Discover writing and book contests from literary magazines, independent publishers, university presses, creative writing programs, and more.
RCC MUSE Literary Journal is open to submissions of poems about a child or childhood for their 2023 Holden Vaughn Spangler Award. Winner receives $200 and publication in the Spring 2023 issue.
See their ad in the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Carve Magazine has announced they are accepting submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for their 2022 Prose & Poetry Contest. Online submissions only ($17 fee). This year’s guest judges are Maurice Ruffin, Thirii My Kyaw Myint, and David J. Daniels.
Visit the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Cleaver online literary magazine has announced the winners of their 2022 Flash Contest. Winners, honorable mentions, and finalists will be published in Cleaver Issue No. 40, their 10th-anniversary issue.
Judge: Meg Pokrass
First Place: Sabrina Hicks
“When We Knew How to Get Lost”
Second Place: Janet Burroway
“The Tale of Molly Grimm”
Third Place: Dawn Miller
“The Egg”
HONORABLE MENTION
Laura Tanenbaum
Fannie H. Gray
Andrea Marcusa
Lisa Lanser-Rose
Andrew Stancek
Luke Tennis
Emily Hoover
James LaRowe
Paul Enea
Kris Willcox
Christina Simon
FINALISTS
Theo Greenblatt
Meredith McCarroll
Amanda Hadlock
Madeleine Barowsky
K Moore
Ron Tobey
Sarah Freligh
Nicholas Claro
Joe Artz
Lyn Chamberlin
Deadline: December 10, 2022
Pangyrus announces its first Fiction Contest. Calling all writers of short stories! The contest is an open theme and the judge is novelist Jennifer Haigh. Cash prizes and publication for the top three winners! Please see Pangyrus‘s Fiction Contest 2022 Submittable page or view flyer for more details.
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Deadline: December 31, 2022
The Tartt First Fiction Award from Livingston Press at the University of West Alabama is given annually to a collection of short stories written in English by an American citizen. Writers cannot have already published or be under contract to publish a fiction collection. Winner will receive $1000, plus standard royalty contract, which includes 60 copies of the book. Visit the Livingston Press website or view flyer to learn more.
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New American Press is officially open to its 2023 New American Poetry Prize through January 15, 2023. This year’s final judge is Jamaica Baldwin, author of Bone Language which is forthcoming in 2023. The winner receives $1,500 and book publication.
Stop by the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
New online and NFT-based literary magazine Megacity Review has announced its inaugural writing contest offering up to $1,000 prize for a fiction or nonfiction story. Deadline to enter work is November 15.
Seed their ad in the NewPages Classifieds for more information.
Interlochen Arts Academy’s creative writing program is accepting applications for its Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Competition. This is open to students in grades 8-11 during the 2022-23 school year and awards a full-tuition scholarship.
Stop by the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Conduit Books and Ephemera is open to submissions for their fifth annual Open Book Prize. The winner receives $1,500 and book publication. Any poet writing in English can enter regardless of previous publication record. Do check out their literary magazine Conduit for an idea of what they like. They do charge an entry fee. View their full ad in the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Madville Publishing currently has two open calls for submissions, The Second Annual Arthur Smith Poetry Prize for a full length poetry collection closes September 30, and the Sticks & Bricks: Stories from the Wrong Side of Town Anthology closes November 30, 2022. Visit our site and view our flyer for more information.
View the full September 2022 eLitPak Newsletter here. Want to get our eLitPak opportunities delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe today!
Deadline: October 1
The annual Permafrost Book Prize is open for submissions. Sponsored by Permafrost, the northernmost literary magazine in the U.S., the prize is awarded in alternate years in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In 2022, the prize will be awarded for nonfiction. Judge: Joy Castro. The winner of the contest will receive $1,000 and publication by the University of Alaska Press. Visit our website or view our flyer to learn more.
View the full September 2022 eLitPak Newsletter here. Want to get our eLitPak opportunities delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe today!
Submit published or unpublished poems to the 20th annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest sponsored by Winning Writers and co-sponsored by Duotrope. We will award $3,000 for the best poem in any style and $3,000 for the best poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. The top 12 poems will be published online. Final judge: S. Mei Sheng Frazier. Deadline: September 30. Fee: $20 for 1-3 poems. View flyer to learn more.
View the full September 2022 eLitPak Newsletter here. Want to get our eLitPak opportunities delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe today!
The winner of the 2022 X. J. Kennedy Prize receives a $10,000 advance and publication by Texas Review Press. This year’s judge is Kimiko Hahn. Poets at any stage of their career are welcome to enter. Unpublished full-length collections need to be submitted by September 30. Stop by the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
The judge of the 2022 George Garrett Fiction Prize is Vi Khi Nao. The contest is open to any writer at any stage of their career. Submit work to Texas Review Press by September 30. Grand prize is $1,000 advance and publication. Learn more by stopping by their ad in the NewPages Classifieds.
Carve Magazine recently announced the winners of the 2022 Raymond Carver Contest judged by Dariel Suarez:
FIRST PLACE: Brandon J. Choi for “To Love a Stranger is Certain Death”
SECOND PLACE: Candice May for “A Rugged Border”
THIRD PLACE: Megan Callahan for “Don’t Speak”
EDITORS CHOICE: Abby Provenzano for “Birdsong” and Ned Carter Miles for “–K”
Winners will be published in the Fall 2022 Issue, which is currently in production. The contest runs annually from April 1 — mid-May.
That’s right. There is now only one month left to enter Winning Writers’ Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. This is open to poems written in English. They can have been previously published. $20 fee to enter 1-3 poems for a chance to win $3,000. Deadline to enter is September 30.
See the ad in the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Conduit Books and Ephemera is open to submissions for their fifth annual Open Book Prize. The winner receives $1,500 and book publication. Any poet writing in English can enter regardless of previous publication record. Do check out their literary magazine Conduit for an idea of what they like. They do charge an entry fee. View their full ad in the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Literary magazine Whitefish Review is accepting entries of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for its Montana Prize for Humor. This year’s final judge is legendary funnyman and writer Garrison Keillor. Deadline to enter is September 30. The winner in each genre receives $500 and publication. There is an entry fee. View their ad in the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Deadline: September 30
Submit published or unpublished poems to the 20th annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest sponsored by Winning Writers and co-sponsored by Duotrope. We will award $3,000 for the best poem in any style and $3,000 for the best poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. The top 12 poems will be published online. Final judge: S. Mei Sheng Frazier. Fee: $20 for 1-3 poems.
View the full August 2022 eLitPak Newsletter. Don’t forget to subscribe today to receive the September 2022 eLitPak Newsletter straight to your inbox.
Button Poetry’s 2022 Video Contest is open to submissions of brave poetry that crosses borders or effaces them completely through August 31. This year’s finalist judge is Sabrina Benaim, author of Depression & Other Magic Tricks. There is a fee to submit. Please see their full ad in the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Don’t forget September 30 is the deadline to enter the 2022 Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest from Winning Writers. This contest awards two top prizes: $3,000 for a poem in a traditional/rhyming style and $3,000 for a poem in any style. Work can be previously published. $8,000 awarded in total. Stop by the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Every year Black Lawrence Press awards The St. Lawrence Book Award to an unpublished first collection of poetry or prose. This award is open to any writer who has not published a full-length manuscript in any genre. The winner receives $1,000, book publication, and ten copies of the winning book. Deadline to enter is August 31, 2022. Find out more by stopping the NewPages Classifieds.
Deadline: August 31, 2022
The Off the Grid Poetry Prize recognizes the work of older poets, highlighting important contemporary voices in American poetry. Each year a winner is awarded $1,000 and publication. Contest runs through August 31, 2022. Garrett Hongo will judge. Find full guidelines here or view flyer for more information.
Not a NewPages Newsletter subscriber yet? View the full July 2022 eLitPak here.
The 2022 Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize closes to entries on July 31! This year’s judge is Juan Felipe Herrera. The winner will receive $1,000, their poem printed on a letterpress broadside, and publication in Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine. Learn more about this year’s contest by stopping by their ad in the NewPages Classifieds.
Winning Writers announces they are open to entries for their 20th Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest! Two prizes of $3,000 will be awarded: one to a poem in any style and the other for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. Both published and unpublished work accepted. Deadline to enter is September 30. S. Mei Sheng Frazier will judge this year’s contest. Stop by the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Winning Writers will award a grand prize of $8,000 in its eighth annual North Street competition, and $16,750 in all. The top eight winners will enjoy additional benefits from our co-sponsors BookBaby and Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Gifts for everyone who enters. Submit books published in any year and on any self-publishing platform. $70 entry fee. Enter online or by mail by June 30. Learn more at our website and view flyer for full details.
If you’re not subscribed to our weekly newsletter, view the full June 2022 eLitPak here.
That’s right! If you missed the June 15 deadline for the 2022 New American Fiction Prize, you’re in luck! New American Press has announced they have extended the deadline to July 1. This year’s final judge is WEIKE WANG. Winner receives $1,500, publication, and 25 copies. Swing by their ad in the NewPages Classifieds for more information.
That’s right. You now have until July 15 to enter poetry manuscripts of at least 48 pages to the 2022 Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry from Lynx House Press. $28 fee to enter. Winner receives $2,000 and book publication. Stop by the NewPages Classifieds for more information.
Don’t forget that July 15 is the deadline to submit fiction and poetry to Nimrod‘s Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers. This contest is open internationally to writers with no more than two publication credits in their chosen genre. The winners in each genre receive $500 and publication. See their ad in the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
That’s right! There’s only one week left to enter your full-length manuscripts to the 2022 New American Fiction Prize from New American Press. Manuscripts can be novels, novellas, collections of stories, etc. Weike Wang, author of Joan Is Okay (Random House 2022) is the final judge. Enter your manuscripts by June 15, 2022! See their ad in the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
July 31 is the deadline to submit up to 3 original, unpublished poems to the 2022 Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize. First place receives $1,000, letterpress broadside from Felicia Rice of Moving Parts Press, and publication in Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine. Enter today! Learn more by stopping by the NewPages Classifieds.
There is only one month left to enter self-published books to the 8th annual North Street Book Prize from Winning Writers. Self-published books in seven categories can win up to $8,000 plus additional benefits. They are also offering free gifts from their co-sponsors to everyone who enters. Submit your own self-published title by June 30, 2022. See their ad in the NewPages Classifieds for full details.
Our contest this year will be judged by author and critic, Camille Acker. We’re looking for previously unpublished fiction of up to 8,000 words. The deadline is June 15, 2022. First place is $2,500 with an invitation to an awards dinner. Second place $750. Third place $500. The winning stories will be published in the Fall print issue of Philadelphia Stories, with all entrants receiving a complimentary copy. All authors currently residing in the United States are eligible. $15 fee. We can’t wait to read your stories! Visit website.
View the full May 2022 eLitPak newsletter.
Divot reads on a rolling basis and is currently reading poetry for our summer issues! Please send us your best work. We would love to read up to 6 poems. Also, check out our Divot Poetry Chapbook Contest ending June 15, 2022. See our submission and contest guidelines. We can’t wait to hear from you! Visit website.
View the full May 2022 eLitPak newsletter.
The MFA in Creative and Professional Writing at Western Connecticut State University is still accepting all books published in 2021 for the 2022 Housatonic Book Awards. Open to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young adult/middle grade. Winners receive $1,500 and an invitation to our summer or winter residency. See our website for past winners and submission details.
View the full May 2022 eLitPak newsletter.
The Off the Grid Poetry Prize recognizes the work of older poets, highlighting important contemporary voices in American poetry. Each year a winner is awarded $1,000 and publication. Contest runs from May 1 – August 31, 2022. Garrett Hongo will judge. Find full guidelines here.
View the full May 2022 eLitPak newsletter.
$2,000 in prizes. Until May 31, Flying South 2022 will be accepting entries for prizes in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry. Best in Category winners will be published and receive $500 each. The WSW President’s award winner will win an additional $500. All entries will be considered for publication. For full details, please visit our website.
View the full May 2022 eLitPak newsletter.
Winning Writers will award a grand prize of $8,000 in its eighth annual North Street competition, and $16,750 in all. The top eight winners will enjoy additional benefits from our co-sponsors BookBaby and Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Gifts for everyone who enters. Submit books published in any year and on any self-publishing platform. $70 entry fee. Enter online or by mail by June 30. Learn more at our website.
View the full May 2022 eLitPak newsletter.
The annual BLR Prizes award outstanding writing related to themes of health, healing, illness, the mind, and the body. Winners are published in the spring issue of BLR. For each genre, first prize is $1000 and honorable mention is $250. Submit your best poetry, fiction, and nonfiction through July 1. Visit website.
View the full May 2022 eLitPak newsletter.
Conduit Books & Ephemera has announced their 5th annual Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize is accepting entries through July 7, 2022. This prize is open to poets writing in English who have not yet published a full-length collection and is dedicated to championing poets who dance to their own tune not to be different, but to be true. Stop by the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Literary magazine Philadelphia Stories is open to submissions from writers across the U.S. for its 2022 Marguerite McGlinn Fiction Contest through June 15. Top prize is $2,500, publication, and invitation to an awards dinner. Learn more about this year’s contest by stopping by the NewPages Classifieds.
Literary magazine Nimrod is open to submissions for their 2022 Francine Ringold Award for New Writers. This contest is open to writers with no more than two previous publication credits in their genre. Winners in poetry and fiction will receive $500 and publication. Deadline to enter is July 15, 2022. Learn more by stopping by the NewPages Classifieds.
That’s right! The deadline to enter Swan Scythe Press’ 2022 Poetry Chapbook Contest is only about a month away on June 15. This is a postmark deadline. The winner of the 2021 Poetry Chapbook Contest was Rae Gouirand for her manuscript Little Hour. The winner of this year’s contest will receive $200, publication, and 25 perfect-bound copies. Stop by the NewPages Classifieds for full details.
New American Press has announced the 2022 New American Fiction Prize with a deadline of June 15. Weike Wang, author of Joan is Okay, will act as final judge. All full-length fiction manuscripts are welcome. Winner receives publication contract including $1,500, 25 copies, and promotional support. View their ad in the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Juan Felipe Herrera, former US Poet Laureate and author of numerous poetry collections, is set to act as the judge for the 2022 Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize. Besides receiving a $1,000 cash prize and publication in Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine, the winner also receives a letterpress broadside printed by Felicia Rice of Moving Parts Press. Stop by the NewPages Classifieds to learn more.
Deadline: May 31, 2022
The 2022 Autumn House Press Prizes in Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction are open! Winners of each prize receive publication of their full-length manuscripts. Each winner also receives a $1,000 honorarium and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant to promote the book. The submission period closes on May 31 (Eastern Time). Please submit online, through our online submission manager. The reading fee is $30 (we will waive the submission fee for those undergoing financial hardship or living with limited means). Submission should be previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions permitted. The judges for the 2022 prizes are Carl Phillips (poetry), Venita Blackburn (fiction), and Lia Purpura (nonfiction).
Deadline: May 31, 2022
$2,000 in prizes. Enter by May 31! Flying South 2022, a publication of Winston Salem Writers, is accepting entries for prizes in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry. Best in Category winners will be published and receive $500 each. One of the three winners will receive The WSW President’s Favorite award and win an additional $500. All entries will be considered for publication. For full details, please visit our website: www.wswriters.org/flying-south.
Deadline: June 30, 2022
Now in its eighth year, the North Street Book Prize is sponsored by Winning Writers. Self-published books in seven categories can win up to $8,000 plus additional benefits. Submit online or by mail. Winning Writers is a partner member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, and this contest is recommended by Reedsy. Entry fee: $70 per book. Free gifts from our co-sponsors for everyone who enters. winningwriters.com/northnp22
Deadline: June 15, 2022
Lynx House Press seeks submissions of full-length poetry manuscripts for the annual Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry. The winner will receive $2,000 and publication. Entries must be at least 48 pages in length. The fee for submitting is $28. Previous judges include James Tate, Yusef Komunyakaa, Dorianne Laux, Dara Wier, Melissa Kwasny, and Robert Wrigley.
Deadline: May 16, 2022
Carve Magazine’s 2022 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest is open through May 16. Accepting submissions from all over the world. Max 10,000 words. Prizes: $2,000, $500, $250, + 2 Editor’s Choice $125 each. All 5 winners will be published in the Fall 2022 issue and reviewed by lit agencies. Entry fee $17 online. Guest judge Dariel Suarez. Guidelines and instructions: www.carvezine.com/raymond-carver-contest/.
