These are 29 prizes/grants/fellowships for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, and journalism. Awards range from $100 to $71,000. They are, very roughly, divided by geography. None charge an entry fee. – S. Kalekar
PRIZES FOR ALL WRITERS/GLOBAL ENTRY
Baltimore Science Fiction Society Poetry Contest
For this contest, poets are required to submit poetry on science fiction/fantasy/horror/science themes. Up to 3 entries are allowed per person, of up to 60 lines each. Winners will receive a cash prize, convention membership and be invited to read their winning entries at Balticon. Attendance at Balticon is not required to win.
Value: $100, $75, $50
Deadline: 1 March 2021
Open for: All poets
Details here.
Scripps Fellowships for Environmental Journalism
Five fellowships are awarded each year at the University of Boulder, Colorado. This is for journalists interested in deepening and broadening their knowledge of environmental issues. Applicants must have a minimum of five years full-time professional journalism experience and have completed an undergraduate degree. Applicants may include reporters, editors, producers, photojournalists, documentarians, and feature writers. Both salaried staff and full-time freelancers are welcome to apply. Prior experience in covering the environment is not required. They welcome applications from international applicants; however, the applicants must be authorized to work in the US to be eligible for this position.
Value: $71,000
Deadline: 1 March 2021
Open for: All journalists (see above)
Details here and here.
The Fountain Essay Contest: My COVID-19 Story – Reflections on Life and Human Existence During the Pandemic
They want an essay on the topic ‘My COVID-19 Story: Reflections on Life and Human Existence During the Pandemic’. See guidelines for details on the theme. Ideal length is 1,500-2,500 words. Read the FAQ carefully, 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 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Deep Wild: 2021 Student Poetry Contest
This is a contest for students currently enrolled in undergraduate studies. Send a poem of up to 70 lines that is backcountry infused and inspired.
Value: $100 each for three poets, publication
Deadline: 1 March 2021
Open for: Undergraduate students
Details here.
On the Premises: Repairs
Their guidelines say, “For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which one or more characters try to repair something. The “something” can be tangible (e.g., a smartphone, a bad haircut, a broken leg) or intangible (e.g., a relationship). The judges don’t care whether the characters succeed in their repair efforts, so long as they try.” 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.
Value: $250, $200, $150, $75
Deadline: 5 March 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.
Coastal Shelf: Two contests
They are open for two contests with cash prizes, and writers are allowed one fee-free submission for each (see guidelines).
— The FuPo Poetry Contest is for “funny and poignant” poems under 60 lines.
— The Ceiling 200 Contest is for very short fiction or prose poetry under 200 words long.
Value: $250, $100, and $50 for each contest
Deadline: 5 March 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.
Earth Journalism Network: Indigenous Environment Story Grants
EJN is offering reporting grants to Indigenous journalists worldwide, to support the production of in-depth stories that will call attention to climate justice, biodiversity, sustainable ecosystems and other issues related to the rights and well-being of Indigenous peoples and communities. Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio) and other expert media practitioners with investigative reporting experience and a history of covering environmental issues. It is for both freelance and staff journalists, and applicants can have any level of experience, from early-career to senior journalists. Proposals that focus on topics or stories that have not been widely covered are preferred.
Value: Ten grants of average $1,250 each
Deadline: 12 March 2021Open for: Indigenous journalists
Details here.
UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism: Food and Farming Journalism Fellowships
The UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism offers ten $10,000 postgraduate Food and Farming Journalism Fellowships, for print and audio journalists. “Aimed at early and mid career journalists, the fellowship presents an opportunity to report ambitious long form print and audio stories on the full range of subjects under the rubric of food systems: agricultural and nutritional policy, the food industry, food science, technology and culture, rural and urban farming, agriculture and the environment, food and climate change, global trade and supply chains, consolidation and securitization of the food system and public health as it relates to food and farming.” Preference is for U.S. focused stories, but they’ll also consider international stories with a strong U.S. angle or connection. Applications should include a one-page pitch with a clearly defined story idea. Due to the pandemic, they are primarily interested in projects that can be completed without extensive travel.
Value: $10,000 each for ten journalists
Deadline: 15 March 2021
Open for: Early and mid-career print and audio journalists
Details here.
Hodson Trust: John Carter Brown Library Fellowship
This fellowship at Providence and Chestertown supports work by academics, independent scholars and writers working on significant projects relating to the literature, history, culture, or art of the Americas before 1830. Candidates with a US history topic are strongly encouraged to concentrate on the period prior to 1801. The fellowship is also open to filmmakers, novelists, creative and performing artists, and others working on projects that draw on this period of history. Candidates are encouraged to consult the John Carter Brown Library’s collections online prior to submitting an application.
Value: $5,000/month (total $20,000), housing and university privileges
Deadline: 15 March 2021
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Hugo House Writer-in-Residence
This residency in Seattle is for practicing, published writers of (for this cycle) poetry, and writing teachers who are experienced working with writers of all levels in a traditional workshop setting, and on a one-on-one basis as a mentor. They should have a specific artistic project they are working on during their residency (e.g., developing a manuscript for publication) and should have a special interest in helping writers become better writers and fostering an appreciation of the craft. The application includes a writing sample of up to 10 pages. Their guidelines also say, “If you do not meet some of the eligibility requirements, but have demonstrated success in other categories, our panel will weigh the components of your application accordingly. “Value: $500 per month for nine months, additional compensation for Hugo Classes
Deadline: 31 March 2021
Open for: Published poets
Details here.
America Media: Two contests
They have two contests open currently, one for unpublished poetry, and another for published fiction and drama. They are also open for general submissions.
— The Foley Poetry Contest: They want an unpublished poem of 45 lines or fewer.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 31 March 2021
Open for: Unspecified
Details here (America Media’s Submittable) and here (poetry contest).
— The George W. Hunt, S.J., Prize for Excellence in Journalism, Arts & Letters: For this cycle it is for published (not self-published) works of fiction of up to 10,000 words – including from published collections – and published/produced drama. Writers of novels, novellas, short stories, flash fiction, plays and screenplays whose work engages with one or more of the following broad topical areas are welcome to apply: religion (which includes spirituality and ultimate questions of human existence), the arts, politics, economics, sports and/or public affairs on the national or international level. Short stories and flash fiction pieces that are as yet uncollected in book form must appear in a major journal and/or magazine, in digital or in hard copy.
Value: $20,000
Deadline: 31 March 2021
Open for: Unspecified
Details here (America Media’s Submittable) and here (published fiction and drama).
The Restless Book Prize for New Immigrant Writing
This is a prize for a debut literary work by a first-generation immigrant. The prize alternates between fiction and non-fiction. For this cycle, they are reading non-fiction manuscripts. Non-fiction submissions can take the form of a memoir, a collection of essays, or a book-length work of narrative non-fiction. The submission should address some combination of identity, the meeting of cultures and communities, immigration and migration, and today’s globalized society. Non-fiction submissions must consist of either a complete manuscript, or a sample of at least 25,000 words and a detailed proposal that includes a synopsis and an annotated table of contents. All submissions must be in English (translations welcome). Candidates must not have previously published a book of non-fiction in English. Apart from the cash prize, the winner also gets publication.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 31 March 2021
Open for: First-generation residents of their country
Details here.
The Mastheads Writers’ Residency
Five writers across disciplines (poetry, fiction, non-fiction, translation, playwriting, comics, and more) are awarded residencies. The residency runs for the month of July in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The application includes a 10-page writing sample. Applications will open soon.
Value: $900
Applications opening: March 2021
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Alpine Fellowship Prizes: Two prizes for creative writers
Apart from themed Writing and Theatre prizes detailed below, the Alpine Fellowship also has a Visual Arts Prize, and an Academic Writing Prize.
— Writing Prize: This international prize is awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of ‘Untamed: On Wildness and Civilization’ (up to 2,500 words of prose, poetry, and non-academic essays), which is the theme of the 2021 Alpine Fellowship Annual Symposium. The winner and two runners-up are invited to attend the Fjällnäs (Sweden) symposium. The award will be presented by poet John Burnside, who is also the head judge.
Value: £10,000, £3,000, £2,000
Deadline: 1 April 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.
— Theatre Prize: This prize is awarded for the best play on the theme of ‘Untamed: On Wildness and Civilization’ aimed at encouraging theatre writers at the start of their careers to explore and challenge philosophical ideas using the dramatic form. Apart from the cash prize, the winner also gets a rehearsed reading at the Fellowship’s annual Symposium to which they will be invited to attend. Runners up will be invited to attend the Fjällnäs symposium to exhibit their work. To apply, applicants must send: 1) A treatment of your idea in response to the theme; up to 500 words; 2) A sample of previous work of at least 10 pages; and 3) A 3-4 sample pages of your proposed script or a 1-2 detailed page synopsis of your story. The final piece must be 45 minutes in length and require no more than 4 actors.
Value: £3,000
Deadline: 1 April 2021
Open for: All playwrights
Details here.
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
This prize is for humor poetry. Submit a poem of up to 250 lines.
Value: $1,000 and a subscription to Duotrope; second prize of $500; 10 prizes of $100 each
Deadline: 1 April 2021
Open for: All poets
Details here.
The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers
The three-month fellowships are to afford writers uninterrupted time to focus on their work at an apartment in Carson McCuller’s childhood home in Columbus, Georgia, free from the distractions of daily life and other professional responsibilities. A spouse or companion is welcome. The application includes a writing sample of up to 20 pages.
Value: $5,000
Deadline: 1 April 2021
Open for: Unspecified
Details here (scroll down – see the tab marked ‘Fellowships’).
(They also have an award for Alabama and Georgia high school students for fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, expository essay, playwriting and screenwriting; the deadline is 5 March 2021, and prizes range from $100-300 – see the tab marked ‘Literary Awards’).
Platform Presents: 2021 Playwright’s Prize
This is an open call for distinctive, dynamic plays. Submit your script of up to 10,000 words. The prize includes ongoing mentoring and producing the winning script, as well as a cash prize.
Value: £5,000, mentoring, production
Deadline: 2 April 2021
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
PRIZES FOR WRITERS IN THE U.S. AND CANADA
Changes: The Bergman Prize
This is for US-based poets – a cash prize and publication to the author of a first or second collection of poetry. Manuscripts should be 48-80 pages. This is the inaugural year for the prize. The contest is run by Changes, a nonprofit publisher established in 2020.
Value: $10,000
Deadline: 1 March 2021
Open for: US poets who have published no more than one book of poetry
Details here.
The Waterman Fund Essay Contest
The contest is for emerging US and Canadian writers. Their guidelines say, “2020 was an unusual year. A once-in-a-century global pandemic has affected almost all aspects of how we live our lives, forcing us to change how we relate to the world and to one another. In this historical moment, in what ways has your connection to nature changed–and in what ways has it remained the same?” Essays should be 2,000 to 3,000 words.
Value: $1,500; $500
Deadline: 2 March 2021
Open for: US and Canadian writers
Details here and here.
Creative Capital Award
This award is for artists in various 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 accept proposals from collaborators, as well. They have extensive guidelines.
Value: $50,000, and an additional set of services
Deadline: 8 March 2021 (extended)
Open for: US artists
Details here.
National Endowment for the Arts
These literature fellowships, for this cycle, are for prose (fiction and creative nonfiction), to buy creative writers time for writing. Applicants are to submit a writing sample as part of the guidelines. These grants alternate between poetry and prose each year; several grants are made at a time.
Value: $25,000
Deadline: 10 March 2021 (they recommend submitting early)
Open for: Published US writers
Details here.
Tratts Fiction Award
This is for a short story manuscript by an American writer. Writers must not have had a short story collection published previously, though individual stories may have been published in magazines or anthologies. The manuscript length is 160-275 pages.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 15 March 2021 (extended)
Open for: US writers
Details here.
PRIZES FOR WRITERS IN THE UK AND IRELAND
Christopher Tower Poetry Competition: The Key
This is the UK’s most valuable prize for poets aged 16-18 years. Submit a poem of up to 48 lines on the theme of ‘The Key’.
Value: £3,000 for the winner
Deadline: 1 March 2021
Open for: Young UK poets
Details here.
David Nobbs Memorial Trust: New Comedy Writing Competition
This is for UK-based comedy writers in early stages of their career, to carve time for writing. Entrants must have at least one credited broadcast comedy writing credit. Part of the application is a writing sample – the first 10 pages of a half-hour radio or television sit-com pilot script, or four three-minute comedy sketches.
Value: £750; £250 for runners-up
Deadline: 12 March 2021
Open for: UK-based early-career comedy writers
Details here and here.
2021 Fitzcarraldo Editions/Mahler & LeWitt Studios Essay Prize
This is a cash prize (advance) for the best proposal for a book-length essay (minimum 25,000 words) by a writer resident in the UK and Ireland who has yet to secure a publishing deal. They also offer a residency for up to three months at the Mahler & LeWitt Studios in Spoleto, Italy.
Value: £3,000 advance, residency
Deadline: 15 March 2021
Open for: Writers in UK and Ireland
Details here.
BBC Radio 4: BBC National Short Story Award
This prestigious award, by BBC and the Cambridge University, is for UK writers, for a short story of up to 8,000 words. Writers must have a prior record of publication in the UK.
Value: £15,000, four awards of £600 each
Deadline: 15 March 2021
Open for: Published UK writers (see guidelines)
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She is the author of 182 Short Fiction Publishers. She can be reached here.
