The Flash 500 Flash Fiction Contest A quarterly, open-themed flash fiction competition where the prize money truly reflects the skill required to encapsulate an entire story in just 500 words. Only manuscripts which are within the 500-word limit will be accepted. Deadlines: June 30 – September 30 – and December 31 Categories: All themes Prizes: First prize: £300, Second…
2026 Write the World Personal Essay Competition Deadline: June 22 Categories: Non-fiction, Essays Prizes: Winner receives $100 writetheworld.org #writetheworld The 2026 Write the World Personal Essay Competition invites young writers (ages 13-19) to share personal stories, focusing on the theme ‘Build a bridge.’ Participants are encouraged to include characters, descriptions, and narrative details. share a…
The Black Orchid Novella Contest Celebrating the novella format, this contest encourages original, unpublished works that conform to the mystery genre’s traditional forms, specifically inspired by the Nero Wolfe series. The contest is designed to highlight the novella, requiring submissions that are tight and engaging, devoid of explicit content. Deadline: May 31 Categories: The mystery should be…
2026 Inciting Incident Writing Contest The Inciting Incident Script Competition aims to help writers discover if their work is engaging enough to captivate the Hollywood gatekeeper to receive the elusive “Recommend.” Submit your first few pages (up to 12) of your screenplay with your inciting incident or your short screenplay or one-act play. Open to writers…
Prairie Schooner Summer Creative Nonfiction Contest: Deadline: May 15 #prarieschooner Get your essays ready! Submissions to the 2026 Summer Creative Nonfiction Contest open next week. One winner will receive $1000 and publication in the Spring 2027 issue (our centennial issue!). Contest submissions will open from May 15 to August 1. The contest is open to…
2026 Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition Writer’s Digest has been shining a spotlight on up-and-coming writers in all genres through its Annual Writing Competition for over 90 years. Enter their 95th Annual Writing Competition for your chance to win and have your work be seen by editors and agents! Almost 500 winners will be chosen.…
DEADLINE: May 1st… The 34th Annual Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest is organized by Winning Writers. For this contest, a story is any short work of fiction, and an essay is any short work of nonfiction. Both published and unpublished work is accepted, written in any theme. No restriction on age of author. Deadline: May…
The 2026 Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest is organized by Winning Writers located in Western Massachusetts, in the United States. The organizer is accepting humor poems written in English, up to 250 lines in length. Both published and/or unpublished work can be submitted. One poem only, please. Deadline: April 1 Categories: Humor poems Prizes: First prize = $2,000 plus two-year…
Black River Chapbook Competition 2026 Twice each year Black Lawrence Press runs the Black River Chapbook Competition for an unpublished chapbook of poems or prose between 16-36 pages in length. The contest is open to new, emerging, and established writers. The winner will receive book publication, a $500 cash award, and ten copies of the…