The days are slowly getting longer, which means less eye strain from writing by candle-light (or maybe by flashlight?)! We know you’re making good use of the sunshine, so submit your latest efforts to one of these contests before they’re over!
FEATURED The Masters Review Anthology Prize
Our twelfth Anthology Prize is closing this month! Submissions can be fiction or narrative nonfiction, but they need to be less than 7000 words. Our aim is to showcase ten writers who we believe will continue to produce great work. The ten winners are nationally distributed in a printed book with their stories and essays exposed to top agents, editors, and authors across the country. This year’s prize winners will be selected by Toni Jensen. Submit before the deadline!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: April 2
Nimrod Literary Awards
These awards, the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction and the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry, are presented by Nimrod International Journal through the University of Tulsa. Contestants should enter three to ten pages of poetry, or up to 7500 words of prose. The winner of each category will receive $2000, publication, and a trip to Tulsa for the Awards Ceremony and Writing Conference in October (if the global health situation allows)! Details here.
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: April 1
The Orison Prizes in Poetry and Fiction
Every year Orison Books accepts submissions of full-length poetry and fiction manuscripts between December and April, and this year’s window is closing fast! Fiction entries may be novellas, novels, or collections of short stories and flash fiction, but they must be a minimum of 30,000 words. Poetry entries may be between fifty and one hundred pages. Pádraig Ó Tuama is judging poetry, David Heska Wanbli Weiden is judging fiction, and the winners of each genre receive $1500, publication, and a standard royalties contract. Check it out!
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: April 1
Prime Number Magazine Awards
With an emphasis on brevity, this contest for poetry and short fiction is meant to be a challenge! Make sure to note that the short story requirement is up to 5300 words, as a nod to their parent organization Press 53. Judged by Felicia Michell and Dennis McFadden(for poetry and short fiction, respectively), the first-place winner in each category receives $1000 and publication in Prime Number Magazine. Enter here!
Entry Fee: $15 Deadline: April 1
Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting
If you think you have that movie magic, now’s your chance! This contest awards up to five $35,000 fellowships to amateur screenwriters, who are allowed to enter one original screenplay no longer than 160 pages. Fellowship winners are expected to complete at least one original feature film screenplay during the Fellowship year. Do it!
Entry Fee: $65 Deadline: April 3
2023 First Pages Prize
Here is a contest for emerging writers, specifically those who are currently not represented by an agent! Each entry should be about 1250 words (which works out to be about five pages), and should be the opening to an unpublished book. The two categories, fiction and creative nonfiction, will be judged by Tash Aw and Patricia Hampl. The book doesn’t need to be finished, but it should be obvious that the first pages are part of a larger story. First place in each category will win $2000, second place will win $1500, and third place will win $1000. The top five finishers will all receive tailored edits and an agent consultation. Learn more here!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: April 10
New Ohio Review Contests
All three of the New Ohio Review’s contests are ending this month, so enter now if you want to receive one of the three $1500 first-place prizes! Megan Giddings is judging the fiction section, Denise Duhamel is judging the poetry section, and Barrie Jean Borich is judging the nonfiction applicants. All of the winners and a selection of the runners up will be published! See more here.
Entry Fee: $22 Deadline: April 15
The 2023 Gulf Coast Prizes
Here is an opportunity for all writers, as Gulf Coast’s contest rewards authors in nonfiction, fiction, and poetry! Ingrid Rojas Contreras judges nonfiction, Alexandra Kleeman judges fiction, and Carmen Giménez judges poetry. The winner in each category receives $1500, and two honorable mentions in each category also receive $250. Make sure you submit to the correct category! Details here.
Entry Fee: $26 Deadline: April 16
F(r)iction Spring Contests
There are so many options in F(r)iction’s collection of contests, there’s bound to be something for everyone! Short stories are judged by Jennifer Wortman, and the winner receives $1000. Flash fiction is judged by Exodus Oktavia Brownlow, and the winner receives $300. Poetry is judged by Kyle Carrero Lopez and also receives $300. Finally, creative nonfiction is judged by Charlie Claire Burgess, and the winner receives $1000. All winners and some finalists will be published. Check it out!
Entry Fee: $15 Deadline: April 27
Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize
Named after the first director of the University of Pittsburgh Press, this prize is offered for a first full-length book of poems! Manuscripts should be between 48 and 100 pages, and accompanied by a CV. The winner receives a $5000 cash award as well as publication by the Pitt Poetry Series under its standard royalty contract. The winner will be announced in the fall, so get the process started now! Learn more here!
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: April 30
CRAFT Short Fiction Prize
This journal wants your best fiction—stories that explore craft, stories that linger, and stories that feel fresh and new- and they’re willing to put their money where their mouth is! Judged by the wonderful Nana Nkweti, the top three stories will be selected for publication in CRAFT, and they will receive $2000, $500, and $300 respectively. The absolute maximum length for these entries is 5000 words, but simultaneous submissions are allowed. Do it!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: April 30
Pro Forma Contest
Grist, and the University of Tennessee, is looking for authors who make the most of structures in writing, creating an interesting opportunity to play with form and function! Submissions can be fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or any other form of literary expression. Judged by Destiny O. Birdsong, first-place wins $1000 and publication in the journal. Don’t miss it!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: April 30
Snyder Prize
This contest honors the memory of Richard Snyder, including his contributions to Ashland University, and applicants should keep in mind Snyder’s dedication to craftsmanship and thematic integrity! It’s meant for book-length poetry manuscripts, of 48 to 96 pages. Judged by Mark Doty, first-place receives $1,000, publication, and 25 copies of the published book! More details here.
Entry Fee: $27 Deadline: April 30
by Kimberly Guerin