Reedsy Prompts Contest
Reedsy
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.
Top Prize:
$250
Additional prizes:
Publication on Reedsy Prompts + $25 credit for Reedsy Marketplace services for shortlisted entries
💰 Entry fee:
$5
📅 Deadline:
December 31, 2026
Reedsy Literary Prize
Reedsy
Genres:
Fiction and Short Story
Writers around the world have three months to compose and refine a single short story (2,000 to 5,000 words) in any genre, in response to one prompt. All submissions will be assessed by the Reedsy team, with longlisted stories reviewed by our guest judge Jon Michael Darga, Literary Agent at Aevitas Creative Management and a Reedsy editor.
Top Prize:
$1,500
Additional prizes:
2nd place: a year-long Reedsy Learning membership | 3rd place: $100 credit for Reedsy Marketplace services | First place also receives feedback from a literary agent and guaranteed publication in our literary magazine, Prompted.
📅 Deadline:
May 31, 2026
Verdant Owl Battle
Writing Battle, Inc.
Genres:
Fiction, Short Story, Fantasy, and Flash Fiction
The Verdant Owl Battle is a contest focusing on short stories where writers receive prompts to inspire their narratives. It fosters a supportive community, allowing participants to share and receive feedback on their stories.
Top Prize:
$30,000 prize pool
Additional prizes:
$2400 prize for 10x Genre Winners; $600 prize for 10x Genre Runners-Ups. Winners receive online publication, feedback from industry professionals
💰 Entry fee:
$39
📅 Deadline:
April 19, 2026
WOW! Spring 2026 Flash Fiction Contest w/Reedsy Learning
WOW! Women On Writing & Reedsy Learning
Genres:
Fiction and Flash Fiction
The WOW! Spring 2026 Flash Fiction Contest invites writers globally to submit original flash fiction. The contest has an open prompt and awards a total of $600 for first place, along with prizes for second and third places, as well as runners-up. Entries must be between 250 and 750 words. A critique option is also available.
Top Prize:
$600
Additional prizes:
2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 | 7 runner-ups: $25 Amazon Gift Cards | Winner also receives a spot in Reedsy’s How to Write a Novel Course ($499 value) & a 12-month Reedsy Learning Membership ($249 value)
💰 Entry fee:
$10
📅 Deadline:
May 31, 2026
$1000 for 1000 Words Contest
The Layla Beban Young Authors
Genres:
Children’s and Short Story
The contest invites students in grades 6-12 to submit a piece of short fiction exactly 1000 words long. There are no specific themes, but entries should be original and not previously published. The contest aims to encourage young authors to tell significant stories.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Seven $100 cash prizes for runners-up
📅 Deadline:
February 01, 2025
(Expired)
Open Prize
National Poetry Series
Genres:
Poetry
The NPS Open Competition invites submissions of book-length poetry manuscripts from U.S. residents and American citizens abroad. Winners receive cash prizes and publication.
Top Prize:
$10,000
Additional prizes:
Publication of a full-length manuscript by a participating publisher.
💰 Entry fee:
$35
📅 Deadline:
March 21, 2025
(Expired)
The Fountain Essay Contest
The Fountain
Genres:
Essay
The 2025 contest is themed “Real or Fake: Discovering Authenticity”, and it invites submissions exploring the meaning of truth in a time of misinformation, imitation, and uncertainty.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: $500 | 3rd: $300 | 2x honorable mentions: $150
📅 Deadline:
September 30, 2025
(Expired)
Troubadour International Poetry Prize
Coffeehouse Poetry
Genres:
Poetry
The Troubadour International Poetry Prize is an annual competition open to poets worldwide, judged by notable figures in the literary community. The 2024 prize includes cash awards for the top three poems, as well as opportunities for commended entries.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
Second: £1,000
Third prize: £500
20 commended entries
Winners read with judges at the online international prize-night celebration.
💰 Entry fee:
$8
📅 Deadline:
September 23, 2024
(Expired)
Fiction Factory First Chapter + Synopsis Competition
Fiction Factory
Genres:
Fiction and Novel
This competition invites submissions of the first chapter of a novel along with a synopsis. The focus is on originality and engaging storytelling. The winner will receive feedback from a literary agent and a substantial cash prize.
Top Prize:
£500 + an appraisal
Additional prizes:
Free appraisal for the winning entry + all shortlisted entrants
💰 Entry fee:
$18
📅 Deadline:
January 31, 2026
(Expired)
Vocal Challenges
Creatd
Genres:
Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Short Story
Vocal Challenges invite writers to enter themed storytelling contests for a chance to win cash, prizes, experiences, and more.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd place: $200, 15 runners-up: $15 each
💰 Entry fee:
$15
📅 Deadline:
January 11, 2025
(Expired)
Ghost & Cryptid Short Story Anthology
Dragon Tomes Publishing
Genres:
Fiction, Horror, Short Story, and Humor
Dragon Tomes Publishing is compiling an anthology of ghost and cryptid stories. They seek short stories up to 6,000 words that explore themes of ghosts or cryptids, welcoming various genres.
Top Prize:
$20
Additional prizes:
Free author copy of the finished anthology.
📅 Deadline:
July 31, 2025
(Expired)
Black Orchid Novella Award
Wolfe Pack & Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
Genres:
Crime, Mystery, and Novella
The Black Orchid Novella Award celebrates the novella format, encouraging original, unpublished works that conform to the mystery genre’s traditional forms, specifically inspired by the Nero Wolfe series. The contest is designed to highlight the novella, requiring submissions that are tight and engaging, devoid of explicit content.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
📅 Deadline:
May 31, 2026
Weatherglass Novella Prize 2027
Weatherglass Books
Genres:
Fiction and Novella
The Weatherglass Novella Prize 2027 invites submissions of novellas between 20,000 to 40,000 words. The winning novella(s) will be published by Weatherglass Books in 2027, with entries read by the Weatherglass Editorial team and shortlisted by Ali Smith.
Top Prize:
£500
Additional prizes:
Winning novellas will be published by Weatherglass Books
💰 Entry fee:
$20
📅 Deadline:
June 30, 2026
Anthology Personal Memoir Competition 2026
Anthology Publishing
Genres:
Memoir
The Anthology Personal Memoir Competition invites entries for personal memoirs, encouraging emerging writers to share their stories. The winner will be published in Anthology magazine.
Top Prize:
€500
Additional prizes:
Publication in Anthology magazine
💰 Entry fee:
$15
📅 Deadline:
August 31, 2026
Self-Publishing Literary Awards
Black Caucus of ALA (BCALA)
Genres:
Fiction, Non-fiction, Novel, and Poetry
The BCALA Self-Publishing Literary Awards honors the best self-published ebooks by African American authors in the U.S. across fiction and poetry genres. The awards focus on the cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.
Top Prize:
$2,500
Additional prizes:
Formal recognition at the NCAAL conference, BCALA Literary Award Seal.
📅 Deadline:
February 28, 2025
(Expired)
Creative Writing Award for Short Fiction
Aesthetica Magazine
Genres:
Fiction and Short Story
The Creative Writing Award celebrates outstanding new writing talents in poetry and short fiction, offering a platform for authors globally to showcase their work. It emphasizes innovation in content and form across any theme.
Top Prize:
$2,500
Additional prizes:
Publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual
One-year subscription to The London Magazine, Granta, and Mslexia
Consultation with Redhammer Management
Six-week writing short stories course from Curtis Brown Creative
💰 Entry fee:
$18
📅 Deadline:
August 31, 2025
(Expired)
Future Scholar Foundation Short Story Competition
Future Scholar Foundation
Genres:
Fiction and Short Story
The competition invites elementary and middle school students to submit short stories (maximum 350 words) based on a monthly theme. Winners receive recognition and prizes, including Amazon gift cards and publication in the Hall of Fame.
Top Prize:
$60
Additional prizes:
2nd: $15 Amazon gift card | 3rd: $5 Amazon gift card | All winners are published in the Hall of Fame.
📅 Deadline:
October 28, 2025
(Expired)
Voices of Mixed Heritage
Kinsman Quarterly
Genres:
Essay, Fiction, and Poetry
Submit essays, fiction, or poetry exploring themes of multicultural or third-culture identity, love, belonging, home life, and pain. Selected works receive publication in Kinsman’s upcoming anthology.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Publication in “Living Between Worlds” anthology
📅 Deadline:
February 28, 2026
(Expired)
The Happiful Poetry Prize
Happiful
Genres:
Poetry
The Happiful Poetry Prize is an annual competition that invites entries exploring themes of mental health and wellbeing. The contest is open to writers aged 18 and over from the UK and Northern Ireland. The competition aims to celebrate high-quality writing in poetry.
Top Prize:
£25
Additional prizes:
Four shortlisted poets will receive a £25 National Book Token. All winning poems will be published in issue 108 of Happiful.
📅 Deadline:
November 14, 2025
(Expired)
42 Miles Press Poetry Award
42 Miles Press
Genres:
Poetry
The 42 Miles Press Poetry Award aims to highlight urgent and original voices in poetry. Open to all poets writing in English, it accepts collections of poetry that showcase contemporary American poetic voices. The contest is judged by David Dodd Lee, and past winners include several notable poets.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication of the winning book and 50 author copies, plus an invitation for a reading at Indiana University South Bend.
💰 Entry fee:
$25
📅 Deadline:
June 15, 2024
(Expired)
The Moth Nature Writing Prize 2025
The Moth Magazine
Genres:
Fiction and Poetry
An international writing contest for original, unpublished short stories. Winners are selected anonymously by a judge.
Top Prize:
€3,000
Additional prizes:
2nd prize: a week at Circle of Misse plus open travel stipend | 3rd prize: €1,000
💰 Entry fee:
$15
📅 Deadline:
September 30, 2025
(Expired)
Salamander 2025 Fiction Prize
Salamander
Genres:
Fiction
The Salamander Fiction Prize offers writers the opportunity to submit their works for consideration. The contest includes a first prize of $1,000 and publication, and a second prize of $500 and publication. Entries will be judged anonymously, and all submissions are also considered for publication in the magazine.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: $500 | Publication
💰 Entry fee:
$20
📅 Deadline:
June 01, 2025
(Expired)
Maggie Award for Prepublished Writers
Georgia Romance Writers
Genres:
Fiction, Novel, and Romance
The Maggie Award for Excellence aims to encourage and reward the mastery of romance writing by prepublished authors. Each entry receives two critiques from published authors, and finalists are reviewed by industry agents and editors.
Additional prizes:
Maggie Award medallion for highest-scored manuscript in each category; all finalists receive certificates.
Critiques returned to all entrants.
💰 Entry fee:
$40
📅 Deadline:
April 25, 2025
(Expired)
Creative Future Writing Award
Creative Future
Genres:
Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry
The Creative Future Writers’ Award, founded in 2013, is a free-to-enter annual writing competition for underrepresented writers. It aims to showcase diverse voices and includes cash prizes and development opportunities for poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Winners receive ongoing support and are celebrated at an awards ceremony.
Top Prize:
Winners receive mentorship, masterclasses, and publication in an anthology.
📅 Deadline:
May 05, 2026
Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships
Academy of American Poets
Genres:
Poetry
These fellowships are $50,000 awards aimed at honoring poets of literary merit who serve in civic positions. The goal is to support them in creating new work and undertaking impactful projects that enrich local communities through poetry.
Top Prize:
$50,000
Additional prizes:
Awards are $50,000 for the fellowship. The Academy will match up to $10,000 in in-kind or cash contributions for project support.
📅 Deadline:
February 24, 2025
(Expired)
Jane Martin Poetry Prize
Girton College, University of Cambridge
Genres:
Poetry
The Jane Martin Poetry Prize is a national poetry competition established in 2010 in memory of Girton alumna Jane Elizabeth Martin. It aims to support young poets and promote literary excellence, judged by experts in the literary field.
Top Prize:
£1000
Additional prizes:
2nd place: £500
Opportunity to give a reading at Girton College.
📅 Deadline:
January 31, 2025
(Expired)
Claret Press Short Story Competition
Claret Press
Genres:
Fiction
The competition invites stories reflecting contemporary political themes, such as healthcare, freedom of speech, and global politics. Entries must not exceed 5,000 words and must be original, unpublished works submitted as a .docx file.
Top Prize:
£50
Additional prizes:
2nd: £30 | 3rd: £20 | Publication of winning stories on the Claret Press website and in the Sip of Claret News newsletter.
💰 Entry fee:
$5
📅 Deadline:
March 01, 2026
(Expired)
Tom Grass Prize
Friends and family of Tom Grass
Genres:
Fiction and Non-fiction
The Tom Grass Prize celebrates the spirit of adventure through short pieces of prose, inviting writers from all backgrounds to reflect on the theme of adventure. The prize honors Tom Grass, a multifaceted writer and traveler.
Additional prizes:
1st prize of £1,000 and two runners-up prizes of £500 each.
💰 Entry fee:
$0
📅 Deadline:
March 31, 2025
(Expired)
Write By The Sea Flash Fiction Contest
Write By The Sea Literary Festival
Genres:
Fiction and Flash Fiction
The Write by the Sea Writing Competition features four categories: Fiction Short Story, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Memoir/Personal Essay. It includes cash prizes and publication opportunities.
Top Prize:
€500
Additional prizes:
2nd: €300 | 3rd: €200 | Winner also gets a free weekend pass to the Write By The Sea Festival 2026 & publication in the Waxed Lemon Literary Journal.
💰 Entry fee:
$15
📅 Deadline:
June 07, 2026
To Hull and Back Humorous Short Story Contest
Christopher Fielden
Genres:
Fiction, Humor, Non-fiction, and Short Story
The To Hull and Back Humorous Short Story Competition is a biennial contest focused on humorous writing. It celebrates imaginative short stories from writers globally. The current competition is open until June 30, 2025, with multiple cash prizes and publication opportunities in an anthology.
Top Prize:
£1,000
Additional prizes:
2nd Prize: £200 | 3rd Prize: £100
💰 Entry fee:
$16
📅 Deadline:
June 30, 2025
(Expired)
Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award
Red Hen Press
Genres:
Poetry
Established in 1998, this award honors poet Benjamin Saltman and is for previously unpublished original poetry collections. The competition is open to all poets.
Top Prize:
$3,000
Additional prizes:
Book publication by Red Hen Press
💰 Entry fee:
$25
📅 Deadline:
November 01, 2025
(Expired)
Anti-Bullying – Student Book Scholars Contest
Vancouver Writers Fest
Genres:
Children’s, Short Story, and Essay
The Vancouver Writers Fest hosts an annual youth writing contest for short stories and personal essays aimed at students in grades 5-12, focusing on themes like anti-bullying. The contest provides a platform for young writers to express their ideas and experiences.
Top Prize:
$200
Additional prizes:
2nd for high school: $100 | 2nd for Elementary: $50 | Publication in the Books & Ideas Newsletter, social media shout-out, and certificates.
💰 Entry fee:
$0
📅 Deadline:
July 23, 2026
The $15,000 Writing Challenge
Storyshares
Genres:
Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story, and Young Adult
The annual Story of the Year contest is back with a new challenge! We’re looking for captivating, diverse stories that are “easy to read and hard to put down” for readers beyond the third grade. There are five categories aimed at young adult readers, and we encourage you to submit as many entries as you like—submission is free and unlimited!
Top Prize:
$15,000
Additional prizes:
Publication in digital and print
💰 Entry fee:
$0
📅 Deadline:
January 13, 2025
(Expired)
Amazing Women’s Edition Contest
National Youth Foundation
Genres:
Children’s
The Amazing Women’s Edition Contest invites students in grades K to 8 to create books that feature the theme of ‘Local Heroines’. Each entry must include art and text created solely by the students. The contest aims to promote literacy and creativity among youth.
Top Prize:
$500
📅 Deadline:
January 11, 2027
Money Chronicles: A Story Initiative
Principal Foundation
Genres:
Fiction and Short Story
The contest invites writers aged 18 and up to submit short stories about personal finance and money-related experiences. It aims to facilitate discussions on financial matters through storytelling.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Honorarium for the winner and $150 for each of up to 20 finalists. Finalists’ works will be published in Short Story Dispensers and considered for international publication.
💰 Entry fee:
$0
📅 Deadline:
October 12, 2025
(Expired)
