Just as the year is ending, so too are all these contests coming to an end. We don’t know what 2025 will hold, so make sure to appreciate the last contests of 2024 while they’re still here!
FEATURED! The Masters Review Chapbook Open for Emerging Writers
If you have a prose chapbook that you’ve been wanting to share, this is an amazing opportunity tailor-made for you! We’re looking for creative nonfiction essays, experiments, or even collections of flash fiction. However you want to tell your story, it should be transformative, original, and between 25 to 45 pages. The winning writer will receive $3,000, manuscript publication, and fifty contributor copies. Judged by Rita Bullwinkel. Learn more here!
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: December 15
W.S. Porter Prize for Short Story Collections
William Syndey Porter, better known by his pen name O. Henry, is the inspiration behind this contest arranged by Regal House Publishing! They are looking to recognize a masterfully written short story collection, with a $1,000 honorarium as well as publication. Entries should be between 100 and 350 pages. The final judge is Heather Bell Adams. Enter here!
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: December 1
Story Foundation Prize
This is the sixth annual award given by Story, to the author of an unpublished original stand-alone short story! The story may be up to 10,000 words, and multiple submissions are allowed. The winner will be published in the summer 2025 issue, with a cash award of $1,500! This year’s judge is Kristen Arnett. More details here.
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: December 15
Provincetown Fellowship
Given by the Fine Arts Work Center, this is a seven-month residency for writers in the emerging stages of their careers. The ten authors chosen will receive a living/work space and a monthly $1,250 stipend, as well as a $1,000 exit stipend. Writers who have published a full-length book are unfortunately not eligible. Applicants must send in a writing sample, a current CV, and an optional personal statement. There is a lot of competition, but there is no great reward without risk! Don’t miss it!
Entry Fee: $55 Deadline: December 16
2024 Memoir Prize
Narratively, the storytelling platform and production company, has put out the call for an engaging and immersive nonfiction narrative for the third year in a row! They want an honest in-depth glimpse into your life, between 2,000 and 7,000 words, written in first person. The grand prize winner receives $3,000, and two finalists receive $1,000 each. All three top entries will also be published, and Narratively will work to adapt the stories into larger projects. Judged by Jami Attenberg! Learn more here!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: December 19
The Danahy Fiction Prize
The University of Tampa, and Tampa Review are looking for the very best unpublished work of short fiction, but they can’t choose yours unless you enter! Manuscripts must be completely original, and contain between 500 and 5,000 words (although slight deviations are usually allowed). The winner receives $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review. Check it out!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: December 31
2025 Jesmyn Ward Fiction Prize
The Michigan Quarterly Review established this prize in honor of Helen Zells Writers’ Program alumna Jesmyn Ward, and her significant contributions to the literary arts! They’re looking for an unpublished short story, between 1,500 and 7,000 words. The winner will be selected by Ghassan Zeineddine, and will receive $2,000 and publication in the Summer 2025 issue of MQR. Details here!
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: December 31
The Lascaux Prize for Short Fiction
If you think you’re ready to medal in writing short fiction, then this is the contest for you!
The Lascaux Review is accepting stories for submission, and their length should not exceed 10,000 words. All finalists in this contest will be published, but the winner also receives $1,000 and a bronze medallion for their efforts. Learn more here!
Entry Fee: $15 Deadline: December 31
Press 53 Award for Short Fiction
This is an annual award given by Press 53, to the author of an outstanding and unpublished short story collection! It is open to all writers in the United States or one of its territories, regardless of publishing history. The winner will be published by Press 53 under a standard publishing contract, with a $1,000 cash advance, and will also receive 53 copies of their book. Learn more details here.
Entry Fee: $30 Deadline: December 31
Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers
Boulevard’s contest is meant to honor a writer who has never published a book, and that could be you! There is a $1,500 prize, as well as publication in an issue of Boulevard. Entries must be under 8,000 words, but there is no limit on the number of entries, and all of the entries are considered for publication. Do it!
Entry Fee: $18 Deadline: December 31
Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction
LitMag is looking for short stories, between 3,000 and 8,000 words, with little constraints beyond that! Only unpublished short stories are eligible, but authors may submit multiple times. The winner receives $25,000, publication, and agency review, and three finalists will receive $100 and possible agency review and publication. Submit here!
Entry Fee: $29 Deadline: December 31
W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction
There are some very specific contests out there, and this one definitely counts! Administered by the American Library Association, this award honors the best fiction published in the last year that was set in a time when the United States was at war. It recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel, although the incidences of war may only function as the setting of the story. All entries are judged on the excellence of writing and attention to detail. The winning entrant will receive $5,000 and a gold-framed citation of achievement. More details here.
Entry Fee: FREE Deadline: December 31
by Kimberly Guerin