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Contests for Novelists

ABILENE WRITERS GUILD

July 1

August 2

$5-10

1st: $100 2nd: $65  3rd: $35

Abilene Writers Guild
P.O. Box 2562
Abilene  TX  79604-2562

Rhymed Poetry (up to 50 lines); Unrhymed Poetry (up to 50 lines); Children's Stories for Ages 3-10 (1,000 words maximum); Articles of General Interest (1,500 words maximum); Compositions of Inspiration (1,500 words maximum); Memoir/Composition of Nostalgia (1,500 words maximum); Fiction for Adults (1,500 words maximum); Adventure/Science Fiction/Mystery/Fantasy/Horror Novels (no more than 10 pages of 1st chapter and a 1-page synopsis of book); Mainstream/Romance/Western/Other Novel (no more than 10 pages of 1st chapter and a 1-page synopsis of book). All rights remain with the writer. Deadlines and entry fees vary based on type of material submitted. See website for details.

 

THE SHERWOOD ANDERSON FOUNDATION FICTION AWARD April 1 $20 $1,000
Sherwood Anderson Foundation
3501 Highway 54 W.
Studio C
Chapel Hill  NC  27516
Annual award given to best short story or chapter from a novel. Entrants are required to have published one book of fiction (either a novel or SS collection) AND have published stories in multiple literary and/or commercial magazines.
 
AWP AWARD SERIES January 1 $20

$4000 poem

$2000 fiction

Association of Writers & Writing Programs
Carty House, Mail Stop 1E3
George Mason University
Fairfax  VA  22030
Categories: poetry (Donald Hall Poetry Prize), short fiction, novel, and creative nonfiction. Guidelines for SASE and on website. Open to any writer. In addition to cash prize, winning manuscript is published by one of the member publishing houses
 
BEST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST August 1 None $10,000
Private Eye Writers of America and St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Ave.
New York  NY  11215
Unpublished book-length private eye story. Prize acts as advance against royalties and book will be published by St. Martin's Press.
 
The Canadian Children's Book Centre
40 Orchard View Blvd.
Suite 101
Toronto  ON  M4R 1B9
Canada
Annual award for a previously published work of historical fiction targeted at young people and written by a Canadian Author.
 
The Boston Globe, Horn Book, Inc.
56 Roland St.
Suite 200
Boston  MA  02129
Annual award for literature for children and young adults (published June 1, 2003-May 31, 2004). Categories: picture book, fiction and poetry, nonfiction. Judges may also name several honor books in each category. Books must be published in the United States.
 
Commonwealth Club           595 Market St.
San Francisco  CA  94105
Annual awards for books published by California writers. Must have been resident of California at the time of publication. Categories include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, first work of fiction, juvenile and works about California.
 
COMMONWEALTH WRITERS PRIZE Nov. 15 None £10,000
The Commonwealth Foundation
c/o Booktrust                  Book House
45 E. Hill
Wandsworth  London  SW18 2QZ
United Kingdom
£10,000 goes to the best fiction book published in the Commonwealth of Nations, £3,000 goes to the best first book published and £1,000 awards are giving to each of the eight regional winners. The Commonwealth includes Africa, Caribbean and Canada, Eurasia, and Southeast Asia and South Pacific.
 
VIOLET CROWN BOOK AWARDS May 31 $20 $1,000
Writers' League of Texas
1501 W. Fifth St., Suite E-2
Austin  TX  78703
Annual award give to books in three categories by Writers' League of Texas members. Categories are fiction, nonfiction and literary.
 
MARGUERITE DE ANGELI PRIZE June 30 None $1,500
Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers, Random House, Inc.
1745 Broadway
New York  NY  10019
Contemporary or historical fiction novel suitable for 8-12 year old children. In addition to the prize, the winning author will receive a $7,500 advance against royalties and a publishing contract.
 
The Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society
624 Pirate's Alley
New Orleans  LA  70116-3254
Novel: $7,500; novella: $2,500; novel-in-progress: $2,000; short story: $1,500; personal essay: $1,000; individual poem: $750; high school: $750 for student and $250 for sponsoring teacher.entry fee: Novel--$35; novella--$30; novel-in-progress--$30; short story, personal essay, and individual poem--$25; high school short story--$10 (paid by school).
 
FISH UNPUBLISHED NOVEL AWARD Sept. 30 $30 $1,200
Fish Publishing
Durrus
Bantry, Co. Cork    
Ireland
Open to any writer with a completed, but unpublished novel. Prize money acts as an advance against royalties in a publishing contract.
 
Creative Writing Program, Binghamton University-State University of New York
P.O. Box 6000
Binghamton  NY  13902-6000
While a thousand bucks ain't bad, this is one case where the prestige is worth a lot more than the money. This is one of the most coveted awards in fiction. See their website for eligibility requirements.
 
GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION March 15 or Aug. 7 None $15,000
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert St.
P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa  ON  K1P 5V8
Canada
Two awards given. One for the best Canadian fiction in the English language and one for the best Canadian fiction in the French language. See the Council's site for numerous other awards handed out each year.
 
HACKNEY LITERARY AWARDS Varies Varies Varies
Writing Today Conference
Birmingham-Southern College
Box 549003
Birmingham  AL  35254
Annual award for previously unpublished novels or short stories. $5,000 in annual prizes for poetry and short fiction ($2,500 national and $2,500 state level; 1st Place: $600; 2nd Place: $400; 3rd Place: $250), plus $5,000 for an unpublished novel. Deadlines are September 30 (novels), December 31 (short stories and poetry)
 
PEN New England,           P.O. Box 400725
North Cambridge  MA  02140
Annual award for best debut novel or collection of short stories by an American author.
 
THE JULIA WARD HOWE/BOSTON AUTHORS AWARD Jan. 1 None $500
The Boston Authors Club
79 Moore Rd.
Wayland  MA  01778
Annual award for a fiction book and a non-fiction book published by any author who lives within a 100-mile radius of Boston, or lived in that region in a previous life.
 
Christopher Isherwood Foundation
Box 650
Montrose  AL  36559
Annual award to an author who has published a novel. Sometimes gives multiple awards in one year.
 
JESSE H. JONES AWARD Jan. 3 None $6,000
3700 Mockingbird Lane
Dallas  TX  75205
Another of those Texas awards for best novel published in the previous calendar year. You either must be a Texas resident, have lived for two consecutive years in a previous lifetime or be writing about Texas.
 
Wilkes University
English Department, Kirby Hall
Wilkes-Barre  PA  18766
Annual award for an unpublished novel, novella or short story collection that exemplifies the style of James Jones. Author may not have previously published a book-length work of fiction.