By S. Kalekar
These are contests, grants, and fellowships for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, audio dramas, and journalism, with awards up to approximately $87,000. A few deadlines are in October. They’re loosely divided geographically.
INTERNATIONAL CONTESTS
Eye Contact Award in Genre Flash Fiction
This is a prize for genre flash fiction by Eye Contact Magazine; for this cycle, they want a science fiction story of up to 1,000 words, and the theme is Legacy. The prize is sponsored by Seton Hill University and its MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction.
Value: “a cash prize (or gift card equivalent) of $250”
Deadline: 24 October 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Sunlight Press Flash Fiction Prize
They will soon open for a flash fiction contest. Please note, all entries will be considered for publication; those that are selected for publication but do not win the prizes will be paid $50.
Value: $750, $400, $300
Submission period: 19th to 30th October 2026 (see guidelines)
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Global Centre for Journalism & Trauma: Ochberg Fellowships
“The GCJT Ochberg Fellowship is a unique seminar program for mid- and senior-career journalists seeking to deepen their understanding of emotional and psychological trauma while strengthening their ability to report ethically and effectively on violence, tragedy, and human suffering.
Reporting responsibly and credibly on traumatic events — on street crime and family violence, natural disasters and accidents, war and genocide, pandemic and social upheaval — is a major challenge. Since 1999 we have brought together outstanding journalists from around the world to explore critical issues around news coverage of violence, trauma and tragedy. …Fellows attend an intensive weeklong program of seminars held at Reid Hall in Paris, France. Program activities include briefings by prominent interdisciplinary experts in the trauma and mental health fields; conversations with journalist colleagues on issues of ethics, craft and practice, and a variety of other opportunities for intellectual engagement and peer learning. The Fellowship program will be held March 22–27, 2027 in Paris, France.
The program covers roundtrip air travel to Paris, 6 nights of hotel accommodations, all meals and provides a stipend for ground transportation, visa and other related expenses.”
Value: Covers transport, accommodation, and other expenses
Deadline: 20 October 2026
Open for: Journalists with at least 5 years of experience, across media
Details here.
UBU: Capitale de la Haibun Contest
UBU is a journal for absurdist and dada haikai and other minimalist forms. About this contest, they say, “Paul Éluard was a French poet (1895-1952) instrumental in founding the Surrealist movement. … (His work) Capitale de la douleur remains one of the seminal Surrealist poetry collections from postwar France and continues to influence Dadaist and Surrealist poetry.To commemorate the 100 year anniversary of Éluard’s Capitale de la douleur, we are inaugurating the Capitale de la Haibun Contest. …
Theme: Poems entered should encompass the theme of “pain and/or love and loss.” This is open, but not limited to several types of pain, including: personal, historical, social, romantic, etc.
Poetic Form: We are looking for experimental haibun that push the boundaries of the form and are rooted in absurdism, dadaism, surrealism, expressionism, existentialism, or nihilism.” Poets may submit up to 3 haibun, each up to 529 words.
Value: $75, $50, $25
Deadline: 31 October 2026
Open for: All poets
Details here.
True Story Award
This is a global journalism award for previously published work. It is open now for 2027, and “recognises written reports by journalists from around the world that stand out for their depth of research, quality of writing, and societal relevance. Adherence to fundamental journalistic principles is essential, while country-specific contexts are also taken into account. The award is presented in three categories: “Research”, “Storytelling”, and “Impact”.” 45 jury members from 29 countries will select the 36 best texts of the year and then select the three winners. They will receive 20,000 US$ each in prize money, while all the 36 nominees (one per text) will be invited to the True Story Festival in Bern, Switzerland. You can read more about it here. Works can be submitted in several widely spoken languages (see guidelines). Works written in other languages can be submitted in 3 categories: Europe, World I (Africa and the Middle East), and World II (South Asia and Southeast Asia). Submissions in the original language must include a summary in English (see guidelines). The texts’ length (published in print or online) should be 15,000 and 85,000 characters. The award is in these three categories: True Story Award Research, True Story Award Storytelling, and True Story Award Impact. Texts published in print or online between 1st October 2025 and 30th September 2026 are eligible. They may have been published in daily or weekly newspapers, magazines or on websites. Previously published works, book publications, and unpublished manuscripts are not eligible.
Value: $20,000 each in three categories
Deadline: 31 October 2026
Open for: Journalists worldwide
Details here and here.
Quarterly West Poetry and Prose Contest
They will soon open submissions for a prose and poetry contest. A note on their website says, “The first full week of the contest, there will be no fee to submit. After that point, submissions for BIPOC writers will remain free, and there will be a $5 submission fee for all other writers.” The submission period will open in Fall 2026 and dates are unspecified. They usually have submission caps. Quarterly West is affiliated with the University of Utah.
Value: $500; $200 for runners-up
Deadline: See above
Free entries for: See above
Details here.
William F. Deeck – Malice Domestic Grant
This is for a work in progress novel in the malice domestic genre of traditional mystery, as typified by the works of Agatha Christie; authors must have not been previously published in the mystery genre in any way.The first three chapters of your work in progress and a brief synopsis (no more than 200 words) are part of the submission requirements. The grant includes a cash award and a comprehensive registration to Malice Domestic, including two nights’ lodging at the convention hotel. The application period for this grant is normally from 1st May to 1st November, according to their website.
Value: $2,500, registration for Malice Domestic
Deadline: 1 November 2026
Open for: Those who have never published a mystery novel
Details here.
CERC Migration and Bridging Divides Journalism Fellowship
This fellowship invites freelance or staff journalists to apply for a one-month residency at Toronto Metropolitan University, “to engage with cutting-edge research on migration and integration and build relationships with leading scholars and policy thinkers in Canada and beyond.” It is for journalists with a proven track record in covering immigration, politics, social issues, global affairs, or the economy, who are eager to enrich their reporting through deeper insight into migration dynamics. “During the residency, the fellow will be encouraged to share with researchers their perspectives on journalism practice and effective ways to communicate research with the media. There is no expectation that journalists will produce stories about TMU during or after their residency.” Applicants must have a minimum of 5 years of media work experience, with examples of work that covers complex issues that are international in scope.
Value: CAD5,000
Deadline: 1 November 2026
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
(See all their opportunities here.)
Bennington College Young Writers Award
This is an international contest for young writers (two categories, grades 9-11 and grade 12), and the categories are fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. See guidelines for word limits/requirements. There are first, second, and third prizes in each of the three categories. Young Writers Award finalists and winners are also eligible for undergraduate scholarships at Bennington of varying degrees, up to $70,000 per year (see their submission form for details).
Value: $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250 each in each category, and scholarships
Deadline: 1 November 2026
Open for: Students in 9th to 12th grades and 12th grade
Details here.
(Apart from writing, Bennington College has awards in many disciplines – see all categories in their Young Creators Awards here.)
The African Poetry Book Fund: Evaristo Prize for African Poetry
Submissions are open for the Evaristo Prize for African Poetry; “The Prize is open to African writers. An “African writer” is taken to mean someone who was born in Africa, who is a national or resident of an African country, or whose parents are African.
The prize is open to African poets who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published at the time of submission.” Send exactly 10 poems, no longer than 40 lines each.
Value: $1,500
Deadline: 1st November 2026
Open for: African writers
Details here and here.
Blair: Lee Smith Fiction Prize
Blair’s mission is to publish emerging writers and writers from groups whose work has been historically neglected. They will open for a contest for a book-length literary novel or story collection. Submissions will open mid-November; their submission portal will open during the submission period. There is no deadline specified currently.
Value: Unspecified
Opens on: 15 November 2026
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival: Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize
This prize will be awarded to a Brooklyn- focused non-fiction essay which is set in Brooklyn and is about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters. “We are seeking compelling Brooklyn stories from writers with a broad range of backgrounds and ages (minimum age 18 years old) who can render Brooklyn’s rich soul and intangible qualities through the writer’s actual experiences in Brooklyn.” Essays have to be 4-10 pages (up to 2,500 words). Value: $500
Deadline: 15 November 2026
Open for: Unspecified
Details here (click on ‘Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize’.)
Poetic Justice Institute: Editor’s Prize for BIPOC writers
This is a prize for a poetry manuscript. While there is a submission fee for the general category, there is no fee for BIPOC writers. “Manuscripts must be formatted for 8 ½ x 11 letter sized paper; pages must be numbered” and the suggested manuscript length is 50-100 pages (approximate). Apart from the cash prize, the winning volume will be published by Fordham Press.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 15 November 2026
Open for: BIPOC writers (for fee-free submissions)
Details here and here.
C Magazine: Indigenous Art Writing Award
C Mag is a Canada-based contemporary art and criticism periodical; “Our content focuses on the activities of contemporary art practitioners residing in Canada and Canadian practitioners living abroad—with an emphasis on those from Black, Indigenous, diasporic, and other equity-deserving communities—as well as on international practices and dialogues.” You can read about them here. Their 5th annual Indigenous Art Writing Award is “an initiative created to support, compensate, and platform three standout individuals who are advancing critical and creative thought about Indigenous contemporary art.
Indigenous writers are invited to submit a single non-fiction text about an artist, project, exhibition, performance, event, initiative, theme, or other art-adjacent subject. Suggested length for submissions is between 1000-2000 words.
The winner will receive $1500 CAD; editorial support to prepare their article for publication in a future issue of C Magazine and to be shared across ICCA’s platforms; and a two-year C subscription. Two runners-up will receive $1000 CAD; an open invitation to develop a pitch for a different text to be published in C Magazine; and a two-year subscription. All participants can request feedback on their submitted work, and will receive a one-year subscription.
Applicants must identify as an Indigenous person. There are no geographical restrictions, although we strongly encourage those based in Canada to apply. Submissions should primarily be in English, but may include non-English words or phrases. For submissions entirely in another language, we kindly ask for translations.” Submission is via a form.
Value: CAD1,500; CAD1,000 for two runners-up
Deadline: 23 November 2026
Open for: Indigenous writers
Details here.
Speculative Literature Foundation’s Gulliver Travel Grant
This grant is to help writers of speculative literature (in fiction, poetry, drama, or creative non-fiction) in their non-academic research. It is to be used to cover airfare, lodging, and/or other travel expenses. Writing samples (speculative literature) are part of the application requirement (see guidelines). This grant is awarded on the basis of interest and merit. Applicants need not have prior publishing credits to apply. The application portal for this grant will open during the submission period. They also have other grant submission periods coming up.
Value: $1,000
Submission period: 1-30 November 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here (Gulliver Travel Grant) and here (schedule for all grants).
editing.services Short Story Award
This was formerly called the ServiceScape Short Story Award. For this award, any genre or theme of short story is accepted. All applicants should submit a work of short fiction or non-fiction, 5,000 words or fewer. Read the guidelines carefully – they reserve the right to modify or terminate the contest at any time without prior notice, and they pay by cheque.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Dappled Things: The J. F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction
Dappled Things is a space for emerging writers to engage the literary world from a Catholic perspective. For this contest, they want stories of up to 8,000 words “with vivid characters who encounter grace in everyday settings—we want to see who, in the age we live in, might have one foot in this world and one in the next.” Please note, honorable mentions will also get publication and a subscription to the magazine.
Value: $700, $300
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition
This is an international contest for novel manuscripts in the malice domestic genre, for writers who have never been the author of any published mystery novel. “Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story. Whatever violence is necessarily involved should be neither excessive nor gratuitously detailed, nor is there to be explicit sex. The suspects and the victims should know each other. There are a limited number of suspects, each of whom has a credible motive and reasonable opportunity to have committed the crime. The person who solves the crime is the central character. The “detective” is an amateur, or, if a professional (private investigator, police officer) is not hardboiled and is as fully developed as the other characters. The detective may find him or herself in serious peril, but he or she does not get beaten up to any serious extent. All of the cast represent themselves as individuals, rather than large impersonal institutions like a national government, the mafia, the CIA, etc.” The work must be at least 65,000 words. Minotaur is an imprint of Macmillan.
Value: $10,000 advance
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Open for: All writers (for a debut mystery fiction manuscript)
Details here (scroll down).
(Minotaur is also running a First Crime Novel Competition, the deadline for that is 13th December 2026.)
One Teen Story Contest
This is an international fiction contest for writers ages 13-19 by One Story Magazine; there are three categories divided age-wise for this contest. It is for a story of 2,000-4,500 words. The contest will open on 20th October and close on 1 December 2026, and the prize is $500. See this page for details about the prize; their submission portal will open during the submission period.
Value: $500
Submission period: 20 October to 1 December 2026
Open for: Teen writers
Details here.
After the End Poetry Competition
“The After the End project in partnership with the National Poetry Centre invites poets worldwide to submit original, previously unpublished work as part of an exciting research project exploring time, temporality, and the question of endings.
This initiative is part of a long-term, interdisciplinary research project seeking to understand who decides when something has ended and how different experiences of endings shape lives, communities, and policies globally. … Poems should engage with the concept of “after the end,” exploring the temporal, ethical, social, or emotional dimensions of endings. Submissions may draw on personal, historical, or global events, reflect on lived experiences, or experiment with form and perspective. There are no restrictions on style or genre. We encourage innovative, reflective, and boundary-pushing poetry that amplifies underrepresented voices and perspectives.” And, “The project team would like to use the poetry submissions to inform the research on ethical and social perspectives of endings” (see guidelines). Send one poem of up to 40 lines. Submission is via a form.
Value: £200; £100 for runners-up
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Open for: All poets
Details here.
Neville Dawes First Book Prize for Emerging Caribbean Poets
This is a contest for Caribbean poets, for a poetry manuscript. “The Neville Dawes First Book Prize celebrates the work of an emerging Caribbean poet with a $1,000 USD cash prize and publication of a full-length manuscript by the University of Nebraska Press. Run annually, the contest is open to emerging Caribbean poets who have not yet published a full-length book of poetry. Poets may reside anywhere globally, as long as they are of Caribbean origin. There is no reading fee to submit to the prize.” And, “Only poetry submissions in English can be considered. Work translated from another language to English is accepted, but a percentage of the prize will be awarded to the translator.”
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Open for: Caribbean poets worldwide
Details here.
The African Poetry Book Fund: Sillerman First Book Prize
For the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry, “We consider electronic submissions only; any hard copy submissions will be recycled unread. The Prize: The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry is awarded annually to an African poet who has not yet published a collection of poetry. The winner receives USD $1,000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press.” Poetry manuscripts should be at least 50 pages long.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 1st December 2026
Open for: African writers (for a debut poetry manuscript)
Details here and here.
Nieman Fellowships
These are for working journalists with at least five years of full-time media experience around the world, across media. Applications for the 2027-28 fellowships are now open. Essays (see guidelines), professional profile, study proposal, and work samples are part of the application requirement. Also see their FAQ. These are nine-month fellowships at Harvard.
Value: $87,500 and other expenses
Deadline: 1 December 2026 for international journalists (including those working in the US), and 31 January 2027 for U.S. journalists (including those working outside the US)
Details here.
(A couple of contests with later deadlines are:
— Minotaur, an imprint of McMillan, is running a First Crime Novel Competition, the prize is an advance of $10,000, and the deadline for that is 13th December 2026; details here.
— The Academy of American Poets: Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize: This is an opportunity for US poets. The Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize is “to honor exceptional poems that help readers recognize the vulnerable state of our environment.” Poems could also be submitted in Spanish but must be accompanied by an English translation. Entries must be uploaded to Submittable as .doc, .docx, or .pdf files; and for entries by Performance or Spoken Word poets, most audio formats are accepted. Send one poem. The prizes are $1,000; $750; $500; $250, and the deadline is 14 December 2026; details here , here, and here (click on the relevant category)
And, the Academy of American Poets also has other prizes, including the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award, a $1,000 award recognizing a poetry collection translated from any language into English and published in the previous calendar year, deadline 15 February 2027, details here; see all the Academy of American Poets’ prizes here.
— Poetry Society of America: The Four Quartets Prize: This is for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the US in a print or online journal, chapbook, or book in 2026. Poems in the sequence may have been published in different journals provided that they were published in 2026 and that brought together, they form a complete sequence. The minimum requirement is 14 pages of published poems unified by subject, form, and style. Entire books composed of a unified sequence, however long, are also welcome.Submissions will have to be mailed. Self-published work is not eligible. They have other awards also, though these have an entry fee, or do not have an application process. The award is $1,000 for three finalists, an additional $20,000 for the winner, and the deadline is 15 December 2026 (postmark date); details here (download the entry form).
— San José State University: Center for Steinbeck Studies – The Steinbeck Fellows Program: This awards writers of any age and background a $15,000 fellowship to finish a significant writing project. Fellowships are currently offered in Creative Writing (excluding poetry) and Steinbeck Studies; Fellows may be appointed in many fields, including fiction, drama, creative non-fiction, and biography. The creative writing fellowship does not require that there be any direct connection between your work and Steinbeck’s. The emphasis of the program is on helping writers who have had some success but have not published extensively, and whose promising work would be aided by the financial support and sponsorship of the Center and the University’s creative writing program. Award recipients will be required to reside within the counties of the San Francisco Bay Area or adjacent counties of the California central coast or central valley during most of the fellowship period. There are up to 6 fellowships of $15,000 each, and the deadline is 4 January 2027. Details here and here.)
FOR US AND CANADA
(Canadian writers may also be interested in CERC Migration and Bridging Divides Journalism Fellowship; and US-based writers, in the William F. Deeck – Malice Domestic Grant, Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize, the Nieman Fellowships, Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize, The Four Quartets Prize, and The Steinbeck Fellows Program in the international section.)
International Women’s Media Foundation Grants
International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) has several grants/awards for women and non-binary journalists; some of them are open now, including (but not limited to) the Lauren Brown Fellowship (up to $2,000 for journalists in the US, supports ambitious reporting projects on underreported issues and professional development opportunities to strengthen their careers, deadline 30th October 2026, apply here); the Gwen Ifill Mentorship Program (mentorship for underrepresented journalists in the US, designed to address the lack of diversity in leadership positions across newsrooms in the United States, no cash award, deadline 30th October 2026, apply in the relevant category here), Fault Lines Reporting Fund (supports journalists reporting on the forces driving racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, misogyny, and other forms of intolerance promoting hate in the United States; awards $2,500-10,000; apply here), and Fund for Indigenous Journalists – Indigenous Journalists and Allies Reporting on MMIP/WG2T for US journalists (rolling deadline, apply in the relevant category here).
Value: Varies
Deadline: Varies
Open for: Women and non-binary journalists
Details here.
(Click on IWMF’s Opportunities and Awards tabs on this page for more.)
Audible Emerging Playwrights Fund
This is for emerging playwrights in the US and UK, for audio drama. For this cycle, they are particularly interested in original audio dramas in the following genres: Action & Adventure (including Mystery, Thrillers, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy), and Core Fiction (including Contemporary Fiction, Romance, and Literary Companion Pieces). “Audible will select up to five applicants to receive a fee of $25,000 each to write and develop an original audio play. In addition to the fee, Audible may provide the selected applicants with creative and logistical resources to assist each artist and project, including but not limited to: development and production fees, casting expertise and talent budget, access to Audible’s state-of-the-art studio and production equipment.” Submission is via a form.
Value: $25,000 each
Deadline: 18 November 2026
Open for: Emerging playwrights in US and UK
Details here.
McGovern Center Writing Awards in Fiction
This is a call for US writers, for “unpublished fiction that is medical or healthcare-related in theme or focus.
There will be three distinct prizes awarded, as follows:
- McGovern Center Healthcare Provider Award in Fiction: open to any healthcare provider in the U.S., including residents and fellows. Applicants must be 18 years or older.
- McGovern Center Student Award in Fiction: open to any student, undergraduate or graduate in the U.S. Applicants must be 18 years or older.
- McGovern Center Community Award in Fiction: open to anyone in the U.S., 18 years or older.”
Value: $500 each (see the Participation Agreement)
Deadline: 1 December 2026
Open for: US writers
Details here.
FOR UK & IRELAND
(Also see the Audible Emerging Playwrights Fund in the US section, above.)
Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize
This prize is for young UK-based writers. They want fiction or non-fiction of 1,000-1,500 words on the relevance of Benjamin Franklin’s relevance in our time. The quote for this year’s competition is ““If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.”
– Benjamin Franklin, published in the May 1738 edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack.
Writers are asked to interpret this quote for its significance today. Winning entries will be published online.
Value: £750, £500
Deadline: 10 December 2026
Open for: UK writers aged 18-25
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.