These are contests and grants for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and journalism, of up to $105,000. Some deadlines are approaching quickly. They are, very loosely, divided geographically. – S. Kalekar
PRIZES FOR INTERNATIONAL WRITERS
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 Applications should include 2-3 non-fiction writing samples, published or unpublished, of up to 30 pages. At least one sample should be non-memoir material.
Value: $5,000, residency at Blue Mountain Centre artists’ colony for the winner; $1,000 for finalists
Deadline: 1 July 2023
Open for: Unspecified
Details here and here.
The BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest for Caribbean Writers
This is a short story contest for Caribbean-descended writers, by Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival (BCLF). There are two categories, with different eligibility requirements:
— The BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize is open to unpublished writers of Caribbean heritage. Self-published writers may apply. This prize seeks to unearth hidden storytellers in the United States and Canada; and
— BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean is open exclusively to Caribbean writers of all levels who reside and work in the Caribbean or are on temporary assignment overseas.
Writers should send short stories of up to 3,000 words.
Prizes: $1,750 each
Deadline: 1 July 2023
Open for: See above
Details here and here.
Pulitzer Center: AI Accountability Fellowships
This is an international fellowship for journalists. “The Al Accountability Fellowships seek to support journalists working on in-depth AI accountability stories that examine governments’ and corporations’ uses of predictive and surveillance technologies to guide decisions in policing, medicine, social welfare, the criminal justice system, hiring, and more.”And, “The Fellowship is designed for reporters from all beats, desks, and formats who want to broaden, deepen, and diversify reporting on artificial intelligence with an accountability lens.” Also, “While we welcome projects on a broad range of issues related to the impact of AI in society, this year we are also placing special emphasis on certain topics. We are seeking to support at least one project that examines the intersection of AI and conflict, war, and peace. In partnership with Digital Witness Lab at Princeton University, we are also recruiting one project that focuses on the role the messaging platform WhatsApp plays in influencing public discourse in a particular community. Applicants with reporting projects on these topics are strongly encouraged to apply.”
Value: Up to $20,000
Deadline: 1 July 2023
Open for: All journalists
Details here.
Sine Theta Magazine Annual Writing Contest
Sine Theta Magazine accepts works from people of Sino descent only, regardless of nationality, and the same eligibility requirement applies to this contest. They are accepting works of prose and poetry for their next issue. They have published three prompts on their website, and writers should respond to those prompts directly or indirectly. Out of all the entries submitted for publication in the magazine, they will select one winner for poetry, and another winner for prose, who will receive cash prizes. (Also, “All authors published in sinθ receive a $10 USD honorarium. For the two contest winners, there is an additional $200 USD prize, amounting to a total of $210 USD.”)
Value: $200 each for poetry and prose
Deadline: 7 July 2023
Open for: People of Sino descent
Details here.
The H G Wells Short Story Competition: Motion
This is an international short story contest on the theme of ‘Motion’, of 1,500-5,000 words. There is no fee for the Margaret and Reg Turnill Competition/Junior prize, i.e. for those aged under 21 years. The other categories have a submission fee attached.
Value: £1,000 for those under 21 years
Deadline: 10 July 2023
Open for: Fee-free for those under 21
Details here, here, and 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 (see guidelines).
Value: $50, $30, $20
Deadline: 15 July 2023
Open for: All poets
Details here.
Kaidankai: 2023 Contest – Haunted Horror
For this contest, they want fiction submissions on the Haunted House theme, of 1,000-3,000 words.
Value: $100, $50, and two prizes of $25 each
Deadline: 15 July 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here.
(Submission guidelines for non-contest entries, or general submissions, are on the same page; there is no payment for those. Regarding the podcast, their website says, “Kaidankai is a weekly podcast and online outlet for tales of the supernatural. We are a celebration of the genre in all of its forms–from poetry to personal experience, from romance to horror. … If it is selected, your story will be read on the podcast and posted on the Kaidankai. The kaidankai is based on an activity from Edo period Japan, when 100 people would gather in a room with 100 candles to tell their creepy tales. After each tale, a candle would be blown out. As the room grew darker, the tales grew more ominous.” There is no payment for general submissions.)
The PEN/Bare Life Review Grants
These are new grants, which recognize literary works by immigrant and refugee writers. Foreign-born writers based in the U.S., and writers living abroad who hold refugee/asylum seeker status, are eligible to apply. The project must be a work of a literary nature: fiction, creative non-fiction, or poetry, and translated works (in case of translated works, the grant will be conferred to the original author). A writing sample is part of the submission requirements — up to 40 pages for poetry, and 75 pages for other genres. For the 2024 grant cycle, they will confer two grants. The project must be an unpublished work-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2025, as the grants are intended to support the completion of a manuscript.
Value: $5,000 each
Deadline: 21 July 2023
Open for: Foreign-born writers based in the U.S., and to writers living abroad who hold refugee/asylum seeker status
Details here and here.
(The Bare Life Review Magazine has suspended publication, see the notice here; they now support the work of refugee and immigrant writers with this grant.)
Mason Jar Press: The 1729 Book Prize in Poetry
This is an international contest for a poetry manuscript; they plan to alternate between prose and poetry, and this is their inaugural poetry prize. “Send us your book-length works of poetry … until midnight July 31, 2023. We tend to lean toward semi-experimental works with a strong literary bent. Hybrid works are welcome. 50–75 pages/poems is probably the sweet spot, but a little under or over is fine!
Again, we tend to prefer work that pushes the bounds of literary norms, but that isn’t to say we only like that. We welcome surprise. Try us (but only try us with book-length poetry). We’ll read it, and if we love it, we’ll publish it. One chosen manuscript will be published in 2024.” They accept collections of poetry, hybrid collections that are primarily poetry, translations of poetry, poetry collections, and experimental book-length works of poetry. Please note, they have a submission cap, and so may close submissions earlier than the deadline.
Value: $1,000, and more
Deadline: 31 July 2023, or until filled
Open for: All writers
Details here, here, here, and here.
Sisters in Crime: Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers
This is a grant for an emerging writer in the LGBTQIA+ community. It is for an unpublished work of crime fiction, aimed at readers from children’s chapter books through adults. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress of 2,500 to 5,000 words. An unpublished writer is preferred, but writers with publication of not more than 10 pieces of short fiction and/or up to 2 self-published or traditionally published books are also eligible. Also, winners and any runners-ups who wish to maintain their anonymity, may do so, or they may choose to select a pen name for announcements.
Value: $2,000
Deadline: 31 July 2023
Open for: Unpublished/emerging LGBTQIA+ writers (see above)
Details here and here.
Singapore Unbound Awards: Singapore and Other Literatures
These awards are for the best undergraduate critical essays on Singapore and Other Literatures. “The author does not have to be residing in Singapore nor to have maintained their citizenship. The work(s) discussed may be in any of the literary genres, including but not limited to poetry, fiction, literary non-fiction, drama, and graphic novels.”
Value: S250 each for three essayists
Deadline: 31 July 2023
Details here and here.
(The Singapore Unbound page also has details of their other submission calls, both fee-free and fee-based.)
Speculative Literature Foundation: Two grants
They will be open for two grants in July; writers can apply for one or both 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. The project must be a proposed book-length work of speculative fiction (novels, short story collections). Non-fiction, poetry, picture books, and editorial projects are not eligible. See their schedule for other grants, with later reading periods.
Value: Two grants of $500 each
Reading period: 1-31 July 2023
Open for: Underrepresented writers for Diverse Writers; and writers whose work represents a diverse world for Diverse Worlds
Details here (grant details) and here (schedule for all their grants).
Surging Tide Annual Summer Writing Contest
This is a prose and poetry contest by Surging Tide Magazine – you can read more about their regular/general submissions, and their preferences, here (there is no payment for these). For the contest, an entrant may submit only one piece per category (poetry, up to 150 lines/prose, up to 4,000 words) for consideration without an entry fee; for more than one submission, there is an entry fee attached.
Value: $100 for each winner; $25 for runners-up
Reading period: 1-31 July 2023
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Source Writing Prize
Source is an Ireland-based photography magazine; “We publish emerging photographic work and engage with the latest in contemporary photography through news, thoughtful features and reviews of the latest exhibitions and books from Ireland and the UK.” This contest is open to writers who have not written for the magazine before; send works up to 700 words. “We are always looking for new writers to contribute to Source. If you’ve not written for Source before we invite you to send us an article. If we like it we will either publish it or commission you to write articles for us in the future. As an incentive we will give £500 to the person whose article we like the best.
Most of the writing in Source takes a specific form: book reviews, exhibition reviews or texts introducing sets of pictures, so these would be good models to follow. But we are also interested in other forms of writing so if you want to submit something in a different form then please do. Our interest in photography is not only about the photographs that appear in books and exhibitions, it touches most aspects of life and we like to read about those encounters too. This could be an article about a particular photograph of historical, aesthetic or biographical interest to you. It could be about some cultural or philosophical aspect of photography. It could be something we’ve not thought about.
We enjoy writing that is thoughtful, funny, well researched and surprising.” And, “Source only publishes work made in the UK or Ireland – or by photographers from the UK or Ireland – on its portfolio pages. International work is covered through our book and exhibition reviews.”
Value: £500
Open for: All writers
Deadline: 1 August 2023
Details here.
(A couple of contests with later deadlines are:
— The Academy for Teachers – Stories Out of School Flash Fiction Contest: They want honest, unsentimental stories, of 6-749 words, about teachers and schools. The contest is open to all writers, whether or not they are a teacher. The story’s protagonist or narrator must be a K-12 teacher. Sentimentality is discouraged and education jargon is forbidden. The prize is $1,000, and publication in A Public Space. The deadline is 1 September 2023. Details here and here.
— Fundación César Egido Serrano’s VIIth Microfiction Contest: This is a contest for a microfiction story. Languages accepted are Spanish, English, Arabic or Hebrew. Writers over 14 years from anywhere in the world can participate, and there is no theme. Writers can send up to 3 stories, of up to 100 words each. Participants must read the rules carefully, they say they can publish the participating stories without compensation. Participating writers can vote on up to 50 stories. The first prize is $20,000; there are three other prizes of $2,000 each, one for each participating language. The deadline is 30 September 2023. They reserve the right to extend the deadline. The website is here and the participation form is here.)
PRIZES FOR WRITERS IN THE US AND CANADA
(Also see the PEN/Bare Life Review Grants for refugee/immigrant writers, and the BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest for Caribbean Writers; both are in the international section above.)
PEN America: US Writers Aid Initiative
This is intended to assist fiction and non-fiction authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, translators, and journalists. To be eligible, applicants must be based in the United States, be professional writers, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping them to address an emergency situation. The next deadline is in October. Writers do not have to be PEN members to apply.
Value: Unspecified
Deadline: 1 July 2023
Open for: US writers
Details here.
Nova Institute: 2023 Media Fellowship
This is a one-year fellowship for US-based journalists. “The Nova Media Fellowship supports print, broadcast, and digital journalists proposing to immerse themselves in the health field and complete media projects for publication/dissemination that acknowledge and explore the many factors that promote well-being, prevent disease, contribute to healing, and increase an individual’s ability to flourish and live a fulfilling life. At this time, the Media Fellowship is not inviting book proposals. The Media Fellowship program aims to give recipients the time, space, and resources to research, write, and speak about issues that validate and show the importance of an expansive health framework. … The Nova Institute strongly prefers that Media Fellows take a leave of absence from any organization where they are currently employed during the fellowship period. Projects begin in fall 2023, no later than December 1; the exact start date is flexible to accommodate individual Fellows.”
Value: $105,000
Deadline: 5 July 2023
Open for: US journalists
Details here.
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, graphic novels, or poetry. (The format is flexible and can include illustrated children’s books or graphic novels, but the majority of their 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.
Value: $23,000, can request an additional $2,000 for training or hiring a professional (see guidelines); residency for half a year
Deadline: 14 July 2023
Open for: Those eligible to work in the US, as a US citizen or green card holder
Details here.
The Stony Brook Short Fiction Prize
This prize is for short fiction of up to 7,500 words. It is for undergraduates enrolled full time in US and Canadian universities and colleges. Apart from the cash prize, the winner also gets a scholarship to the Southampton Writers Conference.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 14 July 2023
Open for: Undergraduate students from the US and Canada
Details here.
Strive Publishing & Free Spirit Publishing: Black Voices in Children’s Literature
This is a contest for US-based Black writers. They want children’s stories by and about Black people. “Eligible entries will include original children’s books for ages 0–4 (50–125 words) or for ages 4–8 (300–800 words) featuring authentic, realistic Black characters and culture and focusing on one or more of the following topics: character development, self-esteem, identity, diversity, getting along with others, engaging with family and community, or other topics related to positive childhood development. Religious and fantasy themes will not be considered.”
Value: $1,000, $500, $250
Deadline: 24 July 2023
Open for: Black writers in the US
Details here and here.
(Their Submittable page also has details of other calls.)
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 2023. The topic for this year’s essay is: “2023 is the 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Does Abraham Lincoln deserve the title of ‘The Great Emancipator’? Why or why not?” Entries must be 1,500- 5,000 words.
Value: $1,500, $750, $500
Deadline: 31 July 2023
Open for: Students in a US college or university
Details here.
Polar Expressions Publishing: 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 2023
Open for: Canadian writers
Details here.
Granum Foundation Prizes Submissions are open for the Granum Foundation Prize and the Granum Foundation Translation Prize. These are for works in progress, to help US-based writers complete substantive literary projects, including novels, memoirs, books of poetry, short story collections, and works in translation.
Value: The Granum Foundation Prize is $5,000, with up to three finalist prizes of with $500 or more each; and the Translation Prize is $1,500 or more
Deadline: 1 August 2023
Open for: US-based writers
Details here.
PRIZES FOR WRITERS IN THE UK/IRELAND
(Also see the Source Writing Prize in the international section above.)
Virago 50th Furies Short Story Competition
Their website says, “Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf is running the Virago 50th Furies Short Story Competition to help discover unpublished women writers or writers of an underrepresented gender from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and multi-ethnic groups; the LGBTQIA+ community; neurodiverse individuals; people with disabilities; and/or individuals from working class backgrounds.” They want a short story of any fiction genre which is inspired by a synonym for ‘virago’, a word which originally meant a heroic, war-like woman but came to be a derogatory term (and, writers cannot use a synonym that is already used by a past contributor – see the website for the list of available and unavailable synonyms). Send a short story of up to 4,000 words. The story must have a strong, feminist hook, theme or plot and must be written in an accessible writing style which the general reader will understand. The winner will be published in an anthology alongside award-winning, bestselling writers, and also have a mentoring session with a Virago editor.
Value: £1,500
Deadline: 1 July 2023
Open for: UK-based unpublished and underrepresented writers (see guidelines)
Details here.
4th Write Short Story Prize
This is a fiction competition open to Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers living in the UK or Ireland (see no. 2 and 7 in Terms & Conditions). Send a story of up to 6,000 words. Apart from a cash prize, the winner will receive a one-day publishing workshop at 4th Estate, and publication of their story on the Guardian website. The contest is promoted by HarperCollins.
Value: £1,000
Deadline: 2 July 2023
Open for: BAME writers in UK/Ireland
Details here.
The Stephen Spender Prize
This is a prize for UK or Irish citizens, or pupils at a British School overseas, for translated poetry. There are various categories; entry for many categories is free, including the Youth category, Schools Laureate prize, Teachers Laureate prize for teachers (this category has non-cash prizes), and Ukrainian Spotlight (for specific translations – see guidelines).
Value: £50-£100
Deadline: 14 July 2023
Open for: UK or Irish citizens, or pupils at a British School overseas
Details here (scroll down).
Scottish Book Trust: New Writers Awards
This is an opportunity for new Scotland-based writers (see guidelines). The categories include Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction (also known as creative non-fiction), Poetry, Children’s and Young Adult Fiction, and more. All travel expenses are covered. There is also a one-week retreat (depending on circumstances) and mentorship.
Value: £2,000
Deadline: 19 July 2023
Open for: Scotland-based writers
Details here.
(And they have an annual Ignite Fellowship for professional writers, though it is now closed.)
RSL’s Literature Matters Awards
These awards, by the Royal Society of Literature, are for UK residents. The awards “aim to reward and enable literary excellence and innovation. Each year, after an open call for proposals, the Awards are given to individual writers or other literary creators, recognising their past achievements and providing them with financial support to undertake a proposed new piece of writing or literary project.
Priority will be given to proposals which (a) will help connect with audiences or topics outside the usual reach of literature, and/or (b) will help generate public discussion about why literature matters.” The project may be a piece/pieces of writing, a publication, an event, or a production.
Value: £20,000 corpus, split between various projects
Deadline: 28 July 2023
Open for: UK writers
Details here and here
John McGahern Award
This is a call to emerging 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: €2,000
Deadline: 30 July 2023
Open for: Those resident in Ireland/Northern Ireland
Details here.
The Mustapha Matura Award 2023 and Mentoring Programme
This is an opportunity for UK-based playwrights of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the UK, who are 25 years or younger, for a play. The play must be a minimum of 40 pages, and does not need to have been produced. However, if it has, only plays produced since August 2022 will be considered. Apart from the cash prize, the winner also receives mentoring from a top Black British playwright.
Value: £3,000
Deadline: 31 July 2023
Open for: Young UK-based writers of Caribbean or African descent
Details here
(Entrants to the Mustapha Matura Award are also eligible to enter the Alfred Fagon Award for Best New Play of the Year.)
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
