Essays
Ayn Rand Institute Annual Essay Contests, Conversely Antidote Essay Contest, Cup of Comfort Collections, Daniel Singer Prize, Event Creative Non-Fiction Contest, Future Thinking Writing Contest, ISCID Essay Contests, Power of Purpose Worldwide Essay Competition, U.S. Naval Institute Annual Essay and Photo Contes, Write-Way Writers' Essay Contest
Poetry
6th International Mattia Poetry Competition, Aldrich Poetry Competition, Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards, Annual Short Grain Contest, Brick and Mortar's Biannual Poetry Contest, Bridport Prize, Cambridge Poetry Awards, Cherry Grove Collections, Christian Poetry Contest, Colorado Review Poetry Contest
Resources and Directories
A Database of Screenwriting Contests, Burry Man Writers Center - Grants, Fellowships, Co, Contest News, Contestfinder.com, Contesttrackers, Grants and Awards, How to Win Writing Contests, Literary Competitions, Index of Irish Literary Competitions, Literary Competitons and Awards, Poetry Kit Directory of Competitions
Screenwriting
2003 Script PIMP Writing Competition, Acclaim TV, American Accolades Screenwriting Competition, American Cinema Foundation, American Gem Short Script Contest, American Screenwriting Competition, American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest, Awesome Television Scriptwriting Contest, Bare Bones, Become A Hollywood Screenwriter
Short Stories
$5000 Literati Short Story Competition, "Dont Get Mad - Get Evil" International , Annual Short-Story Contest, Author Mania Writing Contest, Bomb Magazine Fiction Prize, Boulevard Emerging Writers Contest, Cadenza Magazine Short Story Competition, Carve Magazine Short Story Contest, Donard Short Story Competition, Dragonfly Spirit Writing for Children Short Story
A Woman's Write
Writing contest for women seeks a story, memoir or book chapter on a given theme. Deadline; December 31, thence monthly. Entry fee: $7. First prize: $70.
Annual APEX Awards for Publication Excellence
An annual competition for writers, editors, publications staff, and both business and non-profit communicators.
Arizona Authors Association Awards
AAA requires entries for unpublished poetry, short stories, essays/articles, and novels. Cash prizes of $100 in each category, plus publication, are offered. Deadline: July 1, annually. Entry fees vary from $10 (poetry) to $30 (novels).
Associated Writing Programs Awards
Annual awards of $2,000 (plus publication) are offered for original, unpublished, book-length work in each of three categories: novels, poetry, and creative non-fiction. Reading fee: $20. Deadline: February 28. Open to U.S. residents only.
AwardWeb
Information on major literary awards throughout the USA and other countries, particularly focusing on (though not limited to) science fiction and fantasy.
Blackberry Hill Creative Arts Awards
Seeking 3,500 word-limit short stories and 40 line-limit poems. Cash prizes total $750 and $300, respectively. Entry fees: $15 and $10. Deadlines: October 31, 2004
Boston Review Annual Short Story and Poetry Contes
Contests for original, unpublished short stories (up to 4,000 words) and poems (no more than 10 pages) in any genre. Closing dates: September 1, and June 1, respectively. Entry fees: $20, and $15, respectively.
Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
San Jose State University sponsors this yearly challenge "to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels". No entry fee. Official deadline: April 15.
ByLine Magazine Contests
Writers magazine offers a large number of contests throughout the year, including poetry, fiction, non-fiction. Open to all. Modest cash prizes.
Communicator Awards, The
Annual competitions honoring excellence in all areas of communication, with separate categories for print (177 sub-categories), video (216 sub-categories) and audio (140 sub-categories).
Flyway
6th Annual Flyway Sweet Corn Prize. $150 and a book bag of Iowa sweet corn for top entries in each category: fiction, nonfiction (maximum: 4,000 words) and poetry. Reading fee: $18. Deadline March 1st.
Foster City International Writer's Contest
Seeks entries in four categories: short stories (limit: 3,000 words); poetry (limit: 2 pages); children's stories (limit: 2,000 words); humor or personal essay (2,000 words). Entry fee: $12. Total prize money: $1,500. Deadline: December 31.
International STC Technical Communications Competi
The Society for Technical Communication sponsors annual competitions to recognise achievements in the technical communications field.
Koret Young Writer on Jewish Themes Award
Provides a $25,000 award, plus a 3-month residency at Stanford University. Applicants must be 40 years of age or younger and have published no more than one book at the time of application. This award is for fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Deadline: November 15.
Mid-List Press First Series Awards
Offers annual awards for novels, short fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction. Reading fee: $30. Deadlines vary. Open to unpublished writers only. The award includes publication and an advance against royalties.
Milkweed Editions
Milkweed Editions is a non-profit publisher of literature for adults and young adults based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Milkweed National Fiction Prize is awarded annually for the best fiction manuscript submitted by an author not previously published by Milkweed.
Mona Schreiber Prize for Humorous Fiction and Non-
Humorous stories and essays up to 750 words are required. Reading fee: $5. Deadline: December 1. Cash prizes total $850.
Mount Arrowsmith Novel Writing Contest
Deadline: 15 May 2005. Length: 80 to 120 pages one side double spaced. Theme: open.
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org)
Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
National Writing Contest
Original, unpublished novels are sought in this annual contest. Manuscripts must be at least 90 pages in length.
Page One Contests
A writing contest, in which readers are urged to write 100 words on a given theme, in order to win a copy of a current book.
Painted Bride Fiction and Poetry Contests
Literary short stories (maximum 5,000 words) and poetry are sought in contests sponsored by Rutgers University. Reading fees: $10 and $5 respectively. Deadline: September 30. $1000 prize in each category, plus publication in PBQ.
Paraclete Press Fiction Contest
Paraclete Press, a Christian multi-media company, seeks an original, unpublished novel. Minimum length: 40,000 words. Prize: $2,000 in advance royalties. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: February 1, 2004.
Park Publications U.K.
Publishers of the magazines, "Scribble" and "Countryside Tales", holding quarterly competitions for original, unpublished short stories and poems, some open, some limited to specific themes.
Peralta Press Writing Awards
Annual contest seeks poetry (maximum: 30 lines), short stories and non-fiction (both maximum: 2,000 words). Minimum entry fee: $10. Cash prizes total: $750. All entries considered for publication. Deadline: August 15.
Playwriting Contest
Annual contest seeks original, unproduced plays, open in theme, but suitable in both subject, and language, for family-oriented amateur groups. The winner receives a $1,000 royalty advance, and publication.
Pomegranate Words Writing Contests
Offers free monthly contests for poetry and fiction. Open worldwide, but to teenagers only.
Pronghorn Press Publishing
Promotes annual prose (up to 5,000 words) and poetry (no more than 60 lines) contests relating to contemporary life in three specific regions, namely, the Rockies, the Desert Southwest, and the Northwest Coast.
Richard J. Margolis Award
A $4,000 prize, awarded annually to a promising non-fiction writer whose work combines "wisdom, humor, warmth, and concern, combined with social justice." Deadline: July 1.
River City Writing Awards in Fiction and Poetry
A journal based at the University of Memphis, offers annual cash awards for both original, unpublished short stories (maximum 7,500 words) and poetry (maximum 2 pages). Closes March 1. Entry fees: $12 and $5, respectively.
Santa Fe Writers Project
SFWP provides resources for authors and features online fiction as well as an annual writing contest for prose, both fiction and non-fiction, including short stories, essays and sample chapters of novels. $6,000 in cash prizes. Deadline: mid-January.
Sarabande Books - Poetry & Short Fiction Conte
Open to U.S. citizens only, Sarabande offers an annual $2,000 prize for both poetry (minimum 48 pages) and short fiction (minimum 150 pages).
SAY Writing Contests
Writing contests open to all types of entries including essays, short stories, and poetry. Maximum length: 700 words. Entries are published in a book and readers determine the winners.
Southeastern Writers Association Contests
These contests and awards are restricted to writers attending the annual week-long Southeastern Writers Conference, held in June at St. Simons Island, Georgia. .
The New Writer Magazine Annual Prose and Poetry Pr
Offers prize money totalling 2,500 pounds for essays (maximum 2,000 words), short stories (maximum 4,000 words), serials or novellas (up to 20,000 words), and poetry (maximum 100 lines). Closes November 30. Modest entry fees.
The Parable Award for Literary Christian Fiction
Seeks unpublished, original novels of Christian fiction, suitable either for children or adults. Deadline: December 1. Reading fee: $1. Cash prize: $100.
The University of Michigan Press
Annual awards, worth $1,000 each and publication, for literary fiction in the form of both a novel and a short story collection. Entrants must have at least one publication credit in the realm of literature. No entry fee. Deadline: July 1.
Tickled by Thunder fiction magazine
Sponsors quarterly poetry contests (closing February 15, et seq) and an annual fiction contest (closing February 15). A $10 subscription to the quarterly magazine offers one free entry to both contests.
Tundra Memorial Poetry and Short Fiction Contest
Offers a contest for short stories (500 to 2,000 words) and rhyming poetry (up to 100 lines), inspired by and using similar themes to the works of Emily Chesley. Prize: $100 (US). Entry fee: $5. Deadline: mid-October.
We Love Writers Writing Contests
Conducts regular contests on-line for poetry, short stories and essays. No entry fees. Modest cash prizes. Deadlines: June 1 and December 1.
William Saroyan International Prize for Writing
An annual prize of $12,500, this award is intended to encourage new writers who have recently published a work of fiction or memoirs.
Word Smitten Annual Literary Fiction Contest
Offers a prize of $1,010 for the best on-line submission of literary (no genre) fiction totaling exactly 1,010 words. Reading fee: $15. Deadline: July 1.
Writer's Digest Writing Competitions
Offers $25,000 in prize money for original, unpublished work in ten categories including poetry, short stories, plays, television scripts, articles, and children's fiction. Deadline: mid-May. Also provides separate annual awards for short short stories, screenplays and self-published books.
Writers Notes Annual Writing Award
Annual writing awards for fiction and nonfiction by the free resource tool and Writers Notes Magazine
Writers Notes Book Awards
Annual awards are granted to qualifying small-press and self-published books in eleven categories. $100 cash prize in each category. Entry fee: $40 per book. Deadline: January 15, 2005.