Writing Awards and Prizes 2024
Most literary magazines have an annual award for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry — there are at least a hundred of them. Mostly they are for a single story or essay, but there are also many for books (collections of stories, or essays, or a novel, etc.) which I haven’t listed here.
Writing Awards and Prizes 2024
The contests usually have fees of around $15-25 per submission and are anonymously judged by a guest judge, usually a well-known writer. Winners are published in the magazine; runners-up are sometimes published, too. Deadlines are often in the fall, though there are many in the spring, too.
Because these contests are judged anonymously, there’s no way for the editors to favor already established writers, which unfortunately does happen a lot (at least with fiction). So it can be easier for someone who isn’t named Joyce Carol Oates to get a story into print anonymously.
And if you’re just looking to have something to talk about in a query letter to a literary agent, even placing as a runner-up or finalist can be helpful.
Some to look at (please note that there are scores of awards like these that can be found at Poets and Writers), and the deadlines vary wildly, but many are in the fall or spring.
Writing Awards and Prizes $2000+
Colorado Review Prizes
Genres: Poetry, fiction.
The Colorado Prize for Poetry: $2,500 honorarium and publication of 500 copies.
Genres: Fiction.
Prizes: First prize: €3,000, and 5-day Short Story Workshop at the West Cork Literary Festival. 2nd prize: €300 and a week at Anam Cara Writers’ Retreat. 3rd prize: €300. Seven Honourable Mentions €200 each. The Fish Anthology will publish the top ten stories.
Missouri Review Jeffrey E. Smith Editors Prize
Genres: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry.
Prizes: First place in each category receives $5,000.
Reopens for submissions in summer 2024
New England Review Award: Award for Emerging Writers
A full scholarship to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference for an emerging writer in any genre
Emerging writers are those haven’t yet published a book or full-length collection, and don’t have a book under contract
Genres: Poetry, essay, fiction.
Prizes: $2,500.
Deadline: May 20, 2024.
October Fiction Award: $750 and publication. October Fiction Award: winner will be published in New Letters and $750.
Genres: Fiction, including flash fiction and short story; screenwriting
Prizes: Up to $4,500
Seven contests throughout the 2024 year, each with significant prizes
Writing Awards and Prizes $1000-$2000
Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Prizes: $1,500 and Gulf Coast publication for the winner in each genre. Two honorable mentions in each genre are awarded $250.
Deadline: April 10, 2024
Genres: Poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Prize: $1,500; first runners-up receive $750. All are published the December issue.
Submit: January 2024
NOTE: The University of Iowa also has a contest for a collection of stories, for more info click HERE, submissions due August 1-September 30, 2024.
Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction (essays)
Three $1,500-each prizes and New Ohio Review publication
Deadline: April 15, 2024
Genre: Flash fiction
Deadline: April 30, 2024
Prize: $2,000 USD.
Writing Awards and Prizes $1000 and Under
Black Warrior Review Writing Contest from the University of Alabama
Genres: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction.
Prizes: $1000 and publication in fiction, nonfiction and poetry and $500 and publication in Flash category.
Florida Review 2024 Editors' Award in Fiction
Genres: Fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction.
Prizes: $1000 and publication in The Florida Review.
Deadline: April 15, 2024
Genres: Poetry and creative nonfiction deadline March 31, 2024
Prize: $1000 + publication.
Los Angeles Review Literary Awards
Genres: Poetry, short stories, short-short story and essay.
Prizes: Four $1,000 prizes and Los Angeles Review publication.
Genres: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.
Prizes: $1,000 and publication in the Mississippi Review.
Open for submissions: August 15, 2024.
Genres: Poetry.
Prizes: $500 for the best poem; Three runners-up will receive $100; all will featured in Rosebud.
University of Georgia Flannery O’Connor Short Fiction Award
Genres: Short fiction.
Prize: $1,000 and publication.
Submissions open: April 1 to May 31, 2024
Zoetrope: All-Story Short Fiction Competition
Genres: Short fiction.
Prizes: First prize is $1000, second prize is $50, and third prize: $250. Prizewinners and honorable mentions are considered for representation by top literary agencies.
Opens: July 1, 2024 and closes the first week of October, 2024.