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NewPages Blog :: Writing Contests

Discover writing and book contests from literary magazines, independent publishers, university presses, creative writing programs, and more.

Contest :: Final Month to Submit to RATTLE’s 2020 Poetry Prize

2020 RATTLE Poetry Prize flier
click image to open PDF

July 15th is the deadline to submit to the 15th annual Rattle Poetry Prize which has grown to $15,000 for a single poem. Ten finalists also receive $200 and publication, and are eligible for the $5,000 Readers’ Choice Award. With an entry fee that is simply a one-year subscription to the magazine—and a runner-up Readers’ Choice Award to be chosen by the writers themselves—the Rattle Poetry Prize aims to be one of the most writer-friendly and popular poetry contests around. Visit www.rattle.com/prize for the complete guidelines and to read all of the past winners.

Contest :: 2020 Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize Deadline is August 15

The deadline for the Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize 2020 is August 15. This year’s Judges are Dorianne Laux and Joseph Millar. $1,000 for first place and a letterpress broadside, $500 for second, $250 for third. Top five published in Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine. Submit up to 3 original unpublished poems. $15 entry fee. For complete guidelines, see redwheelbarrow.submittable.com.

Contest :: 2020 Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers

2020 Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers posterDeadline: July 15, 2020
Submissions are open for Nimrod’s Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers. The Ringold Awards offer prizes of $500 and publication for fiction and poetry, and are open only to writers with no more than two previous publication credits in their genre. For poetry, submit up to five pages; for fiction, one short story, 5,000 words maximum. The contest is open internationally. All finalists will be published and paid at our normal rates. Manuscripts may be mailed or submitted online: nimrodjournal.submittable.com/submit.  Each entry must be accompanied by a $12 entry fee. Email [email protected] or visit nimrod.utulsa.edu for complete rules.

Contest :: Fiction Southeast Open to Story of the Month Submissions Year-round

Each month, the editors will select one short-short story (under 1,000 words). The winning story will grace the front page of the website for the entire month and will be listed on the Stories of the Month Page, as well as the Fiction Page. The reading fee will be $10, and the winner will receive $50. Submit here: fictionsoutheast.submittable.com/submit/163713/story-of-the-month. The first Story of the Month winner is now available! Read Serena Ferrari’s “Zp, Signed with Love.”

Contest :: Black Warrior Review Open to 2020 Contest Submissions

Deadline: September 1, 2020
Biannual print journal Black Warrior Review seeks 2020 contest submissions. Winners will receive publication and cash prizes ($500 for flash and $1,000 for poetry, fiction, and CNF). Judges: Mayukh Sen (nonfiction), Paul Tran (poetry), C Pam Zhang (flash), and Lucy Corin (fiction). Open until 9/1. They have reduced their submission fee to $15 fiction/nonfiction/poetry. $6 flash. Complete information available at bwr.ua.edu.

Contest :: North Street Book Prize Deadline is June 30

Winning Writers North Street Book PrizeNow in its 6th year with a grand prize of $5,000, the North Street Book Prize for Self-Published Books closes to entries on June 30. Top winner in each category will win $1,000. Co-sponsored by BookBaby and Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Categories: Mainstream/Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction, Creative Nonfiction & Memoir, Poetry, Children’s Picture Book, and Graphic Novel & Memoir. $12,500 in total cash prizes. Fee: $65 per book. Final judges: Jendi Reiter and Ellen LaFleche. Submit online or by mail. Winning Writers is one of the “101 Best Websites for Writers” (Writer’s Digest). Guidelines: winningwriters.com/north.

Contest :: 2020 Charlotte Mew Chapbook Contest

Headmistress Press logoDeadline: July 4, 2020
Headmistress Press, a lesbian-identified publisher of books by LBT poets, is proud to announce our sixth annual Charlotte Mew Chapbook Contest. Our judge for this year is Vi Khi Nao. Our first-prize winner will receive $300 plus 20 copies of the winning book. All entries will be considered for publication. We will be accepting submissions from May 4 to July 4, 2020 through Submittable and will announce a winner in the fall. Our reading fee is always on a sliding scale, with fee waived upon request. FOR MORE INFORMATION: headmistresspress.blogspot.com/2017/07/charlotte-mew-chapbook-contest.html. SUBMIT HERE: headmistresspress.submittable.com/submit.

Contest :: Hunger Press Tiny Fork Chapbook Series

Deadline: September 1, 2020
We’re thrilled to announce The Hunger Journal has now expanded to include The Hunger Press, starting with our Tiny Fork Chapbook Series. We believe art and literature is eternally important, and we want to use this opportunity to welcome new writers and readers into The Hunger community by producing well-designed, dynamic, hand-bound chapbooks. We will be accepting submissions from June 1–September 1. We welcome poetry, prose, and hybrid manuscripts of 15–40 pages. For more details on the Tiny Fork Chapbook Series and submission process, please go to www.thehungerjournal.com/tiny-fork-chapbooks.

Contest :: Orison 2020 Chapbook Prize Closes July 1

There is now under 1 month left to submit work to the 2020 Orison Chapbook Prize. Send submissions of 20–45 pages in any literary genre (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or hybrid) from April 1–July 1. Orison Books founder and editor Luke Hankins will judge. The winner will receive $300 and publication by Orison Books. Entry fee: $12. For complete guidelines, see www.orisonbooks.submittable.com.

Contest :: 2020 Orison Anthology Awards Open to Submissions

Mark August 1 in your submissions calendars. That’s the deadline to submit work to the 2020 Orison Anthology Awards. The 2020 Orison Anthology Awards in Fiction, Nonfiction, & Poetry offer $500 and publication by Orison Books in The Orison Anthology for a single work in each genre. Judges: Blair Hurley (fiction), E. J. Koh (nonfiction), and Joy Ladin (poetry). Entry fee: $15. Submission Period: May 1-August 1. Find complete details at www.orisonbooks.submittable.com.

Contest :: Crazyhorse’s 2020 Crazy Shorts! Contest

Deadline: July 31, 2020
From July 1st to July 31st, Crazyhorse will accept entries for our annual short-short fiction contest. Submit 3 short-shorts of up to 500 words each through our website: crazyhorse.cofc.edu. First place wins $1,000 and publication; 3 runners-up will be announced. All entries will be considered for publication; the $15 entry fee includes a one-year subscription to Crazyhorse. For more information, visit: crazyhorse.cofc.edu/crazyshorts.

Contest :: 2020 Burnside Review Chapbook Contest

Deadline: June 30, 2020
2020 BURNSIDE REVIEW CHAPBOOK CONTEST. Judge: Lara Glenum. Winner receives $200 and 10 copies. Chapbooks are elegantly designed with letterpressed covers. Runs March 15–June 30. Submit 18–24 pages of poetry. $15 entry fee. All submissions must be made through our submission manager: www.burnsidereview.org.

Lynx House Press Extends Deadline of 2020 Blue Lynx Prize

2020 Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry banner for extensionExtended Deadline: June 30, 2020
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, and includes a copy of a book from our catalog. Previous judges include James Tate, Yusef Komunyakaa, Dorianne Laux, Dara Wier, Melissa Kwasny, and Robert Wrigley. lynxhousepress.submittable.com/submit

Contest :: Autumn House 2020 Poetry, Fiction & Nonfiction Contests

Autumn House Press logoDeadline: June 30, 2020
Autumn House Full-Length Contests for Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction are accepting submissions! Winners of each contest receive publication of their full-length manuscripts. Each winner also receives $2,500 ($1,000 advance against royalties and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant to promote the book). The submission period closes on June 30, 2020 (Eastern Time). To submit online, please visit our online submission manager. The judges for the 2020 full-length contests are Ilya Kaminsky (poetry), Dan Chaon (fiction), and Jaquira Díaz (nonfiction).

CANCELLED :: Tolsun Books’ Translation Chapbook Contest

Deadline: July 31, 2020
The Tolsun Books’ Translation Chapbook Contest, judged by Minna Zallman Proctor, will be held June 1st-July 31st, 2020. Submit a chapbook of about 25 pages of translated poetry, short stories, flash memoir, essays, or hybrids. We favor dynamic voices and non-traditional themes. Winner receives publication and 50 copies of their chapbook. See additional details at tolsunbooks.com/submissions.

**Update 6/29/20: Tolsun Books has decided to cancel this year’s chapbook contest.**

Contest :: The Conium Review 2020 Innovative Short Fiction Contest

The Conium Review 2020 Innovative Fiction Contest FlierDeadline: July 1, 2020
The Conium Review 2020 Innovative Short Fiction Contest is open for submissions. Winner receives $500, publication in the next print edition, five copies of the issue, and a copy of the judge’s latest book. This year’s judge is Emily Wortman-Wunder, author of Not a Thing to Comfort You (University of Iowa Press). July 1st deadline. $15 entry fee. Guidelines here: coniumreview.com/contests.

[CLOSED] Contest :: 2020 Sublingua Prize for Poetry

Deadline: July 1 2020
Send us your BEST FIVE pieces! Get your work in front of our judge, award-winning KHADIJAH QUEEN, author of six books, most recently, ANODYNE (Tin House, August 2020)!! Prize is open to writers who haven’t yet published a book-length collection or a chapbook. Submission fee: $15 for five pieces. Even if you’re not a winner or a finalist, you may still be published in our print issue and 2) you may be read by our judge. Past contributors include Rae Armantrout, Kiki Petrosino, Philip Metres, Kathy Fish, Andrea Rexilius, Eric Baus, J Michael Martinez and more.

Contest :: $5,000 Miller Williams Poetry Prize

Every year, the University of Arkansas Press accepts submissions for the Miller Williams Poetry Series and from the books selected awards the $5,000 Miller Williams Poetry Prize in the following summer. For almost a quarter century the press has made this series the cornerstone of its work as a publisher of some of the country’s best poetry. The series is edited by Patricia Smith. The deadline for the 2022 Prize is September 30, 2020. Jayson Iwen’s Roze & Blud, published in March 2020, was the winner of the 2020 Miller Williams Poetry Prize. For more information visit uapress.com.

Contest :: Laux/Millar RR Prize Closes June 1

This is just a reminder that literary magazine Raleigh Review is open to submissions for its 2020 Laux/Millar RR Prize until 5 AM EST on June 1.

Initial judges for the prize are the poetry team of the literary magazine, stacked with award winners. Joseph Millar and Dorianne Laux will then judge the finalists. All entrants will receive a copy of the prize issue (a $20 value) to be released in Fall 2020.

Entry fee for the contest is $15 to submit up to 5 poems. First prize is $500 and publication. Finalists will receive $15 and publication. All poems submitted will be considered for normal publication along with Raleigh Review‘s standard pay rate.

Submissions are accepted via Submittable only.

Contest :: Poet Hunt 25 from The MacGuffin

The MacGuffin 2020 Poet Hunt flierDeadline: June 15, 2020
The MacGuffin’s 25th Poet Hunt Contest runs April 1 through June 15! One first place winner will receive $500 and publication; up to two Honorable Mentions also selected. We’re happy to have Matthew Olzmann as guest judge! Send up to five poems per $15 entry fee. On a cover page, list your contact info and poem titles. On the following page(s), include your poems, beginning each poem on a new page devoid of personally identifiable information to preserve the blind review process. Enter via Submittable (themacguffin.submittable.com/submit), or to enter by email or post, see full rules at our website (schoolcraft.edu/macguffin/contest-rules).

2020 Marguerite McGlinn Prize for Fiction

Philadelphia Stories eLitPak flierThis annual national short fiction contest features a first place $2,000 cash award and invitation to an awards dinner on Friday, October 9, on the campus of Rosemont College; a second place cash prize of $500; and third place cash prize of $250. Requirements: unpublished works of fiction up to 8,000 words; $15 reading fee. Deadline: June 15. philadelphiastories.org

View the full May eLitPak newsletter here.

Gival Press Sponsored Contests: Novel Award Deadline Approaching

Gival Press Winter 2020 LitPak FlierGival Press is hosting three contests in 2020: the Gival Press Novel Award, the Gival Press Oscar Wilde Award, and the Gival Press Short Story Award. The Novel Award deadlines is May 30. The prize is $3k and book publication in 2021. The Oscar Wilde Award for the best LGBTQ poem deadline is June 27. The prize is $500 and online publication. The Short Story Award deadline is August 8. The Prize is $1,000 and online publication. For complete details on each contest, visit: www.Givalpress.Submittable.com.

View the full May eLitPak newsletter here.

Contest :: 2020 Red Wheelbarrow Prize 2020

Red WheelbarrowDeadline: August 15, 2020
Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize 2020: Judged by Dorianne Laux and Joseph Millar. $1,000 for first place and a letterpress broadside, $500 for second, $250 for third. Top five published in Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine. Submit up to 3 original unpublished poems. $15 entry fee. Deadline: August 15. For complete guidelines, see redwheelbarrow.submittable.com.

Contest :: 1 Month Left to Submit to Swan Scythe Press Chapbook Contest

Swan Scythe Press logoSwan Scythe Press is accepting manuscripts for its 2020 Poetry Chapbook Contest through June 15. Submit a manuscript of 20-32 pages of poems that includes a title page with author’s name, address, phone number, and email address and a second title page without personal identifiers, book title only. Manuscripts can be mailed to 1468 Mallard Way, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 or submitted online, visit swanscythepress.submittable.com/submit. Entry fee is $18.00 payable to Swan Scythe Press. Winner receives $200 and 25 perfect-bound chapbooks. For full guidelines and details, please visit www.swanscythepress.com.

Contest :: 2020 Rattle Poetry Prize

2020 RATTLE Poetry Prize flierDeadline: July 15, 2020
The 15th annual Rattle Poetry Prize has grown to $15,000 for a single poem. Ten finalists also receive $200 and publication, and are eligible for the $5,000 Readers’ Choice Award. With an entry fee that is simply a one-year subscription to the magazine—and a runner-up Readers’ Choice Award to be chosen by the writers themselves—the Rattle Poetry Prize aims to be one of the most writer-friendly and popular poetry contests around. Visit www.rattle.com/prize for the complete guidelines and to read all of the past winners.

Contest :: Fiction Southeast Story of the Month Contest

Online literary magazine Fiction Southeast has launched the Story of the Month Contest to honor the best short fiction under 1,000 words. Each month the winning story will grace the front page of the website for the entire month and will be listed on the Stories of the Month Page, as well as the Fiction Page. The reading fee is $10, and the winner will receive $50. Submit here: fictionsoutheast.submittable.com/submit/163713/story-of-the-month. Entries are accepted year-round.

Contest :: KAKALAK 2020 Poetry & Art Contest Closes May 18

KAKALAK 2019 coverDon’t forget that the deadline to submit poetry and art that evokes the spirit of the Carolinas from the Outer Banks and Low Country to the Piedmont and Appalachia is May 18. Anyone can enter. Entry fee: $12 for 1-3 poems or 1-3 images. All entries considered for publication. All contributors will receive one copy for each item selected for publication. Prize money ranges from $300 to $20. Details can be found on the Kakalak contest page of the www.MainStreetRag.com website.

Contest :: Conduit Books & Ephemera’s 2020 Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize Accepting Submissions

Conduit Books & Ephemera logoDeadline: June 30, 2020
Now in its third year, the Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize awards $1,000 and publication to a poet writing in English who has not yet published a full-length book of poetry. If you have a smoking hot manuscript or know someone who does, please give us a shot. The Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize champions poets who dance to their own tune not to be different but to be true. Previously unpublished manuscripts of 48-90 pages should be submitted through our Submittable page or via the USPS. Please visit www.conduit.org/book-prizes for details.

Deadline Extension :: 2020 Sandeen Prize in Poetry

Deadline has been extended to June 1 due to COVID-19.
The Sandeen Prize in Poetry is open to any author, with the exception of ND graduates, who has published at least one collection of poetry. We pay special attention to second volumes. A $15 administrative fee should accompany submissions. Make checks payable to University of Notre Dame. The volumes of the Sandeen Prize will be published in trade paperback format. The author will be offered a standard contract with the University of Notre Dame Press. There will be a $1,000 prize, a $500 award, and a $500 advance against royalties from the Notre Dame Press. Submission information on program website: english.nd.edu/creative-writing/.

Contest :: Flying South Accepting Submissions through May 31

Winston Salem Writers is offering $2,000 in prizes for its annual Flying South writing contests. Best in each category (fiction, nonfiction, and poetry) receives $500. One of the three winners will receive an additional $500 as the WSW President’s Favorite award. All entries will be considered for publication in the next issue of literary magazine Flying South. For full details, please visit our website: www.wswriters.org.

Contest :: Raymond Carver Short Story Contest Deadline is May 15

Don’t forget that May 15 is the deadline to submit short fiction of no more than 10,000 words to Carve Magazine‘s 2020 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest. Submissions welcome from writers world-wide as long as they are written in English. Prizes: $2,000, $500, $250, + 2 Editor’s Choice $125 each. All 5 winners published in Fall 2020 issue and reviewed by lit agencies. Entry fee $17 online/$15 mailed. Guest judge Pam Houston. www.carvezine.com/raymond-carver-contest/

Contest :: 2020 Cathy Smith Bowers Chapbook Contest

Open: May 1–June 15
Prize: $1000, publication, 50 author copies. Reading Fee: $15 (electronic submission $17). Length: 28-40 pages of poetry. First round judging done blindly by Main Street Rag editors. Final Judge: Cathy Smith Bowers, former Poet Laureate of North Carolina. 2019 Contest winner, Doralee Brooks of Bridgeville, PA for her book, When I Hold You Up to the Light. All entries considered for publication. Details: www.mainstreetrag.com.

Contest :: 2020 Orison Anthology Awards

Deadline: August 1, 2020
The 2020 Orison Anthology Awards in Fiction, Nonfiction, & Poetry offer $500 and publication by Orison Books in The Orison Anthology for a single work in each genre. Judges: Blair Hurley (fiction), E. J. Koh (nonfiction), and Joy Ladin (poetry). Entry fee: $15. Submission Period: May 1-August 1. Find complete details at www.orisonbooks.submittable.com.

Contest :: Killer Nashville Accepting Entries for 2020 Silver Falchion Award

Killer Nashville 2020 ContestsThe Silver Falchion Award is an open competition for works published in 2019. These books must be in the mystery, crime, true crime, and thriller genres. Conference attendees can submit for free. If you aren’t attending the 2020 conference taking place August 20-23 in Nashville, Tennessee, then the fee is $79. Submission deadline is June 1. Finalists will be announced in July. Finalists and winners will be honored during an awards dinner on August 22. For complete details including prize information, visit www.KillerNashville.com.

Contest :: River Styx Poetry Contest – $1000 Prize plus Publication

Deadline: May 31, 2020
The 2020 River Styx International Poetry Contest awards $1,000 and publication for the best poem. Lee Ann Roripaugh is this year’s final judge. $20 entry fee includes one-year subscription to River Styx, beginning with the prize-winner issue; $15 fee includes prize-winner issue only. Up to three poems per entry. Multiple entries permitted with multiple entry fees. Submit online at riverstyx.submittable.com/submit or via postal mail to River Styx Poetry Contest, 3301 Washington Ave, Suite 2C, St. Louis, MO, 63103. Deadline is May 31, 2020 (postmarked). Complete guidelines at www.riverstyx.org/submit/poetry-contest/.

Hate Waiting? ALR’s Flash Flood Contest Is for You

ALR Flash Flood ContestMy least favorite aspect of submitting work is waiting for a reply. I’m so eager to hear back that checking my email inbox almost becomes a hobby.

For writers who feel similarly, consider submitting to American Literary Review‘s Flash Flood Contest which consists of two week submission windows for stories up to 1000 words. Winners will be decided upon by the following Friday and will be published at the ALR website shortly after.

You have a few more days to send in your stories for this submission period. Learn more about the Flash Flood guidelines at their website.

Contest :: Lynx House Press 2020 Blue Lynx Prize

TLynx House Press 2020 Poetry Prize flierhere is now one month left to submit poetry collections of at least 48 pages to Lynx House Press for their Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry. The $28 submission fee includes a copy of a book from their catalog.

The winner will receive $2,000 and publication. Previous judges have included Previous judges include James Tate, Yusef Komunyakaa, Dorianne Laux, Dara Wier, Melissa Kwasny, and Robert Wrigley. Submit your manuscripts at lynxhousepress.submittable.com/submit by June 1.

Contest :: North Street Book Prize for Self-Published Books

Winning Writers North Street Book PrizeDeadline: June 30, 2020
6th year. Grand prize of $5,000. Top winner in each category will win $1,000. Co-sponsored by BookBaby and Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Categories: Mainstream/Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction, Creative Nonfiction & Memoir, Poetry, Children’s Picture Book, and Graphic Novel & Memoir. $12,500 in total cash prizes. Fee: $65 per book. Final judges: Jendi Reiter and Ellen LaFleche. Submit online or by mail. Winning Writers is one of the “101 Best Websites for Writers” (Writer’s Digest). Guidelines: winningwriters.com/north.

Deadline Extension Alert :: Southern Humanities Review 2020 Auburn Witness Poetry Prize

Yes, that’s right! Literary magazine Southern Humanities Review has chosen to extend the deadline to their annual Auburn Witness Poetry Prize. You know have until May 8 to submit up to three poems. SHR welcomes submissions from poets of all levels in their careers and especially seek work from underrepresented voices. First place is $1,000 and publication in the journal. The winner will also receive travel expenses to attend a reading at Auburn University in October. This year’s judge is Paisley Rekdal. www.southernhumanitiesreview.com/auburn-witness-poetry-prize.html

Contest :: 2020 Laux/Millar RR Prize

Raleigh Review - Spring 2020Deadline: June 1, 2020 at 5 AM EST
Raleigh Review is open for the 2020 Laux/Millar Raleigh Review Poetry Prize. All entrants to the contest receive the fall 2020 issue. Raleigh Review is a nonprofit literary arts organization now in its 11th year. Works selected during the spring submission period will appear in the fall issue. To submit, visit: raleighreview.submittable.com/submit/.

Black Warrior Review Reduces Entry Fee for Annual Contests

Black Warrior Review - Spring 2020Black Warrior Review has decided to lower the rates to enter work into their annual writing contests. The submission fee to enter fiction, nonfiction, and poetry is now $15 while the fee to enter flash is now $6. Winners will receive publication and cash prizes ($500 for flash and $1,000 for poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction). This year’s judges are Mayukh Sen, Paul Tran, C Pam Zhang, and Lucy Corin. Open until September 1. Complete information available at bwr.ua.edu.

Contest :: Orison Chapbook Prize Open to Submissions

July 1 is the deadline to submit 20-45 page manuscripts to the 2020 Orison Chapbook Prize. Submissions are welcome in any literary genre, i.e. poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or hybrid. Orison Books founder and editor Luke Hankins will judge. The winner receives $300 and publication. $12 entry fee. For complete guidelines, see www.orisonbooks.submittable.com.

Contest :: Baltimore Review Wants Short Shorts

The Baltimore Review has not set a theme for their annual summer contest this year. Instead, they want to see short shorts. Send flash fiction, flash creative nonfiction, and prose poetry. They want to be amazed at how you abracadabra a sprinkling of words into magic. And maybe be a little jealous of how you do that. One writer in each category will be awarded a $300 prize and published in the summer issue. All entries considered for publication. Total word limit for each category is 1,000. See www.baltimorereview.org for complete details. Deadline: May 31, 2020. Fee: $5.

Digital Storytelling with Runestone Journal

Runestone Journal logoUndergraduate writers, Runestone Journal wants to see your take on digital storytelling. Digital works based on a piece of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry are all welcome.

Editor Richard Pelster-Wiebe will be judging your submissions, and after an initial screening, the selection process will take place during Hamline’s “Introduction to Literary Publishing: Runestone.” The winner will receive a prize of $250.

Submissions are free and are open until October 1, so you have plenty of time to craft a great digital piece.

2020 Marguerite McGlinn Prize for Fiction

Philadelphia Stories 2020 Prize for Fiction flierThis annual national short fiction contest features a first place $2,000 cash award and invitation to an awards dinner on Friday, October 9, on the campus of Rosemont College; a second place cash prize of $500; and third place cash prize of $250. Requirements: unpublished works of fiction up to 8,000 words; $15 reading fee. Deadline: June 15. philadelphiastories.org

View the full April eLitPak Newsletter here.

Contest :: Shooter Literary Magazine 2020 Short Story Competition

Deadline: May 31, 2020
UK-based Shooter Literary Magazine‘s 2020 Short Story Competition is currently open to short fiction of any theme/genre, from anywhere in the world, up to a maximum length of 5,000 words. All entrants will receive an e-copy of Shooter‘s Winter 2021 issue, in which the winning story will appear. Winner receives £400 and publication both in print and online; runner-up wins £100 and online publication. The winners will be announced online in July. Entry fee of £7 per story or £10 for two. Guidelines and entry details can be found at shooterlitmag.com/competition.

Contest :: SHR 2020 Auburn Witness Poetry Prize

Deadline: May 1, 2020
The quarterly literary magazine Southern Humanities Review is currently open for submissions of poetry to its annual Auburn Witness Poetry Prize. SHR seeks submissions from writers in all stages of their careers, and especially in work from historically underrepresented voices. Poets may submit up to three poems for a prize of $1,000 and publication in the magazine. The winner will also receive travel expenses to give a reading at a poetry event at Auburn university in Alabama in October 2020 alongside the contest judge. This year’s judge is Paisley Rekdal. www.southernhumanitiesreview.com/auburn-witness-poetry-prize.html