.

A prize of $1,000, publication by Slipstream Press, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The editors will judge. Submit a manuscript of up to 40 pages...

Meadowlark Press

Birdy poetry prize.

A prize of $1,000, publication by Meadowlark Press, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript...

Athenaeum of Philadelphia

Literary award.

Up to two prizes of $1,000 each and an invitation to give a public lecture at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia will be given annually for books of fiction and/or nonfiction...

Five Points

James dickey prize for poetry.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Five Points is given annually for a group of poems. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to...

Pushcart Press

Pushcart prizes.

Publication in The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses is awarded annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction published by literary magazines...

Poetry International

C.p. cavafy poetry prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Poetry International is given annually for a single poem. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit...

Friends of American Writers

Literature awards.

A prize of $2,500 is given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction published during the current year that is set in the Midwest or by a writer who is a resident...

Story Foundation Prize

A prize of $1,500 and publication in Story is given annually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 10,000 words with a $...

Your Ultimate Guide to Writing Contests Through 2024

Regardless where you are on your writing journey, you can benefit from entering contests.

The right contest can tell you:

• Where you stand
• How you measure up against the competition
• What you still need to learn

And you could win cash.

That’s why my team researched a wide range of high-quality contests. We’ve included free competitions and also many with modest entry fees.

• Short Story Writing Contests
• Full Manuscript Writing Contests
• Poetry Writing Contests

Great American Fiction Contest

Prize: 1st: $1,000, publication in The Saturday Evening Post

Runners-up (5): $200

Entry Fee: $10

Deadline: TBD 2024 (Annual Contest)

Sponsor: The Saturday Evening Post

From Website: “Unpublished short stories of 1,500 to 5,000 words in any genre touching on the publication’s mission, “Celebrating America—past, present, and future.” No extreme profanity or graphic sex. Work published on a personal website or blog is still eligible.”

SiWC Writing Contest

Prize: 1st: $1,000 plus publication

Honorable Mention: $150

Entry Fee: $15

Deadline: September 15, 2024

Sponsor: Surrey International Writers’ Conference

From Website: “Short stories in any genre must be 2,500-4,000 words. All submissions must contain original material and may not have been previously published, accepted for publication, or have been a winner in another contest prior to the deadline.”

WOW / Women On Writing Quarterly Flash Fiction Competition

Prize: 1st: $400, $25 Amazon gift certificate

2nd: $300, $25 Amazon gift certificate

3rd: $200, $25 Amazon gift certificate

Runners-up (7): $25 Amazon gift certificate

Honorable mentions (10): $20 Amazon gift certificate

Entry Fee: $10 (or $20 with feedback)

Deadline: Quarterly (next deadline February 2, 2024)

Sponsor: WOW / Women On Writing

From Website: “Runs four times a year and is open to all styles and genres. Closes each quarter after 300 entries have been received, or at the deadline. WOW also runs a quarterly nonfiction essay competition with cash prizes.”

Bristol Short Story Prize

Prize: 1st: £1,000 (~$1,242)

2nd: £500 (~$621)

3rd: £250 (~$310)

Shortlisted (17): £100 (~$124)

Entry Fee: £9 (~$11)

Deadline: TBD 2024

Sponsor: Bristol Short Story Prize

From Website: “Open to all published and unpublished writers 16 and up. No geographical restriction, but all entries must be in English. Maximum length 4,000 words (not including title). No minimum length. Stories can be on any subject.”

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award

Prize: £2,500 (~$3,105)

Winners also receive further non-monetary prizes including publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual.

Entry Fee: £18 (~$22) (Poetry Category entry fee is ~$15) 

Deadline: August 31, 2024

Sponsor: Aesthetica Magazine

From Website: “Fiction entries should be no more than 2,000 words. Works published or entered elsewhere are accepted. Any theme accepted. You may enter as many times as you wish, however, each work requires a separate fee and submission form.”

The Lascaux Prize

Prize: $1,000

Finalists receive $100

Deadline: June 20, 2024

Sponsor: The Lascaux Review

“Flash Fiction and Creative Nonfiction categories. 

Flash fiction entries should not exceed 1,000 words. All genres and styles welcome. 

From Website: “Creative nonfiction entry length must not exceed 10,000 words. All topics welcome but should be written in a nonacademic style. May include memoirs, chronicles, personal essays, humorous perspectives, literary journalism—anything the author has witnessed, experienced, learned, or discovered.”

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize

Prize: First place: £3,000 cash grant (~$3,726)

Second place: £1,000 travel expense (~$1,242)

Third place: £1,000 travel expense (~$1,242)

Entry Fee: Free

Deadline: March 1, 2024

Sponsor: The Alpine Fellowship

From Website: “Entries must fit the annual theme. Maximum of 2,500 words. All genres of writing are permitted, including fiction, non-fiction, and non-academic essays. Open to all nationalities but must be written in English. Stories must not have been published, self-published or accepted for publication in print or online. No entries that have won or been placed in another competition at any time.”

ServiceScape Short Story Award

Deadline: November 29, 2024

Sponsor: ServiceScape

From Website: “All entries must be original, unpublished works of short fiction or nonfiction, up to 5,000 words in length. Any genre or theme accepted.”

Bacopa Literary Review Contest

Prize: $200 Award 

$100 Honorable Mention in each of six categories

Sponsor: The Writers Alliance of Gainesville

From Website: “Awards in 6 categories (contestants may submit to only ONE category). Fiction (up to 2,500 words), Creative Nonfiction (up to 2,500 words), Humor (up to 2,000 words), Formal Poetry (1-3 poems), Free Verse Poetry (1-2 poems), Visual Poetry (1 poem).”

Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award

Prize: $.08 per word and publication

Deadline: February 1, 2024

Sponsor: National Space Society and Baen Books

From Website: “Write a short story of no more than 8,000 words, that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration. What they want to see: Moon bases, Mars colonies, orbital habitats, space elevators, asteroid mining, artificial intelligence, nano-technology, realistic spacecraft, heroics, sacrifice, and adventure.”

Parsec Short Story Contest

Prize: First place: $200 and publication in the Confluence program book. 

Second place: $100 

Third place: $50 

Best Youth Story: $50

Deadline: March 31st, 2024

Sponsor: Parsec, Inc.

From Website: “Each annual contest is based on a theme provided. This can be conveyed in the setting, plot, characters, and dialogue; the only limit is your imagination. The theme must be integral to the story in some way and not just mentioned in passing. No minimum word count, no more than 3500 words. The 2024 Contest theme is ‘AI mythology.’” 

The Raymond Carver Short Story Contest

Prize: First place: $2000 

Second place: $500 

Third place: $250 

Two Editor’s Choice: $125

Entry Fee: $18

Deadline: May 15, 2024

Sponsor: Carve Magazine

From Website: “One short story per entry. No limit to entries. Must be previously unpublished (including online) with a 10,000 maximum word count. We accept entries from anywhere in the world, but the story must be English-language. No genre fiction (romance, horror, sci-fi); literary fiction only.”

Blurred Genres Flash Contest

Prize: First Place: $750 

Second Place: $350 

Third Place: $150 

Publication of Top Five

Sponsor: Invisible City (University of San Francisco)

From Website: “Based on a theme (for example last year’s theme was “Levity”) that can be interpreted through prose, poetry, or some combination of the two. All genres and themes are welcome. Contest submissions must be 750 words or less and can be flash fiction/nonfiction, prose poetry, or some unique combination of the three. Submissions must be the original work of the submitter and unpublished (and not slated for future publication).”

Imagine 2200: Write the future

Prize: First Place: $3,000

Second Place: $2,000 

Third Place: $1,000

An additional nine finalists will each receive $300 

All winners and finalists will have their stories published in an immersive collection on Grist’s website

Sponsor: Grist

From Website: “Imagine 2200 is an invitation to writers from all over the globe to imagine a future in which solutions to the climate crisis flourish and help bring about radical improvements to our world. 3,000 to 5,000 word stories envisioning a world where we prioritize our well-being, work to mend our communities, and lead lives that celebrate our humanity.”

The Elegant Literature Award For New Writers

Prize: First place: $3,000 and 10c/word and publication. Free enrollment in the New Novelist Accelerator.

Second – Tenth: 10c/word and publication.

Eleventh – Thirty-fifth: $20 and an honorable mention in the magazine

Entry Fee: Requires Elegant+ Membership ($9.99 a month)

Deadline: Ongoing (monthly)

Sponsor: Elegant Literature Magazine

From Website: “Write a story involving annual theme. New or unpublished authors may enter. Word count is 500-2000. All genres are welcome as long as it involves the theme.”

F(r)iction Contests

Prize: $300.00 and consideration for publication in F(r)iction

Entry Fee: $10 for a single entry, $12 for three entries

Deadline: April 30, 2024

Sponsor: F(r)iction

From Website: “Competitions in several categories, short stories (1,001 – 7,500 words), flash fiction (up to 1,000 words), and Poetry (up to three pages per poem). Entries are accepted regardless of genre, style, or origin. Experimental, nontraditional, and boundary-pushing literature is strongly encouraged. Their guidelines include the phrase ‘Strange is good.’”

Manchester Fiction Prize

Prize: £10,000 (~$12,420)

Entry Fee: £18 (~$22) 

100 reduced-price (£10 or ~$13) entries are available to entrants who might not otherwise be able to take part in the competition.

Sponsor: Manchester Metropolitan University

From Website: “The Manchester Fiction Prize asks for a short story of up to 2,500 words in length. Stories submitted should be new work, not previously published elsewhere. The Prize is open internationally to those aged 16 or over.”  

Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition

Prize: Grand Prize $5000, an interview with them in Writer’s Digest (Nov/Dec 2023 issue) and on WritersDigest.com, a paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, including a special trophy presentation at the keynote, a coveted Pitch Slam slot at the Writer’s Digest Conference where the winner will receive one on one attention from editors or agents, and publication of their winning piece on WritersDigest.com

First Place: $1,000 and publication of their winning piece on WritersDigest.com

Second Place: $500 

Third Place: $250 

Fourth Place: $100 

Fifth Place: $50 

Sixth through Tenth Place: $25 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com.

Entry Fee: $20-30 (varies depending on category)

Deadline: May 6, 2024 

Sponsor: Writer’s Digest

From Website: “Only original works that have not been published (at the time of submission) in print, digital, or online publications will be considered. Self-published work in blogs, on social media, etc. will be considered. For the script category, only unproduced scripts will be considered. Entries in the Nonfiction Essay or Article category may be previously published. All entries must be in English. Memoirs/Personal Essay, Nonfiction Essay or Article, and Children’s/Young Adult Fiction: 2,000 words maximum. Mainstream/Literary Short Story, Genre Short, Story, and Humor: 4,000 words maximum. Inspirational Writing: 2,500 words maximum. Rhyming Poem and Non-rhyming Poem: 40 lines maximum.”

Emerging Writer’s Contest

Prize: Publication, $2,000, review from Aevitas Creative Management, and a 1-year subscription for one winner in each of the three genres

Entry Fee: Free for subscribers to Ploughshares, $24 for nonsubscribers

Sponsor: Ploughshares (Emerson College)

From Website: “The contest is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have yet to publish or self-publish a book. Fiction and Nonfiction: Under 6,000 words. Poetry: 3-5 pages.”

Wells Festival of Literature Short Story Competition

Prize: First Place £750 (~$932)

Second Place £300 (~$373)

Third Place: £200 (~$248)

Entry Fee: £6 (~$8)

Sponsor: Wells Festival of Literature

From Website: “Stories may be on any subject and should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words. All entries must be the exclusive and original work of the entrant. At the time of entry, the work submitted must not have been entered into any other Competition and must not have been published in any format or location.”

Anthology Short Story Competition

Prize: First Place: €1,000 (~$1098), the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology, and a one-year subscription to Anthology 

Second Place: €250 (~$275)

Third Place: €150 (~$165)

Entry Fee: Early Bird: €12 (~$13)

Standard fee: €18 (~$20)

Deadline: July 31, 2024

Sponsor: Anthology Publishing

From Website: “Established to recognize and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, the Anthology Short Story Competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. There is no restriction on theme or style. Stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words.” 

The Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize

Prize: £1,000 (~$1,246) and publication in Wasafiri’s print magazine

Entry Fee: £10 (~$12) for a single entry, £16 (~$20) for a double entry

Sponsor: Wasafiri Magazine 

From Website: “Exceptionally international in scope, the prize supports writers who have not yet published a book-length work, with no limits on age, gender, nationality, or background. No entry may exceed 3,000 words. A single poetry entry can include up to three poems, which together total no more than 3,000 words.”

2024 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

Prize: $1000 and a free 10-week course with Gotham Writers

Entry Fee: $25

Sponsor: Gotham Writers and Selected Shorts

From Website: “This long-running series at Symphony Space in New York City celebrates the art of the short story by having stars of stage and screen read aloud the works of established and emerging writers. Selected Shorts is recorded for Public Radio and heard nationally on both the radio and its weekly podcast.”

Robert and Adele Schiff Awards

Prize: $1,000 All entries will be considered for publication in The Cincinnati Review

Entry Fee: $20

Sponsor: The Cincinnati Review (University of Cincinnati)

From Website: “Writers may submit up to 8 pages of poetry, 40 pages of a single double-spaced piece of fiction, or 20 pages of a single double-spaced piece of literary nonfiction, per entry. Previously published manuscripts, including works that have appeared online (in any form), will not be considered. There are no restrictions as to form, style, or content; all entries will be considered for publication. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable under the condition that you notify us if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.” 

Salamander 2024 Fiction Prize

Prize: First Place: $1,000 and Publication

 Second Place: $500 and Publication

Deadline: TBD 2024 

Sponsor: Salamander Magazine

From Website: “All entries will be considered for publication and will be judged anonymously. Each story must not exceed 30 double-spaced pages in 12-point font. Previously published works and works accepted for publication elsewhere cannot be considered. Salamander’s definition of publishing includes electronic publication.”

BOA Short Fiction Prize

Prize: $1,000 and publication by BOA Editions, Ltd.

Deadline: May 31, 2024

Sponsor: BOA Editions, Ltd.

From Website: “Entrants must be U.S. citizens, legal residents of the U.S., or have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), or Legal Permanent Status (LPS). Entrants must be at least 18 years of age. Minimum of 90 pages; maximum of 200 pages. Manuscript text should be at least 12 pt. font, double-spaced. As with all BOA fiction titles, our prize-winning short story collections are more concerned with the artfulness of writing than the twists and turns of plot. It is our belief that short story writing is a valuable and underserved literary form that we are proud to support, nurture, and celebrate.”

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

Prize: First Place: $3,000 

Entry Fee: $22

Deadline: May 1, 2024

Sponsor: Winning Writers (Co-sponsored by Duotrope)

From Website: “For this contest, a story is any short work of fiction, and an essay is any short work of nonfiction. All themes accepted. Entries may be published or unpublished. Length limit: 6,000 words maximum. No restriction on the age of the author.”

Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction

Prize: $1,333

Deadline: November 1, 2024

Sponsor: Reed Magazine

From Website: “C reative nonfiction, such as personal essays or narratives, not scholarly papers or book reviews. All works should be stand-alone essays, not chapters of a longer work. Previously published work is not eligible. Up to 5,000 words.”

53-Word Story Contest

Prize: Publication in Prime Number Magazine and a free book from Press 53.

Deadline: Ongoing. 15th of each month

Sponsor: Prime Number Magazine

From Website: “New prompt each month. Judges are looking for stories with a surprising approach to the prompt, something unusual and creative. Stories must be 53 words—no more, no less. Stories with fewer than or more than 53 words will be disqualified. Send only stories; poetry with line breaks will not be considered.”

Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction

Prizes: Three Winners are announced who are published and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are Longlisted. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies.

Deadline: Awarded every two months

Sponsor: Letter Review

From Website: “Word Length: 0 – 5000 words. Open to anyone in the world. There are no genre or theme restrictions.”

Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction

Entry Fee: $20.

From Website: “0 – 5000 words. Open to anyone in the world. We welcome all forms of nonfiction including: Memoir, journalism, essay (including personal essay), fictocriticism, creative nonfiction, travel, nature, opinion, and many other permutations.”

University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize

Prize: $10,000 advance on royalties and a contract to publish with the University of New Orleans Press

Entry Fee: $28

Sponsor: University of New Orleans

From Website: “Entries must be unpublished novels or short story collections. The work does not have to be regionally focused. There is no word limit. There is no restriction on subjects covered. The contest is open to all authors from around the world, regardless of publishing history.  Works of fiction (novels and short story collections) only. Submissions must be your entire manuscript.”

The Bath Novel Awards 

Prize: Two £3,000 (~$3738) prizes are awarded annually for the best manuscript as judged by literary agents

All shortlistees win feedback on their full manuscript.

Entry Fee: £29 (~$36)

Deadline: May 31st 2024

Sponsor: The Bath Novel Award (co-sponsored by Cornerstones Literary Consultancy and Professional Writing Academy)

From Website: “Submit the opening 5,000 words plus one-page synopsis of novel manuscripts for adults or young adults. Completed works must be over 50,000 words. Novels can be for adult or young adult readers and any genre. Must be your original work and submitted in English. Novels can be unpublished, self-published, or independently published.”

The Times/Chicken House Competition

Prize:  First Place: worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House with a royalty advance of £10,000 (~$12,459), plus an offer of representation by this year’s agent judge, Davinia Andrew-Lynch of Curtis Brown. 

Second Place: Lime Pictures New Storyteller Award. A publishing contract with a royalty advance of £7,500 (~$9,344) plus an offer of representation by Davinia Andrew-Lynch.

Entry Fee: £20 (~$25)

Deadline: June 1, 2024

Sponsor: The Times and Chicken House 

From Website: “To enter, you must have written a completed full-length novel suitable for children/young adults aged somewhere between 7 and 18 years. A minimum of 30,000 words and a maximum of 80,000 words suggested.”

The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction

Prize: $5,000 advance and publication by Dzanc Books

Deadline: September 30, 2024

Sponsor: Dzanc Books

From Website: “The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction recognizes daring, original, and innovative novels (generally over 40,000 words, but there is no hard minimum). The contest is open to new, upcoming, and established writers alike. Agented submissions are also eligible, and we ask that you include all agency contact information with the application. All submitted works must be previously unpublished novel-length manuscripts and should include a brief synopsis, author bio, and contact information.”

Claymore Award

Prize: Discounted admission to Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference, with introductions to agents/editors (And probably publishing contract)

Entry Fee: $45 (Full critique included for $125)

Deadline: April 1, 2024

Sponsor: Killer Nashville

From Website: “The contest is limited to only the first 50 double-spaced pages of unpublished English-language manuscripts containing elements of thriller, mystery, crime, or suspense NOT currently under contract. These can include Action Adventure, Comedy, Cozy, Historical, Investigator, Juvenile/YA, Literary, Mainstream/Commercial, Mystery, Nonfiction, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Short Story Collections, Southern Gothic, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, and Western manuscripts, and any of their derivatives. (Self-published manuscripts are considered already published and are not eligible.)”

St. Martin’s Minotaur / Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition

Prize: Publication and a $10,000 advance

Sponsor: Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America

From Website: “Open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any published novel and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. All Manuscripts submitted must be original works of book length (no less than 220 typewritten pages or approximately 60,000 words), written in the English language, written solely by the entrant, and must not violate any right of any third party or be libelous. Murder or another serious crime is at the heart of the story.”

The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing

Prize: $10,000 advance and publication

Sponsor: Restless Books

From Website: “Created in 2015 to honor outstanding debut literary works by first-generation immigrants, awarded for fiction and nonfiction in alternating years. Fiction manuscripts must be complete. Nonfiction submissions must consist of either a complete manuscript or a sample of at least 25,000 words and a detailed proposal that includes a synopsis and an annotated table of contents. All submissions must be in English (translations welcome). Fiction candidates must not have previously published a book of fiction in English. Nonfiction candidates must not have previously published a book of nonfiction in English.”

New American Fiction Prize

Prize: $1,500 and a book contract, as well as 25 author’s copies and promotional support

Deadline: January 15, 2024

Sponsor: New American Press

From Website: “Manuscripts should be at least 100 pages, but there is no maximum length. All forms and styles of full-length fiction manuscripts are welcome, including story collections, novels, novellas, collections of novellas, flash fiction collections, novels in verse, and other hybrid forms.”

Your Next Best Read

Prize: First Place (Fiction & Nonfiction): $100 Cash Price, 6-month Advertising Package, Press Release, Editorial Review, Newsletter Announcement, Promotional Creatives

Second Place Awards (Fiction & Nonfiction): 6-month Advertising Package, Editorial Review, Newsletter Announcement

Third Place (Fiction & Nonfiction): 3-month Advertising Package, Editorial Review, Newsletter Announcement

Deadline: May 5, 2024

Sponsor: Excalibre Publishing

From Website: “ The contest is open to writers of all backgrounds, ages, and nationalities. Both published and unpublished works are welcome. We encourage submissions in various/ALL genres –  fiction, non-fiction, poetry (submit in nonfiction), and short stories. No specific wordcount requiered. Submissions must be in English.”

Letter Review Prize for Manuscripts

Prizes: Three Winners are announced who have a brief extract published, receive a letter of recommendation from our Judges for publishers, and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are Longlisted.

Entry Fee: $25.

Deadline: Awarded Every two months

From Website: “Please submit the first 5000 words of your manuscript, whether it be prose or poetry. Open to anyone in the world. The entry must not have been traditionally published. We are seeking all varieties of novels, short story collections, nonfiction, and poetry collections. We will accept manuscripts which are unpublished, self published, and some which are indie published. Review full entry guidelines for further details.”

2nd place in fiction & non-fiction $750 cash prize and trophy

3rd place in fiction & non-fiction $500 cash prize and trophy

Winner of each of the 80+ categories $100 cash prize and gold medal

Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize

Prize: $2,500 plus publication

Entry Fee: $30

Sponsor: Kent State University Press

From Website: “Offered annually to a poet who has not previously published a full-length collection of poems. The winner and the competition’s judge will give a reading together on the Kent State campus. The competition is open to poets writing in English who have not yet published a full-length collection of poems (a volume of 50 or more pages published in an edition of 500 or more copies).”

Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry

Prize: $2,000 plus publication

Sponsor: Lynx House Press

From Website: “Awarded for an unpublished, full-length volume of poems by a U.S. author, which includes foreign nationals living and writing in the U.S. and U.S. citizens living abroad. Manuscripts may include poems that have appeared in journals, magazines, or chapbooks. Poems that have previously appeared in full-length, single-author collections, are not eligible.”

Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition

Prize: First Place: €750 ($890) 

Second Place: €500 ($590) 

Third Place: €250 ($295)

Entry Fee: €5 ($6)

Deadline: Every Tuesday at 12pm (Irish time) from April 11, 2023 – January 30, 2024

Sponsor: Ó Bhéal

From Website: “Five words will be posted on this competition page. Entrants will have one week to compose and submit one or more poems which include all five words given for that week. Entry is open to all countries. Poems cannot exceed 50 lines in length (including line breaks), and must include all five words listed for the week.”

Letter Review Prize for Poetry

Prizes: Three Winners are announced who are published and share in the $800 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are Longlisted. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies.

Entry Fee: $15.

From Website: “70 lines max per poem Open to anyone in the world. There are no style or subject restrictions.”

• Advice for Researching Writing Competitions

This list includes only a few of the many writing contests you can find online.

Here are some tips for looking into options on your own:

1. Narrow your search with details that are relevant to you, for example, “writing contests in Texas,” “writing contests for women authors,” or “writing contests for veterans.” 

2. Be genre-specific.

3. Include the year in your search to ensure the most up-to-date results. 

4. Carefully read the guidelines and eligibility requirements. 

5. Pay attention to the contest sponsor. Only submit to reputable hosts.  

Worried your writing isn’t quite ready to compete? Take my free writing assessment and see personalized guidance on how to improve your skills. https://jerryjenkins.com/quiz/

Faith-Based Words and Phrases

What You and I Can Learn From Patricia Raybon

A Guest Blog from Stephen King—Yes, that Stephen King

Enter your email to instantly access my ultimate 12-step guide to writing a novel.

Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Best Essay Writing Contests in 2024

Showing 54 contests that match your search.

Military Anthology: Partnerships, the Untold Story

Armed Services Arts Partnership

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

Partners are an integral aspect of military life, at home and afar, during deployment and after homecoming. Partnerships drive military action and extend beyond being a battle buddy, wingman, or crew member. Some are planned while others arise entirely unexpectedly. Spouses, family, old or new friends, community, faith leaders, and medical specialists all support the military community. Despite their importance, the stories of these partnerships often go untold. This anthology aims to correct that: We will highlight the nuances, surprises, joy, sorrow, heroism, tears, healing power, and ache of partnerships. We invite you to submit the story about partnerships from your journey, so we can help tell it.

$500 Editors' Choice award

Additional prizes:

$250 for each genre category (prose, poetry, visual art)

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)

Great American Think-Off

New York Mills Regional Cultural Center

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

The Great American Think-Off is an annual philosophical essay contest that invites participants to submit essays on significant questions of life. The contest culminates in a live debate where finalists present their arguments, and the audience votes on the best perspective.

Four cash prizes of $500 each for finalists.

📅 Deadline: April 01, 2024 (Expired)

Personal Essay Competition 2024

Write the World

Genres: Essay, Memoir, and Non-fiction

The Personal Essay Competition invites young writers aged 13-19 to submit personal essays. Participants can showcase their writing skills while receiving feedback from peers and experts.

Best entry: $100

Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50 Winners receive cash prizes and a feature on Write the World's blog and social media.

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024

Craft your masterpiece in Reedsy Studio

Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Learn more about Reedsy Studio .

Brink Literary Journal Award for Hybrid Writing

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Science Writing, and Short Story

The Brink Literary Journal Award for Hybrid Writing will be administered to the winner of a literary contest designed to champion innovative hybrid and cross-genre work.

Publication

💰 Entry fee: $22

📅 Deadline: February 16, 2024 (Expired)

swamp pink Prizes

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

From January 1st to January 31st, submit short stories and essays of up to 25 pages or a set of 1-3 poems. Winners in each genre will receive $2,000 and publication.

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)

Goldilocks Zone

Sunspot Literary Journal

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

The contest invites short stories, novel excerpts, graphic novels, and poems that showcase excellence in craft with reader appeal. It accepts literary or genre works without restrictions on theme.

Publication for the winner; publication offered to runners-up and finalists.

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)

Artificial Intelligence Competition

New Beginnings

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Short Story

There is no topic relating to technology that brings more discussion than artificial intelligence. Some people think it does wonders. Others see it as trouble. Let us know your opinion about AI in this competition. Include experiences you have had with AI. 300-word limit. Winners will be selected January 1, 2024. Open to anyone, anywhere.

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2023 (Expired)

Annual Contest Submissions

So To Speak

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, LGBTQ, Non-fiction, and Poetry

So to Speak is a feminist literary journal seeking diverse voices, focusing on intersectional feminism. They publish twice a year, accepting submissions of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art, with a particular emphasis on marginalized perspectives.

All accepted contributions will receive a $100 prize.

💰 Entry fee: $4

📅 Deadline: November 15, 2024 (Expired)

100 Word Writing Contest

Tadpole Press

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's, Poetry, Romance, Short Story, Suspense, and Travel

Can you write a story using 100 words or less? Pieces will be judged on creativity, uniqueness, and how the story captures a new angle, breaks through stereotypes, and expands our beliefs about what's possible or unexpectedly delights us. In addition, we are looking for writing that is clever or unique, inspires us, and crafts a compelling and complete story. The first-place prize has doubled to $2,000 USD.

Publishing and marketing package

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2024

Climate Change Writing Competition

This month, dear writers, ahead of COP27, help us raise the voices of young people in this urgent fight. In a piece of personal narrative, tell the world’s leaders gathering in how climate change impacts you. How has this crisis changed your environment, your community, your sense of the future? Storytelling, after all, plays a critical role in helping us grasp the emergency through which we are all living, igniting empathy in readers and listeners—itself a precursor to action.

Runner-up: $50

📅 Deadline: October 18, 2022 (Expired)

World Historian Student Essay Competition

World History Association

Genres: Children's and Essay

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international competition open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs. Membership in the World History Association is not a requirement for submission. Past winners may not compete in the same category again.

📅 Deadline: May 01, 2024 (Expired)

Berggruen Prize Essay Competition

Berggruen Institute

Genres: Essay

The Berggruen Prize Essay Competition aims to foster innovative ideas across cultures by posing significant philosophical questions relevant to contemporary life. It seeks submissions in English and Chinese that reflect novel thinking and compelling arguments.

Publication in Noema Magazine. Each language category will have a prize.

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024 (Expired)

The Letter Review Prize for Unpublished Books

The Letter Review

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The contest is aimed at unpublished works including novels, novellas, poetry collections, and nonfiction books. It is judged blind and winners can choose to publish an extract. The prize is awarded every three months with a total prize pool of $4,000 USD.

Optional publication of excerpt + letter of recommendation

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024 (Expired)

Environmental Writing Competition

Write the World in partnership with Patagonia

This contest invites teenagers to express their thoughts on the climate crisis and how collective action can address environmental challenges. The competition emphasizes the importance of youth voices in the fight against climate change.

Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50 Publication of winning pieces on Patagonia's platforms. Opportunities for mentorship and publication for runners-up.

📅 Deadline: April 22, 2024 (Expired)

Bacopa Literary Review Annual Writing Contest

Writers Alliance of Gainesville

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

The Bacopa Literary Review is an annual international print journal seeking engaging and original submissions across multiple genres. The contest includes various categories with specific guidelines to encourage diverse forms of writing.

$100 Honorable Mention in each of six categories

📅 Deadline: May 02, 2024 (Expired)

African Diaspora Awards 2024

Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc

The African Diaspora Awards invite submissions of original, unpublished works in various genres. Winners will receive cash prizes and publication opportunities. The contest emphasizes themes related to African cultures.

2nd place: $300 3rd place: $200 4th place: $50 Top 6 Finalists: $25 Amazon gift card. Winner also receives publication in the 2025 anthology, 'Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora', and Kinsman Quarterly's digital magazine.

💰 Entry fee: $25

Journalism Competition 2024

The Journalism Competition 2024 invites teenagers aged 13-19 to showcase their writing skills. Participants can explore various topics and submit their entries for a chance to win cash prizes and recognition from esteemed judges.

Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50 Recognition from notable judges and publication opportunities.

Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction

Reed Magazine

The contest recognizes outstanding works of nonfiction, awarding $1,333 for creative nonfiction entries, such as personal essays. Submissions must be stand-alone essays, not previously published, and limited to 5,000 words.

All contest entrants receive a free copy of the latest edition of Reed Magazine.

📅 Deadline: November 01, 2024 (Expired)

International Essay Competition 2023/24

Avernus Education

The International Essay Competition gathered over 1000 entries from 50 countries. Participants engaged with a range of challenging questions, fostering academic passion beyond the classroom.

100% Scholarship Award to our Oxford University Summer Programme (worth £5995). Honorary Scholarship to attend Oxford University Summer Programme. Partial scholarships and credits for exclusive online courses for shortlisted entries.

📅 Deadline: February 19, 2024 (Expired)

Lazuli Literary Group Writing Contest

Lazuli Literary Group

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Novella, and Script Writing

We are not concerned with genre distinctions. Send us the best you have; we want only for it to be thoughtful, intelligent, and beautiful. We want art that grows in complexity upon each visitation; we enjoy ornate, cerebral, and voluptuous phrases executed with thematic intent.

Publication in "AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought"

📅 Deadline: September 24, 2024 (Expired)

Short Story Award for New Writers

Masters Review

Genres: Essay, Fiction, and Non-fiction

This bi-annual contest recognizes emerging writers with submissions of previously unpublished fiction or nonfiction up to 6,000 words. Judged by Colin Barrett, it awards $3,000 for first place, $300 for second, and $200 for third, along with agency reviews for finalists.

Second place: $300 Third place: $200 Agency review for all finalists

📅 Deadline: August 25, 2024 (Expired)

Askew's Word on the Lake Writing Contest

Shuswap Association of Writers

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Essay, Memoir, and Short Story

Whether you’re an established or emerging writer, the Askew’s Word on the Lake Writing Contest has a place for you. Part of the Word on the Lake Writers’ Festival in Salmon Arm, BC, the contest is open to submissions in short fiction (up to 2,000 words), nonfiction (up to 2,000 words), and poetry (up to three one-page poems).

💰 Entry fee: $11

Indignor Play House Annual Short Story Competition

Indignor House Publishing

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

Indignor House Publishing is proud to announce that our annual writing competition (INDIGNOR PLAYHOUSE Short Story Annual Competition) is officially open with expected publication in the fall of 2024. Up to 25 submissions will be accepted for inclusion in the annual anthology.

2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150

Young Sports Journalist 2024

The competition seeks articles from aspiring journalists aged 14-21. Winning entries will be published in Pitch Magazine and critiqued by a panel of judges. Winners receive a £50 cash prize and work experience.

Publication in magazine and online, work experience at Pitch Magazine.

📅 Deadline: April 12, 2024 (Expired)

Red Hen Press Women's Prose Prize

Red Hen Press

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story, Essay, Memoir, and Novel

Established in 2018, the Women’s Prose Prize is for previously unpublished, original work of prose. Novels, short story collections, memoirs, essay collections, and all other forms of prose writing are eligible for consideration. The awarded manuscript is selected through a biennial competition, held in even-numbered years, that is open to all writers who identify as women.

Publication by Red Hen Press

📅 Deadline: February 28, 2024 (Expired)

Jane Austen Society of North America Essay Contest

Jane Austen Society of North America

JASNA conducts an annual student Essay Contest to foster the study and appreciation of Jane Austen's works in new generations of readers. Students world-wide are invited to compete for scholarship awards in three divisions: high school, college, and graduate school.

$1,000 scholarship

Two nights’ lodging for JASNA’s Annual General Meeting

📅 Deadline: June 02, 2022 (Expired)

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

Gotham Writers Workshop

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is a writing competition sponsored by the Selected Shorts series at Symphony Space, NYC. It celebrates short stories by having them read aloud by actors. The contest is judged by Carmen Maria Machado, and the winner's work will be performed live and published on Electric Literature.

$1000 + free 10 week course with Gotham Writers

International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition

Vine Leaves Press

Genres: Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Novel

The competition is designed to give marginalized voices the opportunity to establish literary legacies. The next competition opens in February 2025.

Publication of the winning manuscript in 2026. Runners up will also be considered for publication.

📅 Deadline: July 01, 2024 (Expired)

High School Academic Research Competition

Crimson Consulting Limited

The High School Academic Research Competition (SARC) is an online contest for high school students aged 13-18 to conduct research on any topic. Participants develop their research proposals and skills through exclusive bootcamps and compete by submitting proposals and video pitches.

1st place: $1000 and free Indigo Research Intensive Program 2nd place: $750 and 50% discount on the program 3rd place: $500 and 25% discount on the program Winners can earn university credits and have their research published.

Aurora Polaris Creative Nonfiction Award

Trio House Press

We seek un-agented full-length creative nonfiction manuscripts including memoir, essay collections, etc. 50,000 - 80,000 words.

📅 Deadline: May 15, 2024 (Expired)

The Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction

Genres: Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, Crime, Humor, and Science Writing

The Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction is an award for nonfiction submissions up to 5000 words. It seeks to recognize and publish quality writing and offers a total prize pool of $1000 USD.

2-4 winners are announced who share in the prize money. Publication by The Letter Review

Solas Awards

Travelers' Tales, a division of Solas House, Inc.

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, and Travel

The Solas Awards honor excellence in travel writing, with cash prizes and publication opportunities. Entries must be original, true stories with specific word count guidelines. The contest runs annually, with winners announced on March 1 each year.

Silver: $750 Bronze: $500 Certificates of merit for Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners in other categories; $100 honorarium for publication in books.

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: September 21, 2024 (Expired)

Tusculum Review Nonfiction Chapbook Prize

The Tusculum Review

The Tusculum Review Nonfiction Chapbook Prize is an annual contest that highlights nonfiction essays. In 2024, the prize was awarded to Mirela Musić for her essay 'The Nature of Alaska: An Introduction to Familiar Plants, Animals & Outstanding Natural Attractions.' The winning work will be published in the 20th Anniversary Issue of _The Tusculum Review_ in November 2024.

Publication of the winning essay and a limited edition chapbook with original art. Honorable mentions may also be recognized.

📅 Deadline: June 01, 2025

Stories of Inspiration

The Stories of Inspiration contest invites nonfiction essays (500-1200 words) that highlight resilience in marginalized communities. Selected entries will be published quarterly in Kinsman Quarterly's magazine, with winners receiving a cash prize and publication.

Publication in Kinsman Quarterly's online magazine

Human Rights Essay Contest for High School Students

Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation

The contest invites high school students to respond to a prompt regarding human rights. Prizes include $3000 for 1st place, $1500 for 2nd, and $750 for 3rd. Essays should not exceed 2500 words and must include a cover page with specific details.

📅 Deadline: December 10, 2024

Discover the finest writing contests of 2024 for fiction and non-fiction authors — including short story competitions, essay writing competitions, poetry contests, and many more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. If you’re looking to stick to free writing contests, simply use our filters as you browse.

Why you should submit to writing contests

Submitting to poetry competitions and free writing contests in 2024 is absolutely worth your while as an aspiring author: just as your qualifications matter when you apply for a new job, a writing portfolio that boasts published works and award-winning pieces is a great way to give your writing career a boost. And not to mention the bonus of cash prizes!

That being said, we understand that taking part in writing contests can be tough for emerging writers. First, there’s the same affliction all writers face: lack of time or inspiration. Entering writing contests is a time commitment, and many people decide to forego this endeavor in order to work on their larger projects instead — like a full-length book. Second, for many writers, the chance of rejection is enough to steer them clear of writing contests. 

But we’re here to tell you that two of the great benefits of entering writing contests happen to be the same as those two reasons to avoid them.

When it comes to the time commitment: yes, you will need to expend time and effort in order to submit a quality piece of writing to competitions. That being said, having a hard deadline to meet is a great motivator for developing a solid writing routine.

Think of entering contests as a training session to become a writer who will need to meet deadlines in order to have a successful career. If there’s a contest you have your eye on, and the deadline is in one month, sit down and realistically plan how many words you’ll need to write per day in order to meet that due date — and don’t forget to also factor in the time you’ll need to edit your story!

For tips on setting up a realistic writing plan, check out this free, ten-day course : How to Build a Rock-Solid Writing Routine.

In regards to the fear of rejection, the truth is that any writer aspiring to become a published author needs to develop relatively thick skin. If one of your goals is to have a book traditionally published, you will absolutely need to learn how to deal with rejection, as traditional book deals are notoriously hard to score. If you’re an indie author, you will need to adopt the hardy determination required to slowly build up a readership.

The good news is that there’s a fairly simple trick for learning to deal with rejection: use it as a chance to explore how you might be able to improve your writing.

In an ideal world, each rejection from a publisher or contest would come with a detailed letter, offering construction feedback and pointing out specific tips for improvement. And while this is sometimes the case, it’s the exception and not the rule.

Still, you can use the writing contests you don’t win as a chance to provide yourself with this feedback. Take a look at the winning and shortlisted stories and highlight their strong suits: do they have fully realized characters, a knack for showing instead of telling, a well-developed but subtly conveyed theme, a particularly satisfying denouement?

The idea isn’t to replicate what makes those stories tick in your own writing. But most examples of excellent writing share a number of basic craft principles. Try and see if there are ways for you to translate those stories’ strong points into your own unique writing.

Finally, there are the more obvious benefits of entering writing contests: prize and publication. Not to mention the potential to build up your readership, connect with editors, and gain exposure.

Resources to help you win writing competitions in 2024

Every writing contest has its own set of submission rules. Whether those rules are dense or sparing, ensure that you follow them to a T. Disregarding the guidelines will not sway the judges’ opinion in your favor — and might disqualify you from the contest altogether. 

Aside from ensuring you follow the rules, here are a few resources that will help you perfect your submissions.

Free online courses

On Writing:

• "How to Craft a Killer Short Story" ( Click here )
• "The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Novel" ( Click here )
• "Understanding Point of View" ( Click here )
• "Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love" ( Click here )
• "Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character" ( Click here )
• "Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine" ( Click here )

On Editing:

• "Story Editing for Authors" ( Click here )
• "How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript Like a Pro" ( Click here )
• "Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Novel: Steps From a Bestselling Writer" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Short Story in 9 Simple Steps" ( Click here )
• "100 Literary Devices With Examples: The Ultimate List" ( Click here )
• "20 Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft" ( Click here )
• "How to Write Fabulous Dialogue [9 Tips + Examples]" ( Click here )
• "8 Character Development Exercises to Write 3D Characters" ( Click here )

Bonus resources

• 200+ Short Story Ideas ( Click here )
• 600+ Writing Prompts to Inspire You ( Click here )
• 100+ Creative Writing Exercises for Fiction Authors ( Click here )
• Story Title Generator ( Click here )
• Pen Name Generator ( Click here )
• Character Name Generator ( Click here )

After you submit to a writing competition in 2024

It’s exciting to send a piece of writing off to a contest. However, once the initial excitement wears off, you may be left waiting for a while. Some writing contests will contact all entrants after the judging period — whether or not they’ve won. Other writing competitions will only contact the winners. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind after you submit:

Many writing competitions don’t have time to respond to each entrant with feedback on their story. However, it never hurts to ask! Feel free to politely reach out requesting feedback — but wait until after the selection period is over.

If you’ve submitted the same work to more than one writing competition or literary magazine, remember to withdraw your submission if it ends up winning elsewhere.

After you send a submission, don’t follow it up with a rewritten or revised version. Instead, ensure that your first version is thoroughly proofread and edited. If not, wait until the next edition of the contest or submit the revised version to other writing contests.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

Save your shortlist

Enter your email address to save your shortlist so that you don't lose it!

By continuing, you will also receive Reedsy's weekly publishing tips and access to our free webinars.

We sent over your shortlist. Thank you for using Reedsy's Writing Contest Directory, happy publishing! 🙌

Bring your publishing dreams to life

The world's best editors, designers, and marketers are on Reedsy. Come meet them.

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

The Kenyon Review

• Short Nonfiction Contest
• Submissions
• Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers
• Poetry Contest
• Short Fiction Contest

About the Short Nonfiction Contest

Submissions for the Kenyon Review Short Nonfiction Contest are accepted electronically every year from November 15 through December 31, 2024.

The Kenyon Review publishes the winning essay in print (with corresponding contributor payment), and the author is awarded a full scholarship to attend the Kenyon Review Writers Workshops .

• Submit via our Submittable portal , starting November 15. We cannot accept paper submissions. 
• Writers must not have published a book of creative nonfiction at the time of submission. (We define a “published book of creative nonfiction” as a memoir, book of essays, or other creative nonfiction collection written by you and published by someone other than you in print, on the web, or in ebook format.)
• Submissions must be no more than 3,000 words in length.
• Please submit no more than once per year. 
• Please do not simultaneously submit your contest entry to another magazine or contest. 
• Please do not submit work that has been previously published.
• Before you submit, please remove your name and any other identifying information from your manuscript.
• The Submittable portal will remain active between November 15 and December 31, 2024. 
• The entry fee for the Short Nonfiction Contest is just $24, collected at the time of submission. All entrants are invited to claim a complimentary half-year Print plus Digital subscription to The Kenyon Review (for domestic addresses) or a half-year Digital-only subscription (for international addresses) through January 15, 2025. Your new half-year subscription to The Kenyon Review will include the Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 issues. Current subscribers will receive a two-issue extension on their current subscription. As always, we will open in the fall for regular submissions, which we read at no cost to writers.

The final judge of this year’s contest is Lucy Ives . Lucy Ives is the author of three novels: Impossible Views of the World , published by Penguin Press and selected as a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice; Loudermilk: Or, The Real Poet; Or, The Origin of the World , published by Soft Skull Press and also a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice; and Life Is Everywhere , published by Graywolf Press and a best book of 2022 with The New Yorker and the Seattle Times .

Her short fiction is collected in the recent Cosmogony (Soft Skull Press, 2021). In spring 2020, Siglio Press published The Saddest Thing Is That I Have Had to Use Words: A Madeline Gins Reader , the first definitive anthology of poet-architect Gins’s poetry and prose, edited and with an introduction by Ives. Ives’s writing has appeared in Art in America, Artforum, The Baffler, The Believer, The Chronicle of Higher Education, frieze, Granta, Harper’s, Lapham’s Quarterly,  n+1 , and Vogue , among other publications. For five years she was an editor with the online magazine Triple Canopy .

A graduate of Harvard and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from New York University. She is currently Bonderman Assistant Professor of the Practice in Literary Arts at Brown University and was a recipient of a 2018 Creative Capital | Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant.

Her most recent book of essays, An Image of My Name Enters America , was published by Graywolf Press.

Photo Courtesy of Will Matsuda

Winners will be announced in the late spring. You will receive an email notifying you of any decisions regarding your work.

Thanks for your interest in The Kenyon Review !

Announcing the 2024 Results

The Kenyon Review Short Nonfiction Contest received almost five hundred submissions this year, and it thrills us to share the results. The winner is Jessica Petrow-Cohen . Her essay “On Molting” will appear in an upcoming print issue of The Kenyon Review , and she has received a full scholarship to the Kenyon Review Summer Residential Writing Workshops. Judge Melissa Febos writes, “At once taut and discursive, ‘On Molting’ draws an outline of grief by sketching the contours of a life unmoored by loss, but kept aloft by humor and the pleasures of memory and the mundane.”

Febos also selected two runners-up: Cynthia Nwakudu and Laura Kraftowitz . She calls Nwakudu’s “In Remoriam” “a subtle, uneasy story of family disruption and the staggering weight of one child’s invisible burden.” She commends Kraftowitz’s “Abu Jameel’s House: Portraits of Gaza” for its “Elegant and wrenching snapshots of a community under siege captured by a sympathetic outsider’s eye.” Febos also selected one honorable mention: Judith Stiles , for “One More Handful of Ashes.”

Past Winners

2024 winners.

First Prize: Jessica Petrow-Cohen , “On Molting”

Runner-up: Cynthia Nwakudu , “In Memoriam”

Runner-up: Laura Kraftowitz, “Abu Jameel’s House: Portraits of Gaza”

Honorable Mention: Jessica Stiles, “One More Handful of Ashes”

2023 Winners

First Prize:  Carrie Cogan ,   “Highest of the High on a Low Red Hill”

Runner-up:  Mikaela Dunitz , “The Men”

Runner-up:  Katie Winkelstein-Duveneck , “Poor Historian”

2022 Winners

Winner:  Karen Kao , “ Fish Tales ”

Honorable Mention:  Leah Alter , “Roses”

Honorable Mention:  Sam Berman , “When You Jump Off The Brooklyn Bridge”

2021 Winners

First Prize:  Brigitte Leschhorn Arrocha ,  “And We Inherit Everything”

Runner-up:  Christian Butterfield ,  “Blue Whale Challenge”

Runner-up:  dm armstrong ,  “Translating”

Honorable Mention:  Sandrine Tunezerwe , “Ndagukunda” and  Madeline Horan , “The Quiet Limit of the World”

2020 Winners

First Prize:  Miriam Grossman ,  “2004”

Runner-up:  Mary O. Parker ,  “Currents and Eddies”

Runner-up:  Stella Li ,  “Mouthwater”

2019 Winners

First Prize:  Anna Hartford ,  “Hello Fridge”

Runner-up:  KT Sparks ,  “Saving Luna”

Runner-up:  Benjamin Garcia ,  “The Great Glass Closet”

Honorable Mention:  My Tran , “The Black Cake”; and  Dasom Yang , “Memory Collage 1”

Exploring the art of prose

CRAFT Memoir Excerpt & Essay Contest 2024

  craft 2024 memoir excerpt & essay contest, november 13, 2024 – january 15, 2025, $3,400 awarded, guest judge: donald quist, add to calendar.

As we move from autumn into winter, we might find ourselves slowing down and becoming more contemplative. These cooler months are the perfect time to reflect more, and to write more. For the CRAFT 2024 Memoir Excerpt & Essay Contest, open until early next year, we’re eager to read your best longform creative nonfiction, from 1,001 to 6,000 words total. Both excerpts from book-length projects and stand-alone essays will be considered, and here’s what our guest judge, Donald Quist, would like to see:

I’m drawn to narratives with reasons for being, writing that examines larger exigencies through a personal lens. My favorite work has a clear aboutness: storytelling that responds to absences in the archive, that highlights overlooked disparities, that teaches me something and encourages me to do/be better. I have an aversion to didacticism though. Don’t sacrifice metaphor and the poetic image. The strongest pieces recognize that the personal is political and grounds the narrative in vulnerability, intimacy. I want a chance to get to know the author, their joys and obsessions, to tour their world for a little while. Take my hand, guide me through spaces that occupy your heart and mind, stopping from time to time to point to details you find worth noting.

Please carefully review the guidelines below, then send us your most polished work. Three winners will receive $1,000 each and publication. Our team will also select two “editors’ choices” to publish alongside the three grand-prize winners. All fifteen shortlisted creative nonfiction writers will receive a $1,000 scholarship to PocketMFA. Send us your best work!

GUIDELINES:

• The contest is open November 13, 2024, to January 15, 2025.
• CRAFT submissions are open to all writers, emerging and experienced.
• Submit creative nonfiction ONLY! (Please, no academic work, flash prose, short fiction, or poetry.)
• International submissions are allowed.
• Please submit work primarily written in English, but some code-switching/meshing is warmly welcomed.
• This contest is for creative nonfiction excerpts and essays between 1,001 and 6,000 words. Please do not submit flash prose.
• We review literary creative nonfiction, but are open to a variety of genres and styles including memoir excerpts, lyric essays, personal essays, narrative nonfiction, speculative nonfiction, and experimental prose—our only requirement is that you show excellence in your craft.
• For this contest, we will consider previously unpublished work only—we will not review reprints or partial reprints, including self-published work (even if only on social media). Reprints will be automatically disqualified.
• We allow simultaneous submissions—writers, please notify us and withdraw your entry if your work is accepted elsewhere.
• The $20 reading fee per entry allows one longform creative nonfiction piece (either memoir excerpt or essay) from 1,001 to 6,000 words. We will not read flash nonfiction prose for this contest. Please do not submit flash prose.
• We allow multiple submissions—each entry should be accompanied by a separate reading fee.
• All entries will also be considered for publication in CRAFT .
• Please double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12.
• Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable).
• Please include appropriate content warnings (if applicable), for the sake of our dedicated, diligent staff.
• We do not require anonymous submissions, but the guest judge will review the shortlist anonymously.
• Creative nonfiction writers from historically marginalized groups are invited to submit for free until we reach the fifty free submissions allotted for this contest. No additional fee waivers will be granted. Email us with relevant inquiries.
• We do not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, disability, family status, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation, or for any other reason.
• Additionally, we do not tolerate discrimination in the writing we consider for publication: work we find discriminatory on any of the bases stated here will be declined/disqualified without complete review.
• AI-generated submissions will be automatically disqualified.
• Unless you’ve already secured the necessary permissions, please do not include quoted song lyrics in your submitted work. Paraphrased lyrics are allowed, however, as are older lyrics that have already passed into the public domain. References to song titles are fine.
• Any work that does not adhere to these guidelines will be automatically disqualified.
• We are always happy to help if you have questions. Email us: [email protected].

The writers of the three winning pieces will receive:

• $1,000 each;
• publication in CRAFT , each with an introduction by the guest judge;
• publication of an author’s note (craft essay) to accompany the piece;
• and a set of six titles of Graywolf’s The Art Of series .

The two writers chosen in the editors’ choice round will receive:

• publication in CRAFT , each with an introduction by the editorial team;
• and publication of an author’s note (craft essay) to accompany the piece.

All fifteen shortlisted writers will also receive a $1,000 scholarship to PocketMFA .

OUR GUEST JUDGE:

FINE PRINT:

• Friends, family, and associates of the guest judge are not eligible for consideration for the award.
• Our collaboration with editorial professionals in the judging of our contests and the awarding of our prizes does not imply an endorsement or recognition from their agencies, houses, presses, universities, etc.
• Read (and enjoy!) our 2023 contest winners for examples of work we’ve chosen to publish in the past.
• As we only consider unpublished writing, and will publish the winning pieces in June 2025, any work under contract to publish prior to September 2025 should not be entered in this contest.

OUR CONTEST PARTNERS:

Their Mission:

Graywolf Press publishes risk-taking, visionary writers who transform culture through literature. When writers are free to do their most ambitious work, their books serve as portals to new possibilities and enable deeper understanding between people. Readers are changed by Graywolf’s books, which are fearlessly acquired, attentively edited, and energetically promoted.

PocketMFA is a twelve-week mentoring and workshopping program, designed to make more accessible the rigor, community, and guidance of a graduate-level writing program. Based on the low-residency MFA model, PocketMFA places up to ten writers with a creative nonfiction mentor of their choice, to work through our three distinct and entirely virtual phases of Direct Instruction, Mentorship & Workshopping, and Writing Life Residency. All fifteen shortlisted creative nonfiction writers will receive a $1,000 scholarship to PocketMFA.

OPTIONAL EDITORIAL FEEDBACK:

You may choose to receive editorial feedback on your work. We will provide line-level marginal editorial notes, as well as a two-page global letter discussing the strengths of the writing and the recommended focus for revision. While editorial feedback is inherently subjective, our criticism is always actionable and encouraging. Work that we critique is not eligible for future CRAFT contests. If your piece is chosen for publication, feedback will not be given and your feedback fee will be returned.

EDITORIAL FEEDBACK TEAM:

JOANNA ACEVEDO (she/they) is the Pushcart-nominated author of three books and two chapbooks. Her work has been seen across the web and in print, including Free State Review , The Rumpus , and The Adroit Journal . She received her MFA in fiction from New York University in 2021 and also holds degrees from Bard College and The New School. Find her on Twitter @jo_avocado.

MELISSA BENTON BARKER is the flash fiction section editor at CRAFT . A graduate of the MFA program at Antioch University Los Angeles, her writing appears in Longleaf Review , Moon City Review , Wigleaf , SmokeLong Quarterly , and Best Small Fictions 2021 . She has received Pushcart and Best of the Net nominations. She lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

KATE BLAKINGER is a writer and editor. Her short stories and essays have appeared in Alaska Quarterly Review , Epiphany , The Gettysburg Review , The Iowa Review , The Offing , and other journals . She is a Tin House Workshop alumna and holds an MFA from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan. The Elizabeth George Foundation, MacDowell, Jentel, and the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center have supported her writing with fellowships. She lives in Philadelphia with her family.

ALYSE BURNSIDE is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn. She holds an MFA from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic , The Nation , The Believer , and elsewhere. She’s working on a book.

HENRY CHRISTOPHER is an Ohioan writer living in Seattle, Washington. He received his BA from Mount Vernon Nazarene University in 2018, and his MFA from the University of Washington in 2023. While attending school in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Henry served as editor in chief for Penmarks Journal of Literature and Art , news writer for The Viewer , and presented in a roundtable conference on small press lit journals at the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honors Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. In the past, he has worked with CRAFT as section editor for critical essays and interviews, art and marketing assistant, and fiction reader; currently, he works as a marketing assistant for Fernwood Press. His creative writing has been presented at events such as Cleveland Drafts, Black Jaw, and Castalia, and has received nominations for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. Henry’s debut novel, No One Dies in Palmyra Ohio,  was published in October 2022 through What Books Press. He feels strongly about experimental works and queered forms, with passion for those composed outside traditional literary backgrounds. Currently, he publishes his writing through handmade, freely distributed zines around the Seattle area.

KYLE COCHRUN (he/him) is a writer living in Seattle, Washington. He is a contributing writer for PopMatters , where he writes features, interviews, and album reviews. His essays and creative nonfiction have appeared in  The Akron Anthology ,  Watershed Review ,  Echo,  and  CRAFT . He received an MFA in creative writing from the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts graduate program.

ALEXA DORAN recently completed her PhD in poetry at Florida State University. Her full-length collection DM Me, Mother Darling  won the 2020 May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Prize and was published in April 2021 (Bauhan). She is also the author of the chapbook  Nightsink, Faucet Me a Lullaby (Bottlecap Press 2019). Look for work from Doran in recent or upcoming issues of  Pleiades ,  Witness, Salt Hill Journal , and  Gigantic Sequins , among others.

BRANDON DUDLEY is the author of Hazards of Nature: Stories , selected by Sigrid Nunez as the winner of the 2020 Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance Chapbook Contest. His writing, interviews, and criticism have appeared in  New South, The Millions, The Forge, Fiction Writers Review, North by Northeast 2 , and others. He holds an MFA from the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe. He lives in Maine with his wife and two sons. Find him on Twitter @brandondudley8.

ROSS FEELER ’s fiction has appeared in Electric Literature’ s “Recommended Reading,” The Common , New South , Potomac Review , Story | Houston , Hypertext , and others. His novel-in-progress received the Marianne Russo Award from the Key West Literary Seminar and was a finalist for James Jones First Novel Award. He teaches English at Texas State University.

B. B. GARIN is a writer living in Buffalo, New York. Her echapbook, New Songs for Old Radios , is available from Wordrunner Press. Her work has appeared in Hawaii Pacific Review , Luna Station Quarterly , Palooka , 3rd Wednesday , Crack the Spine , and more. She is currently a prose reader and blog contributor for The Masters Review . She continues to improve her craft at GrubStreet Writing Center, where she has developed several short fiction pieces, as well as two novels. Connect with her online @bb_garin.

COURTNEY HARLER (she/her) is a queer writer, editor, and educator based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) from the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe (2017) and an MA in English (Literature) from Eastern Washington University (2013). Courtney is currently editor in chief of CRAFT and editorial director for Discover New Art, and has read and written for UNT’s Katherine Anne Porter Prize, The Masters Review , Funicular Magazine , Reflex Fiction , and Chicago Literati in recent years. She hosted the literary podcast PWN’s Debut Review , and teaches and edits for Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing studio in New Jersey. For her creative work, Courtney has been honored by support from Key West Literary Seminar, Writing By Writers, Community of Writers, Napa Valley Writers’ Conference, and Nevada Arts Council. Courtney’s work has been published in multiple genres in literary magazines around the world. Find her on Instagram @CourtneyHarler.

KATELYN KEATING (she/her) was the editor in chief of CRAFT from 2018 to 2021 and now serves as editor at large. She was a 2017 fellow of the LA Review of Books Publishing Workshop and has been on their faculty since 2018, overseeing PubLab , leading the magazine track as a program manager, and serving as the publisher coordinator for LITLIT: The Little Literary Fair. She is a production manager with Berrett-Koehler Publishers, and was the production and operations manager at Prospect Park Books until it left California in 2021. Her essays appear in Crab Orchard Review ,  Flyway ,  Lunch Ticket ,  Tahoma Literary Review , and elsewhere. Katelyn has an MFA from Antioch University Los Angeles, where she worked for two years on Lunch Ticket , serving as editor in chief for issues 11 and 12. Find her on Twitter @katelyn_keating.

JILL KOLONGOWSKI writes the Substack Tiny True Stories  and is also the author of the essay collection  Life Lessons Harry Potter Taught Me (Ulysses Press, 2017). Her work also appears in Electric Lit , Insider , the  Los Angeles Review of Books , Brevity , River Teeth , and elsewhere. Her essays have won Sundog Lit ’s First Annual Contest series and the Diana Woods Memorial Prize in Creative Nonfiction at  Lunch Ticket , and she earned her MFA from St. Mary’s College of California. Jill teaches writing at the College of San Mateo, and lives in Northern California with her husband and daughter. Find her on Twitter @jillkolongowski.

VAL M. MATHEWS  is a big-hearted, fun-loving editor who teaches courses in developmental editing for the University of California Berkeley Extension, Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, and the Editorial Freelancers Association in New York City. Val also freelances on the side and works as an editorial consultant for  CRAFT  and  The Masters Review . Previously, she was an editor for The Wild Rose Press, a small traditional publishing house in New York. She earned an MA in professional writing from Kennesaw State University and a BFA from the University of Georgia. Fun fact about Val: She’s been an FAA-certified flight instructor for over twenty-five years, and in the past, she flew Lear jets for a living.

GABRIEL MOSELEY is a writer from Seattle, Washington. He holds an MFA from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and certificates in both editing and literary fiction from the University of Washington. His short story, “A Man Stands Tall,” was awarded The Masters Review Anthology Prize in 2017, selected by Roxane Gay. He received the General Motors’ Future Fiction Scholarship to attend Aspen Summer Words in 2023 and was chosen for the Jack Straw Writers Program in 2024. He has been selected for residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, Centrum Artist Residency, and Seattle Public Library’s Writers’ Room Residency. He has also been named as a finalist for the Made at Hugo House Writing Fellowship, LitMag ’s Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction, and the Haleakalā National Park Residency. He has attended the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and Disquiet International, among others. His work appears in The Masters Review , Stratus , and Nordic Kultur Magazine.

JUSTINE PAYTON  is an MFA candidate at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington where she is a recipient of the Philip Gerard Graduate Fellowship and the Bernice Kert Fellowship in Creative Writing. She has been published or has work forthcoming in the  Bellevue Literary Review , Isele Magazine , T he Masters Review , The Keeping Room, and   others. She is currently the managing editor of  ONLY POEMS , an editor for Ecotone , and an editorial intern with Tin House. Find her on Instagram @just_a_rose4.

REBECCA REYNOLDS has an MFA in creative writing. Her short fiction has been published in various literary magazines, including Ascent , MudRoom , and The Boiler , and her story collection This Is How We Speak is forthcoming with Cornerstone Press. She lives outside Boston with her husband and three boys, and by day she is a children’s librarian. Find her on Twitter @rsreynolds611.

GAGE SAYLOR is the assistant director of creative writing at Oklahoma State University. His fiction and poetry have appeared in Passages North ,  Tampa Review ,  Crab Creek Review ,  Iron Horse , and elsewhere. He has won the Katherine Anne Porter Prize at  Nimrod and is a previous semifinalist for the Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize at  North American Review . He received his MFA at McNeese State University, where he was awarded the Robert Olen Butler Prize for Fiction.

CHLOE CHUN SEIM is the author of CHURN , an illustrated novel-in-stories, which won the 2022 George Garrett Fiction Prize and was named a finalist for Publishing Triangle’s Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction. Texas Review Press published CHURN in late 2023. Chloe’s fiction has appeared in LitMag , where she won the 2021 Anton Chekov Award for Flash Fiction, and in Split Lip Magazine , The McNeese Review , Potomac Review , and more. She lives in Lawrence, Kansas.

• Short Stories
• Flash Fiction
• Longform Creative Nonfiction
• Flash Creative Nonfiction
• Craft & Critical Essays
• Books by CRAFT Contributors
• Memoir Excerpt & Essay Contest
• Flash Prose Prize 2024
• Dialogue Challenge 2024
• First Chapters Contest 2024
• EcoLit Challenge 2024
• Short Fiction Prize 2024
• Novelette Print Prize 2024
• Memoir Excerpt & Essay Contest 2023
• Flash Prose Prize 2023
• Setting Sketch Challenge 2023
• First Chapters Contest 2023
• Character Sketch Challenge 2023
• Short Fiction Prize 2023
• Hybrid Writing Contest 2023
• Creative Nonfiction Award 2022
• Amelia Gray 2K Contest 2022
• First Chapters Contest 2022
• Short Fiction Prize 2022
• Hybrid Writing Contest 2022
• Creative Nonfiction Award 2021
• Flash Fiction Contest 2021
• First Chapters Contest 2021
• Short Fiction Prize 2021
• Short Fiction Prize 2020
• Flash Fiction Contest 2020
• Creative Nonfiction Award 2020
• Elements Contest 2020: Conflict
• Short Fiction Prize 2019
• Flash Fiction Contest 2019
• First Chapters Contest 2019
• Short Fiction Prize 2018
• Elements Contest 2018: Character | Dialogue Setting
• Fast Response
• LAUNCH PARTY!
• Editorial Feedback Platform