Writing / Poetry competitions

All open calls here: 95

1. 31 Oct 2026

   Writing Photography — DGPh Prize for Innovative Publishing 2026: €1,000 for Essays, Reviews, Columns and Blog Writing on Photography

   Deutsche Börse Photography FoundationGermany / international (online submission)

   Competition€1,000

2. 31 Oct 2026

   Bedford International Poetry Competition 2026 — The Bedford Competition, UK (First Prize £2,000)

   The Bedford CompetitionBedford, England, UK (online entry worldwide; postal entries from the UK only)

   Competition£2,000 first prize; £400 second; £300 third

3. 31 Oct 2026

   Austrian Children's and Youth Book Prize 2027 — Four Prizes of €6,000 for Authors, Illustrators and Translators

   Austrian Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and SportAustria

   CompetitionFree to applyFour prizes of €6,000

4. 31 Oct 2026

   Thinking Photography — DGPh Research Prize 2026: €3,000 for Outstanding Research on Photography Theory and History (German or English)

   Deutsche Börse Photography FoundationGermany / international (online submission)

   Competition€3,000

5. 31 Oct 2026

   Vassar Miller Prize in Poetry 2027 — University of North Texas Press ($1,000 + Publication)

   University of North Texas PressDenton, Texas, USA (online submission)

   Competition$1,000 + book publication

6. 31 Oct 2026

   Bedford International Short Story Competition 2026 — The Bedford Competition, UK (First Prize £2,000)

   The Bedford CompetitionBedford, England, UK (online entry worldwide; postal entries from the UK only)

   Competition£2,000 first prize; £400 second; £300 third

7. 31 Oct 2026

   Joseph Binder Award 2027 «Under Pressure» — Graphic Design and Illustration

   designaustriaVienna, Austria (international entry)

   CompetitionMedals in 13 categories + touring show

8. 31 Oct 2026

   Premio Scenario 40 — Italian Under-35 Theatre Award, €8,000 Prizes, Final at Scenario Festival Bologna 2027

   Associazione ScenarioItaly (zonal selections; final in Bologna, Sept 2027)

   Competition2 × €8,000 + 2 × €2,000 prizes

9. 31 Oct 2026

   Dzanc Books Poetry Prize 2026 — $1,500 Advance and Publication

   Dzanc BooksAnn Arbor, Michigan, USA (online submission)

   Competition$1,500 advance + publication

10. 31 Oct 2026

    Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize 2026 — Northwestern University Press (First Book, Poets of Color)

    Northwestern University PressEvanston, Illinois, USA (submission by email)

    Competition$500 + chapbook publication + 15 copies

11. 31 Oct 2026

    Patricia Dobler Poetry Award 2026 — Carlow University, Pittsburgh (Women Poets 40+, $1,000)

    Carlow UniversityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA (submission by email)

    Competition$1,000 + travel, lodging and a reading

12. 31 Oct 2026

    River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Book Prize 2026 — $1,000 + Publication by University of New Mexico Press

    River TeethMuncie, Indiana, USA (Ball State University; online submission)

    Competition$1,000 + book publication

13. 31 Oct 2026

    15th Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards 2027 — Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry ($1,000 + Masters Workshop)

    Tucson Festival of BooksTucson, Arizona, USA (online submission; workshop in Tucson, March 2027)

    Competition$1,000 first; $500; $250 + workshop scholarships

14. 31 Oct 2026

    Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize in Poetry 2026 — Persea Books ($1,000, Publication, Civitella Ranieri Residency)

    Persea BooksNew York, USA (online submission)

    Competition$1,000 advance + publication + residency option

15. 31 Oct 2026

    Helena Whitehill Book Award 2026 — Tupelo Press (Poetry or Creative Nonfiction, $1,000 + Publication)

    Tupelo PressNorth Adams, Massachusetts, USA (online or postal submission)

    Competition$1,000 + publication + one-week residency

16. 1 Nov 2026

    Open Genre Book Prize 2026 — Fonograf Editions ($1,500, Publication, 3-Week Residency)

    Fonograf EditionsPortland, Oregon, USA (online submission)

    Competition$1,500 + publication + residency

17. 1 Nov 2026

    Open Season Awards 2026 — The Malahat Review (Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction; CAD 2,000 each)

    The Malahat ReviewVictoria, British Columbia, Canada (University of Victoria; submission via Submittable)

    CompetitionCAD 2,000 per genre + publication

18. 1 Nov 2026

    Evaristo Prize for African Poetry 2026 — African Poetry Book Fund ($1,500 for Ten Poems)

    African Poetry Book FundOnline (African Poetry Book Fund, Brown University, Providence, USA)

    Competition$1,500

19. 1 Nov 2026

    Malinda A. Markham Translation Prize 2026 — Saturnalia Books ($2,000 + Publication, Women Translators)

    Saturnalia BooksBroomall, Pennsylvania, USA (online submission)

    Competition$2,000 + book publication

20. 1 Nov 2026

    Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize 2027 — FC2 ($15,000 + Publication, Authors with 3+ Books)

    FC2USA (FC2, an imprint of the University of Alabama Press; online submission)

    Competition$15,000 + book publication

21. 1 Nov 2026

    Existential Hope Meme Prize 2026 — $10,000

    Foresight InstituteOnline

    Competition$10,000

22. 1 Nov 2026

    Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest 2027 — FC2 ($3,000 + Publication)

    FC2USA (FC2, an imprint of the University of Alabama Press; online submission)

    Competition$3,000 + book publication

23. 1 Nov 2026

    Farouk Hosny Foundation Arts Awards 2027 — Art Critique Award, EGP 75,000 / 50,000 / 25,000 (Egyptian Nationals Aged 21–40)

    Farouk Hosny Foundation for Culture & ArtsCairo, Egypt

    CompetitionEGP 75,000 / 50,000 / 25,000

24. 2 Nov 2026

    James Hearst Poetry Prize 2027 — North American Review ($1,000, Judge Forrest Gander)

    North American ReviewCedar Falls, Iowa, USA (University of Northern Iowa; online submission)

    Competition$1,000

25. 2 Nov 2026

    Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize 2027 — North American Review ($1,000, Judge Kate Folk)

    North American ReviewCedar Falls, Iowa, USA (University of Northern Iowa; online submission)

    Competition$1,000

26. 3 Nov 2026

    Minds on Fire Open Book Prize 2026 — Conduit Books & Ephemera ($1,500)

    Conduit Books & EphemeraSaint Paul, Minnesota, USA (Submittable or post)

    Competition$1,500

27. 6 Nov 2026

    2027 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature — US$10,000 Overall and US$3,000 Category Awards

    Bocas Lit FestTrinidad and Tobago (Caribbean-wide eligibility)

    CompetitionUS$10,000 overall; US$3,000 per category

28. 7 Nov 2026

    Leonard Cohen Poetry Prize 2026 — ONLY POEMS ($1,000 + 10 × $250; Love, Faith & Sex)

    ONLY POEMSOnline (ONLY POEMS, Canada)

    Competition$1,000 + $250 to each of 10 finalists

29. 8 Nov 2026

    Novel Excerpt Contest 2026 — The Masters Review ($3,000 + Literary Agent Consultation)

    The Masters ReviewOnline (The Masters Review, Bend, Oregon, USA)

    Competition$3,000 + publication + agent consultation

30. 13 Nov 2026

    Fall 2026 Story Contest — Narrative Magazine ($2,500 First Prize, Fiction and Nonfiction)

    Narrative MagazineOnline (Narrative Magazine, USA)

    Competition$2,500 first prize; $1,000 second; $500 third

31. 13 Nov 2026

    F(r)iction Fall 2026 Writing Contests — Short Story ($1,000), Poetry and Flash Fiction ($300 each)

    Brink Literacy ProjectOnline (F(r)iction literary magazine, Colorado, USA)

    Competition$1,600 in prizes

32. 15 Nov 2026

    PJI Prize 2026–27 — Poetic Justice Institute Book Prize and Editor's Prize for a BIPOC Writer, Judged by Alicia Ostriker

    Poetic Justice InstituteUSA

    Competition$1,000 + publication

33. 15 Nov 2026

    California Book Awards 2026 (96th) — Five $2,500 Prizes for Books by California Authors

    Commonwealth Club of CaliforniaCalifornia, USA

    Competition5 × $2,500

34. 15 Nov 2026

    Perugia Press Prize 2027 — First or Second Poetry Book by a Woman ($2,000 + Publication)

    Perugia PressFlorence, Massachusetts, USA (online submission)

    Competition$2,000 + book publication

35. 15 Nov 2026

    C.D. Wright Poetry Prize 2026 — The Arkansas International ($1,000, Emerging Poets, Judge Shane McCrae)

    The Arkansas InternationalFayetteville, Arkansas, USA (submission via Submittable)

    Competition$1,000 + publication

36. 15 Nov 2026

    LitMag's Emily Dickinson Award for Poetry 2026 — $1,500, Publication and Agency Review for One to Three Poems

    LitMagOnline (Submittable)

    Competition$1,500 + agency review

37. 15 Nov 2026

    Nightboat Books Poetry Prize 2026 — $1,200 Advance, Royalty Contract and 25 Copies for an Unpublished Poetry Manuscript

    Nightboat BooksUSA

    Competition$1,200 advance + 25 copies

38. 16 Nov 2026

    The Story Prize 2026 — $20,000 for the Year's Best Short Story Collection (Books Published July–December)

    The Story PrizeUSA

    Competition$20,000 (runners-up $5,000)

39. 16 Nov 2026

    Valkokangas 2026–2027 Screenplay Competition (Comedy), Finnish Literature Society — €101,000 in Prizes for Finnish-Language Feature Scripts

    Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden SeuraHelsinki, Finland

    Competition€101,000 total; €10,000 to each of 5 finalists

40. 17 Nov 2026

    iJungle Illustration Awards 2026

    iJungle AwardsOnline

    Competition€2,500 Best of the Best; €500 per Gold (€5,000 total)