All the top writing contests.


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Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition 2025
Deadline: 30 November 2025
The competition is open to original, unpublished poems in English of 40 lines or fewer.

Entry fee: €7 per poem.

• 1st Prize: €2,000
• 2nd Prize: €500
• 3rd Prize: €250

F(r)iction Fall 2025 Writing Contests
Deadline: 7 November 2025
The competition is open to anyone aged 13 and over.

There are three categories:
• Short Story – submission fee: $15, 1st prize: $1,000
• Poetry – submission fee: $10, 1st prize: $300
• Flash Fiction – submission fee: $10, 1st prize: $300

2026 Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
Deadline: 1 April 2026
You may submit one humor poem written in English, up to 250 lines in length.

The competition is free to enter.

• 1st prize: $2,000
• 2nd prize: $500
• 3rd Prize: $250
• 10 honorable mentions, $100 each

The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest 2025
Deadline: 15 November 2025
The competition is open to anyone over the age of 18.

Writers may submit micro pieces (fiction, nonfiction, or hybrid narratives), each of 250 words or fewer.

Entry fees:
• up to 2 micros: $14,
• up to 4 micros: $22.

The grand prize winner will receive $1,000.

The Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize 2025/2026
Deadline: 8 November 2025
To enter the Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize, submit an unpublished short story in English, up to 6,000 words. The entry fee is £11 per submission. The winning author will receive a cash prize of £2,500. Shortlisted authors will each receive £200.

2026 Peter Porter Poetry Prize
Deadline: 13 October 2025
All poets writing in English are eligible to enter.

Poets are invited to submit original poems, up to 60 lines in length.

Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee of AU$30.

The winner will receive AU$6,000. The other four shortlisted poets will each receive AU$1,000.

2025 Summer Short Story Award for New Writers
Deadline: 7 September 2025
The competition is open to any writer who has not published a novel or memoir with a major press. You may submit previously unpublished fiction or creative nonfiction up to 6,000 words. The entry fee is $20. The winner receives $3,000.

The National Poetry Competition 2025
Deadline: 31 October 2025
The competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over. International entries are welcome.

All poems must have a title and must not exceed 40 lines in length. Entries can be on any subject.

The first poem submitted costs £8. Subsequent entries in the same submission cost £6 per poem.

• 1st prize: £5,000
• 2nd prize: £3,000
• 3rd prize: £2,000

35th Annual Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize
Deadline: 1 October 2025
Writers can submit one piece of fiction or nonfiction up to 8,500 words or any number of poems between 6 to 12 pages.

All entries must be accompanied by a $25 entry fee.

Winners receive publication and a cash prize:
• $5,000 Fiction
• $5,000 Nonfiction
• $5,000 Poetry

Mslexia Women's Short Story Competition 2025
Deadline: 22 September 2025
The competition is open to women of any nationality from any country.

You may submit unpublished short stories of up to 3,000 words.

Entry fee: £12 per story.

The winner will receive £3,000. Three additional finalists will each receive £100.

The Moth Nature Writing Prize 2025
Deadline: 30 September 2025
The competition is open to anyone over the age of 16. You can submit both poetry and prose. There is a word limit of 4,000. The entry fee is 15 € per entry. Prizes:
• 1st prize: 1,000 € and a week at The Moth Retreat in Ireland
• 2nd prize: 500 €
• 3rd prize: 250 €

Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest 2025
Deadline: 1 October 2025
You may submit poems on any theme, up to 250 lines each. Entry fee: $25 per submission of 1-3 poems. Prizes: • Tom Howard Prize : $3,500 for a poem in any style or genre
• Margaret Reid Prize: $3,500 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style
• Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $500 each (any style)