It’s exhausting to imagine that 2023 is over. Should you by no means managed to undergo a brief story contest, or did so and weren’t accepted, then concern not. A model new yr is upon us, and with it comes an entire raft of brand name new alternatives to getting into brief story competitions and contests.
This roundup of brief tales contests for 2024 is for writers of all genres, levels, and ages with varied classes.
So whether or not you’re an aspiring or skilled author seeking to showcase your expertise and get acknowledged to your work, why not give one in every of these alternatives a strive?
Brief Tales Contest 2024: Fiction and Nonfiction
L. Ron Hubbard Author of the Future Contest
The L. Ron Hubbard Author of the Future Contest is a free, quarterly contest for rising authors within the science fiction and fantasy genres. Getting into the competition offers a chance for brand new writers to have their work evaluated by a panel {of professional} writers and to succeed in wider audiences with their voice.
Prize: $1,000, $750, $500 for quarterly contests plus one grand prize of $5,000.
Deadline: The first quarter deadline is March 21 2024.
ServiceScape Brief Story Award
The ServiceScape Brief Story Award contest accepts unpublished brief story submissions—as much as 5,000 phrases—from all genres and themes. Open to authors of all nationalities, backgrounds and expertise ranges, the competition is a good alternative for brand new writers to have their work seen by ServiceScape readers.
Prize: $1,000
Deadline: November 30, 2024
Prose.
With an analogous feel and appear to a author’s model of Twitter, Prose. presents distinctive weekly writing challenges overlaying varied themes and genres.
Test repeatedly for enjoyable prompts to spark your creativity. There are paid and unpaid alternatives and probabilities to overview the work of your fellow writers.
Prize: Various
Deadline: Various
Black Voices in Kids’s Literature Writing Contest
The Black Voices in Kids’s Literature Writing Contest invitations Black authors from throughout the Midwestern United States to submit their unpublished works to raise, promote and have fun African-American voices and illustration in youngsters’s literature. Hosted collectively by Try Publishing and Free Spirit Publishing, every submission is taken into account for publishing.
Prize: $250 – $1, 000 for prime three entries
Deadline: July 24, 2023
PEN/Robert J. Dau Brief Story Prize for Rising Writers
PEN/Robert J. Dau Brief Story Prize for Rising Writers seeks to advertise and help the careers of proficient new fiction writers. This contest acknowledges the 12 prime debut brief tales of as much as 12, 000 phrases revealed that yr in a literary journal, journal or cultural web site. Successful entries are chosen by three consultants of their area for a money prize and publication within the PEN America annual anthology.
Prize: $2,000
Deadline: Enroll by way of the web site to obtain notifications of when submissions will probably be accepted for 2024
Prestigious Prizes
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
Extremely regarded, the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is taken into account probably the most prestigious peer-juried writing contests in America. This prize acknowledges the highest revealed works of fiction by American authors in a given yr. Yearly, a celebration is held in honor of the distinguished prime ten and prime 5 finalists and the “first amongst equals” grand prize winner.
Prize: $15, 000
Submission interval: July 1-September 30, 2024
Anisfield-Wolf E book Awards
The Anisfield-Wolf E book Awards celebrates excellent, not too long ago revealed works of nonfiction, fiction and poetry, tackling matters of racism, range, and social justice. Prizes for this contest will probably be handed out at an award ceremony held within the fall throughout E book Week in Cleveland, Ohio.
Prize: $10,000
Submission interval: September 1-December 31, 2024
Marfield Prize (Nationwide Award for Arts Writing)
The annual Marfield Prize, also called the Nationwide Award for Arts in Writing awards, a prize for excellence in nonfiction writing, offered by the Arts Membership of Washington, for books concerning the performing, visible or literary arts. Books revealed in the USA within the earlier yr are eligible for submission.
Prize: $10, 000
Deadline: October 15, 2024
Younger Lions Fiction Awards
The Younger Lions Fiction Awards is an annual competitors hosted by the New York Public Library highlighting younger authors below 35 of outstanding expertise in novel and brief story writing. Annually, judges choose one winner from a bunch of 5 finalists chosen by a committee of Younger Lions members.
Prize: $10,000
Submission interval: The competition opens in 2024 for the 2025 season
Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
The Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence is an annual contest recognizing up-in-coming African-American fiction writers. Submitted works are judged by Anthony Grooms, Edward P. Jones, Elizabeth Nunez, Francene Prose and Patricia Towers who’ve all made important contributions to literature.
Prize: $15,000
Deadline: 2024 – Last Dates TBD
Poetry
Sillerman First E book Prize for African Poetry
African poets can submit their debut book-length assortment of poetry to the Sillerman First E book Prize for African Poetry contest. Not-yet-published or self-published works of excellent poetry written by authors born in Africa, whose dad and mom are African or those that are nationals or residents of an African nation are eligible for the annual contest.
Prize: $1,000 and publication contract
Submission interval: September 15-December 1, 2024
Luschei Prize for African Poetry
The Luschei Prize for African Poetry, established in 2015 after name-sake Glenna Luschei, acknowledges African poetry of 48 pages or much less written by African authors, written in or translated into English. This one-of-a-kind annual contest is judged by a famend African writer and goals to advertise and honor African poets and their excellent work.
Prize: $1,000
Deadline: October 1, 2024
Evaristo Prize for African Poetry
Yearly, a group of 10 poems by an African poet is awarded the Evaristo Prize for African Poetry. Celebrating the wealthy and various peoples, locations and tales of Africa, this contest seems to encourage a brand new era of African poets to good their craft and acknowledge their accomplishments.
Prize: $1,500
Submission interval: October 1-November 1, 2024
Academy of American Poets First E book Award
The Academy of American Poets First E book Award successful first-book manuscript is chosen yearly by a critically acclaimed poet and revealed by Graywolf Press. Also called the Graywolf Press Walt Whitman Award, this prestigious contest seeks to find and promote exemplary modern American poetry.
Prize: $5,000, publication contract and six-week residency in a Fifteenth-century Italian fort
Submission interval: July 1-September 1, 2024
Younger Authors | Brief Tales Contest & Extra
St. Martin’s Minotaur / Thriller Writers of America First Crime Novel Competitors
Youth authors of unpublished debut thriller or crime novels as much as 60,000 phrases might enter in St. Martin’s Minotaur / Thriller Writers of America First Crime Novel Competitors. The competition goals to find new crime and thriller authors below 18 of all nationalities, help their endeavors and produce their finest works to middle stage.
Prize: Publishing contract with Minotaur Books and $10, 000 advance
Deadline: December 17, 2024
Write the World: Inventive Nonfiction Competitors
Write the World organizes competitions for younger writers aged 13-19. This yr’s Inventive Nonfiction Competitors theme is transitions. Teen writers can share their experiences on this transitioning time of their life as a nonfiction private narrative and acquire precious expertise and suggestions alternatives.
Prize: Various
Deadline: July 18, 2024
Write the World: Flash Fiction Competitors
The Flash Fiction Competitors by Write the World invitations writers 13-19 to submit their pint-sized tales that pack a punch. For this contest, writers are challenged with the duty of manufacturing a concise, well-crafted story of solely 99 phrases or much less.
Prize: Various
Submission interval: August 7-22, 2024
You’ll want to rigorously overview every contest’s web site for full details about guidelines, eligibility, and submission charges earlier than making use of. Good luck getting into a brief tales contest this yr!