Discover writing and book contests from literary magazines, independent publishers, university presses, creative writing programs, and more.
Deadline: April 30, 2022
30th year, sponsored by Winning Writers, co-sponsored by Duotrope, and recommended by Reedsy. Submit published or unpublished work online to win $3,000 for the best story and $3,000 for the best essay. Ten Honorable Mentions will receive $200 each. Length limit: 6,000 words. Entry fee: $20. Top 12 entries published online. Judge: Mina Manchester. Learn more at winningwriters.com/tomstorynp22.
december seeks submissions for our 2022 Curt Johnson Prose Awards in fiction and creative nonfiction. Prizes each genre — $1,500 & publication (winner); $500 & publication (honorable mention). All finalists will be listed in the 2022 Fall/Winter awards issue. $20 entry fee includes a copy of the awards issue. Submit 1 story or essay up to 8,000 words deadline May 1. Complete guidelines at our website.
$2,000 in prizes. From March 1 to 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.
Deadline: June 1, 2022
Midway Journal‘s -1000 Below: Flash Prose and Poetry Contest is open! $500 first prize and publication in Midway, $250 second prize and publication in Midway; $50 third prize and publication in Midway. $10 entry. Unlimited entries. Judge: Kim Chinquee. For complete guidelines visit website.
The 16th Annual National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA) are open to all English language printed books available for sale, including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, and self-published authors. NIEA is proud to be a champion of self-publishing and small independent presses going the extra mile to produce books of excellence in every aspect. Visit website.
Deadline: April 30, 2022
30th year. Submit stories and essays to Winning Writers’ 2022 contest to win $3,000 and online publication. Accepts published and unpublished work. Co-sponsored by Duotrope. Recommended by Reedsy. Judged by Mina Manchester. Winners announced on October 15. View flyer and visit their website.
Deadline: June 15, 2022
Swan Scythe Press announces its 2022 poetry chapbook contest. Entry fee: $18. We are accepting submissions from March 1 to June 15 (postmark deadline). Winner receives $200 and 25 perfect-bound chapbooks. The 2021 winner is Rae Gouirand for Little Hour. For full submission guidelines, visit www.swanscythepress.com.
Deadlines: March 15, 2022; March 31, 2022
2022 Able Muse Contests :: Submit now! Write Prize (poetry & fiction): $500 each + publication. Final Judges: Aaron Poochigian (poetry), Dennis Must (fiction); $15 entry; deadline: March 15, 2022. Book Award (poetry): $1,000 + book publication. Final Judge: Rachel Hadas; $25 entry; deadline: March 31, 2022. Enter now—go to www.ablemusepress.com for full details.
Deadline: April 1, 2022
Submit one humor poem up to 250 lines to win $2,000. Second prize: $500. 10 Honorable Mentions: $100 each. Top 12 poems published online. 21st annual contest sponsored by Winning Writers and co-sponsored by Duotrope. No fee to enter. Accepts published and unpublished work. Judge: Jendi Reiter, assisted by Lauren Singer. This contest is recommended by Reedsy. Learn more and submit at winningwriters.com/werglenp22.
It’s a new month and if you are interested in submitting your work to writing contests in March, NewPages has you covered.
Besides the contests featured in our Classifieds, you can find even more opportunities by checking out our Big List of Writing Contests where we feature more than 60 contests with deadlines this month alone. All contests are arranged by deadline date. You’ll also be able to see what genres they are accepting and if they charge a fee.
Enjoy magazine contests, contests for published works, and book manuscript contests.
So what are you waiting for? Time to jump in.
Deadline: March 14, 2022
$2,500 honorarium and publication in the Fall/Winter issue of Colorado Review: Submit an unpublished story between 2,500 and 12,500 words by March 14, 2022 (we will observe a 5-day grace period). $15 reading fee (add $2 to submit online). Final judge is Ramona Ausubel; friends and students (current or former) of the judge are not eligible to compete, nor are Colorado State University employees, students, or alumni. Complete guidelines at nelliganprize.colostate.edu or Nelligan Prize, Colorado Review, 9105 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-9105.
February is officially over with after Monday. It doesn’t seem possible. Don’t let the shortest month of the year deter your writing goals! Check out all the submission opportunities featured on NewPages this past week while enjoying our new virtual duds. Don’t forget newsletter subscribers get early access to these opportunities and to our monthly eLitPak, so subscribe today if you haven’t already.
Continue reading “Weekly Round-up of Calls & Contests :: February 26, 2022”
Deadline: March 31, 2022
$5,000 New American Voices Award: a post-publication book prize for immigrant writers, from Fall for the Book and the Institute for Immigration Research. Submissions open for fiction and creative nonfiction. Two finalists receive $1,000 each. Previous winners include Patricia Engel, Lysley Tenorio, Melissa Rivero, and Hernán Díaz. Submission Deadline: March 31. View the full guidelines: fallforthebook.org/newamericanvoices/.
Deadline: March 31, 2022
American Writers Review announces its 2022 Writing Contest. We welcome fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, and photography $250 prize. Please see our submission site for details.
Deadline: March 31, 2022
The 16th Annual National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA) are open to all English language printed books available for sale, including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, and self-published authors. NIEA is proud to be a champion of self-publishing and small independent presses going the extra mile to produce books of excellence in every aspect. Visit website
Deadline: April 1, 2022
21st year. Submit one humor poem to Winning Writers’ 2022 contest to win $2,000 and online publication. Accepts published and unpublished work. Co-sponsored by Duotrope. Recommended by Reedsy. Judged by Jendi Reiter and Lauren Singer. Winners announced on August 15. There is no entry fee. View website.
With February half over, how are your submissions goals going? Don’t let them wane. Check out the submission opportunities featured on NewPages this past week. Plus, stay tuned for the February eLitPak fliers being posted to the blog today! Don’t forget newsletter subscribers get early access to ads and eLitPaks, so subscribe today!
Continue reading “Weekly Round-up of Calls & Contests :: February 18, 2022”
Deadline: April 10 (April 24 Extended)
Open to un-agented writers worldwide, the FIRST PAGES PRIZE invites you to enter your First Five Pages (1,250 words) of a longer work of fiction or creative nonfiction. Five winners receive cash awards, a tailored edit and an agent consultation. Our 2022 prize judge is author Justin Torres. Entry fee is $20 ($35 Extended). Visit our website for more information: www.firstpagesprize.com.
Deadline: March 14, 2022
(+5-day grace period)
$2,500 honorarium and publication in the Fall/Winter issue of Colorado Review: Submit an unpublished story between 2,500 and 12,500 words by March 14, 2022 (we will observe a 5-day grace period). $15 reading fee (add $2 to submit online). Final judge is Ramona Ausubel; friends and students (current or former) of the judge are not eligible to compete, nor are Colorado State University employees, students, or alumni. Complete guidelines at nelliganprize.colostate.edu or Nelligan Prize, Colorado Review, 9105 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-9105.
Deadline: February 1, 2022
A prize of $5,000 and publication by SIR Press is awarded annually for a collection of poetry written in English. All entries are considered for publication. Michael Waters is the final judge. Entrants receive a one-year subscription to Southern Indiana Review. Visit website.
Deadline: March 31, 2022
The 16th Annual National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA) are open to all English language printed books available for sale, including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, and self-published authors. NIEA is proud to be a champion of self-publishing and small independent presses going the extra mile to produce books of excellence in every aspect. Visit website.
Extended Deadline: January 31, 2022
Submit soon to our In-House Short Fiction & Single Poem Contests! On the short fiction side, we’re proud to announce that we’ve upped the award to $500 for the winning story and $150 for all runners-up! Winners and runners-up also receive publication, an interview, and an illustration that will appear alongside their story. All stories submitted are considered for publication by not one—but two editors, and response times are faster than usual. On the poetry side, all works are also considered for publication, with the runners-up awarded an interview, publication, and $50 per poem. The winner of the In-House Poetry Contest will receive $400, publication, a featured interview, and a commissioned illustration to appear alongside their work.
NewPages maintains two guides where young readers and writers can find print and online literary magazines to read, places to publish their own works, and legitimate contests: Publications for Young Writers and Writing Contests for Young Writers. Both of these are ad-free resources regularly updated with carefully vetted content.
The Lions Club International Peace Essay Contest is one of those listed, and the 2020-2021 winning essay “Peace Through Service” by 13-year-old Australian Joshua Wood is a beautiful example of the kinds of writing these contests can inspire. He can be seen/heard reading his essay on the site here, and his essay is available to read online or download to print.
If you know young readers and writers in your life, or if you yourself enjoy writing for young readers, check out these guides today!
[Image: National Youth Foundation poster for the “I Matter Poetry Contest.”]
Deadline: April 15, 2022
No prompt or theme. No Entry Fee. Word limit: 500 words, excluding title. Submit entries via email. Prizes: $200 first prize, $100 second prize, $50 third prize. Shortlisted stories receive $20 and publication. Judge: Pamela Painter. Contest Rules: One entry per author. Send your entry pasted into the body of an email and also as a Word attachment with the story title in the subject line. Double-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman. No name on entries. Submit an author bio in a separate attachment. Results announced June 30, 2022. View full guidelines here.
Extended Deadline: February 14, 2022
Submissions are now open for the 2022 New American Poetry Prize. Extended deadline: February 14, 2022. The winning author will receive a publication contract including $1,500, 25 copies, and promotional support. All forms and styles of poetry are welcome. Final judge this year is Eduardo C. Corral, author of Slow Lightning (2012), winner of the Yale Younger Poets Prize, and Guillotine (2020). Please use Submittable to send your work.