S. Kalekar
These are contests/awards/grants for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and journalism, up to $85,000. They‘re very loosely divided geographically. A couple of the deadlines are in October.
INTERNATIONAL CONTESTS
The Mukoli Contest
This is a contest of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Multimedia Art. Please see their guidelines for length and other requirements. And, “every submission must be accompanied by a 200-250 words Statement of Connection that describes how your work connects with and contributes to our approach to peacemaking.”
Value: $100 in each category
Deadline: 31 October 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here.
T Paulo Urcanse Prize for Literary Excellence
T Paulo Urcanse was a Portuguese writer and activist, most famous for his short novel, The Pucker Fish. He spent a lot of money entering prizes for his short fiction and poetry, but never won. In his honor, the High Horse Magazine is issuing a prize for literary excellence – it is open to “poets, writers, and essayists of all colors and stripes. Whether you be a lonely writer looking for community and wanting to make your literary debut, or a similarly eggheaded and celebrated writer in the vein of the namesake of this prize, we welcome your submissions with open arms, without fees or prerequisites”.
Value: $250, $100, $50
Deadline: 31 October 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here.
True Story Award
This is a global journalism award for previously published work. It is open now for 2026, and seeks “to make reporters’ voices known beyond the borders of their home countries, and in doing so to increase the diversity of perspectives offered in the media. The True Story Award will be conferred by an independent foundation and honours reporters writing in 10 languages, who have distinguished themselves by the depth of their research, the quality of their journalism and its social relevance. 45 jury members from 29 countries will select the 36 best texts of the year and then select the three winners. They will receive 20,000 US$ 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 the following 10 languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Works written in other languages can be submitted in 3 categories: Europe, World I, and World II (World II also in Hindi). Submissions in the original language must include a summary in English (see guidelines). The texts’ length (published in print or online) should be 3,000 to 17,000 words. 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 2024 and 30th September 2025 are eligible. They may have been published in daily or weekly newspapers, magazines or on websites. Re-published texts, books and manuscripts are ineligible. Texts must be submitted by their authors.
Value: $20,000 each in three categories
Deadline: 31 October 2025
Open for: Journalists worldwide
Details here and here.
The African Poetry Book Fund: Evaristo Prize for African Poetry
The African Poetry Book Fund (APBF) runs writing contests, and the deadline for the Evaristo Prize is in November. The Evaristo Prize for African Poetry was formerly called the Brunel International African Poetry Prize. It is for poets born in Africa, or who are nationals of an African country, or whose parents are African, and who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published (self-published poetry books, chapbooks, and pamphlets are exempt). These poems, though, may have already been published. Writers need to submit 10 poems exactly, of up to 40 lines each. Only poems written in English can be considered, but they accept poems in translation too. In the case that the winning work is translated, a percentage of the prize money would be awarded to the translator. Submission is via Submittable.
Value: £1,500 their
Deadline: 1 November 2025
Open for: African poets
Details here (guidelines).
(See all the African Poetry Book Fund contests 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 $60,000 per year (see here).
Value: $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250 each in each category, and scholarships
Deadline: 1 November 2025
Open for: Students in 9th to 12th grades and 12th grade
Details here and 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 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
John Updike Tucson Casitas Fellowship
This is a cash award and a two-week residency at the Mission Hill Casitas in Tucson, Arizona. Writers with any type of literary project are welcome to apply, as are scholars working on Updike criticism. Multimedia projects will also be considered. A proposal and writing sample are part of the application (see guidelines).
Value: $1,000, residency
Deadline: 1 November 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here (scroll down for the Tucson Casitas Fellowship – the page also has details of all grants, scholarships, and awards by the John Updike Society.)
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize
This is a contest for writers from the Commonwealth, see the list of eligible countries here – send a piece of unpublished short fiction, in any genre, of 2,000-5,000 words. They take entries in several languages apart from English, as well as translated stories.
Value: £5,000, regional prizes are £2,500 each
Deadline: 1 November 2025
Open for: Writers in Commonwealth countries
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 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here (Gulliver Travel Grant) and here (schedule for all grants).
Cave Canem: Derricotte/Eady Prize
“The Derricotte/Eady Prize, named after Cave Canem co-founders Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady, spotlights chapbook-length manuscripts by Black poets.
Awarded to one poet annually, the Derricotte/Eady Prize recipient receives a monetary prize, the publication of their manuscript through O, Miami Books, a residency at The Writer’s Room at The Betsy Hotel-South Beach, and a featured reading at the O, Miami Festival in April.”
Deadline: 3 November 2025 (see Submittable)
Open for: Black poets
Details here (scroll down).
(Cave Canem runs other prizes too, see here.)
Defenestrationism: 2025 Flash Suite Contest
This is a contest for at least three flash fiction pieces (up to 1,000 words each) that co-relate in some way. The theme for this cycle is ‘Community’. A single piece of the suite may have been published before, otherwise, no previously published material. Finalists will be published daily on the site, followed by at least two weeks of Fan Voting – winners will be selected by a judging panel, with Fan Voting counting as an additional judge vote.
Value: $75, $60
Deadline: 10 November 2025
Open for: All writers
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 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here (click on ‘Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize’.)
Quarterly West Poetry and Prose Contest
A note on their Submittable says, “The first full week of the contest (10/15-10/22), 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 runs until 15th November (or until filled) for poetry and prose.
Value: $500 and $200
Deadline: See above
Free entries for: BIPOC writers (see guidelines)
Details here and here.
(Quarterly West Magazine is also open to submissions of new media, translations, and book reviews year round – there’s no cash payment for these.)
C Magazine: Indigenous Art Writing Award
C Magazine is Canada-based and publishes work on art. This prize is open to Indigenous writers all over the world, for art writing. “We’re excited to launch the 4th annual Indigenous Art Writing Award, 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 1,000-2,000 words.
The winner will receive $1,500 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 $1,000 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. Given the resonances of Indigenous sovereignty and colonial realities across the globe, there are no geographical restrictions, though for the context of where we are located, 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.”
Value: CAD1,500; CAD1,000 for two runners-up
Deadline: 24 November 2025
Open for: Indigenous writers
Details here.
(See all of C Magazine’s calls and guidelines here.)
PEN/Robert J Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers
This is an award for 12 emerging fiction writers for their debut short story published during a given calendar year in a literary magazine, journal, or cultural website. Submitted stories must be published in the calendar year prior to the corresponding awards ceremony (see FAQ – scroll down on the guidelines page).
Value: $2,000 each
Deadline: 25 November 2025
Open for: Debut short fiction writers
Details here and here.
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.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 30 November 2025
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 2025
Details here.
(Minotaur is also running a First Crime Novel Competition, the deadline for that is 14th December 2025.)
The Hudson Review Short Fiction Contest
This is for a short story of up to 10,000 words. Writers who have never published in The Hudson Review are eligible to submit.
Value: $1,000; and $500 each for second and third places
Deadline: 30 November 2025
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 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here.
The African Poetry Book Fund: Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry
It is for poets born in Africa, or who are nationals of an African country, or whose parents are African, and who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published (this includes self-published books if they were sold online, in stores, or at readings. Writers who have edited and published an anthology or a similar collection of other writers’ work remain eligible). Manuscripts have to be at least 50 pages long. Only poems written in English can be considered, but they accept poems in translation too. If the winning work is translated, a percentage of the prize money is awarded to the translator. Apart from a cash prize, the winner also gets publication from the University of Nebraska Press.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 1 December 2025
Open for: African poets, for a debut poetry book (see guidelines)
Details here and here (see the relevant category).
(See all the African Poetry Book Fund contests here.)
One Teen Story Contest
This is a short fiction contest for writers ages 13-19, run by One Story Magazine; there are three categories divided age-wise for this contest – ages 13-15, 16-17, and 18-19. “One Teen Story is looking for great short stories written by teens about the teen experience. Some examples of stories we look out for are ones that deal with issues of identity, friendship, family, and coming-of-age. Gratuitous profanity, sex, and drug use are best avoided. We’re open to all genres of well-written young adult fiction between 2,000 and 4,500 words.”
Value: $500
Deadline: 1 December 2025
Open for: Writers ages 13-19
Details here and here.
Nieman Fellowships
These are nine-month fellowships for both US and international journalists at Harvard. You need to send the following to apply: two essays; a professional profile and study proposal summary; work samples; and three letters of recommendation. The deadline for journalists who are non-US citizens, including for those who are working in the US, is in December and for US citizens, it is in January. Also see guidelines for the deadlines for letters of recommendation.
Value: $85,000 and other expenses, see their FAQ
Deadlines: 1 December 2025 for international journalists, 31 January 2026 for U.S. journalists
Open for: International and US journalists
Details here and here.
(Also see the Nieman Visiting Fellowships for short-term research projects designed to advance journalism.)
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 mystery story of up to 1,000 words, and the theme is Silence. The prize is sponsored by Seton Hill University and its MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction. They have an open deadline.
Value: “a cash prize (or gift card equivalent) of $250”
Deadline: Open now
Open for: All writers
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 14th December 2025; details here.
— Defenestration.net Lengthy Poem Contest: They are reading entries for a lengthy poem, of at least 120 lines and up to chapbook-length (see guidelines). It is best to divide it into parts or sections, though this is not a strict requirement. Poem cycles will be considered. Please note, the shortlisted poems will be posted on the website, which will be followed by fan voting. The prize is $300, and the deadline is 1 January 2026. Details here.
— On the Premises: The Return Of… : They want a story based on a prompt on their website. For this cycle, the prompt is, “The Return Of…”. “For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which someone or something has returned after a significant absence. Does this return make people happy, unhappy, or somewhere in-between? That’s up to you. Also: Was this return a surprise, or was it expected? That’s also up to you.“ 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. Prizes are $250, $200, $150, $75, and the deadline is 2 January 2026; details here (general guidelines) and here (theme details).
— 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 2026. Details here and here.)
FOR US AND CANADA
(Canadian writers may also be interested in the Commonwealth Prize and CERC Migration and Bridging Divides Journalism Fellowship; and US-based writers, in the Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize, John Updike Tucson Casitas Fellowship, the Nieman Fellowships, and The Steinbeck Fellows Program in the international section.)
Epiphany: The Fresh Voices Fellowship
This fellowship, from Epiphany journal, supports one emerging Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, or other writer of color of prose or poetry living in the US who does not have an MFA in creative writing nor an advanced English degree (MA, PhD), and is not currently enrolled in a degree-granting program. Apart from a stipend, the winner gets publication, the opportunity to participate in the editorial and publication process of a small non-profit literary magazine, and other benefits. A work sample is part of the application process (see guidelines).
Value: $2,000
Deadline: 1 November 2025
Open for: Emerging writers of color in the US (see guidelines)
Details here and here (please be sure to submit in the correct category)
The Academy of American Poets: Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize
This is an opportunity for US poets. The Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize for “exceptional poems that help make real for readers the gravity of the vulnerable state of our environment at present.” 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.
Value: $1,000; $750; $500
Deadline: 15 November 2025
Open for: US poets
Details here , here, and here (click on the relevant category)
(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 2026, details here; the Academy also runs the Raiziss/de Palchi Fellowship of $25,000 and a residency in Rometo be awarded in 2026for the translation into English of a significant work of modern Italian poetry by a US poet, deadline 15 February 2026, details here; see all the Academy of American Poets’ prizes here.)
Polar Expressions: Student Contests for Short Story and Poetry
Polar Expressions runs annual short story and poetry contests for Canadian students who are citizens and residents, from kindergarten to grade 12. Poems should be up to 32 lines and stories up to 450 words, on any topic.
Value: First prizes of CAD60-100 for students of various grades, as well as second and third prizes; additional cash prizes for schools
Deadlines: 21 November 2025 for both, short stories and for poetry
Open for: Canadian students
Details here.
FOR UK & IRELAND
(Also see the Commonwealth Prize, in the international section.)
The Stuart Hall Essay Prize
This is for UK writers ages 18 to 30 (inclusive). And, “the prize invites new and unpublished writing that connects with Stuart Hall’s ideas and impacts broad public discourse.
The award aims to stimulate a new generation of thinkers who can offer original, lively and topical contributions to the lines of political, cultural and educational inquiry which Hall pursued. Entries from academics, students, journalists and other writers are welcomed.” They have detailed guidelines, including, “The entrants may choose the topic of the essay. The prize welcomes essays that connect with Hall’s characteristic interests, and with his concern to say something relevant about the current ‘conjuncture’, however broadly received.”
Value: £2,000
Deadline: 3 November 2025
Open for: UK writers ages 18-30
Details here.
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 “A republic, if you can keep it.” —Benjamin Franklin’s response to Elizabeth Willing Powel’s question: “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” – Monday, September 17, 1787.
Writers are asked to interpret this quote for its significance today. Winning entries will be published online.
Value: £750, £500
Deadline: 19 November 2025
Open for: UK writers aged 18-25
Details here.
(And, The Emerging Writer Award is open to “unpublished prose writers (fiction) living in the UK with a collection of short stories or novel in development. Writers can be writing for any age group (including children and young adults) and may have had excerpts or articles published in the past, but have not yet published any major body of work. We would particularly encourage applications from those who experience barriers to the writing process.” Winner gets a tailor-made package including tuition via open courses, retreat time and/or mentoring at Moniack Mhor. The application period is 1st to 30th November 2025. Details here.)
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.