creative writing competitions 2021 under 18s

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Ire B It's a good resource, thanks.

Chris Fielden Thanks Ire :)

Philbert M How can I get more competition links?

Chris Fielden Thanks for your message, Philbert.

You can check out the other competition lists and publishing opportunities on my website. You can also sign up to my email list . The newsletters I send out contain details of lots of contests.

I hope that helps :-)

Philbert M Thank you, Chris. This is Philbert. I am trying to get into writing as one of my passions that I had not taken time into. Bbeen spending a lot of precious time on social media. I think this time I can channel it into productive writings. Thanks.

Chris Fielden No problem, Philbert. I wish you all the best with your writing :)

The copyright of the stories and content published on this website remain with the author.

Christopher Fielden and all the other contributing authors published via this website have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the authors of these works.

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Creative Writing Competition 

This competition is for young literary talents to express their creativity, hone their craft and share their unique voices. 

Every story has the potential to captivate and inspire, so the competition is not restricted to genre and instead acknowledges the limitless potential of the next generation of writers. 

The stories you will read on this site are a testament to the fact that age is no barrier to creativity. 

The stories currently on the site are from 2023. If you would like to enter this year's competition, the deadline is 31st August 2024. 

Email [email protected]

“They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream by night.” – Edgar Allan Poe

This was an event that had to take place. I kept reading beautiful creations from my students, and I wanted to read even more. Thank you very much to everyone who entered and congratulations on your fantastically talented work.

Organised by:

Caitlin Cronin

Jennie Cousins

Eloise Cresswell

Finn Cronin

Harry Miles

Simon Robilliard

Kelly Swoish

Joseph Woolnough

Jessie Woodward-Smith

Prizes donated by:

Ilfracombe Round Table

Tangles - Ilfracombe

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300+ Writing Contests You Need to Enter in 2021

• on Dec 17, 2020
• in Writing Tips
• Last update: January 3rd, 2024

Note: Don’t forget to check out the 2024 list of writing contests !

If there’s one thing we need these days, it’s consistency. Something that proves not everything has changed. Something that gives you a bout of comfort given the current circumstances. So what better way to do that than to know 2021 comes with a host of writing contests for people of all ages from all around the world?

Whatever your writing niche or preferred writing genre, there’s bound to be a contest for you. From short stories to poems and even essays, this year we’ve expanded our list more than ever. All you need is one chance, right? You never know, this might be the contest that helps you further your writing career!

The 2020 Exeter Novel Prize

Eligibility & Restrictions

To apply, submit a 10,000 word novel in English. The novel can’t have been published by a traditional publishing house. Anyone above 18 can enter. All genres excluding children’s, but including Young Adult and New Adult, are acceptable.

St. Martin’s Minotaur/ Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition

Anyone above 18 can enter. All Manuscripts submitted must be original works between 220 typewritten pages or approximately 60,000 words written in English. They also must be written solely by an unpublished entrant. The story should be about murder or another serious crime or to at least have a crime at the heart of the story.

Mississippi Review Contest

The contest is open to all writers in English except current or former students or employees of The University of Southern Mississippi. Fiction and non-fiction entries should be 1000-8000 words; poetry entries should be three to five poems totaling ten pages or less.

Stacy Doris Memorial Poetry Award

Anyone can enter. Minimum 3 pages; maximum 10 pages. You can only submit one entry. Submission must be previously unpublished material. Students currently enrolled at San Francisco State University are ineligible.

James Knudsen Prize for Fiction

Anyone can enter. Submissions must be original, previously unpublished work of fiction, no longer than 7500 words. UNO students and alumni are ineligible. All current and former Bayou staff, previous contest winners, and current or former students of the judge are ineligible to submit.

Kay Murphy Prize for Poetry

Anyone can enter. Submissions must be original, previously unpublished poetry. You may enter up to three poems per entry. UNO students and alumni are ineligible to submit. Previous contest winners, along with current or former students of the judge are also ineligible to submit.

Seaborne Magazine: Call for submissions about the sea

Anyone can enter. They are looking for rich, atmospheric fiction, non-fiction, poetry and visual artwork about the sea. Submissions must be formatted to UK spelling. They do not accept previously published submissions, in other magazines, websites or personal blogs. Fiction should be between 2,000-5,000 words for short stories, and 300 words for vignettes. Creative non-fiction should be between 800-1,500 words.

The Crank Poetry Competition

Anyone can enter. Must submit four previously unpublished poems.

The Hunger Winter Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. You may submit up to 3 poems; please include them all in the same file. Multiple submissions are allowed with a separate entry fee for each submission.

Gemini Magazine Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter.

The Tony Hillerman Prize For Best First Mystery Set In the Southwest

Anyone above 18 and is a resident of one of the US, the District of Columbia or Canada can enter. Entries must be unpublished, publication on an entrant’s website of a single one-chapter excerpt from a work is eligible. The Manuscript must be written in English and must be approximately 60,000 words or 220 pages. The theme is murder or another serious crime and should focus on the solving of the crime(s) rather than the details of such crime(s).

Jacobs/Jones African-American Literary Prize

Entry must be short prose by African-American writers in North Carolina. Entries may be fiction or creative non-fiction, but must be unpublished, no more than 3,000 words, and concerned with the lives and experiences of North Carolina African-Americans. Entries may be excerpts from longer works, but must be self-contained.

San José State University Steinbeck Fellowships in Creative Writing

Anyone can enter. Residency in the San Francisco Bay Area is required during the academic year. Submit a writing sample up to 25, a project proposal for work to be written, a résumé, and three letters of recommendation.

This Sentence Starts The Story

Anyone can enter. Write a story that starts with this sentence: It’s happening tonight. You have the option to put it in quotes (for dialogue) and to change the punctuation at the end for proper grammar.

Books By The Banks Writing Contest

This year’s contest theme is Home. You are encouraged to interpret this theme as literally or figuratively as you desire. Fiction, non-fiction, and poetry are welcome. Submitted work must be original and unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.

5-7-5 Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. The entry should be a 5-7-5 poem that follows the structure of a Haiku but without any limitation to the topic.

The Mogford Prize for Food and Drink Writing

Anyone above 18 can enter. The English short story should have a maximum of 2,500 words. Entries must never have been published, self-published, broadcast or published on any website, blog or online forum. Entries must be the sole work of the entrant.

The Henshaw Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. Entries must be fictional short stories of up to 2000 words on any theme. All entries must be the original work of the author, must not have been published before the date of submission.

BBC Writersroom Script Room 2021

Anyone can enter. Submit one drama or comedy-drama script of at least 30 full pages in length for TV, film, radio, stage or online. No early/first/rough drafts of scripts.

Poetry Kit International Poetry Competition

Anyone can enter. There are no style or length restrictions, but it should be stressed that a short poem is just as likely to be selected as a longer one. This year’s theme: “home” which can be broadly interpreted and presented in any form or style.

Science Writers and Communicators of Canada Book Awards

Authors must be Canadian citizens or a resident of Canada. Entries can be written in French or English. The entry must have been published in Canada during the 2020 calendar year. Entries may deal with aspects of basic or applied science or technology (historical or current) in any area including health, social or environmental issues, regulatory trends, etc. Books must be understandable to the layperson or children, with appropriate clarification of medical and scientific terminology, and an orderly marshalling of facts.

The White Review Poet’s Prize

The Prize is open to residents of the UK and Ireland who have yet to publish a single-authored poetry collection or pamphlet in any language. Entries of poetry portfolios should be 5 – 10 pages per portfolio, as opposed to single-poem entries, and must be written in English. Poems submitted must not have been previously published, either online or in print.

Minute Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. The Minute Poem is a poem that follows the “8,4,4,4” syllable count structure. It must have 12 lines total and 60 syllables.

Full Bleed Fifth Issue Contest

Anyone can enter. The theme is adaptation. In addition to essays and stories of up to 7000 words, Full Bleed publishes shorter, recurring columns of approximately 800 to 2000 words. Please submit previously unpublished work along with a brief biography and cover letter.

New Guard Fiction Contest

Anyone above 18 can enter. Up to three poems per entry. Submit up to 5,000 words: anything from flash fiction to the long stories. Please submit previously unpublished work only. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, provided they’re notified upon publication elsewhere.

New Guard Poetry Contest

Anyone above 18 can enter. Up to three poems per entry. Up to 150 lines per poem. Please submit all three poems in a single document. Please submit previously unpublished work only. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, provided they’re notified upon publication elsewhere.

Joe Gouveia Outermost Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Send up to 5 of your best unpublished poems, any style or subject matter, no more than 7 pages in total.

Colorado Prize for Poetry

The competition is open to anyone, except students, alumni, and employees of Colorado State University. Manuscripts must be at least 48 pages but no more than 100 pages. Manuscripts may consist of poems that have been published, but the manuscript as a whole must be unpublished. Translations are not eligible.

Virginia B. Ball Writing Contest

The contest is open to students in grades 8-11 during the 2020-2021 school year except students enrolled in Interlochen Arts Academy. The pieces must represent at least two of the following genres: fiction, poetry, spoken word, personal essay/memoir, screenwriting, playwriting, comics, and experimental or unclassifiable writing. Applicants who submit so-called “genre” fiction (science fiction, fantasy, etc.) are encouraged to also submit a sample of more realistic fiction. Length: max 4,000 words.

Erewash Festive Fright Writing Poetry and Story Competitions

Anyone can enter. From creepy spec fic to bleak psychological thrillers, whether you make your writing ghostly and/or ghastly, ​put the frighteners on us to win this competition.​ Set it during the festive season in December. Poetry length: up to 40 lines. Story length: max 500 words.

Erewash Festive Fright Writing Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. From creepy spec fic to bleak psychological thrillers, whether you make your writing ghostly and/or ghastly, ​put the frighteners on us to win this competition.​ Set it during the festive season in December. Short Story length: max 2,500 words.

John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest

Any United States high school students in grades 9-12 may apply. Describe and analyze an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917. Length: 1,000 words max with a minimum of 700. Past winners and finalists, employees of John Hancock Financial Services and members of their families are not eligible to participate.

Rattle Chapbook Prize

Anyone can enter. Each poet may submit 15–30 pages of poems in English only (no translations).Individual poems may be previously published in any format, but the manuscript as a whole must be unpublished as a collection.

Calibre Essay Prize

Anyone can enter except ABR staff and board members. Essay length: 2,000 to 5,000 words, written in English. Exclusivity is essential for longlisted essays.

Driftwood Press Short Story Contest

Anyone can enter. The entry should be between 1,000-5,000 words. The work must not have been previously published. Submit works written in English only, no translations.

Driftwood Press Poem Contest

Submitters may send up to five poems in a single document for consideration. Each poem must not exceed sixty lines. Prose poetry, experimental poetry, and poetry with a visual element are all welcome. Any submissions should be written primarily in English.

Reading Works Short Short Story Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a short short story no longer than 100 words. The contest is open to prose, any genre. Topics: ants, bowling, 1940s, water.

DISQUIET Prize

Anyone above 18 can enter. Only previously unpublished work in English can be submitted by authors who have not yet published more than one book. One short story or novel excerpt, maximum 25 (double-spaced) pages per entry.

Anyone above 18 can enter. Only previously unpublished work in English can be submitted by authors who have not yet published more than one book.One piece of non-fiction, maximum 25 (double-spaced) pages per entry.

Anyone above 18 can enter. Only previously unpublished work in English can be submitted by authors who have not yet published more than one book. No more than SIX poems per entry, up to 10 pages total.

Dynamo Verlag Book Contest

This contest is open to all authors who have not published more than one (1) full length book in their primary genre (this does not include self-published works). Current and under-contract Dynamo Verlag authors are ineligible, as are any persons employed or associated with the press.This contest is open to primarily textual poetry or prose, minimum 8,000 words for poetry and maximum 75,000 words for prose.

City Limits Love Is in the Air Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. All entries must be about love in some form and written in English. A poem in its entirety must be an original work by the person entering the contest.

Rose Post Creative non-fiction Contest

The competition is open to any writer who is a legal resident of North Carolina or a member of the North Carolina Writers’ Network. Theme: Lasting non-fiction that is outside the realm of conventional journalism and has relevance to North Carolinians. Subjects may include traditional categories such as reviews, travel articles, profiles or interviews, place/history pieces, or culture criticism. Each entry must be an original and previously unpublished manuscript of no more than 2,000 words.

William Matthews Poetry Prize

Anyone can enter. Submit 3 poems in a single file, any style, any subject, any length. Previously published work and translations are not eligible. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but notify us immediately if a poem is accepted for publication elsewhere.

North American Book Award

Anyone can enter. The book of poetry submitted must be the work of a single author, at least 64 pages long, and published in 2020 by an established press. Manuscripts, videos, CDs, chapbooks, and self-published books are not eligible, nor are books that have won awards, including a pre-publication award by the publishing press. It is expected that the book will contain both new and previously published poems.

Rising Writer Prizes

Anyone 36 or younger can enter. Must be the author’s first full-length poetry collection (previous publications of chapbooks are fine). Submissions should be approximately 50-80 pages.

Desert Writers Award

Anyone can enter. Length: no more than 10 pages, double spaced with 1-inch margins. You may submit published, unpublished, or work in progress but it must be an original work.

Magma Poetry Competition

Anyone can enter. Poems may be on any subject, and must be in English and your own original work. They must not have been published, self-published or accepted for publication in print or online, broadcast, or have won or been placed in another competition at any time. Length: 11–50 lines.

Writing Magazine Open Poetry Competition

Anyone can enter. Entries should be no longer than 40 lines. Entries must be the original and unpublished work of the entrant which is not currently submitted for publication nor for any other competition or award. There is no limit to number of entries. Entrants retain copyright in their manuscripts.

Writing Magazine Open Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. Entries should be 1,500-1,700 words. The choice is yours for this competition – any story, any style, any genre. Entries must be the original and unpublished work of the entrant which is not currently submitted for publication nor for any other competition or award. There is no limit to number of entries. Entrants retain copyright in their manuscripts.

Early Career Awards

Anyone above 18, lives in England at time of application and until at least June 2022, and has not published a debut novel or full short story collection can enter. Submit a sample of work of up to 2,000 words.

Heron Tree Volume 8

Anyone can enter. Poems that have previously appeared online (temporarily or permanently, on your own or a third-party site) should not be submitted, nor should work that has already been published electronically or in print. Simultaneous submissions are welcome with timely notification of acceptance elsewhere.

Four Line Poem

Anyone can enter. Write a four line poem that has a specific syllable count. The subject can be anything.

Vassar Review: Protest, Prophecy, Play

Anyone can enter. Art: 15 works/ Fiction or Literary non-fiction: 30 pages/ Poetry: 6 poems, or 10 pages/ Reviews: 2 works/ Digital Media: up to 5 digital works.

Novella-in-Flash Award

Anyone above 16 can enter. Entries can be on any theme or subject but must be original, unpublished previously, not have won a prize, and written in English between 6,000 and 18,000 words long.

Waxing & Waning Tennessee Tempest Edition

Anyone can enter. Poetry: 1-5 poems, up to 3,000 words. Fiction / creative non-fiction: 100-5,000 words (if any longer, it should be good enough to merit the space it will take up).

Women’s Prize Trust Novel Discoveries

All women in the UK or Ireland above 18 can enter. It is open to any genre of adult fiction, and you only need to submit the first 10,000 words of your novel plus a synopsis (and you’re allowed a very generous 1000 words ).

The Phare Write Words Poetry Competition

Anyone 18 or above can enter. Entries must not have been previously published in print or online, been broadcast, or won a prize. They can be on any theme or subject but must be written in English. Non-fiction and fiction/poetry written for young adults or children is not eligible. Length: 40 lines max.

The Phare Write Words Short Story Competition

Anyone 18 or above can enter. Entries must not have been previously published in print or online, been broadcast or won a prize. They can be on any theme or subject but must be written in English. Non-fiction and fiction/poetry written for young adults or children is not eligible. Length: 3000 words max.

The Phare Write Words Flash Fiction Competition

Anyone 18 or above can enter. An entry can only be made by the work’s individual author. Entries must not have been previously published in print or online, been broadcast or won a prize. They can be on any theme or subject but must be written in English. Non-fiction and fiction/poetry written for young adults or children is not eligible. Length – 1000 words max.

The Nine Dots Prize

Anyone above 18 can enter. Entries should respond in English to this question: “What does it mean to be young in an ageing world?” Length: 3,000 words max. Joint entries and UK sanctioned country entrants will be considered.

Bethesda Essay Contest

Residents of Montgomery County, MD and Upper NW Washington, D.C. (20015 and 20016 ZIP codes) are eligible. The contest will take entries in two categories: High School (grades 9-12) and Adult (ages 18+). Essays must be limited to 500 words or less about a topic of the writer’s choosing. Only one entry per person. Stories must be limited to 4,000 words or less.

Poetry Society of Virginia 2021 Contest

Anyone can enter. All entries must be in English, typed, unpublished, origi­nal, and not scheduled for publication before May, 2020. All entries not in compliance with category specifications will be disqualified.

Stage It! 10-Minute Plays Competition

Anyone can enter. Plays should be in generally-accepted script format and in English. Length: 10 pages or a 10 minutes read.

Past Search Prize for Non-Fiction

Anyone can enter. Maximum 2,000 words.

Free Verse Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. No restrictions.

Lazuli Literary Group Writing Contest

Anyone can enter. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, philosophical ruminations, stageplays, fragments, chapters, and excerpts are all acceptable.

Black Inc. Anthology Contest

Anyone who has spent a substantial part of your life can enter. This year’s theme: Growing Up in Country Australia. Submissions can be in any manner, tone or style, but should not be academic or scholarly. Length: between 1000 and 4000 words.

The Royal Society of Literature Encore Award

The Award is open for any published second novel, which must be a full-length work of fiction. The writer must have been resident in the United Kingdom (UK) or the Republic of Ireland (RoI) for the past three years. Novellas or children’s books are ineligible. Books published with vanity publishers are not eligible.

The 15th Annual Short Story Challenge

Horror writing contest.

Anyone can enter. Put your readers on edge or terrorize them.

Sixfold Short Story Competition

Anyone 18 and above can enter. Must be unpublished and original, simultaneous submissions accepted. Length 20 pages (5,000 words) max.

Sixfold Short Poetry Competition

Anyone 18 and above can enter. Must be unpublished and original, simultaneous submissions accepted. Length 10 pages max.

8th Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition

Anyone can enter. Poems cannot exceed 50 lines in length (including line breaks), and must include all five words listed during this week. A modicum of poetic license is acceptable. Poems should be newly written, during the relevant 7-day period.

The Bournemouth Writing Prize

Anyone above 16 can enter. Short Story length: Up to 3000 words maximum. It can be about any topic and in any style. Poetry length: Up to 42 lines. We are looking for poetry that is fresh and unexpected. All entries should be in English and be accompanied by a short (75 word) biography of the author and postal address. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must never have been previously published, or broadcast or won a prize in another writing competition.

20 Line Poem

Anyone can enter. Write a poem that has exactly 20 lines. Any format.

SWAMP Writing

Anyone enrolled in a postgraduate program in any university across the globe can enter. Entries must be unpublished poetry, short fiction, creative non-fiction and memoir. This year’s theme: Reflection.

Two Line Poem

Anyone can enter. Write an essence poem. The poem should be of two lines with six syllables per line, each containing an internal rhyme and an ending rhyme.

Fan Story Hate to love Contest

Anyone can enter. The topic for this contest is: A hate to love story. The story does not have to be specifically about the topic. But should clearly incorporate the topic into the story. Minimum length 700 words. Recommended length 2,000 – 3,500 words.

Parracombe Prize 2020

To enter, simply submit a short story of no more than 2,020 words. Entries must be in English, your own original work, must not have been published or accepted for publication elsewhere.

Fiction Factory Flash Fiction Writing Competition

Anyone above 16 can enter. Stories must be original and unpublished in print or websites. Must in English and a maximum of 1,000 words. All genres will be accepted except children’s and young adult fiction.

Cambridge Autumn Festival Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. The word limit is 1500 words.The theme for this year’s competition is “Lockdown”.

The Kent and Sussex Poetry Society Open Competition

Anyone can enter. Poems must be in English, unpublished, not accepted for publication, and must be your original work. They must be no longer than 40 lines.

Caine Prize for African Writing

Submissions can only be made by publishers and the prize winner has to be an African national and the entry has to be in English. Unpublished and self-published work is not eligible for the Caine Prize. Works not eligible for entry include stories for children, factual writing, plays, biography.

Young Authors Writing Competition

The contest is open to students attending grades 9-12. Each individual entry has a limit of ten pages. The number of words is not fixed, but each work cannot exceed 10 pages. No previously published entries. Simultaneous submissions are allowed for our contest, but you must notify them immediately if the piece is accepted elsewhere.

Driftwood Poetry Collections

Anyone can enter. It should be between 40-100 pages of poetry. Experimental poetry, hybrid work, poetry with a visual element, prose poetry, and any avant-garde poetry are welcomed! Submissions should be primarily in English, but collections with a moderate bilingual component will of course be considered.

The Winter Anthology

Anyone can enter. Please send as much poetry or prose of which you are the sole author and that were not written earlier than 1999.

Fish Publishing Short Memoir Prize

Anyone can enter. The entries can’t have been previously published. Maximum number of words is 4,000 in English.

Sentinel Literary Quarterly Poetry Competition

Anyone can enter. This competition is for original, previously unpublished poems in English, on any subject, in any style up to 50 lines long. Poems posted on members-only non-public groups for review/critique as part of the creative process are not deemed to have been previously published.

GCWA Writing Contest

Anyone can enter. Youth category: 11-17; adult category: above 18. Your entry must be original, in English, unpublished, and unproduced, not accepted by any other publisher or producer before April 1, 2021. Fiction/non-fiction/children’s —1500 words maximum. Poetry – 40 lines maximum.

Blackwater Press short story contest

Anyone can enter. Word limit should be between 1000 words to 10,000 words.

Michael McLaverty Short Story Competition

Entrants must have been born in, or are citizens of, or resident in Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland. Entries must not exceed the maximum of 3,000 words. Entries must not have been, by the date of submission, published or broadcast in any medium.

Mighty Pens Winter Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. Theme: short story about winter. Entries must be between 500 and 1,000 words. Each entry must be the exclusive work of the author, in English, and must not have been published or appeared anywhere else, including any placement in another competition.

Cheshire Prize for Literature

The writer must have been born, live or have lived, study or have studied, work or have worked, in Cheshire. Entry must be an original and previously unpublished piece of creative work in one of four categories themed around all aspects of the pandemic including “lockdown”: poetry, short fiction, children’s literature and scriptwriting.

Oxford Flash Fiction Prize

Anyone can enter. All entries must be the work of the person entering and must not have been published anywhere online (including blogs and websites) or accepted for publication elsewhere. It must be in English. The copyright remains with the author. Length: 1000 words, no minimum word limit.

The Chaucer Tales Writing Competition

The competition is open to all students of school age including not only those in schools and college communities (ages 5-18), but also students who are home educated and in any other young people’s community organisations. The maximum word count is 500 words in English. The special theme of the competition this year is Be Careful What You Wish For!

First Chapter Competition

Anyone can enter. International entries are welcome but first chapters must be written in English and can be up to 3,500 words (no minimum word count) and on any theme and subject (except children’s fiction). The novel should be unpublished and not have been accepted by a publisher.

Cranked Anvil Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. The competition is open to any theme or genre, but your story must be a maximum of 1,500 words and must be written in English. Entries must be the original and unpublished work of the entrant. This includes publication online, including (but not limited to) personal blogs or websites. Each entry must not be currently submitted for publication nor for any other competition or award.

Annual Fifteen Stories High Short Story Competition

The contest is now open to all Ontario resident writers. Stories must be unpublished fiction and creative non-fiction and be between 1, 000 and 3,000 words in length. Each piece must be original, unpublished, not submitted elsewhere for publication or broadcast, nor accepted elsewhere for publication or broadcast, nor entered simultaneously in any other contest or competition for which it is also eligible to win a prize.

Lancashire Authors’ Association Open Competition

Anyone 16 or above can enter. The story must be exactly 100 words. Entries must be original, unpublished work which is not currently submitted for publication or entered into any other competition or award.

Teignmouth Poetry Festival Open Poetry Competition

Anyone can enter. Poems may be on any subject, must be the original work of the entrant, unpublished and not accepted for publication in any medium. They must not have been awarded a prize in any other competition. Poems should be in English and not exceed 36 lines of text, no minimum.

Teignmouth Poetry Festival Devon residents Poetry Competition

Residents of Devon can enter. Poems may be on any subject, must be the original work of the entrant, unpublished and not accepted for publication in any medium. They must not have been awarded a prize in any other competition. Poems should be in English and not exceed 36 lines of text, no minimum.

The Big Moose Prize

Anyone can enter. The Big Moose Prize is open to traditional unpublished novels as well as novels-in-stories, novels-in-poems, and other hybrid forms that contain within them the spirit of a novel. Manuscripts should be 90-1,000 pages in length.

The over 90s Short Story Prize

Anyone who lives in the UK around 90 years of age or over on the 1st September 2020 can enter. Write a short story with a maximum of 500 words on the theme of childhood memories.

The British Haiku Society Poetry competition

Anyone can enter. Submissions must be in English, unpublished and not concurrently entered for any other competition, and remain unpublished until the results are declared. Submissions should not appear in any print or online publication, social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) or forums as the competition is anonymous. There is no limit on the number of submissions per competitor.

Stringybark Open Short Story Award

Anyone can enter. It should be about Australia. Length: Up to 1500 words. Written for an audience aged 16 and above.

Dark Tales Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. Each entry must be no longer than 5000 words, must be the original, unpublished work of the stated author.

The Masters Review Short Story Award For New Writers

Anyone can enter. Previously unpublished stories only. Simultaneous and multiple submissions allowed. Emerging writers only (Writers with novels published with a circulation of fewer than 5000 copies can also submit.) Length: under 6000 words.

Arachne Press Opportunity for Deaf writers

Submissions are open for UK writers who are deaf only. Deaf writers may submit by video in BSL. No erotica, or horror of any kind, gore or torture. No sexist stereotypes and derivative plotlines, sloppy writing and clichés, romance and chick-lit. Stories and poems must be your own work, written in English, up to 2000 words long and unpublished except for The Story Sessions.

The Danuta Gleed Literary Award

All entries must be Canadian-authored titles published in English between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 and available through bookstores and libraries. Submission must be a first collection/first edition of short fiction, no co-authored entries, no posthumously published works, electronically published works not eligible, submission must be made by a publisher. Translations from other languages into English are eligible if all other criteria are met.

The Brucedale Press Annual Acrostic Story Contest

Anyone under 18 can enter. Stories entered must be original, unpublished work created by the entrant, not previously entered in this contest. Stories may not be longer than 26 sentences. The first sentence must begin with “Because I can…”. Any subject or theme is acceptable, provided there is no profanity, obscenity, ageism, racism or sexism.

The Word Guild 2021 Fresh Ink Student Writing Awards

This contest is designed to encourage student writers in 2 age categories: high school and college/university. Enter original works in 5 categories. Short stories, no-fiction and poetry must be 1500 words or less, first three chapters of an unpublished novel 15 pages or less and short script (screen or stage) 45 pages or less.

Amazon First Novel Award

Anyone between 13-17 and is a citizen or permanent resident of Canada can enter. The Youth Short Story Category invites authors between the ages of thirteen and seventeen to submit a short story under 3,000 words.

Little Tokyo Historical Society Short Story Contest

Anyone can enter. Fiction: 5,000 words. Poetry: single poems or multi-poem cycles. Stories must be set in a current, past or future Little Tokyo in the City of Los Angeles, California.

Bad Betty Press: Pamphlet & Collection Manuscripts

Anyone can enter. Submit 10 pages of poetry from a full collection/pamphlet manuscript.

Bluefire 1000-Word Short Story Contest

Anyone in school grades 6-12 can enter. Entries must be original and not previously published. Length: exactly 1000 words. Previous grand prize winners are not eligible to submit in the same grade category (6-8, or 9-12) in which they have won.

EngineerGirl Essay Contest

Anyone in school (grades 3-12) can enter. Submit a piece of writing that salutes engineering’s role in meeting and defeating the challenges presented by COVID-19. Check guidlines for your category. Grades 3-5: 600 words limit. Grades 6-8: 650 words limit. High school: 700 words limit.

Accenti Writing Contest

Anyone can enter. Submissions for original and unpublished English prose texts only. Maximum length: 2000 words. No poetry, plays, reviews, and scholarly essays. No footnotes and endnotes. No pseudonyms. Submissions can be an English translation of the author’s unpublished original work in another language.

River of Words: Youth Art and Poetry Inspired by the Natural World

The contest is open through to 12th grade students, ages 5-20. Students must be enrolled in school to be eligible. All entries must be submitted by a parent, guardian, educator, or facilitator unless the student is 18 years old or older. Poems can be in English and Spanish. All poems must be original work and should not exceed 32 lines in length (written) or 3 minutes (signed).

Spread The Word Life Writing Prize

Entrants must be based in the UK, above 18, unpublished (unless self-published), and currently unagented. The entry should be up to 5000 words.

The BookLife Prize

Anyone can enter. Both unpublished or self-published books in the English language are eligible for the BookLife Prize. Entries must contain 40,000 to 100,000 words.

Accenti Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Submissions are open for entries unpublished and not under consideration by any other publication. Maximum length: 40 lines. Submissions can be an English translation of the author’s unpublished original work in another language.

SCWC Poetry Award

Anyone above in Australia 18 can enter. Entries must be single poems of no more than 50 lines. For entries not primarily written in English, an English translation should be provided for the judges. Entries must be original and unpublished works written by an individual author. Entries should not be on offer to other publications or prizes for the duration of the competition. This year’s theme is ‘every body’.

St. Gallen Symposium Esay Competition

Anyone enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate programme (master level or higher) and born in 1991 or later can enter. Essay should be in English and length should be max. 2,100 words. The essay must be written exclusively for this contest.

The Crucible First Novel Award

Anyone can enter. Submit the first 5,000 words of their manuscripts, along with a 150 word ‘elevator pitch’. Manuscripts which have been published in any form, either traditionally or self-published, are ineligible to enter. Entries which fall within the genres of crime, mystery, thriller, or their sub-genres are eligible.

William Van Dyke Short Story Prize

Anyone can enter. The short story must be 5,500 words or less. Entries must be previously unpublished. Regular Ruminate blog contributors, past first-place winners of any Ruminate Prize, past judges of any Ruminate prize, and friends or family of the Ruminate staff can’t enter.

Dialogue Only Writing Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a story using only dialogue. No narration or descriptions. Sentence tags are optional. No length requirements.

2021 Newcastle Short Story Award

All Australian citizens or permanent residents above 18 can enter. Length: 2,000 words max. Entries must be the original work of the applicant and must not be published in any form or currently offered for publication.

Room 204 Writer Development Scheme

Entrant should have a 2-year writing history with up to 3 writing examples, a max of 3,000 words total.

Arizona Mystery Writers Mary Ann Hutchison Memorial Story Contest for Youths

Writers from 9-16 years of age. Submission must be up to 2500 words (about 10 double-spaced pages).

Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award

Anyone can enter. Submit a short story of no more than 8,000 words, that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration.

The Marten Bequest Scholarships

Australian citizens aged 21-35 can enter. The scholarships provide financial support under the writing categories: poetry and prose. You can’t apply if: 1) you received a grant, or administered a grant, from the Australia Council in the past and that grant has not been satisfactorily acquitted; 2) you owe money to the Australia Council; 3) you were previously awarded a grant through The Marten Bequest.

Kathleen Mitchell Award

Anyone under 30 years, have been born in Australia or the United Kingdom, or are currently Australian citizens or have been living in Australia for the 12 months preceding the closing date can enter. Entries must be novel or novella and they must have been published or accepted for publication within the 2 years prior to the Award closing date. This can be demonstrated by the providing an ISBN or letter of confirmation from the publisher as part of your entry.

Dal Stivens Award

Anyone under 30 years, Australian citizens, or have been permanent residents in the two years preceding the closing date. Entries must be a short story or essay between 3,000 and 10,000 words and they must have been published or accepted for publication within the 12 months prior to the Award closing date.

The National Federation of Press Women’s Communications Contest for Professionals

All members of the National Federation of Press Women can enter. High school students may enter the professional contest if they are acting in a professional capacity. Entrants from Missouri, Nebraska and North Dakota must be NFPW members to enter. All work must have been published or broadcast between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, to be eligible for entry.

Ottawa Travel Writing Contest

Anyone can enter. Eligible entries include items in English or in French that have appeared in magazines, newspapers, or online media in 2020 that highlight Ottawa as a travel destination.

The Elmbridge Literary Competition

All entries must be in English and previously unpublished. Short stories length: 1000 words (8-13 years) or 1500 words (14+). Poems length: 30 lines. Little Rhymes and Stories for the 5-7 years group should be no longer than 20 lines (Rhymes) or 500 words (Stories) and can be hand written (but must be legible).

3 Line Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. The poem has to have a syllable count of either 5-7-5 or 5-7-7. It shouldn’t rhyme. But the poem must address a loved one.

Bath Flash Fiction Award

Anyone above 16 can enter. Entries can be on any theme or subject but must be original and written in English. They must also be for adult or young adult readers. Non-fiction and fiction written for children under 13 years are not eligible. Max length is 300 words. Entries must not have been previously published in print or online, been broadcast or won a prize.

The National Federation of Press Women’s Communications Contest for High School Students

All high school students in the US can enter. All 2021 contest entries must have been published, e-published, broadcast, or issued between February 1, 2020, and January 31, 2021. Entries must be produced by a current high school student or a recently graduated student who produced the work in their senior year after February 1, 2020.

Fan Story Faith Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. The theme for this poetry contest is “faith”.

Globe Soup Winter Flash Fiction Competition

Anyone 18 and above can enter. The entries should be no more than 800 words. All entries must be written for adult or young adult readers. Flash Fiction stories aimed at children are not allowed. Entries must be the participants’ own, original work. They must not have been published, self-published, published online or made public on social media or featured among the winners in any other competition. Entries must not include photographs or illustrations.

Next Generation Indie Book Awards

The 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards is open to all indie book authors and publishers who have a book, a manuscript, or a galley proof written in English and published in 2019, 2020 or 2021 or with a 2019, 2020 or 2021 copyright date.

Writers’ & Artists’ Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. Submit a short story (for adults) of no more than 2,000 words.

The Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize

The competition is for novel manuscripts in any genre by unpublished women writer residents in the UK and Ireland. Literary and genre fiction are equally welcomed, and novels for children and young adults may be entered as long as they are primarily word-based. Picture books are not accepted. To enter, send the first 30 to 50 pages and a synopsis between three and five pages.

Short Prose Competition

Any Canadian citizen or resident can enter. Writer must have had no more than one book published (traditionally or self-published) and currently be under no contract for a second book. Piece must be unpublished, original, won no prize before, in English. Length: max 2,500 words.

Fan Story Future Flash Fiction Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a flash fiction story that takes place in the future. Maximum length 500 words.

Hippocrates international Open Prize and Health Professional Prize

Anyone can enter. Poems must be no more than 50 lines in length and not have previously been published in any form. They must be written in English on a medical subject and should not be translations of another writer’s work.

Adventures in Fiction Spotlight First Novel Award

Anyone can enter. To enter, submit the first page of your novel and a one-page synopsis. The winner should be prepared to submit the manuscript of their novel in hard copy (12pt, double-spaced, single side of the paper only) to Adventures in Fiction by the beginning of April. Prize: A Stage One Mentoring package for a novel of up to 550 pages/170,000 words including a full manuscript appraisal, a development strategy and two consultations and a dedicated page on the Adventures in Fiction website including a profile of you and your novel.

IndieReader Discovery Awards

Only books that have been either self-published or published by an independent publisher and have an ISBN or ASN can enter.

Achievement Awards in Writing

All 11th grade students in the current academic school year are eligible to be nominated by their school’s English department. Schools in the United States, Canada, Virgin Islands and American Schools Abroad are eligible. Nominating schools must be US accredited. Participating students submit two types of writing: themed writing (AWA prompt) and best writing. 2021 prompt: My Community. Writing options include poetry, short story, personal narrative, essay, or graphic storytelling. Themed Writing: max 4 pages. Best Witing: max 6 pages.

Promising Young Writers Program

All 8th grade students in the current academic school year are eligible to be nominated by their school’s English department. Schools in the United States, Canada, Virgin Islands and American Schools Abroad are eligible to nominate juniors. Nominating schools must be US accredited. Participating students submit two types of writing: themed writing (AWA prompt) and best writing. 2021 prompt: Change; Amidst isolation in 2020. You may produce any genre, or kind, of writing. Themed Writing: max 4 pages. Best Witing: max 6 pages.

Anchorage Annual Statewide Creative Writing Contest

The contest is open to Alaska residents. College students who maintain Alaska residency may enter. Work published previously in any copyrighted newspaper, magazine, book or other medium is ineligible. Writing for school publications may be entered. Entries must be original. Contestants may enter one work of fiction (not to exceed 5,000 words), one work of non-fiction (not to exceed 5,000 words), and up to three poems. A contestant may enter all categories in his or her age group.

Ambroggio Prize

Any US citizen or resident for the ten-year period prior to the submission deadline can enter. Poets are not eligible to apply if they have studied with the judge in full-time accredited courses within the last three years The manuscript must be originally written in Spanish and accompanied by a translation in English. Poets may translate their own work or collaborate with a translator who may or may not be a poet. The poet and translator must share the $1,000 prize. Poems may have been previously published in periodicals or chapbooks, but the collection must not have been previously published, including self-publications and e-books. The original manuscript in Spanish must contain original poetry by one poet and must be between 48 and 100 pages, typed single-spaced, unless the poems are meant to be presented using nonstandard spacing.

Writing Magazine Dialogue Only Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. Entries should be 1,500-1,700 words. Entries must be the original and unpublished work of the entrant which is not currently submitted for publication nor for any other competition or award. There is no limit to the number of entries. Entrants retain copyright in their manuscripts.

Morton and McCarthy Prizes

Open to any short fiction writer in English. Employees and board members of Sarabande Books, Inc. are not eligible. Submissions may include a collection of short stories, one or more novellas, or a short novel. Works that have previously appeared in magazines or in anthologies may be included.

Hachette Children’s Novel Award

Anyone above 18 and is a permanent resident in the North of England can enter. The Hachette Children’s Novel Award is open to debut writers of middle-grade children’s fiction and early teen fiction. Must be English language fiction for children aged 7-11 (the word count can be 15-40K), or teen fiction for readers aged 11-13 (50-65K words), this should still exclude high-end or explicit content including swearing, sex and drugs. The initial work entered for this award will be a submission of 3000-4000 words. Applicants are not eligible if the work that they are submitting is currently part of a book deal that they have received a publishing contract and advance for.

Northern Writers’ Awards for Poetry

Anyone above 18 and is a permanent resident in the North of England can enter. This award is for English language works of poetry that can be considered as being in progress. Your application can include poems that have been previously published in magazines and anthologies. To enter poets should submit up to 30 poems or an equivalent amount of longer sequences.

Northern Debut Awards: Poetry

Anyone above 18 and is a permanent resident in the North of England can enter. This award is for English language works of poetry that can be considered as being in progress. Poets who have published pamphlets or in magazines and anthologies may apply if they have not published, or are not contracted to publish, a full collection. For prose writers we expect to see an extract of work supported by a synopsis that fully describes the book that you are working to complete. Poets should submit up to 30 poems or an equivalent amount of longer sequences.

Northern Writers’ Awards for Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction

Anyone above 18 and is a permanent resident in the North of England can enter. You may submit novels, novellas and collections of short stories, but not individual short stories. Work that fits in this category includes biography, memoir, nature writing and non-fiction with a strong literary intent. Works of factual, technical, journalistic and scientific writing, local history, travel writing or translation are not eligible for entry. The work that you enter for the awards must be your current work in progress. Length: a sample of 3000–6000 words and a synopsis of up to 600 words.

Northern Debut Awards: Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction

Anyone above 18 and is a permanent resident in the North of England can enter. You may submit novels, novellas and collections of short stories, but not individual short stories. Narrative non-fiction has stylistic and structural similarities to fiction but deals instead with factual or mostly factual subject matter. Works of factual, technical, journalistic and scientific writing, local history, travel writing or translation are not eligible for entry. Writers previously published in other genres such as poetry, academic writing and writing for children may apply for this award. Writers who have self-published full-length works are not considered debut authors for this award. The work that you enter for the awards must be your current work in progress. Length: a sample of 3000–6000 words and a synopsis of up to 600 words.

Sid Chaplin Award

Anyone above 18 and is a permanent resident in the North of England can enter. We accept fiction and narrative non-fiction for this award. Submissions may be on any theme or topic and can include young adult writing, memoir, novels and short story collections, and works of literary essays. They accept fiction from any genre, including literary fiction, crime, science fiction, romance and fantasy. You may submit novels, novellas and collections of short stories, but not individual short stories. Works of factual, technical, journalistic and scientific writing, local history, travel writing or translation are not eligible for entry. The work that you enter for the awards must be your current work in progress. To enter writers should submit a sample of 3000–6000 words and a synopsis.

The Literary Consultancy Free Reads

Anyone above 18 and is a permanent resident in the North of England can enter. We accept poetry, fiction, including children’s and young adult, and narrative non-fiction for these awards. You may submit novels, novellas and collections of short stories, but not individual short stories. Narrative non-fiction has stylistic and structural similarities to fiction but deals instead with factual or mostly factual subject matter. Works of factual, technical, journalistic and scientific writing, local history, travel writing or translation are not eligible for entry. The work that you enter for the awards must be your current work in progress. Length: a sample of 3000–6000 words and a synopsis of up to 600 words.

Arvon Award

Anyone above 18 and is a permanent resident in the North of England can enter. We accept works of fiction of all genres, children’s fiction and creative non-fiction for this award. Narrative non-fiction has stylistic and structural similarities to fiction but deals instead with factual or mostly factual subject matter. Works of factual, technical, journalistic and scientific writing, local history, travel writing or translation are not eligible for entry. The work that you enter for the awards must be your current work in progress. Length: a sample of 3000–6000 words and a synopsis of up to 600 words.

Northumbria University Student and Alumni Award

Anyone above 18, is a permanent resident in the North of England, and is a final-year student or graduate from any discipline at Northumbria University can enter. They accept English language works of poetry, fiction of all genres, children’s fiction, creative non-fiction and graphic novels for this award. Works of factual, technical, journalistic and scientific writing, local history, travel writing, translation or self-publishing projects are not eligible for entry. The work that you enter for the awards must be your current work in progress. To enter writers should submit a sample of 3000–6000 words and a synopsis of up to 600 words.

Word Factory Apprentice Award

Anyone above 18, is a permanent resident in the North of England, and is a final-year student or graduate from any discipline at Northumbria University can enter. They accept English language works of poetry, fiction of all genres, children’s fiction, creative non-fiction and graphic novels for this award. Works of factual, technical, journalistic and scientific writing, local history, travel writing, translation or self-publishing projects are not eligible for entry. The work that you enter for the awards must be your current work in progress. Length: a sample of 3000–6000 words and a synopsis of up to 600 words.

Young Northern Writers’ Awards

Anyone currently living full-time in the North of England and is a young person in Year 7 upwards (up to a maximum of 18 years of age) can enter. There are two age categories, Year 7-9 and Year 10+. Entrants must be 18 years or under on Thursday 26 November 2020 when the awards open. Young writers can submit creative work in any form including prose, poetry, scriptwriting, blogging, songwriting and rap.

Matthew Hale Award

Anyone currently living full-time in the North of England and is a young person in Year 7 upwards (up to a maximum of 18 years of age) can enter. The Matthew Hale Award is open to young writers who show promise but have had limited opportunities to pursue their talent. Young writers can submit creative work in any form including prose, poetry, scriptwriting, blogging, songwriting and rap.

True Story Contest

Anyone can enter. Share a true story from your life. Write a story that shares a moment, an object, a feeling, etc. This does not have to be a profound memory, but should allow readers insight into your feelings, observations and/or thoughts. Use at least 100 words. No poetry.

SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest

All 9-12 high school students in the US can apply. The essay should be 300-500 words of original work. Entrants must write about: “Why must journalists strive to improve diversity and representation in both their coverage and in their newsrooms, and how might this happen?”

Willow Run Poetry Book Award

Anyone can enter. Must be an unpublished English book length collection of poetry of 75 to 100 pages.

Tanka Poetry Contest

Fan story non-fiction writing contest.

Anyone can enter. Submit literary works of non-fiction on any topic. It doesn’t matter if it’s spiritual, political, intellectual, emotional, funny, serious, or an essay about your DVD player. New entries only. Minimum length 500 words. Maximum Length 7,000 words. Recommended length 2,000 – 3,500 words.

Allen & Unwin Crime Fiction Prize

All residents of Australia and New Zealand can enter. Manuscripts must be crime or thriller genres between 60,000 and 120,000 words. The manuscript must be an original work, entirely by the entrant and it must be written in English. It cannot be under consideration by any other publisher or entered into any other award. No more than 10% of the manuscript can have been previously published in print form, or in electronic form, on a commercial basis.

Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition

Anyone can enter. The international competition is open to all – both published and unpublished authors from all over the world – and is for short stories of up to 3,500 words. The story cannot have been previously published anywhere, or shortlisted for this competition.

Acumen International Poetry Competition

Anyone can enter. Poems must be original, have a title, be unpublished or not accepted for publication. They should be written in English and not exceed 50 lines.

The Writing Wizardry Competition

Anyone 11 years or under can enter. All you have to do is send us a poem or story of fewer than 500 words.

Inkshares All-Genre Manuscript Contest

Anyone can enter. All genres are accepted.

The Exeter Writers Short Story Competition

The competition is open to anyone (except members of Exeter Writers) writing in any genre except children’s. Stories must not have been previously published nor won a prize in any other competition. If the story has previously been self-published, it must be out of circulation or public reach for the whole of the duration of the competition, up until the winners are announced. You may re-enter a non-winning story that was submitted to the competition in a previous years, but it must have been significantly and substantially revised. Previous prize-winning stories are not eligible for re-entry. Length: 3,000 words max.

Flash 500 Short Stories competition

Anyone can enter. Stories should range between 1,000 and 3,000 words, with strong characters, a well-crafted plot and realistic dialogue (where used).

Fish Publishing Flash Fiction Prize

Anyone can enter. Maximum number of words is 300 and it must be in English. The winning stories must be available for the Fish Anthology and, therefore, must not have been published previously. Fish will hold publishing rights for one year only after publication.

Dream One Quest Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Previously published poems in other contests, books, magazines, etc. are accepted and welcomed as long as they are original works created by the contest entrant(s). All entries must be composed or translated into the English language. Poems must be 30 lines or fewer.

Dream One Quest Writing Contest

Anyone can enter. Previously published short stories in other contests, books, magazines, etc. are accepted and welcomed as long as they are original works created by the contest entrant(s). All entries must be composed or translated into the English language. Any fiction, non-fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, diary, journal entries, and short stage-plays and screenplays are accepted within a maximum of (5) pages or less.

Blinkpot Flash Fiction Awards

Anyone above 18 can enter. The entry must be in English and must have been written by the person making the submission. Entries must not have been previously published, broadcast or won a prize. Entries can be on any theme or subject. Maximum entry length is 100 words and minimum length 80.

Reflex Fiction Flash Fiction Competition

Anyone above 16 can enter. Entries must be in Enflish and must be the work of the entrant and must not have been published or accepted for publication elsewhere in print or online including blogs or personal websites. Entries must be fiction but can be on any subject, and written in any style or form. No fan fiction or use of copyrighted material, characters, song lyrics etc.

Writing Magazine and QuoScript Novel writing competition

Adult crime fiction and YA fiction authors can enter. Submit your book synopsis, a covering letter and the first chapter of your novel only. Submissions must be wholly your own work, not contain obscene or libellous material, or derive from the work of other authors.

Southword Poetry Prize

Anyone can enter. All poems must be previously unpublished. Works of translation where the original author is still in copyright will require the bios of both the original author and the translator. There is a suggested limit of 40 lines per poem.

The annual Lancaster Writing Award

All students in year 12-13 can enter. Categories: criticism, fiction, poetry, script and screen writing. Students may enter in more than one category and write in any style they wish. The word limit for criticism and fiction is 1500 words.The limit for poems is 25 lines. The limit for screenplays is 8 pages.

Scottish Arts Trust Short Story Competition

Anyone above 16 can enter. Length: 2,000 words or fewer. The entry should not have been previously published, online or in print. Short stories entered for the competition may be on any topic. Stories do not have to be set in Scotland or on Scottish themes but they must be in English.

The Isobel Lodge Award

Anyone above 16, is unpublished, and a resident of Scotland or studying in Scotland can enter. Entry can be published online or in print without compensation can qualify for the Isobel Lodge Award. Writers also qualify if they have self-published a work of fiction. Length: 2,000 words or fewer. The story should not have been previously published, online or in print. Stories do not have to be set in Scotland or on Scottish themes but they must be in English.

Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest

Any Canadian (citizen or resident) can enter. Topic: poems written in response to an existing occasion, personal or public, or poems that make an occasion of something ordinary or by virtue of the poet’s attention. No word limit, must be unpublished nor accepted for publication elsewhere.

15 Syllable Poem

Anyone can enter. Write a poem with exactly 15 syllables.

International Essay Contest for Young People

Guidelines for the 2021 International Essay Contest for Young People will be announced on this website and through the Goi Peace Foundation’s mailing list and facebook page in mid-March 2021.

Nature and Place Poetry Competition

Anyone above 18 can enter. Poems must be no more than 40 lines in English. Poems must be the original work of the entrant and must not have been published, self-published or published on online or broadcast.

Hippocrates Young Poets Prize for Poetry and Medicine

Young Poet entrants should be aged 14-18. Poems must be no more than 50 lines in length and not have previously been published in any form. They must be written in English on a medical subject and should not be translations of another writer’s work.

Waxing & Waning Screenplay Contest

Anyone can enter. Screenplays or plays can be up to 25 pages (may be a part of a whole).

City Limits Suspense/Thriller Novel Contest

Anyone can enter. Original work of fiction or non-fiction in English that must be previously unpublished. Word count per chapter should not exceed 3,000 words. Overall, 30,000 word minimum.

City Limits Romance Novel Contest

Elyne mitchell photo story award competition.

Anyone can enter. The theme of the contest is ‘the gathering’. With a maximum of 200 words. Entries must be the entrants original work, unpublished and not acknowledged in any other competitions, and not submited elsewhere until the judging stage.

Bridgend Writers’ Circle Short Story Competition

Anyone above 18 can enter. Story length: 1,500 and 1,800 words. Entries will be accepted provided that they have not previously been broadcast or published in any form and that the story is entirely original, entirely the entrant’s own work and does not infringe the copyright or any other right of any third party. Entries should not be sent for consideration, for publication or broadcast elsewhere during the period of the competition.

The Christopher Tower Poetry Competition

Open to submissions from students between 16-18 years of age who are educated in the UK. Entries must be on written in English, and be no more than 48 lines in length. Entrants must be in full or part-time education at a school, college or other educational institution in the United Kingdom. Each poem must be the entrant’s own work, joint authorship is ineligible.

Deep Wild 2021 Undergraduate Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. The entry should be a single poem of up to 70 lines.

100 Word Flash Fiction

Anyone can enter. The entry should be exactly 100 words.

Geographies of Justice: Call for Submissions

Anyone can enter. Poetry/Lyric: no more than 50 lines. Fiction, essays, creative non-fiction and other prose: up to 4000 words. Must hold the rights to the work and must be unpublished.

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

Anyone can enter. Entrees should be 750 words or less. They do not accept work that has been previously published in print, online, or any other medium and works in translation.

Fowey Festival Short Story Competition

Anyone above 16 can enter. The title for the competition is “Breaking Point”. Length: max 1500 words. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must never have been previously published, commended, long-listed or short-listed in another writing competition.

Rhyming Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a poem that has a rhyme scheme. How it rhymes is up to you.

Evesham Festival of Words Short Story Competition

Anyone above 16 can enter. Any genre or subject, must be unpublished and original, aimed at adults only. Length: max 2,500 words.

Fan Story Flash Fiction Contest

Anyone can enter. Entry should be exactly 150 words.

Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction

Anyone can enter. The stories must be at least 10 pages (or 2500 words) but no more than 50 pages (12,500 words). Stories must be previously unpublished.

Zizzle Literary Flash Fiction Contest

Anyone can enter. All entries must be in English and unpublished previously. Must be aimed at young readers from age 11 and above. Length: 500 to 1,000 words. Simultaneous submissions allowed, only if you notify Zizzle.

Apprentice Writer

Only high school students can enter. You can submit poetry, chorepoetry, spoken word submissions, graphic fiction and non-fiction, and prose.

Eludia Award

All women age 40 and above, who do not yet have a book-length publication of fiction, can enter. The author must be unpublished and the entry should be in English.

Fan Story Write A Script Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a script of any size (can be a small script as shown in the example) for any medium on any topic.

New Welsh Writing Awards

Writers from the UK and Ireland as well as those who have been educated in Wales for over six months can enter. Entries should be prose with a Welsh theme or setting and should be an unpublished book (between 5,000 and 30,000 words) in English. Entries this year may vary across the categories, from short form Welsh-themed- or Welsh-set non-fiction to a novella or short story collection set in Wales or with a Welsh theme.

Fan Story Haiku Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Only haiku poems.

Never Such Innocence 2020/21 Competition

Anyone aged 9-18 can enter. The theme is ‘The Unheard Voices of Conflict: Stories from Around the World’. There are four category awards: Poetry, Art, Speech and Song. All poems must have a title and must not exceed 40 lines in length. Speeches must be no longer than 5 minutes (roughly between 625-750 words). All works may be written in any language and should consist of the contestant’s own work and should not infringe any copyrights or any other rights of any third parties.

Fan Story ABC Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a one-stanza, five-line poem.

Fan Story 80 Word Flash Fiction Contest

Anyone can enter. The submitted work must be between 78 – 82 words.

Fan Story 6 Word Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a poem with only 6 words.

The Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest

All Canadians (citizen or resident) can enter. No word limit (2,000 – 2,500 expected), must be unpublished nor accepted for publication elsewhere.

Rubery Book Award

Anyone can enter. Your entry must be a book that is either self-published or published by an independent press.

The Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2021

Anyone above 16 can enter. The poem has to appeal to children aged 7-11 and it must be original and previously unpublished.

National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA)

Open to all English language printed books available for sale, including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, and self-published authors. All titles must have an ISBN and be published books available on Amazon.com or wherever good books are sold. No ebooks.

Gemini Magazine Short Story Contest

The ernest hemingway short fiction prize.

Anyone can enter. Entries should be approximately 1500 words or less. Submissions should be unpublished.

The Blue Mountain Novel Award

Anyone can enter. Entries must be original, and in English. It must be of a published novel of any length.

The Writers Of The Future

All amateur writers can enter. Entries must be original works by the entrant, in English. No excessive violence or sex. Entries may not have been previously published in professional media. Entries must be works of prose, up to 17,000 words in length. No poetry, or works intended for children.

An Axe To Grind Flash Short Story Fiction

Anyone can enter. Stories must not exceed 1000 words. Only original, unpublished work may be submitted.

The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing

The contest is open to first-generation immigrants of their country. Entries should be unpublished and in English (translations welcome). Fiction manuscripts must be complete, a minimum of 45,000 words. non-fiction submissions must consist of either a complete manuscript, or a sample of at least 25,000 words and a detailed proposal.

Fish Publishing Poetry Prize

Anyone can enter. Maximum number of words is 300 and it must be in English. The winning poem must be available for the Fish Anthology and, therefore, must not have been published previously. Fish will hold publishing rights for one year only after publication.

WOW! Women on Writing Creative non-fiction Essay Contest

All women can enter. Entries should be creative non-fiction in English. Maximum words: 1000. Minimum words: 200.

Ada Cambridge Poetry Prize

Anyone above 18 who lives in the state of Victoria can enter. Poems may be in any form about any topic, up to 30 lines. The work must be original, written in English and not have been previously published. It should not have won a prize in any other competition.

Ada Cambridge Biographical Prose Prize

Anyone 18 and above who lives in the state of Victoria can enter. Stories must be biographical. Stories must be between 1000 to 3000 words. The work must be original, written in English and not have been previously published. It should not have won a prize in any other competition.

Young Adas short story prize

Anyone aged 14-18 and living, working or studying in the western suburbs of Melbourne can enter. Enter an original short story up to 1000 words in length. The work must be original, written in English and not have been previously published. It should not have won a prize in any other competition.

Cinnamon Press Poetry Pamphlet Prize

Anyone can enter. Submit 15–25 poems of up to 50 lines each. Individual poems may have been published online or in magazines provided the writer retains the copyright.

Southword Fiction Story Prize

Anyone can enter. There is an upper limit of 5000 words for short stories. Only unpublished work.

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Length limit: 250 lines maximum. Authors from all countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Crimea (due to US government restrictions). The poem you submit should be in English.

Zone 3 Creative Non-Fiction Book Award

Anyone can enter. The competition is open to all authors writing original works in English. Manuscript should be 120-250 pages.

Zone 3 First Book Award in Poetry

Anyone can enter. Only unpublished work of a full-length collection of poems (48 pages or more) is eligible; those with chapbooks may participate. Manuscript should be 48-80 pages.

Fan Story Cinquain Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Entries must adhere to the contest’s syllable specifications.

The Orison Prizes in Poetry & Fiction

Anyone can enter. Must be book-length manuscripts. Submissions should be of full-length poetry and fiction (minimum 30,000 words) manuscripts. Original English work only; no translations.

The American Foreign Service Association’s National High School Essay Contest

Students whose parents are not in the Foreign Service are eligible to participate if they are in grades 9 – 12 in the US, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories, or if they are U.S. citizens attending high school overseas including home-schooled students. Previous first-place winners and immediate relatives of directors or staff of the AFSA and Semester at Sea are not eligible to participate. Length: 1,250 words max.

H.E. Bates Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. Must be unpublished (except social media) and original and won no prize before. Length: max 2,000 words.

Fan Story Love Poem Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. But it must clearly be a love poem.

Fan Story Dribble Flash Fiction Contest

Anyone can enter. The submitted work must be between 48 – 52 words.

Etel Adnan Poetry Prize

Anyone of an Arab heritage can apply. Only first or second full-length books of poetry written in English may be submitted. Chapbooks are not considered as a previous publication in this regard. Manuscripts must be between forty-eight and ninety pages. Individual poems may have been published in chapbooks, journals, and anthologies. Work in translation is not accepted.

Fan Story New Arrival Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. This is a “New Arrival” contest which is designed to welcome new members to the site.

The Colin Sutton Cup for Humour

Anyone can enter. Any genre is acceptable. Each piece should be funny. The first piece should be exactly 1,000 words long. The second piece should be exactly 100 words long. The third piece will be exactly 10 words long. The 4th piece should be exactly one word long. Work to be unpublished and not entered into previous Circle competitions.

Fan Story 20 Word Poem Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a poem with only 20 words.

Fan Story New Arrival Flash Fiction Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a story that uses exactly 100 words.

Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize

Anyone can enter. Manuscripts must be between 48 – 84 pages in length. Individual poems from the manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, anthologies, or chapbooks of less than 25 pages, but the collection, as a whole, must be unpublished.

The Claudia Ann Seaman Awards For Young Writers

High School students from anywhere in the world are eligible to submit original work written in English. Creative writing that was not previously published, can be submitted in the categories of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. Submit a maximum of three pieces across the three genres. Poetry, up to 80 lines. Fiction and creative non-fiction must be 1,800 words or less.

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

Anyone can enter. All countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Crimea (due to US government restrictions). You may submit stories and essays on any theme, up to 6,000 words each. Entries must be in English.

Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition

Anyone 16 and above can enter. Poems should be in English, must not have been published either in print or on a website, nor be currently submitted or accepted for future publication. They must not previously have been awarded a prize in any other competition. Poems must be your own original work and may be on any subject. Length: no longer than 50 lines

Ver Poets Open Competition

Anyone 16 and above can enter. Poems should not have been published, or accepted for publication, in print or online. They should not have won prizes in other competitions, be simultaneously entered for other competitions or be translations of other poets’ work. Poems must be your own original work and may be on any theme. Length: no longer than 30 lines.

FAPA President’s Book Awards

Any English writing author can enter. All entries must be books with a copyright date from 2019 to 2021. Ebooks should be submitted in PDF format

Fan Story Rhyming Poem Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a poem of any type. But there must be a rhyme scheme.

World Historian Student Essay Competition

Only students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs can apply. Past winners may not compete in the same category again. The entry should be approximately 1,000 words.

The Peseroff Prize Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. There are no restrictions on content or form. Poems should be previously unpublished. Please do not submit your work if you are associated with the MFA program at the University of Massachusetts, Boston or the Finalist Judge.

The Hunger Spring Prose Contest

Anyone can enter. The theme, topic, and style of stories or essays you may submit are completely open. You can submit one story, essay, or hybrid prose piece of up to 5,000 words.

Bristol Short Story Prize

Anyone above 16 can enter. The maximum length of submissions is 4,000 words in English. Stories can be on any theme or subject and are welcome in any style including graphic, verse or genre-base .Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must never have been previously published, in print or online, or broadcast or won a prize in another writing competition.

Fan Story Loop Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Loop Poetry requires that the last word of each line becomes the first word of the next line. The rhyme scheme is abcb.

Fan Story My Faith Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Share a poem that is about your faith or how faith has impacted your life. Any type of poem accepted.

James Laughlin Award

Any US citizen or resident for the ten-year period prior to the submission deadline can enter. Book must be under contract with a U.S. publisher and scheduled to be published between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021.Must be published by December 31, 2021. The author must have published one book of poetry in a standard edition (48 pages or more). Entries must be an English. Submissions are welcome from small presses, university presses, and trade publishers that have previously published at least four books of poetry. Translations and new editions of previously published books are not eligible.

Fan Story Take A Photo Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a poem about a photo you’ve taken.

Fan Story 20 Syllable Poem Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a poem that has exactly 20 syllables. Any format.

The Peter Hinchcliffe Fiction Award

All Canadians who haven’t published either a first novel or short story collection can enter. No word limit (2,000 – 5,000 expected), must be unpublished nor accepted for publication elsewhere.

The Bridport Novel Prize

Writers above 16 living in Britain and Ireland and British writers living overseas can enter. Entries must be an exclusive effort and writers must not have previously published a novel, (although self-published and ebooks are accepted). Novel entrants who have had other types of books traditionally published e.g. poetry, memoir, non-fiction, are eligible to submit. Length: between 5,000 to 8,000 words.

The Bridport Short Story Prize

Writers above 16 writing in English can enter. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must not have been published, self-published, published on any website, blog or online forum, broadcast nor winning or placed in any other competition. Short story length: 5000 words max.

The Bridport Poetry Prize

Writers above 16 writing in English can enter. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must not have been published, self-published, published on any website, blog or online forum, broadcast nor winning or placed in any other competition. Poetry length: 42 lines max.

The Bridport Flash Fiction Prize

Writers above 16 writing in English can enter. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must not have been published, self-published, published on any website, blog or online forum, broadcast nor winning or placed in any other competition. Flash fiction length: 250 words max.

Fan Story 3-6-9 Poem Contest

Anyone can enter. This poem has three stanzas. The subject can be anything.

Jane Austen Society Essay Contest

All students in school, university, or graduate school can apply.

Farnham Flash Fiction Competition

Anyone can enter. Story length: 500 words.

Anyone over 16 years old can enter. Entries can be on any theme or subject but must be original and written in English. Only non-fiction and fiction work targeting adults and young adults is eligible. Max length is 300 words. Entries must not have been previously published in print or online, been broadcast or won a prize.

Season Themes Contest

Story should be unpublished, from 300 to 1,000 words long.

Writers’ Digest Annual Poetry Writing Competition

Anyone can enter. Due to U.S. Government restrictions they don’t accept entries from Syria, Iran, North Korea, or Crimea. All entries must be in English. Only original works that have not been published (at the time of submission) in print, digital or online publications will be considered. Self-published work in blogs, on social media, etc. will be considered. Length: 32 lines maximum.

Writers’ Digest Annual Writing Competition

Anyone can enter. All entries must be in English. Only original works that have not been published (at the time of submission) in print, digital or online publications, Self-published work, unproduced scripts. Entries in the Print or Online Article category may be previously published.

Fan Story Nonet Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. It has to be a nonet, but it can be on any subject and rhyming is optional.

Ocean Awareness Contest

All students aged 11 – 18 can apply. All entries must be original work in English and not previously submitted. Students ages 11-14 may enter the Junior Division (Creative Writing: up to 750 words; Poetry & Spoken Word: no more than 1 page). Students ages 15-18 may enter the Senior Division (Creative Writing: up to 1,250 words; Poetry & Spoken Word: no more than 2 pages).

Fan Story Share A Story In A Poem Contest

Anyone can enter. In this contest you are challenged to write a poem that tells a story and also rhymes.

Fan Story 2-4-2 Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter. Write a 2-4-2 syllable poem. The subject can be anything.

7 Day Story Writing Challenge

All participants must follow the same theme with a short story of no more than 2,000 words, written in the genre assigned to them. Participants have exactly 7 days to write and submit their story.

Wild Words Competition

Anybody can enter. The entry should not have been previously published anywhere.

Drue Heinz Literature Prize

Open to writers who have published a novel or a book-length collection of fiction in English. Current University of Pittsburgh employees and students, and former employees and students affiliated with the University within the last three years, are not eligible. Translations are not eligible if the translation was not done by the author. Eligible submissions include an unpublished manuscript of short stories; two or more novellas (a novella may comprise a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages); or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection. Length: 150 – 300 pages.

North Street Book Prize

Anyone can enter except those from Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Crimea (due to US government restrictions). Length limit: 200,000 words maximum in English. You may submit a collection of short stories or essays as a single entry.

The Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest

Anyone can enter. Must be original and unpublished. Each entry must consist of a single sentence. The entry shouldn’t go beyond 50 or 60 words.

Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition

Anyone can enter. Submit manuscripts up to 500 words.

All amateur writers can enter. Entries must be original works written in English. No excessive violence or sex. Entries may not have been previously published in professional media outlets. They must be works of prose of up to 17,000 words in length. No poetry, or works intended for children.

#GWstorieseverywhere

Anyone can enter. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag #GWstorieseverywhere. Your stories (which can be true or made up) will be inspired by what you see, know, or do, and they should relate in some way to June’s theme: Split second.

Geek Partnership Writing Contest

All entries must be original unpublished works by nonprofessional (amateur) authors. Entries must be science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural, and alternate history in short fiction, poetry, or comics. You may only enter one short fiction division.

The Orison Chapbook Prize

Anyone can enter. Must be manuscripts of 20-45 pages, in any genre (poetry, fiction, non-fiction, or hybrid). Original English work only; no translations. Individual poems, stories, or essays—or excerpts—may have been previously published in periodicals and/or chapbooks, but the manuscript as a whole must not have been published in book form, whether digital or in print. Self-published manuscripts are not eligible.

Story should be unpublished and from 300 to 1,000 words long.

She Writes Press and SparkPress Toward Equality in Publishing

Open to any woman over the age of 18 from Canada and the US.

Student Book Scholars Contest

The contest is open to students upto 8th grade. Each book must be between 20 and 30 pages. One book entry per team. Both the text and art must be solely created by the students. Each entry must incorporate the theme of Anti-Bullying. Student teams can have a minimum of one and a maximum of ten students per project.

Narrative’s Annual Poetry Contest

The contest is open to all poets. Each entry may contain up to five poems. The poems should all be contained in a single file. You may enter as many times as you wish.

Anthology Magazine Short Story Competition

Anyone can enter. Stories submitted must be on the theme of ‘Memories’ in English. To enter, submit an original, unpublished short story, written in English on the subject of ‘Memories’ with a maximum of 1,500 words.

Polar Expressions National Poetry and Short-Story Contest

Any Canadian resident or citizen can enter. There are two seperate prize categories: 1) ages 16 and above, and 2) ages 15 and under. All work must be original. Entries should not have been previously published and no simultaneous submissions. Poems must be 48 lines or less. Short stories must be 750 words or less. Fanfiction and essays are not permitted. Entries should be in English or accompanied by an English translation.

Highlands & Islands Short Story Association

Any amateur author can enter. Any theme (unusual story lines preferred), must be unpublished and original and won no prize before. Short Story length: max 2,000 words. Flash Fiction length: max 500 words.

Fiction Factory First Chapter Competition

Anyone over 16 years old can enter. Stories must be original and unpublished in print or websites. Must be written in English with a maximum of 5,000 words. All genres will be accepted except children’s and young adult fiction.

Anyone can enter. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag #GWstorieseverywhere. Your stories (which can be true or made up) will be inspired by what you see, know, or do, and they should relate in some way to July’s theme: Staycation.

Spring 2020 Story Contest

Entries must be previously unpublished, no longer than 15,000 words, and must not have been previously chosen as a winner, finalist, or honorable mention in another contest.

The Grindstone Short Story Prize

Anyone above 18 can enter. Writers are asked to submit an English language piece of short fiction between 1000 and 3000 words, of any genre, aimed at adult readers.

Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Writing Competition

Anyone can enter. Theme: courage. Length: maximum 1,000 words. Stories can be a fictional tale or a fictional tale inspired by a true story.

The Orison Anthology Awards

Anyone can enter. Submissions are for single works in 3 genres (poetry, fiction, an non-fiction). Submit up to 3 poems (10 pp. max), 1 story (up to 8,000 words), or 1 work of non-fiction (up to 8,000 words). You may submit in multiple genres, and/or submit multiple entries in each genre.

The Annual Diode Editions Poetry Contest

Open to all poets over the age of 18. Length: 25-50 pages.

The Annual Diode Editions Full-Length Book Contest

Open to all poets over the age of 18. Length: 55-85 pages.

Twist & Twain Short Story Contest

Anyone 18 and above can enter. The story must be written originally in the English language and should not exceed the 4000-word limit.

Gemini Magazine Flash Fiction Contest

Anyone can enter. Maximum 1,000 words.

Aesthetica Poetry Creative Writing Award

Anyone can enter. Poetry entries should be no more than 40 lines. They accept works on any theme.

Aesthetica Short Story Creative Writing Award

Anyone can enter. Fiction entries should be no more than 2,000 words. They accept works on any theme.

Anyone can enter. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag #GWstorieseverywhere. Your stories (which can be true or made up) will be inspired by what you see, know, or do, and they should relate in some way to August’s theme: Forgiven.

Blue Mesa Review Writing Contest

Anyone can enter. Must be in English, unpublished original work, simultaenous submissions acceptable. Please submit a packet of up to 3 poems or up to 6,000 words of prose.

University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize

Full length works of fiction (novels and short story collections only) are eligible.

Coniston Prize for Women Poets

All women can enter. Submit 3-6 previously unpublished poems in English. This award recognizes an exceptional group of poems.

Tiny Fork Chapbook Series Contest

Anyone can enter. We welcome poetry, prose, and hybrid manuscripts of 15-40 pages. Fiction (1 to 5,000 words), poetry (3-5 poems, in one document), non-fiction (1 to 5,000 words), hybrid/rxperimental (no specified word count).

Impress Prize

Open to all writers. Writers submit a 6,000 word sample of their manuscript, a synopsis, publishing rationale, and author biography to Impress.

Adventures in Fiction New Voices Competition

Anyone can enter. This competition is aimed at writers who have completed at least 50 pages/16,000 words of their manuscript. To enter, submit the first page of your novel and a one-page synopsis.

Robert Watson Literary Prize

Anyone who is an active Greensboro Review subscriber can enter. Entries must be previously unpublished. No simultaneous submissions. Length restrictions: no more than 7,500 words or 25 pages for fiction; up to 500 words for flash fiction; up to 10 pages for poetry.

The Annual SiWC Writing Contest

Short stories in any genre are welcome. Story length must be from 2,500 to 4000 words.

The Lascaux Prize in Creative Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction may include memoirs, chronicles, personal essays, humorous perspectives, literary journalism—anything the author has witnessed, experienced, learned, or discovered. Writers may enter more than once. Length should not exceed 10,000 words. All topics are welcome; pieces should be written in a nonacademic style.

Miller Williams Poetry Prize

Anyone can enter. Length: Manuscripts must be between sixty and ninety pages. The manuscript must be previously unpublished. Individual poems may have been published in chapbooks, journals, and anthologies. Work in translation is not accepted.

Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

Anyone can enter except those from Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Crimea (due to US government restrictions). Length limit: 250 lines maximum per poem. The entry should be your own original work and in English. You may submit the same poem simultaneously to this contest and to others, and you may submit poems that have been published or won prizes elsewhere. (However, please do not submit work that has previously received recognition at Winning Writers.)

The Grindstone Novel Prize

Anyone above 18 can enter. Writers are asked to submit an English language novel aimed at Young Adult or Adult audiences. To be eligible, the finished (or projected finished) length must exceed 70,000 words. Works in progress are accepted in this competition, and entries may be of any genre. Entrants are asked to submit the opening 3,000 words, accompanied by a short synopsis in the same file.

Embracing Our Differences Quotation Contest

Anyone can enter. Entries can be no longer than 20 words on embracing our differences. Please consider submitting an original quotation.

Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award

Only previously unpublished original collection of poetry are eligible. The entry should be a minimum of 48 pages and not exceed 96 pages.

Flash 500 Novels competition

Anyone can enter. Entries may have appeared online in private (password protected) peer review sites, but should not have been published in any commercial online form including blogs or personal websites or accepted for publication elsewhere. Chapters must not exceed 3,000 words and must be accompanied by a one page synopsis of the balance of the story. Entries must be in English.

Edwin Markham Prize For Poetry

Anyone can enter. Writers may submit up to five (5) poems per submission.

The Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction

Anyone can enter. Writers may submit pieces of up to 5,000 words.

John Steinbeck Award for Fiction

Daisy pettles women’s writing contest.

All women writers, age 40 or older.

The Lascaux Prize in Short Fiction

Stories may be previously published or unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are also accepted.

The Devon and Cornwall International Novel Prize

Anyone above 18 years old can enter. Entries should be in English and in any genre. Submissions must be unpublished, self-published and independently published by writers worldwide. They should be 5,000 words in addition to a one-page synopsis of the novel’s manuscript. Children genres won’t be accepted.

Anyone can enter. Manuscripts should be up to 500 words long.

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Teens in grades 7–12 (ages 13 and up) can apply. Critical essay: 500-3,000 words. Dramatic Script: 500-3,000 word. Flash Fiction: 1,000 words. Humor: 500-3,000 words. Journalism: 500-3,000 words. Novel Writing: Up to 3,000 words. Personal Essay & Memoir: 500-3,000 words. Poetry: 20–200 lines. Science Fiction & Fantasy: 500-3,000 words. Short Story: 500-3,000 words.

Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize

Entrants should be in Year 12 (or equivalent) at their school or college.

Young Lions Fiction Award

The writer must be age 35 or younger and must be a US citizen. The book must be written for adults (no children’s or YA). The work must be either a novel or a collection of short stories published between January 2020 and December 2020. The publisher must submit all books. Authors may not submit their work on their own.

Princeton 10-Minute Play Contest

All entrants must be students in the eleventh grade in the U.S. (or international equivalent of the eleventh grade).

We the Students Essay Contest

All students who are legal US residents or citizens, older than 14 and younger than 19, may apply. Stay tuned for updates on the 2021 contest prompt.

The Alpine Fellowship Academic Writing Prize

Anyone 18 and above can enter. Awarded for the best piece of academic essay writing on the theme of the 2021 Alpine Fellowship. A maximum of 4000 words per entry. Text must not have been published, self-published or accepted for publication in print or online, or have won or been placed in another competition at any time.

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize

Anyone 18 and above can enter. Awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of the 2021 Alpine Fellowship Annual Symposium. All genres permitted. A maximum of 2,500 words per entry. Text must not have been published, self-published or accepted for publication in print or online, or have won or been placed in another competition at any time (including the Alpine Fellowship Academic Writing Prize).

This year we’ve done you one better and increased the writing contests we found. So if you find yourself struggling to write, or lacking in recognition, here are 300 reasons to be more motivated to write. Yes, they might not all be for you, but one of these might just give you the inspirational kick you’ve been searching for.

The 2024 International Book Fairs Calendar

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Home » Competitions for Children » Children’s Writing Competitions

Children’s Writing Competitions

Young writer’s competitions for children and teens aged 5-18

Please read our list of writing competitions for children. The contests are checked and updated each month . We are happy to feature writing challenges open to primary-age children, secondary-age pupils, and young adults in the UK. If you would like your competition featured here, please contact us . We are happy to feature competitions with at least one month remaining before the closing date. We have also compiled a list of recommended creative writing manuals and writing workshop activity guides suitable for use with KS1, KS2, KS3, and KS4 at the bottom of this page.

New competitions are listed at the top of each month. Past and annual competitions are listed below .

Writing competitions for children and teens

Please note   that  many previous annual competitions were or are being affected by the recession,  or cost of living crisis. This is beyond our control.

Closing date in September

• World Record attempt for World Poetry Day – this is not a competition, but a challenge. Your school could participate in Laura Mucha’s plan to involve 60,000+ 7-12-year-old students in writing a poem about ‘what counts’. Full sign-up details can be found on the National Poetry Day website.
• The Betty Haigh Shakespeare Prize – is open to “any sixth-form student of English Literature”. There are two options, both with detailed entry criteria which can be viewed on the competition website.
• The Yorkshire Festival of Story Children’s Story Competition invites short stories from UK children aged 7-12.

Closing date in October

• Poem 99 competition – 5-7, 8-10, 11-13 and 14-16-year-olds can enter up to 20 lines of poetry on a prescribed theme. There is an entry fee for this competition.
• C.A.B.B Publishing is running a short story competition for young adults. Full details are available on their website.
• ‘If Dylan met Thomas Hardy’ is the title of a new competition hosted by the Dylan Thomas Society and the Thomas Hardy Society. Writers aged 11+ can submit a play of up to 15 minutes in length for up to four cast members. The best three plays entered will be performed at the Dylan Thomas Theatre.
• Royal Geographical Society School Essay Competition – an annual competition, run in association with the Financial Times, for 16-19-year-olds, with a closing date in October.
• The Young Walter Scott Prize is dedicated to historical fiction, defined as “in a time before you were born”, and this competition has two age categories: 11-15 and 16-19. Entries can be prose, poetry, drama, fictional letters, or reportage. The closing date is the end of October.
• The Solstice Nature Prize For Young Writers , organised by Writing East Midlands, invites children and teens aged 7-17 to write ‘ imaginative short stories (up to 500 words) and provocative poems (up to 40 lines)’. The competition offers cash prizes and an anthology of the best entries. There are three age categories: 7-11, 12-14 and 15-17.

Closing date in November

• BBC 500 words short story competition for children –  with two age group categories, 5-7-year-olds and 7-11-year-olds.
• The WILD WORDS National Eco-Poetry Project is open to young people aged 18 and under in the UK, who are asked to “imagine co-writing a poem with a tree, river, or even the weather” . Poem entries should be a maximum of one side of A4. Full details are on the competition website.
• Poetry Together Competition – children under 18 in the UK are invited to enter poems of no more than 14 lines on a theme detailed on the competition website, and choose a poem on any theme to learn by heart. There are two age group categories and full details are available on the competition website.
• The East Riding Festival of Words runs an annual poetry competition. Entries of up to 45 lines are open to children aged 4-10 and 11-16 and there are cash prizes for the winners.
• The Tadpole Press 100 Word Writing Contest is a worldwide competition open to writers of all ages. There’s an entry fee for this one, with cash prizes and writing development packages on offer for the winners. The deadline is November 30th.
• Wenlock Olympian Society Short Story Competition – open to students aged 16+ who are invited to write a story on any theme of up to 2500 words. Full entry details are on the Wenlock website.
• One Teen Story – story submission site for teenagers. The deadline is 27th November.
• The Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize for writers aged 18-25 invites entries of 1000-1500 words on a Franklin quote which changes each year. The deadline is 30th November.

Closing date in December

• Love Letters to London , run by the London Society, offers children aged 11 and under and 12-18 year-olds the opportunity to win cash prizes by entering prose (fiction, essays, and reportage) or poetry that celebrates ‘our wonderful, fantastic, infuriating city’. Full details, including this year’s theme, can be found on the competition website.
• Into Film awards will hopefully return in 2024. See also the ‘Film of the Month’ competition and the extensive resources to encourage school film clubs.

Closing date in January

• This Page is Printed offers an under-18s competition with cash prizes for entries of up to one page of A4 ‘in any genre: prose, poetry, script’. Judges will be looking for ‘something that dares to be different.’
• The Young Cartoonist Awards have an under-18 category where children and teens can enter ‘pocket (gag) cartoons, political cartoons and short strip cartoons.’
• The Cheshire Prize for Literature invites primary and secondary-aged students to enter short stories, poetry, children’s literature and scriptwriting. To qualify, entrants ‘must live or have lived, work or have worked, studied or have studied in Cheshire, Wirral, Warrington or Halton.’
• The Royal Mint Museum short story competition – will return in January 2024.
• The Japan Society runs the World Children’s Haiku Contest . Students aged 15 and under can enter a haiku on A4 or letter-sized paper on the theme of “family”, accompanied by hand-drawn artwork on the same page. Full details are available on the competition website.
• The Immerse Essay Competition offers teens aged 13-18 the opportunity to write an essay choosing from a range of topics including architecture, science, law, international relations, medicine, economics, creative writing and many more. There are two age groups: 13-15 and 16-18. The deadline is 4th January.
• North Eastern University London is running an essay competition for students in year 12. Pupils can submit up to 1,500 words, choosing from a range of set essay titles that span a broad range of topics including humanities, philosophy, social issues, the law and creative writing. There are cash prizes for the top three entries.
• The Korean Spirit & Culture Promotion Project Essay Contest is an international competition open to children in two age group categories: years 6-9 and years 10-13. There are cash prizes for the top three entries and honourable mentions in each category. Full entry details are available on this information poster . All submissions must be submitted by 15th January.
• The Herne Hill Lit Fest is running a “Stepping into Stories” competition for children aged 4-7, 8-11 and 12+. The theme is “ bouncing back “. Entries can be written stories, drawings, comic strips, poetry, raps, or digital animations. There are book token prizes for the winners.
• Bournemouth Young Writers prize – open to children in years 3&4, and years 5&6 and stories can be “ about anything you like “. Prizes include £150 worth of books.
• Rotary Club International Young Writer competition.

Closing date in February

• The Elmbridge Literary Competition is open to children under 18 (free) in four age group categories: 5-7; 8-11; 11-13 and 14-18. The theme for 2024 is “Fame”. Short stories or poems can be entered. Full entry details and requirements can be viewed on the competition website.
• Perse Research’s Year 9 Aristotelian Award is open to students in Year 9 or equivalent. The award exists to “ promote the independent study skills in Year 9 pupils while simultaneously providing an avenue to explore super-curricular interests in the arts, humanities and sciences. ” Entrants are invited to write an 800-1500 word essay choosing a title from a choice of topics and essay titles spanning arts, humanities and the sciences.
• The Canterbury Tales Writing Competition – annual – open to all children of school age, including school and college pupils, home-educated children and entries from young people’s community organisations. There are three age categories: 5-10; 11-14 and 15-18. The 2024 theme is “ Being Part of a Group “.
• The Royal Society of Literature invites students aged 13-18 to write up to 500 words about “ the writer from the past that most inspires them “. Prizes for the “ History is in the Making ” competition include book tokens for both entrants and the school.
• The Hugo Young Award – held in memory of Guardian political columnist Hugo Young, this competition encourages “fresh voices” aged 16-18 and 19-25 from UK state schools to pen political opinion pieces. Highly recommended for students studying A-level politics, sociology or looking towards a career in journalism.
• Voices – a writing competition, run by the charity Coram Voice, which is open to children and young people who are in or have experience with the care system.
• Christopher Tower Poetry Prize – open to young adults aged 16-18.

Closing date in March

• Young Science Writer of the Year Award – run by the Association of British Science Writers, this award is open to UK pupils aged 14-16 in non-selective state schools. Students can submit up to 800 words “on any subject in science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics.”
• Humanimal Trust Creative Awards – children and teens aged 7-18 can share their creative skills on the theme of ‘ Time to Connect ‘ in four age group categories: 7-9; 10-11; 12-15 & 16+. Full details are on the competition website.
• Young Songwriter 2024 – “ The world’s leading songwriting competition for young aspiring songwriters, aged 8-18 “. Children are invited to enter up to five songs. There are three age group categories for UK children and teens: 8-12; 13-15 & 16-18. Full details are on the Song Academy website.
• The BBC Young Reporter Competition is open to children and teens aged 11-18 who “want to report on a story or issue which is important to their life or the world around them”.
• Young Financial Journalist Competition – open to secondary students aged 14-15, 15-15, 16-17 and 18-19. “We are seeking well-argued articles from students aged 14–19”.
• Fitzwilliam College Cambridge is running a series of essay competitions aimed at pupils in their penultimate year of education before university – i.e. Year 12, S5 or Y13 (Northern Ireland). Entries (written in English) are welcome from around the world. With six categories: Ancient World and Classics, Archaeology, History, Land Economy, Medieval World, and Architecture; this competition is highly recommended for 6th formers and could provide useful evidence for university applications, a starting point for an EPQ project, or a talking point for an admissions interview. The deadline is 3rd March.
• The BBC Young Writer’s Award – is open to 14-18-year-olds who can submit a piece of original fiction of up to 1000 words. Highly recommended.
• The Portico Sadie Massey Awards feature two competitions open to children. There’s the KS2, KS3, KS4, and KS5 Young Readers Competition (write a book review – any genre – on any subject) and the Young Writers competition, open to pupils in KS3,4&5 (write a story based in the North of England.)
• The Girton College Humanities Writing Competition – open to Year 12 students in the UK, the writing task is based on five objects in the college’s antiquities museum.
• The Royal Mint runs an annual competition for primary school pupils aged 8-11 who can enter short stories of up to 500 words. Prizes include books for the school library. For this year’s theme and entry details, see the competition website.
• The Lowry’s Creative Writing Challenge is open to children aged 7-11 from across Salford and Greater Manchester. “ Pupils can draw on all aspects of writing for performance “, and enter writing of up to 500 words including poetry and stories or up to three minutes of playscript.
• The ISA Handwriting Competition is open to children in years 1, 2, 3-4 & 5-6 in ISA member schools, “to showcase their handwriting skills”.

Closing date in April

• The Guardian newspaper is running a Young Country Diary  writing competition open to 8-14-year-olds based in the UK. Six winners will be published in the Guardian and to enter students need to write a 200-250 word article about ‘a recent encounter they’ve had with nature’. Full details can be found on the competition webpage.
• Pitch Magazine is running a Young Sports Journalist competition . Students aged 14-24 can enter an article of 400-600 words in response to the question prompts on the website. There are four age group categories: 14-15, 16-17, 18-19 and 20-21 and there’s a £50 prize and work experience opportunity for each winning entry.
• Tadpole Press is running a worldwide 100-word writing contest open to writers of all ages. 100 words can be submitted in any genre. There is an entry fee for this competition and there’s a cash prize for 1st place and writing coaching and editing packages for the 2nd and 3rd places. The deadline is 30th April.
• Reading Zone offers a Create a Picture Book competition that’s open to 4-18-year-olds in three age group categories: 4-7; 7-11 and 11+. Prizes include £200 of books.
• Author of Tomorrow – run by the Wilbur and Niso Smith Foundation, the Author of Tomorrow prize aims to find adventure writers of the future. Young people under 21 can submit entries between 1500 and 5000 words (under 500 words for primary-aged pupils). The prizes are £1000 for the 16-21 age group, £100 and £150 in book tokens for the 12-15 age group, and £100 and £150 in book tokens for the 11 and under age group.
• The Day ‘ Young Journalist Awards ” are open to anyone under 19 (under 10 and 11-18)  and entrants can submit a written article, a video clip, an audio piece, photography, an illustration or a graphic in any one of 12 subject categories. Full details including how to enter are on the competition website.
• Goldsmiths University of London is running a series of competitions for 16-18-year-olds who are invited to a short story, a piece of journalism with a historical angle, or a piece about identity and culture: The Young Writer, Young Columnist, and Young Anthropologist competitions.
• The annual OxBright Essay Competition invites 15-18-year-olds to submit an essay of up to 3,800 characters (around 500 words). Details of the theme and subject requirements are on the competition website.

Closing date in May

• The Poetry of Science Competition – Can you write a ‘ terrific scientific poem ‘? Each entrant can enter one poem of up to 150 words. There are three age group categories: 5-7, 8-11 and 12-16. For schools, there’s a downloadable poster for classrooms here . Winners will be invited to Oxford to attend a celebration event and perform their poems.
• Never Such Innocence – The 2024 theme is “How does war affect people’s lives?” , and to enter children and teens can ‘ using poetry, art, speech and song’ . There are four age group categories (9-11;  11-14;  14-16;  & 16-18) and full details are on the competition website.
• The D.H. Lawrence Children’s Prize: Writing Competition is open to students aged 11 and under and 12-16, who can enter up to 500 words on the theme of “The Four Seasons”. Prizes include Kindles and book tokens.
• Bournemouth Writing Festival is running an international students competition, with the theme of “ On Bournemouth Beach “. It’s open to international students aged 16+ whose first language is not English.
• War Through Children’s Eyes is open to children aged 7-17 and aims to “ raise awareness of the impact of wars and violent conflicts on the communities caught up in them, and particularly on the most vulnerable members of those communities: their children “. Entries of up to 1000 words are invited, there are vouchers for the top three entries and full details are available on the website.
• The Henrietta Branford Writing Competition is open to young people under the age of 19. The competition features a starter paragraph and invites entrants to write under 1000 words to continue the story.

Closing date in June

• BCC Young Entrepreneurs , run by First News invites young entrepreneurs aged 5-15 to write up to 200 words about their business idea or innovation. There are four categories to pick from and prizes include a trip to the British Chambers of Commerce’s Global Annual Conference.
• Stories of the Future creative challenge . What does the future hold for young people around the world? asks this international competition run by Earth4All. With three categories: 15 and under, 16-18 and 19-21, students can enter writing up to 800 words or videos of up to 1.5 minutes. Full details are on the competition website. There are free resources and posters for schools.
• In the b small Young Language Learner Award , 6-11-year-olds can “send in a story or comic written in a language of their choice, other than a mother tongue .” There are French and Spanish activity packs available for teachers.
• The Philosophy Garden ‘Write a Script’ competition invites 11-18-year-olds to submit a nature-themed script for a short explainer video using animal characters to tell a story. Full details are on the website. The best entries will be made into a video to be exhibited in the Philosophy Museum in Milan.
• The Wells Festival of Literature offers young poets aged 16-25 the opportunity to enter poems of up to 35 lines on any subject for the annual Young Poets Competition. All entries must be in English .
• Celebration Day writing competition – entrants are invited to write 250 words (primary) or 500 words (secondary) to tell the story of an inspirational person they know. There are five age categories: 5-7; 8-10; 11-13; 14-16; 17-18 & teachers. Full details and resources are available on the competition website and the Celebration Day website.
• The Orwell Youth Prize – for secondary students aged 12-18, entries can be in any form, up to 1000 words. This year’s task is to respond to this title: “The Future We Want”.
• Cambridge University and SATIPS handwriting competition .
• Atom Learning’s Young Author Award offers 7-9-year-olds and 10-11-year-olds the chance to win a trip to Disneyland Paris. Children can enter fiction stories of up to 500 words. There’s also a free creative writing activity pack to download.

Closing date in July

• Martha Mills Young Writers’ Prize invites 11-14-year-olds living in the UK to enter 500 words or less on a prescribed theme. There are cash prizes and books for three winners. Full details are on the competition website run by London Review Bookshop.
• Young & Talented Cornwall invites 16-23-year-old residents of Cornwall or the Isles of Scilly who ‘ aspire to see your work in print, on stage or on screen ‘ to enter a personal statement and sample of work – both of up to 500 words – in this creative writing award scheme ‘ to help budding Cornish writers ‘. Grants of up to £1000 are available, together with a reading award of up to £150 worth of books.
• The Laurie Lee Prize for Writing offers a young person’s category for those who either live in Gloucestershire or were born in Gloucestershire.  16–20-year-olds  can enter up to 2500 words or up to 125 lines of poetry on “a nature or conservation theme”. More details are on the competition website.
• The Young Wild Writers competition , run by Hen Harrier Action invites children aged 5-8, 9-12 and 13-16 to enter stories, poems, articles, prose or letters of up to 500 words on the theme of Human Impact . Prizes include book vouchers and an online author visit to the winning child’s school. Full details, including a downloadable poster, are on the competition website.
• The Hampshire Young Poets competition is open to any young person aged 4-7; 8-11 or 12-16 “ who lives or studies in Hampshire “. Entrants can submit up to 14 lines of poetry on the theme of ‘ home ’. Full details are on the competition website.
• Foyle Young Poets competition – for 11-17-year-olds, the competition welcomes “poems on any theme and any length”.
• Stephen Spender Trust poetry in translation prize – the challenge is to translate a poem from any language into English. There are three categories for young people: U18, U16, and U14. The top prize is £1000.
• Ledbury Under 18’s poetry competition . Two categories – 11 and under and 12-17 request poems of no more than 40 lines in length. There are cash prizes or book tokens for the winners.
• HG Wells short story competition.
• Young Muslim Writers Award – open to UK children and teens in KS1, KS2, KS3 and KS4 who can submit a short story or poetry – and in KS3 and KS4, this is extended to also include journalism, screenplays, and play scripts. Full details are on the website.

Closing date in August

• Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Words of the Wild Competition invites those under 18 to submit a poem, journalistic article, essay, letter, song lyrics or a short story of under 100 words of fiction or nonfiction “ connected to the native wildlife of Scotland. “
• Cinemagic Young Filmmaker – open to films on any subject from young filmmakers aged under 25. The prizes include winning films being screened in cinemas.

Undated or open

• The Scottish Book Trust runs monthly mini-sage 50-word story writing competitions for children aged 5-11 and 12-18, with a different theme each month.
• Wordhound runs a monthly creative writing challenge for children aged 12 and under, who can send in 300-word stories “of funny, weird or otherwise unique writing” on a different subject each month.
• Kids’ Poetry Club runs a variety of competitions for primary and secondary-aged children, with a new theme announced every few months.
• Reading Solutions UK offers a range of monthly competitions and activities which include both writing and reading challenges.
• The Young Poets Network runs regular writing challenges and competitions, which can be viewed on their website.
• BBC Today Student Journalism Awards – annual. this competition features a variety of journalism categories, including journalism (any medium), broadcasting, visual and photojournalism, criticism, publication, and programme. Entrants must be over 18 and in full-time UK higher education. The prizes include places on highly coveted BBC Journalism Trainee Schemes (paid positions).
• BBC Writers Room is inviting speculative screenplay submissions of at least 30 pages from young scriptwriters aged 16+ in the UK or the Republic of Ireland.
• Blue Things Zine invites young writers aged 13+ to write articles and stories under 1500 words for consideration for publication.
• Scholastic We Are Writers – not a competition per se, but lots of ideas for literacy and writing projects with the aim of getting your pupils published. Ideal for fundraisers or whole-school writing initiatives.
• Inkhead short story competition and writing clubs.
• Amnesty International has a series of online resources – ‘ Words That Burn ‘ – to inspire teenagers to write about human rights, equality and discrimination.
• National Literacy Trust competitions page.
• Readers’ Digest Competitions . – including a 100-word story competition for children.
• The Guild of Food Writers Write It – Young Food Writer of the Year – is open to children up to 18 in three age categories.
• Live Canon: Children’s Poetry Competition – for young people aged 5-18.
• For a non-competitive option, the John Muir Award offers schools an opportunity to “encourage people of all backgrounds to connect with, enjoy and care for wild places.” Through an award scheme, pupils can create a dossier of experiences, challenges and presentations to demonstrate how they have discovered a wild place, explored it, done something to conserve it and shared their experience. A good option for larger groups, classes and year groups, this award requires teacher input and planning. Suitable for year 4 through to secondary-aged pupils.
• The First Story Young Writers Festival offers pupils a day-long online festival with workshops, resources, interviews with writers, showcases for young writers, resources and CPD for teachers. This is a fantastic resource to inspire children to write for publication and would make a great starting point for pupils considering entering writing competitions. ( Note the festival is not running a competition of its own ).

Resources for creative writing in schools and at home

• Hoo’s Writing Corner – an exciting creative writing website for primary-aged children. The website includes writing prompts and exercises, and the monthly subscription magazine includes story construction ideas and spelling worksheets.
• Below is a collection of books recommended to inspire children to write – whether it be creative writing, nonfiction, or poetry.

Help! We Need a Story by James Harris

Write Like a Ninja: An essential toolkit for every young writer by Andrew Jennings

500 Words: A collection of short stories that reflect on the Black Lives Matter movement

Descriptosaurus by Alison Wilcox

How to Write your Best Story Ever! by Christopher Edge

How to Write Poems by Joseph Coelho

Just Imagine by James Carter

Spilling Ink – A Young Writer’s Handbook by Ellen Potter & Anne Mazer

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

For more competition ideas, have a look at our public speaking and debating contests.

Browse our list of Children’s Book Publishers in the UK

Peruse our list of magazines for children and teens

Why not have a look at our suggested reading lists for children aged 3-16?

Books for EYFS & Reception Books for Year 1 Books for Year 2 Books for Year 3 Books for Year 4 Books for Year 5 Books for Year 6 Books for Year 7 Books for Year 8 Books for Year 9 Books for Year 10 Books for Year 11 Books for 6th formers

Please respect copyright and don’t copy or reproduce our reviews. Thanks .

About Tom Tolkien

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A selfish poet, free writing contests for teens – guest post by k.t. mehra.

Writing contests provide the perfect avenue to hone our writing skills and produce quality pieces. These contests come with a range of genres and topics that you can cover. This means that you are bound to find a contest that meets your needs and will help you improve on your particular writing style .

When it comes to finding writing contests, you should keep in mind that some are require entry fees while others are free to participate in. This gives everyone a fair chance to participate and have their work read and critiqued by the best. To succeed in these writing contests, you need to follow the submission guidelines and any other rules set out.

Free contests provide teenagers with a good opportunity to engage with their writing and get feedback on where they can improve. This allows them to get better at their craft and exposes them to other opportunities and potential career paths.

If you’re looking for free writing contests to submit your work to, here are a few options for you to consider:

The Critical Junior Poet’s Award

This award targets students from the age of 13 to 18 years old and features no entry fee to participate.

It gives the best platform for poetry writers to express themselves and get a chance to win different prizes. The winner gets to walk away with a cash prize of $100, a $20 iTunes card, and a feature on the critical pass review.

Odyssey Con

The Odyssey writing contest is run annually and caters to science fiction, fantasy, horror, and prose poem writers. Teenagers feature in the youth division which requires the writers to be under 18 and requires no entry fee. They offer cash prizes, conventional membership, and books for the winners.

Aurora and Blossom Short Story

Aurora and Blossom provide an opportunity for short story writers to submit uplifting and positive content. They cater to a family-oriented audience which means the language has to meet these standards.

This submission targets children between the age of 13 to 16 years old. Submissions are free if you are sticking to one piece otherwise, you’ll have to pay some money to get to submit the rest of your work.

GPS Writing Contest for Scifi and More

Entry to this writing content is free and requires every applicant to strictly follow the guidelines provided. GPS features science fiction, fantasy, horror, and supernatural powers writers.

Submissions for 2021 will start running on the 1st of January and end on the 1st of July 2021. The prize to the winning writer is an amazon gift certificate for a specific amount in each category.

PTA Reflections Contest

This contest caters to different creative arts including literature, dance choreography, photography, visual arts, and others.

With literature, you are given the necessary guidelines that should be followed. It features a different theme for each year that you have to closely adhere to if you want a chance at winning the prizes they offer.

Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder / Sense of the Wild Contest

The Rachel Carson contest is a bit different from others. It requires submission of written pieces by groups of different generations for instance a teacher and a student.

Materials that are acceptable for this contest include essays and poems that feature an original photograph taken by your team. The winning prize includes a certificate and a feature on the RCLA website.

Engineer Girl Annual Essay Contest

Engineer girl essay contest appeals to all those who love engineering and would love the chance to write about its impact on the world. Details about the contest are updated in the fall, deadlines come in early the following year, and winners are announced in the spring.

Bennington Young Writers Award

This writer’s award features submissions ranging from poetry, fiction to non-fiction. Each genre requires you to stick to the specific guidelines and word count provided.

They target writers from the 9th to 12th grade. The awards are given to the 3 best write-ups in form of cash ranging from $500, $250, $125 respectively.

The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest

This contest offers opportunities to 11th-grade students from all around the world. The winning plays get cash prizes with the first getting $500, the second $250, and the third $100. Updates on the 2021 submissions are expected to be on their website by fall 2020.

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Categories: Guest Blog Posts , Self-taught MFA

Tagged as: Anna DiMartino , K.T. Mehra , no fee contests , teen writing contests

5 replies »

All these contests do not cater for me, who started writing poetry late and am now eighty years young! I have written poetry the last ten years only, but writing I have always done, and letters contained the germ of poetry within them, or so I was told by those who received them. So I back out as being too old to be young and promising. However I have taken part in two International literary meetings, one in Soncino Italy, and another in Tozeur in Tunisia, although the second one was not in person, this year, due to Covid 19! Published two poetry books called simply, Ann’s Poems. They are on Amazon and many other can be seen in many other sources.

Thanks for sharing your story!

The l ron hubbard contest is a bad scene https://tonyortega.org/2018/04/07/on-day-one-2018s-writers-of-the-future-party-betrays-its-connection-to-scientologys-abuses/

Thanks for the heads up! I’ve removed it.

Here’s another! https://poets.org/academy-american-poets-announces-inaugural-poem-project-and-contest-students

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• "This inventive, formally daring story is experimental in the truest sense, tackling questions about humanity and the natural world through an unassuming yet philosophical non-human lens." (Livia Franchini)
• "Truly visionary in its rendering of a fox's perspective and its place within the world, this story brings together spiritual musings and cruel violence in an unexpected way." (Winnie M Li)
• "There’s a compelling sense of incomprehensibility in how the fox’s mind is expressed that avoids neat anthropomorphism." (Thomas McMullan)
• "A whip-smart, explosive and unafraid story that is full of ideas. I feel very excited about reading this writer's future work!" (Dizz Tate)

The runner up was James Taylor of The Cotswold Academy.

Read Valerija's winning submission:

Back Once More - Valerija Savicka

 Dry ground crunched, flopping sounds of birds on a faraway tree, dots of sunlight flickered as the leaves lazily swooshed back and forth.  

 It doesn’t matter for our little point of focus.  

 It’s moving in swift, deliberate motions. Wind touching the red fur on its back. Sensitive nose; sensitive paws; sharp vision. It was made to be quick and It didn't want to lose this opportunity. 

 Now, reader, foxes cannot think in a human understandable way. It doesn't mean they cannot think at all. This particular one thought “Sun, down, soon, fast” , encouraging itself. Ooh and this one was not a usual fox as well; it was the Fox .  

 Diving under the fallen tree, vaulting over a small stream and then to the overgrown display board it rushed. Exhibiting there was a map, moulded, yellowy-brown; it was not looked at by any eye in something between a decade and forever. Except this is not entirely true: one particular pair of deep, hazel eyes were looking at it right now and had looked at it a month before and a month before and more and more.  

 The Fox stops before it, examining the washed-out picture. It's a tradition, a second of praise and acknowledgement because the Fox has been here many times and knew the path inside out but this was the place it learned the right way. “ Thank you”, it thought in a usual manner. 

 But just a second, it then turned and continued on its way. “ Fast! ”.  Sky was becoming darker; as our Fox moved the sun inhaled what was left of the light, it was harder to see but the path was remembered. Just a few more jumps, passing by the big stump and out of the bushes. If foxes could smile in a human-understandable way it would grin instantly. “Finally”   

 The Fox felt relieved to be in its usual place - a small part of the colossal hill where there were no trees or bushes. Occasional litter was here and there, of course, but it didn't distract from the view.  From the top of this land our Fox could see the whole of the forest and ocean. It was magnificent. This was not what we're here for.  

 Stepping slowly to catch its breath the Fox moved to the edge. It sat down in a comfortable but honourable way. It finally looked up. A blanket full of bright lights was stretching all over it, becoming even brighter as the sun disappeared entirely. Filling every part of the Fox with a heavy feeling of belonging. Existing. A deep inhale. An exhale. It relaxed. Feeling soft air circulating through. It felt where it always should have been. Home. 

Our Fox never knew how it learned that the dots were in fact a faraway light and not just painted on. Probably always knew. But to sit there was a relief. At first, it was just a fun activity. Then a day to wait for. Then a reason to live. Then a reason to fight through the day. 

Peace. The Fox looked at the lights and began its ceremony. Inhale. “Dear light, my light” . Exhale. “I ask, soft bed, food more. Me, become you, after” . It stood up carefully, still looking above. Bowed its head as close to the ground as it could and closed its eyes. It then sat again to try and feel the usual connection. Our Fox believed it to be stronger if it sat for a few minutes and thought really, really hard about it. It didn't want to come back yet anyway. At our Foxes home they didn't notice that it was gone, they wouldn't notice even if a day passed.  This tradition was important in a way people feel towards their childhood habits. It was like reading a bedtime story or taking all your plushies to sleep so they won't feel excluded. It was that sense of pleasant warmth that you don’t realize fully until you lose it.   Now, let me tell you how it started. The first time our Fox found the place was an acci-   There were footprints on the ground. -de- um -nt. Alright. Anyway i-   There were cans from beer laying near the bush. I’m sorry, what are you doing? Why are you bursting in? That’s not how I remember it. St- There were two men hiding. No. What is happe- They saw their prey and were taking out the knives. Knives? No, that's… you need to st- One of them whispered “look she’s curling again” and the other sneered soundlessly.  It what..? Oh.

  The Fox bowed respectfully in a thankful manner. It decided to say the last words of the ceremony and head back. It thought “Dear light, my light”    The weapon was gripped, they were ready to catch. No, please, wait a moment! “I promise, my light” I don't want to see this, please, I’m begging you, let the Fox get out, please!  The first man started running towards.  No, no, no! “Promise, return, next month. Promise, repeat, pray–”    Two men took their prize by the shoulders, fixing in a position. They were using the knife to threaten and put fear. You remember shame. The hands all over you and the fogging vision and cold air where it wasn't supposed to be. You don`t remember the details, your mind erased it.  Others did not believe you. The men were never caught.   I’m sorry. 

 “As I laid there the lights were looking at me. I knew they were telling me it was okay. I knew that they would never leave me and one day I would join. I didn’t feel my legs and arms and hoped the moment to join would come soon.”  

 You will have to face the truth. Another time you will come back, once more. 

Young Anthropologist Winner 2024:

The winner of the Young Anthropologist competition is Leo Muhibzada of the London Academy of Excellence, Tottenham . Our head judge said this about the entry:

“We were wowed by Leo’s moving and compelling essay that deftly balances the personal and the political. We were taken on a journey that retold world events through the perspective of the individual. Leo’s writing carries weight and the ability to inform and educate, whilst retaining character and emotion. Congratulations!”.

The runners-up were Torikubu Issah of Brampton Manor Academy and Yngie Buelvo of LaSWAP Sixth Form.

Read Leo's winning submission:

What Story Does My Name Tell About My Cultural Heritage? Leo Muhibzada

On 17th June 2022, sat in my year 10 classroom in Catholic school and surrounded by people who had been on a journey with me, the register came up on the digital whiteboard in the middle of the lesson.  

My friend behind me leans over her desk and excitedly taps me and my partner on the shoulder, pointing towards the screen: ‘Look! Look! It says Leo on the register!’ Her face is pure joy, excitement, pride. It swells in my chest. My partner throws her hands up to her mouth, ‘Oh my God!’ She turns to me and shakes me, screaming ‘Oh my God!’ She turns around and announces it to the class. Both friends are cheering now. Clapping arises from some corner of the room and now everyone is cheering or clapping or congratulating me.  

And if I’m being honest, I never even saw what was on the register that day. Now I only remember their faces, the feeling of freedom. That’s all that matters.  

But it's not like I didn’t have a name on the register before. It’s just that my teachers had become used to seeing one name and saying another out loud. We establish relationships with other people through our names, but at some point I had to decide how I was going to establish myself, not only in relation to others but also to myself.  

Some months after I gave myself the first name ‘Leo’, I felt a strange sense of loss. My name was no longer an identifier of my cultural heritage–itself a difficult question to answer. I am the child of first generation Afghan immigrants who grew up during the war and under the Taliban government. But as a queer and mostly white-passing individual with the name ‘Leo’, I noticed a shift in the perception of my cultural identity, and a lack of relatability to my family members who I hoped would eventually come to recognise my gender identity, and refer to me as such. 

With this realisation, I stayed up until the early hours of the morning, researching Afghan boy names until I finally found one that I felt fit. My brother’s first name is ‘Ahmad’, yet in the family we use only his middle name ‘Faisal’. This initially led me to a compromise of sorts, which is my middle name, ‘Kaihaan’. Its meaning is ‘solar system '. It holds the gravity which maintains the orbit of my first name around my last. It is the bridge between my identity and my cultural heritage. 

I have been to Afghanistan three times in my life. The most recent is the only one I can remember: In the summer of 2018 I was 11 years old, and together with my uncle’s family, I stayed a month and a half in the capital city of Kabul. I was always travelling between my mum’s side in Karte Parwan and my dad’s side in Bibi Mahru, by the airport where the planes were always jetting back and forth through the sky. Most nights with my paternal relatives we ate dinner as a massive family in the garden on the ‘suffa’, barbecuing kebab while the sun went down. With my maternal relatives we drove down to the Panjshir River or Qargha Reservoir and sat cross-legged in little huts suspended above the water, eating fresh fish or drinking tea, playing cards and eating slices of watermelon. And there were never enough seats in the car, so two or three of us would sit with our knees up in the sweltering boot, simply for the thrill of it. 

On Eid-al-Adha I watched the Qurbani take place. A yearly practice for my cousins at home but it was the first time for us newcomers. We fed the cow apples that we picked off the trees in the garden and filled up its water bowl with the hose we used to wash the car—or have water fights. On the day we were told that we couldn’t watch, but I stayed transfixed throughout the whole thing. A halo of people around my cousin and his axe, one swift motion cut through the chorus of ‘Allahu Akbar’ and blood spurted out from its neck, before settling in a pool on the patio floor. And when it was done we spent the afternoon separating the meat into equal parts and distributing it to people in the area. 

In August of 2021 the Taliban regained power, dispersing my family, with some fleeing to America and some being halted from the course of their lives. My cousins who are girls can no longer study, their futures dependent on their ability to find suitable husbands. During the day my mum kept the living room curtains closed, for fear that every time she looked out there would be soldiers and rockets outside the window of our third floor council estate flat. Watching from behind the TV screen, I felt powerless, so I spent hours filling out countless applications for my family members to find refuge in safer countries.  

You see, the cultural heritage in my name is a story I cannot tell on its own. My cultural identity is inextricably linked to both political and gender identities.  

Yet despite how distant I feel from my heritage at times, being fully integrated into western society and culture, my life continues to orbit around those memories of home. The feelings of estrangement towards my family will never outweigh the stories I carry with my name. Gravity returns me to the feeling of having experienced true freedom, and it propels me to search for that in every aspect of my life. 

My name is Leo Kaihaan Muhibzada, and it is the symbol of my freedom. 

Read the shortlisted sumbissions for the 2024 Young Writer and Young Anthropologist Competitions.

For the Young Writer's Competition, all entries were to be given the title “Back Once More” and had to include a map and the line of dialogue “that’s not how I remember it”. The word count could not exceed 1,000 words.

For the Young Anthropologist Competition, entrants were asked to write up to 1,000 words in response to the question “What story does my name tell about my cultural heritage?”

Young Writer Shortlist 2024

Back once more - sarah mcguire.

Death was close, invading his sleep. Someone was at the door again, his peace denied by another tiresome nurse. A greeting he could not respond to, he was beyond polite words now, beyond any words.  

Why don’t we let the light in, dad?   

There was light enough, the room illuminated beyond his eyelids, useless now save for the odd flutter when she touched his forehead, his hand, his cheek. Nell, yes, it must be, his only child, the circling of her thumb over his knuckles. There now, there now…  

He was a boy again, running along the strand. Arms out, wind caressing tender skin, threatening to lift his young body up, up, up, shirt catching like the ruffling feathers of a swan, in motion, in flight. On he ran, over sand parting in his wake, a trail of small, rapid footprints. The crash of the tide, its hasty retreat, attack, retreat, rush out to sea. The little boy, army of one, modern day Caligula, freezing Atlantic tide breaking around his knees. Standing with his arms out, take me, take me, echoing the cross. Come for me. Squawking seagulls overhead, swooping low, snatching what they can, the most arrogant of thieves. Then he too retreats, called back from play, from delirium to the rocks where his uncle stands, arms crossed, squinting at the boy against the sun, back to the looming mountains. Running back, socks soaking, forgetting to fear anger, snatching final moments of elated freedom.   

Look, there’s the swans coming up the canal. Ach aren’t they gorgeous, Dad? Didn't you used to paint them, the swans from home?   

There was a lightness in his bones - that was new. Almost like youth returning, ebbing like the tide. The nurse, in her sickening tone, had promised relief. Perhaps this was it. Yet, the room was full. A chorus of ancestors, suffocating him, their voices so loud in his ears and clearer than anything he had heard in years.  

I’m here now, like I promised you. I’m here.   

Harry’s voice, known from those early days when they were christened twin prodigies, kings of the classroom, drunk on youth and their own wasted talents. It was more than that. Harry’s familiar sent of cigarettes and cloves mingled with sea salt and sweat.  

A boat of their own, begged and bargained for, treasured, despite its size. Inexperienced sailors, their knees knocking together, their useless map spilling out over the side, soaked by the spray. Rocked by gentle waves with no destination except for the vast expanse of blue, or maybe Hy-Brasil. Harry singing, caring not for the words, delighting in the sound of his carrying voice. That melody passed from his mother’s people, thrown out across the waves, allowed to soar towards the dark cliffs and home again to his throat. That's not how I remember it, Harry. He’d heard the song often enough and loved it well. He laughed and kept singing, louder, louder, king of their stretch of coastline.  

Nell at his right hand, Harry too, drawing the life back to his fingers, growing ever colder now. They prayed with words he no longer understood, his heart beating slow to their steady rhythm, almost a chant, a vigil at his bedside, cast in the role of a dying saint. Behold, the great artist on his deathbed. He always imagined he would die at sea.  

It’s been a good life, hasn’t it?   

Were those tears which wavered his voice? Or age perhaps, finally catching up with him. There was something he needed to remember. A promise? No. The map, where was it? He needed it now to show him the way forward, to run his fingers along the coastline and the notes they made on that trip together, back to the kingdom of his childhood, only seventeen and so sure of themselves. Outside the window, a seagull shrieked, angered at some small defeat, a packet of crisps dropped into the canal.  

The sea, the sea. Vast Atlantic, gateway to the new world, giver of life, father of the port, his port. Somewhere in the first bloom of boyhood. Busy little harbour, sailors converge with wide brimmed hats and deep-pocketed overcoats, weather beaten, wind cutting deep creases into young skin. Restless horses, whinnying at idle carts, laden with goods, exotic, essential, world renowned. Hooves and feet and squawks and rolling barrels, ale splashing the wooden walls, a turbulent sea. He in the middle of it all, greedy senses hoarding the scene, captured in a few quick lines, sketches made perched on the harbour wall. Here old men came to relive youthful dreams of adventure. His home-made map, the first of its kind, gripped in his small hands, an early masterpiece. 

That was gone too. Where was Nell, where was Harry? Alone at last? No. In the corner, his brother stood, hands held out. Have you come to take me? Is she with you? Anne, she was close, he knew it, she was there, just beyond. He shook his head, for a poet he kept his words close, never letting them slip from his grasp., He looked younger than he had in years, his hair long, out of fashion with his high collared shirt, worn some fifty years ago for an occasion he no longer recalled. Where is she, my Anne, my love? Someone was singing a mourning song. A snatch of blue fabric, Anne’s wedding coat, a flash of her dark hair, long and free as it had been the day he first walked at her side along the strand. The veil was lifting.  

You’re going home, my boy.   

Whose voice was that? Rough with the gravel of a sailor, those words he had heard before and wept over. A young boy pleading to his uncle, this is my home, I belong here, with you. No tears came now, an aching relief, the decades falling away. No more pain. Silence. There it was, at last. The sea, the sea, the sea.

Back Once More – Britney Olaniyi

Bordering the sheet is the rushed silhouette of a body. Each dashed route and pathway is smudged into an indistinct blur. Tacked under colourful pushpins are the capitals—every landmarked organ that we mythicize in midnight poetry. Marvel at the overcrowded heart; lungs scrubbed raw; the insect-littered stomach, a reservoir of emotion; or perhaps the fallen brain, crossed out ten times over with feverish red ink.

Clutching this unconventional map is I, the uneasy explorer. This body is mine. Or, was mine. It’s been so long—or maybe just so intense—that navigating myself is now an impossible task.

Not too long ago, I gave away everything I had.

Yearning. Desperately chasing. Running after love. This process engulfs your being, until that’s who you become; that’s all you are. A yearner, a chaser, a lover. I wasn’t merely myself anymore. The graph of my body and all its functions, every secret location and treasured monument—it all belonged to you.

There was always something about you. You were not like me: the common earthly map—static, unchanging, comfortably traditional. Perhaps the best way to describe you was as the print of the universe. You were the wonder and ineffable fear of gazing up into the dark. The incessant movement of the stars from a planet where they seemed endlessly at rest.

That was the problem. You were always out of reach. I’d send my love into space—scream my amateur sonnets into the night sky. Then constellations would form, burning with flushed potential. You were beautiful, of course. Beautiful, and scary. But you wouldn’t accept my love, not really. You couldn’t.

I didn’t accept this for a long time. But, inevitably, the night broke into restful dawn. Moonlight was replaced by the tender colours of the sunrise. And with the morning haze came realisation.

I had to find myself again.

The stomach in particular scares me. The butterflies you could once find here—maybe photograph in brilliant shades of orange and blue—had decayed into mounds of coppery dust, swirling with flat emotion. The larynx isn’t much better, either. Another graveyard. I kick aside scraps of all the words we used to exchange, dead and hollow things. I look for the brain, too. Grab onto shattered nerves, marvel at the glow of pulsing signals under my fingertips and climb through torrents of crude emotion all until I find my destination. Completely deserted. “OUT OF COMMISSION”, a sign reads. I chuckle.

And then there’s the heart, of course. I don’t even stop to examine the damage. A predictable sight—the shattered pieces, the desperate bandages. Classic. And tiring. But there’s somewhere I know I need to reach in there—a remote location, a place even I can find without guidance.

I get there before I know it, pulling away the screaming caution tape holding me back. Everything my heart has ever whispered about you, and every wave of emotion that your memory triggers lives here. Imprints of you in stuttering, sad colours: your undefinable stare, the overcast expression you’d have most days. The pain, and the fear, and all the emergent shadows that buried you as far away from me, and everything else, as you could get.

It had been so dark here. Everything would power on for those special few weeks, then come crashing back down into lonely quiet. It was hard to do anything in the dark. Walks down linear roads distorted into labyrinthine streets. Chasing you down monstrous paths, through stifling gloom, to no avail. Loving you became a bitter and barren task—lost all its brilliance and joy. Our manmade attempts to forge your smile, or to switch on ‘happy’ in you, will always flicker off into stinging nothingness. I know, because it happened every time.

But there’s something here. Something… different. A dim glow is pulsing from within, the colour of trembling hope. Strange. With a shallow breath, I place my hands on the blushing walls, expecting them to waver under my touch. But I only feel a restless movement—the shaky excitement and blooming warmth of first meetings. Still there.

Under my feet, something vivid remains—the rolling anticipation of locked eyes; the potential energy of your hand in mine. The soft echoes of the vast waters, and wistful, storybook sunlight that drifts over warm, winding roads. It all dances around me—through me and beyond me.

With awe, I trace the branching pathways that sprawl from vein to vein. Everything’s still here, and more. It all flows back. A confession, your embrace, the solidity of your arms in spite of it all. That heavy closeness, enduring emotion, feverish dreams… and the past, and the future, and now. Right now, I saw… beauty. 

It was strange. It was all so strange. You were hiding. Running. Gone. Yet, you’re… here. And… you’re happy.

It seems like you’re happy.

“But… that’s not how I remember it,” I breathe softly to myself. “You were…”

I trail off into the sounds of laughter and airy chirping—nature’s song. A quilted blue sky with porcelain clouds. Cool, easy shades of green, and the stillness of concrete under my feet. A familiar, bright ambience I knew by heart.

Here. Everything brought me here. I’m outside a park again, suspended in motion at a simple black fence. Waiting in the exact spot you had looked at me so differently to anyone else, a vague wonder in your eyes.

“Close your eyes,” you had softly requested that day, in front of some postcard-looking tree. A picturesque location, yes, but nerves had stripped my mouth dry with unidentified emotion. So, I waited for another, braver day—a better time.

And we kissed eventually, under weeping skies, in the middle of throbbing rain—the memory now a permanent landmark in my mind.

I look down again; the map is gone. But now, I can finally see what’s in front of me, just like it was before: great, brilliant trees, with riches of flowering white blossoms, towering into the afternoon sky, embraced by the breeze.

It was beautiful. I hadn’t even noticed.

Back Once More – James Taylor

You see these lines? Carl asked, circling his finger around a point on a large paper map sprawled open on the dashboard. The fold-lines were sharp, the map had not left the glovebox of the old Ford in years. They’re called contour lines, he said. It means there’s a hill there. The closer together the lines are, the steeper the hill. You can’t see it on this, but your new home is just around here. Grace’s face flickered tentatively between smiling and crumpling. 

                  Is mummy coming with us?  

Carl was hardly used to her being able to talk coherently. He paused for a few seconds and stared at her. Mummy is gone, Grace, he said. Her mouth opened slightly but she made no sound. 

Come on, Carl, leave it there, he thought, don’t lie to her. He wanted to be honest then, but when he met his daughter’s pooling eyes, he added; So we need to make the place look perfect and loved for when she gets back! The three-hour drive turned into four and then five as the little car, packed full of luggage and unanswerable questions, struggled up the hill. As they pulled into the driveway, the rusted gates welcomed Carl home like his mother’s open arms used to – his childhood home was perfectly isolated, the gift of an introverted architect, and had sat gutted and abandoned for years watching over the forest. Carl’s grandfather had left it to his daughter, who in turn left it to Carl. He had not been back since he first left. Grace was more helpful than one would expect a four-year-old girl to be; she moved box after box from the boot into the blank house with enthusiasm. They stopped for a moment to rest from the heavy lifting and to appreciate the view of the forest from the balcony. Grace jumped on Carl’s back for a minute to see over the balcony, then climbed back down. We are very far away, she said.  

Yes, that’s the beauty of the place. 

                  What if mummy cannot find us out here? 

Carl raised his eyebrows and inhaled deeply. She’ll find us, he said, she could always - can - can always find places. I’m going to explore a bit more. don’t lift anything until I get back. His face tensed into itself as he walked away from his daughter.  The bathroom had a cabinet over the sink with a mirror on the front. Gripping the sides of the sink Carl stared into his own eyes, commanding them not to well up. His orders were ignored, and he crumpled like tissue. He sat crying on the cold bathroom tiles for some time, massaging his forehead with one hand and stifling his cries with the other. Grace had been running about the house looking for him. She called something up the stairs. He composed himself, and called back down to her, One minute Gracie. His call echoed in the bathroom, and sounded back to him in some shaky, unrecognisable parody of his own voice. He got up and washed his face with cold water. The red residue of his tears was persistent, he quickly gave up trying to hide it. He unlocked the bathroom door and walked downstairs. He could not find Grace downstairs. He called her name to no response, and she wasn’t in the Ford. He started to run around the house shouting her name, chased by Loss itself, his imagination performing all the worst possible scenes; she was lost in the forest, fallen off the balcony, crawling on the roof – all of these were true to him at once, and he ran faster.  He finally saw her out of an upstairs window. She was sitting in the overgrown garden, reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. See you soon, Loss said, giving up the chase and dissipating like an anticlimactic raincloud. Carl caught his breath and walked slowly down to the back door. Grace smiled and dropped her book when she saw her father.  I couldn’t find you, Grace, I was worried. Don’t wander off like that. 

                  Sorry, I was in Wonderland. She smiled, picked the book back up and held it to her chest. 

Be careful with that book. It’s a first edition. An heirloom.  Grace lost her smile, upset by his tone. Carl sighed and sat down next to her in the grass. He took the book and threw it to the whim of gravity; it landed heavily in the dirt a few feet away from them. You know, the last time I was here, I was packing, ready to move with your mother into the city. Grace said nothing. Carl had given up smoking after Grace was born, but he longed for a cigarette.   It’s so empty, isn’t it? That’s not how I remember it at all. My mum, dad, brothers, sister, however many cats, were around constantly, noisy as the city. Just us now. Me and you against the world, Gracie. Grace smiled softly. When mummy gets here, she will make it more happy, she said. Tell her, Carl, explain to her, be a father, he thought. Let’s go bring the rest of those bags in, so that mummy doesn’t have to carry anything when she gets here, he said. The sun set late, about eight o’clock, and they watched it fall below the trees from the balcony.  Where does the sun go after it sets, daddy? What? When the day is finished, and the moon comes. Where does the sun go? Carl thought for a long time. They sat in silence watching the moon materialise above them. Somewhere nice, Gracie. I’m sure it goes somewhere nice. And it still keeps us warm: in fact, all the light the moon gives us is really the sun’s light, reflecting. Even when the sun is gone, Gracie, it still keeps us warm. Remember that, Gracie. Remember that. 

Back Once More - Humayra Vohra

Two girls lie on their backs in a meadow, cabbage butterflies flittering over their heads and summer air cloying and sweet in their mouths, teeth numb with sun and teenage thrill. Lips pink. Minds racing. A discarded map lays in the grass next to them. 

 “Told you, Cissa.” Alice grins. “All this, an hours walk from your house.”

Hills dotted with daffodils and wildflowers sprawl out at their feet — endless exploration and escape that they’d found from a red cross scribbled on an old map in Alice’s dusty attic. Treasure spot, she’d told her.

“I had to jump out the front window for this, you know,” Cissa rolls over onto her back, gold hair catching sunlight. “My mother will kill me.”

Alice tilts her head. Her eyes are hiding things, flecks of green crawling as ivy does, to shield, to protect. “You’ll be okay, though?” She swallows. “I didn’t mean to make you come out.” 

“Of course I will.” Cissa lies, picking at the grass stains on her knees. “Why don’t you tell me about the new Beatles album, Alice.”

Her eyes crinkle like she knew they would, and she watches the way Alice lights up: waving her hands, all rosy and passionate. Spools of honeyed light dance over their arms, thread falling from a celestial bobbin. 

“What?” Alice stops with a laugh. “Why are you looking at me?”

“Nothing. I’m not looking at you. Just—” A soft wind tickles her skin, ruffles Alice’s dark hair. It’s shining with a myriad of brightly coloured ribbons — candied fruit, sharp jewels. “Colour looks good on you.” She settles on.

Alice raises a brow. “Thanks, I suppose.” She considers, splaying her hands out into the dirt. “Colour would look good on you too, if you let it in.”

Cissa attempts to hide her smile. “I was thinking I might try red lipstick. It could be my thing.”

“I can’t wait to see that.” Dimples pop up on Alice’s face. “You always reminded me of cherries.”

Youth is whimsy and pretty on the girls as wise, knobbly trees twist up and over them, small fingers of shade for sweet flesh. Summer dares Cissa to search for secrets: constellations of freckles on Alice’s round cheeks, and to count them up and store them for the winter when they disappear. There is a beat of silence.

“Can we be here forever?” Alice whispers suddenly. “Just us and this, where your mother doesn’t hate me and where she isn’t mean to you. Where we don’t have to grow up. Where we can be girls with each other. You and your ocean eyes and me.”

“I wish,” She trails off. Alice — girl that belongs to the wild and adventures and wearing pants and riding bikes. And Cissa. No. She shakes her head. No, it’s impossible. There’s a lump in her throat. “Let’s just remember this, then? This moment.”

Slowly, Alice reaches for Cissa’s hand.

A thrum pulses beneath her fingers, and she knows that they are watered and fed by hope and laughter. Summer ripens her dear fruits for inevitable plucking, leaving them to lie until they are scooped up into a casket. 

December 2023

Alice knows that she was young, once, even if she doesn’t exactly remember the raw taste of childhood, the bright pulses of teenage years and the slow, fast descent from adulthood to where she lingers now. 

Blink and you’ll miss it. 

She mourns her salad days all the same.

Wrinkles sink and raise her skin, a tram on uneven ground, lightning streaking the sky. There is something divinely torturous about existing for this long. Having such thin, stained, ancient eyes. 

Who will miss her? Well Alice has visitors, yes, of course, who remember her even when she forgets them. There is a boy that turned into a man in the blink of an eye, and a strange woman who sits, throat bobbing. She never speaks. Actually, she hasn’t visited Alice’s ward in some time.

 Inhaling, Alice shuffles out of her bed with a good degree of effort. For years, she’s been asking herself who she is. Why she’s here, because she’s a forgetful soul, at least that’s what the nurse tells her, with a pitiful smile and shake of her head. You can never cling to one bit of information for long, Alice dear. That’s just how you work now, and it’s terribly sad and frustrating, I know that. But it’ll all get better soon, and you’ll be happy. 

What she means is Alice is dying. 

Something urgent striking her, she digs for the shoe box under her mattress. The map crinkles, a red cross faded pink; so fragile that Alice thinks it treasure.

Like magic, for a moment she is whisked back to a golden time. A meadow. A girl.

But Alice stumbles on icy ground. Winter has settled here: cold teeth tearing into flesh, starving for a good hunt in the barren lands she cultivates — sitting on a throne of yellow carcasses. Naked toes in snow. Demanding sacrifice. 

An unkindness of ravens blots out the weak water sun. 

“That’s not how I remember it.” Alice croaks, clutching the map, half-delirious and looking for—

A young, skinny girl with blonde hair and eyes that twinkle like oceans gives her a smile. Her form flickers, bright around the edges. 

Grazed knees and turned backs. A burst of colour. Scars and regrets. Bones knocking and leaving.

For a second, a sea, a river, all the water on the planet rushes forth, frothing in white delight. Fizzling over into space. The earth rolls her shoulders back with a sigh, relishing.

“Hello.” The girl says, looking somehow blissful and sad. “Alice, my girl.”

“I’m not a girl.” She replies hoarsely. Alice’s heart is pulling, unravelling over miles of ground she’s never felt.

“We were.” The girl is firm. Her lips are red, like cherries. “We soon will be again, I hope.”

Young Anthropologist Shortlist 2024

What story does my name tell about my cultural heritage gehhna arora.

‘Call me Violet,’ –

I distinctly remember saying this to my parents around age 6, attempting to convince them to change my name. Going to a predominantly white primary school and being surrounded by phonetically obvious names, I often found that mine was difficult to comprehend. 

When asked how my name was decided, my parents provided an anecdote detailing how they had watched a Bollywood movie where the heroine’s name was Gehna, and had immediately loved it. More than this, they admired the meaning behind the name - jewel - and always encouraged me to stick with it, emphasising how, at least to them, I fit this description. 

Having migrated from India to the UK in the late 1990s, my parents were faced with the added complexity of how my name, as it was pronounced in India, would not be read the same way here. To overcome this, they went through a series of trials, testing the name on their English friends and seeing whether they were able to say it. From the data of these surveys, they realised that for it to maintain its closest pronunciation to the Indian one, they needed to change something. Hence, they landed on my current first name: Gehhna. 

Despite all their efforts, my name is consistently mispronounced. For example, I’ve been referred to as: 

• Jenna And many more.

My name has also, to my surprise, not been an obvious indicator of my ethnicity. As someone who considers themself quite obviously Indian it was a shock to me when people thought I was Latina, Malaysian, and even Bulgarian. Regardless, what shocked me most was when Indians themselves failed to recognise me as a fellow Indian, often guessing my roots lay elsewhere. It made me realise the reliance I had placed on my name to allow people to place me. My name seemed to play a greater role than simply a reference for me, rather, it provided a means of recognition, a connection between me and my cultural identity. I questioned whether, in adding addendums to my name to make it easier for me to assimilate into this new culture, I lost a certain connection with my heritage. 

Perhaps it was the way my name was pronounced, my mother always placed a certain emphasis on the ‘h’ (hence the addition of an extra one just to make sure it really stuck). Because of this, phonetically my name, when pronounced by non-indians, sounds like ‘Ge-heh-na’. Unfortunately for me, because of this overly clarified pronunciation, people often spelt my name as ‘Gehenna’ - in Christian belief a place of eternal punishment and torment. Although this has never personally affected me, nor has anyone I’ve met ever mentioned this curious fact, living in a country where, at least according to my Religious Studies GCSE, Christianity is considered the main religious tradition, I can’t imagine this is a great reputation to have attached to me. 

Nonetheless, it fascinates me to see how my name, with roots in Sanskrit, has such a different meaning to the Christian meaning, which has roots in Greek, and yet can sound so similar. It made me question whether and in what way, say, a devout Christian who believes in this place of ‘Gehenna’ would view me differently to how an Indian woman, born and brought up in India who spoke Hindi, would if they each met me for the first time. Does my name really speak volumes about my cultural heritage if other cultures and religions hold different meanings for the word, and has the westernisation of my name (whether by pronunciation or spelling) impacted the extent to which I’m perceived as Indian? 

When speaking to my parents about their experience when first visiting the UK, I began to further realise their motivation in altering the spelling of my name. My mother’s first visit was in 1989 to Birmingham. Being her first long term stay, she was visited by many of her English-Indian cousins, most of whom warned her about crime rates and racial abuse, instructing her not to go out by herself. Coming from a small town in Punjab where her father was a police officer, she was not accustomed to such rigid restrictions and infringements upon her lifestyle. Quickly, she felt restrained and viewed the UK as unsafe, especially for her as a brown woman. Moreover, her cousins would joke about her pronunciation of words, mimicking her and highlighting how her English was different from theirs. Needless to say these jokes stuck with her. Although light-hearted in spirit, with the ever present pressure of having to assimilate into a foreign culture post marriage, each joke felt less and less humorous. Even still my mother never held a grudge. Being Sikh, a religion in which even the concept of revenge or ‘badla’ doesn’t exist, she truly retained the spirit of her culture despite the move. When I was younger she would often speak about her desire for my brother and I to adopt what was referred to as ‘the Queen’s English’. This signified the posh, perfect pronunciation people jested she did not have. In some ways, this wish of hers for my brother and I explains the need for the extra letters in my name. She wanted my name to have the same clarity to the English that this ‘Queen’s accent’ had, a clarity those around her joked she did not. 

Therefore, I find my name speaks further than simply to my lineage. It speaks to the need to assimilate, the feeling of belonging, and the journey that my immigrant parents took, like many others, to bring me to where I am today. Throughout periods of confusion and even desire to change my name, it stayed a constant in my evolving identity. Because of this, I now feel an immense sense of pride in it, knowing that it helped to connect me to India and England, my two cultural identities, at the same time. 

What story does my name tell about my cultural heritage? Yngie Buelvo

“Do you still want to change your name when you’re older?” 

I am in the passenger seat of my dad’s car when the question leaves his lips, and a pang of guilt reverberates through my body. It comes off light-hearted – like most things my dad says – as if out of curiosity or like it had just been a passing thought. And yet, as he looks out to the traffic light ahead of us, I imagine he is reminiscing on my primary school years and the first time I had asked if I could change my name. I worry if his heart sank. I wonder if my mother regretted the name she chose after hearing her little girl express a burning desire for a new one. They both laughed off the request when I was 6, but in the car, years later, I feel the impact of my thoughtless wish, which weighed down on my parents’ minds and hearts. It became a concern – they think I hate my name. 

My name is Yngie, pronounced ‘In-Jee’. My mother’s name is Filipina, shortened to Ynah, and my father’s name is Regidor, shortened to Regie. My name is an amalgamation of theirs, a symbol of their union, a ‘ship name’ even. As a child I was unaware of how common practice this method of naming is in the Philippines. Mashing their names together is a way for parents to gift their child with a unique title, one rarely ever heard or seen before. And yet, I never appreciated the thought or the tradition. All I understood was that it was absurd to most, a name that nobody else has, which I interpreted as a name that nobody wants.  

While my feelings towards my name have changed considerably since my childhood, I can still recall the reasons I so desperately sought a new one. The obvious is something most people with eccentric names can relate to; my name is typically met with jokes, rhymes, mispronunciations and misspellings. The latter two are so common, at some point it gets tiring to correct every wrong form your name takes. They are inconvenient, but for the most part carry no ill-intention. What were slightly more harmful to the 6-year-old me were the jokes, and laughter that followed them. I could sometimes understand how a pun might be funny, but the jokes were more often alienating, with little me left in the dark, suppressing the suffocating embarrassment, laughing along only because everyone else did too.  

My name was just another thing that othered me, another non-conforming aspect of my being. My Catholic primary school community was largely white, black and mixed-race kids. You could count the number of Southeast Asian children on your fingers. Consequently, the friends I made came from cultures that contrasted mine, as did their appearances. Being immersed in a multicultural community is a blessing that I believe has positively shaped my perspective of the world. But in my younger years, I found myself wanting to assimilate, rather than indulge in and endorse my own culture. White friends, white princesses and white female leads on American TV shows were the building blocks for my standard of beauty. Wanting to pick a new name went hand in hand with wishing my hair were golden blonde and that my skin would magically appear some shades lighter after every shower. Younger Yngie wanted nothing more than to wake up and see a white girl in the mirror. Fortunately, with age comes experience, discovery and growth. I learned more about my own ethnic background and saw myself represented in Asian media. As of writing this, I have never been more comfortable in my body and name.  

 I now partake in the same unyielding Pinoy pride instilled in most Filipinos from birth. However, being raised in London means there is an unfortunate disconnect with my heritage. My parents have done everything in their power to incorporate Filipino culture into my daily life, but it is inevitable for diasporic children to lose parts of the full experience. I am fed Filipino food; I celebrate Filipino traditions; my parents employ Filipino customs in our house and speak Tagalog. I comprehend everything they say, but speaking will not come as easily, especially when success in professional aspects of my life have required nothing less than impeccable English. I do not know what it’s like to wake up to street vendors bellowing ‘Taho!’, or what it’s like to practise dancing the tinikling for school festivals, jumping over bamboo sticks to the rhythm. My knowledge of Filipino history comes down to independent research I've done during school projects in which my pride as a Filipino takes lead when choosing a topic. There are many aspects of being Filipino that I haven’t gotten to know, and yet, I’d like to believe I have experienced, in full , the most important aspect of it, the most basic Filipino value: the unbreakable family bond. My name exhibits the thickness of blood; it signifies every sacrifice they have made for me; it is my mother’s and my father’s and mine .  

The name ‘Yngie’ was never something to be embarrassed about. It’s not a name I’ll ever see on a keychain in a souvenir shop, and it will always be met with hesitation, followed by a ‘How do I pronounce this one?’ when next in a roll call. It’s not a ‘white’ name, but one that carries my Filipino lineage with each letter. It is a learned lesson, a testimony that I journeyed to feel safe in my skin and admire the person I see in my reflection. It is distinctive, innovative and, most importantly, a gift from the most important figures in my life, who named me with undying love.   

The traffic light turns green, and my dad shifts gears. I reassure him with unwavering certainty.  

“I don’t want to change my name. I promise, I won’t.”  

What story does my name tell about my cultural heritage? Torikubu Qismat Issah

Torikubu Qismat Issah. 

“That’s too long.” 

“Too confusing.” 

“I can’t pronounce that; do you have a nickname?” 

Fine, ill be Tori. The loud one. The large one. The annoyingly opinionated one. This condensed version of my name came from a single day – my first day – in a new school after moving from the cultural mixing pot that is Forest gate, to the less diverse, more conservative Hornchurch. The neighbours, less neighbourly. The home, less homely. And for the first time in my extremely short life, I felt incongruous. A black stain on the perfectly white backdrop I had fallen upon, I had to become Tori.  

On my first day, a little boy approached me. My new school wasn’t what sent me home in tears that day, instead, it was the earth-shattering question he asked me the second I entered the room. 

“Why are you black?” 

I stood in shock, confusion.  

Why was I black?  

The first day of year one was the first day I felt different. Different in so many ways. 

Firstly, I wasn’t Emily. I wasn’t Rose or Jessica. Nor was I Maisie, daisy, Annabelle or Christelle. My name didn’t sound pretty nor flowy nor airy. Torikubu is tribal. Torikubu is neanderthal. Long, confusing, too much, too dark, too heavy. All what I connoted to this one word that I never noticed before. 

Secondly, I wasn’t a smith. I wasn’t a Jones or a Williams. Nor was I a Thomas or Taylor, Brown or Barnes. I was an Issah. I had Islamic roots deeply woven into my being, and a name showing a devotion – a devotion my grandmother (A revert) had cultivated in her kitchen in Ghana, feeding it to her kids who fed it to me. And I had carried with pride until that day. 

Lastly, I was black. Plain and simple, the only black person in the year, hoping and praying for someone familiar, something familiar, to appear in the classroom to comfort me. A yearn took over me. A yearn I had never been plagued with before. I yearned to fit in. I craved conformity. I needed to change, and that started with the only thing I could control – my name. If I had to be different, I could do it under the table, like a shameful secret or shady deal. If I had to stand out, I could at least make my boldness easier for my new surroundings to stomach. Less uncomfortable to deal with.  

The idea of condensing my name into a box of normality, slicing it into the Overton window felt strange. Torikubu had only ever been shortened to “Kubs” by my brother. Ironically, his full name had also been cut for the ease of the English lounge from Yeng-balang to Yeng. But he can’t be blamed, he followed the footsteps of my father Atta-Ullah Issah, who for business reasons, had reformed his name into just “Essa”; not only neglecting his forename entirely, but respelling his surname to be more phonetic. Easier. Less confusing. Less himself.  

And who could he follow? Only those who had migrated before him, or those who had seen success through suppression of their names. Idrissa Elba to Idris Elba. Thandiwe newton to Tandie newton. Any way to avoid the side-eyes or snickers that slither through a classroom when a teacher struggles through the few syllables your name contains, isolating you from the Eurocentric norm. So – like I did – they all oppressed to assimilate.  

And even at the age of 6, this didn’t feel right to me. Although it may not seem like a big deal, the weight that came with these names was lost completely eradicating history, culture and identity by eradicating one or two syllables. Tandie newton lost her Zimbabwean name, translating to beloved. Her name meant to love, to cherish, to adore and yet Thandie was seen as more fitting. My brother’s name translating to “Wisdom is not combined” is shortened to just “wisdom”, losing its full meaning with only a few tiny cuts. My dad’s Wala and Arabic name mirrored that of his father, translating to “Gift of god”, which is exactly what mine translates to.  

Torikubu; gift of God.  

Qismat; faith.  

Issah; messenger of God, God's promise. 

That day – my first day – was the first day I had chosen to adopt Tori, as an alternative to what I chose to cover. However now, with over ten years more experience and knowledge, I have come to the controversial conclusion that it was not a choice. A choice indicates I was left with viable options, which the little girl stood in Mrs. Wilsons year one classroom, being faced with massive, formidable questions, feeling helplessly alone and sticking out like a raven in a dove’s territory, I was faced with no choice. Torikubu wasn’t wanted anymore, Tori needed to take the reins. 

It took time, but now I can proudly say I am Torikubu Qismat Issah. Although the majority of those I meet call me by my abbreviated alternative, I am no longer afraid of the secret getting out. I am proud to be god’s gift, I am proud to be faith and I am proud to be a messenger of God. The English tongue may not like the taste of my West African seasonings, it may be spicy and too unfamiliar. However, with the support of every person who worked incredibly hard to get me to stand in the position I am today, as well as the love that I have for the girl I see in the mirror, and therefore my heritage. I am from Ghana, I am from a long line of religion, I am not too big, confusing or too much.  

I am Torikubu Qismat Issah.  

Who are you? 

What story does my name tell about my cultural heritage? Rebecca Tidswell

I am Scottish, my name is not.  

My name is Hebrew. My name is English. My name is Rebecca Isabel Alison Tidswell, and my name is not Scottish. 

“What story does my name tell about my cultural heritage?” Reading that question left me discouraged and frustrated. Heritage for me has always been my home, the city and country I live in and the culture surrounding it. My heritage is intertwined with my Scottish roots, becoming one and the same in my mind. I thought it impossible to talk about my cultural heritage without mentioning Scotland. But now I cannot; because my name is not Scottish. 

I did not know what to write, how to start, or what the focus could be, but was told by a friend, “What about your last name? Where does it come from?” Truthfully, I did not know. I knew it was English; my father, from whom I inherited the name, was a white South African and English man with an English name, making me English. I don't feel English. I was born in Scotland with a Scottish mother and a very Scottish grandfather. However, it was part of my cultural heritage that I knew nothing about. So, this essay became an investigation, and you are going to learn about my cultural heritage right alongside me. 

Upon exploring, Tidswell turned out to be a locational surname hailing from a place called Tideswell in Derbyshire, England. Research of the name “Tideswell” itself showed me that it is thought to be derived from the Old English personal name “Tidi.” This then combined with “wella,” which meant spring or stream. Meant that the name Tidswell may be interpreted as “Tidi’s spring” or “stream belonging to Tidi.”  

The discovery to me that my name had a place and was not some meaningless word used to identify me was surprising. However, what touched me was the fact that I had a starting point. This is where my family began many years ago, and though they have spread across the world in dozens of branches, I can still look at a map and say, “there, that's where I came from. That's where my heritage started.”  

This discovery left me spiralling. I was enticed and intrigued by the revelations of my heritage, their origins that had previously been meaningless to me. So, I turned to my middle name or one of them, Alison. The name Alison itself is not important, but why I got it is. Alison is my mother's name. Where I get my Scottish blood and a direct connection to my culture.  

This may be a cliche line, but I feel in this instance it rings true; that in order to know about me and my culture, you have to know about her. My mother was raised in Scotland on a farm by her father, a farmer – which is probably why she and all my siblings are so stubborn – and a schoolteacher, her mother. It was her mother who taught her to sow, and her who taught me, and I have even taken up embroidery like my grandmother. Clearly a passed down passion. She is the reason I use the words “Chuffed” and “fath” and that I know how to make a mean plate of stovies. Why I slap my knees and go “right” when I go to stand up from the couch. 

She is the one that made pillows with depictions of family trees for friends and relatives. She has a love of highland cows that I share and tones of different scarves and candles that I too have started to collect. She shares my dislike for riding and my love for curry. While possessing a mind-boggling amount of patience that I presume you can only achieve by raising three kids that love to bicker and is so forgiving it's frustrating. She is my point of reference for everything, a reliable constant that shaped the image of my cultural heritage. 

My mother is my cultural heritage in the way that she represents what I have learned (actively or not) about it. She is where I came from, who I learned from, the reasons for many of my habits and preferences and is the most important part of my origin and the way I live my life by a landslide. My mother is the perfect living, breathing reminder of my cultural heritage, and she is who my name represents. 

I considered none of this before. I ignored my names; I ignored their meaning, and I did not value how grateful I should be to be sharing a name with someone who represents so much for me or possessing a surname that allows me to uncover my history.  

I must say thank you for making me dig a little deeper in this essay. In the end, I learned a lot about my name. I learned that while I don't feel English, I am. I don't feel South African, I am. I am Scottish but also more, even if my names are not 

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Jess Arndt, Shiv Kotecha, Mirene Arsanios, Hannah Black, Trisha Low, Christoper Perez, Julian Talamantez Brolaski, Simone White

Bath Spa University

Poetry: Lucy English, Tim Liardet, John Strachan, Samantha Walton, Gerard Woodward Fiction: Gavin James Bower, Celia Brayfield, Alexia Casale, Anne-Marie Crowhurst, Lucy English, Nathan Filer, Aminatta Forna, Samantha Harvey, Philip Hensher, Steve Hollyman, Emma Hooper, Claire Kendal, Natasha Pulley, Kate Pullinger, C.J. Skuse, Gerard Woodward Nonfiction: Celia Brayfield, Lily Dunn, Richard Kerridge Scriptwriting: Robin Mukherjee

Poetry: Lucy English, Tim Liardet, Gerard Woodward Fiction: Gavin James Bower, Celia Brayfield, Anne-Marie Crowhurst, Nathan Filer, Aminatta Forna, Samantha Harvey, Philip Hensher, Claire Kendal, Natasha Pulley, Kate Pullinger, Gerard Woodward Nonfiction: Lily Dunn, Richard Kerridge

Bay Path University

Mel Allen, Leanna James Blackwell, Jennifer Baker, Melanie Brooks, María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado, Shahnaz Habib, Susan Ito, Karol Jackowski, Yi Shun Lai, Anna Mantzaris, Meredith O’Brien, Mick Powell, Suzanne Strempek Shea, Tommy Shea, Kate Whouley

Bennington Writing Seminars at Bennington College

Poetry: Jennifer Chang, Michael Dumanis, Randall Mann, Craig Morgan Teicher, Mark Wunderlich Fiction: Peter Cameron, Jai Chakrabarti, Stacey D’Erasmo, Monica Ferrell, Rebecca Makkai, Stuart Nadler, Téa Obreht, Moriel Rothman-Zecher, Katy Simpson Smith, Taymour Soomro Nonfiction: Garrard Conley, Sabrina Orah Mark, Spencer Reece, Lance Richardson, Shawna Kay Rodenberg, Hugh Ryan, Greg Wrenn

Binghamton University

Poetry: Tina Chang, Joseph Weil Fiction: Amir Ahmdi Arian, Thomas Glave, Leslie L. Heywood, Claire Luchette, Liz Rosenberg, Jaimee Wriston-Colbert, Alexi Zentner Nonfiction: Amir Ahmdi Arian, Leslie L. Heywood

Bluegrass Writers Studio at Eastern Kentucky University

Poetry: Julie Hensley, Young Smith Fiction: Julie Hensley, Robert Dean Johnson Nonfiction: Robert Dean Johnson, Evan J. Massey Playwriting: Young Smith

Boise State University

Poetry: Martin Corless-Smith, Sara Nicholson, Taryn Schwilling Fiction: Mitch Wieland (Director), Anna Caritj Creative Nonfiction: Chris Violet Eaton, Clyde Moneyhun

Boston University

Poetry: Andrea Cohen, Karl Kirchwey, Robert Pinsky Fiction: Leslie Epstein, Jennifer Haigh, Ha Jin

Boston University—MFA in Literary Translation

Odile Cazenave, Yuri Corrigan, Margaret Litvin, Christopher Maurer, Roberta Micaleff, Robert Pinsky (advising), Stephen Scully, Sassan Tabatabai, J. Keith Vincent, William Waters, Dennis Wuerthner, Cathy Yeh, Anna Zielinska-Elliott

Bowling Green State University

Poetry: Abigail Cloud, Amorak Huey, Sharona Muir, F. Dan Rzicznek, Larissa Szporluk, Jessica Zinz-Cheresnick Fiction: Joe Celizic, Lawrence Coates, Reema Rajbanshi, Michael Schulz

Brigham Young University

Poetry: Kimberly Johnson, Lance Larsen, Michael Lavers, John Talbot Fiction: Chris Crowe, Ann Dee Ellis, Spencer Hyde, Stephen Tuttle Nonfiction: Joey Franklin, Patrick Madden

Brooklyn College

Poetry: Julie Agoos, Ben Lerner Fiction: Joshua Henkin, Madeleine Thien Playwriting: Dennis A. Allen II, Elana Greenfield

The HG Wells Short Story Competition

The annual HG Wells Fiction Short Story Competition offers a £500 Senior and £1,000 Junior prize and free publication of all shortlisted entries in a quality, professionally published paperback anthology.

Theme: The Fool

Winners to be announced Sunday 19th November.

For further information, please read the rules and FAQs below.

If you cannot find the answer to your query there, you can email  hgwellscompetition@ gmail.com

• Competition Rules 2024
• How to Enter
• Events & workshops

Competitions: — Overview

The Margaret and Reg Turnill Competition & Senior Writing Competition

The Margaret and Reg Turnill Competition for young writers of 21 years and under, for which the prize winner receives £1,000, and a competition for the over 21s which offers the Grand Prize of £500.

HG Wells Short Story Competition Winners & Awards

At the 2023 HG Wells Short Story Competition Award Ceremony on Zoom on Sunday 19th November, the winners were announced as:

Gloria Mesa for Rain Dance

Keltie zubko for the last teardown of eleanor, short listed, radiyah nouman.

Reading away the Water Drains

Yuen Tong Law

Reading from cast Out of Heaven

Kantaphat Pinaree

Reading from Elegy for A Machine

Catherine Saunders

Reading from Figurehead

Pritha Halder

reading from Ladies’ Compartment [reading live]

Thalia Peterson

Reading from Pareidolia

The 2023 Anthology of “Motion” is available now on Amazon at:

Buy “Motion” on Amazon (UK) Buy “Motion” on Amazon (US)

Switch  contains thirteen of the best short stories on the theme of Switch selected by the judges from a large entry for the 2022 H.G. Wells Short Story Competition.

“I seek, in fiction, to advance ideas and naturally I repeat the ideas in which I believe.”

Events & Workshops

Every year, we run a series of workshops (often free to attend) in the lead-up to our writing competition’s closing date.

We hope that these workshops will inspire, educate and inform everyone who attends. You don’t have to be entering a story in to our competition – anyone can come to the workshops – but of course we hope you will send in an entry too!

Watch, Read, Listen

Hg wells short story competition 2024: the fool, 2023 hg wells short story competition winners and awards, the hg wells short story competition awards 2023, hg wells competition shortlists 2023, hg wells 2023 creative writing workshops: characterisation, hg wells short story competition 2023: motion, 2022 hg wells short story competition winners and awards, hg wells competition shortlists 2022, 2021 senior prize shortlisted story: stephen webb – area 37, 2021 senior prize shortlisted story: sarah townend – the beauty parlour.

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A POWERHOUSE OF VOICES. A CHAMPION OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. A PIPELINE OF TALENT. This is Girls Write Now.

Connect with us, resources for writers & creatives of all ages, mentoring the next generation of workers, girls write now goes where you go. whether you’re applying to scholarships, entering the workforce, searching for a new position, or looking for a way to get published, girls write now can help connect the dots. , liaising between our network of corporate partners and our community of strong writers, we curate jobs, internships, scholarships, publications, and other opportunities to jumpstart your search and support you along the way..

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1. log-in to the portal or create a profile, 2. click the “opportunities” tab. , 3. click “learn more” to see job descriptions, salary information and more for opportunities you’re interested in. , 4. click “apply” in the pop-out window to be directed to the official job posting and apply on the company’s website. , by applying through the portal, you’ll automatically have access to resources, jobs, internships, scholarships, publications and other opportunities and supports..

Editorial Assistant, Crown/Currency | Penguin Random House

Crown seeks an Editorial Assistant to join our team. The assistant’s role provides administrative and editorial support to an Executive Editor and Senior Editor on a wide-ranging list of nonfiction – one that includes journalism, pop culture, memoir, behavioral science, health, self-help, business, history, and politics. This position offers the opportunity for growth and to learn about the editorial process and the inner workings of a publishing office. No previous publishing experience is required.

Associate Editor, Junior Scholastic | Scholastic

The  Junior Scholastic  team is seeking a highly engaged, creative, and collaborative middle school social studies expert to create the teaching support materials that accompany  Junior Scholastic , our print and digital middle school social studies resource. This person will be a key member of our small, close-knit, and deeply committed team, and will have the opportunity to share their vision for how our rich nonfiction texts and multimedia tools can be used to engage middle schoolers, build core knowledge, and support social studies curricula. 

Radcliffe Institute Fellowship | Harvard Radcliffe Institute

Fellowships of $78,000 each, office space at the Radcliffe Institute, and access to the libraries at Harvard University are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to allow them to pursue innovative projects. Fellows, who are expected to reside in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or the surrounding area during the fellowship period, which lasts from September through May, also receive $5,000 to cover project expenses.

The skills we sharpen at Girls Write Now are in high demand in the workforce— if you are a corporate partner looking to recruit a Girls Write Now mentee, learn more about our partnership model.

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Become an Expert in the Art of Interviewing with Abby West and Rebecca Carroll

Learn how to break down simple conversations into dazzling narrative stories with Amistad’s Abby West and Podcast Host Rebecca Carroll.

Build a Powerful Podcast with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford

Dive into podcasting with the renowned therapist behind Therapy For Black Girls.

Celebrate an Undiplomatic Juneteenth with Deesha Dyer

Explore self-awareness, overcoming adversity, and embracing your authenticity at all costs with former White House Social Secretary and author Deesha…

Channel Your Senses with Bernice L. McFadden

Learn how to channel the senses on the page with the author of ten critically acclaimed novels, Bernice L. McFadden.

Craft A Poetry Collection with Jasmine Mans

Freewrite to uncover a thematic thread for your collection with inspiration from Jasmine’s experience growing up in Newark, NJ.

Create a Graphic Novel with Kate Gavino

Learn from graphic novelist Kate Gavino how to create a graphic novel that illustrates the industry!

Create a Memoir-in-Essays with Morgan Parker

Learn how vulnerability through writing can give way to a deeper examination of societal issues with poet and writer Morgan…

Deep Dive Into Character Study with Megan Giddings

Experiment with voice and character dimension with the author of Lakewood.

Defend Reproductive Rights with Merle Hoffman

Learn why writing from experience and empathy are such powerful tools in defending reproductive rights with activist and author Merle…

Develop Your Fictional Identity with Brit Bennett

Indulge your fictional half with the New York Times bestselling author Brit Bennett.

Dive Into Historical Fiction with Emily Neuberger

Use your memories to write Historical Fiction with Emily Neuberger, mentor and author of new novel A Tender Thing.

Enter the World of YA Fiction with Amy Zhang

Write young adult fiction with author Amy Zhang, who published her first novel at age 18.

Explore What Home Means to You with Sepideh Moafi

Discover what home and belonging mean to you with actor, singer, writer, and producer Sepideh Moafi.

Find Your Narratorial Voice with Olivia Abtahi

Learn how to make your writing sound as authentic as possible!

Get Super Personal to Write Comedy with Nikki Palumbo

Learn to turn your most embarrassing experiences into comedy gold.

Go All In in Memoir with Maria Konnikova

Learn to write high-stakes memoir scenes with Maria Konnikova, New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and professional poker player.

Heal and Grow with Yasmine Cheyenne

Join Yasmine Cheyenne as she explains how to deal with feedback & be compassionately honest with ourselves.

Learn to Write Micro Narratives with Darien Hsu Gee

Find a new way into your story in this micro narrative writing workshop with Darien Hsu Gee.

Love [Poetry] Galore: Write Hip-Hop–Inspired Love Poems with Sam Arriozola

Learn about the history of Hip-Hop and write love poems with writer, poet, and youth worker Sam Arriozola.

Make Manga with Misako Rocks!

Join Manga writer and illustrator Misako Rocks! as she leads an all-skills level welcome Manga lesson—which includes drawing by hand!…

Memorialize the Important People in Your Life in Writing with Gigi Coleman

Learn how to honor and celebrate the important figures in your own life with Gigi Coleman.

Pen Lyrics for Lonely Hearts with Anna J Witiuk

You don’t need to be a musician to write great lyrics. Turn heartbreak into art in this songwriting Salon.

Pen Personal Narratives with Qian Julie Wang

Join New York Times bestselling author Qian Julie Wang as she leads us through the process of writing a memoir.

Practice Writing Conflict & Tension with Natalie Baszile

Learn how to find and accentuate conflict and tension with Natalie Baszile, author of Queen Sugar.

Rewrite Your Past into Poetry with Christina Olivares

Make new meaning from what matters most to you with writing prompts designed to dig up the details.

Start a Novel with Keisha Bush

Learn how to start small to write a novel with Keisha Bush, author of No Heaven for Good Boys.

Touch a Memory with Pepita Sandwich

Learn about the art of crying and the creative journey involved in crafting autobiographical comics with illustrator and visual artist…

Turn Tragedies into YA with Joy L. Smith

Learn how exploring complex emotions associated with tragedy can create a poignant story with author and mentee alum, Joy L….

Uncover the Magic of Poetry & Plants with Melania Luisa Marte

Join two-time national Audie Award winner Melania Luisa Marte as she explores the magic of poetry and plants.

Write a First Novel Inspired by Your Own Story with María Alejandra Barrios Vélez

Learn the importance of telling your story in your own voice and how to overcome the challenges of writing a…

Write as a Form of Resistance with Dominique Morisseau

Learn how to use art as protest with TONY nominated playwright Dominique Morisseau.

Write Hope At the End of A World with Ross Gay

Learn how language can help us imagine and embody new worlds with author Ross Gay.

Write Magical Realism with Alexandra V. Méndez

Explore belonging through magical realism with Alexandra Méndez, author of What The Jaguar Told Her.

Write Memoir with Elle Johnson

Join TV writer and author Elle Johnson as she shares turning a family tragedy into a heart-wrenching story of love.

Write Nonfiction with Michelle Duster

Uncover history through the tales of those dear to you with Michelle Duster, author of Ida B. the Queen.

Write Poetry that Shatters Expectations with Mahogany L. Browne

Break down the prescriptive norms of being “girl.”

Write the Intimate & the Invented with Daphne Palasi Andreades

Learn how to write fiction using your lived experiences with Daphne Palasi Andreades.

Write Workplace Romances with Donna Hill

Join mentor and bestselling author Donna Hill as she leads us through the intricacies of writing about romance.

Writing Prompts & Inspiration

Resources for processing and writing about war.

As we continue to process our experiences of war and displacement, use these resources to help guide your discussions and writing about the topic. Let’s Go!

Sounds of the Month: Writing Playlists and Prompts

Each month, Girls Write Now is bringing you a curated writing playlist and prompt using suggestions from mentors, mentees, and staff. Let’s Go!

Sally’s Sounds of Summer: Writing Playlists & Prompts

Get your creative juices flowing with weekly writing playlists and curated prompts all summer long! Let’s Go!

Erasure Poetry: The U.S. Constitution

Using an excerpt of text from the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights, skim through and select words that… Let’s Go!

Writing Tips & Guides from Our Community

How to submit to literary journals.

Publishing your creative writing is an exciting opportunity to share your work with the world for others to enjoy. If… Let’s Go!

10 (Not So Obvious) Publications You Should Pitch To

Check out these 10 places that Mentee Alum Romaissaa Benzizoune recommends for pitching op-eds and make your voice heard! Let’s Go!

How to Use Storytelling to Advocate for Climate Justice

The climate crisis needs your story now. Mentees share a toolkit to join the movement. Let’s Go!

Write an Artist Statement that Expresses All You Are with djassi daCosta johnson

Get inspired to “choreograph” your own artistic path and put it into words. Let’s Go!

College & Career Resources

Networking tips and tricks to land your dream job.

At our Writing Works workshop, The Joy of Networking with Macmillan, Girls Write Now mentees had the opportunity to flex their networking muscles as they learned how to make authentic, impactful and fun connections in a professional setting from Macmillan “Mentors for the Day.” Use these tips and tricks from Macmillan employees to help you… Let’s Go!

From Application to Admissions: Tips for Writing a Winning Scholarship Essay

Courtesy of Tom Rabbit, Girls Write Now College Guide  1. Grab the Reader Never underestimate the power of a strong… Let’s Go!

How to Write a Scholarship Essay

Scholarship essays vary dramatically in subject. However, most of them require a recounting of personal experience. These tips will be… Let’s Go!

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• 2024 SEP Writing Contests

NEW ARTICLES , Writing Contests

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MIXED GENRE 🔴

Your subtitle goes here, authors publish.

31 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for August 2024.  These are themed calls and contests for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some call themes are: fairy tales; harbinger; vacations; Little Red Flags – Stories of Cults, Cons, and Control; creature features; tumbleweed; secrets of the snow globe; vampires; and Achilles. Some deadlines are approaching quickly. https://authorspublish.com/storm-publishing-accepting-manuscript-submissions/

A WARM MUG OF COZY

Do you like writing short cozy mysteries? If so, we would love to invite you to submit your work for potential inclusion in our second Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology.  Our submission period for Volume 3 will start soon. To be kept in the know, please sign up for our newsletter..  Who can participate: Anyone at least 17 years of age, including emerging authors and never-published writers. Scroll below award to view details. https://warmmugofcozy.com/anthology-submission/

ALMOND PRESS

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. Scroll down the list for 2024 events. https://dystopianstories.com/writing-competitions-contests/

ASSOCIATION OF WRTERS & WRITING PROGRAMS

• AWP  Awaard Series – The AWP Award Series is an annual competition for the publication of excellent new book-length works. The prizes are supported by the AWP Award Series Endowments. The competition is open to all authors writing in English regardless of nationality or residence and is available to published and unpublished authors alike. Entries for the 2024 competition may be submitted from January 1–February 28, 2024. We no longer accept submissions by post. https://www.awpwriter.org/contests/awp_award_series_overview
• AWP Prize for Undergrad Lit Mag s – Formerly the National Program Directors’ Prize, the AWP Prize for Undergrad Lit Mags is awarded annually to one outstanding undergraduate-led journal and two runners-up. The prize celebrates the work of undergraduate student writers and editors, including exceptional content, cohesive design, and innovation. https://www.awpwriter.org/contests/awp_prize_for_undergrad_lit_mags
• George Garrett Award – Contemporary literature and AWP have benefited from the efforts of many teachers, writers, editors, and administrators who have done their utmost to help the next generation of writers find their way as artists and as literary professionals. In bestowing the annual George Garrett Award for Outstanding Community Service in Literature, AWP recognizes a few of those individuals who have made notable donations of care, time, labor, and money to support writers and their literary accomplishments. https://www.awpwriter.org/contests/george_garrett_award_overview
• AWP Intro Journals Project – The AWP Intro Journals Project is a literary competition for the discovery and publication of the best new works by students currently enrolled in AWP member programs. Program directors are invited to nominate student work, and winners are selected for publication in participating literary journals. The 2024 journals are Colorado Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Iron Horse Literary Review, Mid-American Review, Puerto del Sol, Quarterly West, Reed Magazine, and Tampa Review. https://www.awpwriter.org/contests/intro_journals_project_overview
• AWP Small Press Publisher Award – AWP’s Small Press Publisher Award is an annual prize for nonprofit presses and literary journals that recognizes the important role such organizations play in publishing creative works and introducing new authors to the reading public. The award acknowledges the hard work, creativity, and innovation of these presses and journals, and honors their contributions to the literary landscape through their publication of consistently excellent work. https://www.awpwriter.org/contests/small_press_publisher_award_overview
• https://www.awpwriter.org/

AUTUMN HOUSE PRESS

2025 Autumn House Rising Writer Prize Is Now Open –  The submission period closes on November 15, 2024 (Eastern Time). We will announce the contest’s finalists and the winner by March 15, 2025.  The winner will receive book publication, a $1,000 honorarium, and a $1,000 travel/publicity grant to promote their book https://www.autumnhouse.org/submissions/rising-writers-prize

BAEN BOOKS PUBLISHING

What it is: Baen Books has been publishing science fiction and fantasy for decades.  The Writer’s Center says: If you’re looking for a science fiction/fantasy small publisher that does it all—hardcover, paperback, and ebook—Baen is for you. https://www.baen.com/contests

BECOME A WRITER TODAY

Contests:  https://becomeawritertoday.com/writing-contests/ Writing Jobs: Information available on Calendar https://becomeawritertoday.com/writing-jobs/

BOOK PIPELINE

The 2024  Book Pipeline: Unpublished contest is exclusively for unpublished manuscripts across six categories of fiction and nonfiction:  Literary Mystery / Thriller, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Nonfiction  Deadline SEP 5, 2024 https://bookpipeline.com/shop/unpublished-contest

Booksie is a free online writing site that provides the tools for writers to publish their work and connect with readers from across the world. You can post poems, short stories, books, articles and more. Over the past ten years, tens of thousands of writers have posted hundreds of thousands of short stories, novel, poems, articles and more. Tens of millions of readers have gained access to some of the best up-and-coming writing talent and supported writers who have gone on to become best-sellers. Join Booksie and tell your story. 2024 contests. https://www.booksie.com/writing-contests

BOULEVARD MAGAZINE

Boulevard strives to publish only the finest in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. While we frequently publish writers with previous credits, we are very interested in less experienced or unpublished writers with exceptional promise. If you have practiced your craft and your work is the best it can be, send it to Boulevard. Nonfiction contest for Emerging Writers deadline Oct 1, 2024 – scroll to bottom of page. https://boulevard.submittable.com/submit

BRIDGEPORT PRIZE

We are committed to discovering and championing new writers in poetry, short story, flash fiction, novel and memoir. Our alumni read like a Who’s Who of the literary world: Kate Atkinson MBE, Gail Honeyman and Kit de Waal. Judges have included Roger McGough, Monica Ali and Zoe Heller. Our patron is Fay Weldon. Trust us with your words and it really could be your name up here next year. Submission Guidelines: https://thebridportprize.submittable.com/submit Poetry, Short Story, Novel Award, Memoir Award, Flash Fiction Categories List:  https://bridportprize.org.uk/the-competition/

CANADIAN AUTHORS

Do you feel you’ve written the next great Canadian short story, novel, or poem? We have compiled a list of writing contests open to Canadians that include fiction and non-fiction contests, short story contests, and poetry contests. Our listing of writing competitions appear in order of deadline dates and, because there are hundreds upon hundreds of contests, we have separated them by month. Please remember to check out the details for all writing competitions at the websites provided — most sites have additional information, including submission guidelines and rules. Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of competitions — we can only include those we are aware of. 2024 Contests listed by month : ALL CONTESTS:  https://canadianauthors.org/national/links/awards-competitions/ AUGUST 2024: https://canadianauthors.org/national/links/awards-competitions/contests-competitions-august-deadlines/

CHANTICLEER INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS 2022

Fiction Genere Divisions • Fiction Genere • Multiple Non-Fiction Divisions – A large list of contests for 2034-2025 by various genre. https://www.chantireviews.com/contests/

Inspired by the mission and role of the town common, an egalitarian gathering place,  The Common  aims to foster the global exchange of diverse ideas and experiences. As such, we welcome and encourage submissions from writers who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, disabled, LGBTQIA+-identifying, immigrant, international, and/or otherwise from communities underrepresented in U.S. literary magazines and journals.  We seek stories, essays, poems, and dispatches that embody a strong sense of place: pieces in which the setting is crucial to character, narrative, mood, and language. We receive many submissions about traveling in foreign countries and discourage writers from submitting conventional travelogues in which narrators report on experiences abroad without reflecting on larger themes.  READING PERIODS STORIES, ESSAYS and POETRY: March 1-June1, September 1 – December 1, Subscribers may submit all year-round for free. https://www.thecommononline.org/submit/

COMPETITIONS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

2024 A list of available writing contest for all genre. https://intercompetition.com/writing

CREATIVE WRITING CONTESTS

Name: Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition 2024 Country: UK (open to entries worldwide)  Closing date:  November 15th, 2024 at 4pm (GMT) Results announced by December 15th, 2024  – 1st prize: £1000, a free creative writing course of the winners choice and publication on our website.  Runners-up: £200 each.  Entry fee: £9  Word count: 3000 words maximum.  Open theme/subject/genre https://creativewritingink.co.uk/creative-writing-ink-short-story-competition-2024/

EMBARK JOURNAL

We accept submissions year-round. Those received by September 1, 2024, will be considered for our twenty-first issue, which will be released in October 2024.issions year-round. Those received by March  1, 2024,  will be considered for our twentieth issue, which will be released in April 2024. https://embarkliteraryjournal.com/submissions/

EXPOSITION REVIEW

Mark your calendars – on June 4, our next round of Flash 405 will open for submissions! Our Flash 405 writing contest is a celebration of short-form narratives, accepting work in multiple genres, from prose to poetry to hybrid and experimental forms. This round, we are looking for flash work inspired by the theme “Persona.” The theme was chosen by Expo Associate Editor Madeline Grimm, who will be serving as judge for our June contest. https://expositionreview.com/2024/05/call-for-entries-flash-405-june-2024-persona/

Several contests listed – scroll for details and deadlines https://www.fanstory.com/contestsall.jsp

FLORIDA WRITERS ASSOCIATION

Writing Contests – The Florida Writers Association offers two writing contests annually: Collection and Royal Palm Literary Awards.  Both contests open to submissions on February 1 and close on April 30. You must be an FWA member to enter. Not a member? Join here!. Both cross broad areas of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and both are open to adults and youth who are judged separately. https://www.floridawriters.org/writing-contests

FREE YOUR PEN

2024  Writing Competitions. These competitions are for unpublished or self-published novels and novellas for international writers, plus a few for UK or US residents only. It’s a long list and accurate as far as possible, updated monthly, so bookmark this page. I can’t vouch for all these comps personally, but if you have experience of them, let us know in the comments. https://jesdavidson.wordpress.com/2021/01/30/novel-writing-competitions-list/

FREEDOM WITH WRITING

Check out their Lastest listings page for various types of contests and Calls for Submission.  Magazines, Anthologies, Editors looking for pitches, Remote Jobs, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry and more. https://www.freedomwithwriting.com/freedom/

For our print magazine, we accept short fiction, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry—regardless of genre, style, or origin. To get an idea of the kind of work we look for and the ethos behind what we do, please check out this page from our editors detailing what we look for in our submissions and this CLMP Member Spotlight article. And please note that we strongly encourage you to check out a past issue of F(r)iction, available in our shop. Submissions are accepted year-round. https://frictionlit.org/about/submit/

FUNDS FOR WRITERS

2024 Writing contests provide steps up for a writer – especially a struggling writer. A portfolio that contains contest wins means more than many clips. Can’t afford the entry fees? Consider entering one contest a quarter or something more amiable to your pocketbook. A few are free. Contests provide prizes, prestige and usually publication with many offering book contracts. Denouncing contests from your writing repertoire is like discounting an entire genre or refusing to eat yellow vegetables. You’re giving up something valuable that may serve you and your career well.  Variety of Genres. https://fundsforwriters.com/contests/

GLOBAL SOUP

The next free Update: The next free 7 Day Story Writing Challenge will begin on 26th Feb. But before that, why not try our… 2024 PRIMAL FEARS HORROR SHORT STORY CHALLENGE   now open.  WE WILL ACCEPT ALL KINDS OF HORROR STORIES FOR THIS CHALLENGE, FROM THE SLIGHTLY CHILLING TO THE OUTRIGHT HORRIFYING.  PRIZE: £1,000 – DEADLINE: 23:59 (UK time) 19th Feb, 2024 Words: 5,000 (max) https://www.globesoup.net/horror-short-story-challenge-2024

https://www.globesoup.net/writing-competitions Free Editing Checklist download.

HARLEQUIN ROMANCE

Harlequin is looking or story submissions from debut romance writers in underrepresented communities for a chance to have your debut novel published.

• Love Inspired Suspense  is actively seeking submissions! Check out our editors’ wishlist. If you have a contemporary inspirational romantic suspense of about 55,000 words, we invite you to submit.
• Harlequin Romance is  actively seeking  contemporary romance   submissions of 50,000 words! If you have a story idea or romance novel you think would be a good fit, we’d love to see it.
• Our editors are acquiring stories for a new romance line coming to Harlequin  –  Afterglow Books!  Aimed at a broad readership, including the under-35 romance reader, we’re looking for spicy romances grounded in relatable character journeys. Everyone deserves a love story that’s true to who they are.
• Harlequin is also looking to publsih more  romance stories by authors in underrepresented communities . https://www.writeforharlequin.com/submission-calls/

INDIANA WRITERS

Several opportunities for writers listed for May 2024 https://www.indianawriters.org/blogs/news/opportunities-for-writers-april-2024-2/

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS

2024 A listing of competitions around the world. https://intercompetition.com/writing

KENYON REVIEW

2024 The Short Fiction Contest. The contest is open to all writers who have not yet published a book of fiction. Submissions must be 3000 words or fewer. The final judge will be acclaimed author Danielle Evans. The Review will publish the winning short story, and the author will be awarded a scholarship to attend the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. Additional info on the Writers Workshops is available here.   We plan to continue running the contest annually from November 1 through November 30.  CHECK THE MAIN MENU FOR VARIOUS CONTESTS. https://kenyonreview.org/submit/

KOTOBEE BLOG

2024 Anyone who has participated in writing events before–such as NaNoWriMo –knows how effective it can be to write against the clock, and that’s where writing contests come in! These contests can be a great way to develop your skills, challenge yourself against other writers, and, above all else, win an award for your work! Select Genre and Month. https://blog.kotobee.com/writing-contests-2024/

MACMILLIAN PUBLISHERS

2024 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Novel Competition –Rules for the 2024 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition,  Only electronic submissions, uploaded through this entry form, will be considered; do not mail or e-mail manuscript submissions to Minotaur Books. To be considered for the 2025 competition, all submissions must be received by 11:59pm EST on December 15th, 2024. Contact:  https://us.macmillan.com/minotaurbooks/writing-competitions. https://us.macmillan.com/minotaurbooks/submit-manuscript/

Agents Seeking Submissions https://medium.com/curiosity-never-killed-the-writer/9-new-agents-seeking-memoirs-kidlit-romance-sff-nonfiction-and-more-4a6284fb47e6 11 Dark Fiction and Horror Publications Open for Submissions NOW — Paying markets https://curiosityneverkilledthewriter.com/11-dark-fiction-and-horror-publications-open-for-submissions-now-paying-markets-67582048ccd9

NEW PAGES BLOG

NewPages is the Portal of Independents! Founded in the early 1970s as a print publication, NewPages provides online news, information, and guides to literary magazines, independent and university publishers, graduate and undergraduate creative writing programs, independent bookstores, alternative periodicals and newsweeklies, writing conferences and events, and more. A variety of completions listed.  Use the filters to narrow down to search. https://www.newpages.com/submission-opportunities/writing-contests/

NOTHING IN THE RULE BOOK

For this quarter’s free writing contest, we want your best flash fiction on the theme “Back to Life”. This is an opportunity to prove your work, and the winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card and have their story published to the School of Kingdom Writers website.  We’re giving you a little more breathing room this time. The maximum word count for this contest is 1,500 words. Short stories of all types, genres, and styles are welcome, but it should be narrative in nature (a story, not poetry, lyrics, etc.) https://nothingintherulebook.com/media-submit-your-work/media-submit-your-work/

THE NOVEL FACTORY

Many of these novel writing competitions are very prestigious, and highly likely to lead to agent representation and / or publication. We have not included any competitions that do not present a satisfactory level of credibility and authority. https://www.novel-software.com/novel-writing-competitions/

THE NOVELRY

Writing contests are a great way to practice your skills, hone your craft and get your name out there among fellow fiction writers. They’re also fantastic opportunities for those working in creative nonfiction, poetry, scripts and sometimes even hybrid writing or multimedia projects. https://www.thenovelry.com/blog/writing-competitions-2023#strongwriting-competitions-2024strong

NYC MIDNIGHT

• 🔴The Ryming Story Challenge  Deadline SEP 20, 2024 https://www.nycmidnight.com/rhyme
• 🔴250 Word Microfiction Challenge  – kicks off NOV 2824 https://www.nycmidnight.com/250

2024 Free-entry International Writing Contests   The listed competitions are open to individuals, worldwide, or are restricted to a specific region. They may be targeted to individuals from the age of 18 (or 16) and above, or to those who haven’t attained the legal age (from 17 and below). https://owlcation.com/humanities/Free-International-Fiction-and-Non-Fiction-Entry-Contests

Not yet updated to 2024,  Writing competitions give poets and writers a great opportunity to hone their skills. Along with exciting prizes, they offer a wide variety of themes and challenges to help you write in newer, bolder ways.  At PaperTrue, we’ve always believed that writing competitions are more than just about winning. It’s a community experience where you can interact with fellow participants and learn from each other’s work. After all, a supportive network is extremely important to all poets and writers who want to make a career out of writing. https://www.papertrue.com/blog/writing-contests-2024/

PENCRAFT AWARD

PenCraft Book Awards is $500 cash. Two other cash prizes of $200 will also be awarded – one for best fiction and best nonfiction. Plus, each major winner receives a personalized award certificate and a high-resolution digital version of their PenCraft Book Award’s seal for their book or other marketing materials, as well as a web-optimized graphic version of the seal for websites, blogs, and social networking sites. A special national press release will be published about the top three winners. https://www.pencraftaward.com/authors-support/contest-entry-form/

POETS & WRITERS

2024 Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.  Large database, sortable. https://www.pw.org/grants

PUBLISH DRIVE

Free and paid19  writing contests for 2024.  Scroll down and check them out.  Unfortunately they don’t put the deadlines on the blurbs. Winning the competition is going to get your writing published. That is to say, it grants you a meeting with prospective readers, supports you in gathering momentum, and it is up to you how that opportunity is magnified. https://publishdrive.com/free-and-paid-writing-contests.html

PUBLISHERS ARCHIEVE

Find a publisher looking for authors. https://publishersarchive.com/

PUBLISHING… AND OTHER FORMS OF INSANITY

This January there are more than three dozen writing contests calling for every genre and form, from poetry, to creative nonfiction, to completed novels. Prizes range from $100,000 to publication. None charge entry fees. Publishers Accepting Unsolicited Manuscripts: Agents Seeking Clients: https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/p/agents.html Writing Contests https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/p/free-contests.html https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/p/calls-for-submissions.html

PURE IN HEART STORIES

Pure in Heart Stories is a literary and art magazine for families, with a Christian worldview. Here you can find short stories, poetry, photography and art by adults, teens, and children—for readers 6 years old and beyond. Check submission guides for deadlines and publication dates. https://pureinheartstories.com/submissions/?fbclid=IwAR3_junzhFSXTwKnF995OXK9Zmt1g1ih_83lSnMwwrsIS0aza-EYfEiuYKU

REEDSY BEST WRITING CONTESTS

2024 Several contests listed keep scrolling.  Use the search option to find the most recent contests, and deadlines. https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/

SAN FRANCISCO WRITERS

The 2024 Writing Contest opens on Feb.19th.   The contest submission window is from February 19 – June 30, 2024. The entry form is here. The entry fee is $35 per entry and includes a copy of the 2024 SFWC Writing Contest Anthology that will feature the winning work. Entries must fit into one of the following categories: https://www.sfwriters.org/2024-writing-contest-overview/

SEJONG CULTURAL SOCIETY

https://sejongculturalsociety.org/writing/current/index.php

SMART BLOGGER

Listings for  2024. So you want to compete in writing contests for prizes and recognition?  Writing contests are a fun way to evolve your writing skills — and, yes, cash prizes are a nice bonus.  But remember, the emphasis is on fun.  If cash is your primary goal, you should focus your time and energy on landing freelance writing jobs. FREE CONTESTS  https://smartblogger.com/writing-contests/#free-writing-contests CONTESTS WITH FEES  https://smartblogger.com/writing-contests/#writing-contests-with-fees

SOLSTICE A MAGAZINE OF DIVERSE VOICES

Solstice: A Magazine of Diverse Voices, is currently open for general submissions in all categories. Our guidelines are below.  Suspending submissions please check in a few weeks. https://solsticelitmag.submittable.com/submit

2024 How to Submit Creative Writing and Art to Stone Soup.  Stone Soup welcomes submissions from around the world by writers and artists ages 13 and younger. CONTESTS: https://stonesoup.com/contests/ Submissions:: https://stonesoup.com/how-to-submit-writing-and-art-to-stone-soup/

We publish personal essays, short stories, poems, and black-and-white photography in print and online in our monthly magazine.  We’re looking for narrative writing and evocative photography from all over the world. Send us work that maps the human landscape, where the light catches on the faintest joy, where darkness sometimes threatens to overwhelm, and where ✗ never marks the spot because the truth is never so simple. Essays, Fiction, Poetry https://www.thesunmagazine.org/submit/essays-fiction-poetry

TADPOLE PRESS

Amber Byers is an award-winning author and head judge of the Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest. As the founder and CEO of Tadpole Press, Amber delights in celebrating creativity and connecting with a worldwide community of writers. 100 Word Writing Contest  SUBMISSIONS CLOSED. All Contests: https://www.tadpolepress.com/contest

WAXING AND WANING

Submissions open year-round – 1 online / 1 print release per year – Simultaneous submissions accepted (please let us know, however) – Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction,  & Short Films submissions $5 – Screenplays/Plays submissions $7 – Graphic Stories submissions $3 – Art submissions FREE- All submissions must be in proper manuscript format https://www.waxingandwaning.org/submit/

WEEKEND NOTES

2024. If you write short stories then you are a writer. Competitions are a great way to move from being a writer to being a published writer. I read once that there are more than 3,000 writing competitions offered across the world every year.  Enter something you’ve already written or pen something new over the Christmas holidays.  The following listings are summaries only and it is imperative that you always check the rules and terms and conditions on the competition website to ensure both you and your story are eligible to enter. For example most competitions exclude previously published or awarded stories and some have regional or age limits. https://www.weekendnotes.com/adelaide/competitions/

WINNING WRITERS

2024. Poetry, Fiction & Essay, and Self Published Book contests  Deadlines vary. https://winningwriters.com/our-contests

WILLIAM FAULKNER LITERARY COMPETITION

William Faulkner was born on September 25, 1897, on Jefferson Street in New Albany, Mississippi. Some of his notable awards were the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature, the 1955 and 1963 Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction and the 1951 and 1955 National Book Awards. Recognizing the significance of being the birthplace of one of the most celebrated writers in American Literature generally and Southern Literature specifically, we are proud to provide the William Faulkner Literary contest for aspiring writers. Deadlines vary: July 2024 https://williamfaulknerliterarycompetition.com/about/ Contest info:  https://williamfaulknerliterarycompetition.com/

WISCONSIN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, ARTS & LETTERS

Deadline March 2024 . The Wisconsin People & Ideas Fiction Contest. First-place winners in the Wisconsin People & Ideas Fiction Contest will receive a one-week artist residency at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point. Winners will receive $500 (first place), $250 (second place), and $100 (third place) and read their work at the 2023 Wisconsin Book Festival. First- through third-place winning stories will also be published in print and online issues of Wisconsin People & Ideas magazine. First-place winners in the Wisconsin People & Ideas Fiction Contest will receive a one-week artist residency at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point. Submissions: https://www.wisconsinacademy.org/magazine/submissions Contests open 1/15/20024 : https://www.wisconsinacademy.org/content/writing-contests

WRITE OR DIE MAGAZINE

Currently open for essays and interviews. Fiction submissions are closed. https://www.chillsubs.com/writeordie/submission-guidelines

WRITE THE WORLD

A list of upcoming competitions.  Scroll to the bottom for the latest and upcoming. https://writetheworld.org/#/competitions

THE WRITER MAGAZINE

Dear Readers: Jazztimes, Birdwatching, The Writer, and Diabetes Self-Management will be on hiatus until 2024 as we continue to transition these titles to streaming on The BeBop Television Network. You may enjoy available issues through digital download and Video On Demand below. https://www.writermag.com/contests/

THE WRITERS COLLEGE

2024 If you are looking to take your writing to the next level, then entering a writing competition often provides that extra impetus to refine your work.  This is by no means a full list of competitions. Some writing competitions require an entry fee. Others don’t. This seems to be the norm these days and there are credible competitions that require an entry fee. Always check that you are comfortable with sending money to the organizers if this is the case.  Click on More details here (link almost the same color as text) Scroll down for current contests https://www.thewriterscollege.com/short-story-writing-competitions

WRITER’S DIGEST

(must join to see all posts) Writers Digest is also running a contest for self-published authors in a variety of genres. Submissions accepted until April 4th All contests:  https://www.writersdigest.com/wd-competitions Annual Competitions:  https://www.writersdigest.com/wd-competitions/annual-competition

WRITERS OF THE FUTURE

ENTER THE WRITER CONTEST – 4th Quarter 2024 Deadline: September 30, 2024 https://writersofthefuture.com/enter-writer-contest/

WRITERS-EDITORS.COM

2024 A variety of contests and genres https://www.writers-editors.com/Writers/Contests/contests.htm

WRITING COMPLETIONS.NET

2024 Several contests, mixed genre, by various sponsors https://writingcompetitions.net/

WRITING CONTESTS.WORDPRESS.COM

2024 Listings updated regularly.  Scroll to CATEGORY in the left menu bar and then use the drop-down to select your category.   There is a really long list of categories. https://writingcontests.wordpress.com/

WRITING COMPETITIONS.net

2024 All the top writing contests.. A large list of writing contests. https://writingcompetitions.net/

WRITING DISTRICT

2024 Various contests listed. Scroll the page. https://thewritingdistrict.com/contests/

WRITING WORKSHOPS

https://writingworkshops.com/

YORICK RADIO PRODUCTIONS

Prose Fiction and Non-Fiction (4000 word limit) Flash fiction (1000 word limit) Poetry (up to 6 Poems of no more than 6 pages) Radio Play Scripts (20 pages) https://yorickradioproductions.com/submissions/

ADVENTURE WRITERS COMPETITION

Get ready to enter the 2025 AWC January 1 through April 30, 2025. https://adventurewriterscompetition.com/

CLEAR WATER PRESS

Student Novel Contest Deadline: 11:59 p.m. CDT, August 15, 2024 Every year, we run a free novel contest for our students. Any One Year Adventure Novel student under 20 who has a valid curriculum license and who finishes a novel that meets the course requirements can submit. We don’t obligate students to enter, but writing contests for teens are great way for young writers to start sharing their writing with others—and stay motivated to finish their novel! We post every novel entry on the student forum for other students to read (unless the student requests to be omitted). https://clearwaterpress.com/oneyearnovel/events/young-writers-novel-contest/

Novel Writing Competitions List FOR 2024. These competitions are for unpublished or self-published novels and novellas for international writers, plus a few for UK or US residents only. It’s a long list and accurate as far as possible, updated monthly, so bookmark this page! I can’t vouch for all these comps personally, but if you have experience of them, let us know in the comments. https://jesdavidson.wordpress.com/2021/01/30/novel-writing-competitions-list/

NCTE – NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH

Now accepting submissions for Promising You Writers – Deadline FEB 1, 2024 https://ncte.org/awards/promising-young-writers/

The Best Children’s Writing Contests of 2024-2025– Writing competitions curated by Reedsy https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/children-s/

How to Submit Creative Writing and Art to Stone Soup.  Stone Soup welcomes submissions from around the world by writers and artists ages 13 and younger. All submissions must come to us via Submittable. We do not accept submissions by email or by post. https://stonesoup.com/how-to-submit-writing-and-art-to-stone-soup/

TCK PUBLISHING

Kids have big imaginations, and when it comes to creating stories or poetry, it’s that bold creativity that can even give them an advantage over their adult counterparts. They also tend to be braver when it comes to sharing their work. LIST OF WRITING CONTESTS FOR KIDS https://www.tckpublishing.com/?s=contest

WE ARE TEACHERS

A list of the Best Student Writing Contests for 2024-2025  Help your students take their writing to the next level.  When students write for teachers, it can feel like an assignment. When they write for a real purpose, they are empowered! Student writing contests are an easy and inspiring way to try writing for an authentic audience—a real panel of judges—and the possibility of prize money or other incentives. We’ve gathered a list of student writing contests below. From poetry to plays, essays to science fiction, there is something for everyone. See if any of them suit your curriculum, and get prepared to see some motivated students. Contests: https://www.weareteachers.com/student-contests-competitions/

18 Children’s publishers accepting submissions. https://writingworkshops.com/blogs/news/no-agent-required-11-literary-fiction-publishers-accepting-direct-submissions

Writing is one of 10 artistic disciplines in YoungArts’ national competition. This discipline encompasses creative nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, short story and spoken word. T he 202 5  YoungArts application opens in June 202 4 . https://youngarts.org/discipline/writing/

YOUNG WRITERS

2024 Listings.  Young Writers was established in 1991 in a small warehouse in Eastern England and has blossomed into a worldwide brand! Today, Young Writers is still a modest family-run business, but on a much bigger scale than its humble beginnings.  We pride ourselves on encouraging young writers to read, write and enjoy poetry as well as creative writing. Having work published boosts confidence, nurtures creative talent and showcases creativity. https://www.youngwritersusa.com/contests

The 2024 Book Pipeline: Unpublished contest is exclusively for unpublished manuscripts across six categories of fiction and nonfiction:  Literary, Mystery / Thriller, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Nonfiction EARLY Deadline: SEP 5, 2024 Various contests. https://bookpipeline.com/shop/unpublished-contest

PUBLISHERS ARCHIVE

Check the genre in the left margin. https://publishersarchive.com/scifi-fantasy-contests

QUARKNDAGGER.COM

We’ve put together a list of writing contests or places to publish short works. These channels are ideal for young adults (teens), especially those interested in writing sci-fi and fantasy. Scroll through, put it in your calendar and get writing. If you have any you’d like to add to the list, comment below. https://quarkndagger.com/19-writing-contests-and-publication-outlets-for-young-adults/ 

Fantasy writing contests https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/fantasy/

FLASH FICTION

15 flash fiction is a short fiction story, written with utmost brevity. Not more than 1000 words, and still offers characters, plots, settings, style and themes. With the access of the internet, flash fiction is becoming more popular, as many journals and online magazines are dedicated to the style. Link says 2021 but listings are 2024 https://www.henryharvin.com/blog/top-15-flash-fiction-contest-2021/

CHRISTOPHER FIELDEN

2024 This page lists flash fiction, micro fiction, sudden fiction, twitterage, twitterature, dribble, drabble, minisaga, nanotale, micro-story and very short fiction competitions, prizes and awards. Please read and make sure you fully understand the rules and the terms & conditions of each competition listed before entering. https://www.christopherfielden.com/short-story-tips-and-writing-advice/flash-fiction-competitions.php

Flash 405 is Exposition Review’s multi-genre flash competition , awarding prizes and online publication to the winners! The contest runs every other month during our “off” season (January-August), when regular submissions are closed: February 4–March 5   •   April 4–May 5   •   June 4–July 5   •   August 4–September 5 https://expositionreview.com/flash-405/ https://expositionreview.submittable.com/submit

FISH PUBLISHING

Closed https://www.fishpublishing.com/competition/flash-fiction-contest/

2024 PRIMAL FEARS HORROR SHORT STORY CHALLENGE -PRIZE: £1,000 | CLOSES: 19th Feb, 2024

For this short story challenge, all participants will be randomly assigned a horror sub-genre* and will receive a list of 20 primal fears. All participants will receive the same 20 primal fears. As soon as you receive your randomly assigned sub-genre and the list of primal fears, you’ll have until the closing time to write and submit a short story of any length up to 5,000 words. Your story should fit the sub-genre you were assigned and should be underpinned by one of the primal fears from the list. You get to choose the primal fear that will underpin your story. Contests: https://www.globesoup.net/writing-blog/best-flash-fiction-contests

Since 2002, NYC Midnight has hosted hundreds of inspiring competitions for storytellers around the world.  Participants are challenged to create original stories, screenplays, or films using assigned elements under time constraints.  If you enjoy a creative challenge, check out our upcoming competitions. • Short Story Challenge • Screenwriting Challenge • Flash Fiction Challenge • Microfiction Challenge/ • Short Screenplay Challenge http://www.nycmidnight.com

Several contests for listed. https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/

STREETLIGHT

STREETLIGHT’S 2023 SUMMER FLASH FICTION CONTEST Up to 500 of your best, previously unpublished words. Any subject.  Multiple submissions are fine — one work per entry. This is a blind contest. Please remove all personal information from the story pages. We encourage simultaneous submissions but if your piece is accepted elsewhere, inform us. Link says 2023 but lists are 2024  Deadline SEP 2, 2024 https://streetlightmag.com/2023-flash-fiction-contest/

The TCK Publishing Contest is an international short story contest established in 2021. Each year’s prizewinner receives a $1,000 honorarium and publication of his or her short story on the TCK Publishing website. https://www.tckpublishing.com/submission-guidelines/

WOW! Women On Writing Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest

WE NOW HAVE TWO CONTESTS – WOW ! Women On Writing hosts two quarterly contests: one for fiction writers and one for nonfiction writers. We’ve hosted the flash fiction contest since 2006, and the essay contest since 2017. We look forward to reading your work. https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest Quarterly Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest

AMERICAN SHORT FICTION

We are thrilled to announce that the brilliant Dantiel W. Moniz—author of the acclaimed story collection Milk, Blood, Heat—will judge our 2024 American Short(er) Fiction Prize. The prize recognizes extraordinary short fiction under 1,000 words. The first-place winner will receive a $1,000 prize and publication. Previous winners of the Short(er) Fiction Prize have gone on to be anthologized in places such as The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses. All entries will be considered for publication. https://americanshortfiction.org/submityourwork/the-shorter-fiction-prize/

Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers is “To Believe in the Ubiquity of Animation” by Mary Elizabeth Dubois. Congratulations also to our runner-up, “Saints of Missouri” by Cole Chamberlain and honorable mention “Such Lush, Lyrical Prose” by Zehra Nabi. The 2024 contest will open for submissions on September 1, 2024. https://www.boulevardmagazine.org/short-fiction-contest

CHANTICLEER BOOK REVIEWS

Various listed contests for 2024 https://www.chantireviews.com/category/contests/

MY FIRST BOOK

Looking for the very best writing competitions? Want to win cash prizes, agent introductions and even publishing contracts? Then check out the list of 29 incredible contests below. https://myfirstbookdeal.com/2024/02/01/best-writing-competitions-2024/

Several contests for listed, use the search options. https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/fiction/

The 2024 Writing Contests  Deadline June 20, 2024.  The contest submission window is from February 19 – June 30, 2024. The entry form is here. The entry fee is $35 per entry and includes a copy of the 2024 SFWC Writing Contest Anthology that will feature the winning work. Entries must fit into one of the following categories: https://www.sfwriters.org/2024-writing-contest-overview/

THE SATURDAY EVENING POST

2025 Great American Fiction Contest – Deadline July 1, 2024  In its two centuries of existence, The Saturday Evening Post has published short fiction by a who’s who of great American authors, including Ray Bradbury, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Louis L’Amour, Sinclair Lewis, Jack London, Joyce Carol Oates, Edgar Allan Poe, Anne Tyler, and Kurt Vonnegut, among so many others. “This contest is a tribute to the Post’s legacy of featuring the most renowned American fiction writers,” says Steven Slon, editorial director and associate publisher for The Saturday Evening Post. “Our goal is to continue the tradition of finding and featuring compelling stories and the authors behind them.” The winning story will be published in the January/February 2023 edition of The Saturday Evening Post, and the author will receive $1,000. Five runners-up will each receive $200 and will also have their stories featured online. https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/fiction-contest/

HISTORICAL FICTION

2024 HISTORICAL FICTION SHORT STORY CHALLENGE – PRIZE: £1,000 DEADLINE : 23:59 (UK time) 16th Sept, 2024 Story Length: any length up to 4,000 words.  For this short story challenge, all participants will be randomly assigned one of 6 periods in history. As soon as you receive your assignment, you’ll have until the closing time to research, write, and submit a short story of no more than 4,000 words, set during this historical period.  All we ask is that your story (or a significant portion of your story) be set in your assigned historical period. How much the actual history of that time influences the plot is up to you.  You can use real historical figures as characters, you can use completely fictional characters, or you can use a combination of both.  Your story can be centred around an actual historical event, have a historical event as the backdrop, or you can simply set your story during your assigned period.  Want to mix genres? That’s fine too! You can write a historical horror story, a historical romance, a historical drama, or any kind of historical fiction story you want! The possibilities are endless. https://www.globesoup.net/historical-fiction-challenge-2024

THE HISTORICAL FICTION COMPANY

ENTER THE HFC 2024 BOOK AWARDS — No erotica.  check deadlines    YES, you can submit an unpublished manuscript to the contest! Guess what else you can do? You can now self-publish with our ALL-INCLUSIVE self-pub package OR use our hybrid publishing package under our imprint to publish your manuscript. At Historium Press, our submissions process is a two-tiered process which gives you feedback to get your project ready for publication—from reviewers who are in the business, as well as our internal editorial staff. If your novel is ready, we’ll give you the go ahead. If it is not ready, the evaluation will detail weaknesses and suggest the next steps to ensure a quality manuscript. We are looking for manuscripts in the following genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical Mystery, Historical Biography, Historical Literary, Historical Time Travel/Time Slip, Historical Fantasy, Historical YA/Teen, Historicals for Children, Altenate Historical, Cozy Historicals, Historical Non-Fiction  Deadline November 29, 2024 https://www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/book-awards/award-submission

THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION

Honouring the achievements of the founding father of the historical novel, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the world. The winner receives £25,000 and shortlisted authors each receive £1,500. Since it was founded fourteen years ago by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, the Prize has awarded over £300,000 to writers and brought over 150 great novels to wider public attention.  Deandline October 31, 2023 https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/

Listings updated regularly.  Scroll to CATEGORY in the left menu bar and then use the drop-down to select your category.  There is a really long list of categories. https://writingcontests.wordpress.com/category/historical-fiction/

MAGAZINE BC

Please only submit or pitch to a magazine after you have read and met the submission requirements and have judged your piece or idea to be a good fit for the magazine’s usual content. Submitting or pitching to any and all magazines, a.k.a. the shotgun approach, just marks you out as lazy and annoys the editors.  Scroll for daealines. https://magsbc.com/?s=contest

MYSTERY - SUSPENSE

Do you like writing short cozy mysteries? If so, we would love to invite you to submit your work for potential inclusion in our second Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology.  Who can participate: Anyone at least 17 years of age, including emerging authors and never-published writers. Information below contest award image. https://warmmugofcozy.com/anthology-submission/

Listed by genre: https://writingcontests.wordpress.com/category/mystery-suspense-romance-thriller/

2024. Select publishers and agents get first look at the top selection for each category, including Katherine Tegen Books, Creative Artists Agency, and Verve Publishing.  Early Deadline SEP 25, 2024. Literary, Mystery / Thriller, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, Romance / Women’s Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Picture Books, Nonfiction.    htps://bookpipeline.com/shop/unpublished-contest

2024. Anyone who has participated in writing events before–such as NaNoWriMo–knows how effective it can be to write against the clock, and that’s where writing contests come in! These contests can be a great way to develop your skills, challenge yourself against other writers, and, above all else, win an award for your work. https://blog.kotobee.com/writing-contests-2024/

2025 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Novel Competition – Welcome to the 2023 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Novel Competition.  Please read all of the rules and guidelines before submitting your entry. You can find the complete rules and guidelines at us.macmillan.com/minotaurbooks/writing-competitions.  To enter, you must complete this form and upload an electronic file of your Manuscript. – Only electronic submissions, uploaded through this entry form, will be considered; do not mail or e-mail manuscript submissions to Minotaur Books.  Deadline: DEC 15, 2024 https://us.macmillan.com/minotaurbooks/submit-manuscript/

“The Mysterious Case”. We chose this theme because it’s broad enough to include all genres and fuel your creativity. To respect the theme of the contest, the main character or characters of your entry must have a suspenseful investigation with a mystery in the plot. This event must occur in the story before the end of the fourth chapter and must be mentioned in your book description.Deadline April 2, 2023 https://neovel.io/contest/the-mysterious-case-contest

Mystery – Suspense Contests Listed for 2024 – more may be added. https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/suspense/

2024 Autumn House Nonfiction Prize Is Now Open.  The submission period closes April 30, 2024 (Eastern Time). We will announce the finalists and the winner of the contest by August 1, 2024. The winner will receive book publication, a $1,000 honorarium, and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant to promote their book. https://www.autumnhouse.org/submissions/nonfiction/?mc_cid=eb8172a50c&mc_eid=f81dd88185

​Nonfiction Contest for Emerging Writers – $1,000 and publication in Boulevard awarded to the winning essay by a writer who has not yet published a book of fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction with a nationally distributed press. We open submissions for the 2024 nonfiction contest on June 1, 2024.  Deadline: September 30, 2024 https://www.boulevardmagazine.org/nonfiction-contest

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL

Check the list for what they are currently accepting and deadlines. https://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics

2024 Below are tables listing various essay contests and other non-fiction writing competitions, prizes and awards. Some are academic, some offer scholarships and others are just for fun.  Please read and make sure you fully understand the rules and the terms & conditions of each competition listed before entering. https://www.christopherfielden.com/short-story-tips-and-writing-advice/essay-contests-and-non-fiction-writing-competitions.php

CNFC – CREATIVE NONFICTION COLLECTIVE

2024 CNFC-HLR nonfiction contest.  Closes February 2024 The Humber Literary Review (HLR) and the Creative Nonfiction Collective Society (CNFC) have joined forces to bring you a Canada-wide creative nonfiction contest. Winners will be announced in the spring of 2024. https://creativenonfictioncollective.ca/cnf-contest/

Inspired by the mission and role of the town common, an egalitarian gathering place, The Common aims to foster the global exchange of diverse ideas and experiences. As such, we welcome and encourage submissions from writers who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, disabled, LGBTQIA+-identifying, immigrant, international, and/or otherwise from communities underrepresented in U.S. literary magazines and journals. We seek stories, essays, poems, and dispatches that embody a strong sense of place: pieces in which the setting is crucial to character, narrative, mood, and language. We receive many submissions about traveling in foreign countries and discourage writers from submitting conventional travelogues in which narrators report on experiences abroad without reflecting on larger themes.   STORIES, ESSAYS, POETRY, and TRANSLATIONS: – March 1 – June 1 • September 1 – December 1 • Subscribers may submit year-round for free https://www.thecommononline.org/submit/

Newfound Prose Prize – The Newfound Prose Prize is awarded annually to a chapbook-length work of exceptional fiction or creative nonfiction. The work may be in the form of a long story or essay or a collection of short pieces (60 pages max). Other than the page limit, the only formal requirement is that some aspect of the work must inform or explore how place shapes identity, imagination, and understanding.  Submission:  1 5 SEP 2022 thru 15 MAR 2023 https://newfound.org/prose-prize/

REEDY.COM/ NON FICTION CONTESTS

A large list of non-fiction contests for 2024. https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/non-fiction/

The 2024 Writing Contest opens on Feb.19th.   The contest submission window is from February 19 – June 30, 2024 . The entry form is here. The entry fee is $35 per entry and includes a copy of the 2024 SFWC Writing Contest Anthology that will feature the winning work. Entries must fit into one of the following categories: https://www.sfwriters.org/2024-writing-contest-overview/

Welcome to the most comprehensive list of creative writing competitions, short story competitions, and various events for writers. Each item on our list includes basic information about max word count, associated fees, submission deadlines, and the maximum prize that can be won. Clicking on an item opens a new page featuring a more detailed description and a link to the organizer’s submission page. Events that are free to enter are highlighted.  Scroll to view contests. https://dystopianstories.com/writing-competitions-contests/

AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW

The 2025 Peter Porter Poetry Prize will be open for entries from 1 July 2024 and will close on 7 October 2024 . It will be the twenty-first Porter Prize. Poetry: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes-programs/peter-porter-poetry-prize The  2025 Peter Porter Poetry Prize  is now open for entries and will close at midnight on 7 October 2024 AEST. It is the twenty-first Porter Prize.

For the 2024 contest, the Autumn House staff as well as select outsider readers serve as the preliminary readers, and the final judge is Kazim Ali. The winner receives publication of their full-length manuscript and $2,500. The submission period opens May 1, 2024, and closes June 30, 2024 (Eastern Time). We will announce the finalists and the winner of the contest by October 1, 2024. https://www.autumnhouse.org/submissions/poetry/?mc_cid=d67a73259d&mc_eid=f81dd88185

Boulevard strives to publish only the finest in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. While we frequently publish writers with previous credits, we are very interested in less experienced or unpublished writers with exceptional promise. If you have practiced your craft and your work is the best it can be, send it to Boulevard. Poetry Deadline June 1, 2024 https://boulevard.submittable.com/submit

Inspired by the mission and role of the town common, an egalitarian gathering place, The Common aims to foster the global exchange of diverse ideas and experiences. As such, we welcome and encourage submissions from writers who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, disabled, LGBTQIA+-identifying, immigrant, international, and/or otherwise from communities underrepresented in U.S. literary magazines and journals. We seek stories, essays, poems, and dispatches that embody a strong sense of place: pieces in which the setting is crucial to character, narrative, mood, and language. We receive many submissions about traveling in foreign countries and discourage writers from submitting conventional travelogues in which narrators report on experiences abroad without reflecting on larger themes. https://www.thecommononline.org/submit/

CREATIVE WRITING INK POETRY PRIZE

The Creative Writing Ink Poetry Prize 2023 is open to writers across the globe, until May 31st 2023 at 4pm (GMT).  Poems do not need to follow any particular theme or genre, but must be written in English.  Poetry should not exceed 42 lines. https://creativewriting.ie/competitions/

DREAM QUEST ONE – POETRY & WRITING CONTEST

Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest – SUMMER 2024 –  Deadline: September 30, 2024 –  All poems must be written or translated into the English language, 30 lines or fewer, and must be neatly hand printed or typed, using single or double line spacing, on any subject, theme, style, shape, or form. All entries must be original works. https://www.dreamquestone.com/rules/enter-now

HAMMOND HOUSE INTERNATIONAL

Our 2023 Writing Competition offers over £2000 in cash prizes, a televised Award Ceremony and the opportunity to be published in our annual anthologies. Sponsored by the University Centre Grimsby, this annual writing competition, now in its seventh year, attracts entries from up to 30 countries around the world.  Submission Deadline: 30th September 2023      RULES       CATEGORIES :    Short Story – Poetry – Scriptwriting – Songwriting 2024 International Literary Prize Opens Feb 24, 2024 – Closes Sep 30, 2024 https://www.hammondhouse.org.uk/2024-literary-prize

2024 The Short Fiction Contest. The contest is open to all writers who have not yet published a book of fiction. Submissions must be 3000 words or fewer. The final judge will be acclaimed author Danielle Evans. The Kenyon Review will publish the winning short story, and the author will be awarded a scholarship to attend the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. Additional info on the Writers Workshops is available here.    Every Year Jan 1 through Jan 31 Short Fiction Contest: https://kenyonreview.org/contests/short-fiction/ Short NonFiction Contest: https://kenyonreview.org/submit/short-nonfiction-contest/ Short Poetry Contest: https://kenyonreview.org/submit/poetry-contest/

300+ Writing Contests You Need to Enter in 2021 – If there’s one thing we need these days, it’s consistency. Something that proves not everything has changed. Something that gives you a bout of comfort given the current circumstances. So what better way to do that than to know 2021 comes with a host of writing contests for people of all ages from all around the world? Sort by Genre and Month https://blog.kotobee.com/writing-contests-2024/

THE ANZALDUA POETY PRIZE The Gloria E. Anzaldúa Poetry Prize is awarded annually to a poet whose work explores how place shapes identity, imagination, and understanding. Special attention is given to poems that exhibit multiple vectors of thinking: artistic, theoretical, and social, which is to say, political.  Deadline 15 SEP 2023 https://newfound.org/poetry-prize/

Since 2002, NYC Midnight has hosted hundreds of inspiring competitions for storytellers around the world.  Participants are challenged to create original stories, screenplays, or films using assigned elements under time constraints.  If you enjoy a creative challenge, check out our upcoming competitions. • Short Story Challenge • Screenwriting Challenge • Flash Fiction Challenge • Microfiction Challenge/ • Short Screenplay Challenge http://www.nycmidnight.com 

POETRY MAMA

20 2024 Free poetry contests to enter..  Looking for online publishers, poetry contests or magazine for submissions is quite a monotonous and tiresome process in itself , let alone the chances of finding relevant info. But not anymore.  Here you’ll find monthly updated contests and submission portals that’ll help you grow as beginners and support your writing career at the same. Every contest is provided with all the information you need to know before submitting to it. Poets from all nationalities can take part in the poetry contests without worrying about submission fee. So, go writers. https://poetrymama.com/poetry-contests/

POETS & WRITERS WRITING CONTESTS, GRANTS & AWARDS

The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.  Sort by Genre, date, etc., using their filter https://www.pw.org/grants?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_Y29xan-5QIVGKSzCh3cQwAmEAMYAiAAEgJXqvD_BwE

Several contests listed. https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/poetry/

TCK PUBLISHING SHORT STORY CONTEST

The TCK Publishing Flash Fiction Contest is an international short story contest established in 2021. Each year’s prizewinner receives a $1,000 honorarium and publication of his or her short story on the TCK Publishing website. List of contests:  https://www.tckpublishing.com/2024-poetry-awards-contest/ general submissions: https://www.tckpublishing.com/submission-guidelines/

Welcome to the 22nd annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. Submit published or unpublished work. $10,000 in prizes. Please submit during April 15-October 1, 2024. https://winningwriters.com/our-contests/tom-howard-margaret-reid-poetry-contest

Several contests listed…. scroll to find them. https://www.writermag.com/contests/

WOC THIS WAY FOR POETRY

Submissions for the Summer, 2024 issue open April 15 – June 15, 2024 https://wocthiswayforpoetry.wordpress.com/guidelines/

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE WRITERS

As the name suggests, we are a group of writers from around the world who love – and write – contemporary romance and contemporary romantic fiction of all sorts. Our members write all contemporary sub-genres from spicy to inspirational, young adult to adult, real-world to paranormal, and more. Contemporary Romance written or published in the previous calendar year.  Unpublished and Published Divisions, Categories include:Contemporary Romance (Long, Mid, Short), Romantic Suspense, Women’s , Fiction/Chick Lit, Young Adult/New Adult, Erotica, Contemp. Speculative Romance (Fantasy, Paranormal, Sci-Fi)  DEADLINE MARCH 31. 2003 https://contemporaryromance.org/2023-stiletto-contest/

L ove Inspired Suspense  is actively seeking submissions! Check out our editors’ wishlist. If you have a contemporary inspirational romantic suspense of about 55,000 words, we invite you to submit.

Our editors are acquiring stories for a new romance line coming to Harlequin in January 24 –  Afterglow Books!  Aimed at a broad readership, including the under-35 romance reader, we’re looking for spicy romances grounded in relatable character journeys. Everyone deserves a love story that’s true to who they are.

Harlequin is looking to publish more romance stories by authors in underrepresented communities,  We welcome all writers to the Harlequin community and want readers to see themselves reflected in the romantic stories we publish. Use https://www.writeforharlequin.com/submission-calls/

LEAGUE OF ROMANCE WRITERS

The League of Romance Writers would like to announce our upcoming Romance Writing Contest, The 2023 Emily. The contest will open for submissions on September 1, 2023, and close on October 2, 2023.  Finalists will be decided by our First Round judges, and we have an awesome line-up of agent and editor judges, who will decide the winner in each category. The winners will be announced at a fun ceremony in February 2023, at which winners receive Emily Pins and learn if an agent or editor has requested to see more of their manuscript.   Opens September 1, 2024 https://leagueromwriters.com/theemily/contest-information/

NEW JERSEY ROMANCE WRITERS

​The Golden Leaf is awarded annually for excellence in published romantic fiction. All published authors are welcome to enter books published opens June 1, 2024 – August , 2024 You do not have to be a member of NJRW to take part. https://www.njromancewriters.org/golden-leaf-2024.html

ORANGE COUNTY ROMANCE WRITERS

OCRW is very excited that the Book Buyers Best contest is running in 2023. However, we are greatly saddened that the Orange Rose Contest for unpublished authors will be on hiatus for 2023. The Orange Rose has been an exemplary contest providing authors with valuable feedback and contacts for many years. We are hopeful that 2024 will see a resurgence of energy and put the Orange Rose back on target! See below for our 2022 finalists. https://ocromancewriters.org/contests/orange-rose-contest/

PACIFIC NORTHWEST WRITERS ASSOCIATION

Writing contest with several genre, for both published and non-published authors.  Site is a little hard to read and some items are underlined that are not links, however some bold items are actually hyperlinks.  Online registration is available until: 4/15/2024 https://www.pnwa.org/page/writingcontest

2024 CONTESTS. Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult

https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/romance/

ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA

NHRA’s 2024 Romance Novel Blurb Contest Sponsor: New Hampshire Romance Writers of America Chapter How and When to Enter: On or after March 15, 2024, submit an application that includes a PDF of your blurb and a fee of $20 per contest submission (maximum of two; fee is $15 for New Hampshire Romance Writers of America members) Dates: March 15- April 30, 2024 More information:  https://nhrwa.wordpress.com/special-events/2024-blurb-contest/

Other Events:  https://www.rwa.org/Online/Events/Chapter_Events.aspx

SCIENCE FICTION - HORROR

The 2024 Book Pipeline: Unpublished contest is exclusively for unpublished manuscripts across six categories of fiction and nonfiction: https://bookpipeline.com/shop/unpublished-contest

THE LIGHT BRINGER PROJECT

Submissions Closed The Omega Sci-Fi Project invites Los Angeles County high school students to submit their short science fiction stories to The Tomorrow Prize. The Tomorrow Prize encourages young writers to use sci-fi to explore the diverse issues humanity wrestles with, spark creative solutions, and unite the worlds of art and science. https://www.lightbringerproject.org/science-fiction-competitions

The 28th annual Parsec Short Story Contest will open on January 1st and close on March 31st, 2024. The 2024 Contest theme is “AI mythology” We ask that authors try and incorporate both concepts into their speculative work. This can be conveyed in the setting, plot, characters, dialogue; the only limit is your imagination. The theme must be integral to the story in some way and not just mentioned in passing. https://parsec-sff.org/short-story-contest/

Here you can find a large list of publishers as well as a list of awards and contests. https://publishersarchive.com/scifi-fantasy-contests

So far 58 science fiction Fantasy contests listed. https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/science-fiction/

ENTER THE WRITER CONTEST – 3rd Quarter 2024 – Deadline: June 30, 2024 This Contest will run from April 1, 2024, through June 30, 2024.  Deadline is 11:59 p.m. June 30, 2024 Pacific Standard Time. https://www.writersofthefuture.com/enter-writer-contest/

SCREENWRITING

La screen play awards.com.

SUBMISSIONS:  This is the only screenplay competition founded by a team of working Hollywood professionals with more than 1,000 produced credits and a century of collective industry experience.  Our roster of Senior Judges includes multiple Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and WGA Award Winners. Feature Screenplay   https://lascreenplayawards.com/feature-screenplay/ TV Script   https://lascreenplayawards.com/tv-script/ Short Screenplay   https://lascreenplayawards.com/short-screenplay/   https://lascreenplayawards.com/

Screen Writing Competition kicks off March 2024 – register now. CLICK on Challenges in top Menu Bar http://www.nycmidnight.com 

PAGE INTERNATIONAL SCREENWRITING AWARDS

All Contests:   https://pageawards.com/the-contest/

SELF PUBLISHING

Several contests listed.  Use the sorting options to find deadlines. https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/

SELF PUBLISHING:  North Street Book Prize – 10th year. Your self-published or hybrid-published book can win up to $10,000 plus expert marketing services. Mainstream/Literary Fiction – Genre Fiction (e.g. romance, mystery, thriller, young adult, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, etc.) – Creative Nonfiction & Memoir (definition) – Poetry – Children’s Picture Book – Middle Grade – Graphic Novel & Memoir – Art Book (definition) https://winningwriters.com/our-contests/north-street-book-prize?utm_campaign=north-globesoup-email-2406&utm_medium=email&utm_source=globesoup

SHORT STORY / ESSAY / ANTHOLOGY

Do you like writing short cozy mysteries? If so, we would love to invite you to submit your work for potential inclusion in our second Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology.  Submission deadline for Volume 2 : April 30, 2024. SROLL BELOW 2023 AWARD IMAGE https://warmmugofcozy.com/anthology-submission/

ABR welcomes entries in the 2024 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize. The Jolley Prize is worth a total of $12,500 and is for an original work of short fiction of between 2,000 and 5,000 words, written in English. This is the fifteenth time the Jolley Prize has run and it is one of the world’s leading prizes for short fiction.  Prize Money: $12,500 (first prize: $6,000, second prize: $4,000, third prize: $2,500)  Dates:  Opens 16 January and closes 22 April https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes-programs/elizabeth-jolley-story-prize/current-prize

Welcome to the most comprehensive list of creative writing competitions, short story competitions, and various events for writers. Each item on our list includes basic information about max word count, associated fees, submission deadlines, and the maximum prize that can be won. Clicking on an item opens a new page featuring a more detailed description and a link to the organizer’s submission page. Events that are free to enter are highlighted. https://dystopianstories.com/writing-competitions-contests/

Essays, Short Stories, Novelettes, and Novellas Chanticleer International Book Awards is seeking the Best New SHORTS in FICTION We have five categories: One solo entry per genre division is $45 (one Short Story, one Novelette, one Novella, or one Essay)  Collections – three categories – an additional $54 per collection ($99 per collection entry) : https://www.chantireviews.com/category/contests/

Below are tables listing various short story competitions. Some are based in the UK, some are global. Some contests are of high renown (like the BBC Short Story Award or the Bridport Prize), offering huge prizes, and some are lesser known, but offer great opportunities for newer writers to become published authors. I will try and keep this list up to date, but please check the rules and dates on the different competition websites before entering.   PLEASE NOTE:  Most of the competitions listed on this page accept entries from writers living anywhere in the world. The country each competition is run from is listed so you know which global market you are submitting to. https://www.christopherfielden.com/short-story-tips-and-writing-advice/book-and-novel-competitions.php

CREATIVE WRITING INK

2024 .  Stories do not need to follow any particular theme or genre, but must be written in English.  Maximum word count is 3000 words.  1st prize: £1000, plus a free creative writing course of the winner’s choice and publication on our site.  2 runners-up: £200 each.  Entry fee: £9.  Final judge: Lucie Brownlee. Various competitions to choose from. https://creativewritingink.co.uk/competitions/ Short Story: https://creativewritingink.co.uk/creative-writing-ink-short-story-competition-2024/

CREATIVE WRITING NZ

The Creative Writing NZ Short Story Prize 2024 is open for entries from January 30th, 2024.  The deadline for receipt of all entries is 11.59pm(NZST) on April 30, 2024.  Entries will only be accepted through Duosuma. https://creativewriting.co.nz/competition/the-creative-writing-nz-short-story-prize-2024/

Gotham always has a writing contest (or two) going. These contests are a great way to stretch your talent and imagination, and we dangle nice prizes to give you extra motivation. Check out our current contests. And it’s worth a look at the winners and finalists in our past contests; the quality of work always amazes us. https://www.writingclasses.com/contests

GOTHAM WRITERS

2024 Writing Contests – Gotham always has a writing contest (or two) going. These contests are a great way to stretch your talent and imagination, and we dangle nice prizes to give you extra motivation. Check out our current contests. And it’s worth a look at the winners and finalists in our past contests; the quality of work always amazes us. https://www.writingclasses.com/contests

CATEGORIES:   Short Story – Poetry – Scriptwriting – Songwriting https://www.hammondhouse.org.uk/writing-competitions

2024 The Short Fiction Contest. The contest is open to all writers who have not yet published a book of fiction. Submissions must be 3000 words or fewer. The final judge will be acclaimed author Danielle Evans. The Kenyon Review will publish the winning short story, and the author will be awarded a scholarship to attend the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. Additional info on the Writers Workshops is available here.    Every Year Jan 1 through Jan 31 Short Fictipn Contest: https://kenyonreview.org/contests/short-fiction/ Short NonFiction Contest: https://kenyonreview.org/submit/short-nonfiction-contest/ Short Poetry Contest: https://kenyonreview.org/submit/poetry-contest/

KNIGHT WRITING PRESS

We are looking for darker legends of the mermaid. Sirens, womenfolk (fishfolk?) who lure men into the sea. Of the men (or their wives!) who seek revenge for lost loves, lost fortunes, and wrecked ships. We want Tails of Tragedy and Terror, Stories of Sails and Seas an. for how the boy and girl can or should or could interact, even when fictitious and obviously untrue.  DEADLINE AUG, 31,2 024 https://knightwritingpress.com/open-and-upcoming-submissions/

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING, SHARON LEDWITH

The 28th annual Parsec Short Story Contest will open on January 1st and close on March 31st, 2024.  The 2024 Contest theme is “AI mythology”  We ask that authors try and incorporate both concepts into their speculative work. This can be conveyed in the setting, plot, characters, dialogue; the only limit is your imagination. The theme must be integral to the story in some way and not just mentioned in passing. https://parsec-sff.org/short-story-contest/

Here you can find a large list of publishers as well as a list of awards and contests. short story contests:  https://publishersarchive.com/short-story-contests https://publishersarchive.com/scifi-fantasy-contests

Several contestsf listed keep scrolling. NEW Enter our short story competition – Submit a short story based on one of 5 weekly prompts. Winners get $50 and will feature on our app! Sign up to get this week’s prompts. https://https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests

The TCK Publishing Flash Fiction Contest is an international short story contest established in 2021. Each year’s prizewinner receives a $1,000 honorarium and publication of his or her short story on the TCK Publishing website. Submission close June 30, 2024 List of contests:  https://www.tckpublishing.com/2024-poetry-awards-contest/ general submissions: https://www.tckpublishing.com/submission-guidelines/

H.G.WELLS SHORT STORY COMPETITION

The annual HG Wells Fiction Short Story Competition offers a £500 Senior and £1,000 Junior prize and free publication of all shortlisted entries in a quality, professionally published paperback anthology.  the closing date is Monday 8th July 2024 and entries will be accepted up to 11pm (BST) on that date. https://hgwellscompetition.com/

Currently on hiaitus. https://www.writermag.com/the-writer-contests/500-word-contest-2023/

The Writing District List of Contests https://thewritingdistrict.com/contests/

STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

Building u – student opportunities.

For Students by Students.  A large filterable list of things for students, including writing contests.  THERE IS A CLEAR NEED to identify and address factors that most significantly impact the odds of successful outcomes for high school students as they move forward in their present and make plans for their postsecondary future.  INDEPENDENT RESEARCH in both Canada and the US suggests that the biggest factors contributing to successful postsecondary outcomes are: awareness of and good information around relevant options, and self-determined decision-making and planning. https://building-u.com/opportunities/

KET EDUCATION

The 2024 KET Young Writers Contest will launch on January 1 and run through March 31. If your writers would like to get started ahead of time, the contest categories, rules and rubrics are available below. Need some inspiration? https://education.ket.org/young-writers-contest/

Now accepting submissions for the Promising Young Writers – Deadline FEB 15, 2024 https://ncte.org/awards/promising-young-writers/

Where young writers can find print and online literary magazines to read, places to publish their own works, and legitimate contests. Some publish only young writers, some publish all ages for young readers. For specific submission guidelines, visit the publication’s website. Ages can include elementary, teen, or early college. This is an ad-free resource: publications and writing contests listed here have not paid to be included. This guide is maintained by Editor Denise Hill, a teacher who loves to encourage young writers. Contestes listed for 2024, monthly, updated regularly. Scroll down to DEADLINE DATES and choose month. https://www.newpages.com/young-writers-guide/young-writers-guide-to-contests/

NORTH SOUTH FOUNDATION

The primary goal of NorthSouth Foundation contests is to foster the spirit of competition and learning among the youth. Parents and children should focus on the joy of learning and interacting with other writing participants rather than on the possible outcome of the contest. Specifically, the NorthSouth Foundation Essay contest is intended to encourage writing skills, which demand quick thinking, good organization of ideas and cohesive writing style.  In addition to all the general contest rules stated by North South Foundation, the following rules are applicable for Essay Writing Bee (Leadership In Writing) Competition. There are 3 levels of competition in Essay Bee:Essay Writing Level 1 (EW1): Grades 3, 4 and 5 Essay Writing Level 2 (EW2): Grades 6, 7 and 8 Essay Writing Level 3 (EW3): Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 https://northsouth.org/public/LandingPage/Contest

ONE YEAR ADVENTURE NOVEL

Deadline: 11:59 p.m. CDT, August 15, 2024  Every year, we run a free novel contest for our students. Any One Year Adventure Novel student under 20 who has a valid curriculum license and who finishes a novel that meets the course requirements can submit. https://clearwaterpress.com/oneyearnovel/events/young-writers-novel-contest/

The Best Children’s Writing Contests of 2024– Writing competitions curated by Reedsy https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/children-s/

A list of the Best Student Writing Contests for 2024-2025.   Help your students take their writing to the next level.  When students write for teachers, it can feel like an assignment. When they write for a real purpose, they are empowered! Student writing contests are an easy and inspiring way to try writing for an authentic audience—a real panel of judges—and the possibility of prize money or other incentives. We’ve gathered a list of student writing contests below. From poetry to plays, essays to science fiction, there is something for everyone. See if any of them suit your curriculum, and get prepared to see some motivated students. https://www.weareteachers.com/?s=CONTESTS

Young Writers was established in 1991 in a small warehouse in Eastern England and has blossomed into a worldwide brand! Today, Young Writers is still a modest family-run business, but on a much bigger scale than its humble beginnings.  We pride ourselves on encouraging young writers to read, write and enjoy poetry as well as creative writing. Having work published boosts confidence, nurtures creative talent and showcases creativity.

• ELEMENTARY –   https://youngwritersusa.com/contest/elementary
• MIDDLE & HIGH –  https://youngwritersusa.com/contest/middle-high
• ALL AGED: –  https://youngwritersusa.com/contest/all-ages

TEENS AND WRITING YOUNG ADULT

The 2024 Book Pipeline: Unpublished contest is exclusively for unpublished manuscripts across six categories of fiction and nonfiction:  Literary Mystery / Thriller, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Nonfiction https://bookpipeline.com/shop/unpublished-contest

New Memoir Award.   We all have a story to tell about ourselves, the good, the bad and the how did I end up there? Our memoir award celebrates the life story, a fragment in time or rear view mirror look at what was and now is. https://bridportprize.org.uk/memoir-award-coming-soon/

COLLEGE TRANSITIONS

Below, we’ve selected twenty-five writing competitions for high school students and sorted them by three general topics: 1) language, literature and arts, 2) STEM, environment and sustainability, and 3) politics, history and philosophy. It’s never too soon to begin thinking about your future college prospects, and even if you are a freshman, many of these writing competitions for high schoolers will be open to you. https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/writing-competitions-for-high-school-students/

GIRLS WRITE NOW

Contest sources for youth.  Scroll down for 2024 contests. https://girlswritenow.org/resource/writing-contests/

HANGING LOOSE MAGAZINE

(Year Round)  This magazine invites high school students to submit their poetry or short stories for publication as well as payment if selected. This is open to high school students ages 9-12. Visit their page for more information https://www.hangingloosepress.com/submissions/

Where young writers can find print and online literary magazines to read, places to publish their own works, and legitimate contests. Some publish only young writers, some publish all ages for young readers. For specific submission guidelines, visit the publication’s website. Ages can include elementary, teen, or early college. This is an ad-free resource: publications and writing contests listed here have not paid to be included. This guide is maintained by Editor Denise Hill, a teacher who loves to encourage young writers. Sort Deadline by Month: Scroll down and select Month. https://www.newpages.com/writers-resources/young-writers-guide-to-contests

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

Not yet updated to 2024.  STUFF FOR THE TEEN AGE, FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS, FOR TEACHERS 25 Writing Contests and Publication Opportunities for Teens  by Marianna Vertsman, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) Have to scroll down the page to see the Contests. https://www.nypl.org/blog/2020/10/26/writing-competitions-young-adults

PUBLICATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEENS

• TEEN INK : is one of the most popular and diverse writing spaces to get published in high school. The broad categories for publication reflect the diversity of writing that this lively online magazine celebrates. Some publication categories include: community service, travel and culture, the environment, health, reviews of TV shows and video games, and college essays, among the more traditional poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. https://www.teenink.com/submit
• AGNI : Not yet updated to  2024  is Boston University’s well-respected journal. It appears in both print and online. AGNI submissions are not limited to high school writers, but the journal is known to accept and publish lots of work by new writers. Get published in high school at AGNI and you’ve taken an important step to becoming a writer in the real world! Find them online at: http://www.bu.edu/agni/submit.html
• THE ADROIT JOURNA L: CLOSED FOR SUBMISSIONS. is run by high school students, college students, and emerging writers. Adroit publishes within “over 21” and “under 21” categories, so your writing will appear alongside great work by writers of any age. Adroit publishes fiction and poetry, and includes art and photography. http://www.theadroitjournal.org/
• EMBER : CLOSED FOR SUBMISSIONS  only published twice a year, but this beautiful and dreamy journal of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction appeals to all age groups. Although it doesn’t exclusively publish young writers, submissions from writers and artists ages 10 to 18 are strongly encouraged. Submissions open in February of 2021. For more details, visit them online at: http : //emberjournal.org/
• POLYPHONY LIT :  invites submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction from high school students worldwide. Student editors provide feedback to all submissions, including the ones not accepted for publication. Scroll down for 2024 dedlines. https://www.polyphonylit.org/copy-of-submit

The Best Children’s Writing Contests of 2022 – Writing competitions curated by Reedsy https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/children-s/

The 2024 Writing Contest opens on Feb.19th.   Deadline June 30, 2024 The contest submission window is from February 19 – June 30, 2024. The entry form is here. The entry fee is $35 per entry and includes a copy of the 2024 SFWC Writing Contest Anthology that will feature the winning work. Entries must fit into one of the following categories: https://www.sfwriters.org/2024-writing-contest-overview/

SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS

Are you a visionary? Are you an original thinker? The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards has been empowering young talent since 1923. This competition is  open for grades 7th –12th and has a submission period from September – December. http://www.hotdishmagazine.com/submit.html

The 2024 Writing Competition – Deadline: February 29, 2024 (11:59pm CDT) – Essay category – Focusing on introducing students and young adults to Korean culture and history through literature, our essay category utilizes folk tales and contemporary literature to explore Korean culture, past and present. https://sejongculturalsociety.org/writing/current/index.php

SELECT YOUTH CONTESTS

• HOT DISH MAGAZINE , an online journal serving up a bubbling mixture of poetry and fiction by teens (grades 9–12), wants your voice to be heard! We award cash prizes for fiction, poetry, and the Hot Dish Challenge. Our submission period is October-January. Visit us at http://www.hotdishmagazine.com/submit.html
• GIRLS RIGHT THE WORLD  is a literary journal inviting young, female-identified writers and artists, ages 14–21, to submit work for consideration for the fourth annual issue. We believe girls’ voices transform the world for the better. We accept poetry, prose, and visual art of any style or theme. We ask to be the first to publish your work in North America; after publication, the rights return to you. Please include a note mentioning your age, where you’re from, and a bit about your submission. Send your best work, in English or English translation, to [email protected] between September 1 and December 31. https://www.girlswritenow.org/contests/
• THE LUMIERE REVIEW – CLOSED  is a literary magazine dedicated to shining the light on all voices (particularly young creatives) through poetry, prose, and art. We’ll be running our first annual writing contest for poetry and prose, which will be open for submission from December 1st to January 15th. Updates will be made on our social media accounts (@lumierereview on twitter and instagram). https://lumierereview.com/contest.

TAMPA BAY TIMES

An Annual Writing Contest For T ampa Bay Area High Schools – he Tampa Bay Times Newspaper in Education Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing Award seeks to nurture and recognize the creativity and talent of young writers in the Tampa Bay area. It was established to encourage aspiring authors to explore the genres of science fiction and fantasy and to experiment with the short story format.  Entries are judged by a panel of experts including professional fantasy and science fiction authors and Tampa Bay Times staff. https://clients.tampabay.com/2024/writing-contest/home/index.html

WOMEN WRITING THER WEST BLOG

– We welcome any content, written by real writers who show an understanding and expertise in a chosen topic. – Submissions must be useful for building stronger writing platforms, practical or technical, that readers can use immediately or tag for future. – Previously published work relating a specific topic from the suggested list, is acceptable. – WWW cannot work with agency writers and cannot accept submissions that include political or religious views. https://womenwritingthewest.wordpress.com/about-2/www-blog-submission-guidelines/

⭐ ADDED AFTER MAILOUT

Resources-tips, agents & editors.

• Agents: Knowing When To Hold One and When To Fold
• Getting Offers from Multiple Literary Agents

Literary Agents List

• Preditors and Editors
• Publishing, Writing Terms, Acronyms
• Tips for a Successful Editor Appointment
• Want More? Here’s How to Get It
• What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel
• Windup for the (Story) Pitch
• Write the Perfect Book Proposal

CALLS FOR SUBMISSION

2024 sep calls for submission.

• 2024 AUG Calls for Submission
• 2024 JUL Calls for Submission
• 2024 JUN Calls for Submission
• 2024 MAY Calls for Submission
• 2024 APR Calls for Submission
• 2024 MAR Calls for Submission
• 2024 FEB Calls for Submission
• 2024 JAN Calls for Submission
• 2023 DEC Calls for Submission
• 2023 NOV Calls for Submission
• 2023 OCT Calls for Submission
• 2023 SEP Calls for Submission

COMPUTER TIPS

• ASCII Characters
• Building Your Web Site and Doing It Right
• Don’t Be a Victim-Scams, Identity Theft, Urban Legends
• Don’t Spread Scams
• How to Annoy Your Website Visitors
• Internet Safety: Guide to Keep Your Information Safe Online
• Knowing Your Target Audience
• Stopping Viruses from Propagating Through Your Email
• The Top 10 Email Errors
• Word Processors Through Time: Before MS Word & Google Docs

FORMATTING & GRAMMAR

Achieving 250 words / 25 lines per page.

• And Sammy, too? Oh, No!
• Changing Double Hyphens to EM Dashes in Word
• Edit Easier
• High Hopes–Avoiding Common Mistakes
• Misused Words
• Navigating In Your Novel

Proofreaders Marks

Research links.

• Rules for Writers
• Slang and Jargon Souces
• Tightening Your Manuscript and Trimming the Word Count

INSPIRATION-MOTIVATION

• A Dream Realized
• Beyond the Basics
• Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work
• Finding Time to Write
• Five Ways to Promote Yourself
• How Not to Procrastinate
• How to Quit Writing and End up on the Bestseller Lists
• Ideas Escape Me
• Keeping an Idea Book
• Love to Write: Here Is How You Can Build Your Career
• Making Time for Self-Care While Running a Business
• Moving Up the Rejection Ladder
• Pop Quiz: Who Are You?
• The 8 Habits of Highly Successful Young-Adult Fiction Authors
• The Art of Being Rejected–475 Words
• The Juggling Act
• The Literary Food Chain
• Various Types of Writing for Young Writers
• Why Article Writing Should Be A Part Of Your Career Development Strategy
• Write Better Naked
• Writer’s Conferences Do You Really Need To Attend?
• Writing By Moonlight
• 35 Online Work Ideas to Earn Good Money Whilst Studying
• An Interview with Holly Ambrose
• Copyright Primer, Know Your Rights
• EBooks-Fears to Possibilities
• Finding Markets Fiction and Nonfiction
• Freelance Writing 101
• How To Be a (Shiver) Reporter
• How To Market Your Book After You’ve Written It
• How to Write a Novel Synopsis
• How To Write Your Own Press Releases
• Magazine Links
• Making Money As a Corporate Freelancer
• Market News–All Genres
• Need a Clip? Open a Newspaper
• Newspaper Writing Resources
• Path to Self-Publishing Success
• Science Writing Organizations
• Selling to Children’s Markets
• Submission Tracking
• Submitting to UK Markets
• Syndication 101
• To Specialize, or Not to Specialize?
• Ultimate Guide to Being a Freelancer 2023 Update
• What Are Your Chances of Getting Published?
• Why E-Books?
• Write Your Way to $1000 a Month
• Writing Groups List
• Youth Writing Markets

ONLINE SAFETY

• Online Safety for Kids and Teens
• Publisher’s Websites
• The Great Limbo Mystery Question

VIDEO & STREAMING LINKS

• Video-Streaming-Podcasts

WRITING TOOLS - APPS

• Finding Your Writing Compass: A Guide to Freelance Adventures
• Free AI Tools That Can Be Used In Business Writing
• Helpful Books
• Reconsider Hand Writing
• Unblocking Your Muze
• Working with a Critique Group
• You Can Write A Short Story Part 1 The Story Idea
• You Can Write A Short Story: Part 2 The Meat of the Story
• You Can Write A Short Story: Part 3 The Climax

WRITER'S LIFE

• A Writers Dream-The Home Office
• Affirm All You Want
• Keep a Clipping File
• Mommy’s Muse
• Moving Mountains
• Teach Yourself to Write
• The Art of Procrastination
• Writing Conferences-Educating and Inspiring

WRITING CONTESTS

• 2024 AUG Writing Contests
• 2024 JUL Writing Contests
• 2024 JUN Writing Contests
• 2024 MAY Writing Contests
• 2024 APR Writing Contests
• 2024 MAR Writing Contests
• 2024 FEB Writing Contests
• 2024 JAN Writing Contests
• 2023 DEC Contests, Workshops, Webinars
• 2023 NOV Contests, Workshops, Webinars
• 2023 OCT Contests, Workshops, Webinars
• A Guide to Assessing Writing Contests

⭐ Posted 09-1-2024

Proofreaders marks from the Chicago Manual of Style online.  A must for all writers.

Find places to research for any genre or topic, resources, dictionaries, and more. New: POETRY New: BLOGS

Achieve the Ideal format for novel submission, fonts and margins.

A growing alphabetical  list of new literary agents actively seeking writers, books, and queries.

⭐ The 2024 Guide to Manuscript Publishers

Subscribe: Monthly Mailouts

Upcoming Conferences & Events

Check here for the latest list of upcoming conferences and events of interest for writers and publishing professionals. The listing is in order of calendar date and is updated monthly.

Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, Nashville, TN, Aug. 28 – Sep. 1, 2024

Bouchercon  is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization which holds an annual convention in honor of Anthony Boucher, the distinguished mystery fiction critic, editor and author. The convention brings together all parts of the mystery and crime fiction community: readers, writers, publishers, editors, agents, booksellers and other lovers of crime fiction.

DragonCon, Atlanta, GA, Aug. 29 – Sep. 2, 2024

DragonCon.org DragonCon is a multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film.

ACFW Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA, Sep. 5-8, 2024

American Christian Fiction Writers Workshops for writers are designed with five different experience levels in mind, from “just starting out” to “published.” The event includes Early Bird and Post Conference sessions.

HNS Conference, Devon, UK, Sep. 6-8, 2024

Historical Novel Society The society has over 900 members worldwide including authors, publishers, booksellers, librarians and general readers.  The conference location alternates between the USA and the United Kingdom. See their website for more information.

Printers Row Lit Fest, Chicago, IL, Sep. 7-8, 2024

Chicago Tribune The Printers Row Lit Fest is considered the largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest, drawing 125,000 book lovers to the two-day showcase .   More than 200 booksellers from across the country display new, used and antiquarian books, and more than 200 authors participate in panels, discussions and a variety of other programs.

Bloody Scotland, Sterling, Scotland, Sep. 13-15, 2024

The Caledonian Crime Writing Festival  Bloody Scotland is Scotland’s International Crime Writing Festival. Choose from over 40 events to attend including crime films, a crime play, sessions by crime authors, a masterclass, a ceilidh, and the McIlvanney prize.

Self Publishing Conference, Knighton, Leicester, UK, Sep. 14, 2024

The event aims to educate, inform and inspire authors who are publishing their own work, or who are considering that as a route to publication. The Self-Publishing Conference offers something for most authors, with sessions on all aspects of publishing, ranging from writing through production, marketing and distribution.

Novelists, Inc., St. Petersburg Beach, FL, Sept. 18-22, 2024

Novelists, Inc. is devoted exclusively to the needs of published authors and concentrates its efforts on the business of the business for career novelists. Speakers at the Master Class Conference will address business, craft, creativity, marketing and sales.

International Dublin Writers’ Festival, Dublin, Ireland, Sep. 20-22, 2024

Advanced Social Media Services, LTD.  The Dublin Writers’ Conference is the first and so far only conference in Dublin, aimed at attracting writers as an audience and promoting Dublin as a cultural destination for authors from around the world. Improving writing craft and self publishing, key skills for a modern writer, are the two main tracks at this conference.

SleuthFest, St. Petersburg, FL, Sep. 26-29, 2024

Mystery Writers of America – Florida Chapter  The organization presents a regular four-day conference that features panels, agent and editor appointments, manuscript critiques, and a short story contest.

Writing Sisters Summit, Merida, Mexico, Sep. 26-30, 2024

Writing Sisters  The Writing Sisters Summit is designed to spur your creativity and comfort your soul, featuring writing seminars focusing on craft and the business of writing. The summit is open to women and men.

Colorado Gold Writers Conference, Aurora, CO, Sep. 27-29, 2024

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers The conference typically hosts over 60 writer workshops, 5 master classes and visiting agents and editors.

Moonlight and Magnolias, Norcross, GA, Oct. 3-5, 2024

Georgia Romance Writers The conference features over 35 workshops including “Digital Track” workshops (small press, e-publishing, self-publishing, backlist publishing).

Decatur Book Festival, Decatur, GA, Oct. 4-5, 2024

Emory University  Decatur Book Festival is an annual, free book festival that takes place over Labor Day weekend in Decatur, Georgia at several venues located in and around the downtown Decatur Square. Authors give readings, talks, and panel discussions. The event is free and open to the public.

DFW Writers Conference, Hurst, TX, Oct. 5-6, 2024

DFW Writers Workshop   The conference features agent pitch sessions, classes,  workshops, and a one-day writing seminar for teens ages 13 to 17.

The Heartland Fall Forum, Milwaukee, WI, Oct. 7-9, 2024

Midwest Booksellers Association, Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association This is the largest regional trade show in the country to serve the independent book selling market. Members include locally owned and operated independent bookstores in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, as well as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and surrounding the Great Lakes.  The trade show is a conference that gathers booksellers, publishers, distributors, reps, vendors, authors, librarians, teachers, and other book business colleagues.

30th Annual Women Writing the West Conference, Denver, CO, Oct. 10-12, 2024

Women Writing the West The conference features workshops and presentations from authors, editors, agents, publishers, and bookstore owners.

FantasyCon, Chester, England, UK, Oct. 11-13, 2024

The British Fantasy Society This UK Fantasy, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction and Horror conference is the largest regional romance writing conference in the West.  There are editor and agent guests, workshops and master classes. Please see the website for programming information.

RWA Annual Conference, Austin, TX, Oct. 11-13, 2024

Romance Writers of America  Join more than 2,100 published and aspiring romance writers, editors, agents, and other industry professionals.  Writers can choose from more than 100 workshops, panels and round-tables with publishing professionals or schedule a one-on-one pitch meeting with an editor or agent.

Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt, Germany, Oct. 16-20, 2024

Frankfurter Buchmesse The Frankfurt Book Fair is a meeting place for publishers, booksellers, agents, film producers and authors. It boasts 7,400 exhibitors from 106 countries, 280,194 visitors and over 10,000 journalists focusing on current trends.

Writer’s Digest Conference, Cincinnati, OH, Oct. 17-20, 2024

Writer’s Digest The conference features sessions about writing, publishing, marketing and more, as well as the 3-hour Agent Slam with 60 professional agents.

Florida Writers Con, Altamonte Springs, FL, Oct. 18-20, 2024

Florida Writers Association This is a three-day event, where members find agents, meet publishers, and get the scoop on the industry. Also see their website for mini-conferences throughout the year.

Indie Romance Convention, Lebanon, TN, Oct. 23-26, 2024

The Indie Romance Convention is designed to fit the needs of indie authors. In addition, the event is open to readers, bloggers, editors, and cover artists.

Surrey International Writers’ Conference, Surrey, British Columbia, Oct. 25-27, 2024

The conference features Agent/Editor/Producer interviews, workshops and the Blue Pencil Cafe (have a sample of your work critiqued on the spot). Master Classes take place Oct. 23rd & 24th.

Indie Author Day, Libraries Across America, Nov. 1-2, 2024

During the Indie Author Day, libraries from all across North America will host their own local author events with the support of the Indie Author Day team. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for libraries and authors to connect on both local and global levels.

New England Crime Bake, Dedham, MA, Nov. 8-10, 2024

New England Chapters of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime The conference includes three days of workshops for crime-loving authors with a focus on craft and connecting with agents and editors.

Kauai Writers Conference, Kauai, HI, Nov. 11-17, 2024

Kauai Writers   Polish your writing skills while increasing your chances of publication by working top authors, agents and editors…in Hawaii. Pitch sessions and Advance Critique Sessions are also available. Attendance is limited to 150 participants. Workshops begin four days before (see the website for more information).

Authors’ Expo & Readers’ Extravaganza, Fernandia Beach, FL, Feb. 22, 2025

Amelia Island Book Festival The day includes a free Reader’s Festival with authors, readings and book signings.

Coastal Magic Convention, Daytona Beach, FL, Feb. 23-25, 2025

Jennifer Morris This convention is for readers and writers of Urban Fantasy, Paranormal and Romance. The 2024 conference took place in February in Daytona Beach, FL.

London Book Fair, Olympia, London, UK, Mar. 11-13, 2025

Reed Exhibitions Books and Publishing Group International exhibition hosting publishing professionals from around the world, this is a global marketplace for rights negotiation. The fair includes 250+ seminars and events and hosts 2,000+ exhibitors and boasts an attendance of 24,000+.

AWP Annual Conference & Bookfair, Los Angeles, CA, Mar. 26-29, 2025

Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) This conference celebrates authors, teachers, writing programs, literary centers and small press publishers.  Each year it features 400 presentations including readings, lectures, panel discussions, and forums—plus book signings, receptions and informal gatherings.

Chanticleer Authors Conference, Bellingham, WA Apr. 3-16, 2025

Chanticleer Book Reviews  CAC22 features panels on Multichannel Marketing and the Business of Being a Writer, with special focus on The New Era of Content Creation in All Its Forms and Honing Your Writing Craft. Scheduled are experts in marketing, book publicity, publishing, and advanced writing craft. Conference offers virtual attendance as well.

Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference, Hampton, NJ, Apr. 5, 2025

Liberty States Fiction Writers  offer a one-day workshop for writers including an editor/agent panel, a book signing and a vendor fair.

Norwescon, Seattle, WA, Apr. 17-20, 2025

Norwescon Norwescon features over 500 hours of panel programming presented by more than 200 panelists, covering subjects as science fiction, fantasy, science, costuming, art, writing, genre television, and movies.

Southeastern Writers Festival, St. Simon’s Island, GA, June 6-10, 2025

Southeastern Writers Association Previous workshops included Poetry and Dramatic Monologues; Short Stories, Novellas & Self-Publishing; Steampunk, Fairy Tales & E-Pub Tips; Humor & Memoirs; and Crime & the FBI.

ThrillerFest XX, New York, NY, June 17-21, 2025

International Thriller Writers A celebration of thriller books, the authors who write them, and the fans who read them. The four-day event includes author panels, classes, workshops, the CraftFest and AgentFest.

Readercon 34, Burlington, MA, July 17-20, 2025

Readercon Readercon is an annual conference devoted to “imaginative literature” — literary science fiction, fantasy, horror, and the unclassifiable works often called “slipstream.”  Although modeled on “science fiction conventions,” there is no art show, no costumes, no gaming, and almost no media.  Instead, Readercon features a near-total focus on the written word.

Writers on the River, East Peoria, IL July 19, 2025

Healing with Words  This non-profit organization hosts a public reader event with over 90 attending romance authors in one room for a book signing. Meet ​ New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, chat with them, get selfies together, or buy a signed book. And all proceeds support Thistle Farms , an organization that helps women who have survived prostitution, trafficking and addiction.

Digipalooza, Cleveland, OH, Aug. 12-14, 2025

OverDrive Digipalooza is a conference for partner libraries that offers education and networking geared toward increasing circulation of digital audiobooks, eBooks, music and video.

Below are conferences that have not yet posted specific dates for their next event.

Digital Book World Conference

Digital Book World  brings together 1500 professionals focused on developing, building and transforming their organizations to compete in the new digital publishing environment. The January 2024 conference in New York was postponed.

New Voices, New Rooms

New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association NAIBA is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information among independently owned bookstores. The annual fall gathering is two full days of bookseller education, networking, author events, and awards ceremonies. The 2024 event took place in August in Arlington, VA.

When Words Collide Festival

When Words Collide When Words Collide is a festival for readers, writers, artists and publishers of commercial and literary fiction, including genre, YA, Childrens books, and Poetry.  A writers’ workshop is held just prior to the conference. The 2024 festival took place in August in Calgary, Alberta, Canada,

The Writers’ Police Academy offers the hands-on, interactive and educational experience for writers to enhance their understanding of all aspects of law enforcement and forensics. The event features police, fire, and EMS training at an actual police academy. The 2024 convention took place in Green Bay, WI in June.

Writing for Success Conference

Florida Star Fiction Writers  offers classes and special all-day workshops throughout the year. Please see the website for specific programming. The 2024 conference took place in April in Melbourne, FL.

Spring Fling Writers’ Conference

Chicago-North Romance Writers The conference is a weekend of keynote speeches, workshops, panels, publishing spotlights, pitch appointments with editors and agents, a public book signing, librarian and bookseller brunch, and entertainment. The 2024 conference took place in April in Chicago, IL

IBPA Publishing University

Independent Book Publishers Association  offers a conference with education relevant to small presses and author publishers including  speakers and programming on how to start, grow, and succeed in the publishing world. The 2024 conference took place in April in Denver, CO.

Craft & Publishing Voyage

Rebirth Your Book Craft classes, publishing panels and career advice for novelists, memoirists, essayists and nonfiction writers aboard the Queen Mary II. Spouses, partners and friends welcome. The 2024 cruise took place in April and May in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Power of Narrative Workshop

Boston University College of Communication  Over 30 journalists, directors, producers and editors lead three days of lively discussions geared to advance the knowledge of narrative storytellers. Approximately 500 persons attend. Early registration is encouraged. Now in its 22nd year, the conference attracts a mix of veteran practitioners engaged in narrative journalism careers, early career professionals hoping to build narrative skills, and students of the genre. Attendees identify as writers, visual media creators, and audio journalists. They work on every imaginable platform, from newspapers to magazines, books to the web, podcasts to multimedia, sometimes pushing the boundaries with innovative start-ups. The 2024 workshop took place in March in Boston, MA.

You Wrote a Book… Now What? Book Marketing Workshop

Join authors Bruce E. Mowday and Mary Walsh from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. for a workshop for writers newer to publishing. Topics include: Are you ready to publish?, self-publishing options, what it’s like to be an author, marketing and building a following. Limited to 50 attendees, cost is $49, light refreshments will be served. Register here or contact the authors with questions. The 2024 workshop took place in February in Lancaster, PA.

The Writer Unboxed UnConference

The Writer Unboxed This unconference is “part symposium, part interactive workshop, part networking affair, part retreat” focusing on advancing the craft of writing and making meaningful connections between authors. The 2023 unconference took place in November in Salem, MA.

West Virginia Book Festival

Kanawha County Public Library  The Festival brings people and books together in a two-day event celebrating West Virginia writers.  Each year the festival includes a marketplace, a special section just for children, a used book sale, “meet the author” events, and panel discussions. The event is free. (Some sessions require tickets.) The 2023 festival took place in October in Charleston, WV.

California Crime Writers Conference

Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles and SoCal Mystery Writers of America  Geared toward emerging and established mystery and crime fiction writers, the 2020 California Crime Writers Conference includes workshops, presentations, and sessions with agents, editors, award-winning authors, publishing industry insiders and crime investigation professionals. The 2023 event took place in Culver City, CA in June.

Ignite Your Imagination Conference

Florida West Coast Writers, Inc.  The 2-day event includes a day of seminars lead by professional authors and a book signing event on the second day. The 2023 conference took place in May in Tampa, FL.

FutureBook Conference

The Bookseller The United Kingdom’s definitive conference on digital publishing features industry professionals, publishing executives, literary agents and booksellers. Topics include the all-important content strategies, discoverability and pricing, gamification, global distribution and more. Also, please see their conferences website for other Bookseller event dates: Marketing and Publicity Conference; Design Conference; Children’s Conference. The 2022 conference took place in November in London, UK.

Emerald City Writers’ Conference

Greater Seattle Romance Writers Emerald City is the largest regional romance writing conference in the West.  There are editor and agent guests, workshops and master classes. The 2022 conference was VIRTUAL and took place in October.

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