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NewPages Blog :: Writing Contests

Discover writing and book contests from literary magazines, independent publishers, university presses, creative writing programs, and more.

Contests :: The Headlight Review Chapbook Prize

Kennesaw State University logoDeadline: After 80 submissions received
The Headlight Review’s Annual Chapbook Prize in Prose is open for submissions! Send us your very best literary fiction, 6k-10k words, and you will be considered by our expert panel of judges for a $500 cash prize and publication of your manuscript. Submissions are $20 each, and all finalists will also be considered for publication. Publication in THR’s regular genres (Poetry, Nonfiction, Fiction, Book Reviews, & Interviews) is also year-round, and it is free to submit. Submission Guidelines for The Chapbook Prize, and for our year-round submissions, can be found on our website. We look forward to reading your work!

Contest :: River Styx 2021 Microfiction Contest: $1000 Prize and Publication

River Styx 2021 Microfiction Contest BannerDeadline: December 31, 2020
River Styx offers a prize of $1,000 for a single microfiction story of 500 words or fewer. The top three stories will be published, and all stories will be considered for publication. Your choice of entry fee: $20 to receive a one-year (two issue) subscription or $15 to receive just the issue with the winning stories. Submit up to three stories per entry, maximum 500 words per story. Additional stories may be submitted with additional fees. Submissions may not be previously published either in print or online. Submit via mail or Submittable. Complete guidelines are posted at www.riverstyx.org/submit/microfiction-contest/.

Contest :: Reading Works 2021 Short Short Story Contest

Reading Works 2nd Annual Short Short Story ContestDeadline: January 15, 2021
Take the challenge and write a short short story using 100 words. Topics: ants, bowling, 1940s, water. 7 cash prizes: Best of Contest ($100), Best of Category ($50), Best Youth Story (authors 14 and younger, $50), People’s Choice ($50). Submission fee: $10. Reading Works is a 501(c)(3) community based literacy program that provides free reading, writing and English acquisition tutoring to teens and adults. Proceeds from the contest support literacy programs. To learn more please visit our website.

Contest :: Sagauro Poetry Prize Deadline is December 31

Kallisto Gaia Press logoDeadline: December 31, 2020
The Saguaro Poetry Prize winner is awarded $1,200, twenty author copies, plus publication and promotion by Kallisto Gaia Press for 28–48 pages of contemporary poetry. Ire’ne Lara Silva (Cuicacalli / House of Song, 2019) will judge. Runner up receives $100. Entry fee is $25. All entrants receive a copy of the winning collection! Deadline: December 31, 2020. Sponsored by Duotrope. More info at kallistogaiapress.submittable.com/submit.

Contest :: 15th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards

2021 National Indie Excellence Awards bannerDeadline: March 31, 2021
The National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA) are open to all English language printed books available for sale, including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, and self-published authors. NIEA is proud to be a champion of self-publishing and small independent presses going the extra mile to produce books of excellence in every aspect. All entries for the 15th Annual NIEA contest must be postmarked by March 31, 2021. Categories include poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, screenplays, cross-genre, comics, translations, and more. View our website for a full list of categories: www.indieexcellence.com.

Contest :: Don’t forget Interim’s Test Site Poetry Prize Deadline is December 15

Interim 2020 Test Site Poetry Prize bannerDeadline: December 15, 2020
Submit your manuscript to Interim’s 3rd annual Test Site Poetry Contest! As our series title suggests, we’re looking for manuscripts that engage the perilous conditions of life in the 21st century, as they pertain to issues of social justice and the earth. The winning book will demonstrate an ethos that considers the human condition in inclusive love and sympathy, while offering the same in consideration of the earth. Because we believe the truth is always experimental, we’ll especially appreciate books with innovative approaches. The winner will receive $1,000 and their book will be published by University of Nevada Press in 2021.

November 2020 eLitPak :: Tartt First Fiction Award

November 2020 - January 2021 Livingston Press eLitPak flier screenshot
click image to open PDF

Winning short story collection will be published by Livingston Press at the University of West Alabama, in simultaneous hardcover and trade paper editions, also in e-book and Kindle. Winner will receive $1000, plus our standard royalty contract, which includes 50 copies of the book. Author must not have had book of short fiction published at time of entry, though novels or poetry are okay. Deadline: March 15, 2021.

View full November eLitPak Newsletter here.

November 2020 eLitPak :: december magazine 2021 Poetry Contest

December Magazine eLitPak flier
click image to open PDF

2021 Jeff Marks Memorial Poetry Prize

Carl Phillips will judge. $1,500 & publication (winner); $500 & publication (honorable mention); all finalists published in the 2021 Spring/Summer awards issue. Submit up to 3 poems per entry. $20 entry fee includes copy of the awards issue. Submit October 1 to December 1. For complete guidelines please visit our website.

View full November eLitPak Newsletter here.

Contest :: Win a Full-Tuition Scholarship to Interlochen Arts Academy

Interlochen Arts Academy LogoDeadline: January 14, 2021
Interlochen Arts Academy is now accepting submissions for the 2021 Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Scholarship Competition. Apply to win a full-tuition scholarship to Interlochen Arts Academy. All students in grades 8-11 during this academic year are eligible to apply. Applicants must submit writing samples in two of the following genres: Literary Fiction; Poetry; Personal Essay or Memoir; Screenwriting; Playwriting; Experimental/Unclassifiable Writing. For submission guidelines and more information, visit write.interlochen.org. Use application fee waiver code: WRITE21.

Contest :: Carve Magazine Prose & Poetry Contest Extends Deadline

Carve Prose & Poetry Contest 2020 Extended DeadlineExtended Deadline: November 20
Carve Magazine‘s Prose & Poetry Contest deadline has been extended to November 20. Accepting submissions from all over the world, but work must be in English. Max 10,000 words for fiction and nonfiction; 2,000 words for poetry. Prizes: $1,000 each for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. All 3 winners published online in Spring 2021. $23 late entry fee. Guest judges are Shruti Swamy for fiction; Kendra Allen for nonfiction; and Roy G. Guzmán for poetry. www.carvezine.com/prose-poetry-contest/

Accepting Submissions: The Headlight Review Chapbook Prize

Kennesaw State University logoDeadline: After 80 submissions received
The Headlight Review’s Annual Chapbook Prize in Prose is open for submissions! Send us your very best literary fiction, 6k-10k words, and you will be considered by our expert panel of judges for a $500 cash prize and publication of your manuscript. Submissions are $20 each, and all finalists will also be considered for publication. Publication in THR’s regular genres (Poetry, Nonfiction, Fiction, Book Reviews, & Interviews) is also year-round, and it is free to submit. Submission Guidelines for The Chapbook Prize, and for our year-round submissions, can be found on our website. We look forward to reading your work!

Driftwood Press Adrift Contest Winners

Earlier this week, Driftwood Press announced the winners of their third annual Adrift Chapbook Contest.

Winner
Lily-livered by Wren Hanks

Runner-up
Dead Uncles by Ben Kline

Guest Judge Sandra Beasley chose each of these chapbooks which will be available in 2021.

In fiction, T. Geronimo Johnson selected “Myopic” by Mason Boyles as this year’s Adrift Contest winner. This story will appear in the January 2021 issue of Driftwood Press.

If you’re disappointed you missed your chance to submit this year, no worries! The Driftwood Press Poem Contest and the Driftwood Press Short Story Contest are both currently open for submissions until January 15.

Contest :: Reminder Carve’s 2020 Prose & Poetry Contest Closes November 15

Flier for Carve Magazine's Prose & Poetry Contest 2020Deadline: November 15
Carve Magazine‘s Prose & Poetry Contest deadline is November 15. Accepting submissions from all over the world, but work must be in English. Max 10,000 words for fiction and nonfiction; 2,000 words for poetry. Prizes: $1,000 each for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. All 3 winners published online in Spring 2021. Entry fee $17 online only. Guest judges are Shruti Swamy for fiction; Kendra Allen for nonfiction; and Roy G. Guzmán for poetry. www.carvezine.com/prose-poetry-contest/

Contest :: Reminder Inaugural Acacia Fiction Prize Accepting Submissions

Kallisto Gaia Press logoDeadline: December 31, 2020
The Acacia Fiction Prize winner is awarded $1,200, 20 author copies, plus publication and promotion by Kallisto Gaia Press for a collection of short stories, flash fiction, novellas, or any combination of fiction totaling between 40K and 75K words. Richard Z. Santos (Trust Me, 2020) will judge. Runner up receives $100. Entry fee is $25. All entrants receive a copy of the winning collection! Deadline: December 31, 2020. Sponsored by Duotrope. More info at kallistogaiapress.submittable.com/submit.

Contest :: National Indie Excellence Awards 2021 Open for Entries

2021 National Indie Excellence Awards bannerThe National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA) are open to all English language printed books available for sale, including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, and self-published authors. NIEA is proud to be a champion of self-publishing and small independent presses going the extra mile to produce books of excellence in every aspect. All entries for the 15th Annual NIEA contest must be postmarked by March 31, 2021. www.indieexcellence.com

Contest :: The 2020 Jane Underwood Poetry Prize

Deadline: December 1, 2020
The 4th annual Jane Underwood Poetry Prize is accepting submissions! Open to all poets, the prize is awarded for a single poem. For a fee of $15, submit one entry of up to three poems. The prizewinner will receive an award of $250, online publication of the winning poem, and an invitation to do a featured reading. This year’s final judge is David Hernandez. Full guidelines can be found at www.writingsalons.com/awards-resources/jane-underwood-poetry-prize/.

Contest :: 2020 Philadelphia Stories/Sandy Crimmins National Prize for Poetry

Philadelphia Stories 2020 Sandy Crimmins National Prize for Poetry bannerDeadline: November 15, 2020
The Sandy Crimmins National Prize for Poetry is an annual national poetry prize featuring a $1,000 cash award for first place. Three runners up will each receive a $250 cash award. The winning and runner up poems are published in the Spring issue with these poems and honorable mentions also appearing online. The Crimmins Prize celebrates risk, innovation, and emotional engagement. We especially encourage poets from underrepresented groups and backgrounds to send their work. philadelphiastories.org

Contest :: Baltimore Review Wants Prose Under 1,000 Words for Winter 2020 Contest

Deadline: November 30, 2020
No theme for our winter contest. Subject matter is entirely up to you. Surprise us! But keep it short. Two categories: flash fiction and flash creative nonfiction. We want to be amazed at how you abracadabra 1,000 or less into magic. And maybe be a little jealous of how you do that. One writer in each category will be awarded a $300 prize and published in the winter issue. All entries considered for publication and payment. Final judge: Diana Spechler. See www.baltimorereview.org for complete details. Deadline: November 30, 2020. Fee: $5.

Contest :: Win More than $8,000 of IvyZen’s Premium Mentoring Services

IvyZen Scholarship flier
click to open PDF

Application Deadline: November 15, 2020
At IvyZen, our greatest joy is helping realize the potential of top students looking to get into Ivy League Schools. The scholarship program provides the following services and totals more than $8,000 worth of our premium mentoring services: How to craft a unique and compelling theme to make your application stand out; Overall application strategy and plan; How to write Ivy League admissions essays; Brainstorming Essays; College List Consultation; Free access to our project management platform to keep all your essays and materials organized; and 24/7 online access to the IvyZen Mentorship Team.

Contest :: Reminder: Interim’s 2020 Test Site Poetry Contest Open to Submissions

Interim 2020 Test Site Poetry Prize bannerDeadline: December 15, 2020
Submit your manuscript to Interim’s 3rd annual Test Site Poetry Contest! As our series title suggests, we’re looking for manuscripts that engage the perilous conditions of life in the 21st century, as they pertain to issues of social justice and the earth. The winning book will demonstrate an ethos that considers the human condition in inclusive love and sympathy, while offering the same in consideration of the earth. Because we believe the truth is always experimental, we’ll especially appreciate books with innovative approaches. The winner will receive $1,000 and their book will be published by University of Nevada Press in 2021.

Contest :: Announcing The Creative Block Essay Contest

Deadline: November 30, 2020
We seek previously unpublished personal essays up to 2,000 words about the creative endeavor that you paused. Yes, we want to hear about the dreaded creative block. Tell us a story about your circumstances and what was going through your head as you put down your work. Was it a relief to put aside your art? A regret? Is it still an idea that you kept coming back to, unable to shake? The winner will receive $650, and the submission fee is $10. The contest is open to writers worldwide until November 30. For more details see criticalread.submittable.com/submit.

Contest :: Saguaro Poetry Prize – $1,200 & Publication

Kallisto Gaia Press logoDeadline: December 31, 2020
The Saguaro Poetry Prize winner is awarded $1,200, twenty author copies, plus publication and promotion by Kallisto Gaia Press for 28–48 pages of contemporary poetry. Ire’ne Lara Silva (Cuicacalli / House of Song, 2019) will judge. Runner up receives $100. Entry fee is $25. All entrants receive a copy of the winning collection! Deadline: December 31, 2020. Sponsored by Duotrope. More info at Submittable.

Contest :: 2023 $5,000 Miller Williams Poetry Prize

Every year, the University of Arkansas Press accepts submissions for the Miller Williams Poetry Series and from the books selected awards the $5,000 Miller Williams Poetry Prize in the following summer. For almost a quarter century the press has made this series the cornerstone of its work as a publisher of some of the country’s best poetry. The series is edited by Patricia Smith. The deadline for the 2023 Prize is September 30, 2021. For more information visit uapress.com.

Contest :: Waxing & Waning Presents: The (TN) Tempest Edition

Deadline: January 17, 2021
With the prompts of living during the COVID-19 pandemic and dealing with natural disasters and their aftermath, this special edition of Waxing & Waning attempts to be the home for beauty during devastation, truth in fear, and human nature as it meets eye-to-eye with Mother Nature (in TN & beyond). One way to heal is for writers/artists to create—to put their hardships on a blank page or canvas. Bring us these attempts. $10 submission fee for all categories. Winners of each category (poetry, prose, & art) will receive a $50 prize. About 30 contributors will be selected for publication.

October eLitPak :: december Magazine 2021 Poetry Contest

December Magazine eLitPak flier
click image to open PDF

2021 Jeff Marks Memorial Poetry Prize

Carl Phillips will judge. $1,500 & publication (winner); $500 & publication (honorable mention); all finalists published in the 2021 Spring/Summer awards issue. Submit up to 3 poems per entry. $20 entry fee includes copy of the awards issue. Submit October 1 to December 1. For complete guidelines please visit our website.

View full October 2020 eLitPak here.

Contest :: Reading Works Short Short Story Contest

Reading Works 2nd Annual Short Short Story ContestDeadline: January 15, 2021
Take the challenge and write a short short story using 100 words. Topics: ants, bowling, 1940s, water. 7 cash prizes: Best of Contest ($100), Best of Category ($50), Best Youth Story (authors 14 and younger, $50), People’s Choice ($50). Submission fee: $10. Reading Works is a 501(c)(3) community based literacy program that provides free reading, writing and English acquisition tutoring to teens and adults. Proceeds from the contest support literacy programs. To learn more go to www.reading-works.org.

Contest :: 2021 Vern Rutsala Book Prize

Jane Craven headshotThe Vern Rutsala Book Prize is an annual contest sponsored by Cloudbank Books. The winner receives a $1,000 cash award, plus publication. This year’s judge is Christopher Buckley. Most recent prize winners are Jane Craven for My Bright Last Country and Timothy Geiger for Weatherbox. Due date for the 2021 prize is Nov. 10, 2020. Entrants receive a copy of Cloudbank. For details visit Contest Guidelines. Cloudbank also awards a $200 prize for one poem or flash fiction published in each magazine. Due date for this contest is February 28, 2021. Regular submissions are accepted year round. For more about Cloudbank Books visit our website. Revive us with your fire.

Contest :: Carve Magazine 2020 Prose & Poetry Contest

Flier for Carve Magazine's Prose & Poetry Contest 2020Deadline: November 15
Carve Magazine‘s Prose & Poetry Contest is open October 1 – November 15. Accepting submissions from all over the world, but work must be in English. Max 10,000 words for fiction and nonfiction; 2,000 words for poetry. Prizes: $1,000 each for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. All 3 winners published online in Spring 2021. Entry fee $17 online only. Guest judges are Shruti Swamy for fiction; Kendra Allen for nonfiction; and Roy G. Guzmán for poetry. www.carvezine.com/prose-poetry-contest/

Contest :: Acacia Fiction Prize! $1,200 & Publication

Kallisto Gaia Press logoDeadline: December 31, 2020
The Acacia Fiction Prize winner is awarded $1,200, twenty author copies, plus publication and promotion by Kallisto Gaia Press for a collection of Short Stories, Flash Fiction, Novellas, or any combination of fiction totaling between 40K and 75K words. Richard Z. Santos (Trust Me, 2020) will judge. Runner up receives $100. Entry fee is $25. All entrants receive a copy of the winning collection! Deadline: December 31, 2020. Sponsored by Duotrope. More info at kallistogaiapress.submittable.com/submit.

Contest :: Zizzle Literary Flash Contest Judged by David Galef & Karen Heuler

Deadline: March 15, 2021
First Prize: $1,000. Second Prize: $500. Three finalists: $150 each. Entry Fee: $5 only. Do you write stories that appeal to both kids and adults? Every week during our submission period, we’ll post one-sentence dialogue writing prompts on our social media platforms. Choose a dialogue prompt that inspires you and write a story that includes the prompt. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: zizzlelit.com/contest/. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER at zizzlelit.com/sign-up/ for updates and free audio editions.

Contest :: Baltimore Review Winter 2020 Contest: 1,000 Words or Less

Deadline: November 30, 2020
No theme for our winter contest. Subject matter is entirely up to you. Surprise us! But keep it short. Two categories: flash fiction and flash creative nonfiction. We want to be amazed at how you abracadabra 1,000 or less into magic. And maybe be a little jealous of how you do that. One writer in each category will be awarded a $300 prize and published in the winter issue. All entries considered for publication and payment. Final judge: Diana Spechler. See www.baltimorereview.org for complete details. Deadline: November 30, 2020. Fee: $5.

Contest :: Geri DiGiorno Prize judged by Laux/Millar & Flash Fiction Prize

Raleigh Review Fall 2020 Contest flier
click image to open PDF

Deadline: Midnight on Halloween 2020
Raleigh Review is currently offering two contests. The RR Flash Fiction Prize is being judged by our esteemed Fiction team ($300 Grand Prize, $13 entry fee). Raleigh Review is also offering the Geri DiGiorno Multi-Genre Prize with Dorianne Laux & Joseph Millar as the judges of the finalists. Think of our DiGiorno Prize as a collage prize that includes at least two of the genres among poetry and/or visual art and/or flash nonfiction ($300 Grand Prize, $13 entry fee). Submissions close by midnight on Halloween. All entrants shall receive the prize print issue for free.

Contest :: The Philadelphia Stories/Sandy Crimmins National Prize for Poetry

Philadelphia Stories 2020 Sandy Crimmins National Prize for Poetry bannerThe Sandy Crimmins National Prize for Poetry is an annual national poetry prize featuring a $1,000 cash award for first place. Three runners up will each receive a $250 cash award. The winning and runner up poems are published in the Spring issue with these poems and honorable mentions also appearing online. The Crimmins Prize celebrates risk, innovation, and emotional engagement. We especially encourage poets from underrepresented groups and backgrounds to send their work. Deadline: November 15, 2020.

Contest :: Scholarship Program for High School Seniors Targeting the Ivy Leagues

IvyZen Scholarship flierApplication Deadline: November 15, 2020
At IvyZen, our greatest joy is helping realize the potential of top students looking to get into Ivy League Schools. The scholarship program provides the following services and totals more than $8,000 worth of our premium mentoring services: How to craft a unique and compelling theme to make your application stand out; Overall application strategy and plan; How to write Ivy League admissions essays; Brainstorming Essays; College List Consultation; Free access to our project management platform to keep all your essays and materials organized; and 24/7 online access to the IvyZen Mentorship Team.

Contest :: Second-Ever #SWWIMEveryDay Competition

Deadline: October 26, 2020
Announcing the second-ever #SWWIMEveryDay competition: SWWIM For-the-Fun-of-It! Deadline: October 26. $5 per poem. First prize: $250 + letterpress broadside + publication; Second prize: $100 + publication; Third prize $50 + publication. Submit up to 10 times. The incomparable Ashley M. Jones is judging! Full guidelines at www.swwim.org/contest-swwim-forthefunofit.

Contest :: F(r)iction Fall 2020 Writing Contests

F(r)iction Fall 2020 Writing Contests bannerDeadline: October 30, 2020
F(r)iction’s Fall 2020 Writing Contests are now open! We are accepting short stories, flash fiction, and poetry and will be awarding $1,600 in prizes. Entries will be judged by our amazing guest judges Lev Grossman, Benjamin Woodard, and Rachel Mennies. The winner in each category will receive free edits from one of our stellar senior editors as well as publication of their piece either online or in our print journal. For more information and to submit your work, please go to frictionlit.org/contests.

Contest :: RHINO Founders’ Prize Deadline is October 15

Ed Roberson headshotDeadline: October 15, 2020
RHINO is open September 1 to October 15 for submissions for its annual Founders’ Prize Poetry Contest. Guest judge will be Ed Roberson, author of numerous poetry collections and recipient of prizes including the Jackson Poetry Prize and the Stephen Henderson Critics Award for Achievement in Literature. Roberson is currently Artist-in-Residence at Northwestern University. Entry fee is $15 for up to 5 poems; first prize $500, two runners-up prizes $100 each. All submissions considered for publication in RHINO’s 2021 issue, and for $500 Editors’ Prize. For 40+ years, RHINO’s award-winning annual print journal has featured stunning, eclectic work. Complete guidelines: rhinopoetry.org.

Contest :: 2022 Miller Williams Poetry Prize Deadline is September 30

Deadline: Rolling
Every year, the University of Arkansas Press accepts submissions for the Miller Williams Poetry Series and from the books selected awards the $5,000 Miller Williams Poetry Prize in the following summer. For almost a quarter century the press has made this series the cornerstone of its work as a publisher of some of the country’s best poetry. The series is edited by Patricia Smith. The deadline for the 2022 Prize is September 30, 2020. For more information visit uapress.com. Michael McGriff was named 2021 Miller Williams Poetry Prize Winner.

Contest :: Interim’s 2020 Test Site Poetry Prize

Interim 2020 Test Site Poetry Prize bannerDeadline: December 15, 2020
Submit your manuscript to Interim’s 3rd annual Test Site Poetry Contest! As our series title suggests, we’re looking for manuscripts that engage the perilous conditions of life in the 21st century, as they pertain to issues of social justice and the earth. The winning book will demonstrate an ethos that considers the human condition in inclusive love and sympathy, while offering the same in consideration of the earth. Because we believe the truth is always experimental, we’ll especially appreciate books with innovative approaches. The winning book will be chosen by the series editor and advisory board, which includes poets Sherwin Bitsui, Donald Revell, Sasha Steensen and Ronaldo Wilson. The winner will receive $1,000 and their book will be published by University of Nevada Press in 2021.

September 2020 eLitPak :: EVENT Non-Fiction Contest Deadline October 15

EVENT eLitPak flier
click image to open PDF

EVENT: A home for writers. A destination for readers. We are now accepting submissions of 5,000 words or less to the annual EVENT Non-Fiction Contest. $3,000 in prizes, plus publication. Entries must be postmarked or submitted online by October 15, 2020. Visit our website for full contest guidelines, exclusive online content, and our unique Reading Service for Writers.

View full September eLitPak here.

September 2020 eLitPak :: december magazine Seeks Submissions for our 2021 Poetry Contest

December Magazine eLitPak flier
click image to open PDF

2021 Jeff Marks Memorial Poetry Prize. Carl Phillips will judge. $1,500 & publication (winner); $500 & publication (honorable mention); all finalists published in the 2021 Spring/Summer awards issue. Submit up to 3 poems per entry. $20 entry fee includes copy of the awards issue. Submit October 1 to December 1. For complete guidelines please visit our website.

View the full September eLitPak here.

Contest :: Announcing THE BOILER PRIZE

The Boiler Prize banner 2020Deadline: November 30
THE BOILER challenges you to submit flash/hybrid pieces under 800 words for this year’s prize. We welcome fragments, experiments, prose poems, flash essays/fiction. The only thing that matters is whether you can sustain our attention and craft a well-written, sleek, beautiful little thing. The deadline for submission is November 30. One winner will be published in our winter issue. A runner-up will be awarded $250 and also be offered publication. Additional finalists will be considered for our winter issue. Submission fee is $7. Close friends and colleagues should not submit.

Contest :: Embracing Our Differences 2021

Deadline: October 7, 2021
Embracing Our Differences is seeking submissions for an outdoor juried art exhibit featuring 50 billboard size images created by local, national, and international artists and writers. The combination of visual art and the written word adds a deeper dimension to the overall experience. The display reflects the artists’ and writers’ interpretations of the theme “enriching lives through diversity.” The exhibit is displayed annually at Bayfront Park in downtown Sarasota and will be displayed from January 20 – April 1, 2021. A $1,000 award is given for “Best Quotation.”

Contest :: The Wishing Jewel Prize

2020 Wishing Jewel Prize bannerDeadline: November 30, 2020
The Wishing Jewel Prize honors a manuscript that challenges expectations of genre, form, or mode while engaging the rich possibilities of lyrical expression. Named for an essay in Anne Carson’s innovative book Plainwater, we look forward to work that questions the boundaries of what poems and books can be. Contest awards $1,000 and publication. All finalists considered for publication. Reading fee: various. For more information visit our Submissions Manager.

Contest :: Third Annual Minds on Fire Open Book Prize

Conduit Books & Ephemera logoDeadline: October 31, 2020
Conduit Books & Ephemera’s third annual open book prize is accepting manuscripts. If you have a manuscript or know someone who does, please give them a shot. Open to any poet writing in English regardless of previous publication record, the prize seeks to represent the best contemporary writing in high quality editions of enduring value. Prospective entrants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with Conduit, which champions originality, intelligence, irreverence, and humanity. Previously unpublished manuscripts of 48-90 pages should be submitted through their Submittable page or via the USPS. Please visit www.conduit.org/book-prizes for details.

Contest :: 2020 Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest Deadline is September 30

Winning Writers Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry ContestDeadline: September 30, 2020
The Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest is now in its 18th year, sponsored by Winning Writers. Win $3,000 for a poem in any style and $3,000 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. Total prizes: $8,000. The top two winners will also receive two-year gift certificates from our co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value). Both published and unpublished work accepted. Winning entries published online. Fee: $15 per poem. Length limit: 250 lines. Judged by S. Mei Sheng Frazier, assisted by Jim DuBois. This contest is recommended by Reedsy as one of the best of 2020. See past winners, advice from the judge, and submit online at winningwriters.com/tompoetry.

Contest :: Ghost Story Fall 2020 Supernatural Fiction Award

Ghost Riding a BicycleDeadline: September 30, 2020
Our biannual competition is now open for submissions. We want exciting, thought-provoking short stories incorporating a supernatural theme or element. Contemporary magic realism is more than welcome. $1,000 for the winner; two honorable mentions receive $250. October 31 online publication for all three, including custom illustration by noted British Folk Horror artist Andy Paciorek, plus print anthology publication in Volume II of 21st Century Ghost Stories due for publication in 2021. (Volume I was published in 2018 by Wyrd Harvest Press of Durham, U.K., and is available for purchase.) 1,500-10,000 words. Deadline: September 30. $20 submission fee. See our website for complete guidelines.

Contest :: RHINO 2020 Founders’ Prize Judged by Ed Roberson

Ed Roberson headshotDeadline: October 15, 2020
RHINO is open Sept. 1 – Oct. 15 for submissions for its annual Founders’ Prize Poetry Contest. Guest judge will be Ed Roberson, author of numerous poetry collections and recipient of prizes including the Jackson Poetry Prize and the Stephen Henderson Critics Award for Achievement in Literature. Roberson is currently Artist-in-Residence at Northwestern University. Entry fee is $15 for up to 5 poems; first prize $500, two runners-up prizes $100 each. All submissions considered for publication in RHINO’s 2021 issue, and for $500 Editors’ Prize. For 40+ years, RHINO’s award-winning annual print journal has featured stunning, eclectic work. Complete guidelines at our website.

Contest :: 2020 Charles B. Wheeler Poetry Prize from The Journal

The Journal 2020 Charles B. Wheeler Poetry Prize bannerDeadline: October 5, 2020
Charles B. Wheeler Poetry Prize. Submissions open September 1, 2020. Judge Marcus Jackson will select one full-length manuscript for publication by Mad Creek Books, the trade imprint of The Ohio State University Press. In addition to publication under a standard book contract, the winner receives the Charles B. Wheeler prize of $2,500. A nonrefundable fee of $23.00 (or $11.50 for BIPOC poets) will be charged for each entry. All entrants receive a one-year subscription to The Journal. Visit our contest page for guidelines. (If it is a hardship to meet the entry fee, contact our editor ([email protected]) to discuss options.)

Contest :: Raleigh Review Fall Writing Contests Open

Deadline: Midnight on Halloween 2020
Raleigh Review is currently offering two contests. The RR Flash Fiction Prize is being judged by our esteemed Fiction team ($300 Grand Prize, $13 entry fee). Raleigh Review is also offering the Geri Digiorno Multi-Genre Prize with Dorianne Laux & Joseph Millar as the judges of the finalists. Think of our Digiorno Prize as a collage prize that includes at least two of the genres among poetry and/or visual art and/or flash nonfiction ($300 Grand Prize, $13 entry fee). Submissions close by midnight on Halloween. All entrants shall receive the prize print issue for free.