These are contests and scholarships/grants for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translations, as well as for screenplays and plays. Prizes range from £25 to £20,000. They’re very roughly divided by geography. Deadlines are approaching quickly. – S. Kalekar

INTERNATIONAL CONTESTS

Horror Writers Association Scholarships
These scholarships are for assisting authors in professional development as horror writers. The funds can be used for various things like course fees, resources like textbooks and guides, subscriptions for appropriate periodicals, and registration fees for relevant literary festivals. Writers need not be members of the Horror Writers Association to apply. Each scholarship page has detailed guidelines on the application, eligibility, and what the funds may be used for. The Scholarship from Hell (for StokerCon) is not open currently.
— The Horror Writers Association (HWA) Scholarship ($2,500) is for all writers, regardless of gender. “The Scholarship Sub-Committee will focus primarily on the applicant’s Education Plan, but they may also consider: the quality and potential shown in each applicants’ written work to date; the likelihood that the applicant’s career would benefit from further writing education; the likelihood that the applicant is committed to the horror genre; the likelihood that the applicant will contribute to the development of the genre, including increasing and/or broadening our readership; the applicant’s financial need; and the broad interests of the HWA and the horror genre.”
— The Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly Scholarship ($2,500) is for female-identifying writers. The HWA and Shelly scholarships are effectively two facets of the same award; applicants enter the same competition using the same application form.
— The Dark Poetry Scholarship ($1,250) is designed to assist in the professional development of Horror and/or Dark Fantasy Poets. Anyone with an interest in writing horror/dark fantasy poetry may apply. The applicant must outline how the scholarship funds would be spent (an ‘Education Plan’) and how that would benefit the applicant’s career development, and submit this essay as a separate document uploaded with the application.
— The Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship for Nonfiction Writing is a grant for research and writing non-fiction relating to horror and dark fantasy literature. It is an annual grant and the amount is flexible. It is intended to advance the writing of a specific nonfiction project related to the horror field. The applicant must outline how the scholarship would be used (a ‘Plan’) and how such use would benefit the field of non-fiction writing regarding horror and dark fantasy literature. That plan must be submitted with the application.
— The HWA Diversity Grants ($500 each) will be open to underrepresented, diverse people who have an interest in the horror writing genre, including, but not limited to writers, editors, reviewers, and library workers. They have adopted the broadest definition of the word diversity to include, but not limited to, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabled, and neurodiverse.
— The Dennis Etchison Young Writers Scholarship ($500) is for students in grades 10-12 (or equivalent, if home schooled), with an interest in writing horror/dark fiction. Students must provide a selection of their work (at least 1 completed short story over 1,000 words, 3 chapters from a novel in progress, or 4 poems) and a description of their goals with an education plan for use of the stipend as part of the application. There will also be mentorship. (The Association also has the Young Adults Write Now endowment program for US-based libraries.)
Value: Various
Deadline: 1 August 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.

(The HWA is also open for the Bram Stoker Award for published works in various categories – anthology, collection, first novel, graphic novel, long fiction and nonfiction, novel, poetry collection, screenplay, short fiction and nonfiction, and young adult novel. There are two deadlines, 30 November and 31 December 2021 – see guidelines).

2021 ArabLit Story Prize
This is an award for the best short stories, in any genre, newly translated from Arabic into English, of up to 4,000 words. Translators must have secured rights to the work, and the translations must have been previously unpublished. Stories will be judged primarily on the quality of the translated work as a thing-in-itself, although translators must also submit the Arabic original, as this must be a translation, not a loose adaptation nor a work written originally in English.
Value: $500, split between the author and translator
Deadline: 1 August 2021
Open for: All translators
Details here.
(Their Submittable page also has details of a submission call for a forthcoming ArabLit Quarterly issue: the theme is Folk, around the folk stories and Arabics of the regional and local varieties. They accept pitches and completed works, and pay $20/page. The deadline is 15 August 2021. They want submissions for their website as well, in various genres, for which there is no pay.)

Cosmic Horror Monthly: Micro Madness
They are starting a monthly micro fiction contest starting August, and entries will be open for the first week of every month. They want flash fiction (up to 500 words) that can be classified as cosmic horror, dark science fiction, or weird. Writers can send up to three entries per month. Do not send submissions before the start of the reading period.
Value: $100, $50, $25
Reading period: 1-7 August 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.

Briefly Write Poetry Prize
Briefly Write is a magazine of short fiction and poetry. They want poetry of 10 lines for this contest. “The Briefly Write Poetry Prize celebrates and rewards bold, succinct writing.”
Value: £25; £5 for each runner-up
Deadline: 8 August 2021
Open for: All poets
Details here.

Future Folklore
This is a climate fiction contest – a speculative fiction contest that imagines a world where equitable climate change initiatives have been set in motion. The topic is a positive and possible climate future. They have some optional prompts on their page. Submit stories of 1,400-2,000 words.
Value: $400, $275, $150, honourable mentions of $50 each
Deadline: 9 August 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.

Yale Drama Series: David Charles Horn Prize
This contest is for an full-length play in English, of at least 65 pages, and is meant for emerging playwrights. Translations, musicals, adaptations, and children’s plays are not accepted. Apart from a cash prize, there will be publication of their manuscript by Yale University Press, and a staged reading or virtual performance.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 15 August 2021
Open for: All playwrights
Details here.

Lunch Ticket: Diana Woods Award in Creative Nonfiction
This award is for a creative non-fiction piece of up to 5,000 words on any subject. The contest is open in February and August.
Value: $250
Reading period: 1-31 August 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.

Lunch Ticket: The Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation & Multilingual Texts
Translators and authors of multilingual texts are encouraged to submit their work for The Gabo Prize. Writers should indicate whether the translation falls under poetry or prose, and include the original work along with your translation. Original, bilingual work qualifies for the Gabo Prize. The contest is open in February and August.
Value: $200
Reading period: 1-31 August 2021
Open for: All translators
Details here.

Amazon: Kindle Storyteller Award
This is for writers in any genre, for a book published exclusively through Kindle Direct Publishing in both eBook and print formats between 1 May and 31 August 2021. The paperback version must be at least 24 pages long. Read the terms carefully – readers will play a significant role in forming the shortlist.
Value: £20,000
Deadline: 31 August 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.

Singapore Unbound Flash Fiction Contest: The Infinite Library
Singapore Unbound is an NYC-based nonprofit, and this is their inaugural flash fiction contest– send up to three pieces. Their guidelines say, “We are looking for flash fiction of 90-100 words about “the infinite library,” interpreted in any imaginative way. What is a library? Must it always be a room filled with books? Can it be a person, an animal, or even a machine? And how is it infinite?”
Value: $100, $50, $30
Deadline: 31 August 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here (scroll down).

The Val Wood Prize 2021: Now & Then
They want an uplifting, feel-good short story on the theme ‘Now & Then’, of up to 2,000 words. Their guidelines say, “The overall theme of this year’s competition has been chosen to mark the end of lockdown and reflect times of positive change. We are looking to receive entries packed with originality and creativity that celebrate societal changes that have made the world a better place for communities or individuals.” The contest is open to anyone over 16 years of age. Their rules also say that entries from already commercially published writers will not be considered.
Value: £100
Deadline: 31 August 2021
Open for: All writers who haven’t been commercially published
Details here.
(Apart from the global prize, there are also prizes for Yorkshire residents, and the theme for that contest is ‘The Good Old Days’; the deadline for that is 31 August, and the prizes are £100 and £25).

Hysteria Writing Competition 8: Hope and Unity
They want flash fiction (up to 100 words), short fiction (up to 600 words), and poetry (up to 12 lines) on the ‘Hope and Unity’ theme. Do not send horror or erotica. Writers can send more than one entry (see guidelines). Please read the guidelines carefully – entry for the contest implies consent to publish, whether the entry wins or not.
Value: £50 for one winner per category
Deadline: 31 August 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.

Cultural Daily: Jack Grapes Poetry Prize
This is a prize for unpublished poetry; send one poem. Please note, the prize amount has increased.
Value: $500 each for three winners, $100 each for nine finalists
Deadline: 31 August 2021
Open for: All poets
Details here.

Preservation Foundation Contest: Biographical non-fiction
This is an international contest for unpublished writers (see guidelines). Their upcoming deadline is for the biographical non-fiction category: “A biographical entry must be a true story about the author or an individual(s) known to the author personally–not a fictional or historical character. Or, it could be autobiographical, a true story about the author’s life, the whole or an episode.” Entries should be 1,000-10,000 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 open for submissions later.
Value: $200, $100
Deadline: 31 August 2021
Open for: Unpublished writers
Details here.

Gulf Coast: The Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing
This is for critical writing on art, of up to 1,500 words. Their guidelines say, “The Beauchamp Prize will consider submissions of work that have been written (or published) within the last year. A variety of creative approaches and formats to writing on the visual arts are encouraged, and can include thematic essays, exhibition reviews, and scholarly essays.”
Value: $3,000; two prizes of $1,000 each
Deadline: 31 August 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.

Blair: Lee Smith Novel Prize
The indie publishing house, Blair, focuses “on authors and subjects historically neglected by mainstream publishers, including women, people of color, authors with disabilities, and LGBT authors. True to our roots in North Carolina, we look to the many voices of the South—and beyond—as sources of work and inspiration.” The Lee Smith Prize is for literary fiction manuscripts, of at least 25,000 words. They do not want genre fiction.
Value: $1,000 and publication
Deadline: 1 September 2021
Open for: Unspecified
Details here and here.

American-Scandinavian Foundation Translation Awards
The American-Scandinavian Foundation annually awards translation prizes for outstanding translations of poetry, fiction, drama, or literary prose written by a Scandinavian author born after 1900. The Leif and Inger Sjöberg Award is for those whose translations from a Nordic language have not been previously published. There is also the Nadia Christensen Prize, and the Wigeland Prize (this is for the best translation by a Norwegian). The application includes 50 pages of prose or 25 pages of poetry.
Value: $2,500 (Nadia Christensen Prize); $2,000 (Leif and Inger Sjöberg Award); $2,000 (Wigeland Prize)
Deadline: 1 September 2021
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.

The Academy for Teachers: Stories Out of School
They want honest, unsentimental stories, of 6-479 words, about teachers and schools. The story’s protagonist or narrator must be a K-12 teacher. Sentimentality is discouraged and education jargon is forbidden. The stories will be published in the print edition of A Public Space.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 1 September 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.

On the Premises: Monster
They want short fiction of 1,000-5,000 words, and the theme is ‘Monster’ – stories “in which someone or something is considered to be a monster… and maybe that’s accurate! Maybe you’re writing a straightforward horror story. Or maybe the “monster” label is terrible and undeserved. Or is the truth somewhere in between?” Famous mythological monsters from history, religion, or folk tales are fine. They do not want children’s fiction, exploitative sex, over-the-top grossout horror, or stories that are obvious parodies of existing fictional worlds/characters created by other authors. Please note, the prize amounts for this contest have increased.
Value: $250, $200, $150, $75
Deadline: 3 September 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.

A couple of other contests with later deadlines are: the The César Egido Serrano Foundation VI International Short Tales Contest (a microfiction contest with a first prize of $20,000 — and though the competition is open under a slogan, writers do not have to send themed entries, and can send two stories per author; the deadline is 30 September 2021), and the PEN/Robert J Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers (for 12 emerging fiction writers for their debut short story published during a given calendar year in a literary magazine or cultural website; the awards are $2,000 each, and the deadline is 15 November 2021.)

WRITERS IN AFRICA

The Graywolf Press African Fiction Prize
They will open a submission period in August for the third African Fiction Prize; this prize is open every other year. This is awarded for a first novel manuscript by an African author primarily residing in Africa. Submissions must be full-length, previously unpublished novel manuscripts, either originally written in English or a complete English translation. The details will be on their Submittable page when the prize opens for submissions. While the prize purse is unspecified currently, in the past years, it has been $12,000.
Value: Unspecified
Reading period: 1-31 August, 2021
Open for: African writers primarily living in Africa
Details here (scroll down to the Fiction section).

FOR WRITERS IN THE US AND CANADA

Nickelodeon Writing Program
This is a full-time, paid, yearlong development program for television comedy writers with unique voices and from underrepresented communities. Writers have to be eligible to work in the US. Also, “The Nick Writing Program is not a writing contest – It’s a launching pad for diverse and emerging creatives. If you bring the unique voice and innovative ideas for kids’ and family content, we’ll help you launch a career with all the tools you’ll need to succeed in the industry for years to come.” Writers have to pick a focus – kids’ content (audience age 11-6), preschool content (audience age 2-6), and preteen/YA (audience age 11-17), and prepare scripts accordingly. All applicants must submit a spec script and original comedy pilot (see guidelines). The year-long program takes place at Burbank, CA.
Value: Unspecified
Deadline: 1 August 2021
Open for: Those eligible to work in the US
Details here.

The Granum Foundation Fellowship Prize
This award is to help writers complete substantive literary works—such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, memoirs, and translations—or to help launch these works. Their guidelines say, “Funding can be used to provide a writer with the tools, time, and freedom to help ensure their success. For example, resources may be used to cover fees for a writing residency, mentorship, editing services, or a book tour. They also may be used for necessities such as rent or writing equipment.
Competitive applicants will be able to present a compelling project with a reasonable timeline for completion. They also should be able to demonstrate a record of commitment to the literary arts.”
Value: $5,000; up to three awards of $500 each
Deadline: 3 August 2021
Open for: US-based writers
Details here.

Lee & Low Books: New Voices Award
This award is for writers of color and Native nations who are residents of the US, and have not previously had a children’s picture book published. The work should address the needs of children of color and Native nations, aged 5-12, by providing stories with which they can identify and relate, and which promote a greater understanding of one another. Themes relating to non-traditional family structures, gender identity, or disabilities may also be included. Manuscripts can be fiction, non-fiction or poetry, and up to 1,500 words. Stories with anthropomorphic animals will not be accepted. Writers can send up to two manuscripts.
Value: $2,000 and publishing contract; $1,000
Deadline: 15 August 2021
Open for: US writers of color and Native nations
Details here.

The Debra E. Bernhardt Labor Journalism Prize
This award is given for a published or soon-to-be-published article that furthers the understanding of the history of working people. Articles must be focused on historical events OR focused on current issues (work, housing, organizing, health, education) and include historical context. The article must be published in print or online between August 31, 2020 and August 30, 2021. The prize is given to insightful work that contributes to the understanding of labor history; shows creativity; demonstrates excellence in writing; and adheres to the highest journalistic standards of accuracy. Publications and subject matter should target the United States and Canada.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 30 August 2021
Open for: Unspecified; but publications and subject matter should target the US and Canada
Details here.

Gasher Journal First Book Scholarship 2021
This scholarship is to provide financial assistance of $250 to a writer submitting their first book. This year, they are offering two awards, one for Prose and one for Poetry. The book manuscript must be at least 48 pages in length.
Value: $250 each
Deadline: 1 September 2021
Open for: US writers
Details here.
(The literary journal is also accepting submissions in other categories – see guidelines.)

WRITERS IN THE UK/IRELAND

The Costa Short Story Award
This short story prize is for writers based in the UK or Ireland. There is no set theme and stories can be up to 4,000 words.
Value: £3,500, £1,000, £500
Deadline: 2 August 2021
Open for: UK and Ireland writers
Details here.

Goldsmiths Young Writer Competitions
This is for students in the UK, ages 16-18. They have three awards: Young Writer (a short story writing competition for creative writers – send a story of up to 1,000 words), Young Columnist (for journalists with a historical angle – send a piece of 1,200 words), or Young Anthropologist (for writing about identity and culture – send an essay of up to 1,000 words on issues of identity and culture; the theme is ‘What do you hold dear?’).
Value: £1,000 first prize, and two runner-up prizes of £50 for each contest
Deadline: 2 August 2021
Open for: Students in the UK, ages 16-18
Details here.

BBC New Comedy Awards
This is for comedy writers/performers who are permitted to live and work in the UK. There are three categories in the awards: Over 18s (inc. sketch, musical, character); Young Comedian: 15-17 year olds (inc. sketch, musical, character); and Digital Comedy (inc. experimental character comedy, pranks, musical comedy, character formats or a sketch, anything that works on video and isn’t meant for a live audience.) Writers must not have been performing regularly on the professional comedy circuit for more than three consecutive years. The awards have various self-written script requirements – see guidelines.
Value: Over 18s – £1,000 plus a paid commission to write and perform in a 30-minute audio pilot, mentored by a BBC Comedy Commissioner; Young Comedian (Under 18s) – £500 plus help with securing their first three paid gigs; Digital Comedy – A paid commission for a digital comedy short for BBC Comedy
Deadline: 15 August 2021
Open for: UK writers
Details here.

Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour
This is for writers of colour in the UK who have not previously had a novel or novella published, nor have they signed with an agent at the time of application. Submit a manuscript of the first 30-50 pages of an original novel, as well as a 3-page maximum outline of the whole plot of the novel. Children’s fiction and short stories are not eligible. Shortlisted applications get non-cash prizes, including a session with a literary agent.
Value: £500, mentoring, manuscript review, and other non-cash prizes
Deadline: 22 August 2021
Open for: Writers of colour in the UK/Ireland
Details here.

Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She is the author of 182 Short Fiction Publishers. She can be reached here.