Internationally respected short story prize run since 2008. Up to 4,000 words. Open to writers worldwide. All shortlisted writers receive £50 and publication in the…
Celebrates the best fiction translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. The £50,000 prize is shared equally between author and translator. Short stor…
Annual awards from one of America's most prestigious literary journals — published since 1970 by the University of Iowa. Three categories: poetry, fiction, and creat…
Annual contest from one of America's most distinguished literary journals, founded at the University of Iowa in 1969. Open internationally. Submit up to 3 poems (8 p…
One of the most prestigious open competitions in American poetry, selecting five full-length poetry manuscripts annually for publication by major US publishers (incl…
Awarded by PEN America for an exceptionally talented debut fiction writer whose work represents distinguished literary achievement. One of the most significant debut…
Prize from one of America's most distinguished literary journals. Stories up to 12,000 words. Open internationally. Winner receives US$1,000 and publication. America…
Founded in 1998 by screenwriter Gordy Hoffman, BlueCat is particularly valued for the written feedback every entrant receives on their script — not just finalists. A…
An annual prize for emerging writers run by the prestigious Cúirt International Festival of Literature in Galway. Four categories: short fiction, poetry, essay, and…
Free-entry flash fiction prize. Max 300 words. Open internationally. Top poem earns €1,000. Winners published in the Fish Anthology. A prestigious platform for write…
A timed, prompt-based screenwriting competition running three rounds. Writers receive a genre, subject, and character assignment and must write an original short scr…
International short story competition with multiple genre categories. Stories must be no longer than 5,000 words. No sexual, political or hate speech content accepte…
One of the world's most reputable flash fiction prizes. Up to 300 words. Open internationally. Two rounds per year with £1,000 first prize each round. All shortliste…
Australia's largest open poetry prize, awarding AU$15,000 for the best single poem. Open internationally. Winning poem published in the annual anthology alongside sh…
Prestigious international competition specifically for independently published authors and small presses. Recognises quality books outside traditional publishing. No…
An annual award for unagented, unpublished writers of children's, YA and adult fiction, run in partnership with Darley Anderson Agency. Now in its eighth year with a…
An annual poetry contest from BOMB — one of New York's most respected arts and culture magazines, known for its artist-to-artist interviews and experimental literary…
One of America's most distinguished prizes for a short story collection manuscript, published by the University of Georgia Press since 1983. Open internationally for…
Known as the 'writer's festival', AFF runs one of the world's largest screenwriting conferences alongside its competition. Categories include feature, short, pilot,…
A significant cash prize for the best unpublished short story. Open to Australian and international writers. 2,000–5,000 words. Winning and shortlisted stories publi…
International contest for unagented novelists worldwide. Submit the first 5,000 words plus a one-page synopsis. Welcomes both unpublished and self-published authors.…
250 words max. Open to writers aged 16+ worldwide. One of the most competitive flash fiction prizes. Winners published in the annual Bridport anthology.
The Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel Award. Submit 5,000–8,000 words from opening chapters plus a 300-word synopsis. A win or shortlist is one of the most powerful…
One of the most coveted poetry prizes in the English-speaking world. Up to 42 lines. Open to all writers aged 16+ worldwide. Winners published in the Bridport anthol…
One of the world's most respected writing competitions. Open to writers worldwide aged 16+. Max 5,000 words. Winners published in the annual Bridport anthology. Stro…
Seeks bold, original writing that challenges norms and takes creative risks. Emotional stories with fresh perspectives. No AI-generated work accepted. International…
Established 1981 by the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, this prestigious competition has over 40 years of history. Focuses on emerging voices in short fiction. Op…
A biennial award from Canada's oldest literary magazine for emerging writers who have not yet published a full-length book. Alternates annually between poetry and fi…
An annual contest from Ploughshares — one of America's most respected and widely read literary magazines — for writers who have not yet published a full-length book.…
Presented by the makers of the industry-standard screenwriting software, Big Break accepts feature films, TV pilots (hour-long and half-hour), and short scripts. Ope…
Part of the annual HollyShorts Film Festival (Aug 13–23, 2026), this contest accepts short screenplays up to 30 pages and TV pilots up to 50 pages. Winners gain expo…
One of America's most prestigious literary honours, awarded annually since 1950. Open to US citizens for a novel or story collection published in the US. Past winner…
One of the most prestigious honours in American poetry, awarded annually since 1950 to a US citizen for a poetry collection published in the US. Past winners include…
One of Hollywood's most respected screenplay contests, judged by working producers, agents, managers, and development executives. Ten genre categories including Acti…
America's most prestigious literary honour, awarded annually for a distinguished work of fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life.
Prestigious international prize from Ireland's celebrated literary magazine. Up to 3,000 words. Open to anyone over 16 worldwide. Winning story published in the Iris…
Open to women and non-binary writers worldwide writing in English. Submit the first 10,000 words of an unpublished novel plus a synopsis. Winner receives £5,000 plus…
One of the longest-running U.S. screenplay contests, focused on connecting writers with representation. Quarterfinalists and above receive personalised development s…
An annual competition for poetry chapbooks run by the Munster Literature Centre and Southword Editions, launched at the Cork International Poetry Festival. Two winne…
Prestigious annual prize for a debut short story collection. Open to writers who have not previously published a full-length fiction manuscript. Winner receives publ…
The Irish Writers Centre's flagship annual initiative gives unpublished novelists the opportunity to pitch their novels to world-class publishers and literary agents…
Open to women and non-binary writers worldwide. Up to 2,200 words. Winner and finalists published in Mslexia and the Best Women's Short Fiction anthology. One of the…
One of America's most prestigious fiction awards, recognising the best published work of American fiction (novel, short story collection, or novella). Judged entirel…
One of the world's most prestigious literary awards, given annually for the best novel written in English and published in the UK or Ireland. Open to writers of any…
Known as the 'writer's festival', the Austin Film Festival hosts the world's largest screenwriters' conference alongside its film programme. Hundreds of panels, pitc…
Awarded to a debut full-length poetry collection published originally in English. Publishers submit four copies. One of the most valuable poetry prizes for debut col…
An annual prize from The Missouri Review — one of America's most influential literary journals — for the best unpublished fiction, poetry, and essay. Open internatio…
Run by The Poetry Society since 1978, one of the world's most prestigious prizes for a single unpublished poem. Open to all poets worldwide aged 18+. Judged anonymou…
Sister award to the Bath Novel Award, open to unagented writers of children's fiction worldwide — both unpublished and self-published authors welcome. Submit the fir…
Respected international poetry prize. Open to all poets worldwide. Winners and shortlisted poems published in the annual Fish Anthology. Judged anonymously. Maximum…
Internationally respected short story prize. Max 5,000 words. Open to all writers worldwide. Winners and shortlisted stories published in the Fish Anthology, a respe…
A major annual international poetry prize run by the Munster Literature Centre (publishers of Southword journal) and named for Cork poet Gregory O'Donoghue. Open to…
America's oldest poetry prize, awarded annually since 1919 by Yale University Press for a debut poetry collection. The prize has launched the careers of some of Amer…
One of the world's most valuable prizes for a single poetry collection, with CA$65,000 each for best Canadian and best International collection. Publisher-submitted.…
Created to address gender bias in literary awards. Celebrates excellence, originality, and accessibility in women's writing. Open to women of any nationality writing…
Supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation and named after novelist Neilma Gantner. Seeks powerful short fiction up to 3,000 words on an annual theme. Open intern…
Named for acclaimed Australian-born British poet Peter Porter, this prize is awarded annually by Australian Book Review for the best unpublished poem. Open internati…
Monthly free-entry flash fiction contest run by the Australian Writers' Centre. Stories must be 500 words max and written within a weekend using set criteria. Open i…
Free-entry contest for poetry and short fiction. Winners published in Aesthetica Magazine and receive £1,000. Open internationally. Celebrates innovative and boundar…
Free-entry contest for the best philosophical-themed writing. Offers one of the largest free-entry prizes in creative writing. Open internationally.
International screenplay competition based in Australia, open to screenwriters worldwide. Accepts feature scripts, shorts, and TV pilots. Emphasises detailed reader…
International competition for crime novelists writing in English. All crime subgenres welcome. Entrants may not have self-published fiction over 20,000 words. Win ca…
No entry fee prize run by the independent publisher Galley Beggar Press. Seeks extraordinary storytelling. Open internationally. One of the few free-entry prizes fro…
Free-entry competition awarding US$1,000 across multiple genres including short stories, poetry, and flash fiction. Open internationally. Rolling deadlines make it a…
Awarded annually by Poets & Writers to an author who has given generously to other writers — through mentorship, teaching, or advocacy. Cannot be applied for; recipi…
Awarded to the best work of literature in the English language, regardless of form or nationality. Nominated by Academy members. Celebrates literary merit across fic…
Weekly themed short story contest with rolling deadlines and free entry. Open internationally. Strong community of writers. A good entry point for emerging writers s…
Runs year-round genre-specific competitions including Drama, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Animation, and TV Pilot, each judged by relevant industry professionals. Known f…
Open to anyone over 16. Five categories: Novel, Short Story, Poetry, Children's/YA Novel, and Writing Without Restrictions. Strong track record of supporting emergin…
US Writing Competitions in 2026
The United States has the world's largest and most varied literary competition ecosystem, with prizes across every genre — from the Pulitzer Prize to genre-specific screenplay contests like the PAGE Awards and Final Draft Big Break.
Most US competitions are open internationally. Use the filters to find competitions by type — fiction, poetry, novel, flash, or screenplay.
See the Resources & Festivals tab for US writers' organisations — and major literary events including the AWP Conference, Tin House Summer Workshop, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and Austin Film Festival.
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Browse the full Scriptorium directory or submit a competition for review.
Browse the full directory
Search all competitions across Australia, NZ, UK, Ireland, USA and Canada in one place.
Open full directory →The international professional organisation for horror writers, administering the Bram Stoker Awards. Offers the HWA Mentorship Program, scholarships and an active g…
The premier organisation for mystery and crime writers in America, administering the Edgar Awards. Offers professional development, advocacy and networking for membe…
The preeminent professional organisation for romance fiction writers in the US. Offers the RITA Award, Golden Heart Award for unpublished writers, professional devel…
The professional organisation for speculative fiction writers, administering the Nebula Awards. Offers emergency funds, contract support, legal resources and the ann…
The largest literary conference in North America, bringing together over 12,000 writers, editors, agents, and publishers each year. Features hundreds of panels, read…
Known as the 'writer's festival', the Austin Film Festival hosts the world's largest screenwriters' conference alongside its film programme. Hundreds of panels, pitc…
The oldest and most prestigious writers' conference in the US, held in the Vermont mountains each August since 1926. An intensive residential programme offering work…
One of the most respected residential writing workshops in the world, held in Portland, Oregon each July. Led by celebrated authors and editors, with workshops in fi…
America's oldest and most prestigious writers' conference, held annually since 1926. A 10-day residential program with workshops, lectures and manuscript consultatio…
One of America's most prestigious MFA programs, based in New York City. Strong focus on literary fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Alumni include Edwidge Danticat and…
The world's most famous creative writing program, founded in 1936. Alumni include Flannery O'Connor, Raymond Carver and John Irving. Offers MFA in Poetry and Fiction…
NYU's MFA is one of the country's most sought-after programs. Faculty include Colm Tóibín, Jonathan Safran Foer and Sharon Olds. Excellent industry connections in th…
Run by the highly regarded Tin House literary magazine and publisher. Annual summer and winter workshops bring emerging writers together with acclaimed authors and e…
America's preeminent literary and human rights organisation, defending free expression and supporting writers through fellowships, grants, events and the PEN Literar…
The largest nonprofit organisation serving creative writers in the US. Publishes Poets & Writers Magazine and maintains the most comprehensive database of literary e…
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