Writing Contests
2024 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize
Deadline: 22 April 2024
The Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize is an annual short fiction competition organized by the Australian Book Review. Entries must be a single, original story of 2,000 to 5,000 words. Entry fee: AU$ 30 • 1st prize: AU$ 6,000 • 2nd prize: AU$ 4,000 • 3rd prize: AU$ 2,500
The 2024 Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition
Deadline: 1 June 2024
The competition is open to writers over the age of 18. The entry must be a full-length children’s novel for readers aged between 7 and 18. The entry fee is £20. The main prize is a worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House with a royalty advance of £10,000.
The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize 2024
Deadline: 1 March 2024
The competition is open to anyone aged 18 and above. This year's theme is: ''Language''. All genres of writing are permitted, including fiction, non-fiction and non-academic essays. The competition is free to enter. The winner will receive a cash prize of £3,000.
The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing 2024
Deadline: 31 May 2024
Authors must be first-generation immigrants. ''First-generation'' can refer either to people born in another country who relocated, or to residents of a country whose parents were born elsewhere. This year the competition is open to fiction submissions. The entry fee is US$20. The winner receives $10,000 and publication by Restless Books.
The Plough Prize 2024
Deadline: 31 March 2024
The Plough Poetry Prize is an international competition for a poems in English up to 40 lines on any subject. The entry fee is £5 per poem. • 1st prize £1,000 • 2nd prize £500 • 3rd prize £250
The Alpine Fellowship Poetry Prize 2024
Deadline: 1 March 2024
The competition is open to anyone aged 18 and above. This year's theme is ''Language''. You may submit one poem or a collection of poems as long as ALL the poems in the collection speak to the theme. The competition is free to enter. The winner will receive a cash prize of £3,000.
The 46th Nimrod Literary Awards
Deadline: 1 April 2024
The Nimrod Literary Awards are open internationally. Entries may be fiction (7,500 words maximum) or poetry (3-10 pages). Each entry must be accompanied by a $23 fee. • 1st Prize: $2,000 and publication • 2nd Prize: $1,000 and publication
AWP Award Series 2024
Deadline: 28 February 2024
The competition is open to all authors writing original works in English for adult readers. Entry fees: $30 for nonmembers and $20 for AWP members. There are four prizes: • Donald Hall Prize for Poetry: $5,500 • Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction: $5,500 • Sue William Silverman Prize for Creative Nonfiction : $2,500 • James Alan McPherson Prize for the Novel: $5,500
The 2024 Yeovil Literary Prize
Deadline: 31 May 2024
The Yeovil Literary Prize is open to anyone over the age of 16. There are five categories: • Novel (1st prize: £1250) • Short Story (1st prize: £600) • Poetry (1st prize: £600) • Children’s/Young Adult Novel (1st prize: £600) • Writing Without Restrictions (1st prize: £250). Entry fees: from £5 to £14,50.
The Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2024
Deadline: 31 March 2024
The prize is for an unpublished poem written by an adult for children aged 7–11. The entry fee is €15 per poem. • 1st prize: 1,000 € • 2nd prize: 500 € • 3rd prize: 250 €
The Masters Review Winter Short Story Award for New Writers 2024
Deadline: 28 January 2024
The competition is open to emerging writers. Submissions of fiction or nonfiction must be under 6,000 words. The entry fee is US$20. The winning story will be awarded US$3,000.
Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2024
Deadline: 31 August 2024
The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is an international literary prize for established and emerging poets and writers. Entry fees: • Poetry: £12 • Short fiction: £18 Prizes: • £2,500 for the Poetry Winner • £2,500 for the Short Fiction Winner
Edinburgh Short Story Award 2024
Deadline: 29 February 2024
The competition is open to all writers worldwide, published and unpublished, who are over 16 years of age. Short stories may be on any topic. The entry fee is £10 per story. • First prize: £3,000 • Second prize: £500 • Third prize: £250
The Rialto Nature and Place Poetry Competition 2024
Deadline: 1 April 2024
The competition is open to anyone over the age of 18. ''Poems are invited that deal with any aspect of nature and place – these terms will be given a wide interpretation by the judge Zaffar Kunial.'' Entry fees: £7 for your first poem £4 for each subsequent poem • 1st prize: £1000 • 2nd prize: £500 • 3rd prize: £250
Magma 2023/24 Poetry Competition
Deadline: 31 January 2024
There are two contests, one for short poems of up to 10 lines, and one for poems of 11 to 50 lines. The entry fees are £5 for the first poem, £4 for the second and £3.50 for the third. • Editors' Prize (poems of up to 10 lines) 1st prize: £1,000 • Judge's Prize (poems of 11 to 50 lines) 1st prize: £1,000
The Bridport Prize 2024
Deadline: 31 May 2024
The competition is open to writers of any nationality, aged 16 years old and over. The competition has four categories: • Poetry (1st prize: £5,000); • Short story (1st prize: £5,000); • Flash fiction (1st prize: £1,000); • Novel (1st prize: £1,500). Entry fees: from £11 to £24.
2024 Calibre Essay Prize
Deadline: 22 January 2024
The competition is open to all essayists writing in English. Entries must be a single non-fiction essay of 2,000 and 5,000 words. Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee of AU$30. The winner will receive AU$5,000. The runner-up will receive AU$3,000. Third place will receive AU$2,000.
Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest 2023/2024
Deadline: 1 May 2024
You may submit stories and essays on any theme, up to 6,000 words each. For this contest, a story is any short work of fiction, and an essay is any short work of nonfiction. The entry fee is $22. The winning story and essay will each receive $3,500. Ten Honorable Mentions will receive $300 each.
Kent and Sussex Poetry Society Open Poetry Competition 2024
Deadline: 31 January 2024
The competition is open to anyone aged 16 and over. Poems may be on any subject and in any form or style. Entry fees: · up to two poems: £5 per poem; · three or more poems: £4 per poem. • 1st prize: £1,000 • 2nd prize: £300 • 3rd prize: £100 • 4th prize: 4 x £50 Deadline 31 January 2024
2024 Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
Deadline: 1 April 2024
You may submit one humor poem, in English. Your poem should not exceed 250 lines in length. The competition is free to enter. • 1st prize: $2,000 • 2nd prize: $500 • 3rd Prize: $250 • 10 honorable mentions, $100 each