{"id":12841,"date":"2025-11-21T06:45:04","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T14:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/?p=12841"},"modified":"2025-11-21T06:45:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T14:45:08","slug":"30-writing-contests-cash-grants-and-fellowships-for-writers-december-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/uncategorized\/30-writing-contests-cash-grants-and-fellowships-for-writers-december-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"30 Writing Contests, Cash Grants, and Fellowships for Writers (December 2025)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

S. Kalekar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are contests\/grants\/fellowships for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and journalism, with prizes up to $85,000. Some of the contests are themed. They are, very broadly, divided geographically. One of the deadlines is in November.

INTERNATIONAL CONTESTS

Vellum Prize
<\/strong>This is a prize for a fiction manuscript. \u201cWe are seeking submissions of book-length original literary fiction, written in English, that is evocative, genre-bending, and perspective-shifting. Submissions may blend elements of mystery, romance, autofiction, historical fiction, and speculative fiction, and should surprise, move, and challenge the reader.\u201d And, \u201cThe submission must be either completed manuscripts or excerpts of at least 50 pages. Excerpts must be accompanied by a detailed outline of the remainder of the book and a statement explaining how far along you are in the drafting process.\u201d
Value: $3,000 and publication
Deadline: 30 November 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here<\/a>.

After the End Poetry Competition
<\/strong>This is an international poetry contest. \u201cThe After the End project in collaboration with the\u00a0National Poetry Centre<\/a>\u00a0is inviting poets worldwide to submit original, previously unpublished work as part of the exciting research project exploring time, temporality, and the question of endings.\u201d And, \u201cPoems should engage with the concept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.\u201d
Value: \u00a3200
Deadline: 1 December 2025
Open for: All poets
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

One Teen Story Contest
<\/strong>This is a short fiction contest for writers ages 13-19, run by One Story Magazine<\/a>; there are three categories divided age-wise for this contest \u2013 ages 13-15, 16-17, and 18-19. \u201cOne Teen Story<\/em>\u00a0is 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\u2019re open to all genres of well-written young adult fiction between 2,000 and 4,500 words.\u201d
Value: $500
Deadline: 1 December 2025
Open for: Writers ages 13-19
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

The African Poetry Book Fund: Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry
<\/strong>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\u2019 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<\/a> and here<\/a> (see the relevant category).
(See all the African Poetry Book Fund contests here<\/a>.)

Nieman Fellowships
<\/strong>These are nine-month fellowships for both US and international journalists at Harvard. You need to send the following to apply: two essays<\/a>;\u00a0a professional profile and study proposal summary<\/a>;\u00a0work samples<\/a>;\u00a0and\u00a0three letters of recommendation<\/a>. 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.\u00a0
Value: $85,000 and other expenses, see their FAQ<\/a>
Deadlines: 1 December 2025 for international journalists, 31 January 2026 for U.S. journalists
Open for: International and US journalists
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.
(Also see the Nieman Visiting Fellowships<\/a> for short-term research projects designed to advance journalism.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neville Dawes First Book Prize for Emerging Caribbean Poets<\/strong>
This is a contest for Caribbean poets, for a poetry manuscript. \u201cThe 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.\u201d And, \u201cOnly 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.\u201d
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 1 December 2025
Open for: Caribbean poets worldwide
Details\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards<\/strong>\u00a0
These awards are given for non-fiction works in progress which deal with a topic of American political or social concern, to aid their completion. Writers must already have a contract with a US-based publisher. One of the application requirements is 50-75 pages from the work in progress. Also, \u201cThe judges will make their decision on the basis of achieving maximum impact on a promising book project. Therefore, their selection criteria will represent a blend of the merit of the book and the financial need of the author. For this reason, the judges will need to know the amount of the author\u2019s advance, as well as any other financial support for the book, such as a grant.\u201d
There is no fee for the work-in-progress award. The prizes are run by Columbia Journalism School \u2013 they also have other awards, which charge entry fees. \u00a0
Value: $25,000\u00a0
Deadline: 4 December 2025\u00a0
Open for: Unspecified\u00a0
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

International Women\u2019s Media Foundation: Kim Wall Memorial Fund
<\/strong>This grant is for women or nonbinary journalists with one or more years of professional experience working in news media from anywhere in the world. \u201cThe IWMF’s Kim Wall Memorial Fund will provide $5,000 grants to journalists whose work embodies the spirit of Kim\u2019s reporting. The grant will fund women or non-binary reporters covering subculture, broadly defined, and what Kim liked to call \u201cthe undercurrents of rebellion.\u201d
Value: $5,000 each
Deadline: 7 December 2025
Open for: Women and nonbinary journalists
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.
(They\u2019re open for other awards\/grants as well. See more of IWMF\u2019s programs\/grants\/awards here<\/a> and their Submittable here<\/a>.)

Intrepid Times Travel Writing Competition
<\/strong>Their website says, \u201cWrite a\u00a0true travel story<\/strong>\u00a0about a\u00a0moment of human connection<\/strong>. Focus on a specific incident, a meeting with a person from another culture, perhaps, or a time when you broke free of the tourist trail and gained genuine appreciation for the heart of a strange land.
Write\u00a01500 \u2013 1800\u00a0words, and\u00a0win up to $300 USD.One winner and up to four runners-up will be published right here on Intrepid Times. We highly recommend writers take a moment to read some of our\u00a0recent stories<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0past competition winners<\/a>\u00a0to get a sense of what we publish at Intrepid Times.\u201d
Value: $300
Deadline: 10 December 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Paper Quest Writing Competition
<\/strong>Your Paper Quest is \u201cA US based book of the month subscription box exclusively featuring books from self-published authors.\u201d They are open now for their third short fiction contest: the prompt is, \u2018The Great Outdoors and the strange things that live there.<\/strong>\u2019 They want stories between 500 to 1,000 words. Details for the contest are on their social media, and submission (for contest as well as non-contest entries \u2013 see guidelines) is via a form on their website.
Value: $100, $25 for runners-up
Deadline: 10 December 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here<\/a> (contest guidelines), here<\/a> (contest guidelines), here<\/a> (their website\/Linktree), and here<\/a> (submission form).

Minotaur Books \/ Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition
<\/strong>This is an international contest for crime novel manuscripts, for writers who have never been the author of any published novel in any genre and are uncontracted. The writing should be no less than approximately 60,000 words. Authors of self-published works only may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work. Minotaur is an imprint of Macmillan.\u00a0
Value: $10,000 advance against royalties\u00a0
Deadline: 14 December 2025\u00a0
Open for: Unpublished writers (see guidelines)\u00a0
Details here<\/a>.

The sine qua non prizes for prose and poetry<\/strong>
The sine qua non is sponsoring two creative writing competitions, for creative prose (send up to 15 pages) and poetry (send up to 3 poems); for this issue of the magazine, they want works that exemplify traits of New Romanticism<\/a> \u2013 they have detailed guidelines, please read them carefully. They have a submission quota, so may close earlier than the deadline. Submission is via Submittable. They\u2019re also accepting works outside of this theme. For non-prize-winning entries they publish, including theory and craft submissions, they\u2019ll pay $30.
Value: $500 each for poetry and prose winners, and $250 for runners-up
Deadline: 15 December 2025, or until filled
Open for: Unspecified
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eggtooth Editions Chapbook Contest<\/strong>
Their tagline is, \u2018Home of the Any Genre Chapbook Contest\u2019. They want a chapbook in any genre, of 15-50 pages. The prize accepts submissions from \u201canyone writing in the English language who has not previously published a full-length book (defined as a solely authored work of more than 50 pages, self-publishing included) . Works may be jointly authored by multiple writers or artists\u2026. Translations are not eligible for this prize, nor are previously published or self-published books, though individual parts of a manuscript may have been previously published or produced.\u201d\u00a0 Please note, they will only accept up to 100 fee-free submissions, so presumably those may close earlier than the deadline. The winner also gets 20 copies of the chapbook.
Value: $250
Deadline: 15 December 2025, or until filled
Open for: Unpublished writers (see guidelines)
Details here<\/a>.\u00a0

The Caribbean Writer Prizes<\/strong>
Their website says, \u201cThe Caribbean Writer\u00a0(TCW) has issued a call for submissions for Volume 40 under the 2026 theme: 40 years of The Caribbean Writer: A Spectrum of Representation. \u2026 Using the TCW journal as a reference point, authors are invited to explore the themes, subjects, motifs, and topics over the 40 years of\u00a0The Caribbean Writer\u201d\u00a0and present an analysis in one of the following contexts given on their website \u2013 including Building Regional Community, Connections and Transformations; Calypso and Conflict: Music and Politics in the Literature; Voices of the Diaspora: Migration and Belonging; Negotiating Nuances of Legacy, Ethnicity, Hybridity, Identity; and more. See guidelines for the detailed list of themes.
Apart from the usual call for creative works, they\u2019ve also issued a call for papers<\/strong> focused on the diverse themes explored in\u00a0The Caribbean Writer\u00a0over the years; selected authors will be invited to present their papers at the conference to be held at the University of the Virgin Islands, St Croix campus in April 2026 and also be published in an anniversary supplement of\u00a0The Caribbean Writer (see guidelines).
And the literary submissions are also eligible for various prizes (there is no separate application process)
\u2013 The Daily News Prize<\/strong>of $600 awarded to a resident of the US Virgin Islands or the British Virgin Islands.
— The Marvin E. Williams Literary Prize<\/strong>of $500 awarded to a new or emerging writer.
— The Vincent Cooper Literary Prize<\/strong>of $300 awarded to a Caribbean author for exemplary writing in Caribbean Nation Language.
— The Anacaona Prize<\/strong>\u00a0of $500 is awarded to anyone published in the respective volume for their interpretation of the theme, level of technical skill, and originality.\u00a0
Please note, the prizes are subject to change.
Value: $300-600
Deadline: Proposals\/abstracts for the paper due 30 November; submissions due 16 December 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here<\/a> (also click on \u2018show prizes) and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poetry Society of America: The Four Quartets Prize <\/strong>\u00a0
This is\u202ffor a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the US in a print or online journal, chapbook, or book in 2025.\u202f<\/strong>Poems in the sequence may have been published in different journals provided that they were published in 2025 and that brought together, they form a complete sequence. The minimum requirement is 14 pages of published poems unified by subject, form, and style.\u202fEntire 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<\/a> also, though these have an entry fee, or do not have an application process. \u00a0
Value: $1,000 for three finalists, an additional $20,000 for the winner\u00a0
Deadline: 31 December 2025 (postmark date)
Open for: Unspecified\u00a0
Details here<\/a> (download the entry form).\u00a0

Lilith Magazine Fiction Contest<\/strong>\u00a0
This magazine publishes work of interest to Jewish women. They like work with both feminist and Jewish content. Submit fiction up to 3,000 words.\u00a0 \u00a0
Value: $300\u00a0
Deadline: 31 December 2025 \u00a0
Open for: All writers\u00a0
Details here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meridians: The Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award
<\/strong>Meridians is a literary magazine affiliated with Smiths College. This award is for short works – poetry, fiction and non-fiction, and play scripts. \u201cThe Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award celebrates an author whose work embodies the lyrically powerful and historically engaged nature of Dr. Alexander\u2019s writing. We aim for this award to highlight different forms of knowledge production that emerge from the artistic, political, and cultural advocacy undertaken by women of color nationally, transnationally, and globally. Works engaging with feminism, race, and transnationalism will be prioritized. Translated works and manuscripts in languages other than English are encouraged as well.\u201d And, according to their submission form, \u201cEach year we award two winners: one in Poetry and one in Prose. Each winner will have the opportunity to spend a week-long residency at Meridians <\/em>at Smith College the following Fall or Spring.\u201d It is unspecified whether they have a cash award as well, this year.
Value: Residency
Deadline: 31 December 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defenestration.net Lengthy Poem Contest
<\/strong>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.
Value: $300
Deadline: 1 January 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here<\/a>.

table\/\/FEAST Literary Magazine: The Blossom Contest
<\/strong>This contest is fee-free and only open to BIPOC writers. There will be one winner for poetry or prose. Send up to 5 poems or one piece of fiction or creative nonfiction of up to 3,000 words.
Value: $250
Deadline: 1 January 2026
Open for: BIPOC writers
Details here<\/a>. (They have other contests too, for women and for writers over 50 years, which have submission fees.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Premises: The Return Of\u2026
<\/strong>They want a story based on a prompt on their website. For this cycle, the prompt is, \u201cThe Return Of\u2026\u201d. \u201cFor 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\u2019s up to you. Also: Was this return a surprise, or was it expected? That\u2019s also up to you.\u201c They do not want children\u2019s 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: 2 January 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here<\/a> (general guidelines) and here<\/a> (theme details).

Shepton Snowdrops: In the Garden
<\/strong>Their website<\/a> says, \u201cThe Shepton Mallet Snowdrop Project is a not for profit Community Interest Company run entirely by volunteers. We run and support the annual Snowdrop Festival each February and plant snowdrop bulbs each autumn across the town.\u201d They\u2019re also open for an international poetry contest. There is an entry fee for over-18s, and poets under 18 years can send one poem of up to 30 lines, on the theme, \u2018In the Garden\u2019, for free. There are two categories for under-18s: 11 and under (prize \u00a350) and 12-17 years (prize \u00a3100). Entry is via a form on their website. \u00a0
Value: \u00a350-100 for under-18s
Deadline: 4 January 2026
Open for: Free for under-18s
Details here<\/a>.

San Jos\u00e9 State University:<\/strong> Center for Steinbeck Studies \u2013 The<\/strong> Steinbeck Fellows Program
<\/strong>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.
Value: Up to 6 fellowships of $15,000 each
Deadline: 4 January 2026
Open for: All writers
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Leon Levy Centre for Biography: Biography Fellowships <\/strong>\u00a0
These are four resident fellowships at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City, to nonfiction writers working on biographies. preference in the award of fellowships is given to those who have not yet published a biography or received fellowships for the writing of a biography. They also welcome applications from published and accomplished writers who are undertaking their first biography. The Leon Levy Center for Biography does not award fellowships for memoirs, essays, plays, films, or fiction. One of the application requirements is a sample of the proposed biography, a maximum of 2,500 words. (Also see the Sloan Fellowship<\/a>, given annually to a writer working on a biography of a figure in the field of science or technology.)\u00a0
Value: $72,000, residency\u00a0
Deadline: 4 January 2026\u00a0
Open for: Writers working on biographies\u00a0
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

The Joan Shorenstein Fellowship
<\/strong>This is a fellowship from Harvard Kennedy School\u2019s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy. It is a self-directed fellowship for leaders and scholars working at the intersection of media, technology, politics, and public policy. They welcome mid- to senior-career professionals from a wide range of backgrounds, including journalists, news influencers and creators, civic tech and media innovators, nonfiction authors and scholars in fields like political science or media studies, as well as policymakers, political advisors, and policy analysts. There are\u00a0\u201climited funds available to support a few fellows who advance a more substantial research project and more deeply engage with our community during their fellowship term\u201d which include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n