Get To Know Contest
Genre: Poetry (19 years of age and under)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 1, 2024, at 11:59 pm ET
Prize: Prizes vary and are subject to change
Description: Open to anyone 19 and under. Presented by the Wild Neighbours Society. Get outside, get creative, and enter the contest!
Details: https://www.gettoknow.ca/rules
Wine Country Writers’ 2024 Festival Fiction Short Story Contest
Genre: Fiction
Entry Fee: $15 CAD for one entry or $25 CAD for two entries
Deadline: June 1, 2024, at 11:59 pm PT
Prize: First prize of $150 CAD and entry into the next year’s Festival (does not included transportation or accommodation); second prize of $75 CAD; third prize of $50 CAD; 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 Works must be fresh and unpublished.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 in September.
Details: www.wcwfestival.com
Wine Country Writers’ 2024 Festival Non-Fiction Short Story Contest
Genre: Non-Fiction
Entry Fee: $15 CAD for one entry or $25 CAD for two entries
Deadline: June 1, 2024, at 11:59 pm PT
Prize: First prize of $150 CAD and entry into the next year’s Festival (does not included transportation or accommodation); second prize of $75 CAD; third prize of $50 CAD; 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 Works must be fresh and unpublished.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 in September.
Details:www.wcwfestival.com
Wine Country Writers’ 2024 Festival Poetry Contest
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $15 CAD for one entry or $25 CAD for two entries
Deadline: June 1, 2024, at 11:59 pm PT
Prize: First prize of $150 CAD and entry into the next year’s Festival (does not included transportation or accommodation); second prize of $75 CAD; third prize of $50 CAD; 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 Works must be fresh and unpublished.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 in September.
Details: www.wcwfestival.com
4th Annual Wine Country Writers’ Festival Writing Contest
Genre: Short Fiction, Short Nonfiction, Poetry
Entry Fee: $15 CAD per entry or $25 CAD for 2 entries
Deadline: June 2, 2024, at 11:59 pm PT
Prize: First prize of $200 CAD, free registration for the 2024 Festival, and publication in and copy of the 2024 Anthology; second prize of $100 CAD and publication in and copy of the 2024 Anthology; third prize of $50 CAD and publication in and copy of the 2024 Anthology
Description: Judging is blind. All formats and styles are welcome. Creatives from all walks of life, experiences, orientations, and cultural backgrounds are encouraged. Short fiction and nonfiction have a 2,000 word maximum and poetry submissions must be no more than 48 lines. Winners will be announced on September 27, 2024.
Details: https://wcwfestival.com/wine-country-writers-festival-writing-contest/
John Fleming Award in Decorative Arts Writing
Genre: Original magazine writing on decorative arts
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 2, 2024, at 11:59 pm ET
Prize: $1,000 CAD and publication in Ornamentum magazine and website
Description: This award recognizes an exceptional example of original magazine writing on decorative arts in Canada. Decorative arts are creative works, often of a practical or useful nature, produced by an artist, craftsman, or amateur, which have intrinsic aesthetic and/or historical value. These arts include architectural ornament; ceramics; glass; furniture and furnishings; graphics; metalwork and jewellery; textiles; theatre arts; and interior, industrial, and landscape design.
Details: https://csda-ccad.org/Awards/
The Masters Review Anthology Volume XIII
Genre: Short Story, Essay
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: June 2, 2024
Prize: Ten awards of $500 USD each, publication in a nationally distributed journal, exposure to over 50 literary agencies, and a copy of the anthology
Description: Every year The Masters Review opens submissions to produce an anthology, a collection of 10 stories and essays written by the best emerging authors. The aim is to showcase 10 writers who will continue to produce great work. They will be nationally distributed in a printed book with their stories and essays exposed to top agents, editors, and authors across the country. Previously unpublished works of fiction and narrative nonfiction only, up to 7,000 words. This contest is for emerging writers only. Writers must not have published a novel-length work at the time of submission; authors of short story collections and self-published titles can submit as can authors with novels or memoirs with a low distribution (about 5,000 copies).
Details: https://mastersreview.com/anthology/
Icelandic Festival of Manitoba Poetry and Short Story Contest
Genre: Poetry, Short Story
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 7, 2024
Prize: Junior (12 and under) first prize of $50 CAD in each category of poetry and short story; intermediate (13 – 18) first prize of $75 CAD in each category of poetry and short story; open first prize of $125 CAD in each category of poetry and short story
Description: The Icelandic Festival of Manitoba invites you to submit previously unpublished poetry, up to three entries per person, and/or one short story per person with a maximum of 1,200 words.
Details: https://www.icelandicfestival.com/festival-events/contests/poetry-short-story-contest
Boulevard Magazine Poetry Contest for Emerging Poets
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $18 USD per group of 3 poems and $18 USD for each additional group of 3
Deadline: June 8, 2024, at 12:00 am CT
Prize: $1,000 USD and publication
Description: Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but previously accepted or published work is ineligible. The poems may be a sequence or unrelated. All entries will be considered for publication and for payment at their regular rates. Entries will be judged by the editors of Boulevard magazine. The winning poems will be first announced on the website and then published in the following issue of Boulevard.
Details: https://www.boulevardmagazine.org/poetry-contest
International Wizard of Oz Club Annual Contest
Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, Art; all work must be related to the world of Oz
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 15, 2024
Prize: First prize of $100 USD; second prize of $50 USD
Description: The International Wizard of Oz Club’s goals are to encourage new writers and artists, and to explore a large range of Oz expression. Authors, researchers, and artists are invited to submit their work for consideration. Maximum length of 10,000 words.
Details: https://www.ozclub.org/about/oz-club-contests/
The $5,000 Narrative Prize
Genre: Short Story, Novel Excerpt, Poem, One-act Play, Graphic Story, Literary Nonfiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 15, 2024
Prize: $5,000 USD
Description: Awarded annually for the best short story, novel excerpt, poem, one-act play, graphic story, or work of literary nonfiction published by a new or emerging writer in Narrative. The prize is announced each September and is given to the best work published each year in Narrative by a new or emerging writer, as judged by the magazine’s editors. In some years, the prize may be divided between winners, when more than one work merits the award.
Details: http://www.narrativemagazine.com/great-stories/narrative-prize
Palette Poetry’s Sappho Prize for Women Poets
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: June 16, 2024
Prize: First prize of $3,000; second prize of $300; third prize of $200; all prizes include publication on Palette Poetry’s website
Description: This contest only accepts submissions from poets who identify as women and/or non-binary. Submissions are open internationally, to any poet writing in English—other languages are okay to include, as long as the meat of the poem is in English. There is no page requirement, but submission must be no more than 3 poems.
Details: www.palettepoetry.com/current-contest/
Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition
Genre: Multiple Categories (see full list on website)
Entry Fee: Early-Bird fee for poetry category is $20 USD for first entry plus $15 USD for each additional entry and early-bird fee for manuscript category is $30 USD for first entry plus $25 USD for each additional entry
Deadline: June 17, 2024
Prize: Grand prize of $5,000 USD, an interview in Writer’s Digest (Nov/Dec 2022 issue) and on WritersDigest.com, a paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference including special recognition at the keynote, a coveted Pitch Slam slot at the Writer’s Digest Conference where the winner will receive one on one attention from editors or agents, and publication of the winning piece on WritersDigest.com; first prize of $1,000 USD and publication of the winning piece on WritersDigest.com; second prize of $500 USD; third prize of $250 USD; fourth prize of $100 USD; fifth prize of $50 USD; sixth through tenth prize of a $25 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com
Description: Writer’s Digest’s annual writing competition aims to shine a spotlight on up and coming writers. Competition categories are Inspirational/Spiritual, Memoirs/Personal Essay, Print or Online Article, Genre Short Story (Mystery, Romance, etc.), Mainstream/Literary Short Story, Rhyming Poetry, Non-rhyming Poetry, Script (Stage Play/Television/Movie Script/Short Film) and Children’s/Young Adult Fiction.
Details: http://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/annual-writing-competition
Page Turner Awards
Genre: Book, Screenplay, Manuscript
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 19, 2024
Prize: Varied prizes in multiple categories
Description: In total, there will be 4 award categories, and you can enter up to 15 submissions across the different award categories. All awards accept fiction and non-fiction in all genres. Entrants from anywhere in the world can enter any award categories or sub-categories.
Details: https://pageturnerawards.com/
Spring Anthology Contest 2024: Compelling Hooks
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: June 24, 2024
Prize: Grand prize of $500 USD and anthology publication; finalist prize of $50 USD and anthology publication
Description: This year’s prompt is “compelling hooks”. No matter the length of your story, a solid start is essential. A successful story grabs readers’ attention with an irresistible hook and doesn’t let go. Submit your short stories between 1,500 and 2,000 words that grabs the readers attention from the first paragraph. Must be an original, unpublished short story. Entrants must be 18+. English only.
Details: https://bardsy.com/contest
Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize
Genre: Fiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 25, 2024, for books published between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024
Prize: First prize of $60,000 CAD; finalists will each receive $5,000 CAD
Description: The grand prize will be awarded to the novel or short story collection published between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024, that, in the opinion of the jurors, is the year’s best book of fiction. The jurors will shortlist between three and five titles.
Details: https://www.writerstrust.com/awards/atwood-gibson-writers-trust-fiction-prize/
Hilary Weston Writer’s Trust Prize for Nonfiction
Genre: Nonfiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 25, 2024
Prize: First prize of $60,000; finalists will each receive $5,000
Description: The grand prize will be awarded to a literary nonfiction book published between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024, that, in the opinion of the jury, is the year’s best book of nonfiction. Literary nonfiction includes, among other forms, works of personal or journalistic essays, memoirs, commentary, criticism both social and political, history, and biography. Finalist works will demonstrate a distinctive voice, as well as a persuasive and compelling command of tone, narrative, style, and technique. The overall effect of such writing should provide the general reader with an informed, unique perspective on the issue at hand. The jurors will shortlist between three and five titles.
Details: https://writerstrust.com/Awards/Hilary-Weston-Writers-Trust-Prize/Prize-Guidelines.aspx
The Masters Review Reprint Prize
Genre: Previously Published Work
Entry Fee: $10 USD
Deadline: June 25, 2024
Prize: $500 USD and online publication
Description: For the first time ever, The Masters Review is looking for previously published work. For 10 days from June 15 to June 25 the first Reprint Prize will be open for submissions. Any fiction or creative nonfiction under 6,000 words published prior to June 1, 2023, is eligible. There are no limitations on style or topic, but the primary interest is literary prose.
Details: https://mastersreview.com/the-reprint-prize/
Writers’ Trust of Canada Balsillie Prize for Public Policy
Genre: Nonfiction Books
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 25, 2024
Prize: First prize of $60,000; three to five finalists will each receive $5,000
Description: Titles must be published between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024. A prize of $60,000 will be awarded annually to a book of nonfiction that advances and influences policy debates on social, political, economic, and/or cultural topics relevant to Canadians. It celebrates work that displays originality in several respects, including subject, approach, analysis, and voice, and which offers a thought-provoking contribution to an issue that impacts on both public consciousness and Canadian policymakers. The winning book combines new insights with a depth and breadth of research. The prize especially values work that brings public policy issues to the general reading public. The jurors will shortlist between three and five titles.
Details: https://www.writerstrust.com/awards/balsillie-prize-for-public-policy/guidelines/
Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award
Genre: Television Screenwriting
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 26, 2024
Prize: $2,500 USD, a trip to New York City, and an invitation to the International Emmy® Awards Gala in November
Description: Each year, The International Academy of Television Arts & Science Foundation administers the Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award. The competition is designed to motivate non-American novice writers under the age of 30, and offer them the recognition and encouragement that might lead to a successful career in television scriptwriting. Entrants are asked to create a completed half-hour to one-hour English-language television drama script.
Details: https://www.iemmys.tv/ustinov.aspx
Alberta Views Short Story Contest
Genre: Short Story
Entry Fee: $40 CAD per story (includes a one-year subscription to Alberta Views)
Deadline: June 30, 2024
Prize: $1,000 CAD and publication in Alberta Views
Description: Open to all current or former residents of Alberta. Stories must be under 3,000 words and must not have been previously published.
Details: http://albertaviews.ca/short-story-contest/
Blue Lights Book Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: June 30, 2024
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: http://www.bluelightpress.com/contests.php
Drue Heinz Literature Prize
Genre: Short Fiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 30, 2024
Prize: $15,000 USD, publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press, and support in the nation-wide promotion of their book
Description: The Drue Heinz Literature Prize recognizes and supports writers of short fiction and makes their work available to readers around the world. The award is open to authors who have published a book-length collection of fiction or at least three short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals. Eligible submissions include an unpublished manuscript of short stories, two or more novellas with a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages, or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection. Manuscripts may be no fewer than 150 and no more than 300 pages.
Details: https://upittpress.org/prize/drue-heinz-literature-prize/
Eden Mills Writers’ Festival (EMWF) Read at The Fringe Literary Contest
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 CAD per entry
Deadline: June 30, 2024
Prize: One winner will be selected in each category to win $150 CAD and an invitation to read at the EMWF
Description: The Read at the Fringe Literary Contest is a special opportunity for aspiring writers to share their work with our audience in Eden Mills. The contest is open to Ontario writers who are unpublished in book format. Full details, including word/page limits, can be found on the EMWF website.
Details: https://edenmillswritersfestival.ca/read-at-the-fringe-literary-contest/
Frontier Poetry Open 2024
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: June 30, 2024
Prize: Grand prize of $5,000 USD and publication in Frontier Poetry; ten finalist prizes of $100 USD 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 2024. 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/
International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir
Genre: Memoir
Entry Fee: $25 USD per submission
Deadline: June 30, 2024
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
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/
Omnidawn 2024 Open Poetry Book Contest
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: $27 USD
Deadline: June 30, 2024
Prize: $3,000 USD, 100 copies of the winning book, publication of the winning book by Omnidawn, and extensive display advertising and publicity, including large display ads that will appear in Poets & Writers Magazine, American Poets Magazine, Rain Taxi Review of Books, etc.
Description: This contest is open to all writers worldwide with no limitations on the amount of poetry a writer has published. Submissions are recommended to be between 40–120 pages, not including front and back matter, with most manuscripts received being between 40-80 pages long.
Details: http://www.omnidawn.com/contest/poetry-contests.htm#book-and-chapbook-contests
Poetry London Prize
Genre: Poetry
Entry Fee: £4 per poem for Poetry London subscribers and £8 per poem for non-subscribers (limited number of free entries available for low-income writers)
Deadline: June 30, 2024
Prize: First prize of £5,000; second prize of £2,000; third prize of £1,000; all winners published in Poetry London magazine
Description: The Poetry London Prize is a major, internationally renowned award for a single outstanding poem. The prestigious prize has been won by and helped launch the careers of many acclaimed poets, including Liz Berry, Niall Campbell, Richard Scott, Eleanor Penny, and Romalyn Ante. The competition is open to poets anywhere in the world. Entries must be in English, your own unaided work, and not a translation of another poet. Entries must not have been previously published or self-published, in print or online, or have won a prize in another competition. The maximum length is 80 lines, not including titles or blank lines.
Details: https://poetrylondon.co.uk/opportunities/#the-poetry-london-prize
QWF College Writers Award
Genre: Short Story, Nonfiction, Poetry (Ages 16 – 24)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 30, 2024
Prize: First prize of $1,000 CAD; second prize of $350 CAD; third prize of $150 CAD
Description: QWF established a prize for young writers in 2017. In 2021, it was relaunched as the QWF College Writers Award. The prize is be awarded to a Quebec resident who is enrolled in one of the sponsoring colleges: Champlain, Dawson, Heritage, John Abbott, Marianopolis, and Vanier.
Details: https://qwf.org/awards/call-for-submissions-the-qwf-college-writers-award/
Room Magazine’s Creative Nonfiction Contest
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
Entry Fee: $35 CAD if you reside in Canada, $45 CAD if you reside in the US, and $55 CAD if you reside outside of North America, plus $7 CAD for each additional entry (includes a one-year subscription to Room)
Deadline: June 30, 2024, at 3:00 am ET
Prize: First prize of $1,000 CAD; second prize of $250 CAD; honourable mention prize of $100 CAD; all prizes include publication on Room’s website
Description: Room publishes work by people of all marginalized genders, including cis and trans women, trans men, nonbinary, and Two-Spirit people. One submission is one piece of creative non-fiction (memoir, travel writing, nonfiction humour, essay, literary journalism, personal journalism, biography, profile, etc.) of up to 3,500 words.
Details: https://room.submittable.com/submit?mc_cid=2bdfcb9908&mc_eid=40a3648b84
San Francisco Writers Conference (SFWC) 2024 Writing Contest
Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, Children’s Books, Poetry
Entry Fee: $35 USD per entry
Deadline: June 30, 2024
Prize: Grand prize of registration to the 2025 San Francisco Writers Conference; four category prizes of a 2025 Summit Registration of their choice or an equivalent discount to the main conference
Description: Entries may have been self-published or not-yet-published but not traditionally published. Entries can be up to 1,500 words in length (or less, but not more) and should be the first 1,500 words of a novel or book, an essay, article, novella, short story, novelette, etc. For poetry entries, you may submit up to three poems at a time in one document, as long as their total combined word count is at 1,500 or less. They will be judged individually.
Details: https://www.sfwriters.org/2024-writing-contest-overview/
Storyhouse General Nonfiction Contest
Genre: Nonfiction
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 30, 2024
Prize: First prize of $200 USD and automatic entry to the Winners Circle Contest; runner-up prize of $100 USD; all winners receive certificates of recognition suitable for framing
Description: Any appropriate nonfiction topic is eligible. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. So-called “creative nonfiction” will not be considered. 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: https://www.storyhouse.org/contest2024.html
Willow Run Poetry Book Award
Genre: Poetry Book
Entry Fee: $20 USD
Deadline: June 30, 2024
Prize: $1,000 USD and publication with Hidden River Press
Description: For unpublished book-length collections of poetry. The editors will judge. Submit a poetry manuscript of approximately 75 to 100 pages.
Details: https://hiddenriverartssubmissions.submittable.com/submit