Genre: Podcast script
Entry Fee: Regular deadline fee is $30 USD and late deadline fee is $40 USD
Deadline: July 7, 2023 (final deadline)
Prize: Second Rounders, Semifinalists, and Finalists get larger discounts and have the opportunity to attend exclusive panels, intimate roundtable discussions, script reading workshops, and are afforded special access to industry professionals; all entrants receive free “Reader Comments” Austin Film Festival registration discounts regardless of placement
Description: For over twenty-nine years, Austin Film Festival has been catapulting writers into life-changing careers. With one of the most noteworthy competitions among Hollywood tastemakers, AFF consistently yanks newcomers from the isolation of their desks and ushers them into the bustling world of film and television. Whether your dream is to sign a contract, land an agent, learn from an industry icon, or take home the coveted Bronze Typewriter Award, it’s simple: you can’t win if you don’t enter. This competition is looking for ongoing, original, serialized stories. Writers can submit up to three episodes 3-30 pages in length of their series with the overall content of the story not going longer than 90 pages. Writers should also include a series outline, detailing the events of the remaining episodes in the series.
Details: https://austinfilmfestival.com/submit/podcast-competition/submit-podcast/

 

The International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir

Genre: Memoir
Entry Fee: $25 USD per submission
Deadline: July 9, 2023
Prize: $1,000 USD, the winner will be interviewed, and the winning story published on Alison Wearing’s website and featured in the Memoir Writing Ink course; winning and shortlisted entries will be included in the next Amy Award Anthology
Description: The International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir is given to an exceptional work of memoir writing. The annual contest was created in celebration of the life of Amy MacRae and in support of her living legacy to improve the outcomes of women with ovarian cancer. Writers anywhere in the world are invited to enter. Submissions must be no longer than 2,000 words.
Details: https://www.amyaward.com

 

Literary Taxidermy Writing Competition

Genre: Short Story, Poetry
Entry Fee: $10 USD per entry
Deadline: July 11, 2022 at 12:00 pm PDT
Prize: First prize of $500 USD and a complimentary copy of the forthcoming 2022 Literary Taxidermy Anthology; runner-up prizes of $50 USD; all winning entries will be published in the forthcoming 2022 Literary Taxidermy Anthology; honorable-mention authors will receive personal feedback on their stories and poems, and will have their name included on a special page in the anthology
Description: This year’s competition is for both short stories and poetry. Each contest will be judged independently, and you may enter each as many times as you like. Both contests offer writers the same choice of four opening and closing lines. The competition is open to professional and amateur writers from around the globe. To participate in this year’s competition, you must write a short story or poem that starts and ends with the same sequence of opening and closing words as one of the four works described on the contest page. Your story or poem must start and end with the same sequence of words as the opening and closing lines, it must be no longer than 2,000 words, and it must be formatted correctly.
Details: https://literarytaxidermy.com/contest-current.html

 

New Writers Poetry Competition 2023

Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: £10 for one entry, £18 for two entries, and £25 for three entries
Deadline: July 12, 2023
Prizes: First prize of £1,000; second prize of £300; third prize of £200
Description: The New Writers Poetry Competition 2023 is open to entries from poets from around the world. Poems may be written in English and may be on any theme or subject but must be unpublished and a maximum of 40 lines per poem. £1 from each entry will be donated to First Story (a leading creative writing charity for young people).
Details: https://newwriters.org.uk/poetry-competition/

 

The 2022 Riddle Fence Fiction, Poetry, & Visual Art Contests

Genre: Fiction, Poetry, Visual Art
Entry Fee: $25 for Canadian entries, $35 for US entries, and $55 for entries from elsewhere in the world (includes a one-year subscription to Riddle Fence)
Deadline: July 15, 2022
Prize: $3,000 in prizes and publication in Riddle Fence #46
Description: Entries must be original and unpublished elsewhere. No simultaneous submissions and no previously published (or accepted for publication) submissions. One short-fiction submission is one story with no word limit. One poetry submission is up to 3 poems with no more than 100 lines per poem. One visual art submission is one piece of artwork. An entry consists of one submission in one genre.
Details: http://www.riddlefence.com/contests

 

2022 Vallum Poetry Award

Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $25 for Canadian entries and $30 for US and international entries, per submission of up to three poems (includes a one-year subscription to Vallum)
Deadline: July 15, 2022
Prize: First prize of $750; second prize of $250; both winners receive publication in Vallum
Description: Poems may be on any theme or subject but must be unpublished and a maximum of 60 lines each.
Details: https://vallummag.com/submit/

 

The PRISM International 2023 Creative Nonfiction Contest

Genre: Creative Nonfiction
Entry Fee: $35 for Canadian entries, $40 for US entries and $45 for international entries (includes a one-year subscription or extension to Prism Magazine), plus $5 for each additional entry
Deadline: July 16, 2023
Prize: Grand prize of $1,500; runner-up prize of $600; second runner-up prize of $400
Description: 4,000 maximum word count per piece. Entries must be unpublished in print or online.
Details: https://prisminternational.submittable.com/submit

 

The 2022 Frontier Poetry Open

Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: July 17, 2022
Prize: Grand prize of $5,000 and publication in Frontier Poetry; ten finalist prizes of $100 and publication in Frontier Poetry
Description: In pursuit of recognizing today’s best poets, Frontier Poetry wants to celebrate one outstanding piece of poetry. Open to all poets. The Frontier staff will select the winners and finalists. The winners and honorable mentions will be announced in October 2022. This prize is meant to support and elevate the poetry community on the whole. Frontier Poetry looks forward to offering this annual prize where emerging and established poets are considered in equal measure. No more than three poems per submission. There is no line-limit. Poems may be any length, any style, or any subject.

Details: https://www.frontierpoetry.com/poetry-awards/

 

Green Stories Short Story Competition

Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: July 22, 2022
Prize: First prize of £500
Description: Organised by the University of Southampton, Green Stories is a free writing competition project with a range of categories for novelists and short story writers. Entries should conform with positive visions of more sustainable futures and/or the inclusion of green solutions but needn’t have an explicitly green theme. Short stories must be between 1,000 and 3,000 words.
Details: https://www.greenstories.org.uk/upcoming-competitions/short-story-clean-vs-green/

 

Quill & Quire Carol Shields Prize for Fiction

Genre: Fiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: Books published between January 1 and April 30, 2022 must be submitted by March 18; books published between May 1 and August 31, 2022 must be submitted by July 22; books published between September 1 and December 31, 2022 must be submitted by November 18
Prize: First prize of $150,000; four finalists will each receive $12,500
Description: Novels, short story collections, and graphic novels written and illustrated by the same person are eligible for the award. Books by non-binary and trans women are eligible. The prize for literary excellence was established in early 2020 to honour writing by women and non-binary writers in Canada and the U.S. Publishers can submit as many as two books per imprint. The prize will be awarded for the first time on May 4, 2023.
Details: https://carolshieldsprizeforfiction.com/submissions

 

2022 Wine Country Writers’ Festival Fiction Short Story Contest

Genre: Fiction
Entry Fee: $15 for one entry or $25 for two entries
Deadline: July 29, 2022
Prize: First prize of $150 and entry into the next year’s Festival (does not included transportation or accommodation); second prize of $75; third prize of $50; all winning stories will be featured in the Wine Country Writers’ Festival (WCWF) Anthology
Description: Open to all writers over the age of 18. Limited to 2,000 words. Any genre. Works must be fresh and unpublished. If submitting two entries both must be submitted at the same time. Winners will be announced at the Wine Country Writers’ Festival on September 23, 2022.
Details: www.wcwfestival.com

 

2022 Wine Country Writers’ Festival Non-Fiction Short Story Contest

Genre: Non-Fiction
Entry Fee: $15 for one entry or $25 for two entries
Deadline: July 29, 2022
Prize: First prize of $150 and entry into the next year’s Festival (does not included transportation or accommodation); second prize of $75; third prize of $50; all winning stories will be featured in the Wine Country Writers’ Festival (WCWF) Anthology
Description: Open to all writers over the age of 18. Limited to 2,000 words. Any genre. Works must be fresh and unpublished. If submitting two entries both must be submitted at the same time. Winners will be announced at the Wine Country Writers’ Festival on September 23, 2022.
Details:www.wcwfestival.com

 

2022 Wine Country Writers’ Festival Poetry Contest

Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $15 for one entry or $25 for two entries
Deadline: July 29, 2022
Prize: First prize of $150 and entry into the next year’s Festival (does not included transportation or accommodation); second prize of $75; third prize of $50; all winning stories will be featured in the Wine Country Writers’ Festival (WCWF) Anthology
Description: Open to all writers over the age of 18. Limited to 48 lines. Works must be fresh and unpublished. If submitting two entries both must be submitted at the same time. Winners will be announced at the Wine Country Writers’ Festival on September 23, 2022.
Details: www.wcwfestival.com

 

The Ontario Poetry Society’s Ultra Short Poetry Competition 2024

Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $10 CAD for up to 5 poems and $2 CAD for each additional submission
Deadline: July 31, 2024
Prize: First prize of $100 CAD; second prize of $75; third prize of $50; fourth prize of $25; 40 Judge’s Choice Awards; all winning poems will be published in a chapbook anthology
Description: Poems are to be no longer than 8 lines and no more than 8 words on a line.
Details: https://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/contest_Ultra_Short_2024.html

 

CRAFT First Chapters Contest

Genre: Fiction
Entry Fee: $20 per story
Deadline: July 30, 2023
Prize: First prize of $2,000 and a full manuscript critique of the novel, up to 100K words, by Artful Editor; two runner-up prizes of $500 and $300, respectively
Description:The First Chapters Contest is open to all fiction writers; CRAFT is a market for adult literary fiction. International submissions are welcome. Work must be written primarily in English, but some code-switching is warmly welcomed. Please send excerpts of book-length fiction only—please submit the first chapter or chapters of your unpublished novels/novellas, completed or in progress.
Details: https://www.craftliterary.com/craft-first-chapters-contest-2023

 

Anthology Short Story Competition

Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: Early Bird rate of €15 per entry and regular rate of €18 per entry
Deadline: Early Bird deadline of March 31, 2024; final deadline of July 31, 2024
Prize: First prize of €1,000 and publication in a future issue of Anthology: second prize of €250; third prize of €150
Description: Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication. Open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. There is no restriction on theme or style. Stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words.
Details: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/short-story-competition/

 

The Sky Arts Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Writers Awards

Genre: Emerging Writers of Colour
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: July 31, 2022
Prize: Five awards of ten free mentoring sessions over the course of 12 months and two sessions with Awards Ambassador Bernardine Evaristo
Description: Launched in 2021 in partnership with Sky Arts, the Sky Arts RSL Writers Awards celebrate and nurture British writers of colour at the beginnings of their careers. Five winners will receive ten mentoring sessions over the course of 12 months with an RSL Fellow writing in their form, as well as two sessions with Awards Ambassador Bernardine Evaristo. Mentors for the second year of the Awards are Inua Ellams, Jay Bernard, Nadifa Mohamed, Vinay Patel and Nikesh Shukla.
Details: https://rsliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Sky-Arts-RSL-Writers-Awards-2022-Eligibility-and-Guidelines.pdf

 

Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award

Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: July 31, 2023
Prize: Winners receive a range of prizes, including membership in The Poetry Society, a stack of poetry goodies, and attendance at a one-week intensive residential Arvon course to develop creative writing skills alongside fellow poets.
Description: Open to everyone aged between 11-17 on July 31, 2023. Poems can be of any length and on any theme but must be the original work of the author and must be in English. The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award has been an opportunity for any young poet aged 11-17 to accelerate their writing career since it was founded in 1998. With entries from over 6,000 young people last year across from the UK and worldwide, it is the largest competition of its kind and its importance is widely attested.
Details: https://foyleyoungpoets.org/about/

 

Polar Expressions Publishing 2023 National Poetry Contest and 2023 National Short Story Contest

Genre: Poetry and Short Story
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: July 31, 2023
Prize: Over $3,500 will be awarded in cash and other prizes
Description: Annual contests held each summer by Polar Expressions Publishing and open to Canadian residents and citizens of all ages. There is one division for 16 and over, and a separate division for 15 and under. Poems must be 48 lines or less. Short stories must be 750 words or less.
Details: http://polarexpressions.ca/SummerContests.html

 

Séan Ó’Faoláin International Short Story Competition 2022

Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: €19 per story
Deadline: July 31, 2022
Prize: First prize of €2,000 and a one-week residency at Anam Cara Retreat; second prize of €500; four runners-up will receive €250; all winners receive publication in Southword 44
Description: Open to original, unpublished and unbroadcast short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or fewer. The story can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Translated work is not in the scope of this competition.
Details: https://munsterlit.ie/ofaolain-competition/