L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is an opportunity for new and amateur writers of new short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy. No entry fee is required. Entrants retain all publication rights. All awards are adjudicated by professional writers only. Prizes every three months: $1,000, $750, $500, plus a trophy. Annual Grand Prize: $5,000 additional!
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.If you have not read the contest rules, please click here before submitting.
Deadlines: Quarterly: March 31, July 30, September 30, and December 31.
Prose.COM – $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. You must register with PROSE.COM in order to enter. No fee to register or enter.
Deadline: Weekly.
Ninth Annual Life Lessons Essay Contest
What was the most dramatic change you ever had to make?
Write a compelling personal essay about it and how it affected your life in no more than 1,500 words, you may be able to win $3,000 in Real Simple’s annual essay contest.
Deadline: September 19, 2016 – Limit one entry per person, 1500 words. (no entry fee). Winners will be announced January 8, 2017. Send entries to lifelessons@realsimple.com. More guidelines and contest rules here.
John Steinbeck Award for Fiction
Offered by Reed Magazine for a work of fiction up to 5,000 words. The winner of the John Steinbeck Short Story Award receives a cash prize of $1000. There is a reading fee of $15. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: November 1. Click on link for more guidelines.
Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction
Reed Magazine is looking for creative nonfiction up to 5,000 words and requires a reading fee of $15. Cash prize of $1,333. Deadline: November 1. Click on link for more guidelines.
Edwin Markham Prize for Poetry
Submit up to five poems per entry for the Edwin Markham Prize of $1,000. Reading fee of $15. Deadline: November 1. Click on link for more guidelines. Offered by Reed Magazine.
HG Well Short Story Competition
The 2016 competition theme is space. The shortlisted stories will be published in an anthology. Copyright remains with the author; story must be unpublished. Reading fee of $14.48. Entries close July 19. More guidelines here. Submit short stories (1,500-5,000 words) electronically to hgwstory@gmail.com or sent to HG Wells Short Story Competition, 20 Brockman Road, Folkestone, Kent CT20 1DL
MORE Writing Contests, Grants, Awards
Courtesy Poets & Writers Magazine
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SWG 22nd Annual International Poetry and Prose Contest – 2015 WINNERS
2015 Award Recipients and Judges
Thanks to all who entered the Annual Springfield Writers’ Guild Literary Awards Contest. Congratulations to award recipients. Thanks to the judges who volunteered their time and expertise, and a great big thanks to contest director Yvonne Erwin for managing a difficult job. Her planning, organizing, and directing skills caused everything to run smoothly and professionally. Click the link above to see the winners and judges.
Red Flags of Writing Contests
Fees in themselves are not a negative–but the ratio of entry fee to prize money is the tell-tale sign. Have past winners been published? Where? Read their blogs. Study their careers. You can tell a lot about the quality of the contest by the quality of the winner.
Rights
If a contest wants all rights for entering, run away. If a contest wants one-time or first rights to publish and publicize your award, then fine. Read more
