By S. Kalekar
These are calls for contests / grants for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and playwriting, with awards up to $100,000. They are, very loosely, divided geographically. A couple of the deadlines are in March.
The Coppice Prize
This is a short fiction prize for underrepresented writers. “The contest is open to writers who identify as belonging to marginalized or under-represented groups (e.g. cultural identity, income level of your family, racial identity, gender identity, disability, or something else). We will leave it up to individual contestants to decide if they identify as marginalized or under-represented. If you’d like to talk this out with us, please feel free to reach out. … Winners and the finalist receive review and feedback from a literary agent.” Send a story up to 4,000 words.
Value: $600, $300, $100
Deadline: 31st March 2026
Details here.
Columbus State University: The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers
These three-month fellowships are to afford writers uninterrupted time to focus on their work at an apartment in Carson McCuller’s childhood home in Columbus, Georgia. A spouse or companion is welcome. The application includes a writing sample of up to 20 pages.
Value: $5,000, residency
Deadline: 1 April 2026
Open for: Unspecified
Details here
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
This prize is for humor poetry. Submit a poem of up to 250 lines.
Value: $2,000 and a two-year subscription to Duotrope; $500; $250; 10 prizes of $100 each
Deadline: 1 April 2026
Open for: All poets
Details here.
Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism
They have nonresidential fellowships; for this cycle, there will be nine fellowships for US journalists and one, open internationally. The US fellowships focus on mental health and the non-US, on the intersection of mental health and climate change. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Journalists reporting on mental health topics within the United States are encouraged to apply. In addition, a new international fellowship, introduced in 2024, will focus on the intersection of mental health and climate change. Climate change fellowship applicants should be based in countries considered the most vulnerable, outside of the United States. … Projects can be in any format — digital, audio, video, print — and applicants are encouraged to think creatively within the topic area. … Qualified applicants must be journalists with at least three years of experience.
The yearlong, nonresidential fellowships equip journalists with the resources necessary to produce compelling and solutions-based stories on mental health and substance use issues.”
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 3 April 2026
Open for: Journalists in the US and worldwide
Details here.
The Mike Resnick Memorial Award
This award is sponsored by Galaxy’s Edge magazine and Dragon Con. They want a science fiction story by a new writer (who has not been paid a per-word rate of 6 cents a word or more or received a payment for any single work of fiction totaling more than $50). Send stories up to 7,499 words. Writers do not need to be members of Dragon Con.
Value: $250, $100, $50
Deadline: 15 April 2026
Details here (scroll down) and here.
International Women’s Media Foundation: Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship
This is a fellowship from the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), open to women and nonbinary journalists worldwide. “The Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship gives academic and professional opportunities to women journalists committed to human rights and social justice reporting. During this fellowship, the selected journalist will have the chance to complete research and coursework at MIT’s Center for International Studies and to participate in an internship with The Boston Globe. In the past, fellows have spent time in New York City at The New York Times as writing fellows. As of 2027, the fellows will no longer be writers at the Times. The IWMF and fellowship organizers are currently arranging the fellow’s placement for June – July 2027. Stay tuned!” While they cover transport, stay, and healthcare costs, they do not award a salary.
Value: See above
Deadline: 19 April 2026
Open for: Women and nonbinary journalists with three years of experience
Details here, here, and here.
(Click on IWMF’s Opportunities and Awards tabs on this page for more; and all their open opportunities, including for The Gwen Ifill Award for US journalists, are on their Submittable page.)
Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation: Author of Tomorrow Award
This international contest is designed to find the adventure writers of the future. Writers must enter a piece of short fiction. The work must fall within what can be defined as adventure writing (see guidelines). There are three categories: for writers ages 16-21, 12-15, and under 11.
Value: £1,000 in the 16-21 group, £250 in the 12-15 group, £100 in the under-11 group
Deadline: 19 April 2026
Open for: All writers ages 21 and under
Details here and here.
(They also have a New Voices award, for which they charge a submission fee.)
The Cave Canem Prize
This is a prize for Black poets. “The Cave Canem Prize supports the work of Black poets to overcome the obstacle of publishing their first book of poems. Awarded to one poet annually, the Prize recipient receives a monetary award, as well as having their manuscript published by one of our partner publishers, Graywolf Press; University of Pittsburgh Press; or University of Georgia Press.” About eligibility, “All unpublished, original collections of poems written in English by Black poets who have not had a full-length book of poetry published by a professional press.” Also, “Cave Canem defines Black poets as any poet who identifies as a member of the African Diaspora. Submissions must be paginated with a font size of 11 or 12, and 60 – 75 pages in length, inclusive of title page and table of contents.” The winning manuscript will be published by Graywolf Press.
Value: $10,000
Submission period: 1-30 April 2026
Open for: Black poets (for a debut poetry collection)
Details here.
Terrain.org Editor’s Prize
They welcome submissions on place, climate, and justice – fiction (short story, flash fiction series, novel excerpt, radio play, or other fiction piece) and non-fiction; they are not open for poetry in 2026. They also accept translations, and art. Payment for general submissions is $50. And, “All accepted submissions by writers of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, women, and/or other marginalized communities whose contributions explore place particularly in the context of social, environmental, or climate justice are considered for our annual Editor’s Prize of $500 per genre.” There is no separate submission process or entry fee for this contest; they have other, fee-based contests too. Certain sections, like Letter to America and ArTerrain, are open year-round, and other sections have submission periods, or are open periodically.
Value: $500 per genre
Deadline: 30 April 2026
Details here.
Baen Fantasy Adventure Award
“Write and submit a short story of no more than 8,000 words. It must be a work of fantasy, though all fantasy genres are open, e.g. epic fantasy, heroic fantasy, sword and sorcery, contemporary fantasy, etc.” Also see the kind of stories they want to see: “Adventure fantasy with heroes you want to root for. Warriors either modern or medieval, who solve problems with their wits or with their weapons—and we have nothing against dragons, elves, dwarves, castles under siege, urban fantasy, damsels in distress, or damsels who inflict distress.” They offer “industry-standard rates” as well as non-cash prizes. Also, “The winners will be officially announced during the Baen Traveling Roadshow at Dragon Con, in Atlanta, Georgia. (We would prefer the winners attend the convention, but it is not required.)”
Value: “industry standard rates”
Deadline: 30 April 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here (click on contest rules)
Whiting Foundation’s Creative Nonfiction Grants
Up to 10 grants of $40,000 each are awarded to writers of creative non-fiction books. They are for “writers in the process of completing a book-length work of deeply researched and imaginatively composed nonfiction for a general adult readership. It is intended for multiyear book projects requiring large amounts of deep and focused research, thinking, and writing at a crucial point mid-process, after significant work has been accomplished but when an extra infusion of support can make a difference in the ultimate shape and quality of the work. The program’s chief objective is to foster original, ambitious projects brought to the highest possible standard.
Whiting welcomes applications for works of history, cultural or political reportage, biography, memoir, science, philosophy, criticism, graphic nonfiction, and personal essays, among other categories. Again, the work should be intended for a general, not academic, adult reader.” Projects that are under contract with a publisher in the US, UK, or Canada.
Value: $40,000 each
Deadline: 30 April 2026
Open for: Projects that under contract with a publisher in the US, UK, or Canada
Details here.
O’Shaughnessy Fellowships and Grants
The O’Shaughnessy fellowships are for people in various disciplines worldwide, including creative ones; this includes writers and journalists. It is a one-year program. “The Fellowships and Grants empower individuals of the highest caliber whose work positively impacts the world, from scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations to enduring artistic and cultural contributions.” They look for personal agency, exemplary proof-of-work, and resourcefulness in all applicants. “Fellows receive $100,000 to work on any project they choose with and support from OSV’s network of founders, investors, and experts.” They also have a sister grants program, which awards $10,000 each. There is no separate application process for the grants program; winners will be selected on the basis of their fellowship application form. The next steps for shortlisted individuals will be discussions and interviews (see guidelines). There are 10 fellowships and 20 grants each year.
Value: $100,000 each for the fellowships; $10,000 each for the grants
Deadline: 30 April 2026
Open for: Writers and journalists worldwide, as well as people in other disciplines
Details here and here.
Preservation Foundation Contest: Non-fictional Animal Stories
This is an international contest for unpublished writers (see guidelines). Their upcoming deadline is for the non-fiction animal stories category: “Stories should be factual and true accounts of an encounter or encounters by the author with a wild animal or animals. These include, but are not limited to, birds, fish, butterflies, snails, lions, bears, turtles, wombats, etc., as long as it is not a pet.” Entries should be 1,000-5,000 words. They want all entries, regardless of whether or not they win, to be on their website as long as the Foundation exists (see guidelines). Also see contests in other genres, which will have deadlines later in the year.
Value: $200, $100
Deadline: 30 April 2026
Open for: Unpublished writers
Details here.
New England Crime Bake: Al Blanchard Award
This is a short story award. Their guidelines say it must be a crime story, of up to 5,000 words, by a New England author or have a New England setting if the author is not from New England (the New England states are Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island). The story may include the following genres: mystery, thriller, suspense, caper, and horror. Apart from the cash award, the winner also gets published in an anthology, and admission to the Crime Bake Conference (conference attendance is not a requirement).
Value: $100
Deadline: 30 April 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Waterston Desert Writing Prize
This prize is for a proposed book of literary non-fiction that illustrates artistic excellence, sensitivity to place, and desert literacy – with the desert both as subject and setting. “It is recommended the writing sample submitted is part of the proposed project or closely represents it in content and style.” Apart from the cash award, there is also a residency at PLAYA in Summer Lake, Oregon, as well as a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon.
Value: $3,000, residency
Deadline: 1 May 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.
CINTAS Foundation: Fellowship in Creative Writing
This is a creative writing fellowship for writers having Cuban citizenship or direct lineage (having a Cuban parent or grandparent). Applications can be in English or Spanish. Fellows who are not U.S. citizens and who are living abroad must provide a U.S. taxpayer identification number when they accept the fellowship to receive payment. The foundation also offers fellowships for other disciplines as well. A work sample is part of the submission requirement.
Value: $25,000
Deadline: 1 May 2026
Open for: Writers having Cuban citizenship or direct lineage
Details here (scroll down), here (work sample form), here (application form).
(A couple of contests with later deadlines:
— CNO Naval History Essay Contest – Professional Historian: This contest is supported by the US Naval Institute. Their website says, “The CNO invites entrants to submit essays that apply lessons from throughout naval history to solving today’s Navy challenges.” See guidelines for details on the theme. Essays have to be up to 3,500 words. This contest is open to: professional historians (including history museum curators, archivists, history teachers/professors, persons with history-related doctoral degrees; authors of books on naval history (not including self-published works); civilians who have published articles in an established historical or naval journal or magazine. The prizes are $5,000 and $2,500, and the deadline is 30 May 2026; details here and here.
(They invite essays for various other prizes as well, with different deadlines – see here.)
— The Bicoastal Review: They have a fee for other genres, including general submissions, but do not charge a fee for the non-fiction contest. “Any work of nonfiction – critical, creative, experimental, or cross-genre – that fits the vibe of our journal (we often favor writing about literature, art, culture, politics, ecology, love, the body, feminism, and queer identity). We welcome braided essays, reviews, art writing, cultural critique, lyric essays, and everything in between. What we are NOT looking for: short stories, overly academic writing, rants, comedy, purely family-oriented memoirs, anything using AI, or anything too self-absorbed. Your work should be around 1,000 to 3,000 words and can include any art, visuals, and audio you like (as long as we can publish it).” The deadline is 1st June 2026; details here and here – see the relevant category.
— ABA Journal / Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction:
This is a fiction contest for US writers (see guidelines). The ABA Journal is the flagship magazine of the American Bar Association. Send a story of up to 5,000 words that illuminates the role of the law and/or lawyers in modern society. The award is $5,000, and the deadline is 1 June 2026; details here.)
FOR WRITERS IN THE US AND CANADA
(Also see the Cave Canem Prize for Black writers, Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism; The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers; Whiting Foundation’s Creative Nonfiction Grants; New England Crime Bake: Al Blanchard Award; Waterson Desert Writing Prize; CINTAS Foundation Fellowship in Creative Writing for Cuban writers; CNO Naval History Essay Contest; and ABA Journal / Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction in the international section, above.)
Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships
These are fellowships for US poets laureate. They are for poets of literary merit appointed to serve in civic positions and to support them in creating new work, as well as to enable them to undertake projects that enrich the lives of their neighbors, including youth, through poetry activities. There are some eligibility requirements, including: appointed as an official poet laureate of a state, city, county, U.S. territory, or Tribal nation by a Governor, State Arts or Humanities Council, State Poet Laureate Commission, Tribe President, Mayor, City Council, City Poet Laureate Commission, City Arts Board, County Arts Board, or a city’s public library system; provide service as poet laureate in good standing with their community sometime between January 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027; and published one or more full-length poetry collection(s) and/or chapbook(s) or substantial history of public spoken word performances. Some of the submission requirements are a poetry sample, and a description of your proposed civic project(s), including a timeline for the project(s) you would conduct, that engages youth and/or addresses important statewide or local issues.
Value: $50,000, with potential additional $10,000 (see guidelines)
Deadline: 24 March 2026
Open for: US poets laureate
Details here, here, and here.
(Also see other awards by the Academy of American Poets that are open now, including fee-free ones; see their Submittable here for details.)
PEN America: US Writers Aid Initiative
This is intended for 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 Members of PEN America to receive a grant. And, “The U.S. Writers Aid Initiative is NOT intended to subsidize writing-related expenses, such as residencies, sabbaticals, computers, printing, shipping, travel, or publicity services. Writers currently enrolled in degree-granting programs are also not eligible.” There are three application cycles listed for 2026 (subject to change); Spring (March deadline), Summer (June deadline), and Fall (October deadline).
Value: Unspecified
Deadline:31 March 2026
Open for: US writers
Details here and here.
Maya Angelou Book Award
This award is for a work has demonstrated a commitment to social justice. It is for books published in 2025, or scheduled to be published until November 2026. The award alternates between poetry and fiction, and for this cycle, books of fiction are eligible. Entrants must be available for a two-week reading tour at partnering educational institutions in Missouri (see guidelines). Entries have to be made by publishers only, not writers.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 1 April 2026
Open for: US writers
Details here and here.
The Great American Think-Off
This is an essay contest for US-based writers. The 2026 question is, Has the pursuit of happiness made Americans unhappy? Their website says, “The Great American Think-Off is an exhibition of civil disagreement between powerful ideas that connect to your life at the gut level. … People of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to submit an essay of no more than 750 words for a chance to win one of four $500 cash prizes and participate in the live debate to ultimately answer the question, determined by audience vote. … The debate is held each year on the second Saturday in June.
Writers are encouraged to ground their essays in personal experience rather than philosophical abstraction. Each year, four writers will be selected as finalists and invited to debate the question on the second Saturday in June in New York Mills, MN. Costs for winners’ travel, food, and lodging will be covered by the Cultural Center.”
Value: $500 for four writers, and other prizes – see above
Deadline: 1 April 2026
Open for: US-based writers
Details here, here and here.
Creative Capital Awards
Theyprovide project grants of 15,000 to $50,000 to individual artists to create new work. They invite professional artists to propose experimental, original, bold new works in Literature (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays – playwrights please submit under Performing Arts/Theater), Visual Arts, Performing Arts, and Film. Multidisciplinary, technology, and/or socially engaged projects are welcome in all disciplinary categories. Also see the State of the Art Prize which aims to recognize one artist from each U.S. state and territory, with an artist grant of $10,000.
Value: Up to $50,000
Deadline: 2 April 2026; see guidelines for other key dates
Open for: US creators
Details here.
Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing
This award is for an outstanding mid-career editorial writer or columnist (with at least three years of relevant experience) to help broaden his or her journalistic horizons and knowledge of the world. The annual award can be used to cover the cost of study, research and/or travel in any field. The fellowship results in editorials and other writings, including books. One of the eligibility requirements is, the candidate must hold a position as a part-time or full-time editorial writer or columnist at a news publication located in the US; freelance opinion writers who devote a majority of their time, or derive a majority of their income, from that pursuit can also apply. The application also includes past work samples.
(There is also the Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award of $10,000, for a person or persons who have fought to protect and preserve one or more of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment; entrants need not be journalists.)
Value: $100,000
Deadline: 20 April 2026
Open for: Editorial writer/columnist at a news publication in the US
Details here.
Fund for Investigative Journalism Grants
They are accepting applications for regular grants for investigative journalism stories based in the U.S./with a strong U.S. angle. The Fund provides grants for print and online articles, television and radio stories, documentary films, podcasts and books. Foreign-based story proposals must come from U.S.-based reporters or have a strong U.S. angle involving American citizens, government or business; all stories must be published in English, in a media outlet in the United States.
Value: Up to $10,000
Deadline: 27 April 2026
Open for: Investigative journalism stories based in the U.S./with a strong U.S. angle
Details here.
(Fund for Investigative Journalism is also accepting applications for seed grants, for $1,000-2,000, and the deadline for those too is in April, and journalists must be U.S.-based or working on a story with a very strong U.S. angle; details here.)
League of Canadian Poets: Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize
This is a poetry prize for Canadian youth; there are two categories, the Junior (grades 7-9) and Senior (grades 10-12), with three prizes in each category. Writers can submit one poem, up to one page long. Homeschooled students are welcome to submit.
Value: CAD450, CAD400, CAD350 (see here)
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Open for: Canadian youth
Details here and here (This page also has details of all the League of Canadian Poets’ prizes.)
FOR WRITERS IN THE UK AND IRELAND
(Also see Whiting Foundation’s Creative Nonfiction Grants in the international section, above.)
The Orwell Society / NUJ Young Journalist’s Award
This is an opportunity for young UK-based journalists/those studying journalism in the UK (aged between 18 and 25 on the entry deadline date). Send “an arts review on a subject of your choice (e.g. book, film, play, art exhibition, etc) of no fewer than 600 and no more than 700 words. Your review should include a headline and an indication of the target audience/publication.
OR a column on a political subject of your choice of no fewer than 600 and no more than 700 words. Your column should include a headline and an indication of the target audience/publication.” Also send “a reflection of no fewer than 250 and no more than 300 words, on how your review or column is informed by Orwell’s influence.” The contest “offers a cash prize for each winner of the two categories: columns and reviews. In addition, each winner will receive an NUJ membership. The runner-up in each category will also receive a prize. Winners and runners-up will also receive a one year free membership of The Orwell Society.”
Value: Unspecified
Deadline: 30th March 2026
Open for: Young UK-based journalists
Details here.
Verity Bargate Award
Launched in 1982, the Verity Bargate Award one of the longest-established playwrighting awards in the UK. It is “Soho Theatre’s flagship new writing award with the winning play produced in a full production on our stages.” Emerging playwrights in the UK or Ireland can enter; you must have had fewer than three professional productions.
Value: £12,000
Deadline: 13th April 2026
Open for: UK/Ireland playwrights
Details here and here.
Molly Keane Creative Writing Award
This is an open competition for people resident on the island of Ireland for a short story of up to 2,000 words. There is no age limit (see guidelines).
Value: €500
Deadline: 1 May 2026
Open for: Irish residents
Details here.
Creative Futures Writers’ Award
This is for writers of underrepresented backgrounds (see eligibility here) in the UK. Send one piece of writing – a poem (up to 50 lines), fiction (up to 2,000 words), or creative non-fiction (up to 2,000 words). “The theme for 2026 is ‘Material.’ The theme is a creative prompt, not a requirement.” You can enter online (deadline 5th May) or if submitting by post, your work must reach by 6th May 2026.
Value: £75, £50, £25 in each genre
Deadline: See above
Open for: Underrepresented writers in the UK
Details here.
The British Society of Magazine Editors: BSME Young Writers’ Prize
This is for UK residents aged 18-25 from across the UK. No previous experience is needed. “Submit a short piece of original writing based on the subject of ‘something you love’. This could be a feature, review, opinion piece, a column, personal essay or a fun piece of creative writing based on your life experience or a news event or a topic that interests you. We are looking for writing that comes from a real place — your experience, your opinion, your obsession with something in the news or just in life. Voice-led, specific, yours.” Apart from a cash prize, winner also gets mentorship and work experience placement with a UK magazine or online publication; top 10 runners-up get work experience opportunity or mentoring; the top 20 runners-up will be invited to an online seminar. Entry is via a form.
Value: £12,000
Deadline: 8 May 2026
Open for: Young UK residents
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.