Arc Poetry Diana Brebner Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $35 CAD for up to two poems, $40 for three poems, $45 for four poems, and $50 for five poems (includes a one-year subscription to Arc)
Deadline: September 1, 2026
Prize: $500 CAD
Description: The Diana Brebner Prize is awarded yearly for the best poem written by a National Capital Region poet, who has not yet been published in book form. The prize honours the late Diana Brebner, an award winning Ottawa-based poet who was devoted to fostering literary talent among new, local writers. The contest is open to authors who have had their principal home and actual residence in the National Capital Region for at least 6 months immediately prior to the date of submission, and who have not yet published their poetry in book form. Eligible entries must not exceed 30 lines each.
Details: https://arcpoetry.ca/contest/diana-brebner-prize/
Southam Book Festival Flash Fiction Competition
Genre: Flash Fiction
Entry Fee: £3 per story and £10 for up to five stories
Deadline: September 5, 2026
Prize: First prize of £60; second prize of £30; third prize of £20
Description: Writers submitting 100-word stories for Southam Book Festival’s Flash Fiction competition must include one particular word selected by one of the judges. This year’s chosen word is HORIZON. The competition is open to anyone who is 16 years and over. The competition is for an original work of fiction no longer than 100 words in length. Each story must have a title, and the title must be included in the word count. Hyphenated words count as one word. Competitors may enter as many stories as they wish.
Details: https://www.southambookfest.co.uk/100-words-2026
Irish Writers Centre International Debut Novel Competition
Genre: Manuscript
Entry Fee: €58.50 for Irish Writers Centre members; €65 for nonmembers
Deadline: September 14, 2026
Prize: First prize of $1,000 CAD plus publication; honourable mention prize of $150 CAD plus publication
Description: International Debut Novel Competition asks hopeful, as yet unpublished, novelists to submit 5,000 words of their manuscript and a a 500-word synopsis with the aim of jumping the publication slush pile and meeting agents and publishers face-to-face or zoom-to-zoom over the course of two days.
Details: https://irishwriterscentre.ie/international-debut-novel-competition/
Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence
Genre: Fiction, Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: September 15, 2026
Prize: In each of the two categories, fiction and poetry – first prize of $1,000 USD; second prize of $200 USD
Description: Renamed from The Thomas Morton Memorial Prize in Literary Excellence, The Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence serves to honor the memory of Austin Clarke (1934-2016). For short story contest submissions, please include a word count. No works over 7,500 words or under 1,000 will be accepted or read. Each submission to the poetry contest can include up to 4 poems, or up to 4 pages (whichever comes first). Multiple entries in either genre are welcome.
Details: https://puritan-magazine.submittable.com/submit
Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition 2026
Genre: Short Story, Fiction
Entry Fee: Early Bird rate of $15 USD per entry until September 1, 2026, and regular rate of $20 USD per entry form September 2 until September 15
Deadline: September 15, 2026
Prize: First prize of $1,500 USD and publication of the winning story on the competition website; second and third prizes of $500 USD each; honourable mentions awarded to entrants whose work demonstrates promise
Description: The competition has a forty-two year history of literary excellence, and Lorian Hemingway and her small judging panel are dedicated to enthusiastically supporting the efforts and talent of writers of short fiction whose voices have yet to be heard. Lorian Hemingway, a granddaughter of Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway, is the author of three critically acclaimed books: Walking into the River, Walk on Water, and A World Turned Over. Stories must be original unpublished fiction and may not exceed 3,500 words in length. There are no theme or genre restrictions. Copyright remains the property of the author.
Details: http://shortstorycompetition.com/guidelines/
Surrey International Writers Conference (SiWC) Writing Contest
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: $15 CAD per entry
Deadline: September 15, 2026, at 12:00 am ET
Prize: First prize of $1,000 CAD plus publication; honourable mention prize of $150 CAD plus publication
Description: Story length must be between 2,500 and 4,000 words. Young writers are welcome to enter, but must be aware that their work will be judged blind among submissions made by adult writers.
Details: https://www.siwc.ca/writing-contest/
Mslexia Women’s Fiction Competition 2026 – Flash Fiction
Genre: Flash Fiction
Entry Fee: £8 per story
Deadline: September 21, 2026
Prize: First prize of £1,00; three finalist prizes of £100; all four winning stories will be published in Issue 112 of Mslexia and Mslexia’s ebook anthology Best Women’s Short Fiction 2026; eight shortlisted entries will receive £50 and be published in Best Women’s Short Fiction 2026
Description: Send complete stories no more than 300 words for a chance to win £1,000.
Details: https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/flash-fiction/
Mslexia Women’s Fiction Competition 2026 – Novel
Genre: Unpublished Fiction Novels
Entry Fee: £28 per entry
Deadline: September 21, 2026
Prize: First prize of £5,000; finalist prizes of manuscript feedback from The Literary Consultancy and personal introductions to literary agents arranged in partnership with New Writing North
Description: For novels of at least 50,000 words in any genre for adult, or young adult, readers. Submit first 5,000 words only in the first instance. Longlisted entrants will be asked to submit their finished manuscripts along with a synopsis later in the judging process.
Details: https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/novel/
Mslexia Women’s Fiction Competition 2026 – Short Story
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: £14 per story
Deadline: September 21, 2026
Prize: First prize of £3,000; three finalist prizes of £150; all four winning entries, plus eight more shortlisted entries, will be published in Issue 112 of Mslexia
Description: Winning entries plus eight more shortlisted entries will receive £75 and be published in Mslexia’s ebook anthology Best Women’s Short Fiction 2026. Send short stories up to 3,000 words.
Details: https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/short-story/
Anthology Flash Fiction Competition
Genre: Flash Fiction
Entry Fee: €12 per entry
Deadline: September 30, 2026
Prize: €300 and publication in a future issue of Anthology
Description: Established to recognize 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. Open to both new and established writers, articles submitted must not exceed 250 words.
Details: https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/flash-fiction-competition/
Anthology Nature Writing Competition
Genre: Nature Writing
Entry Fee: £15 per entry
Deadline: September 30, 2026
Prize: €500 and publication in a future issue of Anthology
Description: Established to recognize 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/nature-competition/
Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition 2026
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: £12 per entry
Deadline: September 30, 2026, at 5:00 pm GMT
Prize: First prize of £1,000, an online creative writing course with Creative Writing Ink, and online publication; two runner-up prizes of £200 each
Description: Maximum word count is 3,000 words. Entries can be on any subject, theme, or genre.
Details: https://creativewritingink.co.uk/competitions/creative-writing-ink-short-story-competition-2026/
Hammond House Publishing International Literary Prize 2026
Genre: Poetry, Scriptwriting, Short Story, Songwriting
Entry Fee: £10 for nonmembers or £5 for members
Deadline: September 30, 2026
Prize: First prize of £1,000; second prize of £100; third prize of £50; worldwide publication for all shortlisted entries
Description: One short story per entry, between 1,000 and 5,000 words).
Details: https://www.hammondhousepublishing.com/competitions
Power of the Pen Creative Writing Contest
Genre: Poetry, Short Story (Ages 12 – 18)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: September 30, 2026
Prize: First prize of $100 CAD in each age category; second prize of $25 CAD in each age category; all winners receive a copy of the Power of the Pen publication for their portfolios
Description: The 32nd Power of the Pen writing competition invites writers ages 12-18 (age as of December 31, 2026) to submit original poetry and short stories in English, French or both languages. Prizes are for 1st- and 2nd-place in seven age groups (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18) in poetry and short story categories. Digital submissions are encouraged.
Details: https://teens.hpl.ca/articles/power-pen-creative-writing-contest
SaveAs Writers’ International Writing Competition 2026
Genre: Short Story, Poetry
Entry Fee: £4 per poem, £10 for three poems, £5 per short story, and £12 for three short stories
Deadline: September 30, 2026
The Canterbury Christ Church University Poetry Prize: First prize of £200, second prize of £100, third prize of £50
The Canterbury Festival Fiction Prize: First prize of £200, second prize of £100, third prize of £50
Description: Submit poetry or short stories with the theme of ‘Lines of Communication’. Poems need to be 60 lines max and short stories 3,500 words max.
Details: https://creativewritingink.co.uk/competitions/saveas-writers-international-writing-competition-2026/
Southword Editor’s Poetry Award
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: €24 for 3 poems (includes a one-year subscription to Southword)
Deadline: September 30, 2026
Prize: €1,000 for the best entry of 3 poems
Description: Poems will be read and judged anonymously. Poems must be previously unpublished. The winning poet will have their three poems published in Southword.
Details: https://munsterlit.ie/southwordeditoraward/
The Darling Axe First Page Challenge
Genre: First page of manuscript
Entry Fee: $5 CAD
Deadline: September 30, 2026
Prize: First prize of $700 CAD; second prize of $200 CAD; third prize of $100 CAD; all three finalists win publication on the Chopping Blog and receive complimentary access to one of our self-paced courses
Description: If you want a reader to buy your book or an agent to offer you representation, then it only makes sense to have a stunning first page. That’s what the First Page Challenge is all about. Open to fiction or narrative nonfiction, short stories or full-length manuscripts. One page, double-spaced, 12-point font. The judge will be asking one question: how likely am I to turn this page and keep reading?
Details: https://darlingaxe.com/pages/first-page-challenge
*Contests will be updated as 2026 details become available.*
Federation of BC Writers’ (FBCW) Literary Contest 2026
Genre: Flash Fiction, Short Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Poetry
Entry Fee: $15 CAD for FBCW members and $25 CAD for non-members
Deadline: 2026 contest details to be announced
Prize: First prize in each of 4 categories of $350 CAD, an interview in WordWorks magazine (print and online), a reading and interview at 2025 Gala, publication in the Contest Anthology, and 3 copies of the anthology; shortlist in each of 4 categories of $35 CAD, recognition on social media, publication in the Contest Anthology, and 1 copy of the anthology
Description: The Federation of British Columbia Writers’ Literary Contest is an annual celebration of writing. Poets and writers are invited to submit original, unpublished works. Flash fiction is 500 words max, short fiction is 3,500 words max, creative nonfiction is 1,500 words max, and poetry is 30 lines max.
Details: https://fbcwcontest.com/
River Styx Contest 2026
Genre: Fiction, Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: 2026 contest details to be announced
Prize: First prize of $1,000 USD and publication each to one fiction writer and one poet
Description: The winning work will appear online in January 2026 and in the River Styx spring print edition. Works of fiction should not exceed 3,000 words. Send only one story, or up to three poems, per entry. Work must be previously unpublished.
Details: http://www.riverstyx.org/submit/microfiction-contest/