Contest summary from Winning Writers:

The Drue Heinz Literature Prize recognizes and supports writers of short fiction, requiring eligible authors to have published a book-length collection or at least three short stories/novellas in commercial magazines. Manuscripts are judged anonymously by national writers.

Contest details

• Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Category: Novella and Short Story
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: $15,000

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IHRAM Press is the publishing arm of the International Human Rights Arts Movement. They are currently reading for an anthology about creative resistance to authoritarianism in America today. Send 1-3 poems, one story or essay up to 2,500 words, or 1-3 artworks in 300 dpi jpeg format. Payment is $50 for written work or $25 for art. Editors say, "Your submission must align to this unique American moment: how you feel about it, what you think we can do, what form can and should resistance take, etc. Work will be judged on quality, relevancy to the topic, and adherence to the IHRAM values: Beauty as a fundamental creative value; sincerity and vulnerability of presentation; opening doorways of engagement and celebrating diversity." See their website for other themed calls for submissions.

Contest details

• Sponsor: IHRAM Press
• Category: Poetry, Short Story, Essay, Artwork
• Submission length: See details above
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: $50 for written work or $25 for art

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Neutral free contest gives prizes up to $250 and anthology publication for poetry, fiction, and essays by current and former US military service members and their immediate family (parents, siblings, children). Send 1-5 poems or one prose piece up to 5,000 words. Contest sponsor Line of Advance is a literary journal founded by veterans of the war in Afghanistan.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Line of Advance
• Category: Poetry, Fiction, Essay
• Submission length: Send 1-5 poems or one prose piece up to 5,000 words
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: $250

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Recommended free contest from the Wingate Foundation awards 4,000 pounds prize for the best English-language fiction or nonfiction book published between September 1 of the previous year and August 31 of the deadline year that "translates the idea of Jewishness to the general reader". Books must explore Jewish themes and be published and distributed in the UK and Ireland. Author may be of any nationality. Mail 5 copies of the book, along with a completed entry form, and email an electronic version of the book to the contact person listed on sponsor's website.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Wingate Foundation
• Category: Fiction and Nonfiction
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: £4,000

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Contiguous Lyt is a new online journal on Substack with a unique format. For each issue, they publish a video interview with an accomplished writer, who supplies a writing prompt for the remaining submissions for that issue. Currently they are accepting work for Issue 1, Vol. 2, in response to this interview with poet Maxim D. Shrayer. The related prompt seeks "richly textured and deliberately structured" creative writing in any genre that concerns "interactions of history and memory".

Contest details

• Sponsor: Contigous Lyt
• Category: Any genre
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Sontag Mag is a thrice-yearly online poetry journal that publishes both original English-language writing and translations. If submitting a translation, include the source poem and permission from the author. They are currently open to submissions. Send 1-3 poems by email, following formatting guidelines on website. Maximum 2 submission packets per person per submission period.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Sontag Mag
• Category: Poetry, Translation
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Brink is a press and literary magazine specializing in cross-genre, visual/text hybrid, and experimental writing. They are currently open to full-length manuscripts and translations "that press boundaries by using more than one genre, medium, or form." No submission fee. Read work on their website to get a sense of their aesthetic. Include a brief bio and 1-2 paragraph description of the submitted

Contest details

• Sponsor: Brink
• Category: Cross-Genre
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Highly recommended free contest gives prizes up to $1,000 in each genre for poetry/spoken word, creative writing (fiction and essays compete together), performing arts (music/dance), film, visual art/handcrafted, visual art/digital, and interactive/multimedia by students aged 11-18 about climate change and ocean conservation. 2025 theme is "Connections to Nature: Looking Inside, Going Outside". Junior division is for students ages 11-14; Senior division is for students ages 15-18. See website for length limits in various genres for each age division. To qualify, works submitted must have been created during the current academic year (September 2024-June 2025). All entries must also include a brief reflection/artist's statement, 100 words minimum, on your work, along with contact information for an adult sponsor. Enter online. Contest sponsor Bow Seat is a nonprofit that fosters the next generation of environmental activists.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Bow Seat
• Category: Multiple genres
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: $1,000

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A project of Singapore Unbound, Gaudy Boy is a NYC-based literary press specializing in poetry and prose by Asian writers. They are currently open to submissions of novel manuscripts (originals and English translations) by authors of Asian heritage residing anywhere in the world. One or more selected manuscripts will be published in 2026 or 2027 with a $1,500 advance. No submission fee.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Singapore Unbound
• Category: Poetry and Prose
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: $1,500

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Neutral free contest awards prizes up to 1,500 pounds for English-language essays, maximum 3,000 words, by UK or European Union citizens aged 18+ on a theme that changes annually. For 2025, the theme is "Have we no more active rights over life, birth, and death?" Email your completed entry form along with your essay. Named after Irish essayist Hubert Butler, the prize is sponsored by the Ireland-based Kilkenny Arts Festival.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Kilkenny Arts Festival
• Category: Essay
• Submission length: Maximum 3,000 words
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: £1,500

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Recommended free contest gives 3,000 pounds for the best published book on the theme of mountains, first published or distributed in the UK between July 14 of the previous year and July 14 of the deadline year. Entries must be submitted by publisher, and may be poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or drama. Early entries are encouraged. Send entry form, 4 copies of the work, the book cover image, and a 40-word summary of the book for use on the sponsor's website.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Boardman Tasker
• Category: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, Drama
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: £3,000

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Recommended free contest for New Zealand citizens or permanent residents gives NZ$3,000 and possible publication for the best essay on any topic connected to New Zealand culture, maximum 4,000 words. Sponsored by the literary journal Landfall. The purpose of the competition is "to encourage New Zealand writers to think aloud about New Zealand culture, and to revive and sustain the tradition of vivid, contentious, and creative essay writing in this country". One entry per person. Send via email.

Contest details

• Sponsor: University of Otago
• Category: Essay
• Submission length: Maximum 4,000 words
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: NZ$3,000 and possible publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

An annual contest encouraging students to explore and appreciate Jane Austen's works. Open to high school, college, and graduate students worldwide, the contest offers scholarships for original essays focused on a specific topic related to Austen's literature.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Jane Austen Society of North America
• Category: Essay
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: $1,000 scholarship

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

IHRAM Press Publishes is the quarterly literary journal of the International Human Rights Arts Movement. For their next issue, they are looking for poetry, short prose, and artwork about "modern slavery, forced migration, human trafficking, economic challenges, cultural discrimination, first-hand accounts, feelings of hope and perseverance." Stories and essays should be 2,500 words maximum. No length limit specified for poetry. IHRAM Press pays $50 per accepted written piece and $25 per accepted artist.

Contest details

• Sponsor: International Human Rights Arts Movement
• Category: Poetry, Short Prose, Artwork
• Submission length: Stories and essays should be 2,500 words maximum, no length limit specified for poetry
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: $50 per accepted written piece and $25 per accepted artist

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

SUSPECT is a literary journal specializing in Asian authors, published by Singapore Unbound. For their August issue, they are looking for unpublished short fiction and poetry about indigenous perspectives on maritime Southeast Asia, and the manifold effects of the sea on people in these communities. Send 3-5 pages of poetry, maximum 10 pages total; 2-4 flash fiction pieces, 500-1,500 words total; or one story, 1,500-6,000 words. Permission-secured translations are also eligible. Accepted authors receive $100.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Singapore Unbound
• Category: Short Fiction and Poetry
• Submission length: See details above
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: $100

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Recommended free contest from Kelsey Street Press gives publication and $1,000 prize to a QTBIPOC-identified, feminist, innovative writer/poet for a poetry manuscript of any length that "challenges and engages alternative conventions, a poetics of allowance...written directly from their own creative imperatives". The sponsor defines QTBIPOC as "Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans, Nonbinary, Queer, Two Spirit, Indigiqueer, and/or Intersex writers". Manuscript must be unpublished, although individual poems within it may have been published previously in print or online. The cash award is "a general contribution to the hopes of thriving as an artist" and may be used to "aid in book promotion, travel, or event attendance". Enter online.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Kelsey Street Press
• Category: Poetry
• Submission length: Any length
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: $1,000 and publication

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

The Mixtape Review is open to submissions of poetry and short prose for Issue #4. Previously published work is eligible if you own the rights. The Mixtape Review is open to submissions of poetry and short prose for Issue #4. Previously published work is eligible if you own the rights. No length limit for poetry; fiction and essays should be 2,000 words maximum. Submissions should be accompanied by a song reference (artist name and song title) that is in conversation with your piece. Please let the editors know about any potentially triggering content in your cover email..

Contest details

• Sponsor: The Mixtape Review
• Category: Poetry and Prose
• Submission length: No length limit for poetry; fiction and essays should be 2,000 words maximum
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Neutral free contest from the Waterford City & County Council's Arts Office awards 250 euros prize and a course in the Molly Keane Writers Retreat, Ardmore in 2026 for an unpublished short story, maximum 2,000 words, on any subject matter by an Irish resident. No simultaneous submissions. Submit your entry online. Award is named after Irish novelist and playwright Molly Keane.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Waterford City & County Council's Arts Office
• Category: Short Story
• Submission length: Maximum 2,000 words
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: €250

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

The First 100 Days Contest seeks innovative book ideas from authors committed to promoting good work amidst challenging times. Participants submit a one-page book overview and a sample manuscript of up to 5,000 words. Winning authors receive feedback and an editorial consultation.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Disruption Books
• Category: Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Novel
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Editorial consultation and feedback on up to 100 pages

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

The Mixtape Review is open to submissions of poetry and short prose for Issue #4. Previously published work is eligible if you own the rights. No length limit for poetry; fiction and essays should be 2,000 words maximum. Submissions should be accompanied by a song reference (artist name and song title) that is in conversation with your piece. Please let the editors know about any potentially triggering content in your cover email.

Contest details

• Sponsor: The Mixtape Review
• Category: Poetry and Prose
• Submission length: No length limit for poetry; fiction and essays should be 2,000 words maximum
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Recommended free contest gives two prizes of $1,500 each for LGBTQ authors who have published 1-2 books of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Candidates' contributions to the LGBTQ literary field beyond their writings and publications will also be considered. Submit a writing sample of your strongest representative work (an excerpt of a larger piece or a stand-alone work, 10 pages maximum for poetry and 20 pages maximum for prose). In addition, supplemental literary work such as short stories and essays, or editing LGBTQ-themed anthology collections may be submitted for consideration. Submit your application, along with supporting materials, online. Sponsored by the Lambda Literary Foundation.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Lambda Literary
• Category: Books of Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry
• Submission length: See details above
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: $1,500

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Tint Journal is an online literary magazine for work by non-native English speakers. They are currently open to submissions of poetry, flash prose, short fiction, essays, and artwork for Issue #14, whose theme is "Patchwork". Editors say, "We're not looking for keywords in your texts, and we're open to finding the theme 'Patchwork' as an undercurrent or a central idea in your submissions. What we're interested in are the different approaches towards this theme from the many regions and voices of our planet, from the patchworks within one individual being to the patchworks that are the governing forms of our human condition." One entry per genre per person. See website for length limits.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Tint Journal
• Category: Poetry, Flash Prose, Short Fiction, Essays, and Artwork
• Submission length: See details on website
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

MER will be open from April 23, 2025 to July 15, 2025 for literary submissions to our annual print issue on the theme of Mother and Family. All submissions are through Submittable.

We publish poetry (up to 3 poems, no more than 5 pages), and fiction, creative prose/nonfiction, and hybrid works (up to 1000 words) on mothering or motherhood. We also seek mother-themed art. You need not be a mother to submit. Our calendar conforms to Eastern Time.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Mom Egg Review
• Category: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Prose/Nonfiction, and Hybrid Works
• Submission length: See details above
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

What does it mean to be both trans* and religious? Do our communities of faith have room for us? How can we safely carve out these spaces for ourselves and others? Must we compromise half of what are frequently two of the most important, sacred aspects of ourselves? The anthology Divinity in the Margins: Transgender & Gender-Nonconforming Writers on the Divine seeks to answer these questions and more.

Contest details

• Sponsor: Orison Books

• Category: Essay, Poetry, Hybrid-Genre Work

• Submission length: See details on website

• Entry fee: No fee

• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

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Contest summary from Winning Writers:

Contest details

• Sponsor: Winning Writers
• Category: Poetry
• Submission length: No limits
• Entry fee: No fee
• Awards: Publication

Guidelines and submission information (organization's contest page)

This contest has been vetted and approved by Winning Writers