2023 Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $25 USD
Deadline: October 1, 2023
Prize: $1,000 and publication within two years of selection under the Wheelbarrow Books imprint
Description: Manuscripts are eligible for the Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize if the author has not yet published a collection of original poetry. Multiple submissions are welcome and simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please advise if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere. Manuscripts must be in English and a minimum 64 pages.
Details: http://poetry.rcah.msu.edu/wheelbarrow-books/index.html
Grindstone Literary 2023 International Novel Prize
Genre: Open
Entry Fee: Super Early Bird rate of £16 per entry, Early Bird rate of £18 per entry and regular rate of £20 per entry
Deadline: Super Early Bird deadline of May 1, 2023 (submission results by September 1); Early Bird deadline of July 1, 2023 (submission results by September 1); final deadline of October 1, 2023 (final announcement on December 1)
Prize: Grand prize of £1,500; runner-up prize of £500; four shortlist prizes of £100; all winning entries will be forwarded to Grindstone Literary affiliated agents
Description: Open to writers from all over the world. Previously unpublished completed manuscripts exceeding 50,000 words in total length, or works-in-progress with an expected completion length which exceeds 50,000 words, are eligible for entry. Please submit the opening 3,000 words of your manuscript to the nearest natural break, plus a synopses no longer than 300 words in length.
Details: https://www.grindstoneliterary.com/novel-prize
10th Annual Fred Cogswell Award for Excellence in Poetry
Genre: Poetry Book
Entry Fee: $25
Deadline: October 1, 2023
Prize: First prize of $500; second prize of $250; third prize of $100
Description: Presented by the Royal City Literary Arts Society. Fred Cogswell (1917–2004) was a prolific poet, editor, professor, life member of the League of Canadian Poets, and an Officer of the Order of Canada. Open to Canadian writers who had a book published in English in 2021. Length must be a minimum of 60 pages in length.
Details: https://rclas.com/2023-contest/
31st Annual Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize
Genre: Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction
Entry Fee: Standard entry fee of $25 USD
Deadline: October 1, 2023
Prize: $5,000 USD in each of three categories, plus publication and an invitation to a reception and reading in their honor,
Description: Winners in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction receive $5000 USD, publication, promotion on social media, and a TBD virtual event. 8,500 words or 10 pages of poetry accepted.
Details: https://www.missourireview.com/contests/jeffrey-e-smith-editors-prize/
APR/Honickman First Book Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $25 USD
Deadline: October 1, 2023
Prize: $3,000 USD, an introduction by the judge, distribution of the winning book by Copper Canyon Press through Consortium, and a standard book publishing contract with royalties
Description: The prize will be awarded in 2024 with publication of the book in the same year. The author will receive a standard book publishing contract, with royalties paid in addition to the $3,000 prize. To be considered for the prize, submit a manuscript of 48 pages or more, single-spaced, paginated, with a table of contents and acknowledgments.
Details: https://americanpoetryreview.submittable.com/submit/2170/apr-honickman-first-book-prize
Saints & Sinners (SAS) LGBTQ+ Literary Festival 2024 Fiction Contest
Genre: Short Fiction
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: October 1, 2023
Prize: Grand prize of $500; two second prizes of $100 each; the top stories will be published in an anthology; there will be a book release party and reading held during the 20th annual Saints and Sinners LGBTQ+ Literary Festival in New Orleans in 2023; a list of the top ten finalists will be posted on the website and in the e-newsletter
Description: The 2023-2024 SAS Short Fiction Judge is Trebor Healey. The winner will be selected from this year’s submissions of original, unpublished short stories between 3,000 and 7,000 words with LGBT content on the broad theme of “Saints and Sinners.” The annual fiction contest is open to authors at all stages of their careers, from all over the globe, with stories in all genres.
Details: https://tennesseewilliamsfestival.submittable.com/submit
Seminal Edits 2023 Dystopian Fiction Competition
Genre: Short Fiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: October 1, 2023
Prize: First prize of a choice of Pro Publisher writing courses, a self-publishing course, and the winning entry will be turned into an EPUB (complete with custom cover, ready for uploading to Amazon, etc.); two runner-up prizes of a Pro Publisher self-publishing course worth £97 (GBP)
Description:
All you need do to enter the competition is submit your short story or first chapter of a novel, along with your contact details. You may submit up to three entries. Entry is free and there are three great prizes up for grabs, all designed to help new and existing authors improve the quality of their work and increase their self-publishing know-how. The work must be your own. Stories published within the past 18 months are acceptable, but there must be no copyright issues. Seminal Edits will not claim any copyright on your submitted work but winners will agree to the publishing of the winning entries on the website. (Copyright will remain entirely yours.) Maximum word count is 2,000.
Details: https://seminaledits.com/dystopian-fiction-competition-2023/
The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival One-Act Play Contest 2023-2024
Genre: Plays
Entry Fee: $25 USD
Deadline: October 1, 2023
Prize: Grand prize of $1,500, professional staged reading at the next Festival, VIP All-Access Festival pass ($600 value) for the next Festival, and publication in Bayou Magazine
Description: This contest is for emerging or previously unpublished playwrights. Plays should run no more than one hour in length (one act or approx. 60 pages.)
Details: https://tennesseewilliamsfestival.submittable.com/sub
The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival Fiction Contest 2023-2024
Genre: Short Fiction
Entry Fee: $25 USD
Deadline: October 1, 2023
Prize: Grand prize of $1,500, domestic airfare (up to $500) and French Quarter accommodations to attend the Festival in New Orleans, VIP All-Access Festival pass for the next Festival ($600 value), and a public reading at the next Festival; the top finalists will receive a panel pass ($100 value) to the Festival and their names will be published on the website, e-newsletter, and social media pages
Description: This contest is open only to emerging writers who have not yet published a book of fiction. A submission is one original short story, written in English, up to 7,000 words.
Details: https://tennesseewilliamsfestival.submittable.com/sub
Zoetrope All-Story Short Fiction Competition
Genre: Short Fiction
Entry Fee: $30 USD per story
Deadline: October 2, 2023
Prize: First prize of $1000 USD; second prize of $500 USD; third prize of $250 USD; the three prizewinners and seven honorable mentions will be considered for representation by several literary agencies
Description: All genres of literary fiction are accepted. Entries must be unpublished at the time of submission, strictly 5,000 words or fewer, and accompanied by a $30 entry fee per story. Results will be announced on the website on December 15 and in the Spring 2024 edition of Zoetrope: All-Story, and the winning story will be published as a special online supplement to that Spring 2024 edition.
Details: https://www.zoetrope.com/contests/stories-2022/
2023 Australian Book Review Peter Porter Poetry Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $15 AUD for current Austrailian Book Review (ABR) subscribers and students or $25 AUD for non-subscribers (non-subscribers will receive digital access to ABR free of charge for four months)
Deadline: October 9, 2023
Prize: Total prizes of $10,000 AUD, including first prize of $6,000 AUD
Description: Australian Book Review welcomes entries in the Peter Porter Poetry Prize, one of Australia’s most lucrative and respected awards for poetry. It honours the life and work of the great Australian poet Peter Porter (1929–2010). All poets writing in English are eligible to enter. Entries must be an original single-authored poem of not more than 70 lines. Poems must not have been previously published.
Details: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes-programs/peter-porter-poetry-prize
Saints & Sinners (SAS) LGBTQ+ Literary Festival 2024 Poetry Contest
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: October 15, 2023
Prize: Grand prize of $500; two second prizes of $100 each; a list of the top ten finalists will be posted on the website and in the e-newsletter; finalists will be published in the Saints and Sinners Poetry Chapbook to be distributed at a special reading at the 2023 Festival
Description: The 2023-2024 SAS Poetry Judge is Chen Chen. The contest is open to all LGBTQ+ writers. Submit 2-4 original, unpublished poems of any style based on our theme of TRANSFORMATION, written in English, with a combined length of up to 400 lines.
Details: https://tennesseewilliamsfestival.submittable.com/submit
The Betty Award Fall Contest
Genre: Short Story (Ages 8 – 12)
Entry Fee: $20 USD per story
Deadline: October 14, 2023
Prize: First prize of $300; second prize of $200; third prize of $100
Description: Winning entries will be published on the Betty Awards website. Maximum story length is 1,000 words. Entries must be the original unpublished work of the child entering the contest.
Details: http://www.thebettyaward.com/
The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival Poetry Contest 2023-2024
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $15 USD
Deadline: October 15, 2023
Prize: Grand prize of $1,000, VIP All-Access Pass ($600 value) for the next festival, and a public reading at the next Festival; the top finalists will receive a panel pass ($100 value) to the festival and have their names published on the website, e-newsletter, and social media pages
Description: This contest is open only to emerging writers who have not yet published a book of poetry. Published books include self-published books, chapter books, or any book with an ISBN. Those who have published books in other genres besides poetry remain eligible. Only previously unpublished poems will be accepted. Unlimited entries allowed. One collection per submission. Submit a collection of 2 – 4 original, unpublished poems of any style or theme, written in English, with a combined length of up to 400 lines.
Details: https://tennesseewilliamsfestival.submittable.com/submit
The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival Very Short Fiction Contest 2023-2024
Genre: Short Fiction
Entry Fee: $10 USD
Deadline: October 15, 2023
Prize: Grand prize of $500, VIP All-Access Pass ($600 value) for the next festival, a public reading at the next Festival, and publication in New Orleans Review Archive Features; the top finalists will receive a panel pass ($100 value) to the festival and have their names published on the website, e-newsletter, and social media pages
Description: This contest is open only to emerging writers who have not yet published a book of short fiction. Published books include any book with an ISBN, including self-published. Those who have published books in other genres besides fiction remain eligible. Only previously unpublished stories will be accepted. Unlimited entries allowed. One manuscript per submission. A submission is one original short story, written in English, up to 1,000 words.
Details: https://tennesseewilliamsfestival.submittable.com/submit
Eyelands Book Awards 2023
Genre: Published or Unpublished Books
Entry Fee: Early Bird fee of $25 USD and $35 USD after September 1, 2023
Deadline: October 20, 2023
Prize: Grand prize for published books of five-day holiday in Athens plus a special handmade ceramic designed especially for Eyelands Book Awards and online publication; grand prize for unpublished books of translation into Greek and publication from Strange Days Books
Description: Eyelands.gr literary magazine, in collaboration with Strange Days Books, organizes the only annual international short story contest based in Greece. There are no restrictions regarding nationality. Manuscripts must be written in English. There is no restriction about the form or style of writing.
Details: https://eyelandsawards.com/
Anthology Magazine Poetry Award
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: €15 per poem
Deadline: October 31, 2023
Prize: €500, publication in Anthology Magazine, and a one-year subscription to Anthology Magazine
Description: Entries are now invited for the Anthology Magazine Poetry Prize. Established to recognize and encourage excellence in the craft of poetry writing and to provide a platform for publication, it is open to original and previously unpublished poems in the English language. Entries are invited from poets of all nationalities, living anywhere in the world. Poems submitted must be on the theme of “Expectations” and should not exceed 40 lines. There is no limit to entries per person.
Details: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/poetry-competition/
Uncharted Magazine Novel Excerpt Prize
Genre: Novel Chapters
Entry Fee: $20
Deadline: October 31, 2023
Prize: Three prizes of $1,000 and publication; all entries will be considered for publication.
Description: Looking for the best 5,000 words or fewer of your novel in progress. Have a favorite chapter? An exciting and noteworthy prologue? A section where the dialogue crackles and the characters loom larger than life on the page? Give Uncharted Magazine a chance to read the most captivating section of your novel and make them want to read more.
Details: https://uncharted.submittable.com/submit
Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $25 USD
Deadline: October 31, 2023
Prize: $3,000 USD and publication of the awarded manuscript by Red Hen Press
Description: Established in 1998, in honor of the poet Benjamin Saltman (1927–1999), this award is for a previously unpublished original collection of poetry. The awarded collection is selected through an annual competition which is open to all poets. 48 page minimum, 96 page maximum.
Details: https://redhenpress.submittable.com/submit/23043/benjamin-saltman-poetry-award
Anthology Flash Fiction Competition
Genre: Flash Fiction
Entry Fee: Early Bird rate of €8 per entry and regular rate of €10 per entry
Deadline: Early Bird deadline of May 31, 2023; final deadline of October 31, 2023
Prize: €300 cash prize and publication in a future issue of Anthology
Description: Established to inspire creativity, great writing and to provide a platform for publication. Open to original and previously unpublished flash fiction pieces on any theme or genre in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Looking for writing that is clever and unique, inspiring, and crafts a compelling story. Open to both new and established writers. Articles submitted must not exceed 250 words.
Details: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/flash-fiction-competition/
National Poetry Competition 2023
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: First entry £7; subsequent entries £4 per poem
Deadline: October 31, 2023
Prize: First prize of £5,000; second prize of £2,000; third prize of £1,000; commendations of £200 each
Description: The National Poetry Competition is one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for an unpublished poem of up to 40 lines, open to anyone 18 or over. All poems must have a title and must not exceed 40 lines in length (excluding title). Entries can be on any subject.
Details: https://poetrysociety.org.uk/competitions/national-poetry-competition/
River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Book Contest
Genre: Literary nonfiction
Entry Fee: $27 USD
Deadline: October 31, 2023
Prize: $1,000 USD plus publication by The University of New Mexico Press
Description: River Teeth‘s editors and editorial board conduct a yearly national contest to identify the best book-length manuscript of literary nonfiction. All manuscripts are screened by the co-editors of River Teeth. Manuscripts must be in English, double-spaced, and between 35,000 – 85,000 words long (approximately 150 – 350 pages).
Details: https://www.riverteethjournal.com/the-book-prize#
Storyhouse Travel Nonfiction Contest
Genre: Nonfiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: October 30, 2023
Prize: First prize of $200 and automatic entry to the Winners Circle Contest; runner-up prize of $100; all winners receive certificates of recognition suitable for framing
Description: Stories should be factual and true accounts of a trip taken by the author or a person or persons known by the author. Stories must be between 1,000–10,000 words in length. Language in the stories should be free of words or scenes not suitable for children. Stories can be submitted from any country, although they must be written in English. There is a limit of two contest submissions. No story may be entered in more than one contest. Stories entered in any of our previous contests will not be eligible for current year contests.
Details: http://www.storyhouse.org/contest2022.html
The Tamaqua Award for a Collection of Essays
Genre: Personal Essay Collection
Entry Fee: $22 USD
Deadline: Inactive in 2023
Prize: $1,000 and publication by Hidden River Press
Description: The Tamaqua Award for a collection of essays is looking for a collection that mines deep in its search for the truth of the human experience, essays that go beyond safe boundaries to discover deep realities. This competition is open to international submissions for all writers in English.
Details: https://hiddenriverarts.wordpress.com/awards-deadlines-and-guidelines/the-tamaqua-award-for-a-collection-of-essays/
2022 Canada-Japan Literary Awards
Genre: Books on Japan, on Japanese themes or on themes that promote mutual understanding between Japan and Canada
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: Inactive in 2023
Prize: Two awards of $10,000 each may be given, one for an English-language book and one for a French-language book
Description: The Canada-Japan Literary Awards recognize the literary merit of books on Japan, on Japanese themes or on themes that promote mutual understanding between Japan and Canada, written by Canadian authors, or translated by Canadian translators from Japanese into English or French. Awards will be given for literary merit to Canadian authors for published, first-edition trade books of fiction, non-fiction, poetry or drama. The books must be in English or French. Books in the same genres by Canadian translators, translated from Japanese into English or French, are also eligible. Authors and translators may not submit their own published books for this award; they must be nominated by a professional book publisher. Only eligible book publishers can submit titles for consideration. Publishers may be based in Canada or abroad. Publishers must publish books based on an editorial selection process, pay royalties or financially compensate the author or translator for any submitted book, have established a marketplace presence through distribution in Canadian bookstores and through marketing and public awareness efforts, and meet basic professional standards of publishing. Authors must be Canadian citizens or have permanent resident status. Nominated books must have been published professionally, between May 1 2020 and April 30 2022. An eligible book may be nominated to either the English-language component or the French-language component, but not to both. Books must be available in Canadian bookstores and be at least 48 pages long. The awards are given to the author. For translations, the award is given to the translator. For co-authored or co-translated books, the prize amount is split equally.
Details: https://canadacouncil.ca/funding/prizes/canada-japan-literary-awards/guidelines-canada-japan-literary-awards
ECW Press Best New Speculative Novel Contest
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: Inactive in 2023
Prize: $3,000 and a publishing contract
Description: ECW Press is seeking entries of unpublished novel manuscripts in English between 40,000 and 150,000 words by a Canadian author in the science fiction, fantasy, or speculative fiction genres.
Details: https://ecwpress.com/blogs/whats-new/ecw-press-best-new-speculative-novel-contest
Blue Lights Book Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: As of Fall 2021, the Blue Light Books Prize is indefinitely postponed, and there is not yet an estimate for when the next submissions period for the prize may be
Prize: $2,000 USD plus publication
Description: A prize of $2,000 and publication by Indiana University Press is given in alternating years for a collection of poetry or a collection of short fiction. The 2021 prize will be awarded in poetry. The winner will also receive travel expenses to read at the 2021 Blue Light Reading in Bloomington, Indiana.
Details: https://indianareview.org/prizes/blue-light-books/