Writing Contests & Book Contests
NewPages Classifieds

Deadline: December 31, 2020
The Saguaro Poetry Prize winner is awarded $1,200, twenty author copies, plus publication and promotion by Kallisto Gaia Press for 28–48 pages of contemporary poetry. Ire'ne Lara Silva (Cuicacalli / House of Song, 2019) will judge. Runner up receives $100. Entry fee is $25. All entrants receive a copy of the winning collection! Deadline: December 31, 2020. Sponsored by Duotrope. More info at kallistogaiapress.submittable.com/submit.

Deadline: December 15, 2020
Submit your manuscript to Interim’s 3rd annual Test Site Poetry Contest! As our series title suggests, we’re looking for manuscripts that engage the perilous conditions of life in the 21st century, as they pertain to issues of social justice and the earth. The winning book will demonstrate an ethos that considers the human condition in inclusive love and sympathy, while offering the same in consideration of the earth. Because we believe the truth is always experimental, we’ll especially appreciate books with innovative approaches. The winner will receive $1,000 and their book will be published by University of Nevada Press in 2021.

Deadline: January 17, 2021
With the prompts of living during the COVID-19 pandemic and dealing with natural disasters and their aftermath, this special edition of Waxing & Waning attempts to be the home for beauty during devastation, truth in fear, and human nature as it meets eye-to-eye with Mother Nature (in TN & beyond). One way to heal is for writers/artists to create—to put their hardships on a blank page or canvas. Bring us these attempts. $10 submission fee for all categories. Winners of each category (poetry, prose, & art) will receive a $50 prize. About 30 contributors will be selected for publication.

Deadline: January 14, 2021
Interlochen Arts Academy is now accepting submissions for the 2021 Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Scholarship Competition. Apply to win a full-tuition scholarship to Interlochen Arts Academy. All students in grades 8-11 during this academic year are eligible to apply. Applicants must submit writing samples in two of the following genres: Literary Fiction; Poetry; Personal Essay or Memoir; Screenwriting; Playwriting; Experimental/Unclassifiable Writing. For submission guidelines and more information, visit write.interlochen.org. Use application fee waiver code: WRITE21.

Deadline: After 80 submissions received
The Headlight Review’s Annual Chapbook Prize in Prose is open for submissions! Send us your very best literary fiction, 6k-10k words, and you will be considered by our expert panel of judges for a $500 cash prize and publication of your manuscript. Submissions are $20 each, and all finalists will also be considered for publication. Publication in THR’s regular genres (Poetry, Nonfiction, Fiction, Book Reviews, & Interviews) is also year-round, and it is free to submit. Submission Guidelines for The Chapbook Prize, and for our year-round submissions, can be found on our website. We look forward to reading your work!

Deadline: November 2021
PYAA looks for original works that show cultivated proficiency, artistry, technical skill, and art that expresses students’ individualistic, creative voices and visions. 2021 submissions open January 1st! Visit our website to learn more about categories and how to submit.

Deadline: November 30, 2020
2020 WaterSedge Poetry Chapbook Contest: $500; publication of poetry chapbook in print and e-book formats; Amazon distribution; 25 free print copies. Page count: 24–48 pages. Judge: Kim Stafford, Oregon's 9th Poet Laureate. Contest ends: 11/30/2020. Entry fee: $20. Sponsored by Writer’s Relief, Inc.

Extended Deadline: November 20
Carve Magazine's Prose & Poetry Contest is open October 1 - November 15. Accepting submissions from all over the world, but work must be in English. Max 10,000 words for fiction and nonfiction; 2,000 words for poetry. Prizes: $1,000 each for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. All 3 winners published online in Spring 2021. $23 late entry fee. Guest judges are Shruti Swamy for fiction; Kendra Allen for nonfiction; and Roy G. Guzmán for poetry. www.carvezine.com/prose-poetry-contest/

Deadline: December 31, 2020
The Acacia Fiction Prize winner is awarded $1,200, twenty author copies, plus publication and promotion by Kallisto Gaia Press for a collection of Short Stories, Flash Fiction, Novellas, or any combination of fiction totaling between 40K and 75K words. Richard Z. Santos (Trust Me, 2020) will judge. Runner up receives $100. Entry fee is $25. All entrants receive a copy of the winning collection! Deadline: December 31, 2020. Sponsored by Duotrope. More info at kallistogaiapress.submittable.com/submit.

Deadline: March 31, 2021
The 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. All entries for the 15th Annual NIEA contest must be postmarked by March 31st, 2021. www.indieexcellence.com

Deadline: December 1, 2020
The 4th annual Jane Underwood Poetry Prize is accepting submissions! Open to all poets, the prize is awarded for a single poem. For a fee of $15, submit one entry of up to three poems. The prizewinner will receive an award of $250, online publication of the winning poem, and an invitation to do a featured reading. This year's final judge is David Hernandez. Full guidelines can be found at www.writingsalons.com/awards-resources/jane-underwood-poetry-prize/.

Deadline: December 31, 2020
Awarded to an outstanding, unpublished collection of short stories. Reading Fee: $30. Award: $1,000 cash advance, publication, and fifty copies. Enter: Submit online with Submittable or by mail from September 1–December 31, 2020. Press 53 publisher and editor-in-chief Kevin Morgan Watson will serve as the only judge. Winner and finalists announced by May 1, 2021; advance review copies sent to major reviewers and outlets; publication in October 2021. Complete details at our website.

Deadline: November 30, 2020
No theme for our winter contest. Subject matter is entirely up to you. Surprise us! But keep it short. Two categories: flash fiction and flash creative nonfiction. We want to be amazed at how you abracadabra 1,000 or less 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 winter issue. All entries considered for publication and payment. Final judge: Diana Spechler. See www.baltimorereview.org for complete details. Deadline: November 30, 2020. Fee: $5.