Flickr: Matthew Whitehead
This August there are three dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes this month range from $100,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.
Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.
If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year. (Note: I update this list continually throughout the month, so check back frequently for new contests.)
Good luck!
_________________________
MoonLit Getaway Writing and Art Contest. Restrictions: Open to submissions from within North America. Genre: Flash fiction, poetry, art. Prize: $100. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists. Restrictions: Candidates must have published one or more novels for children or young adults that have been warmly received by literary critics, but have not generated sufficient income to support the author. Genre: Book-length children's or young-adult fiction. Prize: $5000. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
PEN/Bare Life Review Grants. Restrictions: Open to immigrant and refugee writers in the US and abroad. Genre: Unpublished work-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2026. The project must be a work of a literary nature: fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry. Prize: $5000. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships. Restrictions: Delaware poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in Delaware for at least one year prior to application and who are not enrolled in a degree-granting program. Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction. Prize: Established Professional Fellowships of $6,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $3,000 each. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants. Restrictions: Open to women and trans artists in Greater Philadelphia to fund art for social change projects. People living in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties Delaware who are 18 years of age or older and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible. Genre: Art in traditional or nontraditional modes, mediums or disciplines. Prize: $2500. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
Granum Foundation Prize helps U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works—such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, and memoirs—or to help launch these works. Additionally, a Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be awarded to support the completion of a work translated by a U.S.-based writer. Prize: One winner will receive $5,000; up to three finalists will be awarded $500 or more; $500 or more will be awarded to one writer working in translation. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
Oregon Literary Fellowships. Two fellowships (one $10,000 grant and one $3,500 grant) are reserved specifically for writers of color. There are also fellowships for women/gender-nonconforming writers as well as special fellowships for fiction writers who have lived in Oregon over the past 5 years. Deadline: August 2, 2024.
Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. "On each competition weekend, we’ll reveal a set of story prompts and you’ll have 55 hours to submit your best story of 500-words (or fewer)." Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: Opens August 2, 2024. Closes August 4, 2024. (Australian time)
Peter Blazey Fellowship. Restrictions: Applicants must either be an Australian citizen or have Australian residency. Genre: Non-fiction in the fields of autobiography, biography or life writing. Prize: $15,000, and a one-month writer-in-residency at The Australia Centre. Deadline: August 12, 2024.
Waterford Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to residents of Ireland. Genre: Poem. Prize: First prize is €400 plus attendance at a designated writing course. Deadline: August 12, 2024.
Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction between 1k words max based on theme. Prize: $30. Deadline: August 14, 2024.
John Glassco Translation Prize. Sponsored by Literary Translators' Association of Canada. Restrictions: Open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents only. Genre: The work submitted must be the translator's first published book-length translation into English or French. Prize: $1000. Deadline: August 15, 2024.
Ligonier Valley Writers. Genre: Flash fiction on theme;1000 words max. Prize: The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15. Deadline: August 15, 2024.
Scotiabank Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English between July 1, 2024, and September 30, 2024. Must be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: August 16, 2024.
Lucky Jefferson Poetry and Prose Contest. Restriction: Open to anyone over the age of 10. Genre: Poetry and prose. Prize: $100, publication, and a swag box. Deadline: August 18, 2024.
Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour. Restrictions: Open to British novelists of color with no previous published books and not currently signed by an agent. Genre: Novel. Prize: £500 and a meeting with a literary agent. Deadline: August 19, 2024.
Write the World: Flash Fiction Competition. Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5. Genre: Flash fiction, 100 words max. Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50. Deadline: August 26, 2024.
On the Premises. Genre: Short story. "For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which one or more characters with significant expertise in some area matter to the story. The expert(s) DO NOT have to be the story’s main character(s), though it’s fine if they are–the judges won’t care either way. We’re also open to the idea that your story’s character(s) with expertise might be either wrong, or frauds, or idiots. (Or they’re legitimate experts!) However, the idea of expertise, and at least one person who has it (or doesn’t?) has to matter to the story." Prize: Up to $250. Deadline: August 30, 2024.
RSL Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction. Restrictions: The writer must be a resident of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or have been a resident in the UK or ROI for the past three years. Genre: Nonfiction book. Prize: Two awards – one of £10,000, one of £5,000 – are offered to support writers to complete their first commissioned works of non-fiction. Deadline: August 30, 2024.
#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Flash fiction on theme of Summer Camp. Your story must be no longer than 101 words. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: August 30, 2024.
Preservation Foundation Biographical Nonfiction Contest. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $250 in any single year. Genre: Biographical Nonfiction. Prize: First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Northwind Writing Award. Genre: Prose Poetry, Poetry, Short Fiction, and Non-fiction/Essay/Memoir. Prize: $100 and publication. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry collection (in English), at least 48 pages long, published between July 1 of the previous year and June 30 of the deadline year by an upstate New York author. Prize: $2000. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Platt Family Scholarship Prize Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to students who are FULL TIME, undergraduate students in an AMERICAN COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY during the Spring 2024 semester. Genre: Essay on topic: “In this current presidential election year, which some have described as the most important in history, what arguments can be made that the 1864 Lincoln-McClellan race was indeed the most crucial of American history.” Prize: 1st Prize $1500 | 2nd Prize $750 | 3rd Prize $500. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Morioka International Haiku Contest. Genre: Haiku. Prize: Not specified. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Sundog Summer Collaboration Contest. Genre: "Sometimes teamwork is what makes the dreamwork, so this summer we want to see what you’ve created with another writer (or two or three — there’s actually no limit) for our annual Collaboration Contest. Submit your wildest, most inventive work of any or mixed genre. Just keep your hybrid masterpiece to 1,000 words or less." Prize: $300 and publication. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Kindle Storyteller Award (UK). Restrictions: The prize is open to all authors who publish their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk. Genre: Book. Prize: £20,000. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction. Genre: Essay, maximum 5,000 words. Prize: $250 top prize. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation or Multi-Lingual Texts. Restrictions: Translators and authors of multi-lingual texts. Genres: Poetry and prose. Prize: $200. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
“Kusamakura” Haiku Competition. Genre: Haiku. Prize: (Grand Prize) to one winner : goods worthy of ￥20,000. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Poetry Archive NOW! WordView. Genre: Poetry. "Make a video/film recording of yourself reading or reciting a single poem which you have written in 2024." Prize: £100. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing. Genre: Short story with an overall word-count of 1500 on theme: "Letters to My Love" Prize: £100. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
21 Futures: Financial Fallout. Genre: Fiction (up to 3,000 words) "Which catastrophic failures will we see in the next 100 years? And how will it affect ordinary citizens of the world?" Prize: 1st place: $1,000 + feature interview; 2nd place: $500 + podcast appearance; 3rd place: $250 + social media shoutout; 4th place: $100 + signed book. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing. Genre: Scholarly essay. All work submitted must have been written or published within the last year. Prize: $3,000. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Rattle's Ekphrastic Challenge. Genre: Poetry based on art. (See website) Prize: $100. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: August 31, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.
Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.
If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year. (Note: I update this list continually throughout the month, so check back frequently for new contests.)
Good luck!
_________________________
MoonLit Getaway Writing and Art Contest. Restrictions: Open to submissions from within North America. Genre: Flash fiction, poetry, art. Prize: $100. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists. Restrictions: Candidates must have published one or more novels for children or young adults that have been warmly received by literary critics, but have not generated sufficient income to support the author. Genre: Book-length children's or young-adult fiction. Prize: $5000. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
PEN/Bare Life Review Grants. Restrictions: Open to immigrant and refugee writers in the US and abroad. Genre: Unpublished work-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2026. The project must be a work of a literary nature: fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry. Prize: $5000. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships. Restrictions: Delaware poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in Delaware for at least one year prior to application and who are not enrolled in a degree-granting program. Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction. Prize: Established Professional Fellowships of $6,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $3,000 each. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants. Restrictions: Open to women and trans artists in Greater Philadelphia to fund art for social change projects. People living in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties Delaware who are 18 years of age or older and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible. Genre: Art in traditional or nontraditional modes, mediums or disciplines. Prize: $2500. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
Granum Foundation Prize helps U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works—such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, and memoirs—or to help launch these works. Additionally, a Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be awarded to support the completion of a work translated by a U.S.-based writer. Prize: One winner will receive $5,000; up to three finalists will be awarded $500 or more; $500 or more will be awarded to one writer working in translation. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
Oregon Literary Fellowships. Two fellowships (one $10,000 grant and one $3,500 grant) are reserved specifically for writers of color. There are also fellowships for women/gender-nonconforming writers as well as special fellowships for fiction writers who have lived in Oregon over the past 5 years. Deadline: August 2, 2024.
Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. "On each competition weekend, we’ll reveal a set of story prompts and you’ll have 55 hours to submit your best story of 500-words (or fewer)." Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: Opens August 2, 2024. Closes August 4, 2024. (Australian time)
Peter Blazey Fellowship. Restrictions: Applicants must either be an Australian citizen or have Australian residency. Genre: Non-fiction in the fields of autobiography, biography or life writing. Prize: $15,000, and a one-month writer-in-residency at The Australia Centre. Deadline: August 12, 2024.
Waterford Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to residents of Ireland. Genre: Poem. Prize: First prize is €400 plus attendance at a designated writing course. Deadline: August 12, 2024.
Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction between 1k words max based on theme. Prize: $30. Deadline: August 14, 2024.
John Glassco Translation Prize. Sponsored by Literary Translators' Association of Canada. Restrictions: Open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents only. Genre: The work submitted must be the translator's first published book-length translation into English or French. Prize: $1000. Deadline: August 15, 2024.
Ligonier Valley Writers. Genre: Flash fiction on theme;1000 words max. Prize: The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15. Deadline: August 15, 2024.
Scotiabank Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English between July 1, 2024, and September 30, 2024. Must be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: August 16, 2024.
Lucky Jefferson Poetry and Prose Contest. Restriction: Open to anyone over the age of 10. Genre: Poetry and prose. Prize: $100, publication, and a swag box. Deadline: August 18, 2024.
Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour. Restrictions: Open to British novelists of color with no previous published books and not currently signed by an agent. Genre: Novel. Prize: £500 and a meeting with a literary agent. Deadline: August 19, 2024.
Write the World: Flash Fiction Competition. Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5. Genre: Flash fiction, 100 words max. Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50. Deadline: August 26, 2024.
On the Premises. Genre: Short story. "For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which one or more characters with significant expertise in some area matter to the story. The expert(s) DO NOT have to be the story’s main character(s), though it’s fine if they are–the judges won’t care either way. We’re also open to the idea that your story’s character(s) with expertise might be either wrong, or frauds, or idiots. (Or they’re legitimate experts!) However, the idea of expertise, and at least one person who has it (or doesn’t?) has to matter to the story." Prize: Up to $250. Deadline: August 30, 2024.
RSL Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction. Restrictions: The writer must be a resident of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or have been a resident in the UK or ROI for the past three years. Genre: Nonfiction book. Prize: Two awards – one of £10,000, one of £5,000 – are offered to support writers to complete their first commissioned works of non-fiction. Deadline: August 30, 2024.
#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Flash fiction on theme of Summer Camp. Your story must be no longer than 101 words. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: August 30, 2024.
Preservation Foundation Biographical Nonfiction Contest. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $250 in any single year. Genre: Biographical Nonfiction. Prize: First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Northwind Writing Award. Genre: Prose Poetry, Poetry, Short Fiction, and Non-fiction/Essay/Memoir. Prize: $100 and publication. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry collection (in English), at least 48 pages long, published between July 1 of the previous year and June 30 of the deadline year by an upstate New York author. Prize: $2000. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Platt Family Scholarship Prize Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to students who are FULL TIME, undergraduate students in an AMERICAN COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY during the Spring 2024 semester. Genre: Essay on topic: “In this current presidential election year, which some have described as the most important in history, what arguments can be made that the 1864 Lincoln-McClellan race was indeed the most crucial of American history.” Prize: 1st Prize $1500 | 2nd Prize $750 | 3rd Prize $500. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Morioka International Haiku Contest. Genre: Haiku. Prize: Not specified. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Sundog Summer Collaboration Contest. Genre: "Sometimes teamwork is what makes the dreamwork, so this summer we want to see what you’ve created with another writer (or two or three — there’s actually no limit) for our annual Collaboration Contest. Submit your wildest, most inventive work of any or mixed genre. Just keep your hybrid masterpiece to 1,000 words or less." Prize: $300 and publication. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Kindle Storyteller Award (UK). Restrictions: The prize is open to all authors who publish their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk. Genre: Book. Prize: £20,000. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction. Genre: Essay, maximum 5,000 words. Prize: $250 top prize. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation or Multi-Lingual Texts. Restrictions: Translators and authors of multi-lingual texts. Genres: Poetry and prose. Prize: $200. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
“Kusamakura” Haiku Competition. Genre: Haiku. Prize: (Grand Prize) to one winner : goods worthy of ￥20,000. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Poetry Archive NOW! WordView. Genre: Poetry. "Make a video/film recording of yourself reading or reciting a single poem which you have written in 2024." Prize: £100. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing. Genre: Short story with an overall word-count of 1500 on theme: "Letters to My Love" Prize: £100. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
21 Futures: Financial Fallout. Genre: Fiction (up to 3,000 words) "Which catastrophic failures will we see in the next 100 years? And how will it affect ordinary citizens of the world?" Prize: 1st place: $1,000 + feature interview; 2nd place: $500 + podcast appearance; 3rd place: $250 + social media shoutout; 4th place: $100 + signed book. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing. Genre: Scholarly essay. All work submitted must have been written or published within the last year. Prize: $3,000. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Rattle's Ekphrastic Challenge. Genre: Poetry based on art. (See website) Prize: $100. Deadline: August 31, 2024.
Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: August 31, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.
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