By S. Kalekar
These are contests for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, journalism, scriptwriting, and playwriting. They are, very loosely, divided geographically. A couple of the deadlines are in June.
INTERNATIONAL CONTESTS
Embracing Our Differences Quotation Competition
This international contest calls for quotations on a theme (up to 20 words), to feature in an exhibition. “Featuring 50 billboard-size images measuring 16 feet … wide by 12.5 feet … high accompanied by a thought-provoking quotations, each work of art and quotation is created by local, national and international artist or writer reflecting their interpretation of our theme “embracing our differences.” The exhibition will be on display mid-January through April at multiple locations along Florida’s Cultural Coast in Southwest Florida.” They have three categories,and will award “$2,000 each for Best-in-Show Adult & Best-in-Show Student & People’s Choice Award”.
Value: $2,000 each
Deadline: 1 July 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Richard J. Margolis Award
The award is for non-fiction writers of social justice journalism. It is for a promising new journalist or essayist whose work combines warmth, humour, wisdom and concern with social justice. Applications should include 2-3 non-fiction writing samples, up to 30 pages. At least one sample should be non-memoir material. Apart from a cash prize, the winner also gets residency at Blue Mountain Centre artists’ colony.
Value: $5,000, residency; $1,000 for runners-up
Deadline: 1 July 2025
Open for: Non-fiction writers of social justice journalism
Details here and here.
The International Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation: Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award
This is an opportunity for young non-American TV scriptwriters. “Each year, The 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.” Please note, you have to create an account and log in to enter this contest. The applicant must be a non-U.S. citizen (non-U.S. citizens currently studying/residing in the U.S. are eligible.) Please note, entries from Russia are ineligible this year.
The winner will be flown* to New York City to be presented with an award and a $2,500 USD prize at the International Emmy® World Television Festival on November 22, 2025, and will be invited to take part in the red-carpet festivities at the 53rd International Emmy® Awards Gala on November 24, 2025.
Value: $2,500, other non-cash prizes
Deadline: 1 July 2025
Open for: Non-American TV scriptwriters under the age of 30
Details here.
The BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest for Caribbean Writers
This is a short story contest for Caribbean-descended writers, by Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival (BCLF). For 2025, they say, “This year’s BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest seeks new fiction that speaks to the urgent need for grounding and healing. Whether it is a tale of migration and return, an act of quiet rebellion, an ancestral recipe passed through generations, a rewilding of grief, or the reclaiming of forbidden memory, we are calling for stories that prescribe survival, illuminate resilience, and offer prayers for what endures.” There are two categories, with different eligibility requirements:
— The BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize is open to unpublished writers of Caribbean heritage. Self-published writers may apply. This prize seeks to unearth hidden storytellers in the United States and Canada; Details here and here; and
— BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean is open exclusively to Caribbean writers of all levels who reside and work in the Caribbean or are on temporary assignment overseas.
Writers should send short stories of up to 3,000 words. Details here and here.
Prizes: $1,750 each
Deadline: 1 July 2025
Open for: See above
Details here.
(Submissions are also open for the Sine Theta Magazine Annual Writing Contest; Sine Theta Magazine accepts works from people of Sino diaspora only, regardless of nationality, and the same eligibility requirement applies to this contest. They’re accepting works of prose and poetry for their next issue. They have published three prompts on their website, and writers should respond to those. Out of all the entries submitted for publication in the magazine, they’ll select one winner for poetry, and another winner for prose, who will receive cash prizes. Also, “All authors published in sinθ receive a $10 USD honorarium. For the two contest winners, there is an additional $140 USD prize, amounting to a total of $150 USD.” The deadline is 22 June 2025; details here.)
Hubert Butler Essay Prize
This is a themed essay contest, of up to 3,000 words, for writers who are UK or European Union citizens. “The Hubert Butler Essay Prize is intended to encourage the art of essay-writing with a European dimension and to expand interest in Butler’s work. … The subject for the 2025 essay prize is: ‘‘Men must endure / Their going hence, even as their coming hither’ – King Lear. Have we no more active rights over life, birth and death?’“
Value: €1,500; two second prizes of €500 each
Deadline: 4 July 2025
Open for: UK or EU citizens
Details here – also download the entry form.
Sir Harry Evans Global Fellowship
This is an opportunity for investigative journalism, open for applicants worldwide. This fellowship “provides an unrivalled opportunity for an exceptional early career journalist: a nine-month fellowship with Durham University and Reuters to undertake an investigative project. The Fellow will be mentored by top Reuters editors while having access to Durham’s academics and research resources and will be given the opportunity to develop rigorous, fact-based research and reporting skills. The Fellow will pursue the project from inside a Reuters newsroom in London, New York, or Toronto with the additional support of colleagues in Durham’s Institute of Advanced Studies. The Fellow will deliver a public seminar at the IAS, sharing their learnings from the Fellowship and supporting the understanding of journalism at the University.” They also say, “Qualified applicants should have between two-and five-years’ professional journalism experience. Where a prospective applicant is not currently a journalist but has worked in an investigative reporting capacity in a related professional field (for example: leading human rights or other socio-political publications and campaigns; working as an author or researcher on authoritative investigative work; or developing in-field photo-or video-research projects, documentaries, or exhibitions) applications may be considered on a case-by-case basis.” They encourage applications from members of groups which are under-represented in journalism. And, “The Fellowship has a monthly salary of c.£4,444 per month … In addition, there is a £1,250 per month living stipend and a one-off payment of £1,800 for travel and related expenses.”
Value: £5,694 per month for nine months, additional one-off payment of £1,800 for travel
Deadline: 7 July 2025 (see here)
Open for: Investigative journalists (see guidelines)
Details here and here.
The H G Wells Short Story Competition
This is an international short story contest; they want short fiction of 1,500-5,000 words on this year’s theme, The Middle Ground (see FAQ). There is no fee for The Margaret and Reg Turnill Competition for young writers, i.e. for those under 21 years, and the prize for that is £1,000.
Value: £1,000
Deadline: 8 July 2025
Fee-free for: Writers under 21
Details here and here.
International Women’s Media Foundation: The Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism
This is a grant for narrative journalism, and is open for women and nonbinary journalists. Grants will be for a maximum of $5,000. Applicants may be a print journalist or a print journalist leading a multi-media team. Projects reported and published in English anywhere in the world are eligible. All reporting and publishing must be completed within six months of the award of the grant. Applicants may be freelance or staff print journalists and may apply individually or as part of a multi-format team. Applicants must have three (3) or more years of professional journalism experience.
Value: Up to $5,000
Deadline: 13 July 2025
Open for: Women and nonbinary journalists (see guidelines)
Details here (see the relevant category)
(See all of International Women’s Media Foundation opportunities here – click on the ‘Opportunities’ tab.)
The Burlington Contemporary Art Writing Prize
This is a prize for an art exhibit review. “To enter the prize, entrants should submit one unpublished review of a contemporary art exhibition by the specified deadline. ‘Contemporary’ is defined as art produced since 2000. The exhibition under review can be staged anywhere in the world, but it should be current or have closed within the last six months at the date of submission.” Regarding eligibility, they say, “Entrants must have published no more than six pieces of writing in print or online, in any language or country, prior to their submission. This does not include personal blogs and websites.” Before entering, applicants are encouraged to read reviews recently published on Burlington Contemporary.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 14 July 2025
Open for: Emerging writers
Details here.
The Helen Schaible International Sonnet Contest
For this contest, they have two categories: a traditional sonnet, which can be Shakespearean or Petrarchan, and a modern sonnet. Poets can enter work in one or both categories (see guidelines).
Value: $50, $30, $20
Deadline: 15 July 2025
Open for: All poets
Details here.
“Canne al Vento” International Literary Prize
“The Municipality of Galtellì, in collaboration with Jane Austen’s book Club Association, promotes the 2025 edition of the Galtellì “Reeds in the Wind” International Literary Prize, competition dedicated to Grazia Deledda, Nobel Prize for Literature.” They have detailed guidelines, including, “Submissions, never previously published in any form, must explore themes dear to Grazia Deledda—all found in her novel Canne al vento:
from religious sentiment to the characteristics of social classes, from the description of anthropological-cultural and environmental dimensions to the defense of identity, etc. Stories must be between 5,000 and 7,000 characters, including spaces (excluding the title).” Submissions can be in English, Italian, or Sardinian.
Value: EUR500
Deadline: 20 July 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.
Speculative Literature Foundation Grants
These are grants for writers of speculative literature, and they have various grants in through the year. The upcoming ones are The Diverse Writers Grant, for writers from an underrepresented and underprivileged backgrounds, pays $500, open 1-31 July; The Diverse Worlds Grant, for work that best represents diversity, regardless of the writer’s background, pays $500 also open 1-31 July. The grants have various eligibility and submission guidelines, please read them carefully before applying. Please send submissions only during the specific grant application periods.
Value: $500-1,000
Reading periods: 1-31 July 2025
Open for: Writers of speculative literature
Details here.
Sisters in Crime: Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers
This is a grant for an emerging writer in the LGBTQIA+ community. It is for an unpublished work of crime fiction, aimed at readers from children’s chapter books through adults. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress of 2,500 to 5,000 words. An unpublished writer is preferred, but writers with publication of not more than 10 pieces of short fiction and/or up to 2 self-published or traditionally published books are also eligible. Also, winners and any runners-ups who wish to maintain their anonymity, may do so, or they may choose to select a pen name for announcements. Please note, you have to register/log in to access the submission portal.
Value: $2,000
Deadline: 31 July 2025
Open for: Unpublished/emerging LGBTQIA+ writers (see guidelines)
Details here.
(See all of Sisters in Crime grants/awards here.)
Briefly Write Poetry Prize
This prize “celebrates and rewards bold, succinct writing. We want well-crafted poems up to 10 lines. We want innovative language, strong imagery and a subtle, focused composition.” Participants can send one poem. Submission is via a form on their website.
Value: £40, £25, £15
Deadline: 31 July 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here.
(A couple of contests with later deadlines are:
— The Forum Essay Prize: Anniversaries: This is an essay prize from Oxford Academic / Oxford University Press and is open to all researchers, whether early-career or established, on the theme of Anniversaries. They have detailed guidelines, including, “To mark the 60th anniversary of Forum for Modern Language Studies, we are looking for … essays that use academic research to pursue innovative questions. … The topic may be addressed from the perspective of any of the literatures and cultures (including literary linguistics, translation and comparative approaches) normally covered by the journal: Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Please note that material of a predominantly social science or sociological nature falls outside our scope. We are seeking submissions that focus on literature, film, art or other cultural outputs that relate to the subject of anniversaries, be that through engaging with the theme more broadly, or with regard to specific anniversaries as they relate to the discipline(s) covered by Forum for Modern Language Studies.” The winning essay will also get published in an issue of Forum for Modern Language Studies. The prize is £500, and the deadline is 15 August 2025. Details here.
— Amazon: Kindle Storyteller Award: This is an international award for those who publish their work through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing in English in any genre. Entrants must make the book available for sale in both digital and print versions through KDP between 1st May 2025 and 31st August 2025. The book must be at least 24 pages long, and can have a maximum of 2 co-authors. Please note, the books must be published through their KDP Select program (be only available on Amazon), and readers play a significant role in winner selection (see Terms & Conditions – which also lists ineligible countries/nationalities – and General Competition Questions / FAQ). The book can have up to two co-authors. The prize is £20,000, and the deadline is 31 August 2025. Details here.
— The Academy for Teachers – Stories Out of School Flash Fiction Contest: They want honest, unsentimental stories, of 6-499 words, about teachers and schools. The contest is open to all writers, whether or not they are a teacher. The story’s protagonist or narrator must be a K-12 teacher. Sentimentality is discouraged and education jargon is forbidden. The prize is $1,000, and publication in A Public Space. The deadline is 7 September 2025. Details here and here.)
CONTESTS FOR WRITERS IN US/CANADA
(Also see the Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award, the BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest for Caribbean Writers in the international section.)
Raleigh Review Flash Fiction Prize
This is for those in the US, for stories up to 1,000 words. The contest has a submission fee attached but for those who cannot pay it, they have a fee-free option available through 30 June 2025.
Value: $300, $15
Deadline: 30 June 2025
Open for: US writers
Details here and here.
PEN America: US Writers Aid Initiative
This is intended to assist fiction and non-fiction authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, translators, and journalists. To be eligible, applicants must be based in the United States, be professional writers, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping them to address an emergency situation. Writers do not have to be PEN members to apply. Please apply when the link for this category appears on their Submittable. The other deadline listed for this year is in October.
Value: Unspecified
Deadline:1 July 2025
Open for: US writers
Details here.
The Stony Brook Short Fiction Prize
This prize is for short fiction of up to 7,500 words. It is for undergraduates enrolled full time in US and Canadian universities and colleges. Apart from the cash prize, the winner also gets a scholarship to the Southampton Writers Conference.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 14 July 2025
Open for: Undergraduate students from the US and Canada
Details here.
The FSG Writer’s Fellowship
This fellowship, from Farrar, Straus and Giroux, is a yearlong program designed to give an emerging writer from an underrepresented community additional resources to build a life around writing: funding, editorial guidance, and advice on how to forge a writing career. It offers the unique opportunity for a writer to spend time with and enjoy the support and mentorship of the FSG community. It is for U.S. writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have never published a book, and are uncontracted. This fellowship will take place remotely. The applicant should be writing for an adult audience. Submissions include a writing sample (40-50 pages for prose, 8-12 pages for poetry).
Value: $15,000
Deadline: 18 July 2025
Open for: Emerging writers from underrepresented communities in the US
Details here and here.
International Women’s Media Foundation: Lauren Brown Fellowship
“The fellowship will fund projects proposed by women and nonbinary journalists from underrepresented backgrounds. Journalists must be based in the U.S. Grants of up to $2,000 will be awarded to support reporting projects or professional development opportunities, through a competitive application process.
Grants will support:
— Reporting that exposes under-reported and critical issues.
–Ambitious projects that challenge under-reported media narratives.
— Professional development to build field-based expertise and strengthen careers.
–Skills training and leadership opportunities.”
Value: Up to $2,000 (see guidelines)
Deadline: 20 July 2025
Open for: Women and nonbinary journalists from underrepresented backgrounds in the US
Details here (see the relevant category)
(See all of International Women’s Media Foundation opportunities here – click on the ‘Opportunities’ tab.)
Strive Publishing & Free Spirit Publishing – Black Voices in Children’s Literature This is a contest for US-based Black writers, and Free Spirit Publishing is an imprint of Teacher Created Materials (TCM). They want children’s stories by and about Black people. “Eligible entries will include original children’s books for ages 0–4 (50–125 words) or for ages 4–8 (300–800 words) featuring authentic, realistic Black characters and culture and focusing on one or more of the following topics: character development, self-esteem, identity, diversity, getting along with others, engaging with family and community, or other topics related to positive childhood development. Religious and fantasy themes will not be considered.”
Value: $1,000, $500, $250
Deadline: 22 July 2024
Open for: Black writers in the US
Details here and here.
(Their Submittable page also has details of their other calls currently open. Also see TCM’s Manuscript Submissions and Writing Contests tab; Free Spirit and Con Todo Press will open for a Latino Voices in Children’s Literature contest in September.)
Polar Expressions Publishing: Annual National Poetry and Short Story Competitions
These poetry and short story contests are for Canadian residents and citizens. Poems must be up to 48 lines and short stories, up to 750 words. Fan fiction and essays are not allowed. Translations are accepted.
Value: CAD500, CAD250, CAD100 each in poetry and short story for those aged 16 or over; CAD200, CAD100 and CAD50 each in poetry and short stories for those 15 and under
Deadline: 31 July 2025
Open for: Canadian writers
Details here.
Granum Foundation Prizes Submissions are open for the Granum Foundation Prize and the Granum Foundation Translation Prize. These are for works in progress, to help US-based writers complete substantive literary projects, including novels, memoirs, books of poetry, short story collections, and works in translation. General submissions are free, they also have an optional feedback service for which there is a submission fee, and which will be capped (see guidelines).
Value: The Granum Foundation Prize is $5,000, with up to three finalist prizes of with $500 or more each; and the Translation Prize is $1,500 or more
Deadline: 1 August 2025
Open for: US-based writers
Details here.
CONTESTS FOR WRITERS IN UK/IRELAND
(Also see the Hubert Butler Essay Prize, in the international section above.)
Hachette UK: The Future Bookshelf – JKP Writing Prize
This competition is only open to people with a disability or chronic illness in the UK. Send a non-fiction piece of up to 3,000 words on the theme, Everyday Disability and Chronic Illness: Stories of Joy, Resistance, and Anti-Ableism.
Value: £150
Deadline: 25 June 2025
Open for: People with a disability or chronic illness in the UK
Details here.
(See all of The Future Bookshelf’s opportunities here.)
Pentabus: Jerwood Writer in Residence Bursary
“Pentabus are looking for an emerging theatre artist to become our second Jerwood Writer in Residence.
The Bursary supports a professional playwright in the early stage of their career, giving the recipient the opportunity to spend up to a year at our base in Ludlow in South Shropshire. During their time with Pentabus, the recipient will write at least one new full length play or piece of theatre.
(The Bursary) … is intended to cover the recipient’s living costs while they are resident at Pentabus for at least six months of their year-long bursary. The Writer in Residence will be the working artist at the core of the company. They will write at least one full length play while they are with us, supported dramaturgically by the Artistic Director. They will take part in all our day to day activity from Artistic Planning meetings to meeting rural communities and audiences. They will work with our Head of Engagement to plan and deliver our Young Company and Young Writers’ workshops.” Please note, you must submit their application form as well as the equal opportunities form, to apply.
Value: £12,000
Deadline: 14 July 2025
Open for: Emerging theatre writers in the UK
Details here and here.
Faber Children’s: FAB Prize
This is for undiscovered BAME writers and illustrators; you can read the prize announcement for 2025 here. Entrants must be of black, Asian or minority ethnic background and UK- or Ireland-based. For writers, they want a maximum of 5,000 words of text (no minimum word count). Also, “it does not have to be a short story (though those are welcome too!)
We do strongly advise you to complete your work insofar as you can, even if you do not enter the whole manuscript: after the ceremony agents will request the full manuscript, so in order to get the most out of the prize, it is best to have the whole manuscript ready to go.” Please send the complete manuscript if it is a picture book. Entries must be text or artwork for children.
Value: A worldwide publishing contract for a writer; second place £500; and other non-cash prizes for both winners
Deadline: 25 July 2025
Open for: UK BAME writers
Details here
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.