The 30 Below Contest is open to all young writers, poets, visual artists, photographers, performers, and filmmakers between eighteen and thirty years old. Deadline: Saturday, November 15, at midnight, PST. First Prize: $1,500 Second Prize: $750 Third Prize: $300 Ten finalists receive $100 each 30 Below Contest entrants may submit their work here.
The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival‘s annual fiction contest is accepting submissions through 5 p.m. CST on November 16, 2014. For more information, view the contest guidelines and FAQ.
The Conium Review’s Flash Fiction Contest is currently seeking submissions. The submission deadline is December 15, 2014. This year’s judge is Ashley Farmer, author of Beside Myself (Tiny Hardcore Press) and Farm Town (Rust Belt Bindery). The winning writer receives $300, a copy of the judge’s latest book, online publication, and publication as a limited-run broadside or micro-chap for distribution at the 2015 AWP Conference.
A notice from Glimmer Train. New Writer Award: First place wins $1,500 and publication in Issue 96. This category is open only to emerging writers whose fiction has not appeared in any print publication with a circulation of more than 5,000. (Seven of the last eight first place New Writer winners have been those authors’ first print publications.) Second- and third-place winners receive $500/$300, respectively, or, if accepted for publication, $700. Winners and finalists will be announced in the February 1 bulletin, and contacted directly the previous week. Most submissions run 1,500–6,000 words, but can be as… Read Article →
Creative Nonfiction is seeking submissions for two new anthologies from In Fact Books; a special issue of CNF; and the Exploring the Boundaries section of the magazine. January 20 Exploring the Boundaries (section of the magazine) What to send: Ambitious writing that pushes against the conventional boundaries of the genre, plays with style and form, and makes its own rules. February 9 Beyond Crazy (a book) What to send: Original stories that address —either directly or obliquely—the trials of living with mental illness. March 9 Becoming a Teacher (another book) What to send: Stories by and/or about elementary… Read Article →
The Waywiser Press is accepting first- and second-book manuscripts for the tenth annual Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize through December 1, 2014. The winning manuscript will receive £1,750 or $3,000, publication by Waywiser in both the UK and USA, and a reading with the judge at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. For more details, see the informational flier.
Nightlight Reading is accepting submissions geared to boys aged 10–12 for its inaugural short story contest. The nonprofit aims “to fund and promote literature that appeals to boys and keeps them engaged and reading.” The 2014 contest theme is adventure. Writers may submit pieces of up to 5,000 words (20 pages). Submit your entry here by December 31, 2014.
The Luminarts Cultural Foundation at the Union League Club of Chicago is accepting applications for its 2015 creative writing competition. The competition awards five $5,000 grant awards and Luminarts Fellowships across the categories of creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry to young Chicagoland writers (aged 18–30). Applicants may submit their work here. APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, June 1, 2015, 11:59 p.m. CST
The Vine Leaves Vignette Collection Award is open for submissions. Writers may enter a 50- to 60-page manuscript of vignettes. The winner receives a $500 prize, publication by Vine Leaves Press, and 20 copies of his or her book. The deadline is February 28, 2015. Submit your manuscript here.
The Guild Literary Complex is seeking submissions for its 2014 Prose Awards. Illinois residents aged 18 and older may submit an original piece of up to 1,000 words. The winner in each category (fiction and nonfiction) will receive a cash prize of $500. The deadline to submit is Wednesday, October 1, 2014.
The Lascaux Prize in Poetry The deadline for the inaugural Lascaux Prize in Poetry contest is September 23, 2014. Poets may enter more than once and may submit up to five poems per entry. Pieces of all lengths and styles are welcome. The winner receives $1,000 and publication in The Lascaux Review. The Christine E. Eldin Memorial Fellowship The deadline for the inaugural Christine E. Eldin Memorial Fellowship is December 31, 2014. Submit the first 5,000 words of an unpublished middle-grade fiction manuscript and a comprehensive synopsis (up to 2,000 words). The winner receives $1,000 and a trophy. The Lascaux Prize… Read Article →
The Fall 2014 Black River Chapbook Competition is now open to submissions of poetry and short fiction through October 31, 2014. Black Lawrence Press runs the Black River Chapbook Competition for an unpublished chapbook of poems or short fiction twice a year. Entries should be between 16 and 36 pages in length. The winner will receive book publication, a $500 cash award, and ten copies of the book. You can submit entries here.