The Ultimate List of Writing Contests in 2026 • Win Cash Prizes!

Genres:
Short Story and Fiction

The Henshaw Press Short Story Competition accepts entries of up to 2,000 words on any theme. It is open to writers aged 16 and over.

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

High-quality unpublished manuscripts in memoir, fiction, and non-fiction are sought for this competition. The contest is designed to amplify the voices of contemporary writers.

Genres:
Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

The inaugural Louise Glück Prize for Best Poem or Prose, run by Poetries in English Magazine. Open to poetry and prose; the winner receives a $1,000 honorarium and publication in the magazine.

Genres:
Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, and Thriller

Inkitt and Ironblood invite writers to submit LitRPG stories where the game is real and the stakes sky-high: dungeon crawlers where each floor threatens death, System apocalypses where the rules change overnight, or virtual worlds where logging out is impossible. Stories with stats, skills, and a hero who bends the rules toward victory belong here.

Genres:
Children’s, Fiction, and Young Adult

The Females of Fiction Awards honor female authors and illustrators of children’s books, from board books to young adult. There are author and illustrator prizes in four age groups (infant/board, picture, chapter/middle grade, and young adult), and books published in any year can enter. Every entered book is donated to children through Hindi’s Libraries, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that ships free books to kids’ programs.

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

Afro-descendant writers: enter the African Diaspora Award from Kinsman Quarterly. Submit original, unpublished short stories, nonfiction, or poetry that celebrates the voices of the African diaspora. Winners receive cash prizes plus publication in Kinsman Quarterly and the annual anthology, “Africa’s Diaspora: Four Corners.”

Genres:
Fiction, Novel, Romance, and Thriller

A novel contest for high-stakes manuscripts exploring the beautiful, messy and devastating complexities of human relationships. Entrants submit the first 2,500 words and a one-page synopsis of a 70,000–90,000 word novel, judged blind on voice, plot, pacing and polish. The grand prize is a full publishing package with 100% of net royalties kept by the author.

Theme: romance in both its uplifting and darkly dangerous forms — from contemporary and historical love stories to psychological thrillers and domestic suspense.

Genres:
Crime, Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Novel, Romance, and Thriller

The Homer Awards celebrate excellence in Thriller and Greece-set fiction. Nine awards across five categories, including the Penelope Award — a manuscript prize for unagented authors offering a full publishing deal with Imagine Press.

Genres:
Fiction, Short Story, and Flash Fiction

The Flash Fiction Competition invites writers to submit stories of up to 500 words. It’s a quarterly competition with prizes awarded for the top three entries each quarter. Winning entries are published on the website.

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

A $10,000 essay contest from Medium Rare, sponsored by PostHog. Write up to 3,000 words of advice for scared young people working in software. Any form is welcome — essay, fiction, poetry or nonfiction — and there is no entry fee.

Theme: honest, useful advice for early-career people in software.

Genres:
Essay and Travel

The competition invites original, unpublished travel articles in English, focusing on authentic travel experiences. Articles should be engaging and convey a strong sense of the destination and local culture, with a maximum length of 1,000 words.

Genres:
Essay and Non-fiction

The competition celebrates the beauty of nature and encourages storytelling about environmental themes. Open to all writers, submissions must be original, unpublished, and in English, with a maximum of 1,500 words. Entries can cover various aspects of nature, from wildlife encounters to reflections on environmental challenges.

Genres:
Fiction, Romance, and Short Story

The Kiss & Verse Winter Romance Fiction Prize invites original romance short stories about love, desire, intimacy, longing, and romantic relationships, with literary ambition and a distinctive voice. The winning story is published in the inaugural Winter 2027 issue (Issue 0.01) of Kiss & Verse and becomes the inspiration for the Summer Romance Poetry Prize.

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.

Genres:
Poetry

One Page Poetry is dedicated to the art of expressing a poetic theme on a single page, whether your poem is four lines or forty, whether yours is a love poem, inspirational poem, philosophical poem, or just one that is fun or whimsical. We welcome any and all poetic forms, as long as they fit on a single page.

Genres:
Fiction, Novel, Novella, and Short Story

The CMICH Press Summit Series is a not-for-profit publisher that selects one book-length manuscript each year to publish through an open contest. The theme changes annually: this edition is open to fiction (a story collection, novella or novel) by writers from, or who have lived in, a Midwestern Great Lakes state (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio or Wisconsin). The winning manuscript is chosen by the Summit Series Editorial Board and a final judge.

Genres:
Fiction and Short Story

The competition invites short stories inspired by the prompt ‘FOOTPRINT’. Open to writers globally, both published and unpublished. Winning entries will be included in an anthology.

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.

Genres:
Poetry

Trick and treat? This fall, Gotham Writers Workshop wants your eeriest, most spine-tingling haiku. Theme: spooky, horror-flavoured verse about things that go bump in the night.

Genres:
Novel

Novel Sprint gives you a month of structure, momentum, and community to help you make serious progress on your book. Join thousands of writers for live workshops, writing sprints, and a shared goal: 50,000 words in November. At the end of the month, those who have written at least 50,000 words in Studio can submit their first chapters to our Reedsy Novel Sprint Contest.

Genres:
Fiction, Humor, and Short Story

A biennial humorous short story competition (10th competition for 2027) with no fixed theme. Stories must be in English, fictional, and humorous in some way (black comedy and dark humour allowed).

Genres:
Flash Fiction and Non-fiction

The WAWA challenges writers to explore the theme of ‘Endings’ through short stories of up to 500 words. Entries must not include the word ‘endings’ in the title or story itself. Winners will be announced in March 2025.

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.

Genres:
Non-fiction

The Reader Views Non-Fiction Awards celebrate excellent independently published works across various categories, offering professional reviews and promotional visibility.

Genres:
Fiction and Short Story

The Lascaux Prize in Short Fiction accepts both previously published and unpublished stories, allowing simultaneous submissions. The winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication in The Lascaux Review.

Genres:
Fantasy, Fiction, and Novel

Submit the first 2,000 words of a fantasy manuscript — finished, in progress or just a new idea — and compete for cash prizes and feedback from three review rounds. Six live writing sprints are included, and no finished book is needed. Authors retain all rights to their work.

Theme: fantasy, in any sub-genre.

Genres:
Poetry

The Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize invites submissions of poetry manuscripts. The prize includes cash awards and publication for the winner.

Genres:
Fiction, Non-fiction, and Novel

The Letter Review Prize for Books is an annual contest seeking excerpts from unpublished manuscripts across various genres. It aims to support writers at all stages and offers significant publication opportunities.

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.

Genres:
Poetry

The Letter Review Prize for Poetry is an internationally recognized contest that seeks to honor and publish outstanding poetry. It is part of The Letter Review’s mission to support writers and further their careers. The contest is open to all poets, with no restrictions on style or subject.

Genres:
Crime, Fantasy, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Script Writing, Thriller, Children’s, and Christian

Kinsman Black Box script submissions are open year-round for one-act and full-length plays, and the programme especially welcomes BIPOC and traditionally underrepresented playwrights. Selected scripts are published globally in the Kinsman Black Box online script database, which licenses work to schools, theatre groups and charitable organisations.

Genres:
Short Story and Fiction

The Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction is an internationally recognized writing contest that supports emerging writers. It offers monetary awards and publication opportunities, celebrating a diverse range of voices.

Genres:
Fiction

The New Voices Fiction Contest seeks bold and original short fiction from both emerging and established writers across all genres. It encourages submissions that challenge, entertain, and linger in the reader’s mind.

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

The Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest welcomes entries of 100 words or less on any theme. It emphasizes creativity, uniqueness, and growth in writing, encouraging diverse voices.

Genres:
Flash Fiction and Non-fiction

The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (The Mikey) is an annual competition celebrating and compensating the best micro fiction and nonfiction online. Fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid narratives that lean poetic are welcome, in English or any other language accompanied by an English translation, and both previously published and unpublished micros are considered. The grand prize winner is automatically nominated for Best Small Fictions, and all winners and finalists are published in the December 2026 issue of SmokeLong.