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Short Stories and Collections Competitions

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.
 
ACADEMY OF CHILDREN'S WRITERS' WRITING FOR CHILDREN COMPETITION March 31 £5 1st: £1000 2nd: £300  3rd: £100

Academy of Children's Writers
P.O. Box 95
Huntington  Cambridgeshire  

PE28 5RL
England

Annual award for short fiction targeted toward the children's market.
 
The Allegheny Review
Allegheny College
Box 32
Meadville  PA  16335
Offered annually for unpublished work. Accepts inquiries by e-mail and phone. Email address is review@allegheny.edu
 
American Literary Review
P.O. Box 311307
University of North Texas
Denton  TX  76203-1307
Annual prize alternates between poetry and short fiction every other year. See website or send an email to americanliteraryreview@yahoo.com for annual deadline and content information.
 
Gival Press, LLC
P.O. Box 3812
Arlington  VA  22203
Annual award for a short story in the English language (no translations) between 5 and 15K words.
 
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.
 
Gival Press, LLC
P.O. Box 3812
Arlington  VA  22203
Annual award for a short story in the English language (no translations) between 5 and 15K words.
 
ANNUAL HIDDEN TALENTS SHORT STORY CONTEST May 31 $10

$5 junior

See Text
Tall Tales Press Book Publishing, Inc.
20 Tuscany Valley Park NW
Calgary  AB  T3L 2B6
Canada
Short story contest for adults and children who have never been published. Adult--1st Place: $500; 2nd Place: $250; 3rd Place: $100; 4th Place: $75; Honorable Mentions: $25. Junior Writers--1st Place: $200; 2nd Place: $100; 3rd Place: $50; 4th Place: $25; Honorable Mentions: $10.
 
ANTHOLOGY ANNUAL CONTEST August 31 $5 $150

Anthology

P.O. Box 4411
Mesa  AZ  85211-4411

Short story competition for almost any genre. No erotica or horror. Word length between 1 and 6K words
 
ANTIETAM REVIEW LITERARY AWARD Sept. 1 $15 $100
Antietam Review
41 S. Potomac St.
Hagerstown  MD  21740
Annual award for short story or poems (send three). Only writers from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC and Delaware are eligible.
 
Arizona Authors' Association
P.O. Box 87857
Phoenix  AZ  85080-7857
Annual award for previously unpublished short fiction, essay, poetry or article.
 
Cottonwood Art Cooperative
1124 Columbia NE
Albuquerque  NM  87106
Annual competition for short fiction up to fifty pages. This same organization also sponsors a poetry fellowship and a traveling writer fellowship.
 
ARTS & LETTERS PRIZES April 1 $15 $1000
Arts & Letters Journal of Contemporary Culture
Campus Box 89
GC&SU
Milledgeville  GA  31061
Fiction, poetry, and drama (one-act play). Fiction and poetry winners will attend a weekend program in October, and the drama winner will attend a Spring festival that includes a production of the prize-winning play.
 
THE ISAAC ASIMOV AWARD Dec. 15 $10 $500
International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts 
School of Mass Communications, University of South Florida
4202 E. Fowler
Tampa  FL  33620
Annual award for full-time college undergraduate students for a science fiction story. In addition to prize money, student also receives expense-paid trip to Fort Lauderdale, FL for the awards ceremony.
 
AuthorMania.com
Route 4
Box 201-A
Buna  TX  77612
Annual competition for short stories up to 5K words in any genre. They will not consider erotica or "hate fiction".
 
AUTHORS IN THE PARK SHORT STORY CONTEST April 30 $12 1st $1000 2nd $500 3rd $250 
Authors in the Park
P.O. Box 85
Winter Park  FL  32790-0085
Annual competition for short stories up to 5K words. Send an email to authorsinthepark@earthlink.net for guidelines.
 
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
 
B&A FICTION CONTEST Ongoing $20 (CA) TBD
P.O. Box 702
Station P
Toronto, Ontario    M5S 2Y4
Canada
Annual competition for short stories in any genre. Open to all writers, published and unpublished.
 
BARD FICTION PRIZE Ongoing None $30,000
Bard College
P.O. Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson  NY  12504-5000
Open to "younger writers". Winning writer must agree to spend one year at Bard College as Writer-in-Residence.
 
BEACON STREET REVIEW EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD Ongoing None $100
Beacon Street Review
Emerson College
120 Boylston St.
Boston  MA  02116
Annual award for unpublished short fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry.
 

Boston Review 

E53-407 MIT
Cambridge  MA  02139

Annual competition for unpublished short stories under 4K words. Winning story will be published in a future issue of Boston Review. They also sponsor a similar competition for poetry.
 
Boulevard Magazine
6614 Clayton Rd.
PMB #325
Richmond Heights  MO  63117
Offered annually for unpublished short fiction. Winning author may not yet have published a book of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction with a nationally distributed press. 
 
BRANT POINT PRIZE Varies $10 Pub. Contract
What's Inside Press
P.O. Box 16965
Beverly Hills  CA  90209
Each year's awards are targeted toward a specific theme. Check website for annual theme and deadline. All stories must be targeted toward younger readers and all entry fees are donated to a foundation that helps abused children.
 
BRAZOS BOOKSTORE SHORT STORY AWARD Jan. 3 None $750
3700 Mockingbird Lane
Dallas  TX  75205
Short story by any writer from Texas that appeared in print in the previous calendar year.
 
The Briar Cliff Review
Briar Cliff University
3303 Rebecca St.
Sioux City  IA  51104-0100
Unpublished short fiction and poetry up to 5K words. Looking for stories with a plot. Submit work between August 1 and November 1.
 
SANDRA BROWN AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SHORT FICTION See Text None $250
descant
Texas Christian University's literary journal
TCU Box 297270
Fort Worth  TX  76129
Annual award for unpublished short stories. Submissions accepted from September through April.
 
BYLINE MAGAZINE AWARDS Varies $5 See Text
Byline Magazine Awards   P.O. Box 5240
Edmond  OK  73083-5240
Magazine sponsors several monthly contests, open to anyone, in various categories that include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children's literature; an annual poetry chapbook award which is open to any poet. In addition, an annual ByLine Short Fiction and Poetry Award open only to Byline subscribers. Chapbook Award: Publication of chapbook, 50 copies and $200; ByLine Short Fiction and Poetry Award: $250 in each category, plus publication in the magazine.
 
CAPE FEAR CRIME FESTIVAL SHORT STORY CONTEST June 1 $8 1st $100 2nd $75 3rd $50
Atticus, Inc.
5828 Greenville Loop Rd.
Wilmington  NC  28409
Annual competition for short mystery or crime stories. Prefers unpublished writers, but publication does not disqualify a writer.
 
CAPTIVATING BEGINNINGS SHORT STORY CONTEST Jan. 31 $5 $100
Lynx Eye
542 Mitchell Dr.
Los Osos  CA  93402
Short stories up to 7,500 words that have a powerful opening paragraph.
 
BkMk Press, University of Missouri-Kansas City
5101 Rockhill Rd.
Kansas City  MO  64110
Annual award for a collection of short stories in English by a living author. Dead people need not apply. Translations are not acceptable. Winning entry will be published by BkMk.
 
CHICAGO LITERARY AWARD Dec. 15 $12 $1,000
Left Field Press/Another Chicago Magazine
3709 N. Kenmore
Chicago  IL  60613-2905
Open to any writer of fiction or poetry. Entries must be unpublished works.
 
CHILDREN'S WRITERS FICTION CONTEST July 31 $10 $260
Stepping Stones
P.O. Box 8863
Springfield  MO  65801-8863
Competition for short fiction for children, and about children.
 
CLEVERKITTY CATERWAULING CONTEST Aug. 31 None $100.00
Cleverkitty.com
6764 Sugar Hill Dr.
Nashville  TN  37211
Short stories, creative nonfiction or articles about anything related to walking hairballs. Er, that is, cats.
 
THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD Dec. 14 None £2,003
Sir Arthur C. Clarke
60 Bournemouth Rd.
Folkestone, Kent    CT19 5AZ
United Kingdom
Award for the best science fiction novel published in the previous calendar year. Book must be published in England.
 
CNW/FFWA ANNUAL FLORIDA STATE WRITING COMPETITION March 15 None 1st $100 2nd $75 3rd $50
Florida Freelance Writers Association
P.O. Box A
North Stratford  NH  03590-0167
Prizes will be awarded in each category as follows: Nonfiction, fiction, children's literature and poetry. All entries must be previously published work and can include chapters from books as well as short pieces.
 
Pottersfield Portfolio
9879 Kempt Head Rd.
Ross Ferry  NS  B1X 1N3
Canada
Two awards given. One is to the best short story under 1,500 words and the other is to the best poem. $20 entry fee for the first entry, subsequent entries in the same envelope are $5 each.
 
A CUP OF COMFORT Ongoing None $500 and $100
Adams Media Corp./F+W Publications Co.
57 Littlefield St.
Avon  MA  02322
$500 for the grand prize in each contest, with $100 going to all other entries accepted. Occurs four to five times a year. Looking for heart warming slice of life stories.
 
The Writers' Union of Canada
40 Wellington St. E., 3rd Floor
Toronto  ON  M5E 1C7
Canada
Offered annually for an author's first published collection of short stories. Open to Canadian writers writing in the English language only.
 
JACK DYER FICTION PRIZE March 15 $15 $1,500
Crab Orchard Review
Dept. of English
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Carbondale  IL  62901-4503
Short story competition open to all writers. Entry fee includes a one-year subscription to the Crab Orchard Review.
 
FANTASTICAL VISIONS SHORT STORY CONTEST Oct. 15 None 1st $150 2nd $100 3rd $50
Fantasist Enterprises
P.O. Box 9381
Wilmington  DE  19809
Annual prize given to the best offering of fantasy received. They don't charge an entry fee for just one story, but if you enter more than one, they charge $5 for two entries and $3 per entry for each one after that.
 
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).
 
FINELINE COMPETITION Oct. 1 $5 $500
Mid-American Review
Dept. of English, Box W
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green  OH  43403
Three entries can be packaged together for $10. This would also include a copy of the issue in which the winning entry is printed. Looking for short-shorts and poetry.
 
Fish Publishing
Durrus
Bantry, Co. Cork    
Ireland
$30 entry fee covers one short story. Additional stories can be entered for $10 each. Looking for literary fiction.
 
F. SCOTT FITZGERALD SHORT STORY CONTEST July 9 $25 $1,000
F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference, Inc.
111 Maryland Ave.
Rockville  MD  20850
This is the granddaddy of all short story competitions. To win this one is a free ticket to success. Entry fees are waived to any student of an accredited academic institution at any level.
 
THE $5000 SHORT STORY COMPETITION Sept. 15 $10 $5,000
Scribendi.com
4 Sherman St.
Thamesville  ON  N0P 2K0
Canada
Targeted for mainstream/literary short story authors. They intend to expand this competition to genre fiction in the near future.
 
FLASH FICTION CONTEST Jan. 8 $10 $500
Lumina
Slonim House
1 Mead Way
Bronxville  NY  10708-5999
Open to US residents only. Flash fiction in English.
 
H.E. FRANCIS SHORT STORY AWARD Dec. 31 $15 $1,000
The Ruth Hindman Foundation
Dept. of English
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville  AL  35899
Annual award for short story under 5K words.
 
The Alexandra Writers' Centre Society
922 9th Ave. SE
Calgary  AB  T2G 0S4
Canada
Annual awards for poetry or fiction up to 3K words. Open to all subject matter and all writers are eligible.
 
The Writers' Union of Canada
40 Wellington St. E., 3rd Floor
Toronto  ON  M5E 1C7
Canada
Offered annually for an author's first published collection of short stories. Open to Canadian writers writing in the English language only.
 
Glimmer Train Press, Inc.
1211 NW Glisan St.
#207
Portland  OR  97209
Offered twice yearly to encourage the art of the very short story. Word count: 2,000 maximum. Open April 1-July 31 (Summer contest) or November 1-January 31 (Winter contest). Follow online submission process on website. Results will be e-mailed to all entrants on November 1 (for Summer contest) and May 1 (for Winter contest). Glimmer Train sponsors other competitions as well, including an award for new writers.
 
THE PHILLIP GOOD MEMORIAL PRIZE Aug. 21 £5 1st  £300 2nd  £150 3rd  £75
QWF Magazine
P.O. Box 1768
Rugby    CV21 4ZA
United Kingdom
Open to writers above the age of 18 anywhere in the world.
 
The Greensboro Review
English Department, 134 McIver Bldg.
P.O. Box 6170
Greensboro  NC  27402-6170
An award is given to the best story up to 7,500 words and another for the best poem received. Open to any writer.
 
GSU REVIEW WRITING CONTEST Jan. 31 $10 $1,000
GSU Review, Attn: Annual Contest
Georgia State University Plaza
Campus Box 1894
Atlanta  GA  30303-3083
Annual award give to both a poet for three poems under fifty lines and an author of a short story under 7,500 words.
 
Gulf Coast
English Department
University of Houston
Houston  TX  77204-3013
Annual competition for short stories and poetry. Entry fee includes a subscription to Gulf Coast Magazine. Open to all writers.
 
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)
 
DRUE HEINZ LITERATURE PRIZE June 30 None $15,000
University of Pittsburgh Press
3400 Forbes Ave., 5th Floor
Eureka Bldg.
Pittsburgh  PA  15260
One of the most prestigious awards for fiction. Offered annually to writers who have published a book-length collection of fiction or a minimum of 3 short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals of national distribution.
 
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.
 
Hemingway Days Festival
P.O. Box 993
Key West  FL  33041-0993
Annual competition for short stories under 3K words. $500 awarded to two runner-up stories.
 
Highlights for Children
803 Church St.
Honesdale  PA  18431-1824
Three awards given out each year for stories written for children between the ages of 2 and 12. 500-word limit on stories for children in the lower range of this age bracket, up to 800 words for older children.
 
TOM HOWARD/JOHN H. REID SHORT STORY CONTEST March 31 $10 1st $1,000 2nd $400 3rd $200
John H. Reid
c/o Winning Writers, 351 Pleasant St.
PMB 222
Northampton  MA  01060-3961
Short stories, essays or prose up to 8K words. 1st through 3rd place stories must all publication.
 
P.O. Box 1630
Los Angeles  CA  90078
1st Place: $1,000; 2nd Place: $750; and 3rd Place: $500. Annual Grand Prize: $4,000.Eligible entries are short stories or novelettes (under 17,000 words) of science fiction or fantasy. December 31, March 31, June 30, September 30. Guidelines for SASE, online, or via e-mail. Send request to contests@authorservicesinc.com.
 
Indiana Review
BH 465, Indiana University
Bloomington  IN  47405-7103
Annual award for the best story under 500 words. This magazine also features a standard short story contest and a poetry contest. Entry fees and prizes are the same.
 
The Iowa Review
308 EPB
The University of Iowa
Iowa City  IA  52242
Annual award given in each of the three categories.
 
Jerry Jazz Musician
2207 NE Broadway
Portland  OR  97232
The Jerry Jazz Musician reader tends to have interests in music, history, literature, art, film, and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-20th century America. Writing should appeal to a reader with these characteristics. Offered three times a year. Deadlines are September 15, 2004; January 31, 2005; and May 15, 2005.
 
Passages North
Dept. of English, Northern Michigan University
1401 Presque Isle Ave.
Marquette  MI  49855
Award given each year to a new voice in literary fiction. Each entrant is sent a copy of the magazine as part of the entry fee.
 
SERENA MCDONALD KENNEDY AWARD Ongoing $20 $1,000
Snake Nation Press
110 W. Force St.
Valdosta  GA  31601
Awards are given for collections of unpublished short stories by unpublished or under-published writers.
 
KLOPP ANTHOLOGIST'S ANNUAL SHORT STORY AWARD FOR NEW WRITERS Jan. 31 $20 1st $300 2nd $150 3rd $75
Klopp Anthologist Publications
23 Pine Grove St.
Woodstock  NY  12498
Annual anthology of short stories featuring new or emerging writers. Open to any writer, but stories must be in English. No translations.
 
Writecorner Press
Koeppel Contest
P.O. Box 16369
Jacksonville  FL  32245
Award for previously unpublished short stories. Two stories can be entered for $25.
 
The Missouri Review
1507 Hillcrest Hall
Columbia  MO  65211
Annual award for best short fiction. Open to all writers. Similar contests offered for nonfiction and poetry.
 
LITERAL LATTÉ FICTION AWARD Jan. 15 $10 1st $1,000 2nd $300 3rd $200
Literal Latté
61 4th Ave., Suite 240
New York  NY  10003
Annual competition for previously unpublished fiction. They have some pretty strict submissions requirements, so check their website before submitting.
 
LONG FICTION CONTEST Dec. 15 $15 $500
International, White Eagle Coffee Store Press
P.O. Box 383
Fox River Grove  IL  60021
Annual competition for stories between 8K and 15K words. Winning story is published in a chapbook, with 25 copies going to the author. Send an SASE for submission guidelines.
 
THE LUSH TRIUMPHANT May 15 $20 $500
subTerrain Magazine
P.O. Box 3008
MPO
Vancouver  BC  V6B 3X5
Canada
Open to fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Each entrant receives a one-year subscription to magazine as part of their entry package.
 
The Malahat Review
University of Victoria
P.O. Box 1700 STN CSC
Victoria  BC  V8W 2Y2
Canada
In addition to the prize money, winning author is paid an additional $30 per page for publication rights. All entrants receive a subscription to the Malahat Review as part of their entry package.
 
Malice Domestic
P.O. Box 31137
Bethesda  MD  20284-1137
Two awards given annually to an emerging writer in the field of traditional mysteries (aka Ellery Queen or Agatha Christie). No published writers in the field of mystery fiction need apply. Query if you have been published in other categories of fiction.
 
MASTERS LITERARY AWARDS Ongoing $15 $1,000
Titan Press
P.O. Box 17897
Encino  CA  91416-7897
Looking for fiction up to ten pages and/or poetry up to fifty lines that has been published in the past two years in another magazine. Unpublished work will be considered, but not given preference.
 
Sarabande Books
P.O. Box 4456
Louisville  KY  40204
In addition to the $2,000 prize, the winner is published under a standard royalty contract. Finalists are frequently offered publishing contracts as well. Submit a short story collection, novella collection or short novel up to 300 pages for consideration.
 
Mid-List Press                   4324 12th Ave. S.
Minneapolis  MN  55407-3218
Collections of short fiction, including short stories or novellas up to 50K words. Award consists of a standard publication contract with an advance against royalties to be negotiated.
 
MISSISSIPPI REVIEW PRIZE Oct. 1 $15 $1,000
Mississippi Review
U.S.M. Box 5144
Hattiesburg  MS  39406
Annual award for previously unpublished literary fiction or poetry.
 
NATIONAL WRITERS ASSOCIATION SHORT STORY CONTEST July 1 $15 1st $200 2nd $100 3rd $50
The National Writers Association
3140 S. Peoria, #295
Aurora  CO  80014
Annual competition to encourage writers to continue to pursue the short story as an artistic endeavor.
 
LARRY NEAL WRITERS' COMPETITION Ongoing None Varies
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
410 Eighth St., NW 5th Floor
Washington  DC  20004
Annual competition open to Washington, DC residents only.
 
THE NEBRASKA REVIEW AWARDS IN FICTION, POETRY AND CREATIVE NONFICTION