All the top writing contests.

The Masters Review, an American literary magazine, hosts an annual Novel Excerpt Contest.

You may submit an excerpt from any section of your completed or in-progress novel. Maximum word count is 6000 words.

The entry fee is $20.

• 1st Prize: $3,000
• 2nd Prize: $300
• 3rd Place: $200

Deadline: 12 November 2023

The competition is organized by Tampa Review, a literary magazine produced at The University of Tampa in Tampa, United States.

Entrants should submit a collection of poems. Manuscripts must be at least 48 typed pages.

The entry fee is US$25.

The winner receives a cash prize of US$2,000 and book publication.

Deadline: 31 December 2023

The Colorado Prize for Poetry is an international poetry book manuscript contest.
Manuscripts must be at least 48 pages but no more than 100 pages.

There is a $28 online entry fee, which includes a one-year subscription to Colorado Review.

The winner receives a $2,500 honorarium and publication of his or her book by the Center for Literary Publishing.

Deadline: 14 January 2024

You may submit poems of up to 40 lines. Entries must be your own original work and in English.

Entry fees: £4 per poem or £10 for 3 poems.

Prizes:
• 1st £1,000
• 2nd £300
• 3rd £200

Deadline: 30 November 2023

The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the biggest prizes in the world for a single unpublished poem.

The competition is open to anyone over the age of 16.

The entry fee is €15 per poem.

• 1st prize: 6,000 €
• 3 runner-up prizes of €1,000
• 8 prizes of €250 for commended poems

Deadline: 31 December 2023

The competition is organized by Overland, an Australian literary and cultural magazine.

This is a prize for original pieces of short fiction written in English, up to 3000 words in length.

Entry fee: $12 AUD for subscribers and $20 AUD for non-subscribers.

The winner will receive $5,000 AUD. Two runners-up will each receive $750 AUD.

Deadline: 20 October 2023

The competition is open to anyone.

You may submit 1-3 poems on any topic. Poems must contain meter (beginners and students may simply count syllables).

The entry fee is $20.

The winner will receive $2,000.

Deadline: 31 December 2023

The competition is open to emerging writers.

Entries can be collections of flash fiction, creative nonfiction essays, short stories, and anything in-between. Manuscripts should be between 25-45 pages.

The entry fee is $25.

The winning writer will receive $3000, manuscript publication, and 75 contributor copies.

Deadline: 17 December 2023

The competition is open to original, unpublished poems in the English language of 40 lines or less.

Entry fee: €7 per poem.

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

Deadline: 30 November 2023

The competition is open to women of any nationality from any country.

Poems may be in any style, of any length, on any subject.

Entry fee: £10 for three poems.

The winner will receive £2,000.

Deadline: 4 December 2023

The competition is organized by the Rattle, an American poetry magazine.

Each poet may submit 15 – 30 pages of poems.

The $25 entry fee is a one-year subscription to Rattle magazine.

The three winners will each receive $5,000 and 500 author copies of their chapbook.

Deadline: 15 January 2024

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is an annual award for unpublished short fiction.

Entrants must be citizens of a Commonwealth country.

There will be five winners, one from each region (Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, Caribbean, Pacific). The overall winner will receive £5,000 and the remaining four regional winners £2,500.

The competition is free to enter.

Deadline: 1 November 2023

The competition is open to anyone over the age of thirteen.

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

Deadline: 3 November 2023

You may submit one humor poem, in English. Your poem should not exceed 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

Deadline: 1 April 2024

The competition is open to poets from any country.

All entries must be in English. Poems must each be no longer than 45 lines.

Entry fee: £6 per poem.

1st Prize: £2,000
2nd Prize: £1,000
3rd Prize: £500

Deadline: 10 December 2023

The competition is open to anyone over the age of 18.

Fiction, non-fiction, and hybrid narratives are considered. Word count: 400 words or fewer for each micro.

Entry fees:
• up to 2 micros: $13,
• up to 4 micros: $19.

The grand prize winner will receive $1,500.

Deadline: 10 November 2023

Entrants must be 16 years or over.

Entries can be on any theme or subject. Maximum length is 300 words.

The standard fee is £9 GBP for one submission. Reductions are available for multiple entries.

Prizes:
• 1st prize: £1,000
• 2nd prize: £300
• 3rd prize: £100

Deadline: 8 October 2023

You may submit only one manuscript written in the English language. Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story.

The competition is free to enter.

The winning manuscript will be published by Minotaur Books. The winner will receive an advance against future royalties of $10,000.

All poets writing in English are eligible to enter.

Entries must be a single poem of no more than 70 lines.

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.

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 £7. Subsequent entries in the same submission cost £5 per poem.

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