There are lots of great contests and journals that are accepting submissions right now for many different types of work, including fiction, non-fiction, fan and flash fiction, essays, short stories, and poetry. Why enter writing contests, you ask?
Entering these types of contests can help you keep your writing and publishing momentum going.
Submitting to writing contests is a great way to gain credibility as a writer/author.
They can help create interest in your work, leading to other opportunities and potentially, to sales.
An award will give you an edge, which may be all the difference needed to propel your work into bestseller territory.
When you win or get placed, you can say you are an “award-winning author,” giving your writing a boost that comes from a third-party endorsement.
Awards can help you gain credibility with readers, reviewers, reporters, agents, and publishers.
Below is a list of writing contests for the winter that we put together to help you submit your work. Now get submitting!
The Orison Poetry Prize
Deadline: February 15, 2015
Orison Books offers $1,500 and publication in hardcover, paperback, and e-book formats for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 60-100 pages by February 15, 2015. Entry fee: $25. Judge: C. Dale Young. Anyone with a close personal relationship with or who has ever been a student of the judge is ineligible. All finalists considered for publication. Electronic submissions preferred; hard copy submissions may be sent to the following address with a check for the entry fee made out to Orison Books: The Orison Poetry Prize, PO Box 8385, Asheville, NC 28814. For complete guidelines, go to www.orisonbooks.com/submission-guidelines.
Able Muse Contests for 2015
Deadline: February 15, 2015; March 31, 2015
Write Prize (poetry & fiction): $500 each plus publication. Final judges are H.L. Hix (poetry) and Eugenia Kim (fiction). $15 entry fee. Deadline February 15, 2015.
Book Award (poetry): $1000 plus book publication. The final judge is Peter Campion. $25 entry fee. Deadline: March 31, 2015. Enter now—go to www.ablemusepress.com for details.
Ruminate Magazine Nonfiction Prize
Deadline: February 20, 2015
Ruminate Magazine is currently accepting submissions for our 2015 VanderMey Creative Nonfiction Prize. Along with publication in our Summer 2015 issue, the winner will be awarded $1500 and the runner-up will be awarded publication and $200. There is a $20 entry fee, which includes a copy of the magazine. The deadline for submissions is February 20th, 2015. To read the complete contest guidelines and to submit, please visit our website: www.ruminatemagazine.com/submit/contests/nonfiction/.
The Vine Leaves Vignette Collection Award
Deadline: February 28, 2015
The Annual Vine Leaves Vignette Collection Award is now open. The award includes a cash prize of $500, publication by Vine Leaves Press (paperback and eBook), 20 copies of the paperback, worldwide distribution, and promotion through Vine Leaves Literary Journal and staff websites. Guest judge is Sara Sargent, an editor at Simon Pulse (imprint of Simon & Schuster). Author will receive a 70% net royalty on all eBook and print sales. Submit a 50 to 60 page manuscript, plus $25 fee via Submittable. For more information and submission guidelines, please visit: www.vineleavesliteraryjournal.com/contests.
Lunch Ticket’s Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation/Multi-Lingual Texts
Deadline: February 28, 2015
Lunch Ticket is accepting submissions for our Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation/Multi-Lingual Texts. Include original work with your translation, and a document showing that you have permission to publish the original work. Original, bilingual work may be submitted under the translation category; please indicate in your cover letter. The responsibility for clearing rights and permissions for translated works, and the payment of any related fees, lies with the translator. The winner receives $200 and will be featured in the next issue of Lunch Ticket alongside two semi-finalists. For submission guidelines (follow guidelines CAREFULLY) visit our website: lunchticket.org.
Lunch Ticket’s Diana Wood Memorial Award is now accepting submissions!
Deadline: February 28, 2015
The Diana Woods Memorial Award in creative nonfiction was established in Diana’s memory by family, friends, and the Antioch University L.A.’s MFA community. DWMA serves as an opportunity for authors worldwide to be published in Lunch Ticket. Creative nonfiction authors should submit an essay of 5,000 words maximum on the subject of their choice to be considered for the award. Submissions from February 1, 2015 to February 28, 2015. The winner receives $250 and will be featured in the next issue of Lunch Ticket with two semi-finalists. For further details/submission manager (please read the guidelines CAREFULLY before submitting), visit: lunchticket.org.
Wag’s Revue 2015 Winter Contest in Fiction, Poetry, Essays
Deadline: February 28, 2015
The online-only literary quarterly Wag’s Revue is now accepting submissions for its 2015 Winter Contest. Entries in fiction, poetry, and essays are considered. First prize will be $1000 and publication in the magazine. Second will be $500 and third $100. All entires are considered for publication. To familiarize yourself with Wag’s Revue (and read past contest winners), visit the archive (www.wagsrevue.com/archive) where all 19 issues can be read for free.
Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award
Deadline: February 28, 2015
Accepting stories (fiction or memoir) of 2000 words or fewer on the theme “Food Stories.” Winners received cash and publication, with the first place story eligible for publication in the anthology, A READABLE FEAST: SWEET, FUNNY, AND STRANGE TALES FOR EVERY TASTE, to be published in the Fall of 2015. (And they’ll receive a free copy of the paperback, too!) Entry Fee: $10
For more information, visit the website at: http://bwgwritersroundtable.com/
Nivalis 2015
Deadline: February 28, 2015
“Nivalis”, the theme of the contest, represents the winter season. Interpretation of the theme is left to the writer’s fancy – the story may have winter as the backdrop, or may convey a sense of chill. It may be a gloomy tale up in the north, or a pleasant story away from the tropical heat. We are not too choosy about the genre either – we love what is known as literary fiction, but your story could as easily belong to the crime / mystery genre, or it may be a tale of horror if you have Edgar Poe in you. In other words, so long as there is a commonly accepted or acceptable interpretation of the theme embedded in the plot, it works for us. However, this contest is not for children’s stories, science fiction, fantasy, young adult, chick lit or similar such. Entry Fee: $10. More info: www.fabulapress.com.
The contest will be judged by four independent judges, including Clare Wallace, Literary Agent for Darley Anderson.
St. Petersburg Review Poetry Contest
Deadline: March 1, 2015
St. Petersburg Review is an independent, international, nonprofit, annual review of contemporary literature that seeks to foster and promote global connections and affinities through the annual publication of quality fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama from all countries. Our poetry contest, which has a 5% or better publication rate, will be accepting submissions September 1, 2014 – March 1, 2015. Visit www.stpetersburgreview.com for complete information on the contest and other SPRactivities.
Calling for 2015 Molly Prize Submissions
Deadline: March 9, 2015
From January 1 through March 9, 2015, The Texas Observer and the Texas Democracy Foundation will be accepting entries for The MOLLY National Journalism Prize. The MOLLY is an annual national print or online journalism award in honor of Molly Ivins with a $5,000 prize and two honorable mentions of $1,000. The prize will be awarded for an article or series of up to four short, related articles or columns telling the stories that need telling, challenge conventional wisdom, focus on civil liberties and/or social justice, and embody the intelligence, deep thinking and/or passionate wit that marked Molly’s work. www.texasobserver.org/mollyawardsubmissions/
Annual BrainStorm Contest Seeks Poetry from Survivors of Mental Illness
Deadline: March 13, 2015
The 13th Annual BrainStorm Poetry Contest is open to poets worldwide who have personally experienced mental illness. The entry fee is $15 for up to three poems, and only $12 if you submit online. This contest, which is blind-judged, is intended as a fundraiser for Open Minds Quarterly as well as a way to support excellence in our peer community. We celebrate the winners and honourable mentions with publication in Open Minds Quarterly and award monetary prizes to the top three winners: $250 First Prize; $150 Second Prize; $75 Third Prize. More details here:www.openmindsquarterly.com/portfolio/2015-brainstorm-poetry/.
Willow Springs Fiction Prize 2015
Deadline: March 15, 2015
Willow Springs Fiction Prize—$2,000 plus publication. Submission deadline: March 15, 2015. Original, unpublished work only; no word limit for submissions. $15 entry fee. All entrants receive a one-year subscription to Willow Springs. Submit a story online at willowsprings.submittable.com/submit. More details here: willowsprings.ewu.edu/contests.php.
Jabberwock Review Prizes in Fiction and Poetry
Deadline: March 15, 2015
Jabberwock Review invites submissions to the Nancy D. Hargrove Editors’ Prizes in Fiction and Poetry. Each winner (one for fiction and one for poetry) receives $500 and publication in Jabberwock Review. All finalists are considered for publication. The entry fee of $15 includes a one-year subscription, beginning with the prize issue. Simultaneous submissions welcome. Please go to www.jabberwock.org.msstate.edu for more information and to submit your work online.
Epiphany Magazine Chapbook Contest Call for Submissions
Deadline: March 15, 2015
Fiction, judged by Luis Jaramillo; poetry, judged by Katie Peterson; literary nonfiction, judged by Kristin Dombek; Graphic literature, judged by Lydia Conklin. Please submit work for the following genres with a cover sheet, title, name & contact info. Work must be previously unpublished—online or in print: Fiction, Nonfiction, & Graphic Lit: submit 10- 20 pages double-spaced, 12pt font. You can submit a single story or several stories within that page/word count to be published as a whole. For Graphic Lit entries: black and white illustrations only. Poetry: One poem per page. Total page count should not exceed 20 pages; all poetry forms welcome. $6 submission fee. Submit: www.epiphanyzine.com/submissions/.
Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction
Deadline: March 14, 2015
Now accepting short story submissions to the 2015 Nelligan Prize. Author of the winning story receives $2,000 and the story is published in the fall issue of Colorado Review. The final judge is Lauren Groff. All stories will be considered for publication. $15 entry fee (add $2 for online submissions). Stories must be under 50 pages and unpublished.coloradoreview.colostate.edu
Prairie Schooner Book Prize Contest in Fiction and Poetry
Deadline: March 15, 2015
PRIZES: $3,000 and publication through the University of Nebraska Press. ELIGIBILITY: The Prairie Schooner Book Prize Series welcomes manuscripts from all writers writing in English. JUDGING: Semi-finalists will be chosen by members of the Prairie Schooner Book Prize Series National Advisory Board. HOW TO SEND: We accept electronic submissions and hard copy submissions, with an entry fee of $25. WHEN TO SEND: Submissions will be accepted between January 15 and March 15, 2015. For submission guidelines or to submit online, visit prairieschooner.unl.edu. General submissions are always free and accepted through May 1.
Prospero Prizes for Poetry and Flash Fiction
Deadline: March 15, 2015
Attend, Leviathan. SHARKPACK Poetry Review Annual seeks poetry and very short fiction of unusual philosophical and/or imaginative power for our second issue, themed ‘Cities, Sites.’ The Prospero Prizes include a cash award of $150 and feature publication; winners will be chosen from general (free!) submissions. 1-3 prizes will be awarded. Please visitspr.submittable.com for guidelines and further details. We’re very grateful for your interest.
2015 Gulf Coast Prizes in Poetry and Prose
Deadline: March 22, 2015
Awarding $6,000 in prizes to poets, essayists, and fiction writers, the 2015 judges for the Gulf Coast Prizes are Sarah Shun-lien Bynum (Fiction), Maggie Nelson (Nonfiction), and Carl Phillips (Poetry)! The contest awards publication and $1,500 each to the best poem, essay, and short story, as well as $250 to two honorable mentions in each genre. The winners will appear in Gulf Coast 28.1 in Fall 2015, and all entries are considered for paid publication on our website as Online Exclusives. Deadline: March 22, 2015. Visitgulfcoastmag.org for details.
The Prime Number Magazine Awards
Deadline: March 31, 2015
Three categories: Poetry, Short Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction. First prize in each category wins $1,000; Second Prize wins $250. First, Second, and Third Prizes published in Prime Number Magazine. Guidelines at www.PrimeNumberMagazine.com.
Agha Shahid Ali Poetry Prize
Deadline: March 31, 2015
Honoring the memory of a celebrated poet and a beloved teacher, the Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry is awarded annually and is sponsored by The University of Utah Press and The University of Utah Department of English. $1,500 Cash Prize and Publication from the Press; $500 and reading in The University of Utah’s Guest Writers Series from The University of Utah Department of English. We are now on Submittable. Manuscripts must be in English and should be between 48 and 100 pages. Manuscripts are due March 31st with a fee of $25. Check our website for more information: upress.lib.utah.edu/ali-poetry-prize.php.
Masters Review Emerging Writers Contest
Deadline: March 31, 2015
$5,000 awarded. The Masters Review anthology is open to submissions from any writer who has not published a novel-length work. $500 and publication, which includes an exclusive mailing to agents, editors, and publishers is awarded to ten writers. Entries judged by Kevin Brockmeier. Send up to 7,000 words. All entries considered for publication. $20 (nonrefundable) reading fee required. Visitwww.mastersreview.com/submissions for complete guidelines. “If these are the voices we’ll be hearing from, American literature has an awful lot to look forward to.” –Ramona Ausubel, author of No One is Here Except All of Us and A Guide to Being Born
$1000 Free Entry Film Poetry Prize & Call for Submissions
Deadline: Year-round
Carbon Culture Review is at the intersection of technology + literature + art. Available in bookstores in the United States, we feature monthly creative work, literature and art, as well as articles and reviews on exciting new tech online alongside our annual print edition. We are now offering an annual $1000 film poetry prize—with free entry! Also seeking submissions in all genres. Hack us at carbonculturereview.com.
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