http://www.aerogrammestudio.

com/2016/12/13/
short-story-contests-2017/

https://thewritelife.com/27-free-writing-
contests/

Fiction and nonfiction writing contests

Ready to share your novel or personal essay with the world? Whether youre a
newbie or more established writer, youre likely eligible for a few of these contests.

1. L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest

http://www.writersofthefuture.com/enter-writer-contest/

Whatever your feelings about L. Ron Hubbards work and philosophy, the
prizes for this regular contest are nothing to sneeze at. Every three months,
winners earn $1,000, $750 and $500, or an additional annual grand prize
worth $5,000.

Submissions must be short stories or novelettes (up to 17,000 words) in the

genre of science fiction or fantasy, and new and amateur writers are welcome
to apply.

Deadlines: Quarterly on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1.

2. Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize

https://www.graywolfpress.org/graywolf-press-nonfiction-prize

Awarded to the most promising and innovative literary nonfiction project by a

writer not yet established in the genre, this prize provides a $12,000 advance
and publication by Graywolf Press.

If you live in the U.S. and have published at least one book (in any genre),
youre eligible to submit a current manuscript in progress for consideration.
The judges look for winners who push the boundaries of traditional literary
nonfiction.

Deadline: Annually; the 2016 deadline was January 31.

3. Drue Heinz Literature Prize

http://www.upress.pitt.edu/renderHtmlPage.aspx?
srcHtml=htmlSourceFiles/drueheinz.htm
 You can win $15,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press
with this prize, awarded for a collection of short fiction.

You may submit an unpublished manuscript of short stories, two or more

novellas or a combination of novellas and short stories. Your total word count
should be between 150 and 300 typed pages.

Deadline: Annual submission window is May 1 through June 30.

4. Tony Hillerman Prize

http://www.hillermanprize.com/

Presented by St. Martins Press and WORDHARVEST, this prize awards the
best first mystery novel set in the Southwest with $10,000 and publication by
St. Martins Press.

Its open to professional or non-professional writers who have not yet had a
mystery published, and there are specific guidelines for the structure of your
story: Murder or another serious crime or crimes must be at the heart of the
story, with emphasis on the solution rather than the details of the crime.

Deadline: Annually on June 1.

5. St. Francis College Literary Prize

http://www.sfc.edu/news/sfcliteraryprize

This biannual prize honors mid-career writers who have recently published
their third, fourth or fifth work of fiction. The winner receives $50,000 but must
be able to appear at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY to deliver a talk on
their work and teach a mini-workshop in fiction to St. Francis students.

Deadline: Biannually; the deadline for work published between June 2015
and May 2017 has not been announced.

6. Young Lions Fiction Award

https://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/awards/young-lions-fiction-
award/submission-form

This $10,000 award recognizes young authors, which the rules define as
any author aged 35 or younger. Submit any novel or short story published or
scheduled to be published in the calendar year. Works must be written for
adults; childrens or YA pieces are ineligible.

Deadline: Annually in August.

7. Real Simples Life Lessons Essay Contest

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-
strategies/inspiration-motivation/second-annual-life-lessons-
essay-contest
Have you ever had a eureka moment? If you have, and you can write a
compelling personal essay about it in no more than 1,500 words, you may be
able to win $3,000 in Real Simples annual essay contest.

Deadline: Annually; 2016 deadline has not yet been announced.

8. New Voices Award

https://www.leeandlow.com/writers-illustrators/new-voices-award

Presented by Lee & Low Books, an award-winning childrens book publisher,

this award is given for a previously unpublished childrens picture book
manuscript (of no more than 1,500 words) written by a writer of color.

The winner receives $1,000 cash and a standard publication contract. You
may submit up to two manuscripts.

Deadline: Submissions must be postmarked by September 30 each year.

9. Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence

http://www.ernestjgainesaward.org/literary-award-about/

This contest aims to provide visibility for emerging African American fiction
writers and to enable them to focus on their writing by awarding a $10,000
cash prize. Eligible authors should submit a work of fiction, such as a novel or
short story collection, published in the calendar year.

Deadline: Annually; 2016 deadline has not yet been announced.

10. PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

http://www.penfaulkner.org/award-for-fiction/submission-guidelines/

Honoring the best work of fiction published by an American author in a single

calendar year, this award has been given to the likes of John Updike, Philip
Roth and Ann Patchett.

The winner receives $15,000 and an invitation to read at the award ceremony
in Washington, DC. Four finalists also each receive a $5,000 award.

Deadline: Annually on October 31 for books published that calendar year.

11. Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize

Presented by the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival, this annual prize awards $500
cash for the best Brooklyn-focused non-fiction essay which is set in Brooklyn
and is about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters. (So its Brooklyn-
centric, if you havent picked up on that yet.)

Submissions should be four to 10 pages (up to 2,500 words), and five authors
will be chosen to read and discuss their submissions at the annual December
event.

Deadline: Annually in mid-November.

12. Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards

Fiction and nonfiction writers who have recently published a book that
contributes to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich
diversity of human cultures are eligible for this award, which offers $10,000
cash as well media and publicity opportunities.

Submissions must be published in the prior year (so books published in 2015
are eligible for the 2016 award).

Deadline: Annual submission window is September 1 through December 31.

13. Marfield Prize (a.k.a. National Award for Arts Writing)

Presented by the Arts Club of Washington, this award seeks to honor

nonfiction books that deal with any artistic discipline (visual, literary,
performing, or media arts, as well as cross-disciplinary works). This may
include criticism, art history, memoirs and biographies, and essays.

Deadline: Annually in the last quarter of the year; the 2016 deadline has not
yet been announced.

14. W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction

If youre a war buff, this competition is for you. It awards $5,000 to the best
piece of fiction set during a period when the U.S. was at war (war may either
be the main plot of the piece or simply provide the setting). Submissions may
be adult or YA novels.

Deadline: Annually on December 1.

15. Friends of American Writers Chicago Awards

FAW presents two annual awards: an Adult Literature Award for literary fiction
or nonfiction, and a Juvenile Literature Award for a childrens/YA book.

Authors must reside in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan,

Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota or
Wisconsin or they must set their book in one of those locations. Prize
amounts vary from year to year but are typically between $500 and $2,000.

Deadline: Annually at the end of the year; 2016 deadline has not yet been
announced.

16. Hektoen Grand Prix Essay Contest

Hektoen International, an online journal dedicated to medical humanities,

offers two prizes annually for essays of no more than 1,600 words in two
categories.

The Grand Prize of $1,200 is given for an essay suited for their Famous
Hospitals section, while a Silver Prize of $1,000 is given to the best essay
suited for the sections of Art Flashes, Literary Vignettes, Moments in History
or Physicians of Note.

Deadline: Annually; 2016 deadline is March 31.

17. Nelson Algren Short Story Award

Presented by the Chicago Tribune, this award presents $3,500 to one grand
prize winner, $1,000 to four finalists and $500 to five runners-up for a short
fiction story of less than 8,000 words.

You may submit up to two short stories, but note that your name must not
appear anywhere on your submission as the process is anonymous.

Deadline: Annually; the 2016 deadline was January 31.

18. Minotaur Books / Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition

Writers 18 and older who have never had a novel published (in any genre) are
eligible for this prize, awarded for an original book-length manuscript where
murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story. The
winner receives a publication contract with Minotaur Books and an advance of
$10,000 against future royalties.
 Deadline: Annually in the last quarter of the year. The deadline for 2016
awards has passed; the deadline for 2017 awards has not yet been
announced.

19. Stowe Prize

This biennial prize of $10,000 honors an American author whose work has
had an impact on a critical social justice issue (as did Harriet Beecher Stowes
novel Uncle Toms Cabin).

In addition to submitting a copy of your book or written work, you must also
complete a 250-word statement that describes the tangible impact your piece
has made in the world and outlining any social justice work you perform
outside of your writing.

Deadline: Biennially in odd-numbered years. The deadline for 2017 awards

has not yet been announced.

20. Amy Writing Awards

Christian writers are eligible for this award, which honors Creative, skillful
journalism that applies biblical principles to stories about issues and lives.

Submissions must have been previously published in a newspaper, local or

national magazine, or on a news website and must contain at least one quote
from the Bible. Columns and opinion pieces will be considered, but preference
is given to news or feature article with original reporting.

Prizes are given for winners of first through fifth prizes (in amounts ranging
from $10,000 to $2,000), plus 10 outstanding merit awards of $1,000 each.

Deadline: Annually; 2016 deadline was January 15.

21. The Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Non-Fiction

Creative nonfiction essays of no more than 5,000 words on any subject, are
eligible for consideration for this award, whose winner receives $250 and
publication in Lunch Ticket, the literary and art journal produced by the MFA
community of Antioch University Los Angeles. Works must not have been
published elsewhere. Award winners are required to submit a 100-word
biography, recent photo and a short note thanking the Woods family for their
generosity and support.

Deadlines: Biannual reading periods are the month of February for the
Summer/Fall issue and the month of August for the Winter/Spring issue.
 Poetry contests
Curious about opportunities for poets? Your stanzas rhyming or not
could be worth a fair amount of money in these competitions.

22. Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award

Open to African American poets, previously published or not, this award

provides a $500 prize and publication by Boardside Lotus Press for the best
book-length collection of poems (approximately 60 to 90 pages).

Deadline: Annually on March 1.

23. James Laughlin Award

If youre already a published poet, this is the award for you; its given for a
second book of poetry due to come out in the forthcoming year. The winner
receives $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid week-long residency. In addition,
copies of her book are distributed to the 1,000 members of the Academy of
American Poets.

Deadline: Annual submission window is January 1 through May 15.

24. African Poetry Book Fund Prizes

The APBF awards three prizes annually for African Poetry. The Glenna
Luschei Prize for Afican Poetry gives $5,000 for a book of original African
poetry published in the prior year.

The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets gives $1,000 and a
publication contract for an unpublished book-length collection of poetry by an
African author.

The Brunel University African Poetry Prize is a new prize that grants 3,000 to
a poet who was born in Africa, is a national of an African country or has
African parents, who has not yet had a full-length book of poetry published.
(U.S. citizens qualify.) To submit, youll need 10 poems.

Deadlines: See individual prize pages.

25. Tufts Poetry Awards

 Claremont Graduate University presents two awards each year to poets they
deem to be outstanding. The Kate Tufts Poetry Award grants $10,000 for a
published first book of poetry that shows promise.

The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award grants a mammoth $100,000 for a published
book of poetry by an an established or mid-career poet.

Deadline: Books published between September 1 and June 30 of each year

are eligible for the following years prize. The deadline for 2016 awards has
not yet been announced.

Writing contests with multiple categories

Some contests accept submissions in multiple categories, so you could submit a
novella as well as a poem or other work.

26. Binghamton University Book Awards

Sponsored by the Binghamton Center for Writers State University of New York,
this competition offers a $1,000 prize for work published in the previous year in two
separate categories. The John Gardner Fiction Book Award goes to the best novel or
collection of fiction, while the Milt Kessler Poetry Book award goes to the best book
of poems.

Deadline: Annually on March 1.

27. Writers Digest Annual Writing Competition

(Editors note: We were so excited to include this competition that we overlooked its
entry fees. Well leave it in the post for those interested in submitting their work, but
please note that this contest is not free.)

One of the longest-running writing competitions its now in its 83rd year this
contest spotlights up and coming writers in a number of categories, including
Memoirs/Personal Essay, Magazine Feature Article and Genre Short story.

The Grand Prize winner gets $5,000, a feature in Writers Digest magazine, a paid
trip to a writing conference and more. Runners-up earn prizes in first through tenth
places.

Deadline: Annually; May 6, 2016.

28. Proses $100 Challenge of the Week

Flex your creative muscles and try out different forms with this weekly challenge
based on a wide variety of prompts. (At the time of writing, the weekly prompt is to
write a haiku or tanka about the supernatural.) The winning submission is selected
based on factors like fire, form, and creative edge and the winner receives $100.

Deadline: Weekly.
UPCOMING SHORT STORY CONTESTS

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

is awarded by Selected Shorts and the 2017 judge is Lauren Groff. The winning
entry will receive US$1000 and the work will be performed and recorded live at the
Selected Shorts performance at Symphony Space, and will be published
on electricliterature.com. The winning writer will also earn free admission to a 10-
week course with Gotham Writers Workshop. Closes 1 March

Howard Frank Mosher Short Fiction Prize

is run by Vermont-based journal Hunger Mountain. The winner receives US$1000
and publication. Stories may be up to 10,000 words in length and all entries will be
considered for publication. Entries to the prize close on 1 March.

Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction

is offered each year by Colorado State Universitys Center for Literary
Publishing. The winner receives a US$2000 honorarium and the story is published in
the fall/winter issue of Colorado Review. There are no theme restrictions, but stories
must be at least 10 pages (or 2500 words) but no more than 50 pages (12,500
words). Entries close 14 March.

Mslexia Womens Short Story Competition

is open to stories between 300 and 3000 words and can be on any subject. The
winner receives 2000 (US$2500) plus two optional extras: a weeks writing retreat
at Gladstones Library and a day with a Virago editor. Women writers from all
countries are eligible to enter. Closes 20 March.

Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize

offers a total of AUD$12,500 (approx US$9000) in prize money and is open to writers
worldwide. Entries must be between 2000 and 5000 words and written in English.
The winner will be announced at a special event at the Melbourne Writers Festival in
August. Entries are expected to close in April.

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest

is open to original short stories and essays on any theme. The winner in each
category receives US$1500 and there are a total of 10 minor prizes of $100. Entries
should be maximum of 6000 words. Closes 30 April.

Bath Short Story Award

is open to stories up to 2200 words in length. Stories may be in any genre and
entries from both published and unpublished writers are encouraged. First Prize
is 1000 (US$1250) and a selection of twenty winning, shortlisted and longlisted
stories will be published in a print and digital anthology. Entries close on 1 May.

David Nathan Meyerson Prize for Fiction

is only open to writers who have not yet published a book of fiction, either a novel or
collection of stories. The winner receives US$1000 and publication in Southwest
Review. Stories can be up to 8000 words in length and all entries will be considered
for publication. The deadline for entries is 1 May.

Conium Review Innovative Short Fiction Contest

is for new writing that takes risks and shows something new with its subject, style or
characters. Submission may include any combination of flash fiction or short stories
up to 7500 total words.The winner receives US$500 and publication. Entries are
expected to open in February and close on 1 May.

Ploughshares Emerging Writers Contest

is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have yet to publish a book.
The winner in each genre will be awarded US$2000. Entries open on 1 March and
close 15 May.

Raymond Carver Short Story Contest

is open to writers from around the world. First prize is US$1500 and the guest judge
for 2016 was Caitlin Horrocks. Entries open on 1 April and close on 15 May.

Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition

is dedicated to recognising and supporting the work of emerging writers whose fiction
has not yet achieved success. Entries must be less than 3500 words and the
competition is open to writers based anywhere is the world. The winner receives
US$1500 and publication. The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition first ran in
1981; entries for the 2017 prize close on 15 May (discounted entry available before 1
May).
Flannery OConnor Award for Short Fiction
is for unpublished manuscripts between 40,000 and 75,000 words and may include
long stories or novellas. The authors of the two winning manuscripts will receive
US$1000 and publication by the University of Georgia Press under a standard book
contract. Writers must be residents of North America. Entries close on 31 May.

Curt Johnson Prose Award

is run by December magazine, a magazine whose many accomplishments include
being the first to publish the work of Raymond Carver. Open to stories up to 8000
words in length, the fiction winner receives $1500 and publication in the magazine;
second place receives $500 and publication. Prizes are also offered for non-fiction.
Entries close 15 June.

Masters Reviews Short Story Award For New Writers

offers a first prize of $2000. It is only open to writers who have not published a book
and submissions may be up to 6000 words. The contest is held multiple times
throughout the year; entries for the summer contest close on 15 July.

Sen Faolin International Short Story Competition

is an annual short story competition open to writers from around the world. First prize
is 2000 (US$2100), publication in the literary journal Southword, and a week-long
residency at Anam Cara Writers and Artists Retreat. Entries close 31 July.

Reader Digest Asia

Submission Terms & Conditions

My Story 350 USD

Tell us about a touching, inspiring or life-changing experience in your life. We'll pay
350 USD for stories we publish in Reader's Digest magazine.

Your story must be true (no fiction, please).

It should be previously unpublished.

Aim for 800-1000 words in length.

 Familiarise yourself with the kind of pieces we run. Often, they focus on a single
incident or theme in the life of the writer dramatic, moving or humorous and the
events described made the writer re-evaluate his or her life in some way. And remember
that a well-told tale still has a beginning, a middle and an end!

Do not send us original or irreplaceable material. We cannot return submissions.

We cannot give feedback or acknowledge receipt.

Kindness of Strangers Up to 150 USD

True accounts of good karma, inspiring acts of unexpected kindness and generosity,
or just something someone did that made your day or changed your life. Share
your moments in 100-500 words. We pay up to 150 USD for examples of generous
and open-hearted deeds.

Anecdotes and Jokes 50-100 USD

What's made you laugh recently? A funny sign? A colleague's behaviour? Heard a
great joke? Just send us your contribution, and if we publish it in Reader's Digest,
you'll be laughing all the way to the bank.
We pay up to 100 USD for original jokes or humorous anecdotes we print in
Reader's Digest magazine.
Original contributions, which should be less than 300 words, become our property
(for both print and/or electronic media) upon payment.

Smart Animals Up to 100 USD

Share the antics of unique pets or wildlife in up to 300 words. We pay up to 100 USD
for anecdotes about remarkable animals.

Conditions: Include your name, address and phone number. All submissions
become our property on payment and publication in the magazine. We reserve the
right to edit and publish submissions online without payment. We cannot return or
acknowledge material not accepted for publication.
Sorry!
We cannot acknowledge or return unpublished or unsolicited article-length
manuscripts.

We prefer electronic submissions. Fill out the form here or contact us as follows:
Email: rdaeditor@readersdigest.com
Write: Reader's Digest Asia
Editorial Department
Singapore Post Centre
PO BOX 272, Singapore
914 010

http://www.rdasia.com/contribute/