Sunday, September 6, 2009

Calling All Poets & Writers - Let's Compete

Here's a list of writing and/or poetry contests that I've compiled. I cannot guarantee the validity of each and everyone of the contests, so do your research before entering. Good luck and happy writing.



  • American Literary Review Contests in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry -- September 1
    A prize of $1,000 and publication in ALR for the best work of 8,000 words or less. Entries should be labeled according to contest genre and mailed to ALR's regular submission address: PO Box 311307, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203-1307. $15 entry fee includes subscription.

  • Greensboro Review Literary Awards -- September 15
    A prize of $500 and publication in the Spring 2005 issue of The Greensboro Review for one poet and one fiction writer. Submit stories of 7,500 words or less to: Jim Clark, Editor, The Greensboro Review, MFA Writing Program, Department of English, 3302 Hall for Humanities and Research Administration, UNCG, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170.

  • Bartleby Snopes Writing Contest -- September 30
    Submit stories of 3,000 words or fewer; for the 2009 contest, stories must be composed entirely of dialogue. (See site for complete rules.) The winning story will receive a minimum of $250. The final award will be based on the total number of entries. There must be at least 25 entries or the contest will be cancelled and all entry fees will be returned. For every entry over 25, $5 will be added to the grand prize. All entries should be submitted to dialoguecontest@bartlebysnopes.com with the following subject line: Dialogue Submission: Last Name. $10 entry fee.

  • Juniper Prize in Fiction -- September 30
    Submit manuscripts of at least 150 pages and no longer than 350 pages. Winning author will receive a cash award of $1,500, a contract with standard royalties, and an invitation to read in the University’s Visiting Writers Series. Send submissions to: Juniper Prize for Fiction, University of Massachusetts Press, East Experiment Station, 671 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003. $25.00 entry fee.

  • University of Iowa Short Fiction Awards -- September 30
    Award-winning manuscripts will be published by the University of Iowa Press under the Press’s standard contract. Submit 150 word-processed, double-spaced pages to Iowa Short Fiction Award, Iowa Writers’ Workshop, 507 North Clinton Street, 102 Dey House, Iowa City, IA 52242-1000. No fee.

  • Boston Review Short Story Contest -- October 1
    A prize of $1,500 and publication in the Boston Review is given to one writer each year for a story of no more than 4,000 words. Send submissions to: Short-Story Contest, Boston Review, 35 Medford St., Suite 302, Somerville, MA 02143. $20.00 entry fee.

  • Mighty River Short Story Contest -- October 1
    Southeast Missouri State University Press is looking for the best short story relating in some way to the Mississippi River, the River Valley, or a sister river. Winner receives an award of $500 and publication in Big Muddy: A Journal of the Mississippi River Valley. Mail mss (max of 30 pages) to: MRSS Contest, Southeast Missouri State University Press, MS 2650, One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. $15 entry fee.

  • Mississippi Review Prizes -- October 1
    $1,000 each in fiction and poetry. Fiction entries should be 1,000-5,000 words; poetry, up to 10 pages. Send entries to: Mississippi Review Prize, 118 College Drive #5144, Hattiesburg, MI 39406-0001. $15.00 entry fee.

  • Missouri Review Editors' Prizes -- October 1
    Submit 25 typed, double-spaced pages of prose and ten pages of poetry. One winner and three finalists will be chosen; the winner receives $3,000. Submit entry online or mail to Missouri Review Editors' Prize, 357 McReynolds Hall, UMC, Columbia, MO 65211. $20.00 entry fee.

  • “Scare the Dickens Out of Us” Ghost Story Contest -- October 1
    Submit ghost stories of 4,000 words or fewer to either junior or adult contests. Stories must include a character from any of Charles Dickens’ works as part of the original story and be set in the month of December and around any of the December holidays. Download entry fee from site; submit to: Ghost Story Contest, co/Friends of the Library, P.O. Box 821, Lockhart, TX 78644. (Note that deadline is a postmark deadline.) $20 entry fee goes to support the Eugene Clark Library of Lockhart, Texas, the oldest library in Texas used continuously as a public library.

  • Ventura County Writers Club Annual Short Story Contest -- October 1
    A grand prize of $500 and publication in the Ventura County Star newspaper to an original story of 10 pages or fewer. Entries will be judged on the basis of plot (25 pts.), character development (25 pts.), intent/focus (15 pts.), reader interest (15 pts.), style/voice (10 pts), grammar/punctuation (5 pts), and title (5 pts). Mail all entries to: VCWC, P.O. Box 3373, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359. Entry fee: $15 for members, $25 for non-members.

  • The Wilda Hearne Flash Fiction Contest -- October 1
    Southeast Missouri State University Press seeks the best short-short story -- 500 words max -- on any theme. Winner receives an award of $200 and publication in Big Muddy: A Journal of the Mississippi River Valley. Mail mss to: Wilda Hearne Flash Fiction Contest, Southeast Missouri State University Press, MS 2650, One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. $10 entry fee.

  • Inkwell Short Fiction Competition -- October 30
    $1500 prize and publication in Inkwell. Submit up to three short stories for up to 5,000 words to INKWELL, Manhattanville College, 2900 Purchase Street, Purchase, NY 10577. $15.00 reading fee.

  • New Rivers Press MVP Competition -- November 1
    Three prizes of $1,000 each and a standard book contract for unpublished book-length manuscripts by emerging writers. Submit a manuscript of short stories, novellas, or personal essays of 100-200 pages; or a novel or memoir of any length to New Rivers Press, MVP Competition, 1104 Seventh Avenue South, Moorhead, MN 56563. $20 entry fee.

  • Reed Magazine John Steinbeck Award -- November 1
    $1,000 cash prize and publication in Reed Magazine for an unpublished short story of up to 6,000 words. Submit online. $15.00 entry fee.

  • Roanoke Review Fiction Contest -- November 1
    Prize of $1,000 for the best short story; prize winner and runners-up will be published in the spring issue. Send stories (maximum of 8,000 words) to: Roanoke Review Contest, 221 College Lane, Salem, VA 24153. $15.00 entry fee.

  • Central Coast Writers Branch 2009 Writing Contest -- November 15
    $500 and publication (print and on-line) in the Homestead Review, published by Hartnell College in Salinas, CA. Submit to CCW Contest, c/o Michael Thomas, P.O. Box 51805, Pacific Grove, CA 93950. $15/short story and $5/poem.

  • Georgetown Review Contest -- November 15
    A prize of $1,000 and publication in Georgetown Review for an unpublished short story or creative essay. Send entries to 2009 Contest, Georgetown Review, 400 East College Street, Box 227, Georgetown, KY 40324. $10.00 entry fee.

  • Ramble Underground Short Fiction Contest -- November 15
    Publication in Ramble Underground and cash awards, the amount of which varies with the number of entries (a minimum of $50). Apply online; 2500 words max. $6 entry fee.

  • -- November 30
    All stories and poems, submitted on FolioAlley by November 30, 2009, with "Alley Cats and Alley Rats" as the subject are automatically qualified to win the $500 prize. After your submission, it will be displayed on our Story Challenge page where folioalley members will have the opportunity to vote on it. The writing with the most votes wins. No entry fee.   
  • WOW! Women On Writing Fall 2008 Essay Writing Contest -- November 30
    In fewer than 750 words, explain how recreating your personal space has changed your life, or how making changes in your life has moved you to express yourself and recreate your home. Awards: $200, $150, $100 plus gift certificates and goodie bags. Entry fee: $10, or $20 with critique.

  • Wisconsin People & Ideas/Wisconsin Book Festival Short Story and Poetry Contests -- December 1
    Wisconsin People & Ideas, the quarterly magazine of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, is accepting submissions for its annual short story and poetry contests. Winners will receive prizes of $500 (first place), $250 (second place), and $100 (third place). Their works will be published serially beginning with the first-prize story in the summer 2009 issue of Wisconsin People & Ideas. The first-place story will be reviewed by a noted literary agent, and the author will receive a one-week stay at Edenfred, a creative arts residency owned by the Terry Family Foundation. Entry fee: $10.

  • Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition -- December 1
    Writer's Digest is now accepting entries in their annual short short story competition. Submit short fiction of up to 1,500 words using online form. $12.00 entry fee.

  • Meridian Prose Poem Postcard Prize Contest -- December 5
    Submit 1-2 prose poems, each of which would fit onto a standard-size postcard. The winning prose poem will be printed on postcards and distributed by Meridian at the 2009 AWP Conference in Chicago. The winner will also receive $100, 100 postcards, and 100 stamps. All entries must be submitted electronically. $3.50 entry fee.

  • American Short Fiction Short Story Contest -- December 8
    First prize is $1,000+ publication; 2nd place winner receives $500. Submit online. $20 fee.

  • Crazyhorse Fiction Prize -- December 15
    Crazyhorse literary magazine offers a yearly prize award of $2,000 and publication for a story of up to twenty-five pages. Submit online or send entries to: Crazyhorse, Poetry and Fiction Prizes, Department of English, College of Charleston, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424. $16.00 entry fee includes subscription.

  • PEN New England Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award -- December 21
    PEN New England awards an $8,000 cash prize for a novel or book of short stories by an American author who has not previously published a book of fiction. Mail four copies and the enclosed application form to: Hemingway Foundation / PEN Award, PEN New England, Lesley University, 29 Everett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 $40.00 entry fee.

  • Birmingham-Southern College Hackney Short Story Award -- December 31
    A prize of $5,000 for the best short story of 5,000 words or less. Mail entries to: Hackney Literary Awards, Birmingham-Southern College, Box 549003, Birmingham, AL 35254. Entry fee: $10.

  • Boulevard Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers -- December 31
    A prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard for a short story by a writer who has not published a book with a nationally distributed press. Boulevard Emerging Writers Contest, PMB 325, 6614 Clayton Road, Richmond Heights, MO 63117. (314) 862-2643. $15.00 reading fee includes subscription.

  • Delacorte Press Contest for a First Young Adult Novel -- December 31
    A book contract with $1,500 in cash and $7,500 advance against royalties is awarded each year to encourage the writing of contemporary YA fiction. See site for details and send mss to Delacorte Press Contest, Random House, Inc., 1745 Broadway, 9th Floor,?New York, NY 10019.

  • Del Sol Press Robert Olen Butler Fiction Prize -- December 31
    $1,200 and publication for the best short story, either published (in a periodical) or unpublished, 2,000-8,000 words; open to submissions from both emerging and established writers. Top ten finalist stories will be published in book form in the spring. Finalists invited to submit book-length manuscripts for consideration by Del Sol Press. Send to: Katie Jean Shinkle, Contest Coordinator, Robert Olen Butler Short Fiction Prize 2009, 1 1/2 Oakwood Court, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 $16.00 entry fee.

  • Glimmer Train Press Fiction Open -- December 31
    A prize of $2,000 and publication in Glimmer Train Stories is given biannually for a short story. A second-place prize of $1,000 is also awarded. Submit a story of up to 20,000 words online. $20.00 entry fee.

  • Ruth Hindman Foundation H. E. Francis Short Story Competition -- December 31
    A prize of $1,000 for an original, unpublished short story. Submit two copies of a story of no more than 5,000 words to Department of English, Morton Hall 222, H.E. Francis Contest, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899. $15.00 entry fee.


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