Narrative awards the $4,000 Narrative Prize annually for the best short story, novel excerpt, poem, one-act play, graphic story, or work of literary nonfiction that a new or emerging writer publishes in Narrative. Writers can submit their work here. The deadline for this year’s prize is June 15, 2015.
Glimmer Train is accepting submissions for its Short Story Award for New Writers. The contest is open to writers whose fiction has not appeared in any print publication with a circulation of more than 5,000. The reading fee is $15 per story. The submission deadline is May 31, 2015.
The 2015 New Letters Literary Awards are accepting poetry, essay, and fiction submissions. Writers can enter their work for consideration for the following prizes: The $1,500 New Letters Prize for Poetry for the best group of three to six poems The $1,500 Dorothy Cappon Prize for the best essay The $1,500 Alexander Cappon Prize for Fiction for the best short story The submission deadline is midnight on Monday, May May 18.
The Luminarts Cultural Foundation at the Union League Club of Chicago is accepting applications for its annual creative writing competition, which awards five $5,000 grant awards and Luminarts Fellowships across the categories of creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Luminarts competitions are open to applicants aged 18–30 who live within 150 miles of the Union League Club of Chicago. The submission deadline is June 1, 2015. Writers may submit their work here.
The Kentucky Women Writers Conference will award five postgraduate merit scholarships to women enrolled in graduate school to attend this year’s conference. The conference will take place September 11–12, 2015, in Lexington, Kentucky. To apply, submit a five-page writing sample—enclosing a cover letter that describes your interest in the event and mentions the writing workshop in which you would like to enroll—to the following address: Postgraduate Scholarships Kentucky Women Writers Conference 232 East Maxwell Street Lexington, KY 40506 The postmark deadline is June 1. For other prizes the Kentucky Women Writers Conference offers, click here.
Notting Hill Editions is accepting submissions for its 2015 Essay Prize. The submission deadline is midnight on May 1, 2015. First prize is £20,000. Five runners-up will receive £1,000 each. Applicants can enter their essays into the contest here.
Cowbird is accepting applications for its first ever Unheard Voices grant. Cowbird will award grants to two multimedia storytellers, journalists, or photographers to work with communities whose voices aren’t usually heard and to help share these communities’ stories. Grantees will receive a $2,500 stipend and technical and logistical support. The submission deadline is May 10, 2015. Cowbird will announce the grants on or before June 1. To apply, send a résumé and one professional reference to hay@cowbird.com and complete a list of questions.
Glimmer Train‘s Very Short Fiction Award is now accepting submissions. This contest welcomes any story of up to 3,000 words that has not been accepted for print publication. The reading fee is $15 per story. The prizes are as follows: • First place: $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories, and 20 copies of that issue • Second place: $500 (or, if accepted for publication, $700 and 10 copies) • Third place: $300 (or, if accepted for publication, $700 and 10 copies) The submission deadline is April 30, 2015.
Black Warrior Review is accepting submissions for its eleventh annual contest starting today, April 1. This year’s guest judges are Heather Christle (poetry), Alissa Nutting (fiction/prose), and Mary Roach (nonfiction). The submission deadline is September 1, 2015. The $20 entry fee includes a one-year subscription to Black Warrior Review. Writers may submit their work here. Winners in each genre will receive a $1,000 prize and publication in BWR 42.2, Spring/Summer 2016. Three runners-up will receive $100 in addition to publication.
The Illinois Emerging Writers Competition is accepting submissions for the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award. The award for first place is $500; second place is $300 and third place is $100. Winning poems also will be submitted for possible publication in Bluestem, Ninth Letter, Quiddity, and RHINO journals and Poetic License Press publications. Entries must be postmarked by June 30, 2015. View the entry form and guidelines here.
The Writer’s “An Ocean of Possibility” short story contest is now accepting submissions of 1,000-word fiction stories. Writers have a choice of three ocean-themed quotes as inspiration for their stories: “Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.” – Sarah Kay “Doesn’t it seem to you,” asked Madame Bovary, “that the mind moves more freely in the presence of that boundless expanse, that the sight of it elevates the soul and gives rise to thoughts of the infinite and the ideal?” – Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary … Read Article →
The Luminarts Cultural Foundation at the Union League Club of Chicago is accepting applications for its annual creative writing competition, which awards five $5,000 grant awards and Luminarts Fellowships across the categories of creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Luminarts competitions are open to applicants who are between the ages of 18 and 30. The submission deadline is June 1, 2015. Writers may submit their work here.