We’ve made it through the rainy months, so surely the time for flowers has arrived? Well, while we’re waiting on the fickle growing season, you can always count on these contests to stick to their open entry timelines!
Waterston Desert Writing Prize
Inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston, this prize provides financial and other support to writers whose work reflects a connection to the desert. They’re looking for creative or literary nonfiction, with an engaging style, unique voice, and a fresh perspective. The Waterston Desert Prize recognizes one writer with $3,000, residency at PLAYA in Summer Lake, OR, and a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, OR. Applicants need to provide a biographical statement, a proposal, and a writing sample. Submission guidelines here.
Entry Fee: FREE Deadline: May 1
Frontier Debut Chapbook Contest
Judged by Patricia Smith, this contest is for all the poets who’ve been putting together their first chapbook! Frontier Poetry is offering $2,000, publication, twenty-five author copies and a 50% royalties contract to one poet who has not yet published a chapbook. Submissions are only open through May 10, so get submitting!
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: May 10
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 Manuel Aragon, and the winner receives $1,000. Flash fiction is judged by Brett Pribble, and the winner receives $300. Poetry is judged by Trish Broome, and also receives $300. Finally, creative nonfiction is judged by Shannon Chen See, and the winner receives $1,000. All winners and some finalists will be published. Check it out!
Entry Fee: $15 Deadline: May 15
The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize
Brian Teare, a Guggenheim Fellow and professor at the University of Virginia, is judging this contest for The Georgia Review, and he is looking for a masterful poem! Entries may include up to three poems, but must be less than ten pages total. The final winner will receive $1,500 and publication, and three finalists will receive $200 and publication. All submitted poems will be considered for publication (at $4 a line). Learn more here.
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: May 15
New Letters Prizes
There are actually three contests here, one each for poetry, nonfiction, or fiction! The Conger Beasley Jr. Award for Nonfiction submissions may be up to 8,000 words, and the best essay receives $2,000 and publication. The Robert Day Award for Fiction may also be up to 8,000 words, the Patricia Cleary Miller Award for Poetry up to six poems, and the winner of these contests also receives $2,000 and publication. Make sure to select the correct contest for your submission! More details here.
Entry Fee: $24 Deadline: May 18
Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction
The University of Georgia Press has offered this award since 1983, and it has become an important showcase for talented emerging writers. Series editor Lori Ostlund is looking for short story collections, which may include novellas and long stories, and the competition is open to all authors writing in English who reside in North America. The winner receives a cash award of $1,000 as well as a standard book publishing contract with the University of Georgia Press. More information here.
Entry Fee: $30 Deadline: May 31
Guy Owen Prize
Southern Poetry Review is looking for the perfect poem, and it could be yours! They’re accepting three to five poems in every submission, and the winning poem will receive $1,000 and publication. Enter here!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: May 31
Uncharted Magazine Novel Excerpt Contest
Uncharted‘s Novel Excerpt Contest is a great opportunity for those genre writers who are looking for their big break. Three cowinners, selected by Micaiah Johnson, will earn $1,000, publication, and a consultation with Mark Gottlieb, Executive Vice President and Literary Agent with Trident Media Group. Submissions are open to a variety of genres, including science fiction, horror, thriller, and more. Check it out!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: May 31
by Kimberly Guerin