Writing Contests
Poetry Contests, Fiction Contests, Creative Nonfiction, Flash Fiction, Essay and Photography Contests, and more! Contests for publications, publishers and universities listed in NewPages.com. Book contests listed separately.
Deadline Dates
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Open or No Deadline Contests
/ Awards for Works Published
Please note dates carefully.
Most recent updated January 3, 2009
The "NEW!"
graphic indicates recently added/updated.
January Deadline
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Dark Sky Magazine
Piccolo Fiction Open
$200/150/50 + Publication for one or more
Deadline: Postmark January 9, 2009
The Florida Review
Young Voices Award for Prose and Poetry
Open to HS Students
$15 entry fee includes 1-year subscription
Deadline: December 1, 2008
Deadline Extended: January 15, 2009
The Journal
William Allen Creative Nonfiction Prize
Deadline: Postmark January 15 (annual)
PRISM International
Poetry Contest
$1000/300/200
Short Fiction Contest
$2000 and Publication
Deadline: January 30, 2009
Chattahoochee Review
Lamar York Prize for Nonfiction
Deadline: October 1 - January 31 (annual)
Glimmer Train
Family Matters Contest
Standard Short Story Contest
Deadline: Submit during January only (annual)
Iowa Review
The Iowa Review Award
Poetry, Fiction & Nonfiction
Deadline: Postmark January 2009
New Millennium Writings
Semi-annual Contest
Fiction, Poetry, Short-short Fiction, & Creative Non-fiction
$1000 first prize in each category & publication
Deadlines: January 31 and July 17
Madhatter's Review/Web Del Sol. Video. 1/1/09
Press 53. Fiction. 1/1/09
Meridian. Fiction, Poetry.
1/7 1/11 (annual)
Literal Latte Magazine. Fiction. 1/15 (annual)
Literary Bird Journal (LBJ). Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction. 1/15/09
Lyric Review. Poetry. 1/15/09
Rosebud. Fiction. 1/15/09
Sonora Review. Short Fiction. 1/15/09
Boston Review. Poetry. 1/16/09
Buffalo Carp. Flash Fiction. 1/16/09
Writers' Journal. Fiction. 1/30 (annual)
Adirondack Review. Fiction. 1/31 (annual)
Transitions Abroad. Expatriate. 1/31/09
February Deadline
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The Malahat Review
Long Poem Contest
Deadline: Postmark February 1, 2009
The Malahat Review
Novella Contest
Deadline: Postmark February 1, 2010
Fourth Genre
Annual Editor's Prize for Best Essay/Memoir
$1000 and Publication
Judge: Jocelyn Bartkevicius
Deadline: January 15 - February 15
Passages North
$1000 First Prize
Thomas R. Hruska Memorial Prize in Nonfiction
$1000 First Prize
Deadline: October 15, 2008 - February 15, 2009
St. Petersburg Review
Poetry Contest
$1000 and Publication
Deadline: Postmark February 15, 2009
Florida Review
Editor's Award for Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction
$1000 Award and Publication
Deadline: Postmark February 16, 2009
The Kenyon Review
No Fee Fiction Prize for Writers Under 30
Deadline: February 1 - February 28, 2009
CutBank
Montana Prize in Fiction
Montana Prize in Creative Nonfiction
Patricia Goedicke Prize in Poetry
Deadline: Postmark December 1, 2008 - February 29, 2009
Glimmer Train
Very Short Fiction Award
Deadline: Submit during February only (annual)
The Ledge
Fiction Awards Competition
$1000/250/100 Prizes + Publication
Deadline: February 29, 2009
The Madison Review. Poetry, Fiction. 2/1 (annual)
Words and Images. Poetry, Fiction. 2/1/09
Converse College. Fiction. 2/15/09
The Heartland Review. Poetry Prize. 2/15/09
Passager. Poetry. 2/15/09
Yemassee Journal. Poetry. 2/15 (annual)
National Poetry Series Open. 2/16
Writers' Journal. Write to win. 2/20/09
Opium. Memoir. 2/22/09
Fence Magazine. Poetry, Fiction. 2/28/09
Press 53. Genre Fiction. 2/28/09
March Deadline
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Bellingham Literary Review
49th Parallel Award for Poetry
1st Prize: $1,000
Final Judge: Paulann Peterson
Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction
1st Prize: $1,000 Final Judge: Kim Stafford
Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction
1st Prize: $1,000 Final Judge: Kathleen Alcala
Deadline: Postmarked December 1, 2008 - March 1, 2009
The Southeast Review
The World's Best Short Story Contest
Poetry Contest
Narrative Nonfiction Contest
Deadline: Postmark March 6, 2009
Colorado Review
Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction
$1000 and Publication
Final Judge: Robert Boswell
Deadline: Postmark January 12 - March 13, 2009
Gulf Coast
Poetry, Short Story, & Nonfiction Contest
$1000 each category and Publication
Judged by Brigit Pegeen Kelly (poetry), Antonya Nelson (fiction), and Dinty W. Moore (nonfiction)
Deadline: Postmark December 22, 2008 - March 31, 2009
So To Speak
Annual Short Fiction Contest
Deadline: Postmark March 15, 2009
Bayou Magazine
Nonfiction Bonanza
Deadline: Postmark November 15 - March 31 (annual)
Glimmer Train
Fiction Open
Deadline: Submit during March only (annual)
Harpur Palate
The John Gardner Memorial Prize for Fiction
Deadline: January 1 - March 31 (annual)
Indiana Review
Poetry Prize
$1000 Honorarium and Publication
Final Judge: Natasha Trethewey
Deadline: Postmark March 31, 2009
Shenandoah
The Glasgow Prize for Emerging Writers
2006 Prize - Short Fiction; 2007 Prize - Poetry; 2008 Prize - Creative Nonfiction; 2009 Prize - Short Stories
Deadline: March 15 - March 31 (annual)
Blue Mesa Review. Fiction. 3/1/09
Grain. Poetry, Fiction. 3/1/09
Transitions Abroad. Travel writing. 3/1/09
Stony Brook State University of New York. Fiction. 3/2/09
Selected Shorts.
Fiction. 3/6/09
Diagram. Fiction. 3/9/09
Modern Haiku. 3/13 (annual)
Claremont Review. Fiction, Poetry. 3/15/09
Flint Hills Review. Nonfiction. 3/15 (annual)
The Pinch. Fiction, Poetry. 3/15
Potomac Review. Fiction. 12/1-3/15/09
So To Speak. Fiction. 3/15/09
The Tusculum Review. Fiction. 3/15/09
Arts & Letters. Drama, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry. 3/16/09
Other Voices. Fiction. 3/21/09
Toasted Cheese. Fiction. 3/21 +/- (annual)
Writers' Journal. Fiction. 3/30 (annual)
Writing Our Hope. HS Poetry. 1/1-3/30/09
Canadian Writer's Journal. Fiction. 3/31/09
Permafrost. Fiction. 3/31 (annual)
Poetica Magazine. Poetry. 3/31 (annual)
Press 53. Poetry, Fiction, Short-Short, Novella, Creative Non-Fiction, Genre Fiction, Young Writers. 3/31/09
Whiskey Island. Poetry, Fiction. 3/31 (annual)
April Deadline
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Paterson Literary Review
Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards
$1000/200/100
Deadline: April 1, 2009
Willow Springs
Fiction Prize
$1000 and Publication
Deadline: Postmark April 1, 2009
sub-TERRAIN
Lush Triumphant
Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction
Deadline: Postmark April 15 (annual)
Glimmer Train
Family Matters Contest
Standard Short Story Contest
Deadline: April 30 (annual)
The Ledge
Poetry Awards Competition
$1000/250/100 Prizes + Publication
Deadline: April 30, 2009
Nimrod International
The 31th Nimrod/Hardman Awards
The Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction &
The Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry
$2k + Trip to Tulsa Awards/1k
Deadline: Postmark January 1 - April 30, 2009
The Baltimore Review. Nonfiction. 4/1 (annual)
Crab Orchard Review. Poetry, Prose. 4/1 (annual)
Eleventh Muse. Poetry. 4/1/09
Event. Creative Non-Fiction. 4/15/09
Poetry International. 4/15/09
Canadian Writer's Journal. Fiction. 4/30/09
Crab Orchard Review. Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction. 4/30/09
Writers' Journal. Poetry. 4/30 (annual)
May Deadline
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The Journal
Short Story Contest
Deadline: Postmark May 1 (annual)
The Malahat Review
Far Horizons Award for Fiction
Deadline: Postmark May 1, 2009
(Alternating years fiction/poetry: poetry-2010.)
The Southwest Review
David Nathan Mayerson Prize for Fiction
Deadline: May 1 (annual)
subTerrain
Annual Literary Awards Competition
Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-fiction
Deadline: Postmark May 15 (annual)
New Letters
Annual Literary Awards Competition
Poetry, Creative Non-Fiction, and Fiction
Deadline: Postmark May 18 (annual)
Glimmer Train
Short Story Award for New Writers
Deadline: Submit during May only (annual)
Blue Collar Review. Poetry. Dealine 5/1 (annual)
Atlanta Review. Poetry. 5/8/09
The LBJ: Avian Life, Literary Arts. Poetry, Prose.
5/15 (annual).
Blind Man's Rainbow. Poetry. 5/15 (annual)
Dancing Poetry Contest. Poetry. 5/15 (annual)
Room of One's Own. Fiction, Poetry. 5/15 (annual)
Vocabula Review. Prose. 5/30 (annual)
Writers' Journal. Photography. 5/30 (annual)
Writers' Journal. Fiction. May 30 (annual)
Perigee. Poetry. 5/31 (annual)
Runes: A Review of Poetry. Poetry. 5/31 (annual)
University of Georgia Press. Fiction. 5/31 (annual)
June Deadline
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Southern Poetry Review
Guy Owen Prize Contest
Deadline: March 1 - June 15 (annual)
Glimmer Train
Fiction Open
Deadline: Submit during June only (annual)
the new renaissance
tnr Poetry Award
The Louise E. Reynolds Memorial Fiction Award
The awards are give for each 3-issue volume of tnr, and only writers published in that volume are eligible.
Deadline: January 2 – June 30 for fiction or poetry;
September 1 – October 31 for fiction only
Boston Review. Poetry. 6/1 (annual)
Literal Latte Magazine. Fiction. 6/7 (annual)
Chelsea. Fiction. 6/15 (annual)
Toasted Cheese. Nonfiction. 6/21 (annual)
Gival Press. Poetry. 6/27 (annual)
The Litchfield Review. Poetry, Prose. 6/30 (semi-annual)
Lunch Hour Stories. Fiction. 6/30 (annual)
July Deadline
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Comstock Review
The Comstock Review Poetry Contest
Final Judge: Carolyn Forché
Deadline: Postmark July 1 (annual)
Glimmer Train
Fiction Open
Summer Deadline: May 1– July 15 (annual)
Winter Deadline: November 1 - January 15 (annual)
New Millennium Writings
Semi-annual Contest
Fiction, Poetry, Short-short Fiction, & Creative Non-fiction
$1000 first prize in each category & publication
Deadlines: January 31 and July 17
Glimmer Train
Family Matters Contest
Standard Short Story Contest
Deadline: Submit during July only (annual)
The Baltimore Review. Poetry. 7/1 (annual)
Literal Latte Magazine. Poetry. 7/15 (annual)
Post Road Magazine. Fiction, Poetry. 7/15 (annual)
Rosebud. Poetry. 61-7/15 (annual)
Writers' Journal. Fiction. 7/30 (annual)
Adirondack Review. Poetry. 7/31 (annual)
August Deadline
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Rattle
Poetry Prize
$5k 1st & 10 $100 Honorable Mentions
Deadline: Postmark August 1, 2009
Glimmer Train
Very Short Fiction Award
Deadline: Submit during August only (annual)
Our Stories
Emerging Writers Story Contest
Deadline: June 1 - August 31 (annual)
Feedback provided for all entries
Smartish Pace. Poetry. 8/15 (annual)
The Writers Journal. Fiction. 8/20 (annual)
Writers' Journal. Poetry. 8/30 (annual)
Whidbey Island Writers Association. Prose, Poetry. Monthly
September Deadline
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Glimmer Train
Fiction Open
Deadline: Submit during September only (annual)
The Southwest Review
Morton Marr Poetry Prize
Deadline: Postmark September 30 (annual)
The SubtleTea Poetry, Fiction, Essay. 9/15 (annual)
Literal Latte Magazine. Essay. 9/20 (annual)
Other Voices. Poetry. 9/21/09
Toasted Cheese. Fiction. 9/21 +/- (annual)
ARC Poetry Magazine. Poetry. 9/30 (annual)
Canadian Writer's Journal. Fiction. 4/30/09
October Deadline
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Harpur Palate
The Milton Kessler Memorial Prize for Poetry
Deadline: July 1 - October 1 (annual)
Glimmer Train
Family Matters Contest
Standard Short Story Contest
Deadline: Submit during October only (annual)
Boston Review. Fiction. 10/1 (annual)
The Mid-American Review. Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction. 10/1 (annual)
The Missouri Review. Prose, Poetry. 10/1 (annual)
Rosebud. Fiction. 10/1/09
Yalobusha Review. Fiction. 10/1 (annual)
North American Review. Poetry. 10/31 (annual)
Wild Violet. Fiction. 10/31 (annual)
November Deadline
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The Briar Cliff Review
Poetry and Fiction Contest
Deadline: November 1 (annual)
Harpur Palate
The Milton Kessler Memorial Prize for Poetry
Deadline: July 1 - Extended to November 1 (annual)
The Tampa Review
Danahy Fiction Prize
Deadline: November 1 (annual)
Glimmer Train
Short Story Award for New Writers
Deadline: Submit during November only (annual)
The Baltimore Review. Fiction. 11/1 (annual)
Compass Rose. Poetry. 11/1 (annual)
Smartish Pace. Poetry. 11/1 (annual)
Sow's Ear Poetry Review. Poetry. 11/1 (annual)
Blind Man's Rainbow. Poetry. 11/15 (annual)
Compass Rose. Poetry. 8/1 - 11/15 (annual)
Hollins University. Poetry. 11/15 (annual)
Yemassee Journal. Fiction. 11/15 (annual)
Writers' Journal. Photography. 11/30 (annual)
Writers' Journal. Nonfiction. 11/30 (annual)
December Deadline
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Phoebe
Winter Fiction Contest
Judge: Benjamin Percy
Greg Grummer Poetry Award
Judge: Bin Ramke
Deadline: Postmark December 1 (annual)
Glimmer Train
Fiction Open
Deadline: Submit during December only (annual)
The Atlantic. Poetry, Fiction, Essay. 12/1 (annual)
Blue Earth Review. Flash Fiction. 12/1 (annual)
The Cream City Review. Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry. 12/1 (annual)
Chelsea. Poetry. 12/15 (annual)
The Fiddlehead. Poetry, Fiction. 12/15 (annual)
Toasted Cheese. Fiction. 12/21 (annual)
Writers' Journal. Poetry. 12/30 (annual)
The Adirondack Review. Photography. 12/31 (annual)
The Litchfield Review. Poetry, Prose. 12/31 (semi-annual)
Lunch Hour Stories. Fiction. 12/31 (annual)
Perigee. Fiction. 12/31 (annual)
Wild Violet. Poetry. 12/31 (annual)
Open Deadline or No Noted Deadline
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Zone 3
Annual Fiction Award
No Deadline
poemeleon. Poetry.
Awards for Published Works
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American Poetry Review
The Jerome J. Shestack Poetry Prizes
Two annual prizes for poetry published in APR dduring the calendar year.
Beloit Poetry Journal
"Awarded to the author of the poem or group of poems that the editors judge to be the most outstanding among those we've published during the previous year."
Michigan Quarterly Review
Lawrence Foundation Prize
"This is not a contest."
Best short story published in MQR the previous year.
Narrative Magazine
The $4,000 Narrative Prize is awarded annually for the best short story, novel excerpt, poem, or work of literary nonfiction published by a new or emerging writer in Narrative.
the new renaissance
tnr Poetry Award
The Louise E. Reynolds Memorial Fiction Award
The awards are give for each 3-issue volume of tnr, and only writers published in that volume are eligible.
Deadline: January 2 – June 30 for fiction or poetry;
September 1 – October 31 for fiction only
The Paris Review
The Plimpton Prize
Awarded to the best work of fiction published in The Paris Review in a given year by an emerging or previously unpublished writer.
The Paris Review Hadada
Awarded annually to a distinguished member of the literary community who has demonstrated a strong and unique commitment to the literary arts.
PRISM International
The Earle Birney Prize for Poetry
Awarded annually to an outstanding poetry contributor published in PRISM.
Rhino
Annual Editors’ Prizes for works published in Rhino.
Shenandoah
Fiction, Poetry, Essay
Awarded annually to the best author in each genre published during the volume year.
The Glasgow Prize for Emerging Writers
Eligibility for 2007 Prize: all writers of POETRY with only one published book in that genre.
Deadline: March 15 to March 31
Flannery O'Connor
$1000 for Best O'Connor-related work published in the Fall 2010 issue of Shenandoah.
Deadline: October 1, 2009
The Southern Review
The Eudora Welty Prize in Fiction
given to the best short story published in The
Southern Review each volume year
The Robert Penn Warren Prize in Poetry
given to the best poem or group of poems published in
The Southern Review each volume year
The Cleanth Brooks Prize in Nonfiction
given to the best work of nonfiction published in
The Southern Review each volume year
Southwest Review
McGinnis-Ritchie Awards for Fiction and Nonfiction, Essay
Awarded annually to the best genre works published during the previous year in SR's pages.
The Elizabeth Matchett Stover Memorial Award
Awarded to the best poem or group of poems published during the previous year in SR's pages.
Morton Marr Poetry Prize
An annual award to a poem by a writer who has not yet published a first book of poetry.
The David Nathan Meyerson Prize for Fiction
New prize, beginning in 2008, for fiction writers who have not published a first book.
Arc Poetry Magazine. Poetry. Reviews.
Birmingham Poetry Review. Poetry.
Chaffin Journal. Poetry. Fiction
Free Lunch. Poetry.
Hunger Mountain. Open Genre.
Pilgrimage. Essay. 2008.
Weber Studies. Poetry, Prose.
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