Writing Contests & Book Contests
NewPages Classifieds

Deadline: January 31, 2021
Nervous Ghost Press is currently accepting manuscript submissions for the 2021 Nervous Ghost Press Prizes for Poetry and Prose. $1000, publication, author copies, and a California reading tour to each winner (virtual tour depending on Covid-19 travel restrictions). $24 entry fee via Submittable – discounts and fee waivers are available. All genres are accepted except for work in translation. Open to those with a valid US mailing address. Deadline: January 31, 2021. Judges are Debra Moore Munoz (prose) & Michale Graves (poetry). For more information and complete guidelines, please visit: www.nervousghostpress.com/prizes or contact .

Deadline: March 15, 2021
Zizzle Literary Flash Fiction Contest Judged by David Galef & Karen Heuler. First Prize: $1,000. Second Prize: $500. Three Finalists: $150 each. Entry Fee: $5. Every week during our submission period, we’ll post one-sentence dialogue writing prompts on social media. Choose a dialogue prompt that inspires you and write a story that includes the prompt. Complete Guidelines at our website: zizzlelit.com/contest/. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates and free audio editions.

Deadline: March 31, 2021
Entries for the Ernest Hemingway Flash Fiction Prize should be approximately 1,500 words or less. Simultaneous submissions ARE welcome. Deadline: March 31st. Entry fee: $10. Winner will receive $200 and publication in Fiction Southeast. All entries will be considered for publication in Fiction Southeast. Finalists will receive publication in Fiction Southeast. fictionsoutheast.com

Deadline: March 1, 2021
MAYDAY announces two new annual prizes for the poem and short story. Winners receive $1,000, publication, and 25 broadsides of the winning poem or an excerpt from the winning story. Use the online submission system to submit up to 3 poems for the poetry prize or up to 6,000 words for the fiction prize. $20 entry fee. Submit by January 31, 2021, for $15 early bird rate. Jacques Rancourt will judge the poetry prize and Kali Wallace will judge the fiction prize. All entries considered for publication. For more info, visit maydaymagazine.com/contests.

Deadline: April 12, 2021
Fix, Grist’s solutions lab, is launching a new climate-fiction contest, Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors. Imagine calls for short stories envisioning the next 180 years of climate progress, judged by renowned authors Adrienne Maree Brown, Morgan Jerkins, and Kiese Laymon. The top contest winners will be awarded $3000, $2000, and $1000 respectively, and nine finalists will receive a $300 honorarium. Winners and finalists will be published in an immersive digital collection. We want to see—and share—stories that bring into focus what a truly just and regenerative future could look like. Submit your story by April 12 at grist.submittable.com/submit and contact us at .

Deadline: March 31, 2021
$1,000 first prize in each category plus publication in Prime Number Magazine. Reading fee $15. Poetry judged by Stacy R. Nigliazzo, author of Sky the Oar and Scissored Moon. Short Fiction judged by Dennis McFadden, author of Jimtown Road, winner of the 2016 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction. Open January 1 to March 31. Submit online through Submittable. Details at www.Press53.com/prime-number-magazine-awards.

Deadline: January 31, 2021
Blackwater Press is pleased to announce its first short story contest. Our theme is our logo, the Blackwater Bird. We seek entries between 1,000 and 10,000 words. The top ten stories will be published in a collection in 2021. First place winner will receive $150; two runners up will receive $50 each. For full details, please see www.blackwaterpress.com/storycontest. Deadline is January 31.

Deadline: 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!

Deadline: February 28, 2021
Cloudbank is now accepting poetry submissions for Cloudbank 15, which will be published in July, 2021. A prize of $200 will be awarded for one poem or short prose piece. Entry fee is $15 and includes a two-issue subscription. Submissions accepted via Submittable or by mail. Complete contest guidelines can be found at Contest Guidelines. Recent issues have featured poems by Robert Morgan, Richard Jones, Alice Friman, and Bruce Bond. For information about past issues, including winning poems, visit Cloudbank.  Revive us with your fire.

Deadline: January 31, 2021
We want to see Maryland in your work. A street in Baltimore. The Ocean City Boardwalk. Eating at the Korean BBQ place in Remington. Climbing the steps in the Hooper Strait Lighthouse at St. Michaels. That time you played the slots at the Rocky Gap Casino. What happened on the Light Rail after the ballgame at Camden Yards. Just give us a glimpse of Maryland. No need to be a Maryland resident. Submit 1-3 poems. $5 fee. $300 and publication for the winning poem. All poems considered for publication in the spring issue and payment at regular rate. baltimorereview.org

Deadline: January 31, 2021
The Roadrunner Review invites students to submit to our third annual Roadrunner Prizes. The winners in each genre—cover art, poetry, flash fiction, and flash nonfiction—will receive $100 and publication in ISSUE 7. All submissions will be considered for publication. Submissions are free via Submittable. roadrunner.lasierra.edu/submissions/

Deadline: April 1, 2021
The 2021 Orison Prizes in Poetry & Fiction offer $1,500 and publication by Orison Books for a full-length manuscript in each genre. Judges: Jericho Brown (poetry) & Debra Spark (fiction). Entry fee: $25. Entry period: December 1, 2020 - April 1, 2021. For complete guidelines visit our Duotrope listing.

Deadline: 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 31st, 2021. www.indieexcellence.com

Deadline: March 5, 2021
We are accepting submissions to our 3rd annual chapbook contest. A prize of $250 and publication by Backbone Press along with 25 author copies is given to the winner. Iain Haley Pollock will judge. See our website for full guidelines: backbonepress.org/submissions/chapbook-competition/.

Deadline: February 7, 2021
Open to un-agented writers worldwide, the First Pages Prize 2021 invites you to enter your first 5 pages of a fiction or creative nonfiction manuscript. 5 winners receive $5,000 USD, a developmental edit, and agent consultation. Lan Samantha Chang, director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, to judge. Enter Jan 1- Feb 7; extended deadline Feb 21, 2021. For guidelines, terms & conditions, visit www.firstpagesprize.com. Happy writing and we cannot wait to read your pages!