These are contests, grants, and residencies for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, playwriting, and journalism. They offer prizes from $50 to $50,000. None of these charge an entry fee. Deadlines are approaching quickly. – S. Kalekar
Contests Open to Writers from Around The World
Note: Some of these contests don’t specify geographic restrictions. We assume they are open to writers around the world, but it’s not guaranteed. (We’ve done our best here!)
US-Japan Creative Artists
Exchange Fellowships
This grant
offers artists, including writers of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and
playwrights, the opportunity to work in Japan. They invite leading contemporary and traditional
artists from the US to apply for a unique collaborative artistic fellowship
designed to highlight US-Japan artistic partnerships. Applicants must be professional creative
artists (see guidelines for details about writers’ publishing requirements)
working in their field. Proficiency in Japanese language is not required. Their
guidelines say, “Artists should have compelling reasons for their residency in
Japan, and they should conduct preliminary research to identify contacts
there. The Commission encourages artists to consider collaboration with
Japanese colleagues, as appropriate for the artistic field, and artists are
free to interact with artists anywhere in the country.”
Value: $20,000 for three months; additional $4,000 a month up to five months
Deadline: 1 March for cover sheet, and 29 March 2020 for narrative application
and work samples
Open for: US Citizens or permanent residents
Details here.
The Fountain Essay Contest
They want an essay of 1,500-2,500 on this topic
‘Facing challenges’. Their guidelines say, “We all face new challenges in our
lives. They can be massive undertakings, such as moving across a country and
beginning a new school. Or sometimes the more routine tasks, such as getting
out of the bed in the morning while undergoing depression, can themselves be
massive challenges.
We want to hear about your challenges and how you mentally, physically, and/or
spiritually prepare for them.” Writers should read terms and conditions, which state
that any of the entries may be published, whether or not they win the prize.
Value: $1,000, $500, $300; two prizes of $150 each
Deadline: 1 March 2020
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Quantum Shorts
This flash fiction contest is accepting stories up to 1,000 words that draw from the ideas or themes of quantum physics. Stories must also include the phrase “things used to be so simple”.
Value: $1,500, $1,000; $500 people’s choice award; $100 for 10 runners up
Deadline: 29 February 2020
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.
Value: $200
Reading period: February 2020
Open for: All translators
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.
Value: $250
Reading period: February 2020
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Speculative Literature Foundation Working Class Writers Grant
This international speculative literature grant is for working class, blue-collar, poor, and homeless writers who have been historically underrepresented in speculative fiction. Writers are to send a work sample (up to 10 pages of poetry, 10 pages of drama, or 5,000 words of fiction or creative non-fiction), and a short statement.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 29 February 2020
Open for: Writers from a working class background (see guidelines)
Details here.
Frank O’Connor International Short Story Fellowship
This is for writers who want to work on their manuscripts and who have experience in the coaching or teaching of other writers either through workshops and/or mentoring inside or outside a formal academic setting. Candidates must supply a literary CV, a letter explaining why they want to work in Cork, and a course outline for a four morning short story masterclass aimed at writers who already have periodical publication success.
Value: A monthly stipend of €2,500, totalling €7,500, accommodation
Deadline: 29 February 2020
Open for: Writers outside of Ireland of international standing; must have at least two full-length works of fiction published, of which at least one must be a short story collection. (We included this in the “all writers” section, because it was the closest match, in terms of geographic restrictions.)
Details here.
Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center: Writer in Residence
The residency includes lodging at a loft apartment in Piggott, Arkansas. The writer-in-residence will also have the opportunity to work in the studio where Ernest Hemingway worked on ‘A Farewell to Arms’. The writer is expected to serve as mentor for a week-long retreat for writers at the educational center. Candidates with an MA or MFA in a relevant field are preferred.
Value: $1,000, residency
Deadline: 28 February 2020
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
NYU Journalism: Matthew Power Literary Reporting Award and Reporting Award
They offer two awards, and writers do not have to be US citizens to apply.
— The Reporting Award is for a significant work of journalism, in any medium, on an under-reported subject in the public interest. The deadline is 18 February 2020 for this award.
— The Matthew Power Literary Reporting Award is for promising early-career non-fiction writers to research and write an article that tells the truth about a human condition. Two people can jointly apply also. The deadline for proposals is 19 February 2020 for this award.
Value: Up to $12,500 for each award
Proposal deadlines: See above
Open for: All journalists, early career non-fiction writers
Details here.
Olive B. O’Connor Fellowship in Creative Writing
This is for writers of fiction or poetry completing their first book. It provides a stipend and office space. Each fellow teaches a creative writing workshop at Colgate University each semester and gives a public reading of his or her work. Those who have completed MFA, MA or PhD in creative writing and working on their first book are encouraged to apply.
Value: $42,745, travel expenses, health and life insurance; residency
Deadline: 15 February 2020
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
University of Southampton: Green Stories Writing Competitions – interactive fiction
They have writing contests with deadlines throughout the year, in various formats, including screenplay and flash fiction, that in some way touch upon ideas around building a sustainable society. They will consider all genres – rom-com, literary fiction, science fiction, mystery, crime etc. – but stories must engage with the idea of environmentally sustainable practices and/or sustainable societies. They will consider all stories, but they encourage writers to imagine a more positive settings and practices for their stories, rather than dystopian. Till early February, they are reading interactive fiction, from both individuals and teams. Their guidelines say, “We’re looking for interactive fiction entries, from both individuals and creative teams, consisting of a complete story or demo of a longer piece.
Your entry should be no longer than 30 minutes worth of gameplay in total. It may be the whole piece, the opening section, or a subsequent chapter or scene.” Entries must be freely accessible for the judges to play. They have some links to online resources for those new to interactive fiction. Apart from cash prizes, Talespinners is offering narrative feedback for 1st place, best student, and the under 18 winner. This feedback will take the form of editorial notes on their entry and a one hour feedback session via Skype, etc.
Value: £500, £100, £50, plus £50 for best student submission (18-25 years) and £50 for best < 18 year submission. (If a student or under 18 entry is the best overall then it will win first prize regardless if the entry is from a student and the student prize will go to the next best student entry); potential literary representation
Deadline: 3 February 2020
Open for: All writers
Details here.
New America National Fellows Program
This program brings on thinkers—journalists, scholars, filmmakers, and public policy analysts—whose work enhances the public conversation about the most pressing issues of our day. Fellows advance ideas through research, reporting, analysis, and storytelling. The organizers look for projects that are original and ambitious, with viable plans for their implementation. Their goal is to find bold, impactful thinkers and to fund them for a year; long enough to make progress on a book, develop a series of articles, produce a documentary, or work on another project that is accessible. Fellows have to attend three cohort gatherings throughout the fellowship year. There are no residency or nationality requirements, though fellows need to be involved in the New America community. That may involve traveling to their various offices for events as a speaker or moderator, attending or calling into their Fellows Program sessions, and, otherwise, being engaged in conversations they are having at New America.
Value: Generally $15,000-30,000
Deadline: 2 February 2020
Open for: All journalists, scholars, filmmakers and public policy analysts
Details here.
Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award
They want a short story, of up to 8,000 words, that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration. They want to see Moon bases, Mars colonies, orbital habitats, space elevators, asteroid mining, artificial intelligence, nano-technology, realistic spacecraft, heroics, sacrifice, adventure. They don’t want stories that show technology or space travel as evil or bad, galactic empires, paranormal elements, UFO abductions, zombie stories, thinly veiled copies of previous winners, non-standalone novel excerpts, screenplays.
Value: 8c/word, and various non-cash awards
Deadline: 1 February 2020
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Tales from the Moonlit Path: Bloody Valentine’s Challenge
Tales from the Moonlit Path is a horror, dark fiction, and speculative fiction magazine. For their Bloody Valentine’s Challenge, they want fiction of up to 2,000 words on the theme of love gone wrong. Read the guidelines carefully – entry into the challenge signifies consent for publishing, whether or not the entry wins. They also accept work for their regular issues.
Value: $50
Deadline: 1 February 2020
Open for: All writers
Details here.
US Writers
Creative Capital Award
This award is for artists in all disciplines. It is “designed to assist artists who are working at the vanguard of their fields, or who have ideas to propel their artistic practices forward”, according to their guidelines. The award application portal will accept submissions in February. They also accept proposals from collaborators.
Value: $50,000
Application period: 1-29 February 2020
Open for: US artists
Details here.
Nelson Algren Literary Award
This prize, run by Chicago Tribune, is for a short story up to 8,000 words, and honors the Chicago literary great Nelson Algern. This is only for US writers and entrants can send up to two stories.
Value: $3,500; $750 each for five finalists
Deadline: 17 February 2020
Open for: US writers
Details here.
Academy of American Poets: Ambroggio Prize
They want a book-length poetry manuscript originally written in Spanish and with an English translation. Poets may translate their own work or collaborate with a translator who may or may not be a poet; the poet and translator must share the prize. Poems may have been previously published in periodicals or chapbooks, but the collection must not have been previously published, including self-publications and e-books. Manuscripts must be between 48 and 100 pages. Established in 2017, the Ambroggio Prize is the only annual award of its kind in the United States that honors American poets whose first language is Spanish.
Value: $1,000, publication
Deadline: 15 February 2020
Open for: US poets (see guidelines)
Details here.
Milkweed Editions: The Ballard Spahr Prize for Poetry
This contest, previously called the Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry, is a manuscript contest for poets in the upper Midwest – Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or Michigan. Poets should send a poetry manuscript, of 48 or more pages.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 14 February 2020
Open for: Upper Midwest poets in the US
Details here.
Zócalo Public Square Poetry Prize
They want poetry from US poets “whose poem best evokes a connection to place. “Place” may be interpreted as a place of historical, cultural, political, or personal importance; it may be a literal, imaginary, or metaphorical landscape”, according to their guidelines.
Value: $500
Deadline: 3 February 2020
Open for: US poets
Details here.
Fund for Investigative Journalism Grants
This is for articles by US journalists that break new ground and expose wrongdoing – such as corruption, malfeasance, or abuse of power – in the public and private sectors. FIJ encourages proposals written for ethnic media as well as those submitted by journalists of color. Also see guidelines for foreign story proposals and book proposals, for these grants.
Value: Up to $10,000
Deadline: 3 February 2020
Open for: US journalists and writers
Details here.
Roth Residence in Creative Writing
This residency is offered by Bucknell University, and provides writing time of up to four months. It is open for writers of fiction or creative non-fiction working on a first or second book. There are two residencies, in fall and spring semesters. Some record of publication is desirable.
Value: $5,000 and residency
Deadline: 1 February 2020
Open for: US writers
Details here.
National High School
Poetry Contest at Gannon University
This is a poetry contest for US
high school students and can be on any topic and in any form. Students may
enter up to two poems.
Value: $100, $75, $50
Deadline: 1 February 2020
Open for: US high school students in grades 9 through 12
Details here.
UK and/or Irish Writers
Spread the Word Life Writing Prize
This is for emerging UK writers who have not published a full-length work (though those with previously self-published work can enter), and who are unagented. The writing should be ‘true to life’, which reflects someone’s own life journey or experiences and is not fiction – the writing should be up to 5,000 words. Graphic novel style entries are welcome. The writing doesn’t have to be entirely prose, it can contain poetry. Entries by the top 12 writers will be published in a booklet.
Value: £1,500, £500 each for two shortlisted writers, £50 for other writers published in the booklet, and other prizes
Deadline: 3 February 2020
Open for: UK writers
Details here.
The Papatango New Writing Prize
This is for residents of the UK and Ireland. Send an original play script which has a minimum running time 60 minutes, or a script of at least 40 pages, or at least 9,000 words. They give feedback to all entrants.
Value: Play development, publication, 8% gross royalties from box office income, £6,500 commission for a new play
Deadline: 2 February 2020
Open for: UK and Ireland writers
Details here and here.
Canadian Writers
RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers
This is for Canadian writers under age
35 who have published work in literary magazines, but not in book form. The
award alternates each year between short fiction and poetry. For this cycle,
writers should submit 5-10 pages of unpublished short fiction.
Value: CAD10,000; CAD2,500 for finalists
Deadline: 25 February 2020
Open for: Canadian writers
Details here.
The Journey Prize
This is for new and emerging Canadian writers (see guidelines), for a short story or excerpt from a fiction work-in-progress first published by a Canadian magazine or annual anthology during the previous calendar year. Submissions must come from eligible Canadian print and online-only literary magazines and annual anthologies. There are no word length restrictions.
Value: CAD10,000 for the author, CAD2,000 for the publication
Deadline: 12 February 2020
Open for: Canadian writers
Details here.
The Waterman Fund Essay Contest
2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the Waterman Fund. To celebrate this milestone, the Fund has created a reflective essay prompt focused on changes in the wild – essays should be 2,000 to 3,000 words. See guidelines for extensive details on the theme. The contest is open for emerging US and Canadian writers.
Value: Total of $2,000, to be split between winners
Deadline: 2 February 2020
Open for: US and Canadian writers
Details here and here.
Author 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.
