These are 26 prizes, grants, fellowships, and residencies for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, and journalism. The awards range from $50 to $23,000. They are, very loosely, divided by geography. A couple of these deadlines are for June. – S. Kalekar
INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES
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. Apart from the cash award, the winner also gets a trip to New York City, and an invitation to the International Emmy® Awards Gala in November.
Value: $2,500
Deadline: 30 June 2021
Open for: Non-US citizens
Details here.
Heavy Feather Review: The Zachary Doss Friends in Letters Memorial Fellowship
This online and print literary magazine is accepting submissions of collaborative work for their fellowship. Their guidelines say, “The portfolio should consist of no more than 10 pages of work (in any genre combination) and must include a 1 page introduction speaking, in any way you see fit, to your friendship with your collaborator and how it has influenced your writing or this portfolio.” Previous entries to the fellowship have included a 10-page comic made by a writer and artist; an eight-minute short-film collaboration between a dancer and a filmmaker; a 10-page portfolio of flash fictions alternating between the authors; a 10-page interview by two mutual friends about a friend and artist who has passed; a 10-page visual nonfiction essay between two student peers. Winning pairs will receive $50; the deadline is 30 June 2021 for portfolios. They’re also accepting submissions for the online magazine currently.
Value: $50 per winning pair
Deadline: 30 June 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.
(A few writing contest deadlines are still approaching, in June – see this list for more.)
Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers’ Award
This is for unpublished (see guidelines) prose writers who would benefit from financial support to complete their work, in the British Commonwealth and Eire. Send 15,000-20,000 words of a work in progress, fiction or non-fiction, which is not agented, under option or contract. Applications are only open to writers who have not previously published or self-published a full-length book of prose (with the exception of a collection of poetry).
Value: £10,000; £1,000 for runners-up; editorial consultation with an agent at RCW for longlisted writers
Deadline: 1 July 2021
Open for: Unpublished prose writers in the British Commonwealth and Eire
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.
Value: $5,000, residency at Blue Mountain Centre artists’ colony
Deadline: 1 July 2021
Open for: Unspecified
Details here and here.
Victoria Literary Festival Short Story Contest: Ghost Writer
They want fiction submissions for the contest associated with this Canadian literary festival, and one of last year’s theme deadlines has been extended. They want short stories of at least 1,400 words. The theme is ‘Ghost Writer’. Read the guidelines carefully – writers have to send both, an emailed entry and a postal one.
Value: CAD350; CAD50 each for four runners-up
Deadline: 1 July 2021 (extended)
Open for: Unspecified
Details here (announcement of deadline extension – scroll down) and here (submission details).
The H G Wells Short Story Competition
This is a short story contest on the theme of ‘Mask’, of 1,500-5,000 words. There is no fee for those under 21 years. They also have a prize for adults, with an entry fee.
Value: £1,000 for the Junior Award (under 21)
Deadline: 12 July 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Singapore Unbound: Singapore and other literatures
Singapore unbound is an NYC-based literary nonprofit. They want critical essays on topics in Singapore literature, from undergraduates in any country – see their extensive guidelines for further details and potential essay topics.
Value: Three prizes of $250 each
Deadline: 12 July 2021
Open for: Undergraduates
Details here.
(The contest page also has details of a submission call for all writers – the theme is climate change, pay is $25-50, and the deadline for that call is end-July.)
Langdon Review Writer-in-Residence Program
This is a short, two-week residency program at Tarleton State University, Texas, for writers, poets, artists, and photographers. Writers and poets need to submit a proposal as to how the experience will benefit them and the Granbury community, and writing samples are at least 3,500 words for prose writers, and at least 10 poems for poets.
Value: $500, residency
Deadline: 15 July 2021
Open for: Unspecified
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.
Value: $50, $35, $15
Deadline: 15 July 2021
Open for: All poets
Details here.
International Women’s Media Foundation: Global Health Reporting Initiative – Vaccines and Immunization in Africa
The International Women’s Media Foundation (IMWF) is a member of the JID Network, a group of 18 international organizations that provide direct assistance to journalists and media workers whose lives or careers are threatened because of their work. For the Global Health Reporting Initiative their guidelines say, “IWMF will develop and support a cohort of journalists from low and middle-income countries in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean with expertise in vaccines and immunization. .. this Initiative will allow the IWMF to provide journalists with learning, funding and mentoring opportunities to cover urgent issues, like vaccine acceptance and demand and the impact the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine is having on routine immunization programs.
The IWMF will select a total of 30 journalists to participate in our Global Health Reporting Initiative this year. From September to December 2021, our cohort will participate in a virtual course that will increase access to global and regional experts, trusted sources and evidence-based information on vaccines and immunization. Following the course, the IWMF will also provide cohort members with competitive grants, paired with mentoring from senior reporters, in order to support clear, comprehensive and factual reporting on vaccines and immunization.”
Value: Unspecified
Deadline: 22 July 2021
Open for: Full-time, professional journalists of all genders who reside and work in a low- or middle-income country in Africa or Latin America and the Caribbean (see guidelines)
Details here.
(IWMF also has a US Journalism Emergency Fund, for US-based journalists of any gender targeted as a result of their reporting at events related to the highly charged political unrest and polarization in the US; the Black Journalists Therapy Relief Fund, an international fund to provide financial assistance to Black journalists, both freelance and full time staff, to pay for mental health support; an Emergency Fund for women and non-binary journalists, both staff and freelance, the world over, to provide small grants for psychological and medical care for incidents directly related to threats and crises caused by one’s work as a journalist, as well as legal aid and non-financial assistance; and the Howard G. Buffet Fund for Women Journalists for women-identifying journalists worldwide, providing grantees support to expose under-reported but critical global issues, develop expertise and strengthen careers, and pursue training, and launch entrepreneurial news projects. IWMF also had a COVID-19 relief fund for women journalists; funding for that is exhausted now, though fundraising efforts are ongoing.
Details of all the International Women’s Media Foundation funds are here – IMWF Emergency Funds page; here – Submittable page for most funds; and here – application for Black Journalists Therapy Fund and IMWF’s US Journalism Emergency Fund.)
No Contact: Inaugural Summer Poetry Contest
No Contact is an online literary magazine founded in 2020, and this is their first contest. Writers can send up to two poems, of 90 lines or fewer. They strongly encourage submissions from trans, fem, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, LGBTQIA, disabled, and BIPOC poets. All poems will be considered for publication.
Value: $250; two prizes of $50 each
Deadline: 26 July 2021
Open for: All poets
Details here.
Speculative Literature Foundation: Diverse Writers/Diverse Worlds Grants
The Diverse Writers grant is to support new and emerging writers of speculative fiction from underrepresented groups, including writers of color, disabled, women or working-class writers. The Diverse Worlds grant is for work that best represents a diverse world, irrespective of the writer’s background. Writers may apply for one or both grants. Preference will be given to proposed book-length works (novels, short story collections). Non-fiction, poetry, picture books, and editorial projects are not currently eligible. See their schedule for other grants through the year.
Value: Two grants of $500 each
Reading period: 1-31 July 2021
Open for: Underrepresented writers, and writers whose work represents a diverse world
Details here (grant details) and here (schedule for all their grants).
Red Hen Press: Ann Petry Award
They want previously unpublished prose, either a novel or a collection of short stories or novellas, with a minimum of 150 pages, by a Black writer.
Deadline: 31 July 2021
Value: $3,000, publication, an opportunity to be in residence for up to four weeks at The Community Library’s Ernest and Mary Hemingway House in Ketchum, Idaho
Open for: Black writers
Details here.
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 submission calls for two forthcoming ArabLit Quarterly issues: Football, and Folk themes; they accept pitches and completed works, and pay $20/page.)
FOR WRITERS IN THE US (+CANADA)
Associates of the Boston Public Library Writer-in-Residence
The fellowship aims to provide an emerging children’s writer with the financial support and office space needed to complete one literary work for children or young adults. The year-long fellowship also entails working at the library. All genres are welcome, including fiction, non-fiction, scripts, or poetry. (The format is flexible and can include illustrated children’s books or graphic novels, but the majority of our submissions are generally Young Adult novels.) Applicants must be US citizens and cannot have prior professional book publications. Application includes a writing sample and a proposal. This year, they have a residency for illustrators, as well.
Value: $23,000, can request an additional $2,000 for training or hiring a professional (see guidelines); residency for half a year
Deadline: 1 July 2021
Open for: Those eligible to work in the US, as a US citizen or green card holder
Details here.
The Lincoln Forum: Platt Family Scholarship Prize Essay Contest
This essay contest is for full-time undergraduates at an American college or university in Spring 2021. The topic for this year’s essay is: “What Would Lincoln Do?” and their guidelines say, “2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the Ku Klux Klan Act, a major milestone in the tumultuous Reconstruction era. Examining Lincoln’s 1863 Louisiana plan along with other evidence, would Reconstruction have been any different if Lincoln had not been assassinated? If so, how?” Entries must be 1,500- 5,000 words.
Value: $1,500, $750, $500
Deadline: 31 July 2021
Open for: Students in a US college or university
Details here.
Polar Expressions Publishing: 14th 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 2021
Open for: Canadian writers
Details here.
Lee & Low Books: New Visions Award
This award is by Tu Books, the middle grade and young adult imprint of Lee & Low Books. The award is for writers of color or Indigenous/Native writers who are residents of the US, and have not previously had a middle grade or young adult novel traditionally published. Manuscripts may be fiction or narrative non-fiction for children ages 8 to 12 or young adults ages 12 to 18. Manuscripts should address the needs of children and teens of color and Native nations by providing stories with which they can identify and relate, and which promote a greater understanding of one another. They are interested in contemporary or historical fiction, literary fantasy, science fiction, mystery, suspense, and genre fusions. Graphic novel scripts and novels in verse for these categories are also welcome. Submissions should be of full, unagented manuscripts or graphic novel scripts plus synopsis. Middle grade novels are not to exceed 75,000 words in length; young adult novels are not to exceed 95,000 words in length. Graphic novels should not exceed 150 scripted pages.
Value: $2,000 and publishing contract; $1,000
Deadline: 31 July 2021
Open for: US writers of color and Native nations
Details here.
FOR WRITERS IN THE UK/IRELAND
Society of Authors’ Grants for Works-in-Progress: Two grants
The Authors’ Foundation and K Blundell Trust award grants twice yearly to writers whose book project is for a commercial UK publisher. These grants assist writers with research costs or by buying them time to write. They support writers from a range of genres and styles and at all stages of their literary careers.
— K. Blundell Trust Award: This is a work-in-progress award for young British writers of fiction or non-fiction. The work must contribute to the greater understanding of existing social and economic organisation.
Value: £3,000-£3,500 and occasionally £5,000-£6,000
Deadline: 1 July 2021
Open for: British writers under 40 who have had at least one book published (see guidelines)
Details here and here.
— The Authors’ Foundation Grant: This is for British authors of fiction, non-fiction or poetry who are contracted, or who are published and working on a project that is likely to have interest from a British publisher.
Value: £3,000-£3,500 and occasionally £5,000-£6,000
Deadline: 1 July 2021
Open for: British writers (see guidelines)
Details here and here.
The Women’s Prize for Playwriting
This is a playwriting contest for writers who identify as female in the UK or Ireland. Scripts should be an hour or more of playing time (usually 60 pages). Scripts written by more than one author are eligible. Musicals and pantomimes are not eligible. Writers can submit more than one script.
Value: £12,000 as a fee in respect of an exclusive option for Paines Plough and EKP to co-produce the winning script
Deadline: 12 July 2021
Open for: Female-identifying writers in the UK and Ireland
Details here.
Scottish Book Trust: New Writers Awards
This is an opportunity for emerging Scotland-based writers. There are three categories, Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction (also known as creative non-fiction), Poetry, and Children’s and Young Adult Fiction. All travel expenses are covered. There is also a one-week retreat (depending on circumstances) and mentorship.
Value: £2,000
Deadline: 14 July 2021
Open for: Scotland-based writers
Details here.
Writers & Artists: Working-Class Writers Prize
This prize is for writers with a working class background, in the UK and Ireland. Submission requirements include the beginning of a work-in-progress in any genre of prose, of up to 2,000 words. They have other prizes also apart from the cash prize, including mentorship, and a year’s free subscription to The Society of Authors.
Value: £200, mentorship, other prizes
Deadline: 16 July 2021
Open for: UK writers
Details here.
The Stephen Spender Prize 2021 : Youth categories
This is a prize for UK or Irish citizens, or pupils at a British School overseas, for translated poetry. Translate into English any published poem from any language – ranging from Arabic to Uzbek, from Danish to Somali. The categories are: 18-and-under, 16-and-under, 14-and-under, and Open (adult); entry for the Youth categories is free. There’s a special ‘Spotlight’ prize for translation from Urdu.
Value: Three winners in each category – £75 each for 14-and-under category; £100 each for 16-and-under category: £150 each for 18-and-under category for the Youth category; £100 for the Spotlight prize
Deadline: 16 July 2021 for Youth prizes; 17 August 2021 for the Spotlight prize
Open for: UK or Irish citizens, or pupils at a British School overseas
Details here (for the Youth categories), here (Spotlight prize), and here.
John McGahern Award
This is a call to early career writers of fiction resident in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. Applicants must have had some fiction or short stories published in a recognised journal or anthology selected by an established publisher or editor. Application includes three samples of recent separate work of up to 500 words each.
Value: €2,500
Deadline: 23 July 2021
Open for: Those resident in Ireland/Northern Ireland
Details here.
James Berry Poetry Prize
This prize is open to poets of colour, who are UK residents and who have not yet published a book-length collection. There is special consideration given to LGBTQ+/disabled poets and poets from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. A portfolio of 10-12 pages of poems is part of the application requirements.
Value: £1,000 each, mentoring, publication
Deadline: 31 July 2021
Open for: Poets of color who are UK residents
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.
