Writing / Poetry competitions

All open calls here: 95

1. 18 Nov 2026

   Firecracker Awards 2027 — $2,000 Prizes for Independent-Press Books and $1,000 for Literary Magazines

   Community of Literary Magazines and PressesOnline / USA

   Competition$2,000 per book, $1,000 per magazine

2. 30 Nov 2026

   Chad Walsh Chapbook Series — $2,500, 50 Author Copies and Editorial Consultation for a Poetry Chapbook (Beloit Poetry Journal)

   Beloit Poetry JournalUSA

   Competition$2,500 + 50 copies

3. 30 Nov 2026

   LitMag's Anton Chekhov Award for Flash Fiction 2026 — $1,250, Publication and Agency Review for a Story of 500–1,500 Words

   LitMagOnline (Submittable)

   Competition$1,250 + agency review

4. 30 Nov 2026

   Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2026 — Award for Young Artist: HK$50,000 in Nine Art Forms (Aged 40 or Under)

   Hong Kong Arts Development CouncilHong Kong

   CompetitionFree to applyHK$50,000 per art form (nine awards)

5. 30 Nov 2026

   NarrAzioni 2026 — Graphic Novel Contest for New Comics Authors, Rider Comics Publishing Contract

   Artespressa APSLucca, Italy

   CompetitionFree to applyPublishing contract with Rider Comics

6. 30 Nov 2026

   Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2026 — Artist of the Year: HK$100,000 in Nine Art Forms

   Hong Kong Arts Development CouncilHong Kong

   CompetitionFree to applyHK$100,000 per art form (nine awards)

7. 30 Nov 2026

   Rachel Cooke Graphic Short Story Prize 2026 — The Observer × Faber

   The ObserverLondon, UK

   CompetitionFree to apply£1,000 + publication in The Observer

8. 30 Nov 2026

   The Wishing Jewel Prize 2026 — $1,000 and Publication for an Innovative Poetry Manuscript (Green Linden Press)

   Green Linden PressUSA

   Competition$1,000 + publication

9. 30 Nov 2026

   UNT Rilke Prize 2027 — $10,000 for a Book by a Mid-Career Poet (No Submission Fee)

   University of North TexasDenton, Texas, USA

   CompetitionFree to apply$10,000

10. 30 Nov 2026

    A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize 2026 (26th) — Publication by BOA Editions and $1,000 for a Poet's First Book, Judged by Jennifer Chang

    BOA EditionsRochester, New York, USA

    Competition$1,000 + publication

11. 30 Nov 2026

    The Stephen Mitchell Prize for Excellence in Translation 2026 — $1,000 and Publication for a Book-Length Translation into English

    Green Linden PressUSA

    Competition$1,000 + publication

12. 30 Nov 2026

    Next ILLUST Award 2026 — Free Worldwide Illustration Contest by PIE International and COMICUP, ¥100,000 Gold Award and Publication in S Magazine

    PIE InternationalInternational (online); results published in S magazine, Tokyo, Japan

    CompetitionFree to applyGold ¥100,000; 2 Silver ¥50,000; tablets, software

13. 30 Nov 2026

    Gregory O'Donoghue International Poetry Competition 2026 — €2,000 First Prize, Featured Reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival and Publication in Southword

    Munster Literature CentreCork, Ireland

    Competition€2,000 / €500 / €250

14. 1 Dec 2026

    Utopia Science Fiction Magazine — March 2027 «Mystery» Issue

    Utopia Science Fiction MagazineOnline / print magazine

    CompetitionFree to apply

15. 1 Dec 2026

    8th Juana Goergen Poetry Prize — Spanish-Language Poem, Poesía en Abril Festival, Chicago

    Poesía en AbrilChicago, USA

    CompetitionFestival invitation with travel and lodging covered

16. 1 Dec 2026

    New Harmony Book Award & Residency 2026 — $3,000 Prize, $750 Travel Stipend and a 7-Day Residency for a Book of Fiction

    University of Southern IndianaNew Harmony, Indiana, USA

    Competition$3,000 + $750 travel stipend

17. 1 Dec 2026

    Birdy Poetry Prize 2026 — Publication by Meadowlark Press for a Full-Length Poetry Manuscript

    Meadowlark PressUSA

    CompetitionPublication (prize amount not stated)

18. 1 Dec 2026

    2026 W.S. Porter Prize for Short Story Collections — Publication by Regal House and a $1,000 Honorarium

    Regal House PublishingUSA

    Competition$1,000 + publication

19. 1 Dec 2026

    Fumetto International Comic Competition 2027 «Blubb» — Up to CHF 1,111 and an Exhibition at the Lucerne Comic Festival

    Fumetto Comic Festival LuzernGletschergarten, Lucerne, Switzerland

    CompetitionCHF 1,111 / 888 / 666; scenario prize CHF 444

20. 13 Dec 2026

    6th "Picture and Words" Exhibition (NOBUKO Art Fund Competition) — Grand Prix ¥500,000

    NOBUKO Art Fund CompetitionTokyo (Matsuzakaya Ueno), Japan

    CompetitionGrand Prix ¥500,000; NOBUKO Prize ¥300,000; 4 × ¥50,000

21. 14 Dec 2026

    The Marrow Chapbook Prize 2026 — AUD 1,000 + Publication with 5 Islands Press

    The Marrow PoetryAustralia (open internationally)

    CompetitionAUD 1,000 + publication + 10 author copies

22. 15 Dec 2026

    Poetry Society of America Annual Awards 2027 — Seven Individual Poetry Awards from $250 to $2,500 (Dickinson, Hemley, Lyric, Medwick, Di Castagnola, Bogin, Winner)

    Poetry Society of AmericaNew York, USA (open entry)

    Competition$250–$2,500 per award (seven awards)

23. 15 Dec 2026

    Poetry Society of America Four Quartets Prize 2027 — $20,000 for a Sequence of Poems Published in 2026 (Free Entry)

    Poetry Society of AmericaNew York, USA

    CompetitionFree to apply$20,000 winner; finalists $1,000

24. 15 Dec 2026

    Poetry Society of America Chapbook Fellowship 2027 — $1,000 and Publication for Poets without a Full-Length Collection

    Poetry Society of AmericaNew York, USA

    Competition$1,000 + chapbook publication

25. 15 Dec 2026

    Anna Rabinowitz Prize 2027 — $1,000 for Interdisciplinary Work Combining Poetry with Visual Art, Dance, Music or Other Disciplines

    Poetry Society of AmericaNew York, USA (open entry)

    Competition$1,000 (divided equally among principals)

26. 15 Dec 2026

    Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize 2026 — Academy of American Poets ($1,000, Free Entry)

    Academy of American PoetsOnline (Academy of American Poets, New York, USA)

    CompetitionFree to apply$1,000 first; $750; $500; $250

27. 15 Dec 2026

    Wilder Series Poetry Book Prize 2026 — $1,000 and Publication for a Poetry Manuscript by a Woman Over 50

    Two Sylvias PressKingston, Washington, USA

    Competition$1,000 + publication

28. 15 Dec 2026

    Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition (26th Annual) — $3,000 First Prize, Publication and a Trip to the Writer's Digest Conference

    Writer's DigestOnline / USA

    Competition$3,000 first prize

29. 18 Dec 2026

    Griffin Poetry Prize 2027 — C$130,000 International and C$65,000 Canadian Prize, Plus C$10,000 Canadian First Book (Publisher Submissions)

    Griffin Trust for Excellence in PoetryToronto, Canada

    CompetitionC$130,000 / C$65,000 / C$10,000

30. 31 Dec 2026

    John Ridland Poetry Prize 2026 — $500, Publication by Gunpowder Press and 10 Copies for a Book-Length Manuscript by a Poet 55 or Older

    Gunpowder PressSanta Barbara, California, USA

    Competition$500 + publication

31. 31 Dec 2026

    SOKOL Prize 2027 — Digital Caricature, Critical Drawing and Satire, Karikaturmuseum Krems

    Karikaturmuseum KremsKrems an der Donau, Austria

    Competition€11,000 awards + Krems residencies

32. 31 Dec 2026

    LitMag's Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction 2026 — $2,500, Publication and Agency Review for a Story of 3,000–8,000 Words

    LitMagOnline (Submittable)

    Competition$2,500 + agency review

33. 31 Dec 2026

    Dorset Prize for Poetry 2027 — $3,000, a Two-Week Residency Worth $1,500 and Publication by Tupelo Press, Judged by Allison Benis White

    Tupelo PressNorth Adams, Massachusetts, USA

    Competition$3,000 + residency worth $1,500

34. 31 Dec 2026

    Burnside Review Press Book Contest 2026 — $1,000 and Ten Copies for a Poetry Manuscript, Judged by Danielle Pafunda

    Burnside Review PressUSA

    Competition$1,000 + 10 copies

35. 31 Dec 2026

    Danahy Fiction Prize — $1,000 and Publication in Tampa Review for an Unpublished Work of Short Fiction

    Tampa ReviewTampa, Florida, USA

    Competition$1,000 + publication

36. 31 Dec 2026

    2027 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction — Publication, $1,000 and 53 Copies for an Unpublished Story Collection by a US Writer

    Press 53North Carolina, USA

    Competition$1,000 + 53 copies

37. 31 Dec 2026

    BCALA Literary Awards 2027 — Four $1,000 Prizes for Books by African American Authors (Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, First Novel)

    Black Caucus of the American Library AssociationUSA (ceremony in New Orleans, June 2027)

    Competition4 × $1,000

38. 31 Dec 2026

    Dinah Marshall Backhouse Prize for Short Fiction 2026–27 — $1,000 CAD First Prize and Anthology Publication, Open Worldwide

    Backhouse PressCanada (open worldwide)

    Competition$1,000 / $300 / $200 CAD + anthology publication

39. 2 Jan 2027

    Jacobs/Jones African American Literary Prize 2027 — $1,000 for Black Writers in North Carolina

    North Carolina Writers' NetworkNorth Carolina, USA

    Competition$1,000 + possible publication

40. 2 Jan 2027

    Gemini Magazine 17th Poetry Open 2027 — $1,000 First Prize, Six Finalists Published

    Gemini MagazineOnline (Gemini Magazine, Onset, MA, USA)

    Competition$1,000 first prize; $100 second; 4 × $25