Next
Show All
These are contests for writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays, as well as translators. The prizes range from $50 to £20,000. There is also a prize for published translations, worth $200,000. None have an entry fee. — S. Kalekar
PEN/Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History
This grant is for a literary work of non-fiction that uses oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement. It is to help maintain or complete his or her ongoing project. Oral history must be a significant portion of the work and its research. Writers have to send in writing samples and transcripts as part of the application.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 15 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
This grant is for a literary work of non-fiction that uses oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement. It is to help maintain or complete his or her ongoing project. Oral history must be a significant portion of the work and its research. Writers have to send in writing samples and transcripts as part of the application.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 15 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Yale Drama Series: David Charles Horn Prize
This contest is for an original, unpublished full-length play in English, and is meant for emerging playwrights. Translations, musicals, adaptations, and children’s plays are not accepted.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 15 August 2018
Open for: All playwrights
Details here.
This contest is for an original, unpublished full-length play in English, and is meant for emerging playwrights. Translations, musicals, adaptations, and children’s plays are not accepted.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 15 August 2018
Open for: All playwrights
Details here.
Penguin Random House UK: Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize
This is for translators aged 18-34. This year the focus language is Bengali and entrants will translate the short story ‘Half-Timer Pawre’ (see website) by Shamik Ghosh, from his collection Elvis O Amolasundari. They will accept mailed submissions only.
Value: £1,000, mentorship
Deadline: 28 August 2018
Open for: Translators of Bengali
Details here (scroll down).
This is for translators aged 18-34. This year the focus language is Bengali and entrants will translate the short story ‘Half-Timer Pawre’ (see website) by Shamik Ghosh, from his collection Elvis O Amolasundari. They will accept mailed submissions only.
Value: £1,000, mentorship
Deadline: 28 August 2018
Open for: Translators of Bengali
Details here (scroll down).
Pockets Annual Fiction Contest
Pockets is a Christian magazine for 6-12-year-olds. For this fiction contest, they want stories of 750-1,000 words. Their guidelines say, “Stories should contain lots of action, use believable dialogue, be simply written, and be relevant to the problems faced by this age group in everyday life. Children need to be able to see themselves in the pages of the magazine. It is important that the tone not be “preachy” or didactic. Use short sentences and paragraphs. When possible, use concrete words instead of abstractions. However, do not “write down” to children.” No stories about talking animals, inanimate objects, or biblical or historical fiction based on real events. Writers can send multiple stories. Entries can be emailed or posted.
Value: $500
Deadline: 15 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Pockets is a Christian magazine for 6-12-year-olds. For this fiction contest, they want stories of 750-1,000 words. Their guidelines say, “Stories should contain lots of action, use believable dialogue, be simply written, and be relevant to the problems faced by this age group in everyday life. Children need to be able to see themselves in the pages of the magazine. It is important that the tone not be “preachy” or didactic. Use short sentences and paragraphs. When possible, use concrete words instead of abstractions. However, do not “write down” to children.” No stories about talking animals, inanimate objects, or biblical or historical fiction based on real events. Writers can send multiple stories. Entries can be emailed or posted.
Value: $500
Deadline: 15 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
World Congress of Faiths Essay Award
This award, for UK students, is for a 3,000-word essay titled ‘Can interfaith dialogue achieve any lasting value for society?’
Value: £300
Deadline: 28 August 2018
Open for: Undergraduate or postgraduate students at a UK university
Details here.
This award, for UK students, is for a 3,000-word essay titled ‘Can interfaith dialogue achieve any lasting value for society?’
Value: £300
Deadline: 28 August 2018
Open for: Undergraduate or postgraduate students at a UK university
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. There is no limit to the number of submissions. The paperback version must be at least 24 pages long. For this contest, readers will play a significant role in selecting the winner – the award shortlist will be based on customer feedback of the entries (“includes sales, reads through Kindle Unlimited and reviews and other matters”), followed by an evaluation by a judging panel. Read the FAQ and terms carefully.
Value: £20,000
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
This is for writers in any genre, for a book published exclusively through Kindle Direct Publishing in both eBook and print formats. There is no limit to the number of submissions. The paperback version must be at least 24 pages long. For this contest, readers will play a significant role in selecting the winner – the award shortlist will be based on customer feedback of the entries (“includes sales, reads through Kindle Unlimited and reviews and other matters”), followed by an evaluation by a judging panel. Read the FAQ and terms carefully.
Value: £20,000
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Lee & Low Books: New Voices Award
This award is for writers of color and Native nations who are residents of the United States, and who 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. They accept mailed submissions only.
Value: $2,000 and publishing contract, including advance and royalties; $1,000
Deadline: 31 August 2018 (postmarked)
Open for: US writers of color and Native nations
Details here.
This award is for writers of color and Native nations who are residents of the United States, and who 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. They accept mailed submissions only.
Value: $2,000 and publishing contract, including advance and royalties; $1,000
Deadline: 31 August 2018 (postmarked)
Open for: US writers of color and Native nations
Details here.
Aftermath Magazine: The End of Our World Short Story Contest
This short story contest “is meant to raise people’s awareness of what is happening to our (natural) world right now and what this may mean for the near future. We are looking for short stories dealing with the many existential issues facing us. No nonsense, no wild, impossible fantasies but strong, intelligent stories, based on facts, cautionary tales speculative, plausible and thought-provoking.” Stories can be in English or Dutch, and 1,500-5,000 words long.
Value: $1,000, $300, $100; “Stories outside of the top three may still be published at our usual flat fee for $25.”
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
This short story contest “is meant to raise people’s awareness of what is happening to our (natural) world right now and what this may mean for the near future. We are looking for short stories dealing with the many existential issues facing us. No nonsense, no wild, impossible fantasies but strong, intelligent stories, based on facts, cautionary tales speculative, plausible and thought-provoking.” Stories can be in English or Dutch, and 1,500-5,000 words long.
Value: $1,000, $300, $100; “Stories outside of the top three may still be published at our usual flat fee for $25.”
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Platypus Press: Broken River Prize
This is a prize for a poetry chapbook. Manuscripts should be 20-40 pages.
Value: $250/£200 and publication
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All poets
Details here.
This is a prize for a poetry chapbook. Manuscripts should be 20-40 pages.
Value: $250/£200 and publication
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All poets
Details here.
Lunch Ticket: The Diana Woods Award in Creative Non-fiction
This is an award for creative non-fiction, on any subject. Submit a piece of up to 5,000 words. All submissions to the award will be considered for publication in Lunch Ticket.
Value: $250
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
This is an award for creative non-fiction, on any subject. Submit a piece of up to 5,000 words. All submissions to the award will be considered for publication in Lunch Ticket.
Value: $250
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Lunch Ticket: The Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation & Multilingual Texts
This award is for translators and authors of multilingual texts, in poetry or prose. Translators should include the original work with the translation, and a statement about the translation process. All submissions to the award will be considered for publication in other sections of Lunch Ticket. The prize honors “Gabo” – Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Value: $200
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
This award is for translators and authors of multilingual texts, in poetry or prose. Translators should include the original work with the translation, and a statement about the translation process. All submissions to the award will be considered for publication in other sections of Lunch Ticket. The prize honors “Gabo” – Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Value: $200
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
On the Premises Short Story Contest: Near-death experience
Write a short story in which one or more characters almost die, but don’t. Stories should be 1,000-5,000 words long. The editors do not want children’s fiction, exploitative sex, or over-the-top horror.
Value: $220, $160, $120, $60
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Write a short story in which one or more characters almost die, but don’t. Stories should be 1,000-5,000 words long. The editors do not want children’s fiction, exploitative sex, or over-the-top horror.
Value: $220, $160, $120, $60
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Cultural Weekly: Jack Grapes Poetry Prize
This is a prize for unpublished poems. Send up to three poems.
Value: $200 each for three winners, $50 each for six finalists
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All poets
Details here.
This is a prize for unpublished poems. Send up to three poems.
Value: $200 each for three winners, $50 each for six finalists
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All poets
Details here.
Preservation Foundation Contest for Unpublished Writers
This is a contest for unpublished writers (see guidelines). This year the prizes will be for four categories of non-fiction: biographical, general, travel, and animal non-fiction. Read the terms carefully. All entries, regardless of whether they win or not, will be on their website in perpetuity.
Value: $200, $100, $50
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: Unpublished writers (see guidelines)
Details here.
This is a contest for unpublished writers (see guidelines). This year the prizes will be for four categories of non-fiction: biographical, general, travel, and animal non-fiction. Read the terms carefully. All entries, regardless of whether they win or not, will be on their website in perpetuity.
Value: $200, $100, $50
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: Unpublished writers (see guidelines)
Details here.
Oklahoma Pagan Quarterly: 2018 Spooky Samhain Stories Contest
They want work on any of these three themes:
True Tales of Terror (1k-4k words), which are “true experiences you’ve witnessed. Ritual gone wrong? Cryptid got a little up close and personal? Alien attacks at night?”;
Spooky Semi-True Stories (3k-6k words), which may be tall tales, or may not; or
Fantastic Frights (5k-10k words), which are out and out fiction.
They would prefer stories that use religion and/or spirituality as an uplifting theme or a bridge towards a larger, thematic discussion, rather than being derogatory towards one specific religion.
Value: $100, $50, $25
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
They want work on any of these three themes:
True Tales of Terror (1k-4k words), which are “true experiences you’ve witnessed. Ritual gone wrong? Cryptid got a little up close and personal? Alien attacks at night?”;
Spooky Semi-True Stories (3k-6k words), which may be tall tales, or may not; or
Fantastic Frights (5k-10k words), which are out and out fiction.
They would prefer stories that use religion and/or spirituality as an uplifting theme or a bridge towards a larger, thematic discussion, rather than being derogatory towards one specific religion.
Value: $100, $50, $25
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Planet: Essay Competition
This is an essay contest for writers under 30, on any subject, by this Welsh magazine. The essay should be 1,500-2,000 words. Their guidelines say, “We would welcome creative and unconventional ways of exploring the essay form as well as a more traditional style.” Planet features writing which is “in-depth, yet sufficiently accessible for a non-specialist readership. What we are looking for most are lively, well-crafted essays which leave a lasting impression.” They will accept mailed submissions only.
Value: £200
Deadline: 1 September 2018
Open for: All writers under 30
Details here.
This is an essay contest for writers under 30, on any subject, by this Welsh magazine. The essay should be 1,500-2,000 words. Their guidelines say, “We would welcome creative and unconventional ways of exploring the essay form as well as a more traditional style.” Planet features writing which is “in-depth, yet sufficiently accessible for a non-specialist readership. What we are looking for most are lively, well-crafted essays which leave a lasting impression.” They will accept mailed submissions only.
Value: £200
Deadline: 1 September 2018
Open for: All writers under 30
Details here.
The Helen Schaible International Sonnet Contest
For this contest, poets are invited to write a Shakespearean or a Petrarchan sonnet. They accept hard copy submissions only.
Value: $50, $35, $15
Deadline: 1 September 2018
Open for: All poets
Details here.
For this contest, poets are invited to write a Shakespearean or a Petrarchan sonnet. They accept hard copy submissions only.
Value: $50, $35, $15
Deadline: 1 September 2018
Open for: All poets
Details here.
Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding
These are awards for translated, full-length published works of humanities or social sciences. There are various categories: from Arabic to English, English to Arabic, Arabic to German, German to Arabic, and an achievement award. All carry prizes of $200,000. There are translation achievement categories in other languages too, carrying awards of $100,000 each – to and from Arabaic in Bosnian, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Swahili.
Value: $200,000 each for five categories and $100,000 each in 10 categories
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: Translators of published Arabic works
Details here.
These are awards for translated, full-length published works of humanities or social sciences. There are various categories: from Arabic to English, English to Arabic, Arabic to German, German to Arabic, and an achievement award. All carry prizes of $200,000. There are translation achievement categories in other languages too, carrying awards of $100,000 each – to and from Arabaic in Bosnian, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Swahili.
Value: $200,000 each for five categories and $100,000 each in 10 categories
Deadline: 31 August 2018
Open for: Translators of published Arabic works
Details here.
