Writing Contest: Birth Stories

Genre: Nonfiction or essay
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: Opens June 1 and closes August 1, 2020
Prize: First Place: $300 + publication; Second Place: $100 + publication; Third Place: $50 + publication; 15 Honorable Mentions: publication
Description: Birth experiences are as powerful and diverse as birthers are. As doulas, we know the joys, frustrations, surprises and struggles of giving birth. Each story is different. We want to hear yours. The top three winning stories and the 15 honorable mention stories will be published on the DSF’S website and we intend to create a Canadian Anthology of Birth Stories (paper and electronic book format) as well. All winners will be invited to participate in a Birth Sharing Circle in September 2020.
Details: https://www.doulasupport.org/birth-story-contest-2020

 

Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize

Genre: Creative Nonfiction
Entry Fee: $35 for Canadian entries, $40 USD for US entries, and $45 USD for entries from Mexico and outside North America (includes a one-year print subscription to The Malahat Review), plus $15 for each additional entry submitted at the same time as the first entry
Deadline: 2020 deadline to be announced in May 2020
Prize: $1,000; a book prize to one lucky contest entrant
Description: The entry must be no longer than 3,000 words and not previously published or accepted for publication.There are no restrictions to the subject matter or approach, so the entries may be personal essay, memoir, cultural criticism, nature writing, literary journalism, etc.
Destails: http://www.malahatreview.ca/contests/creative_non-fiction_prize/info.html

 

The Alcott Award for Young Adult Fiction

Genre: Book-length YA Fiction
Entry Fee: $22 USD
Deadline: 2020 deadline not yet posted
Prize: $1,000 and publication by Many Frog Press
Description: Hidden River announces the inaugural Alcott Award for an unpublished book-length work of young adult fiction featuring at least one strong female lead character. The Alcott Award is offered for a YA novel that, in the tradition of Little Women, offers us at least one central female character. Style is open – the book may be any form of fiction (historical, fantasy, literary, etc.) as long as its protagonist is female. This competition is open to international submissions for all writers in English.
Details: https://hiddenriverarts.wordpress.com/awards-deadlines-and-guidelines/the-alcott-award-for-young-adult-fiction/

 

Glass Buffalo 2019 Short Fiction Contest and 2019 Poetry Contest

Genre: Poetry and Short Story
Entry Fee: $30 per short story or $30 for up to two poems (includes a one-year subscription or extension to Glass Buffalo)
Deadline: 2020 deadline not yet posted
Prize: $500 and publication in the Glass Buffalo Fall 2019 issue
Description: Open to all Canadian writers. Short stories must be under 750 words. There is no minimum or maximum word count for poetry.
Details: https://www.glassbuffalo.com/contest/

 

Room’s 2020 Poetry Contest

Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $35 for Canadian entries plus $7 for each additional entry, and $42 USD for entrants outside Canada plus $7 USD for each additional entry (includes a one-year subscription to Room)
Deadline: August 15, 2020
Prize: First prize of $1,000; second prize of $250; honourable mention prize of $50; all prizes include publication on Room’s website
Description: Open to women (cisgender or transgender), transgender men, Two-Spirit, and nonbinary people. One poetry entry includes up to three poems or 150 lines of poetry in a single document.
Details: https://roommagazine.com/contests

 

The BookLife Prize in Fiction

Genre: Fiction
Entry Fee: $99 USD
Deadline: August 31, 2020
Prize: Grand prize of $5,000 USD and an author profile in Publishers Weekly; one finalist from each respective submission category will receive $1,000 worth of BookBaby’s Facebook + Instagram for Authors service, a promotional “blurb”  from one of the guest judge’s for the Prize, and a mention in Publishers Weekly; all entrants receive a Critic’s Report (a brief critical assessment of their novel written by a Publishers Weekly reviewer)
Description: Unpublished or self-published novels in the English language. The BookLife Prize seeks to support independent authors and discover great written works in five fiction categories – Romance/Erotica, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror, General Fiction, and Middle-Grade & YA Fiction. Novels submitted to the Middle Grade & YA Fiction category must contain 30,000-100,000 words. All other submissions must contain 40,000 to 100,000 words.
Details: https://booklife.com/about-us/the-booklife-prize.html

 

The Masters Review Summer Short Story Award for New Writers

Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: 2020 deadline not yet posted
Prize: First prize of $3,000; second prize of $300; third prize of $200; all prizes include online publication and agency review
Description: No style or genre preferences, however, this is a publication that focuses on literary fiction. Take chances and be bold! Previously unpublished stories under 6000 words. Emerging writers only (self-published writers and writers with story collections and novels with a small circulation are welcome to submit, and writers with novels published with a circulation of fewer than 5000 copies can also submit).
Details: https://mastersreview.com/short-story-award-for-new-writers/

 

Fool for Poetry International Chapbook Competition

Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: €25 per manuscript
Deadline: August 31, 2020
Prize: First prize of €1000; second prize of €500; both win a chapbook publication, 25 complimentary copies, and are offered a reading and three nights’ accommodation at the Cork International Poetry Festival (Spring 2021)
Description: The competition is open to new, emerging and established poets from any country. One of these winners will be the highest scoring manuscript entered by a poet with no solo collection (full-length or chapbook) previously published. Up to 25 other entrants will be publicly listed as “highly commended”. Manuscripts can be between 16 and 24 pages in length, in the English language and the sole work of the entrant with no pastiches, translations or versions. The poems can be in verse or prose.
Details: http://munsterlit.ie/Fool%20for%20Poetry.html

 

The 2nd Melody Richardson Memorial Contest

Genre: Short Fiction, Flash Fiction
Entry Fee: $10 for Muskoka Authors Association members or $25 for non-members
Deadline: August 31, 2020
Prize: Short fiction – first prize of $300; second prize of $100; honorable mention prize of publication on MAA website
Flash fiction – first prize of $200; second prize of $75; honorable mention prize of publication on MAA website
Description: Muskoka Authors Association created the Melody Richardson Memorial Contest in honour of the writing group’s founder. Flash fiction submissions have a 500 word maximum and fiction submissions have a 1,500 word maximum.
Website: https://muskokaauthors.ca