Competitions from around the world for both established and emerging writers.

Please check the relevant websites for all terms and conditions and be aware that entry fees are payable in many cases.

Glass Mountain Poetry & Prose Contest

is open to emerging writers; current or former students in any graduate program in creative writing are not eligible to submit. Winners in each category will receive US$100, publication in Glass Mountain, and free registration to the 2015 Boldface Conference. Entries close 9 January.

Folio Fiction Contest

is seeking entries up to 5000 words on the theme ‘conflict’. Entries should address how the operation of the theme at the macro level (Climate Change, Racial Injustice, Abductions, Armed conflicts, Surveillance, Consumption, Global Warming, Violence Against Women) interacts with characters, scenes, and events at the intimate, micro level. First prize is US$1000 and entries close 15 January.

Patricia Goedicke Prize in Poetry

accepts entries of up to five poems. The winner, chosen by Matt Rasmussen, will be featured in CutBank 83 and receive $500. All submissions will be considered for print publication. Closes 15 January.

H.E. Francis Short Story Competition

is open to original, unpublished fiction of 5000 words or less. The winner receives a $2000 cash prize, publication as an Amazon Kindle Single, an announcement in Poets and Writers, and, with the author’s permission, publication on the H.E. Francis Competition Website. Entries close 15 January.

Montana Prize in Fiction

seeks to highlight work that showcases “an authentic voice, a boldness of form, and a rejection of functional fixedness”. The winner, chosen by Susan Steinberg, will be featured in CutBank 83 and receive US$500. All submissions will be considered for print publication. Entries close 15 January.



Orwell Prize

is Britain’s most prestigious prize for political writing. Entries are accepted in three categories: books, journalism and ‘exposing Britain’s social evils’. Closes 15 January.

Jaimy Gordon Fiction Prize

will be judged by Stuart Dybek and stories may be up to 9000 words. The winner receives US$1000 and publication in the Fall 2015 issue of Third Coast. Entries close 15 January.

Third Coast Poetry Prize

is accepting entries of up to three unpublished poems. The winner receives US$1000 and publication in the Fall 2015 issue of Third Coast. Entries close 15 January.

Yemassee Writing Prizes

are accepting entries in three categories: fiction, non-fiction and poetry. A total of $1750 in prize money is offer. Entries close 15 January.

PAGE International Screenwriting Awards

provides a cash prize of $25,000 to a screenwriter who has written the best screenplay in any genre. There are also prizes in ten genre categories. The first place winner also receives national publicity. The early entry deadline is 15 January; final entries close 15 April.

Scotland Short Play Award

is designed to engage both first-time and experienced writers across all literary forms to engage with writing for contemporary theatre and performance. Submissions of new short plays (up to 15 minutes) from Scottish writers from all literary backgrounds and at all stages of their professional careers are invited. Entries close 16 January.

Australian Book Review’s Calibre Prize for an Outstanding Essay

is open to all writers, regardless of where they live. First prize is AUD$5000 and publication. Entries close 19 January.

PRISM International Short Fiction Contest

offers a CA$2000 (US$1800) first prize for stories up to 6000 words in length. The 2014 prize will be judged by novelist Joseph Boyden. Entries close 23 January.

Iceland Writers Retreat

is offering one writer a free delegate’s ticket to its April 2015 event. The winner will receive a full retreat package including accommodation, tours, most meals and all workshop. Entries close 25 January.

Lifted Brow’s Experimental Non-fiction contest

is being held in conjunction with the magazine’s print relaunch. First prize is AUD$1000 and pieces may be up to 5000 words. Entries close 25 January.

Chicago Tribune’s Nelson Algren Award

carries a first prize of US$3500 and has four finalist prizes ($1000 each) and five runners-up prizes ($500 each). Stories can be up to 8000 words and must be fiction and previously unpublished. Entrants must be residents of the United States. Entries close 31 January.

Word of Mouth Prize

is being run by literary agency Conville and Walsh. Entrants should submit a full manuscript (or a partial manuscript, with a minimum of 30,000 words written), as well as a synopsis and a covering letter. The winner will receive £1000 and, if mutually agreeable, representation by Conville & Walsh. Open to writers worldwide. Entries close 31 January.

Lamar York Prizes for Fiction and Nonfiction

offers two prizes of $1000 each and publication in The Chattahoochee Review. Stories and essays can be up to 5000 words and must be previously unpublished. Entries close 31 January.

Orlando Prize for Short Fiction

is for stories up to 1500 words and is open to women writers worldwide. First prize is US$1000 and publication in The Los Angeles Review. Prizes are also offered for creative non-fiction, poetry and flash fiction. Entries close 31 January.

Caine Prize for African Writing

is awarded to a short story (3000 to 10,000 words) by an African writer published in English, whether in Africa or elsewhere. ‘An African writer’ is taken to mean someone who was born in Africa, or who is a national of an African country, or whose parents are African. First prize is £10,000 and the shortlisted writers receive a travel prize and £500 each. Entries close 31 January.

CreatEng Cafe Creative Writing Competition

is open to citizens of a country where English is not an official, native, or de facto language. Entries can be stories or poems and must be written in English. First prize is CA$1000. Entries close 31 January.

Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry

is now accepting submissions. The winner receives a trade paperback contract with Invisible Publishing’s Snare Imprint which will include the publication of the manuscript and a CA$500 advance. Entrants must be Canadian residents. Closes 31 January.

Homestart Bridgwater Short Story Prize

is being run in aid of an independent registered charity offering support to families facing difficulties The prize is open to stories up to 2200 words and will be judged by Tracy Chevalier, best known for the international best-seller Girl with a Pearl Earring. Entries close 1 February.

Sycamore Review’s Flashcard Flash Fiction Contest

is for pieces up to 500 words. First prize is US$100, publication online, and publication on a Flashcard that will be distributed with Sycamore Review. Entries open 1 January and close 1 February.

Griffith University’s Josephine Ulrick Literature Prize

is one of Australia’s richest short stories prizes. First prize is AUD$10,000 and second prize is $5000. Stories may be up to 2000 words. Griffith University also offers a poetry prize with equal prize money. Entrants must be Australian citizens or residents and entries close 13 February.

Playboy Magazine’s Fiction Contest

is open to college students. Stories must be under 5000 words and previously unpublished. The winner receives US$3000 and publication. Entries close 13 February.

Kore Press Annual Short Fiction Award

is open to any female-identified individual writing in English, regardless of nationality. The award will be judged by Roxane Gay and entries must be between 4000 and 12,000 words. Entries close 14 February.

Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry

is an annual regional prize, presented in partnership by Milkweed Editions and the Lindquist & Vennum Foundation. The prize is open to poets from the United States’ Upper Midwestern region (defined as North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin) and the winner will receive US$10,000 and a contract for publication. Entries close 15 February.

Swallows Sequential Short Story Award

is for complete black and white comic / cartoon stories from 1 – 5 pages long. Entries may be by sole authors, or collaborations between writers and artists. Entries close 15 February.

Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook Short Story Competition

offers the winner a cash prize of £500, a place on an Arvon residential writing course of your choice and publication on www.writersandartists.co.uk. Stories must be under 2000 words and reflect the theme ‘joy’. Entrants can be from anywhere in the world and there is no entry fee. Close 15 February.

BBC National Short Story Award

in partnership with Booktrust is now open for submissions for the ninth year. Published authors from the UK are invited to submit stories for the 2014 Award until 25 February.

Snowbound Poetry Chapbook Award

is offered by Tupelo Press and open to writers from around the word. Entrants should submit a previously unpublished, chapbook-length poetry manuscript (20-36 pages) with a table of contents. First prize is US$1000 and publication. Entries close 28 February.

Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest

is open to all writers who have not yet published a book of fiction. Submissions must be 1200 words or fewer. Ann Patchett celebrated author of six novels, including Bel Canto and State of Wonder, will be the final judge. Entries are accepted between 1 and 28 February.

Wag’s Review

runs two contests each year. The contests are open to all three genres and are judged by the editors. First prize is US$1000 and publication in the magazine, second prize is $500 and third $100. All pieces are considered for publication. Entries for the winter contest close on 28 February.

Fiction Desk’s Ghost Story Competition

has a first prize of £500, a second prize of £250, and a third prize of £100. Entries should be between 1,000 and 5,000 words in length. Closes 28 February.

Prairie Schooner Book Prize Series

welcomes manuscripts from all living writers, including non-US citizens, writing in English. Winners will receive US$3000 and publication through the University of Nebraska Press. Entries open on 15 January and close 15 March.

For publication opportunities in January and February 2015 please click here.

More Opportunities for Writers

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