All the top writing contests.

The Yale Drama Series is an annual competition for emerging playwrights.

Submissions must be original, unpublished full-length plays written in English.

The competition is free to enter.

The winner will be awarded the David Charles Horn Prize of $10,000 and publication of their manuscript by Yale University Press.

The competition is for original, unpublished and unbroadcast short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or fewer. The story can be on any subject, in any style.

Entry fee: 19 € per story.

Prizes:
• 1st prize: 2,000 €
• 2nd prize: 500 €
• Four Runners-Up: 250 €

The competition is open to anyone aged 16 or over.

Poems may be on any subject and in any form or style.

Entry fees: £6 for first poem and £5 for subsequent poems.

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

You may submit poems on any theme, up to 250 lines each.

Entry fee: $22 per submission of 1-3 poems.

Prizes:
• Tom Howard Prize : $3,000 for a poem in any style or genre
• Margaret Reid Prize: $3,000 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style
• Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $300 each (any style)

The competition is open to anyone aged 18 years or older.

Short stories must be set anytime between today and the year 2200, and show a path to a clean, green, and just future.

The competition is free to enter.

• 1st prize: US$3,000
• 2nd prize: US$2,000
• 3rd prize: US$1,000

Poems should be of no more than 90 lines, in English, on any subject.

The entry fee is £8 for the first poem and £5 for each subsequent poem submitted on the same form. 

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

The Moth Short Story Prize is an international prize, open to anyone over the age of 16.

You can enter as many stories as you like.

The entry fee is €15 per story.

• 1st prize: €3,000
• 2nd prize: a week-long writing retreat at Circle of Misse in Francel
• 3rd prize: €1,000

The competition is organized by Poetry London magazine.

Entries must be in English. The maximum length is 80 lines.

For Poetry London subscribers the entry fee is £5 per poem; for non-subscribers £10.

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

The competition is open to poets of any nationality writing in English.

You may submit up to four poems per entry.

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

The overall winner will receive a cash prize of $15,000 USD. Ten finalists will each receive $500 USD, and be eligible for the $5,000 USD Reader's Choice Award.

There are four competitions:
• Open Poetry Competition (£6 per entry; prizes: £1000, £500, £250);
• Short Story Competition (£6 per entry; prizes: £750, £300, £200);
• Book for Children Competition (£6 per entry; prizes: £750, £300, £200);
• Young Poets Competition (£3 per entry; prizes: £150, £75, £50).

The competition is open to anyone aged 11-17.

Young poets can submit poems on any theme, of any length and of any style.

The competition is free to enter.

The top 15 winners will have their poems printed in the winners’ print anthology.

The University of New Orleans Press is looking for full length works of fiction (novels and short story collections).

The entry fee is $28.

The selected author will receive a ten thousand dollar ($10,000) advance on royalties and a contract to publish with UNO Press.

The competition is open to anyone.

This year’s theme is ''Motion''. Your story can be set anywhere, feature any characters, and be written in any style.

There are two categories:
• Authors 21 years of age and under with a prize of £1,000. Entry is free.
• Authors aged 22 years and above with a prize of £500 (entry £10 or £5 with student id).

This annual essay contest is organized by the Goi Peace Foundation based in Japan.

Essays may be submitted by anyone up to 25 years old.

This year's theme is “Youth Creating a Peaceful Future”. Essays are accepted in English, French or Japanese.

The competition is free to enter.

1st prize winners will receive a cash prize of 100,000 Yen.

The competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over.

There are nine categories: • Genre Fiction • Mainstream/Literary Short Story • Memoirs/Personal Essay • Nonfiction Essay or Article • Inspirational/Spiritual • Rhyming Poetry • Non-rhyming Poetry • Humor • Children’s/Young Adult Fiction.

Entry fees: from $20 to $35.

One Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000.
The first place winner in each category will receive $1,000.

The competition is open to anyone who has not published a book-length work of fiction, life writing, or poetry.

The prize is judged in three categories: Fiction, Poetry and Life Writing.

A single entry costs £10, two entries are £16.

Winners in the three categories will be awarded a prize of £1000.

The Manchester Writing Competition is organized by the Manchester Metropolitan University.

The competition is open internationally to anyone aged 16 or over.

There are two Prizes:
• £10,000 prize for the best short story of up to 2,500 words;
• £10,000 prize for the best portfolio of three to five poems.

The entry fee is £18.

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

The entry must be a full-length children’s novel for readers aged between 7 and 18.

The entry fee is £20.

The main prize is a worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House with a royalty advance of £10,000.

The Yeovil Literary Prize is open to anyone over the age of 16.

There are five categories:
• Novel (1st prize: £1250)
• Short Story (1st prize: £600)
• Poetry (1st prize: £600)
• Children’s/Young Adult Novel (1st prize: £600)
• Writing Without Restrictions (1st prize: £250).

Entry fees: from £5 to £14,50.

The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is an international literary prize for established and emerging poets and writers.

Entry fees:
• Poetry: £12
• Short fiction: £18

Prizes:
• £2,500 for the Poetry Winner
• £2,500 for the Short Fiction Winner

The competition is open to writers of any nationality, aged 16 years old and over.

The competition has four categories:
• Poetry (1st prize: £5,000);
• Short story (1st prize: £5,000);
• Flash fiction (1st prize: £1,000);
• Novel (1st prize: £1,500).

Entry fees: from £11 to £24.