The start of the new year is an amazing time to step out of your comfort zone, and take a shot at one of these contests for the first time! Take a look, and don’t be afraid to try new things!
STILL OPEN! Winter Short Story Award for New Writers
The Masters Review is still accepting entries for this contest, and we’re looking for emerging writers who can take chances and be bold! Entries may be fiction or creative nonfiction, and they must be less than 6,000 words. The winner receives $3,000, publication, and agency review, and the runners-up also receive cash prizes, publication, and agency review. Judged by Jim Shepard. Details here.
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: February 1
The 2026 MR Prize
Awarded through Mississippi Review, this prize is available to writers and poets alike! Winners receive $1,000 and publication for the categories of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Prose entries should be 1,000-8,000 words, and poetry should be under ten pages, but there is no limit on the number of entries! Learn more here.
Entry Fee: $16 Deadline: January 1
Steinbeck Fellowships in Creative Writing
The Steinbeck Fellows Program of San José State University, endowed by Martha Heasley Cox, is looking for emerging writers of any age and background! Their creative writing fellowship accepts work in fiction, drama, creative nonfiction, and biography (but not in poetry). Accepted fellows will receive a $15,000 stipend, interaction with other writers and faculty, and monthly readings. Each application needs to include a prospectus, resumé, three letters of recommendation, and a writing sample. See more here!
Entry Fee: FREE Deadline: January 4
Cai Emmons Fiction Award
This contest is for fresh and original stories, to honor the life and legacy of beloved Red Hen Press author Cai Emmons! Acceptable submissions must be fiction, with a minimum of 150 pages. The winner receives $5,000 and publication by Red Hen Press. Learn more here!
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: January 15
Desert Writers Award
Established to honor the memory of Ellen Meloy, the Ellen Meloy Fund for Desert Writers is devoted to literary and creative nonfiction work about the desert. The Fund provides support to writers whose work brings deeper meaning to the body of desert literature, awarding $5,000 every spring! To be considered, entrants must include the completed application form, a biographical statement, a project proposal, and a ten-page writing sample. More details here!
Entry Fee: $15 Deadline: January 15
The Georgia Review Prose Prize
This is going to be a fierce competition, where the final judging will be a direct head-to-head battle! The Georgia Review is asking for entries of either one short story, or one essay, and each writer may only enter once. They ask that you make sure to clearly state the genre of your work in the cover letter. The best short story and the best essay will both be published, but only the overall winner between the two will be awarded $1,500. Don’t worry, though, the runner-up still gets $600! Check it out here.
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: January 15
The Big Moose Prize
If you’ve recently finished writing a novel, here is an opportunity to get published! Black Lawrence Press is awarding this prize, and it’s open to new, emerging, or established authors. They allow traditional novels as well as novels-in-stories, novels-in-poems, and other hybrid forms. The winner receives $1,000, book publication, and ten copies of their book. Details here.
Entry Fee: $30 Deadline: January 31
Chautauqua Janus Prize
For the ninth time, the Chautauqua Janus Prize will be awarded this summer, and the time to apply is running out! It is meant to be a celebration of an emerging writer’s daring innovation of literary form and function that reorders and upsets readers’ imaginations in a single work of short fiction or nonfiction. Not only does the winner receive $5,000 for their manuscript, they will also give a lecture in the summer and receive publication in Chautauqua. This is specifically a prize meant for emerging writers, who have yet to publish any prose books. Judged by Deborah A. Miranda. Apply here.
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: January 31
The Iowa Review Awards
In this threefold contest offered by The Iowa Review, contestants can submit entries for fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry during the month of January. Multiple entries are allowed, and different genres constitute different entries. Prose submissions may be up to twenty-five pages, and poetry submissions may be up to ten pages. The winners in each category receive $1,500 and publication. Choose the correct category when you submit, and good luck! More details here.
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: January 31
New Millenium Awards
There’s a little something for everyone in this contest, presented by literary journal New Millenium Writings! Writers can send in submissions for poetry, fiction, flash fiction, or nonfiction, with no restrictions on style or subject matter. Fiction and nonfiction must be less than 7,500 words, flash fiction must be less than 1,000 words, and poetry may include three poems less than five pages long. First place in each category receives $1,000, a certificate, publication online and in print, and two copies. Select finalists may also be published and receive complimentary copies. Don’t wait!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: January 31
The Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition
The Ghost Story is looking for the finest work they can find that incorporates the uncanny, as long as it’s under 1,000 words! Stories don’t need to involve ghosts specifically, but they do need fresh perspectives and superb writing. The winner receives $1,000 and both online and print publication. Submit here!
Entry Fee: $15 Deadline: January 31
Short Memoir Prize
This annual contest from Fish Publishing is a true challenge—anyone’s memoir can be captivating, if written to turn the ordinary into a masterpiece! Judged by Elspeth Beard, first place receives $1,035 and publication, and the other nine finalists are published as well. See more here!
Entry Fee: $19 Deadline: January 31
swamp pink Prizes
These are actually three contests offered by swamp pink, formerly known as Crazyhorse, looking for exceptional writing and outstanding poetry! The judges are Philip Metres for poetry, Zara Chowdhary for nonfiction, and Gene Kwak for fiction. Submissions may be up to twenty-five pages, or a set of one to three poems, and the winner of each contest receives $2,000 and publication. Make sure to select the correct contest for your submission! Submission details here.
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: January 31
by Kimberly Guerin