Competition Guide2022
MARCH
Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize & Author of Tomorrow Prize
Published and unpublished (atleast 50,000 word) adventure novels, for adults or ages 12-21
Prizes: £15,000 in the published category, £15,000 advance and publication in the unpublished category; £1,000, 2x£100 in the junior category
Free entry
Closing date: 7 March www.wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org
Forward Prizes for Poetry
Best Collection, Best First Collection, Best Single Poem, books must be submitted by publishers and single poems by magazine editors and competition administatrators
Prizes: Best collection £10,000, best first collection £5,000, best single poem £1,000
Free entry Closing date: 8 March
Evesham Festival of Words Short Story Competition
Short stories up to 2,500 words
Prizes: £150, £50 and £30
Entry fee: £5
Closing date: 11 March
http://eveshamfestivalofwords.org
Nelligan Prize
Short stories, 2,500-12,500 words
Prizes: $2,000 and publication
Entry fee: $15
Closing date: 14 March
https://coloradoreview.colostate.edu/nelligan-prize/
Room Fiction Contest
Short stories, up to 3,500 words
Prizes: Can$1,000, $250, $50 and publication
Entry fee: $42
Closing date: 15 March
Cloudbank Competition
Flash fiction up to 500 words, and poems
Prizes: $200
Entry fee: $15 for up to five
Closing date: 15 March
Word Works Washington
Poetry collections, 48-80 pages, by US or Canadian poets
Prizes: $1,500 and publication
Entry fee: $25
Closing date: 15 March
www.wordworksbooks.org/submissions/washington-prize/
Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize
Proposal for a book-length essay
Prizes: £3,000 advance and publication, writing residency
Free entry
Closing date: 15 March
https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com
Fourth Genre Steinberg Essay Prize
Creative non-fiction, up to 6,000 words
Prizes: $1,000
Entry fee: $20
Closing date: 15 March
https://fourthgenre.byu.edu/steinberg
James Jones First Novel Fellowship
A novel in progress by an unpublished US writer
Prizes: $10,000; $1,000
Entry fee: $30
Closing date: 15 March
www.wilkes.edu/academics/graduate-programs/mastersprograms/creative-writing-mamfa/
Eludia Prize
Unpublished first novels by women over 40
Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $20
Closing date: 15 March
https://hiddenriverarts.wordpress.com
South Carolina Novel Prize
Unpublished novels by writers from South Carolina
Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $35
Closing date: 15 March, TBC
https://hubcity.org/press/new-southern-voices-poetry-prize
Kraken Book Prize for Middle-Grade Fiction
Middle-grade books, 120-350 pages
Prizes: $750 and publication
Entry fee: $25
Closing date: 15 March
https://regalhousepublishing.com
BBC National Short Story Award
Short stories, up to 8,000 words
Prizes: £15,000, 4x£600
Free entry
Closing date: 15 March
Fowey Festival Short Story Competition
Short stories up to 1,500 words on a given theme
Prizes: £100, £75
Entry fee: £5
Closing date: 16 March
Gordon Burn Prize
A published novel or work of non-fiction that challenges perceived ideas about genre
Prizes: £5,000, retreat up to three months at Gordon Burn’s cottage
Free entry
Closing date: 17 March
Savage Writing Contest
Write a mystery within 48 hours
Prizes: $20, $15, $10 Amazon cards
Free entry
Closing date: 20 March
http://tclj.toasted-cheese.com/dead-of-winter/
Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest
One personal essay, no limit but usually around 2,000-5,000 words, by a Canadian writer
Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $40
Closing date: 28 March
Desperate Literature
Short stories, under 2,000 words
Prizes: €1,000, writer’s retreat and widespread publication, 2x€500
Entry fee: €20
Closing date: 29 March
https://desperateliterature.com
KSP Writers Centre Spooky stories Competition
Spooky short stories, up to 2,500 words, by Western Australian residents or citizens
Prizes: Aus$300, $150; $100, $50 for youths
Entry fee: $10
Closing date: 29 March
Cleveland State University Poetry Center
Full-length poetry collections, over 48 pages, by poets who have had no, or one, collection published; essay collections, 100-300 pages
Prizes: 3x$1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $28
Closing date: 31 March
Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award
Short stories, 1,500-10,000 words, with supernatural themes, broadly defined
Prizes: $1,000, 2x$250
Entry fee: $20
Closing date: 30 March
Antivenom Poetry Award
A first or second poetry collection manuscript
Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $30
Closing date: 31 March
http://elixirpress.com/guidelines/antivenom-poetry-award
Gemini Magazine Short Story Contest
Short stories of any length
Prizes: $1,000, $100, 4x$25, and publication
Entry fee: $7
Closing date: 31 March, TBC
Pinch Literary Awards
Short stories under 5,000 words; up to 3 poems, any length
Prizes: $1,000 and publication in each category
Entry fee: $20, $10 each extra
Closing date: 31 March
Caterpillar International Poetry Prize
Poems for children aged 7-11
Prizes:
Entry fee: €14
Closing date: 31 March
www.thecaterpillarmagazine.com
Four Way Books Levis Prize in Poetry
Poetry collections, 48-100 pages
Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $30
Closing date: 31 March
https://fourwaybooks.com/site/guidelines/
Blue Mountain Novel Award
Unpublished novel of any length
Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $20
Closing date: 31 March, TBC
https://hiddenriverarts.wordpress.com/
Indiana Review
Short stories, up to 6,000 words, or up to 3 poems
Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $20
Closing date: 31 March
https://indianareview.org/prizes
WriteTime competitions
Short stories up to 1,500 words by writers over 60
Prizes: £50, 2x£25; anthology publication
Entry fee: £3, £5 for two
Closing date: quarterly, 31
March, 30 June, 30 Sept, 31 Dec
Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing
Unpublished fiction manuscripts by first generation residents of their country.
Prizes: $10,000 and publication
Free entry
Closing date: 31 March
https://restlessbooks.org/prize-for-new-immigrant-writing
Saturnalia Books Poetry Prize
Poetry collections, longer than 48 pages
Prizes: $1,500, $500; publication
Entry fee: $30
Closing date: 31 March
Black Lawrence Press Hudson Prize
An unpublished collection of poems or short stories
Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Entry fee: $25
Closing date: 31 March
Charles Brasch Young Writers Essay Competition
Essays, up to 1,500, by New Zealand citizens aged 16-21
Prizes: $500
Free entry
Closing date: 31 March
www.otago.ac.nz/press/landfall/awards/otago625789.html
Cinnamon Press Poetry Pamphlet Prize
Short poetry collections of 15-25 poems up to 50 lines each
Prizes: Publishing contract and 30 copies of the pamphlet for each of two poets
Entry fee: £12
Closing date: 31 March
Red Shed Open Poetry Competition
For poems up to 50 lines
Prizes: £100, £50, £25 Wakefield postcode prize
Entry fee: £3, £2 each subsequent
Closing date: 31 March
Rosemary Goodacre Competition
Short stories up to 1,500 words on the theme ‘friendship’
Prizes: £150, £100, £50
Entry fee: £7.50
Closing date: 31 March
www.elaineeverest.com/rosemary-goodacre-competition
Fish Poetry Prize
For poems, up to 60 lines
Prizes: First €1,000, 2nd a week in residence at Anam Cara Writers’ Retreat, third €200
Entry fee: €14
Closing date: 31 March
Flash 500 Flash Fiction
Quarterly competition for flash fiction, up to 500 words
Prizes: £300, £200 and £100
Entry fee: £5, £8 for two
Closing date: 31 March, 30 June,
30 Sept, 31 Dec
International Rubery Book Award
Independently published or self-published books
Prizes: £1,500, £150 category winners
Entry fee: £37
Closing date: 31 March
Short Fiction Short Story Prize
Short stories up to 5,000 words
Prizes: £500 plus publication, £250
Entry fee: £7
Closing date: 31 March
London Magazine Short Story Competition
Short stories, up to 4,000 words
Prizes: £500, £300, £200
Entry fee: £10, £5 each extra
Closing date: 31 March
Writers Bureau Annual Short Story
Short stories, up to 2,000 words
Prizes: £300, £200, £100, £50, a choice of Writers Bureau course worth over £374
Entry fee: £5
Closing date: 31 March
APRIL
GVCA New Deal Writing Competition
Short stories, up to 10,000 words, inspired by a painting, shown on the website
Prizes: $200, $100, $50
Entry fee: $5
Closing date: 1 April
http://gvartscouncil.org/writingcompetition/
Short Grain Contest
Poetry, max 100 lines, or fiction, max 2,500 words
Prizes: Can$1,000, $750, $500 and publication, in each category
Entry fee: $40, international $60
Closing date: 1 April
Cowles Poetry Book Prize
Poetry collections, 48-100 pages
Prizes: $2,000 and publication
Entry fee: $25
Closing date: 1 April
Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize
Prose on the theme of the Alpine Fellowship Annual Symposium up to 2,500 words
Prizes: £10,000; £3,000, £2,000
Free entry
Closing date: 1 April
