information about creative writing contests, poetry contests, literary magazine theme issues, writing residencies, grants, fellowships etc. Now accepting creative writing contests news and announcements!
The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who enjoys expressing their innermost thoughts and feelings in the beautiful literary art of poetry or writing a story that’s worth telling everyone! Welcome to all, having the ability to dream… Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes totaling $1275.00! All works must be original. https://www.dreamquestone.com
Guidelines:
Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand-printed.
And/or write a short story, 5 pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, fiction, non-fiction, creative nonfiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries, short stage-plays, screenplays, and screenwriting). All entries must be either typed or legibly hand-printed. Multiple and simultaneous poetry and short story entries are accepted.
Postmark deadline: May 28, 2023
All contest winners will be published on June 30, 2023
Prizes(USD):
Writing First Prize is $500. Second: $250. Third: $100.
Poetry First Prize is $250. Second: $125. Third: $50.
Entry fees(USD): $5 per poem, $10 per story
To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) and/or poem(s), along with your name, mailing address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”
No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. “And remember, in whatever you do, it’s okay to dream, for dreams do come true.” –Dream Quest One
The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who enjoys expressing their innermost thoughts and feelings in the beautiful literary art of poetry or writing a story that’s worth telling everyone! Welcome to all, having the ability to dream… Write a poem or short story to win cash prizes totaling $1275.00! All works must be original.
Guidelines:
Write a poem of 30 lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand-printed.
And/or write a short story, 5 pages maximum length, on any subject or theme. Genres: fiction, non-fiction, and creative nonfiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries, short screenplays, stage plays, and screenwriting). All entries must be either typed or legibly hand-printed.
Multiple and simultaneous poetry and short story entries are accepted.
Postmark deadline: March 19, 2023
All contest winners will be published on April 30, 2023
Prizes (USD):
Writing First Prize is $500. Second: $250. Third: $100.
Poetry First Prize is $250. Second: $125. Third: $50.
Entry fees (USD): $5 per poem, $10 per story
To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, mailing address, phone#, email, and brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”
No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. “And remember, in whatever you do, it’s okay to dream, for dreams do come true.” –Dream Quest One
Can you tell a story in 100 words or less? This is no simple feat. Showcase your ability to harness the meaning behind every word in our third annual 100-Word Contest. Write anything under 100 words – nonfiction or fiction – for a chance to win the grand prize: $1,000 and publication in The Writer magazine. Second prize is $500 and publication. Third prize is $250 and publication.
The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who enjoys expressing innermost thoughts and feelings in the beautiful literary art of poetry or writing a story that’s worth telling everyone! Welcome to all, having the ability to dream… Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes totaling $1275.00! All works must be original.
Guidelines:
Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.
And/or write a short story, 5 pages maximum length, on any subject or theme. Genres: fiction, non-fiction, and creative nonfiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries, short screenplays, and, stageplays, and screenwriting). All entries must be either typed or legibly hand printed.
Multiple and simultaneous poetry and short story entries are accepted.
Postmark deadline: September 30, 2022
All contest winners will be published on November 30, 2022
Prizes(USD):
Writing First Prize is $500. Second: $250. Third: $100.
Poetry First Prize is $250. Second: $125. Third: $50.
Entry fees(USD): $5 per poem, $10 per story
To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, mailing address, phone#, email, and brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”
No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. “And remember, in whatever you do, it’s okay to dream, for dreams do come true.” –Dream Quest One
We are pleased to announce our 2022 Curt Johnson Prose Awards will be judged by Laura Dave (Fiction) and Taté Walker (Nonfiction) click here for more information on our judges. Prizes are $1,500 and publication in our Fall/Winter 2022 issue for First Place (fiction and nonfiction); $500 and publication in our Fall/Winter 2022 issue for honorable mention (fiction and nonfiction). All finalists will be listed in the awards issue.
Maximum of 8,000 words for fiction and non-fiction. Name and address on cover letter only. $20 entry fee includes a copy of Awards issue.
AUTHOR NAME OR OTHER IDENTIFYING INFORMATION SHOULD NOT APPEAR IN YOUR TITLE OR ANYWHERE ON YOUR UPLOADED OR HARD COPY DOCUMENT.
decemberaccepts submissions online through Submittable.
We do not accept simultaneous submissions, but we generally provide a response within eight weeks. Contest submissions generally take a little longer because of the review process.
decemberalso accepts submissions through the U.S. mail. If submitting by mail, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with sufficient postage, your $20.00 entry fee (check or cash), and indicate if you would like your manuscript returned. Multiple entries are accepted with an additional $20.00 entry fee per submission. december assumes no responsibility for delayed, lost, or damaged manuscripts.
Deadline for short stories and articles: March 31, 2022 —last call! Deadline for book-length submissions: August 31, 2022
Eaton Literary Agency has been helping authors since 1984. Our Annual Awards Program attracts quality manuscripts that we can present to publishers on behalf of our authors. We award an annual prize of $2,500 for book-length work (10,000+ words) and $500 for short stories and articles (fewer than 10,000 words).
Entries may be fiction or nonfiction and must be unpublished. To enter, please email your submission as an attachment in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format to eatonlit@aol.com. Alternately, you may mail a printed copy of your work to Eaton Literary Agency, P.O. Box 49795, Sarasota, FL 34230.
Announcing the second annual Perkoff Prize, a new contest from the Missouri Review. The re-vamped Perkoff Prize is a tri-genre contest that will award $1000 and publication each to writers of the best story, set of poems, and essay that engage in evocative ways with health and medicine as judged by the editors.
The initial concept for the Perkoff Prize was as a post-publication award (much like TMR’s Peden Prize) that recognized literary excellence in a piece that had a meaningful connection to health and medicine. The original benefactor of this prize, the late Dr. Gerald Thomas Perkoff, was Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri School of Medicine in the Department of Family and Community Medicine (learn more about his life here). His love of poetry and the possibilities in treating the vast, rich arena of human experience with health and medicine drove this desire to take note of and reward literary achievement. We started planning ways to reinvent and revitalize the prize in the late spring of 2019, with no idea what the following years would bring us. Now here we are, amidst a pandemic that has relentlessly revealed to us the precarity—and resourcefulness—of human health and the endeavors of medicine to relieve pain and suffering. It is our humble hope that the Perkoff Prize is an opportunity for the artful expression of these infinitely diverse and collectively resonant human experiences.
NEW DEADLINE: MARCH 31, 2022
Guidelines:
All submissions must engage with health and medicine in some way.
All submissions must be previously unpublished.
Poetry: up to 10 pages of poetry.
Fiction and Nonfiction: up to 8500 words, double-spaced.
Winners will be published in print issue of TMR.
All entries will be considered for publication (whether in print, or as part of our Poem of the Week or Blast features).
Multiple submissions and simultaneous submissions are welcome, but you must pay a separate fee for each entry and withdraw the piece immediately if accepted elsewhere.
Current University of Missouri students and faculty are ineligible.
Standard Entry fee: $15. Each entrant receives a one-year subscription to the Missouri Review in digital format (normal price $24).
“All Access” Entry fee: $30. In addition to the one-year digital subscription to the Missouri Review, the “All Access” entry fee grants access to the last 10 years of digital issues and the audio recordings of each digital issue.
How to Submit, click on the designated links below:
If you love expressing innermost thoughts and feelings using the beautiful literary art of poetry and/or writing a story that’s worth telling everyone, then here is an excellent opportunity for you. This poetry and writing contest is open to everyone and international. This is a platform where you can showcase creative writing and poetic talent, skills, and abilities.
Writing Contest entries may be written on a maximum of 5 pages, wither neatly handwritten or typed, single or double line spacing, on any subject or theme, fiction, nonfiction or creative nonfiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting).
Poetry Contest entries may be written on any subject, theme, or form. All poems must be 30 lines or fewer and either neatly handwritten or typed, single or double line spacing.
Multiple and simultaneous entries in both the Poetry Contest and the Writing Contest are accepted.
The following are the details of the prizes:
The First Writing Prize is $500.00
Second Writing Prize is: $250.00
Third Writing Prize is: $100.00
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The First Poetry Contest is: $250.00
Second Poetry Prize is: $125.00
Third Poetry Prize is: $50.00
There is a $5.00 (US dollars) entry fee per poem submitted and a $10.00 (US dollars) entry fee per short story submitted.
Kindly note that DEADLINE is MARCH 31, 2022 at 11:59 PM.Enter Now! for a chance to win cash prizes totaling $1275.00.
If you would like to receive greater recognition, monetary prizes, awards, and exposure for your books, here is an opportunity not to miss. Enter the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Calling all indie book authors and publishers – including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors who have a book written in English released in 2020, 2021, or 2022 or with a 2020, 2021, or 2022 copyright date to enter the most rewarding book awards program. Offering 80+ Categories – More than 80 Awards – with over 80 monetary prizes totaling more than $10,000 in cash, including $1,500 cash prizes plus trophies for best fiction book and best non-fiction book, $750 cash prizes plus trophies for second-best fiction book, and non-fiction book and $500 cash prizes plus trophies for third-best fiction book and non-fiction book!
The Next Generation Indie Book Awards is the largest international awards program for indie authors and independent publishers and the only book awards program of its kind offering more monetary prizes, more awards, more recognition, and more exposure including exposure to a leading Literary Agent for possible representation in areas such as distribution, foreign rights, film rights, and other rights! Presented by Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (IBPPG) in conjunction with Marilyn Allen of Allen O’Shea Literary Agency, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards was established to recognize and honor the top independently published books of the year. IBPPG was formed to provide support and recognition for the independent book publishing profession, and we encourage all independent authors and publishers to enter their books in the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards so that they too can earn recognition and receive other benefits from having an award-winning book!
Awards given to the Finalists and Winners of the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards are: ▪$1,500 cash prize and trophy for the best Fiction Book ▪$1,500 cash prize and trophy for the best Non-Fiction Book ▪$750 cash prize and trophy for the second-best Fiction Book ▪$750 cash prize and trophy for the second-best Non-Fiction Book ▪$500 cash prize and trophy for the third-best Fiction Book ▪$500 cash prize and trophy for the third-best Non-Fiction Book ▪$100 Cash Prize & Gold Medal for all 80+ category Winners ▪Finalist Medals for each finalist in the 80+ categories
Winners and Finalists will also receive: ▪An invitation to the gala awards reception. ▪Exposure for a full year atNext Generation Indie Book Awards as a Winner or Finalist. ▪All Winners will be listed in the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Catalog which will be distributed to thousands of book buyers, media, and others! ▪The opportunity to display Finalist or Winner gold award stickers on your book. ▪Other benefits of an award-winning book (such as potential increased revenue).
PLUS, the top 80 books will be sent to be reviewed by New York literary agent Marilyn Allen of Allen O’Shea Literary Agency or one of Ms. Allen’s co-agents for possible representation in areas that could generate even more revenue for your book (unless an entrant prefers not to have their book forwarded to the agent). Ms. Allen has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience, including serving as Senior Vice President, Associate Publisher, and Director of Marketing for Harper Collins and directing sales and marketing teams for Simon & Schuster, Penguin Books, and Avon Books. Ms. Allen has had the pleasure of working with many best-selling authors including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, John Gray, Mary Higgins Clark, and many more.”
Independently-published books have become a major source for quality fiction and non-fiction, but often go unrecognized by the mainstream publishing industry,” notes Marilyn Allen. “Finally, an award program has been created to recognize talented authors from this important segment of our industry. Our agency represents over 100 authors and we’re always looking for new talent, so it is a great pleasure to be part of this program. We look forward to reviewing the works of the 80 best candidates and helping these authors gain the recognition they deserve.”
Deadline for the 2022 awards program – February 11, 2022.
The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who enjoys expressing innermost thoughts and feelings into the beautiful literary art of poetry or writing a story that’s worth telling everyone! Welcome to all, having the ability to dream… Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes totaling $1275.00! All works must be original. https://www.dreamquestone.com
Guidelines:
Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.
And/or write a short story, 5 pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries, short screenplays, and screenwriting). Also, all entries must be either typed or legibly hand-printed.
Multiple and simultaneous poetry and short story entries are accepted.
Postmark deadline: March 31, 2022 at 11:59 PM
All contest winners will be published on May 22, 2022
Prizes(USD):
Writing First Prize is $500. Second: $250. Third: $100.
Poetry First Prize is $250. Second: $125. Third: $50.
Entry fees(USD): $5 per poem, $10 per story
To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, mailing address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”
No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. “And remember, in whatever you do, it’s okay to dream, for dreams do come true.” –Dream Quest One
The Ringling College of Art and Design Creative Writing Program was created to support, empower, and honor young writers. It’s an exciting time to be a writer thanks to the increasing number of narrative possibilities that new technologies and media offer. We believe that well-told stories can speak truths and communicate ideas in a way that nothing else can.
To that end, we’re inviting all high-school-age students to submit unpublished, original English-language stories of up to 2,000 words in length for the 7th Annual “Storytellers of Tomorrow” Contest. The sole criterion for earning prizes in this contest is simply overall quality, meaning that well-edited, engaging, and evocative stories have the best chance of winning over the judges.
Submission Guidelines
All high-school-age students writing in English may submit one entry (maximum) in each of the following categories via the Google form which will be available only during the contest’s submission window.
Submission Category 1: Literary Stories Examples of this type of writing? Short fiction, flash fiction Examples of writers who work in this vein? Tim O’Brien, O. Henry, John Green, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Robert Olen Butler, Amy Tan, Sandra Cisneros, and Lorrie Moore
Submission Category 2: Genre Stories Examples of this type of writing? Horror stories, fantasy stories, mystery stories, science fiction, thriller stories Examples of writers who work in this vein? Neil Gaiman, Edgar Allen Poe, J.K. Rowling, Ursula K. Le Guin, George R.R. Martin, Philip K. Dick, and Patricia Highsmith
Submission Category 3: Nonfiction Stories Examples of this type of writing? Autobiographical essays, personal essay, creative nonfiction (including very well-written, story-based travel writing, nature writing, science writing, and/or biography)
Examples of writers who work in this vein? Lauren Hillenbrand (Unbroken), Jeannette Walls (The Glass Castle), Oliver Sacks (The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat), John Burroughs (“In Mammoth Cave”), Chuck Klosterman (Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs), Jorge Luis Borges (“Blindness”), E.B. White (“Once More to the Lake”), and Annie Dillard (“Seeing”)
How to Submit: Submit this Google form from October 15, 2021 to January 15, 2022
Submission Period October 15, 2021 – Jan 15, 2022 (Winners will be notified in February 2022)
Judges The Ringling College of Art and Design Creative Writing Program faculty
Entry Fee None
Prizes in Each Category
1st prize
$1,000
1:1 consultation about your writing with bestselling author and editor Brooke Vitale
iPad for each first-place winner’s high school writing teacher
Ringling College Creative Writing T-shirt
2nd prize
$100
Ringling College Creative Writing T-shirt
3rd prize
$50
Ringling College Creative Writing T-shirt
Honorable Mentions
Ringling College Creative Writing T-shirt
FAQs
How do I submit work? Click on the SUBMIT YOUR WRITING HERE tab on the main contest page. The Google form is located there. Submissions sent in any other manner (snail mail, email, etc.) will not be considered.
Do I need to use special formatting for my contest entry? Please double space and use a 12-point font, and include your name as well as the title of your piece. Here is a good example of a professional standard format.
Will the contest entries be published? The top winner in each category may be offered the opportunity for their work to be published in Shift, the Creative Writing Program’s literary arts journal. Authors retain all rights to their stories whether they accept this possible publication opportunity or not.
What if I win first prize but don’t want my work published? That’s a decision we will respect.
Can I submit to more than one category? Yes. Though each piece can only win a prize in a single category so please send different pieces if you’d like to contend in more than one contest category.
Can I submit more than one entry for a single category? No. It’s one entry per category per person. The maximum amount of entries anyone can send is three–one literary short story, one genre story, and one nonfiction piece.
You say you want “unpublished” work. What does that mean? If you wrote something for a school assignment, that’s fine. If your piece ran in your school newspaper or school literary magazine, that’s fine too.
If your piece ran in a national periodical of any type (USA Today, Reader’s Digest, Boy’s Life, Seventeen, etc.)? That’s published. The same is true with posting your piece in online forums, blogs, and websites (personal ones or Wattpad). And if your piece was included in any textbook or anthology, that too counts as being published.
If you have any questions about this, please email us to ask.
I want to send in something different than a traditional short story. Can I do that? Absolutely. While many submissions will be traditional short stories, we are also quite open to graphic narratives, scripts, picture book manuscripts, comics, and other literary forms/blends.
I’m a poet. Can I submit a poem? You may submit anything you choose up to 2,000 words long, though poetry without an extremely strong narrative component likely doesn’t fit well in any of the submission categories. This is primarily a prose narrative contest.
What type of stories/subjects/themes do you want? That’s entirely up to you, though a familiarity with the genre/style you’re writing in will surely be of help to you.
What are the judges REALLY looking for? High-quality writing that engages the reader.
What are the common issues with most submissions? Here are three of the top reasons most entries don’t make the cut.
Failure to follow the contest guidelines
Poor editing/proofreading
Cliché ideas/plots
I’m not an American citizen. Can I still submit? If you’re a high-school-age student enrolled in a high-school curriculum and you’re writing in English? Yes.
I’m homeschooled. Can I enter the contest? If you’re a high-school-age student enrolled in a high-school curriculum and you’re writing in English? Yes.
I’m 10. Can I enter? If you’re chronologically younger than most high school students but you’re in a full-time high school program, then yes, you can enter the contest.
I’m 45. Can I enter? If you’re chronologically older than most high school students but you’re in a full-time high school program, then yes, you can enter the contest. Please note–for the purposes of contest eligibility, working on your GED isn’t the same as being in a full-time high school program,
Is Ringling College associated with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus? John Ringling was involved with the launching of the institution in 1931, but beyond that, we have no relationship to the circus beyond the association of his name. So the circus’ closing in 2017 had zero effect on Ringling College.
I’ve got a question that doesn’t seem to be answered anywhere. What do I do? Send in your question via email to creativewriting@ringling.edu with the subject line “Contest Question.”
Introduction:Dream Quest One Poetry and Writing Contest is about showcasing the creative writing and poetic talent, skills, and abilities of all poets and writers. The Dream Quest One mission is to inspire, motivate and encourage anyone having the desire or love for poetry and writing, to continue doing so without fear of failure or success!
Awards:
Writing First Prize: $500, 2nd: $250, 3rd: $100.
Poetry First Prize: $250, 2nd: $125, 3rd: $50
Eligibility: The Dream Quest One Poetry and Writing Contest is international, and is open to all poets and writers whether published or not. Current and former employees of Dreamquestone.Com or their relatives are not eligible. Previously published poems and short stories in other contests, books, magazines, etc., are accepted and welcome as long as they are original to the contest entrant.
Rules: All poems must be 30 lines or fewer, may be either neatly handwritten or typed, single or double line spacing, on any subject, theme, form, or style. All entries must be original works.
All short stories may be on any subject or theme. Genres: any fiction, non-fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, diary, journal entries and short screenplays are accepted. Contestants will enter their short stories either neatly hand printed or typed, using single or double line spacing, within a maximum of (5) pages or less. No word count. All entries must be original works. You may submit entries to both the poetry contest and the writing contest, at the same time. Multiple entries are accepted.
Fee Details: $5.00 (US dollars) per poem. $10.00 (US dollars) per story.
All entries may be submitted by March 31, 2022 at 11:59PM, Pacific Standard Time (PST)
Winners will be notified and published online in the Dare to Dream pages on May 22, 2022.
Contact: c/o Andre L. West Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest P.O. Box 3141 Chicago, IL 60654
Give us a glimpse of something that reveals the abundance of this big, beautiful, unexpected life that we’ve got. Create never-ending possibilities in a complex, never-ending universe. Make us “see a World in a Grain of Sand.” Show us all of that immense, wide world in only 100 words or less.
All ages. All genders. All nationalities. All writers welcome.
NARRATIVE INVITES all writers, poets, visual artists, photographers, performers, and filmmakers between eighteen and thirty years old to send us their best work. We’re looking for the traditional and the innovative, the true and the imaginary. We’re looking to encourage and promote the best young authors and artists working today.
Awards: First Prize is $1,500, Second Prize is $750, Third Prize is $300, and ten finalists will receive $100 each. The prizewinners and finalists will be announced in Narrative.
Written: Works of prose and of poetry, including short stories, all poetic forms, novel excerpts, essays, memoirs, and excerpts from book-length nonfiction. Prose submissions must not exceed 15,000 words. Each poetry submission may contain up to five poems. The poems should all be contained in a single file. All submissions should be double-spaced (excluding poetry, which should be single-spaced), with 12-point type, at least one-inch margins, and sequentially numbered pages. Please provide your name, address, telephone number, and email address at the top of the first page. Submit your document as a .doc, .docx, .pdf, or .rtf file. You may enter as many times as you wish, but we encourage you to be selective and to send your best work. All entries will be considered for publication.
Drawn: Graphic stories, graphic-novel excerpts, and comics of no more than thirty pages, in .pdf format.
Photographed: Photo essays of between five and twenty images, previously unpublished (including on sites like Instagram, your personal website, stock photography sites, etc.). Images should be submitted together in low-resolution .pdf format; however, upon acceptance, images will need to be provided that have a resolution of at least 300 dpi, in a .tif, .jpg, or raw format that can be reproduced at 2,048 pixels wide. Captions or text should be included, either with the file containing the images or as a separate document in a .doc or .pdf format, with numbered captions corresponding to the similarly numbered photographs. Please provide your name, address, telephone number, and email address on the first page.
Spoken: Original works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in audio theater, including performance, radio journalism, and stories and poems read aloud. Submissions may run up to ten minutes, in .mp3 format, with a bit rate of at least 128 kbit/s.
Filmed: Short films and documentaries of up to fifteen minutes. Submissions must be in .mp4 or .mov format.
Timing: Entries will be accepted through November 19, 2021, at midnight, Pacific standard time.
Entry fee: There is a $26 fee for each entry. And with your entry, you’ll receive three months of complimentary access to Narrative Backstage.
Judging: The contest will be judged by the editors of the magazine. Winners and finalists will be announced to the public by December 18, 2021. All entrants will be notified by email of the judges’ decisions, which will be final. The judges reserve the option to declare ties and to designate and award only as many winners and/or finalists as are appropriate to the quality of contest entries and of work represented in the magazine.
Entries must be previously unpublished, though we do accept works that have appeared in college publications. Entries cannot have been the winner, finalist, or honorable mention in another contest. We accept online entries only. We do accept simultaneous submissions, but if your entry is accepted elsewhere, please let us know as soon as possible (and accept our congratulations!).
The contest deadline is November 30, 2021, at midnight, Pacific standard time.
OUR FALL CONTEST is open to all fiction and nonfiction writers. We’re looking for short shorts, short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction. Entries must be previously unpublished, no longer than 15,000 words, and must not have been previously chosen as a winner, finalist, or honorable mention in another contest.
Narrative winners and finalists have gone on to win Whiting Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, the Pushcart Prize, and the Atlantic prize, and have appeared in collections such as The Best American Short Stories,The Best American Nonrequired Reading, and many others. View the recent awards won by Narrative authors.As always, we are looking for works with a strong narrative drive, with characters we can respond to, and with effects of language, situation, and insight that are intense and total. We look for works that have the ambition of enlarging our view of ourselves and the world. We welcome and look forward to reading your pages. CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK.
Awards:First Prize is $2,500, Second Prize is $1,000,Third Prize is $500, and up to ten finalists will receive $100 each. All entries will be considered for publication.
Submission Fee: There is a $27 fee for each entry. With your entry, you’ll receive three months of complimentary access to Narrative Backstage.
Timing: The contest deadline is November 30, 2021, at midnight, Pacific standard time.
Judging: The contest will be judged by the editors of the magazine. Winners and finalists will be announced to the public by December 31, 2021. All writers who enter will be notified by email of the judges’ decisions, which will be final. The judges reserve the option to declare ties and to designate and award only as many winners and/or finalists as are appropriate to the quality of contest entries and of work represented in the magazine.
Submission Guidelines: Please read our Submission Guidelines for manuscript formatting and other information.
The 2022 DISQUIETPrize is now open for submissions in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. Contest winners in each category will have their winning work published in North America’s leading publications: fiction in Granta.com, poetry in The Common, and non-fiction in NinthLetter.com.
One grand prize winner will receive a full fellowship (airfare stipend, tuition, and housing included) to the 2022 DISQUIET International Program in Lisbon, Portugal. Genre winners will receive a $500 cash prize in addition to publication.**
The complete guidelines for the 2022 contest are as follows:
Deadline: January 24, 2022
Eligibility: Only previously unpublished work in English can be submitted. We accept entries from all ages 18 and over and all countries, by authors who have not yet published more than one book with a major publisher.
Entries should be the work of a single author.
All entries should be in a standard typeface and 12pt font and in .pdf, .doc or .odt format.
For fiction: ONE short story or novel excerpt, maximum 25 (double-spaced) pages per entry.
For non-fiction: ONE piece of non-fiction, maximum 25 (double-spaced) pages per entry.
For poetry: No more than SIX poems per entry, up to 10 pages total.
Entrants may submit to any or all categories more than once; however, each entry must be accompanied by its own entry fee.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please notify us immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere.
Please indicate the type of submission (short story, novel excerpt, poetry, non- fiction, etc.) in the submission form
Include your complete contact information (name, address, telephone, email address) in the Submittable form.
Winners will be notified in March 2022.
Previous first place winners may not re-enter in the same genre.
Visit our Submittable page to enter and pay the fee via Paypal. A $15 US reading fee must accompany each entry.
*We regret that due to the special circumstances of this year we are unable to guarantee a place in our 2022 program to more than one winner. If we are able to do so, we will offer a place to our genre winners in addition to the publication and cash prize.
$15 ENTRY FEE (includes print copy of the journal).
Charlotte Lit’s inaugural Writers/South Awards offers $10,000 in prizes plus publication in four categories: poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, and flash. Four prize levels: $1,500, $500, $250, $50 honorable mentions. All prize winners published in the new Writers/South: Journal of Charlotte Lit. Judges: Ron Rash (fiction, 4,000 words), Jessica Jacobs and Nickole Brown (poetry, one to three poems, up to five total pages), Stephanie Elizondo Griest (nonfiction, 4,000 words), and flash (one to two pieces, up to 500 words each). Open to current and past residents of North Carolina and its four contiguous states: South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.
We want to feel your razor-sharp wit, share your sideways view of the world, hear your irresistibly bizarre voice. We want to laugh out loud and snort our coffee through our noses. Word Limit: 782 Words (not including the title, no minimum length requirement). Open to anyone 18 years of age and/or older in the world who is not actively on staff at SmokeLong Quarterly. Open to fiction, nonfiction, and anything in between. No poetry please. Each of the (at least) four narratives selected to win The SmokeLong Comedy Prize will receive $400 and publication in our December issue 2021.
Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed. And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme; fiction, nonfiction, or creative nonfiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries, and screenwriting). Writing First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100. Poetry First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50. Enter Now!
Submit one piece of fiction or nonfiction up to 8,500 words or any number of poems up to 10 pages. Please double-space fiction and nonfiction entries.
Multiple submissions and simultaneous submissions are welcome, but you must pay a separate fee for each entry and withdraw the piece immediately if accepted elsewhere.
Entries must be previously unpublished.
Standard Entry fee: $25. Each entrant receives a one-year subscription to the Missouri Review in digital format (normal price $24) and a digital copy of the fifth title in our imprint, TMR Books, Private Lives, a short story anthology by former Editors’ Prize-winners and contributors (normal price $7.95).
“All Access” Entry fee: $30. In addition to the one-year digital subscription to the Missouri Review and Private Lives, the “All Access” entry fee grants access to the last 10 years of digital issues and the audio recordings of each digital issue.
Eligibility
Previous winners of the Editors’ Prize and current University of Missouri students and faculty are ineligible.
Previous Editors’ Prize finalists are welcome to enter again.
Calling all indie book authors and publishers – including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors who have a book written in English released in 2020, 2021 or 2022 or with a 2020, 2021 or 2022 copyright date to enter the most rewarding book awards program.
Offering +80 Categories – More than 80 Awards – with over 80 monetary prizes totaling more than $10,000 in cash, including $1,500 cash prizes plus trophies for best fiction book and best non-fiction book, $750 cash prizes plus trophies for second best fiction book and non-fiction book and $500 cash prizes plus trophies for third best fiction book and non-fiction book!
The Next Generation Indie Book Awards is the largest International awards program for indie authors and independent publishers and the only book awards program of its kind offering more monetary prizes, more awards, more recognition and more exposure including exposure to a leading Literary Agent for possible representation in areas such as distribution, foreign rights, film rights, and other rights!
Presented by Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (IBPPG) in conjunction with Marilyn Allen of Allen O’Shea Literary Agency, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards was established to recognize and honor the top independently published books of the year. IBPPG was formed to provide support and recognition for the independent book publishing profession, and we encourage all independent authors and publishers to enter their books in the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards so that they too can earn recognition and receive other benefits from having an award-winning book!
Awards given to the Finalists and Winners of the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards are:
▪ $1,500 cash prize and trophy for the best Fiction Book
▪ $1,500 cash prize and trophy for the best Non-Fiction Book
▪ $750 cash prize and trophy for the second best Fiction Book
▪ $750 cash prize and trophy for the second best Non-Fiction Book
▪ $500 cash prize and trophy for the third best Fiction Book
▪ $500 cash prize and trophy for the third best Non-Fiction Book
▪ $100 Cash Prize & Gold Medal for all +80 category Winners
▪ Finalist Medals for each finalists in the +80 categories
Winners and Finalists will also receive:▪An invitation to the gala awards reception.▪Exposure for a full year atNext Generation Indie Book Awards as a Winner or Finalist.▪All Winners will be listed in the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Catalog which will be distributed to thousands of book buyers, media, and others!▪The opportunity to display Finalist or Winner gold award stickers on your book.▪Other benefits of an award-winning book (such as potential increased revenue).
PLUS, the top 80 books will be sent to be reviewed by New York literary agent Marilyn Allen of Allen O’Shea Literary Agency or one of Ms. Allen’s co-agents for possible representation in areas that could generate even more revenue for your book (unless an entrant prefers not to have their book forwarded to the agent). Ms. Allen has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience, including serving as Senior Vice President, Associate Publisher, and Director of Marketing for Harper Collins and directing sales and marketing teams for Simon & Schuster, Penguin Books and Avon Books. Ms. Allen has had the pleasure of working with many best-selling authors including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, John Gray, Mary Higgins Clark, and many more.”Independently-published books have become a major source for quality fiction and non-fiction, but often go unrecognized by the mainstream publishing industry,” notes Marilyn Allen. “Finally, an award program has been created to recognize talented authors from this important segment of our industry. Our agency represents over 100 authors and we’re always looking for new talent, so it is a great pleasure to be part of this program. We look forward to reviewing the works of the 70 best candidates and helping these authors gain the recognition they deserve.”
Final entry date for the 2022 awards program – February 11, 2022.
Opened to all authors with novels published in 2021 in the categories of Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical Biography, Historical Mystery, Historical Fantasy, Alternate Historical, and Historical Non-Fiction.
The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves expressing their innermost thoughts and feelings into the beautiful literary art of poetry and/or writing a story that is worth telling everyone! Welcome to all, having the ability to dream… Write a poem or a short story for a chance to win cash prizes totaling $1275.00. All works must be original. http://www.dreamquestone.com
Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.
And/or write a short story, 5 pages maximum length, on any subject or theme; fiction, nonfiction or creative nonfiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, all entries must be either typed or neatly hand printed.
Multiple and simultaneous poetry and short story entries are accepted.
Postmark deadline: September 22, 2021
All contest winners will be published October 31, 2021
Prizes:
Writing First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.
Poetry First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.
All contest winners will be published online in our Dare to Dream pages on October 31, 2021.
Entry fees:
$10 per story, $5 per poem.
To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”
Remember to send up to three pieces. Any genre for this contest! Each piece should be 500 words or fewer and in a single document (.doc, .docx. or .pdf). Entry fee also buys you a subscription. Winner receives $1,000 and publication.
To Submit
Remember to send up to three pieces. Any genre for this contest! Each piece should be 500 words or fewer and in a single document (.doc, .docx. or .pdf).
Entrant’s name must not appear on the submission.
A cover letter is not required but can be included in the comments box if you like.
Each $20 fee gets you a year-long subscription of the journal. International addressees, please add $6 for postage ($3 for addresses in Canada).
We’re offering free entries for Black or Indigenous writers. The first thirty free entries will also include a year-long print subscription; after that, you can still enter for free, but we don’t have the funds to cover additional free print subscriptions.
[Note: As of 8/2/2021, we’ve hit our free-subscription cap.]
Be sure to select the correct genre on the submission form. Submissions with incorrectly designated genres will not be read.
Click the “submit entry” button on this page to get started. You will be redirected to the Submissions Manager to upload your submission aftermakingthe PayPal payment. If you are not automatically redirected, please contact inreview@indiana.edu and we will ensure you are able to complete your submission.
Keep in Mind:
IR doesn’t accept mailed or emailed submissions.
All entries are considered anonymously.
Previously published works and works forthcoming elsewhere cannot be considered.
Simultaneous submissions are okay, but the entry fee is non-refundable if the submitted work is accepted elsewhere or withdrawn for another reason.
Multiple entries are okay, as long as a separate reading fee is included with each entry.
Finally, IR cannot consider work from anyone currently or recently affiliated with Indiana University or the prize judges. This includes people who have studied or taught at IU in the past four years.
Creative Writing Contests 