Spring is bursting into bloom, and so can your creativity. Take a small chance, submit to these contests, and watch your confidence grow!
FEATURED The Masters Review Anthology Prize
It’s finally that time of year again, when The Masters Review is accepting entries for our annual print anthology! Submissions can be fiction or narrative nonfiction, but they need to be less than 8000 words. The 10 winners will be published in the seventh volume of The Masters Review, and will each receive $500. This contest is judged by the fantastic Rebecca Makkai, and she will be looking for today’s best new emerging writers. Get started!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: March 31
2018 Contest: The Future
The future is always full of possibilities, and Sonora Review is willing to pay you to find out your thoughts on the subject! Each year they award $1000 and publication to a winning short story, essay, and poem, and this year’s contest theme is The Future. Charles Yu is judging fiction, Rubén Martínez is judging nonfiction, and Harmony Holiday is judging poetry. Get ready here!
Entry Fee: $15 Deadline: March 1
International Poetry Competition
In this contest meant for poets, the Atlanta Review is looking for original and unpublished creative work. Entrants can send in up to 10 poems, although the reading fee increases after the first two poems. The Grand Prize winner will receive $1000 and publication, but the next twenty winners will also be published! Learn more here.
Entry Fee: $11 & up Deadline: March 1
Margery Davis Boyden Wilderness Writing Residency
This is a unique chance for any author who feels the need for unparalleled solitude while working on their current project! In return for an hour a day of maintenance, the resident receives a $5000 stipend and the use of a comfortable house in the Rogue River backcountry of southwestern Oregon for up to 10 months. Applications need to include a brief resume, a 20-page writing sample, and a letter explaining your suitability for the experience. More details here!
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: March 1
Non/Fiction Collection Prize
Journal is looking to publish the best essay/short story collection written this year, and they are very upfront about their plan! The contest is open to writers of fiction and creative nonfiction, and entries must be less than 350 pages. The winner receives $1500 and a publishing contract from The Ohio State University Press. Check it out!
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: March 1
Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellowships
This is a golden opportunity for any student finishing up their MFA or PhD in Creative Writing by August 15! If that’s you, then here is your chance to receive a nine-month fellowship that includes a stipend of $38,000, generous health benefits, and several teaching assignments. It is also important that applicants have not published more than one book. Applications must include a resume and a writing sample. Apply here!
Entry Fee: $50 Deadline: March 1
The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize
If you want a chance to have your story of 750 words or less read aloud on Selected Shorts—then enter this contest! The winner will also be published in Electric Literature, earn $1000, and get a free course through Gotham Writers. This year’s judge is Jess Walter. So cool. Check out all the deets here.
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: March 1
Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction
Colorado State University sponsors this prize, through the Colorado Review, and awards $2000 and publication to the winner. There are no theme restrictions, but entries must be over 2500 words to qualify! Judged by Margot Livesey, all submissions will be considered for publication. More details here.
Entry Fee: $15 Deadline: March 14
Frontier Poetry Digital Chapbook Contest
This contest is open to emerging poets. The winner will have their digital chapbook published with Frontier Poetry and receive $2000. The winning chapbook will be distributed to tens of thousands of agents, editors, readers, and industry insiders. This is a wonderful opportunity for poets! Get all the details here.
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: March 15
James Jones First Novel Fellowship
Created in honor of the late James Jones, author of From Here to Eternity, the James Jones Literary Society will award $10,000 for a novel-in-progress by an unpublished US author. There should be a celebration of honesty, determination, and insight into cultural and social issues in each application. Submissions must include a two-page synopsis and a 50-page excerpt from the manuscript. Details here!
Entry Fee: $30 Deadline: March 15
Frank McCourt Memoir Prize
It takes courage to write personal narratives and share them with the world, but The Southampton Review is ready to reward such bravery. Submissions must be less than 4500 words, must be memoir, and only one submission is allowed per author. The winner, however, receives $1000 and publication, and the runner-up receives $500. Submission guidelines here.
Entry Fee: $15 Deadline: March 15
Hodson Trust-John Carter Brown Library Fellowship
This is a huge one! The fellowship is meant to support work by academics, independent scholars, and writers working on significant projects based on the literature, history, and culture of the Americas before 1830. Fellows receive a $20,000 stipend and four months of housing and university privileges, split between Brown University and Washington College. More details here.
Entry Fee: FREE Deadline: March 15
Bellingham Review Literary Awards
All three of the Bellingham Review’s contests are ending this month, so enter quickly if you want to receive one of the three $1000 first-place prizes! Debra Dean is judging the Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction, Oliver de la Paz is judging the 49th Parallel Award for Poetry, and Jenny Boully is judging the Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction. All of the winners and a selection of the runners up will be published! Submission guidelines here.
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: March 15
Prairie Schooner Book Prize Contest
This is an opportunity for all living writers, writing in English, who just so happen to have an unpublished manuscript in poetry or fiction! Poetry manuscripts ought to be at least 50 pages long, while fiction manuscripts ought to be at least 150 pages long. Winners will receive $3000 and publication through the University of Nebraska Press. Submit here!
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: March 15
New South Writing Contest
New South’s competition is only open to those who haven’t published a book of prose or poetry, which is still a very large pool! Alissa Nutting is judging the prose entries, while Safiya Sinclair judges the poetry. The winner of each contest receives $1000, and there are no restrictions on style or genre. Learn more here!
Entry Fee: $15 Deadline: March 18
Lascaux Prize in Flash Fiction
If you think you’re ready to get into writing flash fiction, then this is the contest for you! The Lascaux Review is accepting three stories per submission, less than 1000 words each. All finalists in this contest will be published, but the winner also receives $1000 and a bronze medallion for their efforts. Check it out!
Entry Fee: $10 Deadline: March 31
The Hudson Prize from Black Lawrence Press
If you have an unpublished poetry or short story collection, this could be your big break! Black Lawrence Press is currently accepting submissions from new, emerging, and established authors. The winner will receive book publication, $1000, and 10 copies of the book. Details here.
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: March 31
Winter Story Contest
This contest from Narrative is open to all fiction and nonfiction writers, writing anything from short stories and memoirs, to essays and literary nonfiction! The entries need to be less than 15,000 words and previously unpublished, while containing a strong narrative drive and intense insights. First prize is $2500, second is $1000, and third is $500. Guidelines here.
Entry Fee: $26 Deadline: March
by Kimberly Guerin