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Writing Competitions in 2023 – Weekly Updates

Opportunities for aspiring and experienced writers.

Welcome to the most comprehensive list of writing competitions available online. Our list includes short story, poetry, and flash fiction competitions, as well as some events for essay writers, screenwriting, and even entire novel manuscripts. Each item on our list includes basic information about max word count, entry fees, submission deadlines, and the first place prize.

Please do your own research before deciding to enter any event. In case of questions about a particular event, please reach out to the event organizer.

Use our online form to submit a new event to our list.

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march

sat25marAll DayPeriscope Literary Short Story CompetitionInternationalCategoryShort FictionEntry Fee£9 Max word count1000 Top Prize£1500

sat25marAll DayGinkgo Prize for EcopoetryInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee£7 Max word countUnknown - check with organizer Top Prize£5,000

mon27marAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!BlackInk Writing CompetitionUKCategoryShort StoryEntry FeeFree Max word count2000 Top Prize£500

thu30marAll DayThe Villanella ContestInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee$2 Max word count19 lines Top PrizePublication

thu30marAll DayRhina Espaillat Poetry AwardInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee$5 Max word count50 lines Top Prize$2,000 and publication

fri31marAll DayThe E. H. P. Barnard Poetry PrizeUKCategoryPoetryEntry Fee£2 Max word count400 Top Prize£100 + a poem video, professionally performed, produced and promoted

fri31marAll DayThe Clay Reynolds Novella PrizeUSACategoryFull ManuscriptEntry Fee$20 Max word count50,000 Top Prize$500

fri31marAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Pen to Print Short Story Competition 2023UKCategoryShort StoryEntry FeeFree Max word count2,000 Top PrizeTablet PC

fri31marAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Pen to Print Poetry Competition 2023UKCategoryPoetryEntry FeeFree Max word count2 A4 pages (check details with organizer) Top PrizeTablet PC

fri31marAll DayCreative Writing Ink Poetry Prize 2023InternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee€6 Max word count42 lines Top Prize€1000

fri31marAll DayThe Robert Phillips Chapbook PrizeUSACategoryChapbookEntry Fee$20 Max word count40 pages Top Prize$500

fri31marAll DayThe Caterpillar Poetry PrizeInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee€15 Max word countNo limit Top Prize€1,000

fri31marAll DayThe Crazy Cats Easter Short Story CompetitionInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee£7.50 Max word count2,500 Top Prize£70

fri31marAll DayWriteFluence SINGLES – Season VInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee$15 Max word count3500 Top PrizePublication

fri31marAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Marginalia Series Chapbook Open Reading PeriodEvent for traditionally marginalized writersInternationalCategoryChapbookEntry FeeFree Max word count20-40 pages Top PrizePublication, publishing contract, 20 copies of published book

fri31marAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Long COVID Anthology - Long Hauler PublishingUSACategoryMultiple categoriesEntry FeeFree Max word count1500 (prose); two pages (poetry) Top PrizePublication in anthology

fri31marAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant WritingInternationalCategoryNon-fictionEntry FeeFree Max word countSee organizer's page for guidance Top Prize$10,000 and publication by Restless Books

fri31marAll Day'FORM AND FORM-BREAKING' POETRY CONTESTCategoryPoetryEntry Fee$15 Max word countNo limit Top Prize$500 and publication

fri31marAll DayHenshaw Short Story CompetitionInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee£6 Max word count2000 Top Prize£200 and publication

fri31marAll Day​Rubery Book AwardInternationalEntry Fee£44 Max word countNo limit Top Prize£2000

fri31marAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers AwardInternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry FeeFree Max word count20,000 Top Prize£10,000

fri31marAll DayThe Fish Poetry Prize 2023InternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee14 Max word count60 lines Top Prize€1,000

fri31marAll DayThe Plough Poetry PrizeInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee£5 Max word count40 lines Top Prize£1,000

fri31marAll DayPinch Literary Awards and Page PrizeInternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$10-$20 Max word countSee organizer's website for details Top Prize$1,000

april

sat01aprAll DayGrindstone Literary International Novel PrizeInternationalCategoryNovelEntry Fee£16 Max word count5,000 Top Prize£1000 + Agent Introductions

sat01aprAll Day3-Minute Story CompetitionUKCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee£6 Max word count500 Top Prize£100

sat01aprAll DayThe 45th Nimrod Literary AwardsInternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$20 Max word count7500 (fiction); 10 pages (poetry) Top Prize$2,000 and publication

sat01aprAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry ContestInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry FeeFree Max word count250 lines Top Prize$2,000 and publication

sun02aprAll DayVoyage Short Story AwardInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee$20 Max word count5,000 Top Prize$500 and publication

sun02aprAll DayThe Masters Review AnthologyInternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$20 Max word count7000 Top Prize$500 and publication

sun02apr2:00 pmsun5:00 pmThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!The Mysterious Case Writing ContestInternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry FeeFree Max word countNo limit Top Prize€500

mon10apr12:00 ammon12:00 amMy Time: A Fellowship for Parent WritersUSACategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$35 Max word count10 pages Top PrizeA one week funded residency and a $500 stipend

wed12aprAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Evening Standard Stories CompetitionUKCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry FeeFree Max word count1000 Top PrizeYear mentorship with management and production company; publication in the Evening Standard

fri14aprAll DayNarratively’s Profile PrizeInternationalCategoryNon-fictionEntry Fee$20 Max word count7,000 Top Prize$3,000

sat15aprAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Super Hero Writing CompetitionUKCategoryShort StoryEntry FeeFree Max word count2,000 Top Prize£500

sun16aprAll DayDesperate Literature Short Fiction PrizeInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee€20 Max word count2,000 Top Prize€1500, a 7-day stay at the Civitella Ranieri artist’s residency in Umbria, Italy, a manuscript assessment service of up to 60,000 words through The Literary Consultancy, and a consultation with London-based literary agent Charlotte Seymour, of Johnson & Alcock

fri21aprAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Casa África Micro-story Contest - PURORRELATOInternationalEntry FeeFree Max word count1500 Top Prize€750

sat22aprAll DayEco Friendly Writing ContestInternationalCategoryNon-fictionEntry Fee$5 Max word count500 Top Prize$200

mon24aprAll DayFirst Pages Prize 2023InternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$20 Max word count1250 Top Prize$2000

mon24aprAll DayABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story PrizeInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee$30 Max word count5,000 Top Prize$6,000 and publication

mon24aprAll DayBath Short Story Award 2023InternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee£9 Max word count2,200 Top Prize£1,200

wed26aprAll DayBristol Short Story PrizeInternationalCategoryShort FictionEntry Fee£9 Max word count4,000 Top Prize£1,000 and publication

thu27aprAll DayF(r)iction Writing Contests – Spring 2023InternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$15 (short story); $10 (flash fiction); $10 (poetry); $15 (creative nonfiction) Max word countSee organizer's website for details Top Prize$1,000 and publication

sat29aprAll DayQuill & Ink Literary Festival Writing CompetitionUSACategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$15 Max word countNo limit Top Prize$1,500

sun30aprAll DayThe Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction AwardInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee$20 Max word count10,000 Top Prize$1,500

sun30aprAll DayLetter Review Prize for Flash FictionInternationalCategoryFlash FictionEntry Fee$15 Max word count1000 Top Prize$400

sun30aprAll DayLetter Review Prize for PoetryInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee$15 Max word count70 Lines Top Prize$400

sun30aprAll DayLetter Review Prize for Short StoriesInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee$20 Max word count3000 Top Prize$600

sun30aprAll DayTadpole Press 100-Word ContestInternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$10 Max word count100 Top Prize$1,000

sun30aprAll DayBerkshire Prize for a First or Second Book of PoetryInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee$30 Max word count88 pages Top Prize$3,000

sun30aprAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Author of Tomorrow – Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2023InternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry FeeFree Max word count5000 Top Prize£1,000

sun30aprAll DayTom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay ContestStories and Essays InternationalCategoryEssay,Short StoryEntry Fee$22 Max word count6,000 Top Prize$3,000

sun30aprAll DayThe Scratch A4 CompetitionInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee£4 Max word count1000 Top PrizePublication, editorial feedback

sun30aprAll DayAgnes Lynch Starrett Poetry PrizeInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee$25 Max word count100 pages Top Prize$5,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press

sun30aprAll Day'The Outsiders' Short Story CompetitionInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee£5 Max word count2,500 Top Prize£100 and publication

may

mon01mayAll DayThe 2023 Bloom Writing ContestCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee€3 Max word count2500 Top Prize500 Euros

mon01mayAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!The Heartland Review Press Spring Contests: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction & PoetryUSACategoryMultiple categoriesEntry FeeFree Max word count5000 Top PrizePublication

mon01may1:00 ammon11:59 pmThe Heartland Review 2023 Poetry Chapbook ContestUSACategoryPoetryEntry Fee$20 Max word count30 pages Top Prize$500.00

mon08mayAll DayNextTribe Short Story Contest for Women Over 45USACategoryShort StoryEntry Fee$25 Max word count5,000 Top Prize$500 and publication

sun14mayAll DayThe 2023 Ink Across Borders PrizeCategoryShort FictionEntry Fee€2 Max word count1500 Top Prize€200

sun14mayAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!The Creative Future Writers’ Award 2023UKCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry FeeFree Max word countCheck organizer's website for details Top PrizePublication and mentorship

mon15mayAll DayPloughshares Emerging Writer's ContestInternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$24 Max word count6000 (fiction and non-fiction); 5 pages (poetry) Top Prize$2,000 and publication

tue16mayAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!The Field Nature Writing CompetitionUKCategoryNon-fictionEntry FeeFree Max word count1,000 Top Prize£750, a pair of CL Companion 8×30 binoculars (worth £1,110), an invitation to lunch at The Game Fair, with the Editor

wed31mayAll DayThe Synopsis Skirmish - A WRITING CONTEST FOR QUERYING AUTHORSInternationalCategorySynopsisEntry Fee$5 Max word count500 Top Prize$700

wed31mayAll DayMTP 2023 Short Story CompetitionUKCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee£8 Max word count3,000 Top Prize£2,000

wed31may1:00 amwed11:00 pmThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Folly Journal Open Short Story PrizeInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry FeeFree Max word count2000 Top Prize$1000

wed31mayAll DayThe Bridport PrizeInternationalEntry Fee£11-£24 Max word countDepends on category Top Prize£5,000

wed31mayAll DayThe Yeovil Literary PrizeInternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee£5-14.50 (depends on category) Max word countDepends on category (check organizer's website) Top Prize£1250

wed31mayAll DayThe Writing District PrizeInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee$15 Max word count3000 Top Prize$1000 and publication

june

thu01junAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!INTERNATIONAL PEACE ESSAY CONTEST FOR UKRAINE WARInternationalCategoryEssayEntry FeeFree Max word count3,000 Top Prize$100

thu01junAll DayThe 2023 Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction CompetitionInternationalCategoryNovelEntry Fee£20 Max word count80,000 Top PrizeWorldwide publishing contract with a royalty advance of £10,000

thu01junAll DayGeri Digiorno PrizeInternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$5 Max word countVaries (check organizer's website for details) Top Prize$300 and publication

mon05junAll DayWriter's Digest Annual Writing Competition 2023InternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$20-$30 Max word countCheck organizer's website for details Top Prize$5,000

sun11junAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Atlas Shrugged Novel Essay ContestInternationalCategoryEssayEntry FeeFree Max word count1600 Top Prize$10,000

tue13junAll DayHousatonic Book AwardsInternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$25 Max word countVaries (check organizer's website for details) Top Prize$1,000, public reading. in-person workshop, $500 travel stipend and hotel stay

thu15junAll Day17th Annual Mudfish Poetry ContestInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee$20$1,200 Max word countNo limit Top Prize$1,200 and publication

thu15junAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!International Essay Contest for Young PeopleInternationalCategoryEssayEntry FeeFree Max word count700 Top Prize¥100,000

fri30junAll DayNorth Street Book PrizeInternationalCategoryFull ManuscriptEntry Fee$75 Max word count200,000 (full manuscript) Top Prize$10,000

fri30junAll DayTo Hull And Back - Humorous Short Story CompetitionInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry FeeEarly bird (until 31st March 2023): £13 for 1 story, £21 for 2 stories, £26 for 3 stories. From 1st April 2023 to 30th June 2023, the entry fee is: £15 for 1 story, £24 for 2 stories, £30 for 3 stories. Max word count2,500 Top Prize£1,200, your head on the To Hull And Back Anthology cover and a trip to Hull on a Harley Davidson.

fri30junAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!The Writers College Annual Short Story CompetitionInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry FeeFree Max word count2000 Top Prize$1000

fri30junAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!My Writing Journey CompetitionInternationalCategoryEssayEntry FeeFree Max word count600 Top Prize$200

fri30junAll DayQueen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize 2023InternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee£10 Max word count3000 Top Prize£1000 and publication in Wasafiri magazine.

july

mon10julAll DayHG Wells Short Story CompetitionInternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee£10 Max word count5,000 Top Prize£1,000 and publication

wed12julAll DayNew Writers Poetry CompetitionInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee£10 Max word count40 lines Top Prize£1,000 and publication

mon31julAll DayThe Writers College Global Novel Writing CompetitionInternationalCategoryNovelEntry FeeFree Max word count6000 Top PrizeWriting course package

mon31julAll DayThis event is FREE to enter! Yay!Foyle Young Poets of the Year AwardInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry FeeFree Max word countNo limit Top PrizePublication

august

thu31augAll DayUniversity of New Orleans Press Publishing Lab PrizeInternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee$28 Max word countNo limit Top Prize$10,000 advance on royalties and a contract to publish with The University of New Orleans Press

thu31augAll DayAnthology Flash Fiction CompetitionInternationalCategoryFlash FictionEntry Fee€8 Max word count250 Top Prize €300 and publication

thu31augAll DayAnthology Short Story Award 2023InternationalCategoryShort StoryEntry Fee €18 Max word count1500 Top Prize€1000

thu31augAll DayAesthetica Creative Writing AwardInternationalEntry Fee£12-£18 Max word count40 lines (poetry), 2,000 words (short story) Top Prize£2,500 and publication

september

fri01sepAll DayManchester Writing CompetitionInternationalCategoryMultiple categoriesEntry Fee£18 Max word count2500 (short story); 120 lines (poetry) Top Prize£10,000

sat30sepAll DayTom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry ContestInternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee$22 Max word count250 lines Top Prize$3,000

october

tue31octAll DayAnthology Poetry Competition 2023InternationalCategoryPoetryEntry Fee€18 Max word count40 lines Top Prize€1000

november

thu30novAll DayAnthology Travel Writing CompetitionInternationalCategoryNon-fictionEntry Fee€10 Max word count1000 Top Prize€500 and publication

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