L’Inventoire | Poetry Contest in French
Our partners from Aleph-Écriture & its literary magazine L’Inventoire open up this poetry contest in partnership with the publisher la Boucherie littéraire. The deadline for participants is April 4 (2024). Texts must be submitted before 18.00 around the writing topic “Nuit(s).” You may find here all the relevant info + requirements in French
The EACWP Flash Fiction Contest | VII Edition
The contest will run from February, 15 to April, 1st (2024)
XVIII Symposium: Registration open | Lisbon, 2024
From May 23rd to 25th (arrivals on the 22nd and departures on the 26th) our Portuguese partners from Escrever Escrever (Lisbon) will …
Poetry & Performance Courses in Kenya & North Macedonia 2024
Our colleague Philip Meersman (poet & performer) in cooperation with our partners from Creative Schrijven make extensive this invitation to worldwide participants to join these two courses in English on poetry & performance skills taking place in Kenya and in north Macedonia on June & July, 2024, respectively
Podcast with Anne Waldman
Our colleague Jürgen Berlakovich from the Vienna Poetry School (sfd) talks with Anne Waldman (poet, performer, professor and cultural activist) in sfd’s podcast #08, online from November, 9 (2023)
Portugal Writing Retreat | Sense of Place | September 2023
Last September, our Portuguese partners from Escrever Escrever celebrated this “long dreamed course”, finally materialized in a six days retreat in the stunning city of Sintra. The testimonies of both Conceição Garcia (director of Escrever Escrever) & Elena Traina (tutor & EACWP individual member) give us a sheer & inspiring snapshot of the sense of friendship, creativity & joyful saudade of such a gorgeous place
Writing Europe | Call for Papers
The deadline for this Call for Papers has been extended to 14th March 2024! You can submit your proposal through the form …
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Best Writing Contests in 2024
Showing 342 contests that match your search.
The Reedsy Prompts Contest
Genres: Fiction and Short Story
Every Friday, Reedsy sends out five writing prompts. Enter your response within a week for a chance at $250. Winners may also be included in a future issue of Reedsy’s literary magazine, Prompted.
Additional prizes:
$25 credit toward Reedsy editorial services
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024
Fanstory Writing Contests
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
Subscribe to Fanstory for $9.95 a month and enter as many contests as you like from their list of writing and poetry contests, updated daily. All participants receive feedback from a community of writers, and the winner of each contest receives a cash prize of up to $100.
💰 Entry fee: $10
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2023 (Expired)
Hastings Book Festival - Short Story
Hastings Book Festival
Genres: Short Story
Hastings Book Festival writing competition is open to writers from anywhere in the world writing in English on any theme. We invite short stories up to 2,500 words. We have additional prizes for LGBT+ writers and writers resident in Sussex.
2nd: £100 | 3rd: £50
📅 Deadline: July 07, 2024
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Solas Awards
Best Travel Writing
Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, and Travel
Extraordinary stories about travel and the human spirit have been the cornerstones of our books since 1993. With the Solas Awards we honor writers whose work inspires others to explore. We’re looking for the best stories about travel and the world. Funny, illuminating, adventurous, uplifting, scary, inspiring, poignant stories that reflect the unique alchemy that occurs when you enter unfamiliar territory and begin to see the world differently as a result. We hope these awards will be a catalyst for those who love to leave home and tell others about it.
Publication
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: September 21, 2024
The Rubery Prize
Rubery Book Awards
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult, and Romance
The Rubery Prize is a prestigious international book award seeking the best books by indie writers, self published authors and books published by independent presses, judged by reputable judges. Through our reputation of finding quality and outstanding books we aim to bring recognition to the works that win and heighten an author's profile.
£200, a write-up
💰 Entry fee: $60
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)
The Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction
Association of Writers & Writing Programs
AWP sponsors the Award Series, an annual competition for the publication of excellent new book-length works. The competition is open to all authors writing in English regardless of nationality or residence, and is available to published and unpublished authors alike.
Publication by Red Hen Press
💰 Entry fee: $30
📅 Deadline: February 28, 2024 (Expired)
Amazing Women’s Edition Contest
National Youth Foundation
Genres: Children's
Founded by Black women with a vision for change, the mission of the National Youth Foundation is to promote diversity, inclusion and gender equality through innovative literary programs. To honor the vast accomplishments of women in the United States, the National Youth Foundation is pleased to announce the Amazing Women’s Edition (AWE) competition. This writing contest is open to students in grades K to 8 residing in the United States.
📅 Deadline: January 07, 2022 (Expired)
Bacopa Literary Review Annual Writing Contest
Writers Alliance of Gainesville
Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story
Bacopa Literary Review’s 2024 contest is open from March 4 through April 4, with $200 Prize and $100 Honorable Mention in each of six categories: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Flash Fiction, Free Verse Poetry, Formal Poetry, and Visual Poetry.
📅 Deadline: April 04, 2024
Fairytales & Myths Competition 2024
Write the World
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, and Flash Fiction
Since the very first tale told by the fireside, the idea of mysterious worlds—rife with talking trees, dragons and beasts, and spells of all kinds—has captivated us humans. This month, dear writers, write a myth or fairytale that uses fantasy as a lens to understand the reality of everyday life.
Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50
📅 Deadline: March 04, 2024 (Expired)
The Moth Poetry Prize
Genres: Poetry
The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the biggest prizes in the world for a single unpublished poem. The prize is open to anyone, as long as the poem is previously unpublished, and each year it attracts thousands of entries from new and established poets from over 50 countries worldwide.
3x runners up: €1,000 | 8x further prizes of €250 | Publication online in Irish Times
💰 Entry fee: $16
📅 Deadline: December 31, 2023 (Expired)
New Writers 1000-Word Short Story Competition 2024
New Writers
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story
Open to writers from around the world, we’re offering a top prize of £1,000, a second prize of £300 and a third prize of £200. Any themes/genres are welcome but stories must be 1,000 words or fewer. The deadline is midnight (UK time) on Tuesday 30th April 2024 and £1.00 from each entry will be donated to the creative writing charity, First Story.
2nd: £300 | 3rd: £200
💰 Entry fee: $13
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024
Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry
Beloit Poetry Journal
We’re open to a wide range of forms and styles in contemporary poetry. We’re always watching for new poets, quickened language, and work that offers a fresh purchase on the political or social landscape.
💰 Entry fee: $15
The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition 2024
Swansea University’s Cultural Institute
The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition recognises the very best unpublished short stories in English in any style and on any subject up to a maximum of 5,000 words by writers in / from Wales. Entrants must have been born in Wales, lived in Wales for 2 years or more, or currently be living in Wales.
Publication in short story anthology | 11x Runners Up: £100 and publication in short story anthology
📅 Deadline: February 15, 2024 (Expired)
African Diaspora Awards 2024
Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc
Up to $1000 in cash prizes for the African Diaspora Award 2024. African-themed prose and poetry wanted. Top finalists are published in Kinsman Quarterly’s magazine and the anthology, “Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora.”
Publication in anthology, "Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora" and print and digital magazine
📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024
Shiny Dime Writing Challenge
Write of Passage
Genres: Non-fiction
The Shiny Dime is a concept we teach to help people stand out online, and we’ve distilled it into a simple writing challenge. Challenge registrants will participate in a 10 week writing challenge where we request participants to publish once per week. We will choose among the participants who have the most impactful writing and who are the most consistent.
Free access to our 5 week writing bootcamp (a $4000 dollar value)
📅 Deadline: February 18, 2024 (Expired)
ReadWrite Strategies Funny Workplace Anthology Contest
ReadWrite Strategies
Genres: Humor and Non-fiction
Please submit funny, creative nonfiction stories 300-1200 words in length, set in or relating to work. If it makes us laugh, it works. No entry fee and submit as many times as you want before December 18th deadline. Prizes are: $500 and a print copy of the book for first place, $200 and a print copy for second place, and $100 and a print copy for 3rd, 4th, and 5th places. All featured stories will receive a digital copy of the book on publication. The best submissions will be featured in an anthology of funny workplace stories.
2nd: 200 and print copy | 3rd, 4th, & 5th: $100 and print copy
📅 Deadline: December 18, 2023 (Expired)
Reader Views Literary Awards
Reader Views
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Reader Views Literary Awards program helps level the playing field for self-published authors, recognizing the most creative and exciting new books in the industry. Our awards program is recognized industry-wide as one of the top literary awards programs for independent authors.
Several marketing prizes (e.g. book review)
💰 Entry fee: $89
📅 Deadline: December 15, 2024
Ghost Novellas for the "Presence" Collection
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Novella, and Thriller
Ghost novellas wanted from (but not limited to) underrepresented authors by April 31, 2024. Entries must be between 15,000-25,000 words, incorporating BIPOC cultures, traditions, and histories. Selected submissions receive $1000 USD and publication within Kinsman Quarterly’s journal and the “Presence” collection. $25 submission fee required.
Publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and the "Presence" collection
Inspiring Fiction's Special Edition Short Story Contest
Inspiring Fiction
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller
Inspiring Fiction’s special edition short story contest is on the theme ‘Freedom’. We are looking for crime, speculative, and fantasy short stories. The winner and shortlisted entries will be published in a bumper crossover issue of Tangled Web Magazine and Mirk Fantasy Magazine.
Publication and published review by the editor
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2024
AWP Prize for the Novel
Genres: Fiction and Novel
Publication by New Issues Press
Maggie Award for Prepublished Writers
Georgia Romance Writers
Genres: Fiction, Novel, and Romance
The purpose of the Prepublished Maggie Award for Excellence is to encourage, recognize, and reward the mastery of romance writing by Prepublished authors of romantic fiction. The Maggie Award is a symbol of achievement given by the Georgia Romance Writers (GRW) to bring special attention to these writers. The Maggie Award, a silver medallion commissioned by GRW, receives national attention.
💰 Entry fee: $40
📅 Deadline: April 21, 2024
Hayden's Ferry Review Poetry & Fiction Contest
Hayden's Ferry Review
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Poetry
HFR will accept contest submissions in poetry and fiction between Feb 1-29, 2024. This year’s poetry judge is Diana Khoi Nguyen, author of Ghost Of and Root Fractures. This year’s fiction judge is Venita Blackburn, author of How to Wrestle a Girl and Dead in Long Beach, California. There will be two prizes of $1,500 each and publication in Hayden’s Ferry Review (online in summer 2024 and in the fall/winter 2024 print issue) for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction. A runner-up in each category will receive $250 and publication. All entries are considered for publication.
Runners-up: $250
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)
Anthology Personal Memoir Competition 2024
Anthology Magazine
Genres: Memoir
Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours? Authors are invited to share a unique life experience. Whether your memoir recounts a transformative journey, a poignant moment, or a life-altering event, we welcome your story. The Anthology Personal Memoir Competition is open to original and previously unpublished memoirs in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world.
💰 Entry fee: $12
📅 Deadline: August 31, 2024
Short Story Contest
Writers' Mastermind
You’ve got something special. We want to get it out into the world. The Writers’ Mastermind is holding a short story contest for writers of all levels and all genres. 1K-5K words. Previously published work is accepted.
Publication and social media promotion, 6 months free membership to the Writers' Mastermind
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: September 01, 2021 (Expired)
International Welsh Poetry Competition 2024
International Welsh Poetry Competition
The first Welsh Poetry Competition was set up by poet & writer Dave Lewis in 2007. Officially launched on St David’s Day at Clwb-Y-Bont, Pontypridd, 2007 the aim is to encourage and foster the wealth of creative writing talent that we know exists in Wales but currently languishes in the doldrums. The aim is to inspire people to capture life in the present day and to give a voice to a new generation of poets and writers. We are not interested in purely academic types of literature but would much rather see pure raw passion burst onto the creative writing scene in Wales.
2nd: £250 | 3rd: £100 | 17 runners-up: commended entries and future publication in anthology
💰 Entry fee: $7
The Restless Books Prize For New Immigrant Writing
Restless Books
Genres: Fiction and Non-fiction
The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing was created in 2016 to honor outstanding debut literary works by first-generation immigrants, awarded for fiction and nonfiction in alternating years. The winner receives $10,000 and publication by Restless Books.
Publication by Restless Books
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025
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
📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)
As Bright as the Moon
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller
Can’t decide between the headstrong alpha or the hunky omega? Us either. We’re seeking stories featuring steamy werewolf romance, perfect for reading under a full moon. Whether you’re Team Jacob Black or Team Alcide Herveaux…we’re all Team Awoooo. Works up to 3,000 words will be considered.
2nd place: $300; 3rd place: $100
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2022 (Expired)
The Free Verse Prize
Poetry Society
The Free Verse Prize is a new poetry prize, which supports the Free Verse Poetry Book and Magazine Fair. The judge is poet and former Poetry Book Fair director, Chrissy Williams. Poems can be on any theme, and should have fewer than 40 lines.
Publication in Poetry News and the Poetry Book Fair programme
📅 Deadline: March 18, 2024 (Expired)
Stringybark Open Short Story Award 2024
Stringybark Publishing
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Short Story, Crime, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult
Our annual flagship competition, the Stringybark Stories Open Short Story Award 2023, is now bigger than ever! Thanks to Graeme Simpson and Anne Buist, a record prize pool of over $1300 is on offer. The theme is open, the only constraint is that there must be a reference to Australia somewhere in the story. It doesn't matter how small a link there is (it could be a jar of vegemite on the counter), there just needs to be one!
2nd: $360 | 3rd: $210 | 4th: $110
📅 Deadline: February 25, 2024 (Expired)
Dream Quest One Poetry
Dream Quest One
Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.
2nd: $125 | 3rd: $50
The Christy Award
Genres: Christian, Fantasy, Novel, Novella, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Young Adult
The Christy Award® was established in 1999 to acknowledge the value and impact of the novel of faith in contemporary culture. Since that time, the Christys have been a focal point for the writers and publishers in our community.
💰 Entry fee: $175
Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Competition
Dzanc Books
The Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Prize celebrates imaginative and inventive writing in book-length collections (generally over 40,000 words, but there is no hard minimum). Past winners include Suzi Ehtesham-Zadeh (Zan), Nino Cipri (Homesick), Anne Valente (By Light We Knew Our Names), Chaya Bhuvaneswar (White Dancing Elephants), Jen Grow (My Life as a Mermaid), Julie Stewart (Water and Blood), and Ethel Rohan (In the Event of Contact). The winning submission will be awarded a $2,500 advance and publication by Dzanc Books.
📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024
Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award
Poets & Writers, Inc.
Genres: Fiction and Poetry
Poetry manuscripts should not exceed 10 pages, single or double-spaced (minimum of seven pages). Fiction manuscripts should not exceed 25 pages and must be double-spaced. Fiction manuscripts may include stories and/or excerpts from novels.
The TRP Southern Breakthrough Series
Texas Review Press
The TRP Southern Poetry Breakthrough Series highlights a first full-length collection by emerging authors from each state in the southern U.S. This year's state is South Carolina. Open to any poet born in South Carolina, currently residing in South Carolina, or who has lived in South Carolina for five consecutive years at any point, who has not yet published a full-length collection of poetry. The author may have published chapbooks or books in other genres. Submissions accepted through Submittable only.
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
The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction
How to Write a Novel
Understanding Point of View
Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love
Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character
Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine
On Editing:
Story Editing for Authors
How to Self-Edit Like a Pro
Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites
How to Write a Short Story in 7 Steps
How to Write a Novel in 15 Steps
Literary Devices and Terms — 35+ Definitions With Examples
10 Essential Fiction Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft
How to Write Dialogue: 8 Simple Rules and Exercises
8 Character Development Exercises to Help You Nail Your Character
Bonus resources
200+ Short Story Ideas
600+ Writing Prompts to Inspire You
100+ Creative Writing Exercises for Fiction Authors
Story Title Generator
Pen Name Generator
Character Name Generator
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.
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Our partners from Aleph-Écriture & its literary magazine L’Inventoire open up this poetry contest in partnership with the publisher la Boucherie littéraire. The deadline for participants is April 4 (2024). Texts must be submitted before 18.00 around the writing topic “Nuit (s).”. You may find here all the relevant info + requirements in ...
The Christy Award® was established in 1999 to acknowledge the value and impact of the novel of faith in contemporary culture. Since that time, the Christys have been a focal point for the writers and publishers in our community. 💰 Entry fee: $175. 📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024.
The European Writing Prize is the most prestigious of the writing competitions organised each year by the European Society of Literature. The Prize is a free-entry international competition for original, unpublished short fiction between 1,500 and 3,500 words. All entries must be on the theme of 'Anxiety'. The winner will receive €50 ...