Erica Verrillo's Blog

Pexels This February there are more than seven dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $100,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 

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Luminarts Creative Writing Fellowship. The Creative Writing Fellowship awards two $10,000 grant Fellowships for excellence in creative writing in the categories of prose and poetry, in fiction and nonfiction. Applicants submit a two-page written piece (either a stand-alone piece or an excerpt of a larger piece such as a novel or short story). Open to writers between the ages of 18 and 30 years old at the time of application; be enrolled in, or have graduated from, a degree program; and live within 150 miles of the Union League Club of Chicago. Genre: Poetry or prose, fiction and nonfiction. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

The Frances “Frank” Rollin Fellowship. Genre: The fellowship is open to all biographers anywhere in the world who are writing in English, who are working on a biography of an African American figure (or figures), and who are at any stage in the writing of a book-length biography. Prize: $5000. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

World History Association Bentley Book Prize. Genre: World history book published in the immediately preceding calendar year. Prize: $500. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

$1000 for 1000 Words Creative Writing Contest is sponsored by the Leyla Beban Young Authors Foundation. Restrictions: Students enrolled in grades 6-12. Genre: Short fiction of exactly 1000 words. Prize: Two $1,000 scholarship prizes will be awarded, one for grades 6-8 and one for grades 9-12. Seven $100 cash prizes will also be awarded for winning entries, one per grade level. Deadline:  February 1, 2026. 

Paterson Prize for Books for Young People. Genre: Most outstanding book for young people published in previous year. There is a $1000 award in each category: Pre-K - Grade 3; Grades 4 - 6; Grades 7 - 12. Prize: $1000. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

Paterson Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry book published in the previous year. Prize: $2000. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

St. Gallen Symposium Global Essay Competition. Restrictions: Writers must be enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate programme (master level or higher) in any field of study at a regular university, and be born in 1993 or later. Genre: Essay on "Disruption in Tech + Politics + Demography: What happens when they collide?" Length: 2,100 words. Prize: CHF20,000, split between three winners; they’ll also cover travel, accommodation, and admission to the symposium in Switzerland. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

Mike Resnick Memorial Award: Best Unpublished Science Fiction Short Story by a New Author. Restrictions: Open to an author who has not had any work published (including short stories, novelettes, novellas, and novels in paper, digital or audio form) that has been paid a per-word rate of 6 cents a word or more or received a payment for any single work of fiction totaling more than $50. Genre: Science fiction short story, up to 7,499 words. Prize: $250 and publication. Deadline: Feburary 1, 2026.

Wednesday Club Junior Poetry Prize. Restrictions: High School Students in Grades 9 through 12 in the St. Louis Area. Genre: Poetry. Two individual poems. Prizes: $200,  $150,  $100, $80, $50, and up to five $25 honorable mentions TEACHER AWARDS: $200, $150, $100. (Applies to teachers of first three student winners.) Deadline: February 1, 2026.

Wednesday Club Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Adults over 18; living within a 50-mile radius of St. Louis. Genre: Poetry. Two individual poems. Prizes: $500, $300, $150. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

The Levis Reading Prize is sponsored by the Department of English and its MFA in Creative Writing program at Virginia Commonwealth University. Restrictions: The prize is given annually for the best first or second book of poetry published in the previous calendar year. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $5000. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

New Media Writing Prize. Genre: Fiction or non-fiction written specifically for delivery and reading/viewing on a PC or Mac, the web, or a hand-held device such as an iPad or mobile phone. It could be a short story, novel, poem, narrative game, documentary, or transmedia work using words, images, film or animation with audience interaction. Interactivity is a key element of new-media storytelling. Prize: Up to £1000. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

Gannon University Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Entrants must be a US high school student or a home-schooled student in grades nine through twelve. Genre: Poetry. Each student may enter 1 or 2 poems; each poem may be no longer than 50 lines. Prize: First Place: $100.00 Second Place: $75.00 Third Place: $50.00. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

Hodson Trust–John Carter Brown Library Fellowship. Genre: Nonfiction (includes creative nonfiction). A book-in-process relating to the literature, history, culture, or art of the Americas before 1830. Award: $20,000. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

The Young Romantics Prizes. Restrictions: Open to anyone aged 16-18 years old. Genre: Essay or poem on theme. (See website for themes). Essays must be no shorter than 750 words and no longer than 1000, including quotations. Poems should be: no more than 30 lines in length and must fit onto a single A4 page. Prize: £700. Deadline: February 2, 2026.

Keats-Shelley Essay Prize. Genre: Essay on any aspect of the writing and/or lives of the Romantics and their circles. Length: 3,000 words including quotations. Prize: £1000. Deadline: February 2, 2026.

Narrative Magazine High School Contest. Restrictions: Open to high school students aged 15-18. Genre: Poetry on theme. Prize: Up to $500. Deadline: February 4, 2026.

Young Northern Writers’ Awards. Restrictions: Open to young writers aged 11-18 in the North of England. Genre: Creative work in any form including prose, poetry, scriptwriting, blogging, songwriting and rap. Prize: Up to £150. Deadline: February 5, 2026.

Great Northern Read Award. Restrictions:  Open to writers living in the North of England at the time of entering and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months.Over the age of 18. A debut writer who is yet to have published or self-published a full-length work. A writer of fiction across all genres. Currently unagented. Genre: Novel-in-progress. Prize: £2500. Deadline: February 5, 2026.

Matthew Hale Award. Restrictions: Open to young people aged 11-18 based in the North of England. Entrants must be 18 years or under on 6 February 2025 when the awards close. The Matthew Hale Award is open to young writers who show promise but have had limited opportunities to pursue their talent. This could be due to a number of factors, including physical or mental ill-health, family circumstances, financial circumstances, lack of access to cultural opportunities or other reasons. Genre: Creative work in any form including prose, poetry, scriptwriting, blogging, songwriting and rap. Prize: Package of support created by New Writing North to the value of £500. The package will be tailored to the specific interests and needs of the winner, but could include anything from one-on-one mentoring with a professional writer, enrolment on a course, books, theatre tickets or a pass to a literature festival. Deadline: February 5, 2026.

The Eva Ibbotson Award. Restrictions: Open to young writers aged 11-15 in the North of England who are writing in English as an additional language. Writers must be aged 11-15 when the awards close on 6 February 2025. Genre: Creative work in any form including prose, poetry, scriptwriting, blogging, songwriting and rap. Prize: Package of support created by New Writing North to the value of £500. Deadline: February 5, 2026.

Northern Writers’ Awards for Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction. Restrictions: Open to writers living in the North of England at the time of entering and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months. Genre: Full-length novel, work of narrative non-fiction or a short-story collection work in progress. Prize: Winners will receive awards of between £2000 and £5000 to support them to develop work in progress and to complete promising manuscripts. They will also be given access to the Northern Writers’ Awards Network. Deadline: February 5, 2026.

Northern Writers’ Awards for Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction and Young Adult. Restrictions: Open to writers living in the North of England at the time of entering and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months, and who are yet to publish a full-length novel or collection of short stories. Genre: Fiction, narrative non-fiction, young adult fiction. Prize: £2000, mentoring and access to the Northern Writers’ Awards Network. Deadline: February 5, 2026.

The Northern Writers’ Awards for Poetry and Debut Poetry. Restrictions: Open to writers living in the North of England at the time of entering and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months. Genre: Poetry collection. Open to both established and debut poets. Prize: Winners will receive awards of between £2000 and £5000 to support them to develop work in progress and to complete promising manuscripts. They will also be given access to the Northern Writers’ Awards Network. Deadline: February 5, 2026.

The University of Chester Flash (Youth). Restrictions: Open to Scottish students aged 16-19 who are studying in the UK. Genre: flash fiction of up to 360 words. Prize: Up to £100. Deadline: February 6, 2026.

Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. Genre: Adventure writing novel. Prize: £10,000. Deadline: February 6, 2026.

Highlights Foundation Scholarships. Prize: 25 full tuition scholarships and 20 partial tuition scholarships for workshops that take place at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center. 30 full tuition scholarships for online courses through the Highlights Foundation. 15 scholarships for personal retreats at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center. Deadline: February 9, 2026.

Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Genre: Fiction. Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. No self-published works. Prize: $60,000 will be awarded to a novel or short-story collection published between Oct 1, 2025 and Feb 10, 2026. Prizes of $5,000 will be awarded to each of the finalists. Deadline: February 11, 2026.

Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Non-Fiction. Genre: Literary non-fiction. Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. Prize: $75,000 will be awarded to a literary nonfiction book published between Oct 1, 2025 and Feb 10, 2026. Deadline: February 11, 2026.

Writers' Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers. Restrictions: Open to Canadian LGBTQ+ writers. Genre: Debut book  published between October 1, 2025 and February 10, 2026. Prize: $12,000. Deadline: February 11, 2026.

The Tomorrow Prize & The Green Feather Award. Restrictions: Open to Los Angeles County high school students. Genre: Science fiction, and environmentally focused sci-fi story. Prize: Tomorrow Prize: $250, $150, and $100 USD. Green Feather Award: $250.00 & online publication by the Nature Nexus Institute. Deadline: February 13, 2026.

Footnote x Counterpoints Writing Prize. Restrictions: Anyone from a refugee or migrant background is eligible to submit an entry for the prize if they are resident in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland, whether they have previously been published or not. You do not need to have finished writing your book in order to enter. Genre: Narrative non-fiction centred around themes of displacement, identity and/or resistance. Prize: £15,000 award, which includes an advance of £5,000 and a publication agreement with Footnote Press. Deadline: February 13, 2026.

There Is No Planet B STAFFORD GREEN ARTS FESTIVAL. Genre: Art. Prize: Public display. Deadline: February 13, 2026. Open to ages 8 and up.

Writers' & Artists' Short Story Competition. Genre: Short story. All entries must be original unpublished prose of 2,000 words or fewer. See theme. Prize: A place on one of Arvon's residential writing courses and publication. Deadline: February 13, 2026.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for one story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: February 13, 2026.

Tree2mydoor Valentines Day Poetry competition. Restrictions: Open to UK citizens. Genre: Witty or soppy, romantic or silly Valentines Day poems. Prize: £100 worth of Tree2mydoor gift vouchers. Deadline: February 14, 2026.

Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English. Books must be published in Canada in English between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026 to be eligible for the 2026 Prize. Must  be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: February 14, 2026.

James Welch Prize for Indigenous Poets. Restrictions: The prize is open to new, emerging, and established poets who are community-recognized members of tribal nations within the United States and its trust territories (including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Chamorros, and American Samoans). Only poets who have not published more than one book-length collection are eligible; however, previous publication is not a requirement. Eligible contestants must be community-recognized members of their tribal nation. Formal tribal enrollment is not the only way of acknowledging belonging, and this prize aims to recognize all Native writers who are in community. Previous first place winners of this prize are not eligible, but previous finalists are welcome to submit work. Prize: $1000. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

Dolors Alberola Poetry Prize. Genre: Full-length poetry collection. Prize: Winner receives translation to another European language; publication of the collection (bilingual edition); 50 copies; and royalties. Finalists receive publication of the collection (Spanish edition), 10 copies of the book, and royalties on Publisher’s edition and subsidiary rights. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

Jacob Zilber Prize for Short Fiction.  Genre: Short fiction. Prize: $1,500 top prize. Deadline: Deadline: February 15, 2026. Note: There are two different deadlines on the submittable page, one for February 15, and another for March 2. I've chosen the earlier date. There is no entry fee noted on the Submittable page.

Harold Morton Landon Translation Award. Genre: Poetry collection translated from any language into English and published in the previous calendar year. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

Raiziss/de Palchi Translation Award. Genre: Poetry - translation into English of a significant work of modern Italian poetry. Prize: $25,000. The Raiziss/de Palchi Fellowship will be given in 2026 to enable an American translator to travel, study, or otherwise advance a significant work-in-progress. The Academy invites applications from American translators currently engaged in the translation of twentieth-century Italian poetry. The winning translator will receive an award of $25,000 and a five-week residency at the American Academy in Rome. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

Moving Words Poetry Competition for Adults. Genre: Poems of 10 lines or less that will be displayed inside Arlington Transit buses. Prize: $250. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

Hub City Press. Restrictions: Open to writers of all levels who have lived in South Carolina for at least one year prior to submission of their manuscript. Genre: Novel. Prize: $1,500 and book publication, including marketing and tour support from Hub City Press and the series partners, as well as placement in all South Carolina state libraries and readings/events with presenting sponsors. Deadline: February 15, 2026. Biennial award.

Bar Sagi Prize. Restrictions: Open to Israelis aged 12 to 18 when the poem was written. Genre: Poem. Prize: 400 NIS first prize, 250 NIS second prize, 100 NIS third prize. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

Charles Crupi Memorial Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to high school students in Michigan.  Genre: Poetry. Prize: 1st place - $250 and publication in The Albion Review, 2nd place - $150 and publication in The Albion Review; 3rd place - $100 and publication in The Albion Review. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

Charles S. Longcope Jr. Writers and Artists Grant. Genre: Emerging scholars, writers, or artists whose proposed project makes a contribution to LGBTQ+ scholarship or the arts are eligible to apply. Prize: Up to three gifts of up to $5,000 each. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

Haiku Society of America Merit Book Awards for Excellence in Published Haiku, Translation, and Criticism. Genre: Published book. Books must have been published in 2023 and must clearly contain a printed 2023 copyright. A member, author, or publisher may submit or nominate more than one title. At least 50 percent of the book must be haiku, senryu, or haibun, or prose about these subjects (books mostly of tanka, for example, are not eligible). Prize: $500. Deadline: February 15, 2026.

53-Word Story Contest. Genre: Flash fiction of exactly 53 words based on monthly theme. Prize: Publication and a free book. Deadline: February 15, 2026. This is a monthly contest.
 
Iron Horse 2025 Chapbook Competition. Genre: Prose chapbook, between 40 and 56 pages (10,000 - 20,000 words) Prize: $1,000 honorarium and 15 copies. Deadline: Note: They will accept 25 free submissions on February 15, 2026 for those who cannot afford to pay the entry fee.

Hefner Heitz Kansas Book Award in Poetry (Kansas Book Award). Restrictions: Author must establish a connection to Kansas by birth, education, employment, residence or other significant claim. Genre: Novel or collection of short stories. The nominee's book must have a publication date of 2023, 2024, or 2025. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: February 17, 2026.

Randall Albers Young Writers Award. Restrictions: Open to  all Chicago-area students currently enrolled in grades 9–12. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction. Prize: $250 top prize, Deadline: February 17, 2026.

Collaborature. Restrictions: Submissions must be written by more than one author or include a collaboration of two people (i.e., art and poetry). Genre: Poetry, prose, art. Prize: $20. Deadline: February 17, 2026. Note: This is a monthly contest.

Christopher Tower Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to UK students between 16-18 years of age. Genre: Poetry, one poem, maximum 48 lines. See theme. Prize: £5,000. Deadline: February 19, 2026. 

Iris N. Spencer Undergraduate Poetry Award. Restrictions: Open to undergraduate poets who are enrolled in a United States college or university. Genre: Poetry composed in the traditional modes of meter, rhyme and received forms. Prize: First prize $1,500, and a runner-up prize $500. Deadline: February 20, 2026.

Wiley-Silver Prize in Civil War History. Genre: First book or monograph in Civil War history published in the previous year. Books or monographs published by scholarly or popular presses are eligible. Prize: $2,000. Deadline: February 20, 2026.

Sonnet Award. Restrictions: Open to undergraduate poets who are enrolled in a United States college or university. Genre: Sonnet. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: February 20, 2026.

Villanelle Award. Restrictions: Open to undergraduate poets who are enrolled in a United States college or university. Genre: Villanelle. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: February 20, 2026.

Myong Cha Son Haiku Award. Restrictions: Open to undergraduate poets who are enrolled in a United States college or university. Genre: Haiku. Prize: First prize $1,500, and a runner-up prize $500. Deadline: February 20, 2026.

Gaithersburg Book Festival Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to high school students (grades 9-12) from across the Washington Metropolitan Area (Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC). Genre: Poetry. See topic. Prize: First, 2nd and 3rd place winners will receive $250, $100 and $50 gift certificates. Deadline: February 20, 2026.

Rhina P. Espaillat Poetry Award. Restrictions: Open to undergraduate poets who are enrolled in a United States college or university. Genre: Original poems written in Spanish and translations of English poems to Spanish. Prize: $1000. Deadline: February 20, 2024.

The Matthew Power Literary Reporting Award supports the work of a promising early-career nonfiction writer on a story that uncovers truths about the human condition. Genres: Nonfiction journalism works in progress with “strong, character-driven narratives with detailed scene writing and lyrical description.” Restrictions: The award will not fund proposals to report on armed conflicts where journalists are already imperiled, nor projects that are mainly investigatory. Prize: $6,000 upon announcement of the winning proposal; $3,000 upon evidence of substantial progress (usually a first draft); and $3,500 upon completion and acceptance by the Award committee. Deadline: February 22, 2026.

Harper’s Bazaar short-story competition. Restrictions: Open to UK residents or nationals, aged 18 or over. Genre: Original, unpublished short story, written in English on the subject of ‘The open road’ up to 2,000 words. Prize: Two-night stay at Chewton Glen in Hampshire (UK). Deadline: February 22, 2026.

Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant. Restrictions: Open to authors under 30 years of age who have not had a book published. Applicant must have been born in Ohio or have lived in Ohio for a minimum of five years. Genre: Short fiction and creative non-fiction. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: February 23, 2026.

The Lakefly Writers Conference. Restrictions: Open to residents of Wisconsin. Genres: Short story fiction: 3000 words or less. Any genre. Poetry: All poems, free verse to formal and everything in between—75 lines max. Personal Essay: 2500 words max. Prize: First place winners will receive a cash prize of $100; second place winners will receive $75; and third place winners will receive $50. Winners must be able to attend an awards ceremony. Deadline: February 23, 2026.

Toronto Star Short Story Contest. Restrictions: Open to Ontario residents 16 years of age or older. Genre: Short story. Prize: 1st prize - $5000; 2nd prize - $2000, 3rd prize - $1000. Deadline: February 25, 2026.

My List: A Different Kind of Review Contest. Restrictions: Open to middle school and high school students ages 13 -19. Genre: A review of architecture, art, books, comedy, dance, fashion, movies, music, podcasts, restaurants, technology, theater, TV shows or video games. Length: 600 words max. Prize: Publication. Deadline: February 25, 2026.

Children's Books North Network Prize. Restrictions: Open to writers living in the North of England at the time of entering and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months. Over the age of 18. Unpublished as an illustrator. For this prize, unpublished means you have never had any illustrations previously published by a publisher in any format (and are not under contract to have your work published). You can have been published as a writer, but not as an illustrator. Genre: Illustration. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: February 26, 2026.

Charlotte Aitken Trust Awards. Restrictions: Open to writers living and working in the North of England and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months. Over the age of 18. A writer of fiction, poetry and/or creative non-fiction who has published at least one full-length work (such as a novel, poetry collection or memoir); or a poet who has published at least one pamphlet and has published at least four individual poems in magazines, online or in anthologies; or a fiction writer who has published a novella or at least four short stories in magazines and anthologies; or an author of essays or similar non-fiction pieces that have been widely published online and in print. An emerging early career writer. Working towards a new full-length work and have an outline of this writing project. This work does not have to be in the same genre or form as your previous publications. You will be required to submit a writing extract from your work-in-progress. Genre: Fiction WIP, Poetry, Narrative Nonfiction. Prize: £5,000. Deadline: February 26, 2026.

Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism. Genre: This prize seeks to honor the best book-length works of criticism published in the US in the prior calendar year, including biographies, essay collections, and critical editions that consider the subject of poetry or poets. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: February 27, 2026 for first time nominations only. All others, March 2.

Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships. Restrictions: Applicants must reside in the U.S. or be U.S. citizens. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and no older than 31 years in 2026. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $27,000.  Deadline: February 27, 2026. Please submit an initial registration form.

How Can We Prevent Future Wars? Restrictions: Open to young people ages 9 - 18. Genre: Poetry, art, speech, song. Prize: Unspecified. Deadline: February 27, 2026.

Caine Prize for African Writing. Restrictions: Open to writers born in Africa, or nationals of an African country, or with a parent who is African by birth or nationality, Genre: Short fiction (published). Prize: £10,000. Deadline: February 27, 2026.

Action! Prize. Restrictions: Open to residents in the UK, Ireland or US and over 18 at time of submission. Genre: YOUNG FICTION for 6-8 years (such as Dave Pigeon), GRAPHIC NOVELS for 6-14 years (such as Peng & Spanners) and ACTION ADVENTURE for 9-12 years (such as Alex Rider and the Gone series). Prize: FIRST PRIZE – A worldwide publishing offer from Faber (subject to contract). SECOND PRIZE – Editorial feedback from the Judges.) Deadline: February 27, 2026.

Black Caucus of ALA (BCALA) Self-Publishing Literary Awards. Genre: Self-published ebook by an African American author in the U.S. in both fiction and poetry genres. BCALA awards acknowledge outstanding achievement in the presentation of the cultural, historical and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora. The purpose is to encourage the artistic expression of the African American experience via literature and scholarly research including biographical, historical, and social history treatments by African Americans. Prize: $2,500.00, formal recognition at the NCAAL conference, and a BCALA Literary Award Seal to use in their marketing. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Sejong Cultural Society Sijo Competition. Genre: Sijo. Prizes: Adult: $1000, $750, $500, $50 for honorable mention, plus possible publication. Pre-college division: First ($500), Second ($400), Third ($300) Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Imagine Little Tokyo. Little Tokyo Historical Society (LTHS) seeks fictional short stories in Japanese or English for its “Imagine Little Tokyo” writing contest. The setting of the story should be in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA– either past, present or future. Prize: $1000. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

The Orwell Society Dystopian Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Open to current students (both BA and MA) at British universities. Genre: Dystopian narratives of 3,000 words. See theme. Prize: £750. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction. Genre: Essay, maximum 5,000 words. Prize: $250 top prize. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

The Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation & Multi-Lingual Texts. Genre: Literary translations and multi-lingual texts. Prize: $200. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

A Long Winter's Night Contest. Genre: "Tell us the story of a long winter’s night, true or made up, but make it short: fifty words or less." Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Voices of Mixed Heritage. Genre: Submit essays, fiction, or poetry exploring themes of multicultural or third-culture identity, love, belonging, home life, and pain. We seek heartfelt reflections on living between worlds. Prize: $500. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

The Canterbury Tales Writing Competition. Restrictions: Open to all students of school age including not only those in schools and college communities, but also students who are home educated and in any other young people’s community organisations. Genre: Poetry and fiction: See prompts. Prize: £300 top prize. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Atlanta Haiku Festival Poetry Competition. Genre: Haiku on Theme: Growing Gold. Prize: $100 Grand Prize. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Words Without Borders Momentum Grant for Early-Career Translators. Genre: The grant is intended to facilitate the completion of a substantial sample of a book-length work of prose translation suitable for submission to English-language publishers, and will be awarded to an individual translator who has not yet received a book-length contract for translation work into English. We particularly welcome submissions from translators from historically underrepresented cultures and backgrounds. Prize: $3000. Deadline: February 28, 2026.

Apex Flash Fiction Contest. Genre: Speculative fiction, 1000 words max. Prize: 8 cents/word or $10, which ever is greater. Deadline: February 28, 2026. Note: Apex Magazine’s Flash Fiction Contest is open from the 7th until the final day of each month. The contest is themed.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: February 28, 2026. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

St. Augustine, FL: Public Domain Pictures This February there are more than a dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most will be held in person or use a hybrid format.

These writing events offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, how to market your books, discussions - there is something for everyone.

I have included conferences with deadlines that have already passed on this list to give you advance notice. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences.

Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year. 

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The Stowe Vermont Winter Writing Adventure. February 1 - 6, 2026: Stowe, VT. The Stowe Vermont Winter Writing Adventure is a week-long workshop with Pam Houston and Leigh Newman where writers will work with both faculty members to generate new work while snowshoeing, XC skiing, and exploring the beauty of New England in the wintertime. The workshop is limited to 20 participants to ensure an intimate setting, plus plenty of time to write and explore all the outdoor wonders Stowe has to offer.

Savannah Book Festival. February 5 - 8, 2026: Savannah, Georgia. Our four-day Festival takes place in Savannah’s Historic District against a backdrop of stunning historic buildings, cascading Spanish moss, and blooming Azaleas. Each year, over 9,000 people join us for three ticketed Headliner Address events and for our free Festival Saturday. Festival Saturday presentations take place in museums, churches, and theaters in and around the historic Telfair and Chippewa Squares in the heart of Downtown Savannah. Our lineup of nationally-recognized authors from wide-ranging genres give 30-minute solo presentations on their creative process, followed by a Q&A and book signing.

Online San Diego Writing Workshop. February 6 - 7, 2026: Online. "This is a special two-day “How to Get Published” online writing workshop. In other words, it’s two days full of classes and advice designed to give you the best instruction concerning how to get your writing & books published. We’ll discuss your publishing opportunities today, how to write queries & pitches, how to market yourself and your books, what makes an agent/editor stop reading your manuscript, and more. No matter what you’re writing — fiction or nonfiction — the day’s classes will help point you in the right direction. Writers of all genres are welcome. And even though this is the Online “San Diego” Writing Workshop, make no mistake — writers from everywhere are welcome to attend virtually. Our WDW writers conferences have helped dozens of writers find literary agent representation."

. February 7, 2026: Philadelphia, PA. Meet over a dozen African-American children's book writers.

Love Hurts: Writing the Break-up Poem. February 11, 2026: Online. The Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present “Love Hurts: Writing the Break-up Poem,” a workshop led by Amie Whittemore on Wednesday, February 11th from 6:00-7:30 PM EST. This event will be held over Zoom. Participants can access the event at tiny.utk.edu/sundress (password: sundress). While poetry has a reputation for expressing adoration, it’s also wonderful for expelling the bad energy broken love leaves behind. In this generative class, we’ll look at examples of breakup poems that demonstrate that breakups are as multifaceted as relationships: the sad breakup poem, the angry breakup poem, the regretful breakup poem. Through these poems, we can come to better understand our roles in these relationships that have ended and begin to find peace. After looking at some example poems, there will be time for writers to generate their own breakup poem(s), with individual lines shared in the chat, as time allows. While there is no fee to participate in this workshop, those who are able and appreciative may make donations directly to Amie Whittemore Venmo: @Amie-Whittemore.

San Francisco Writers Conference. February 12 - 15, 2026: San Francisco, CA. Attendees will join with 100+ presenters and fellow writers from across the country and around the world at this year’s event. The SFWC events are consistently rated among the top writer’s conferences anywhere. "Our goal is to help writers become published authors as we help them become better at the craft and business of writing. The SFWC is also one of the friendliest conferences. Presenters this year will include bestselling authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers from major publishing houses. There will be experts on self-publishing, book promotion, platform building, social media, and author websites. The San Francisco Writers Conference has one of the largest faculties of any writer’s conference to ensure the best networking with the people who can help you get published." 

The Colrain Crucible. February 15, 2026: Online.  A one-day, high-intensity manuscript-shaping session focused on selection, sequencing, and structural clarity. In this rigorous, generative environment, 4-6 poets with an in-progress manuscript (full-length or chapbook) bring pre-conference exercises into the crucible of close editorial scrutiny and real-time evaluation. Under the pressure of focused attention on these exercises, manuscripts reveal their strengths, weaknesses, and true organizing principles. You will leave with a newly clarified sense of your book’s core, what belongs, what doesn’t, and how your poems work — or fail to work — in sequence.

Nonfiction Picture Books: Exploring Forms and Creative Approaches. February 17 - 19, 2026: Online. Explore the exciting world of nonfiction picture books! This course guides you through formats, styles, and strategies for bringing real-world topics to life for young readers.

Reflection and Refraction in Personal Narratives. February 17 – March 17, 2026: Online. How do our individual experiences reflect the systems within which we exist? In this generative workshop, we will learn the art of imitation, refraction and distortion in memoir and personal essays. Using Foucault’s Las Meninas as a foundation, we will read work from writers like Elizabeth Gilbert, Seo-Young Chu, Hilton Als and Paisley Rekdal, exploring topics from private investigation, to travel, trauma and the love of animals. The methods these writers use for sharing insights about our world will inspire us to write personal narratives from fresh perspectives. Writers of all levels are welcome. Come empty-handed or bring works-in-progress to revise. Limited to 12 participants.

What's Form Got to Do With It?: A Poetry Workshop. February 18 - March 18, 2026: Online. Even those who avoid it must admit: form gives our poems structure, tension, counterpoint and deeper meaning. In this supportive workshop, we will explore five traditional and contemporary forms, focusing on how a poem’s content is enhanced, challenged or complicated by its structure. Each week, we will explore poems by writers like Terrance Hayes, William Carlos Williams and Terisa Siagatonu, paying close attention to form and content. Generative prompts will provide the option to write a new poem in that week’s form or revise a previously-written poem into that form. Writers will leave this workshop with a deeper appreciation for formal potential, and with polished work any publisher would be excited to read. Beginning and experienced writers are welcome. Limited to 12 participants.


Wild Seeds Writers Retreat. February 19 - 22, 2026: Brooklyn, NY. The Wild Seeds Writers Retreat (formerly the North Country Institute & Retreat for Writers of Color), a collaboration with the Center for Black Literature, the English Department at SUNY, Plattsburgh, and the Paden Institute and Retreat for Writers, provides a writing community where established and newly discovered writers of color can focus on the craft of writing and create cross-cultural conversations around the literature created by writers of the African diaspora.  Deadline: January 9, 2026.

Big Sur Children's Writing Workshop. February 20-22, 2026: Monterey, CA. The Andrea Brown Literary Agency runs the Big Sur Children's Writing Workshop every winter with occasional offshoot conference locations. "Since 1997, we have brought in outstanding editors from the top publishing houses, both large and small, and successful authors to make up our experienced and giving faculty. We pride ourselves on an excellent faculty-to-attendee ratio and a weekend with ample opportunities for faculty/attendee interactions, both formal and informal. This workshop has been the source of many successful author/agent relationships and many publishing deals, including one for more than half a million dollars."

Tinker Mountain Winter Recharge. February 20 - 22, 2026: Online. The weekend begins with a social session on Friday evening and continues with workshops Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 to 4 p.m.  Just the right amount of time to affirm your writing and to reset for the balance of winter and spring. Manuscript workshops, limited to 8 participants, give you an opportunity to receive feedback on your work from peers and your faculty mentor and learn what other writers are working on. Write now workshops, limited to 10 participants, allow you to immerse yourself in the craft of writing and generate new work without the pressure of preparing or reading manuscripts.

SCBWI: NOT YOUR GRANDMA'S NONFICTION! February 21, 2026: Online. Today's nonfiction is bold, engaging, and innovative! Attendees will take an in-depth look at what books are (and aren't) being published. We will explore how books cover the "What?" "So What?" and/or the "Now What?" of a topic. For the sake of time, the exemplars will be picture books, but the principles explored apply to all informational books.  Registration closes February 18th .

SCBWI San Diego: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Writing Children's Books with Irene Vázquez, Associate Editor. February 21, 2026: Online. As an Editor at Levine Querido - whose publishing house has long been a champion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Children's books - Irene Vázquez will speak on how to maintain authenticity in writing and illustrating books with diverse characters and themes for Children and young adults. In addition, they will give a window into what gains have been made in the publishing industry and where the publishing world is headed in this area, as well as best steps to capture the attention of an Editor or Agent for your book and/or illustrations for Children. The 2026 San Diego Region DEI Grant recipients will be announced.

St. Augustine Author-Mentor Novel Workshop. February 24 - 27, 2026: St. Augustine, Florida. "The St. Augustine Author-Mentor Novel Workshop creates an intimate and professional environment that combines private meetings with small-group workshops, thus enabling aspiring authors to wisely approach the writing and publication of their novel. At the St. Augustine event, aspiring authors will:
1) Work one-on-one with top authors and savvy market professionals.
2) Apply advanced story and narrative technique to their novel-in-progress.
3) Hone and improve their writer voice and style.
4) Learn the necessary inside mechanics of the publishing business.
5) Leave the workshop with a detailed plan to work towards publication of their novel.
Group workshop sessions will be interspersed with agent and author consultations, workshop assignments, as well as consults with workshop leaders."

Amelia Island Book Festival. February 28, 2026: Fernandina Beach, FL. During the Festival, Authors have opportunities to engage with over 1300 Readers in an up-close and personal way to showcase and sell their books. Readers will be able to engage with more than 100 exhibiting authors in a personal way about their work and what inspires them.  There are numerous Author breakout presentations, including several led by New York Times best-selling authors, book signing session, food trucks, and a variety of activities designed to keep both Authors and Readers engaged, educated, and entertained through activities throughout the day.  

SCBWI San Diego: Craft a Compelling First Chapter and Insightful Synopsis. February 28, 2026: Online. Agent Hillary Fazzari will be sharing hands-on editing strategies to polish First Chapters that hook agents, editors and readers, using examples of projects she personally represented and First Page submissions from attendees. You will also get an agents overview of the parameters and importance of a well-written synopsis when submitting novels – which more agent and editor submission guidelines are now requesting.

EVENTS WITH APPLICATION DEADLINES IN FEBRUARY

Ossabaw Writer’s Retreat. March 13 - 18,  2026: Ossabaw Island, GA. Work with one of our critically acclaimed writers in a workshop limited to five qualified participants. Each day, participants will bring manuscripts of their work-in-progress to their assigned workshop group where they will read, discuss and receive feedback about their projects from fellow participants and the assigned group leader. Workshop manuscripts should be limited to 12 pages poetry/16-20 pages fiction or non-fiction. Application deadline: February 15.

Some Trees: A Generative Multi-Genre Writing Workshop with Rob Schlegel. March 26 - May 14, 2026: Online. In this generative writing course you will write prose and poetry that emerges out of field observations, classroom discussion, and close readings of texts that explore ecology and the imagination, plants and consciousness, poetry and justice, gender and ash trees. The workshop is designed to help you become more aware of the choices you make as a writer.  Application window: February 1-15.

In This Poem Something Grows: A poetry workshop with Asa Drake. May 5, June 9, 2026: Online. This workshop title is, of course, aspirational. More likely, something grows, and then it fails. Or something thrives for a given set of conditions. In this generative workshop we’ll hone our observation skills while also risking accountability for our role as an observer in the human and natural world.  Application deadline: February 15, 2026.

Hedgebrook’s Writer-in-Residence Program supports writers from all over the world for residencies of two to four weeks. The cottage, all meals, and the entire residency experience at Hedgebrook is free to selected writers. Travel is not included and is the responsibility of the writer to arrange and pay for. Up to 6 writers can be in residence at a time, each housed in their own handcrafted cottage. They spend their days in solitude – writing, reading, taking walks in the woods on the property or on nearby Double Bluff beach. In the evenings, “The Gathering” is a social time for residents to connect and share over their freshly prepared meals.  Writers must be women, which is inclusive of transgender women and female-identified individuals. Because gender inequity still occurs in all spaces including literary ones, it is part of our explicit mission to support and promote women’s voices. Applications open February 17 - April 17 for 2027 Residency.

Rose Conway Here are five new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients. All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.
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Ms. Rose Conway of Confluence Literary Agency

Rose Conway joins Confluence Literary Agency as an expansion of her dedicated work to inform and empower authors in the dynamic industry landscape. 

Her publishing career began with a fortuitous internship at Simon & Schuster U.K. There, she first learned about the role of a "Literary Agent” and directed her career to being the ultimate cheerleader, critic, confidante, and champion for creative writers. In 2021, she diverted to explore hybrid publishing as the editorial manager for a leading professional publisher, ensuring that creative writers could earn a living and have the flexibility to pursue their own projects. Two years later, witnessing authors navigate mounting obstacles in the publishing landscape with increasingly contradictory and inconsistent advice, Rose founded Foreword Literary Consulting, LLC as a trusted resource for strategic guidance. Rose holds a Masters in Publishing from London College of Communication and a double Bachelor of Arts in English and Communication Studies from Villanova University. She lives in Columbia, Maryland with her husband.

What she is seeking: Rose is seeking commercial fiction. Her list focuses on stylistically subversive and thematically layered fiction: work that leads with artistry and allows deeper themes to emerge naturally. She seeks upmarket and smart commercial fiction with inventive structures, emotional depth, and distinctive voices. Think braided narratives, unexpected POVs, and prose that takes creative risks. In building her list, Rose is interested in career-oriented writers and her goal is to help authors lay the foundation for sustainable career growth. 

How to submit: Use her querymanager form HERE.
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Jess Taylor of Martin Literary Management

Jess discovered her passion for publishing when she crafted her first book pitch for a high school research project. After falling in love with persuading others to read the stories she adored, she earned her BFA in creative writing from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, where she also completed the publishing certificate program. She spent six years acquiring children's books, YA, nonfiction, and fiction for a Virginia-based publisher before opening an online bookstore dedicated to her first love: young adult literature.

What she is seeking: Young adult, new adult, select romance.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Charlie Serabian of Martin Literary Management

As a graduate of SCAD’s film and television department, Charlie spent his earlier years script doctoring and working on commercial, television, and documentary sets. His focus swiftly shifted to the book world in 2017 after starting at Global Lion Intellectual Property Management under the tutelage of literary maverick Peter Miller, where he became an agent after four years. He has also ghost written several books, written/co-written two WGA-approved screenplays, and edited numerous works of fiction and non-fiction.

What he is seeking: Primarily, I'm looking to build my list in genre fiction of all kinds. I have a special place in my heart for sci-fi and fantasy with a strong sense of style, prose, and characterization. I love writing with an appreciation for the macabre, a deathly sense of humor, or gothic sensibilities. I am also open to YA horror, adult horror, adult thrillers and crime fiction. In nonfiction I'd love to see the following:Anything that deals with hard hitting truths or the darker aspects of humanity.New technology.Political intrigue.Restaurant-focused works, whether cookbooks, or about the general world of restauranting. I am the son of two restaurateurs, so it's a subject close to me.Intriguing studies of lesser known people or situations.Having represented Sir Ken Robinson for many years, I am deeply invested in the subject of education. If you are a teacher or educator, I'd love to hear from you.I've worked with many wonderful true crime authors over the years, including Matthew Phelps and Aphrodite Jones. I also managed the estate of Vincent Bugliosi, author of Helter Skelter. True crime is always something I will give a chance to.How to submit: Use his querymanager HERE.
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Bowen Gillings of Savvy Literary

Bowen Gillings is an active member of the American Association of Literary Agents who joined Savvy Literary in 2025. He has nearly a decade of experience as an author and champion of authors. Currently building his list, Bowen seeks to partner with writers possessing a solid grasp of why and how they write coupled with professionalism and a sense of humor. He loves engaging, entertaining books with a strong narrative voice.

Bowen has several published works of fiction including The Chronicles of Rom & Drood, First Family, The Wedding Guest, A Night to Remember, Exceptionals, and Overstuffed Lunchbox: A Bunch of Bite-Sized Bits. He recently co-wrote Year-by-Year: A Chronology of Garden of the Gods Park, a detailed history resource text for the City of Colorado Springs Office of Cultural Services.

What he is seeking: Currently seeking in fiction: Fantasy (High/Low/Epic/Grimdark/Noblebright, et al.), Thrillers & Suspense, Action/Adventure, Historical Fiction, Light Sci-Fi, Military Sci-Fi, and witty, humorous voices writing any of the above.

Currently seeking in non-fiction: narrative non-fiction, Pre-Revolution North America, American Indian voices (modern and historic), ancient history/lost civilizations, fitness/wellness/mental health, outdoors, cookbooks, and travel.

How to submit: Please send your query letter, one-two page synopsis, first three chapters, author bio with website link(s), social media link(s), and marketing plan (all documents must be in PDF format) to bowen@savvyliterary.com or use the submissions form HERE. Bowen is open to submissions the first week of every month.
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Ms. Natalie Sun of HG Literary

Natalie grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia reading as many fantastical adventures she could get her hands on. After graduating from New York University with a major in English and a minor in psychology, she joined HG Literary to assist Carrie Hannigan. 

What she is seeking: Natalie is primarily interested in YA and adult fantasy of all kinds, but will read any genre of fiction. She loves found family, original magic systems, complex dynamics, retellings, and romance. She has a soft spot for anything with horses. Natalie is not looking for religious books, nonfiction, horror, or graphic novels, but will otherwise read whatever is put in her hands, including science fiction, thriller, and middle grade.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

Flickr Every year, I make a New Year's Resolution just for writing. I don't bother with personal resolutions, because I never keep them. (Seriously, in what universe was I ever going to give up chocolate?) But, without fail, I always keep my writing resolutions. 

In past years, I have made writing resolutions to Write What I Feared (we must all face our writing demons), and to get more rejections than C. S. Lewis. (He got over 800; I've gotten well over a thousand.) (I'm not proud.) In 2020, I resolved to begin (facing a blank screen is always daunting) and the following year, to finish what I had started. (This is a perennial problem for writers such as myself, who have a wealth of ideas, but short attention spans.) 

I have resolved to read, because it is only through reading and re-reading that we hone our writing skills, and I have resolved to observe the ordinary, because observing what goes on around us is the basis of all subject matter. 
Perhaps most important of all, I have resolved to be true to my own work - that is to say, to not conform to what I think an audience might like (or dislike, as the case may be), but to be loyal to my own message. Most writers may not realize it, but ignoring a prospective audience is actually quite difficult, especially once editors and publishers get hold of your manuscript. 

Where was I? Oh yes... resolutions...

After giving it much thought, I have come to the conclusion, much like Frank Herbert, that as far as writing is concerned, story is everything. I don't just mean the stories in your head. I talking about the stories you hear.
It occurred to me the other day that I could remember every story that anyone had ever told me—even stories from strangers I'd only met once. They had said something to me that resonated., and  I simply never forgot their story. A good number of these stories have served as inspiration for some of my short work, and even a novel.

The question that comes to mind is: How many stories do we miss when we are planning what we are going to say, instead of listening? We tend to remember things that have a strong emotional impact. But what of the other kinds of stories, the more mundane tales of misadventures, the humorous antics of children, travels? 

These are the ones we miss, because when we are focused on adding something similar in our lives, something to continue the conversation, we lose track of what we are being told. 

It is essential for fiction writers to pay attention to the stories people tell. Listen carefully, because while we may believe we are inventing stories, in reality we are telling the stories of all the people we have ever met ... and quite a few that we haven't. Unlike nonfiction (which is sometimes invented out of whole cloth), fiction must, in the deepest sense, be fundamentally true.

Pickpik This January there are six dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

I post upcoming calls for submissions shortly before the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.
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Acre Books. Genre: Full-length poetry manuscripts. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: Open reading period in January.

The Bombay Literary Magazine. Genre: Fiction, poetry, translated fiction/poetry and graphic fiction. Payment: Indian rupees 5,000 (approx. $61) per contribution. Deadline: Opens January 1, 2026.

Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing is accepting submissions of complete, previously unpublished manuscripts in the speculative fiction genre that have series potential. Speculative fiction encompasses horror, fantasy, and science fiction—and all of the niche categories under those large umbrellas. They are only considering full length novels between 40K and 100K words. See submission requirements HERE. Deadline: Opens January 1, 2026.
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The Paris Review. Genres: Fiction, poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: Opens Janurary 1, 2026, and closes when they reach capacity.

Cafe Irreal. Genre: Magical realism. Length: Up to 2,000 words. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: January 1, 2026.

Utopia Science Fiction: Weird Science Fiction. Genre: Utopian science fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art. Theme: Weird Science Fiction. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $30 per poem. Deadline: January 1, 2026.

Butch Bait Anthology. Genre: Art, poetry, fiction, erotica, and photography. See theme. Payment: $10. Deadline: January 1, 2026.

Griffith Review. Poetry. Theme: Post and Found. Payment: $200. Deadline: January 4, 2026.

Mslexia. Genre: Stories, poems and script on themes. Length: Stories up to 2,200 words, poems up to 40 lines, and short scripts up to 1,000 words (including character names and stage instructions).  Payment: £25. Deadline: January 5, 2026. 

Daikaijuzine. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Payment: $10.00 for each short story, and $5.00 for each poem and flash fiction piece. Deadline: January 5, 2026.

Affirm Press Restrictions: They only accept Australians. Genre: All literary and genre fiction. For non-fiction, they are interested in most subjects that have a mn authors or authors based in Australia, and only manuscripts that haven’t been previously published. They only accept submissions on the first Monday of each month. Read their submission guidelines here. Deadline: January 5, 2026.

Sunlight Press. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, photography, reviews. Payment: $20 - $50. Deadline: Opens January 5, 2026.

Cosmic Horror Monthly. Genre: Weird and cosmic fiction under 5,000 words. Payment: 3 cents (USD) per word. Deadline: January 7, 2026.

Notch. Genre: Flash fiction. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: January 7, 2026.

Headland. Restrictions: Open to Māori writers. Genre: Short fiction and nonfiction. Payment: $75. Deadline: January 9, 2026.

Blanket Gravity Magazine. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art. "We are interested in moments of emotional intensity, and how their effects ring out in the bigger picture of our identities. We are looking for writing and art that explore mental health or emotional life. By "mental health," we mean art that tries to make sense of emotional struggle or uncertainty, as well as our thoughts about who we are, what other people mean to us, and the nature of the world." Payment: $40. Deadline: January 10, 2026. (?)

Book Worms. Genre: Apocalypic horror. Payment: 8 cents a word for fiction (1500 words or less). $25 flat fee for poetry (20 lines or less). Deadline: January 10, 2026.

Cordite. Genre: Poetry. See theme. Payment: Not specified. Payment is available for Australian contributors only. Deadline: January 10, 2026.

34 Orchard. Genre: Fiction, poetry. "We like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad." Payment: $50. Deadline: January 10, 2026. Opens January 1.

Your Body is a Fever Dream. Restrictions: Open to Trans, NB, agender, intersex, GNC, and generallyany gender identity other than binary cisgender. Genre: Fiction and narrative poetry. See theme. Payment: $0.03/word for stories up to 4,000 words. Deadline: January 10, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Ampersand Review. Restrictions: Open to Canadians. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, reviews. Payment: Poetry: $50 per poem/page to a maximum of $100. Fiction: $100 per story. Non-fiction: $100 per piece. Reviews: $100 per piece. Deadline: January 11, 2026.

The Fantastic Other. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, poetry, art on theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: January 12, 2026.

OTHERSIDE. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, and nonfiction by self-identified members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Payment: $0.08/word for prose. $50 per poem. $100 for nonfiction and reprints. Deadline: January 14, 2026.

Flame Tree: Black Horror, Then & Next: Short Stories. Genre: Black (American) literary horror. "e seek stories that recognize the legacy of Black horror, its literary milestones, cultural roots, and innovative voices, while pushing the genre into new, daring territory." Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word. Deadline: January 14, 2026.

Rattle: A Tribute to Invented Forms. Genre: Poetry. "Our Summer 2026 issue will be dedicated to invented forms—poetic structures created by the poets themselves. These might include entirely new formal constraints, creative spins on traditional styles, or intuitive methods developed to suit a single poem. Invented forms offer a chance to blend play and precision, and we’re excited to showcase the wide range of possibilities poets are exploring. The poems may be on any subject and of any length, as long as they demonstrate a form that you’ve invented or substantially modified yourself." Payment: $100. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Last Girls Club. Genre: Feminist horror: short stories and poems - see themes. Payment: Fiction, 1.5 cents/word. Poetry, $10. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Women Artists Datebook. Restrictions: Open to women. Genre: Poems and art. Theme: Peace and Justice. Payment: $200 for art, $70 for poetry. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

River Glass Books: Writes of Nature. Genre: Chapbook manuscripts (20-30 pages). All genres. Payment: $75. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Electric Spec. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20 per piece. Deadline: January 15, 2025.

Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry. See theme. Payment: $0.05/word, up to $25. Deadline: January 15, 2026.
 
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles, messages from heaven, angels. Genre: True stories about miracles, angels, messages from heaven, premonitions, amazing coincidences and other unexplainable but good events! Payment: $200. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Horror Tree: Trembling With Fear. Genre: Horror short stories. Payment: $5. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Shenandoah. Genre: Fiction and novel excerpts. Payment: $80 per 1000 words of prose up to $400. Deadline: Opens January 15, 2026, and closes when they reach capacity.

In a Flash. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Tales from the Crosstimbers. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, splipstream, and horror. Payment:  $10 per story or 1 cent/word rounded to the nearest 100 words, up to a maximum of $50. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Three-Lobed Burning Eye. Genre: Horror, fantasy, and science fiction. Payment: $0.08/word. Deadline: January 16, 2026.

Full House Literary. Genre: Prose, poetry, hybrid, photography and artwork. Payment: £5. Deadline: January 17, 2026.

Pink Hydra Press. Genre: Genre fiction: novellas, novelettes, novels. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 18, 2026.

Seaside Gothic. Genre: Seaside gothic fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or a collection of photographs or illustrations. Payment: £0.01 per word. Deadline: January 18, 2026.

Splinter Journal. Genre: Poetry, fiction, memoir, nonfiction (pitches only). Payment: Profiles (pays AUD900), essays pays AUD900), writing about writing (pays AUD500), and criticism (pays AUD700), and completed submissions of poetry (pays AUD250/poem or AUD450/collection of up to four poems, fiction (pays AUD900), and memoir (pays AUD600). Deadline: January 19, 2026.

Astrolabe. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography & art. Payment: $50. Deadline: January 21, 2026.

The Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy-tale inspired stories/poems. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: January 21, 2026.

OTHERSIDE. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, and nonfiction by self-identified members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Payment: $0.08/word for prose. $50 per poem. $100 for nonfiction and reprints. Deadline: January 21, 2026. Extended deadline only for BIPOC, trans, and/or disabled authors.

Baubles From Bones. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy. Length: All stories must be between 1,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: $.01/word. Deadline: January 29, 2026.

After Happy Hour. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, comics. Payment: $2.50 per printed page, with a minimum of $15 and a maximum of $50, on publication ($25 for the cover artist). Deadline: January 31, 2026. Free submissions are capped at 300, so submit early.

Double Dutch. Genre: Poetry, Music, Art. Payment: $50. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Inked in Gray: Defying Death. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, or horror only. Theme: Defying Death. Payment: $45. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Event Magazine. Genre: Poetry, fiction. Payment: CAD $40/page for poetry and $35/page for prose, up to a maximum of $500. Deadline: January 31, 2026. Closes when cap is reached, so submit early.

The Temz Review. Genre: Prose (fiction and creative non-fiction) up to 10,000 words long. Payment: $20. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Split Lip Magazine. Genre: Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Payment: $75 for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, and art, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews web issues. Deadline: January 31, 2026. Closes when they reach capacity, so submit early.

Alocacia is a monthly mini journal of queer at-home nature writing. "We appreciate both traditional work, as well as the weird, erotic, explicit, anti-colonial, and whatever you can come up with. This is a journal about plants, gardening, and indoor horticulture. Please don’t send us work that isn’t about plants, gardening, or indoor horticulture." Payment: $50. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Nashville Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, art, and nonfiction. Payment: $25 per poem & song selection; $100 per selection for all other categories, including featured artwork. Translators receive $25 per poem & $100 for prose selections. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Phylum. Genre: Fiction, CNF, Poetry, Art. See theme. Payment: $10. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Parsec Ink: 23rd Triangulation Anthology — Bad Romance. Genre: speculative fiction and poetry. See theme. Payment: $0.03/word for original fiction, 25 cents per line for original poetry. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Summer in the City. Genre: Short fiction. Length: 3,000 to 7,500 words. See theme. Payment: 10 cents/word. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Dragon Soul Press: Thread of the Past. Genre: Time travel stories. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 31, 2026. 

Dragon Soul Press: Elite. Genre: Warriors that have mastered their trade. Assassins, mercenaries, guilds, clans, etc. All genres are welcome. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 31, 2026. 

Cozy Fantasy Anthology. Genre: Cozy fantasy. Payment: $30. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Fourteen Poems Genre: Poetry. "We want to represent all that's thrilling about the new wave of LGBT+ poets. If you’re a poet, even if you’ve never been published before, we want to read your work. Every issue we publish 14 of the best queer poems we’ve found, and we want to include you! We publish 4 times a year, but take submissions all year round.  To be considered, email up to 5 poems, preferably in a pdf format, with a small paragraph about yourself to hello@14poems.com. Payment: £30 for each poem published. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Space and Time. Genre: Speculative fiction. "We welcome poetry, art and fiction that bend rules, transcend genre and break stereotypes." Submissions accepted in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French or Italian. See theme. Payment: 1 cent/word for prose, $5 for poetry. Deadline: January 31, 2025.

Southword. Genre: Poetry. Payment: €50 per poem. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Haven Speculative. Restrictions: Open to submissions by authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Dark Peninsula Press: Negative Space 3: The End of All Sanctuary. Genre: Survival horror. Specifically looking for horror stories with a siege (or isolation) sub-theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Inkd Publishing: Detectives, Sleuths, and Nosy Neighbors III. Genre: Murder mysteries, detectives noir, cozy, and humorous Payment: Minimum $10. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Heartlines Spec. Restrictions: "Since Heartlines Spec is primarily a Canadian magazine, we're looking to feature writers identifying as being from Canada/Turtle Island. This includes expats, new immigrants, and people who refuse/resist Canadian Identity. Our goal for each issue is to publish at least 50% Canadian content." Genre: Short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial. "We want stories and poetry with strong, confident relationships amid all the sci-fi/fantasy. We are especially interested in stories featuring queer platonic relationships, ace/aro love stories, and polycules." Payment: $0.08 CAD per word for short fiction and $80 CAD flat for poetry. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ stories, 12,000 words minimum. See themes. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Bonfire Books welcomes submissions of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and children’s books, as well as original translations into English. For Fiction and Non-fiction our minimum word count is 12,000 with no maximum. We are open to literary fiction, historical fiction, short stories, memoir, essays, history, literary or cultural criticism and hybrid genres. Non-fiction with a particularly Australian focus will be looked upon favourably. For Poetry our minimum length is forty pages. Poetry submissions must be sent in pdf to preserve formatting. We appreciate both traditional and modern styles and value music and rhythm. For Children’s Books please include a sample of artwork as well as the complete text. Read their submission guidelines here. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Vine Leaves Press. Genre: Novels and novellas (all genres accepted, but with a literary bent), memoirs/biographies/autobiographies, creative nonfiction, writing/publishing reference books, short story collections, and poetry and vignette collections. They will not accept anything shorter than 60 pages. Payment: 40% net royalty on all eBook and print sales. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Mud Season Review. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, CNF, Art. Payment: $50. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Garland. Genre: Poetry, prose poetry, short prose (<1500 words). See theme. Visual components and hybrid formats are welcome. Payment: $5. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Brink. Genre: Hybrid, cross-genre fiction, nonfiction poetry. Payment: $25 Poem; $50 Work (less than 1500 words); $50 Art (1-3 Images); $100 Art (4+ Images); $100 Work (more than 1501 words). See theme. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Fiction. Genre: Experimental fiction and translations of works previously unpublished in English. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Dark Moments Monthly Challenge. Genre: Dark fiction. Word count : 100 to 2000 words. Payment: 4 cents/word. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

AND A FEW MORE...

Slush. Genre: Previously unpublished short stories of up to 5000 words in length. This includes micro and flash fiction as well as comics, prose poetry and other forms. Payment: $100 AU. Deadline: February 1, 2026. 

The First Line Journal. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry using the line provided. (See theme) Payment: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, $10 for poetry. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

Curated by Costiuc. Genre: Mysteries and crime stories. Length: 1,000 to 5,000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: February 1, 2026. 

June Road Press. Genre: Poetry. "This anthology will be loosely organized as a cross-country road trip: a tour of new voices from different regions of the United States. In keeping with the spirit and orientation of our full-length collections, we’re particularly interested in work that engages in meaningful ways with nature or place—the more specifically place-based or regionally inflected, the better suited to this project." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

White Stag is looking for full length poetry manuscripts in the scope of their thematic elements, which can include themes of alchemy & the occult, mysticism & spirituality, folklore & mythos, the speculative or supranatural, or intersections of witchcraft & activism. These themes are not limited to any specific belief, culture, race, or region. Read guidelines here. Payment: $50 honorarium, 40% royalties based on total profit of each copy sold. Deadline: February 1, 2026. Note: US authors only.

Flickr This January there are more than five dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $55,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 

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Defenestration Lengthy Poem Contest. Genre: Lengthy poem (at least 3 pages). Prize: $300. Deadline: January 1, 2026.

Vermont Writers' Prize. Restrictions: Open to residents of Vermont. Genres: Short story, poem, play or essay on the theme of Vermont - its people, places, history or values. Entries must be unpublished and fewer than 1,500 words long. Writers may submit only one entry per year. Prize: $1,250 and publication in Vermont Magazine. Deadline: January 1, 2026.

The Blossom Contest. Restrictions: Open to BIPOC writers. Genre: Poetry and prose. Prize: $250. Deadline: January 1, 2026.

On the Premises. Genre: Short story. "For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which someone or something has returned after a significant absence. Does this return make people happy, unhappy, or somewhere in-between? That’s up to you. Also: Was this return a surprise, or was it expected? That’s also up to you." Prize: Up to $250. Deadline: January 2, 2026.

The Welkin Mini Writing Prize. Genre: Narrative prose (fiction and nonfiction) up to 100 words. Prize: £50 top prize. Deadline: January 2, 2026.

Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) provides direct support to individual Bronx artists who create literary, media, visual, and performing works of art. Prize: 25 BRIO grants of $5,000 each are awarded to Bronx artists. BRIO award winners complete a one-time public service activity. Deadline: January 2, 2026.

San José State University: Center for Steinbeck Studies – The Steinbeck Fellows Program. Fellowships are currently offered in Creative Writing (excluding poetry) and Steinbeck Studies; Fellows may be appointed in many fields, including fiction, drama, creative non-fiction, and biography. The creative writing fellowship does not require that there be any direct connection between your work and Steinbeck’s. The emphasis of the program is on helping writers who have had some success but have not published extensively, and whose promising work would be aided by the financial support and sponsorship of the Center and the University’s creative writing program. Prize: $15,000. Deadline: January 4, 2026.

Shepton Snowdrops: In the Garden. Restrictions: Entry fee for poets over 18. No entry fee for poets under 18 years of age. Genre: Poem. See theme. Prize: £50-100. Deadline: January 5, 2026.

Bethesda Magazine Short Story Contest. Restrictions: Open to residents of Washington, DC and select counties in Maryland and Virginia. Genre: Short stories. Length: 4000 words maximum. Prize: $500 in adult category (age 18+) and $250 in high school category (ages 14-17). Deadline: January 6, 2026.

MoCo360 Short Story Contest. Restrictions: Open to residents of Montgomery County, MD and Upper Northwest Washington, DC (20015 and 20016 zip codes). Genre: Short stories between 1,500 and 2,500 words. Prize: Publication in Bethesda Magazine as well as prizes up to $500 in adult category (age 18+) and $250 in high school category (grades 9-12). Deadline: January 6, 2025.

Shaughnessy Cohen Award for Political Writing. Genre: Book of literary nonfiction that captures a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers and has the potential to shape or influence thinking on contemporary Canadian political life. Book must be published in Canada. Prize: CAN $25,000. Deadline: January 7, 2026. (For books published between Nov 1, 2025 and Dec 31, 2025)


Only Poems Poem of the Month. Genre: Poetry. See theme. Prize: $33.  Deadline: January 7, 2026.

Japan Center-Canon Essay Competition. The aim of the Japan Center Essay Competition is to promote awareness and understanding of Japan in the United States and to help young Americans broaden their international horizons. Genre: Essay. Contestants should write, in English, one or more aspects of Japan including art, culture, tradition, values, philosophy, history, society, politics, business, and technology in relation to their personal views, experiences, and/or future goals. (Contestants do not need to have any experience in visiting Japan or studying Japanese. Prize: Best Essay Award in the High School Division: 1st Place: $3,000 and a Canon camera, 2nd Place: $1,500 and a Canon camera, 3rd Place: $750 and a Canon camera; Best Essay Award in the College Division: $3,000 and a Canon camera; Uchida Memorial Award: $1,000 and a Canon camera; Merit Award: $200 (each) for up to five awards. Deadline: January 8, 2026.

Jack Hazard Fellowship. Restrictions: Open to writers who teach full time in an accredited high school in the United States. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and memoir. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: January 9, 2026.

The Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award seeks to elevate the written arts in Indiana. Restrictions: Any living published writer who was born in Indiana or has lived in Indiana for at least five years will be eligible. Authors who have published works of fiction, prose, poetry and/or non-fiction are eligible; reference works, scholarly monographs and books of photography will not be considered. Self-published authors are considered. Prize: $5000. Deadline: January 9, 2026. Biennial award. 

Dr. Paul Kalanithi Writing Award. Restrictions: No fee for medical students, residents, fellows. Genre: Short stories, essays or poetry addressing patients and providers facing chronic or life limiting illness. Fiction and non-fiction submissions are welcome. Prize: $300. Deadline: January 10, 2026.

The Bechtel Prize. Genre: Essay describing a creative writing teaching experience, project, or activity that demonstrates innovation in creative writing instruction. "We are looking for essays that describe a project or activity that got students excited about writing and fostered a vibrant and dynamic culture of literacy in the classroom." Prize: $1000 and publication. Deadline: January 11, 2026.

The Golden Triangle Golden Haiku poetry contest. Genre: Haiku on theme “Bridges of Belonging.” Prize: Up to $500. Deadline: January 11, 2026. Note: The contest is open to all ages.

John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest is sponsored by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Restrictions: The contest is open to United States high school students in grades nine through twelve attending public, private, parochial, or home schools; US students under the age of twenty enrolled in a high school correspondence/GED program; and US citizens attending schools overseas. Genre: Essay on an act of political courage by a US elected official who served during or after 1956. Prize: The first-place winner receives $10,000. The second-place winner receives $3,000. Up to five finalists receive $1000 each. Deadline: January 12, 2026.

Olive B. O’Connor Creative Writing Fellowship. Genre: Nonfiction and poetry. Prize: $55,100. Deadline: January 12, 2026.

Discoveries Prize. Restrictions: Open to female novelists of all ages and backgrounds, from across the UK and Ireland. Genre: Novel in progress. Prize: The winner will be offered representation by Curtis Brown Literary Agency and a cash prize of £5,000. Deadline: January 12, 2026.

French-American Foundation Translation Prizes. Genre: Book. Best English translation of French in both fiction and non-fiction. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: January 12, 2026.

Hachette Children’s Novel Awards. Restrictions: Open to debut authors living in the North of England at the time of entering and planning to remain here for at least another 12 months. Genre: Debut children’s and early teen fiction, including but not limited to, romance, comedy, historical fiction, crime, mystery and fantasy. Prize: £3000 and a programme of mentoring opportunities with professionals at Hachette Children’s Group and a children’s publishing agent. Deadline: January 12, 2026.

Bethesda Urban Partnership Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to residents of Washington, DC and select counties in Maryland and Virginia. Genre: Essays. Length: 500 words maximum. Prize: $500 in adult category (age 18+) and $250 in high school category (ages 14-17). Deadline: January13, 2026.

Bethesda Poetry Contest. Genres: Poetry. Adult and high school student categories. Restrictions: Residents of Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia are eligible. Prizes: First place: $350, published on The Writer's Center's blog and magazine, and a free class and membership to The Writer's Center. Second Place: $250. Third Place: $150. Honorable Mention: $75. Prize for high school students, $75. All winners will be published on the Bethesda Urban Partnership website and honored at a special event during the Local Writer's Showcase. Deadline: January 13, 2026.

Story Unlikely Short Story Contest. Genre: Short story. Length: 4000 words max. Prize: First prize $1500. Deadline: January 14, 2026.

Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize. Restrictions: Open to women, US citizens only. Genre: Prose fiction. All entries must be submitted by publishers who wish to have the work of their authors that were published in the previous year considered. No self-published works or works from vanity presses will be accepted. Prize: $15,000. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Stacy Doris Memorial Poetry Award. Genre: Poem, 3-10 pages long, that demonstrates a "truly inventive spirit." Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Lit Fox Award. Genre: Full-length poetry collection. Prize: $1500 and publication. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards Program. Restrictions: Open to current high school seniors at a public high school in the United States graduating Spring of 2025. Genre: Original literary composition in English in one of the following genres of poetry, spoken word, fiction, personal essay/memoir, or book bans prompt. Prize: $10,000 scholarship. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Stop the Hate: Youth Speak Out Essay Contest Grades 11 - 12. Stop the Hate® is designed to create an appreciation and understanding among people of differing religions, races, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. Genre: Essay, 500 words. (See website for theme) Restrictions: Northeast Ohio 11-12th Graders. Prize: $30,000 scholarship. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Stop the Hate: Youth Speak Out Essay Contest Grades 6 - 10. Stop the Hate® is designed to create an appreciation and understanding among people of differing religions, races, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. Genre: Essay, 500 words. (See website for theme) Restrictions: Northeast Ohio 6-10th Graders. Prize: $400. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Stephen A DiBiase Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Walter Muir Whitehill Prize in Early American History. Genre: Essay on early American history (up to 1825), not previously published, with preference being given to New England subjects. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Washington State Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to Washington State writers. Genre: Published book: fiction, nonfiction, poetry for adults or children. Prize: Recognition (?) Deadline: January 16, 2026. (For books published Oct. 16-Dec. 31, 2025.)

Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize. The annual Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize is awarded each spring to honor an outstanding literary translation from German into English published in the USA the previous year. Genre: Published fiction or non-fiction, may include: novels, novellas, short stories, plays, poetry, biographies, essays and correspondence. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: January 16, 2026.

Collaborature. Restrictions: Submissions must be written by more than one author or include a collaboration of two people (i.e., art and poetry). Genre: Poetry, prose, art. Prize: $20. Deadline: January 17, 2026. Note: This is a monthly contest.

Poetry Society of Virginia - Student Contest. Restrictions: Open to students in Virginia, grades 3 - 12. Prize: $10 - $25. Deadline: January 19, 2026.

Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest. Restrictions: Registered undergraduate full-time Juniors or Seniors at accredited four-year colleges or universities in the United States. Genre: Essay Topic: What challenges awaken your conscience? Is it the conflicts in American society? An international crisis? Maybe a difficult choice you face or a hard decision you had to make? Engage us. Enlighten us. Explore the ethics of any problem, question, or issue, whether close to home or in the world at large. We are eager to learn from you. Prize: First Prize $10,000, 2nd Prize $5,000, 3rd Prize $3,000, two Honorable Mentions $1,000 each. Deadline: January 20, 2026. 

The Michael Marks Environmental Poet of the Year will be given to a poet whose previously unpublished series of poems brings most powerfully, to a wide readership, the subject of the environment and the place of the human within it. Prize: £1,000, and a winner’s residential trip to Greece. Deadline: January 21, 2026.

Michael Marks Illustration Award will recognise outstanding illustration of a poetry pamphlet. The judge will consider illustration in any medium and will be looking for a subtle and sustained relationship between image and text, as well as the overall quality of the images. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: January 21, 2026.

Michael Marks Award for Poetry Pamphlets. Restrictions: Only pamphlets published in the United Kingdom are eligible. Genre: Poetry pamphlet. Prize: £5,000 and a winner’s residential trip to Greece. Deadline: January 21, 2026.

Stop the Hate: Youth Speak Out Poetry Contest. Stop the Hate® is designed to create an appreciation and understanding among people of differing religions, races, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. Genre: Poem (See website for theme) Restrictions: Northeast Ohio Middle and High School students. Prize: High School First Place: $2,000 prize + $1,000 school grant. Middle School First Place: $400 prize. Deadline: January 22, 2026.

Zocalo Public Square Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to US poets only. Genre: Poetry that evokes a connection to place. Prize: $1000. Deadline: January 23, 2026. 

The Pegasus Poetry Book Prize. Restrictions: Open to United States poets 40 or older. Genre: Unpublished first or second poetry collection. Prize: $10,000 and publication. Deadline: January 26, 2026. 

The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. Restrictions: The Orwell Prize for Political Writing is open to nonfiction first published in the UK or Ireland. (See publication deadlines.) Genre: Nonfiction, including entries addressing political, social, cultural, moral and historical subjects. Prize: £3,000.00. Deadline: January 26, 2026.

The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. Restrictions: The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction is open to novels and short story collections first published in the UK or Ireland. (See publication deadlines.) Genre: Fiction that explores ideas and issues, political themes, dilemmas and injustices through imagined narratives. Prize: £3,000.00. Deadline: January 26, 2026.

Scottish Book Trust: Monthly Competition. Restrictions: Open to four categories: adult writers, all-age Gaelic writers, young writers 5-11 and young writers 12-18. Prizes for UK writers only. Genre: Short story based on prompts. (See site for prompt) Length: 50 words. Prize: Various items. Deadline: January 27, 2026.

The Hillman Prize for Journalism. Genre: Journalism. "Since 1950, the Sidney Hillman Foundation has honored journalists, writers and public figures that pursue investigative journalism and public policy in service of the common good." Prize: $5,000. Deadline: January 30, 2026.

Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship. Restrictions: Open to a high school freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior or a current or entering college or graduate school student of any level. Home schooled students are also eligible. There is no age limit. You must also be a U.S. citizen or legal resident. Genre: 500- to 1,000-word essay about technology addiction. Prize: $1000 scholarship. Deadline: January 30, 2026.

The Tom La Farge Award for Innovative Writing, Teaching and Publishing. Genre: "literary activity that combines serious play, imagination, erudition and innovative practice." The award may be sought for a project or body of work in writing, publishing, education or any combination of the three. Prize: $10,00. Deadline: January 30, 2026.

The Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award. Genre: Short story of no more than 8,000 words that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration. Prize: Publication as the featured story on the Baen Books main website paid at the normal paying rates for professional story submissions. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Hot Flashes. Restrictions: Open to LGBTQ+ writers and straight allies. Genre: Flash Fiction stories and poems. Prize: £100 for each of the categories. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Contest. "The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America." Genre: previously unpublished work of short fiction. Prize: $150. Deadline: January 31, 2026.
Laureate Prize. Genre: Full-length poetry book. Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: January 31, 2026. No entry fee for BIPOC writers. 

Dandelion Cottage Short Story Contest for Michigan Students. Restrictions: Open to students attending or being home-schooled in an Upper Peninsula School District. Genre: Short story, 5,000 words max. Prize: Up to $250. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

The Danuta Gleed Literary Award for best first collection of short fiction in the English language was initiated by John Gleed in honour of his late wife to promote and celebrate the genre of short fiction, which she loved. Restrictions: Canadian residents only. Prize: A $10,000 prize will be awarded for the best first collection of published short fiction in the English language. Two finalist will also be awarded $500 each. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Northern California Book Awards. Restrictions: Books written by authors based in northern California and published for the first time the previous calendar year are eligible for nomination. Genre: Published book. Prize: $1000. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

A. C. Bose Grant for South Asian Speculative Literature. Restrictions: Open to South Asian or South Asian diaspora writers. Genre: Speculative fiction. Prize: $1000. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award. Genre: Any published book, whether fiction or nonfiction, that promotes public understanding of Chicago; titles must be available for purchase by the general public in either hardcover or bound paperback form; All subject areas, disciplines, and genres are eligible, including but not limited to: history, biography, the social sciences, art, architecture, poetry, drama, graphic novels, or fiction; Translations, textbooks, anthologies, reprints or new editions of previously published works, pamphlets, condigital publications, travel guides, children’s books, or self-published works are not eligible. Prize: $25,000. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

North Carolina Student Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to student poets from 3rd grade to university undergraduates attending schools in North Carolina. Genres: Unpublished poems (submit one poem). Prizes: 1st Place winners will receive a $100 check. 2nd Place winners receive $50. 3rd Place winners receive $25. Deadline: January 31, 2026. 

Cheshire Prize for Literature. Restrictions: The writer must have been born, live or have lived, study or have studied, work or have worked, in Cheshire, UK. Age ranges from 4 to adult. Genre: Short story, piece of poetry, script or children’s literature piece (this can be a script, story or poem, for children ages seven to 14). Prize: Cash prizes. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: January 31, 2026. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction or essay on theme. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: January 31, 2026. This is a monthly contest.

Wikimedia This January there are a dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most will be held in person or use a hybrid format.These writing events offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, how to market your books, discussions - there is something for everyone.

I have included conferences with deadlines that have already passed on this list to give you advance notice. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences.

Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year. 
​
[Key West: Wikimedia]
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Key West Literary Seminar. January 8 – 11, 2026: Key West, Florida. Each year, the Key West Literary Seminar explores a particular literary theme. This year the theme is: The Novel.

Pacific University Master of Fine Arts in Writing Residency Writers Conference.  Application deadline: November 15, 2025.  January 8 - 18, 2026: Seaside, Oregon. Writers seeking to deepen their craft and expand their professional community are invited to attend the Residency Writers Conference together with MFA students, faculty and guest speakers. Join us for 10 full days of craft talks, workshops, panels, classes, readings and more featuring some of the best minds of the literary world. This residency is a rare opportunity to engage in sustained and meaningful conversation with others who share your passion for the art of writing. 

Jaipur Literature Festival. January 15 - 19, 2026. Presentations, panels, readings, and music performances. In an uplifting celebration of the mind and heart, authors from the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe will take part in provocative conversations about life and society, economics and the arts, equity, freedom, and the care of our planet. In these critical times, the penetrating, intercultural dialogue exchanged speaks deeply to individuals and gives rise to the joy of community.

Writing By Writers GET THE LEAD OUT! January 16 - 18, 2026: Online. Th Each day will feature a craft talk by one of our faculty members and participants will split into small groups where they will dissect the art and craft of writing through lectures, writing exercises and class discussions. We won’t be reading and critiquing manuscripts, but rather closely examining elements of craft with the intention of allowing participants to see their work with deeper insight while also generating new material. Each participant will have the opportunity to work in a small group setting with all three faculty members. Whether you are just getting started or have projects that need new life, this workshop will offer inspiration and insight to take you to the next level.

Southern California Writers’ Conference (and Retreat). January 16 - 18, 2026: San Diego, CA. Faculty: 60+ working, professional authors of fiction, nonfiction & screen, editors & agents. "Founded and run by professional writers the SCWC provides veteran and emerging talent with authoritative guidance to help distinguish those manuscripts that are ready for market consideration." Limited to 150 conferees.

SCBWI In-Person Winter Conference 2026. January 16 - 18, 2026: NY, NY. Come and be inspired by renowned authors and illustrators, learn about the state of the children's book publishing industry from panels of agents, editors and art directors, dive deep into your craft with TWO three-hour Creative Labs, and get your work in front of industry professionals!

Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway. January 16 - 19, 2026, Atlantic City, New Jersey. A participant-focused writers’ conference. Advance your craft and energize your writing at the 30th annual Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway. Enjoy challenging and supportive workshops, insightful feedback and an encouraging community. Choose from workshops in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, memoir, songwriting, playwriting and more.

TMW January Jumpstart. January 17 - 18, 2026: Oak Ridge, TN. We will have tracks in both Poetry and Fiction. Registration $150. Application deadline December 1, 2025.

Eckerd College Writers in Paradise Conference. January 17 -24, 2026: St. Petersburg, FL. Workshops, roundtables, panel discussions, manuscript consultation, Q&As, readings book signings, and receptions. Application deadline: November 1, 2025.

Colrain Cold Read January 18, 2026: Online.  An intimate, 5–6 poet one-day intensive built around an enactment of a real-time submission moment: a press editor reads your manuscript cold, in front of the small group, and thinks aloud—exactly as they would at their office desk. You’ll hear the real editorial questions (title/TOC, opening 5-10 pages, through-line, writing skill, structure, cohesiveness, style, etc), followed by concrete responses for all 5-6 manuscripts in the group as the editor responds to each, one by one. After the editor’s departure, a Colrain faculty member anchors interpretations and expectations so you leave with a realistic understanding of work to be done.


Sunshine State Book Festival. January 23 - 24, 2026: Gainesville, Florida. "Outstanding authors from around Florida and the nation who write in many genres will gather at the beautiful Santa Fe College Fine Arts Hall on January 24, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to sell books and talk about their work. Festivities include guest speakers, giveaways, storytelling, and a play." Admission is free.

Aspen Winter Words. January 28 - February 11, 2026: Aspen, CO and Online. This year’s Winter Words will be held in memory of longtime Aspen Words supporter Wally Obermeyer.January 28 @ Paepcke Auditorium: Susan Orlean, staff writer for The New Yorker and bestselling author of “The Orchid Thief” and “The Library Book.” Her most recent book is “Joyride: A Memoir.”February 4 @ Paepcke Auditorium: Lily King, award-winning author of six novels including “Writers and Lovers” and “Euphoria.” Her most recent novel is “Heart the Lover.”February 11 @ TACAW Tara Roberts, Award-winning National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and memoirist brings untold histories to the surface through her global work documenting slave shipwrecks in her book “Written in the Waters.”

Irene Kaster Here are five new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients. All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.

New literary agencies are started by established agents with considerable experience in the publishing industry. They have reliable contacts in publishing houses and a roster of successes getting writers published. New agencies are looking to expand, and are eager to take on prospective clients.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.
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Irene Kaster of Heather Jackson Literary Agency


Irene Kaster started at HJLit as an intern in 2022. She studied at Emerson College in Boston and holds a BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing, and an MA in Writing and Publishing. She has worn various hats in publishing including intern, freelance editor, literary assistant, social media coordinator, bookseller, and ghostwriter—but above all, she is a bookworm. Irene is based in Colorado and spends her free time enjoying the outdoors and searching for the best coffee shops.

What she is looking for: My taste is vast and ever-changing as I read widely across several different genres. I’m always looking for books that surprise me, teach me something, introduce me to new sub-genres, subjects, and ideas, and books that make me laugh, cry, or both. Within fiction, I’m most interested in literary and commercial fiction (historical and contemporary), romance, fantasy, and suspenseful or dystopian horror. Within nonfiction, I’m seeking practical nonfiction pertaining to women’s health, psychology, medicine, science, and relationships; I’m interested in narrative nonfiction that reads like fiction and is a deep dive into a historical event, a person or group, a place, or cultural and social phenomena.


How to submit: Use her querytracker form HERE. Will re-open in 2026.

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Robert Broder of Martin Literary Management

While selling chocolate in New England, Rob had the idea of starting a children’s picture book publishing company. Learning everything from the ground up, he founded Ripple Grove Press, which went on to publish award-winning and starred reviewed books. After reading hundreds of picture books and thousands of submissions, Rob began writing his own stories. His work has been published by Simon & Schuster, Sasquatch / Little Bigfoot, and Blue Star Press, and he has collaborated with Patagonia on their first two picture books as both author and developmental editor.

Rob served on the Board of the Independent Book Publishers Association and has a Certificate of Public Librarianship from the Vermont Department of Libraries. He is a picture book consultant and has ghostwritten picture books that went onto publishing success. Rob has given lectures on publishing and has been on discussion panels with SCBWI. He facilitates a workshop titled “Naturally Distracted,” about ADHD and creative writing. He is an Editor-at-Large at Wayfarer Magazine and was honored to serve as Poet Laureate of Shelburne, Vermont, the town he calls home. 

What he is seeking: Picture Books, Early Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Juvenile & MG Graphic Novels, Adult Nonfiction Graphic Novels and Graphic Memoirs

How to submit: Use his querytracker form HERE.

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Jeanne De Vita of Martin Literary Management


While working in acquisitions and as a developmental editor for traditional publishers and freelance clients, Jeanne has edited hundreds of aspiring and established authors, including NYT, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon bestsellers. After more than a decade working with stories at various stages of the publishing cycle, including teaching both writing and editing at the college level, Jeanne brings a strong editorial vision and passion for the publishing industry to her clients. 

She has MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Notre Dame and a BA in English from Iowa State University. Jeanne’s love for happy-ever-afters started in childhood, as her mother was a traditionally published romance author who wrote across the genres over her two-decades long career in publishing. Jeanne is committed to developing diverse voices and has run pro bono mentorships for underrepresented authors. Jeanne has volunteered extensively with medically fragile children, the arts, and survivors of gender-based violence. Jeanne is excited to discover new talent and to work with established authors searching for a caring, informed, and supportive advocate. 

What she is seeking: She is excited by strong voices and compelling stories across the sub-genres of fiction, with a specific interest in romance, fantasy, thrillers/mysteries/suspense, horror, and speculative fiction. LGBTQIA+ romance is always welcome in every sub-genre/heat level. She is open to character-driven memoirs that read like novels (please no entire life stories) and work from experts who have something highly marketable to share with a defined audience. 

How to submit: Use her querytracker form HERE.

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Lindsey Aduskevich of Martin Literary Management

After graduating with a B.A. in English from the University of Connecticut, where she developed a love for books that inspire empathy and foster a deeper understanding of the world in which we live, Lindsey became determined to carve a career in the publishing industry. She attended her first SCBWI conference in 2019, and later joined several critique groups, became a member of Julie Hedlund’s 12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge, and a member of Inked Voices. She interned with Senior Literary Manager Kristen Terrette before starting her career as an agent.

As an agented kidlit writer herself, Lindsey is familiar with the ups and downs of the query trenches and submission process and hopes to emulate the same compassion and quick communication she found in several agents who helped guide her own writing journey.
 
Residing in Southington, CT with her husband and two girls, Lindsey enjoys borrowing unusually tall stacks of picture books from the local library, snakeboarding in the basement with her family, hiking in the summer, skiing in the winter, and celebrating all the “wins” with her favorite critique partners.

What she is seeking:

Picture Books: I am open to all kinds of picture books, both fiction and non-fiction, from authors and author/illustrators. I love humor with heart (but the heart has to be big), dark humor, spooky stories, commercial fiction, lyrical texts, and hard topics.

Middle Grade: Send me fantasy, thriller, mystery, adventure, contemporary, and anything in between.

Young Adult: I want romcom, fantasy, horror, thriller, historical fiction, contemporary romance, and hard topics that make my heart ache.

New Adult: I am open here but would prefer college or just starting out with a little bit of romance or humor.

How to submit: Use her querytracker form HERE.

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Mr. Brent Howard of Gramercy Literary

I'm a new literary agent (after 19 years as an acquiring editor) looking to help talented authors find their publisher.

What he is seeking:  Nonfiction: I'm looking for history, military, politics, biographies, journalism, memoirs and science. I'm not looking for memoir or business books. I’m looking for smart, well-structured nonfiction that reveals how the world works, who holds power, and what’s at stake. 

Fiction: I love dark crime thrillers, literary horror, suspense, complex espionage tales, genre mash-ups, whether they feature female or male protagonists. I'm also seeking historical fiction and Westerns.
How to submit: Use his querymanager form HERE.

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Starling Literary + Media

Starling Literary + Media was founded in 2025 by established agents Jemiscoe Chambers-Black, Paige Terlip, and Jennifer March Soloway. The agency was born from a shared belief in creative liberty, a collective vision that fuels fearless innovation and honors the power of stories that stay with us. 

Like the starling murmurations that fill the sky, we move together. While each voice is distinct, we’re part of something larger than ourselves. Our work with each other and our clients is rooted in collaboration. 

We champion transformation not only in the stories and creators we represent, but also in the ways we represent them. Our clients are genre-shapers and innovators. They challenge expectations, break boundaries, and shape culture. Our approach is to work closely with each client, combining strategy and creativity to ensure their stories soar. We don't follow the market. We shape it.

What they are seeking: Thrillers, Romance, Mystery, YA, MG, Illustrators, Picture Books, Speculative Fiction, Fantasy, Nonfiction. (See individual agents for preferences.

How to submit: See submission instructions HERE.

Easy-Peasy.AI This December there are more than five dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.
​
I post upcoming calls for submissions shortly before the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.

Happy submitting!

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Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction. See theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Fractured Mirror Publishing. Genre: Full-length speculative fiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

McGovern Center Writing Awards in Fiction. Restrictions: Open to anyone in the U.S., 18 years or older. Genre: Fiction, 5000 words max. Work must be medical or healthcare related in theme or focus. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

The Cincinnati Review. Genre: Literary nonfiction (up to 20 pages), fiction (up to 40 pages), poetry, poetry translations, drama, and art. Payment: $25/page for prose in the journal, $30/page for poetry, $25 for miCRo posts or special features. Deadline: December 1, 2025. Note: Opens on the first day of the month and closes once they hit the submissions cap.

Breath and Shadow  Genre: Writing on any topic for poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama; these pieces do not have to be "about" disability. However nonfiction, academic, and similar articles (profiles, interviews, opinion pieces) do have to relate to disability in some way. Payment: $25 for poetry, $40 for fiction, and $40 for nonfiction. In addition to publication and payment, Breath & Shadow will post links to contributors' work on other sites and to their Web site or e-mail address. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Weird Christmas Flash Anthology. Genre: Weird flash fiction, 350 words max, that’s both about Christmas (or any other winter holiday) and simultaneously weird. Payment: $35. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Bold Strokes Books: Gender Ever After – Gender-Affirming Sapphic Romance Stories. Genre: Sapphic Romance. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Extremities: Choose Your Own Death. Genre: Queer adult horror novellas. Novella length: 30K–40K words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Wallstrait. Genre: Flash fiction, longer stories, hybrid, and experimental stuff you can't quite define. Length: Up to 5,000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 1, 2025. 

IHRAM Publishes. Genre: Poetry, fiction, esssays, art. Theme: Echoes from the Street: Homelessness and the Unhoused. Payment: $50 for writing, $25 for art. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: December 1, 2025. See themes.

Lycan Valley. Genre: Modern day reimagining of the Medusa story. "We want to see a strong bipoc woman* deeply rooted in culture. And, regardless of how she gets there, Medusa should be victorious and win in the end." Novella length (between 17,000 and 30,000 words) is preferred, but will consider both novellas and full-length novels for this project. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 1, 2025. Read guidelines HERE.

Eldritch Cat Press: The Lantern Keepers. Genre: Speculative short stories “We’re looking for tales that include characters who serve as guides, guardians, or messengers between the threshold of the living and the dead, lost or otherworldly. We want stories with haunting, dreadful, eerie, creeping or even sorrowful vibes." Payment: $10. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Rooted Literary Magazine: Home. Genre: Poems, fiction (including flash), nonfiction (including reviews), visual art, audio, and video on theme: Home. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: December 2, 2025. Opens December 1. This is a monthly call.


Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 3, 2025. Note: This is a monthly call.

Variant Lit. Genre: Poetry, fiction, flash fiction, art. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 4, 2025.

Adventitious. Genre: Speculative, surreal, and literary fiction. Length: Flash Fiction (including Micro): Up to 1,000 words; Fiction: 1,000 – 6,000 words. Novelette: 6,000 – 17,000 words. Payment: $0.08 USD per word. Deadline: December 5, 2025.

Carte Blanche (Canada). Genre: Poetry, fiction, CNF, translations. comics, photography. Payment: $75 CAD. Deadline: December 7, 2025.

Sine Theta Magazine. Restrictions: Open to people of Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong, or Macau heritage, who live anywhere away from the original 'homeland' of that heritage. Genre: All genres of visual and literary work as long as they relate to the current theme. (See theme) Payment: $10. Deadline: December 7, 2025.

Samjoko Magazine. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, play, screenplay. Payment: $20. Deadline: December 10, 2025.

Island. Restrictions: Open to Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents only. Genre: Fiction and Nonfiction. Payment: 40 cents per word for print fiction and nonfiction, with a minimum of $600 and a maximum of $1500. Fees for print are less the cost of a 4-issue subscription if you are not a current subscriber. Deadline: December 12, 2025.

Quarter Press: Quarter(ly). Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. See themes. Payment: $5. Deadline: December 14, 2025.

Buckman Journal. Restrictions: Open to Portland and Pacific Northwest creatives. Genre: Fiction and creative non-fiction. See theme. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 14, 2025.

Electric Literature. Genre: Personal Narrative. Payment: $100. Deadline: December 14, 2025. Closes when cap is reached.

Plott Hound. Genre: Speculative fiction starring animals. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Brazenhead Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $200. Deadline: December 15, 2025. Note: Closes when cap is reached.

Propagule. Genre: Short stories that are intrepid with regard to experimentation and oddity; the strange, the surreal, the atypical, the unexpected. Payment: Up to $30. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Big Score Lit. Genre: Poetry. Payment:  $100 per accepted poem. Deadline: December 15, 2025. Closes when cap is reached.

ellipsis… literature & art. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, drama, and creative non-fiction. Payment: $3 per page for prose. $10 for poetry. Deadline: December 15, 2025. (Only pays American writers.)

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, mixed media, visual arts, "and even kitchen sinks, if they are compressed in some way.” Payment: $50. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Whytaker Lyon Press: Virginia Fantastic Anthology. Genre: Speculative fiction that reimagines the Commonwealth of Virginia as a land of mystery, magic, and the unexpected. Payment: $5 for stories of 700-1,000 words. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Fantabulosa! Restrictions: Open to trans and BIPOC Queer writers. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art. Payment: $0.08/word for prose, and $50 for poetry. Deadline: December 15, 2025. [Extended deadline for trans and BIPOC writers]

Words Without Borders. Genre: Original translations into English of contemporary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and interviews, and related multimedia. They also publish critical essays, book reviews, and interviews written in English. Payment: $50 - $150. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Litmag. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. "What We Look For: Work that moves and amazes us.We are drawn to big minds, large hearts, sharp pens." Length: Print: 15,000 words; Online: 4,000 words. Payment: Print: $300 for full-length fiction or nonfiction (5,000+ words); $150 for fiction or nonfiction (2,500-4,999 words); $100 for a short short (flash); $100 for a poem or group of short poems. LitMag Online: Upon acceptance, $100. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Baffling. Genre: Speculative flash fiction. Length: Under 1200 words. See themes. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Home on the Range: Poems of the Queer Pastoral. Genre: Poetry. "The anthology will celebrate and complicate a poetics of queer nature, from redefining the boundaries between the urban, the rural, and the wilderness, to rendering the ways in which queer people make their homes in the pastoral traditions which have so often excluded them." Payment: £30. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Book XI. Genre: Personal essays, memoir, fiction, science fiction, humor, and poetry with philosophical themes. See theme. Payment: $200 for prose; $50 for poetry. Deadline: December 15, 2025. Closes when cap is reached so submit early.

B Cubed Press: More Alternative Liberties. Genre: Stories, poems, and esssays about the potential consequences of the 2024 Presidential election told in current, near future or even similar situations where such a leader is in power. Payment: $0.10/word + royalties. Deadline: December 20, 2025.


The Aesthete. Genre: Short stories, flash fiction, poetry. Payment: $5. Deadline: December 21, 2025.

The Ex-Puritan. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $100 per nonfiction piece, $50 fiction, $15 per poem. Deadline: December 25, 2025.

Deadset Press: Rebels and Rainbows. Restrictions: Open to all Australian and New Zealand authors who identify as LGBTIQA+, from any gender identity, and ally authors. Genre: Stories that feature LGBTIQA+ characters of any gender identity across the wide universes of speculative fiction. Swashbuckling pirates, mischievous necromancers, charming elder gods, dashing bounty hunters, anything goes! Payment: $25. Deadline: December 30, 2025.
foofaraw zine. Genre: Speculative and literary fiction. Payment: Fiction: $0.01 per word. Poetry: $5.00. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Meadowlark Reader. Genre: Personal essays, interviews, journalistic pieces. “True stories about Kansas written by Kansans." Payment: $10 plus one contributor copy. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Burial Books. Genre: Westerns of at least 60,000 words. No fantasy or weird westerns. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Burial Books. Genre: Crime fiction of at least 60,000 words. No fantasy. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Best American. Genre: Published short stories, essays, food writing, mystery and suspense, nature writing, science fiction and fantasy. Payment: ? Deadline: December 31, 2025.


Dracula Beyond Stoker. Genre: Fiction based on Stoker’s characters. See theme. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Mayday. Genre: Translations, art, poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $10 - $50. Deadline: December 31, 2025. No submission fee during the month of December.


Arc Poetry Magazine. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50 per page. Deadline: December 31, 2025. Free submissions for Canadians only.

DreamForge. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy short fiction and poetry. Payment: $0.08/word. Payment for reprints is $0.04/word. Poems are paid at the rate of $25 to $100. Deadline: December 31, 2025. Accepts reprints.

Workers Write!. Genre: "We're looking for fiction and poetry about the people who work in airports and for airlines, such as passenger service agents, ramp agents, TSA agents, airport engineers, baggage handlers, air traffic controllers, flight attendants, pilots, and so on." Payment: $10 - $50. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Oddity Prodigy Productions: Tales of Steel and Sorcery. Genre: Epic fantasy. Payment: $10 minimum. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Fun in the Dark Anthology. Genre: Any genre short story. Story length: 2000-5000 words. See theme. Payment: £20.  Deadline: December 31, 2025.

We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction. Genre: Queer speculative fiction. Submissions are open for all speculative work published in 2025 under 17,500 words that deals either implicitly or explicitly with queerness. Payment: $0.01/word. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Black Hare Press. Genre: Dark stories, in any genre. Length: 5,000 - 50,000 words. Payment: $20 - $50, depending on length. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Allegory. Genre: Speculative Fiction and nonfiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Black Hare Press. Genre: Dark stories, in any genre. Payment: 5,000 to 10,000 words  – $20 USD, 10,000 to 17,000 words– $30 USD.. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Howdy Dude. Genre: Western and crime novels. Payment: Royalities. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Freeze Frame Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction. "Any genre, no content restrictions. We want your science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, drama, literary works, satire, bizarre fiction, or anything else you can come up with or mix together. The more original, the better. The weirder, the better.” Payment: $10. Deadline: December 31, 2025.
Dragon Soul Press: Fallen in Love. Genre: All romantic stories involving angels, nephilim, etc. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Dragon Soul Press: Curse of the Sword. Genre: All fairytale retellings. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Black Beacon Book of Horror 2. Genre: Horror. Preferred word count between 3,000 and 9,000 words. Payment: $30 USD for original stories and $10 for reprints regardless of length, plus one print copy. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Tenebrous Press. Genre: New Weird Horror novels and novellas. Length: 20,000 - 120,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Midnight and Indigo. Genre: Short Stories, Speculative Fiction, and Personal Essays written by Black women writers. See theme. Payment:  $0.07 per word for Short Stories and $150 for personal essays. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

The New York Times: Modern Love. Genre: Essay on modern love. Payment: Not Specified. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ stories, 12,000 words minimum. See themes. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: December 31, 2025. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fee.

AND A FEW MORE...

Litmosphere. Genre: Art, flash (fiction and nonfiction), poetry, and short prose (fiction and literary nonfiction). Payment: $50 per accepted poem, flash fiction and nonfiction; $100 per short fiction and literary nonfiction; $250 for non-exclusive online use of 15-30 images. Deadline: Opens January 1, 2026.

Cafe Irreal. Genre: Magical realism. Length: Up to 2,000 words. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: January 1, 2026.

Pickpik This December there are more than three dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $130,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 
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The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry. Restrictions: Open to African poets who have not yet published a collection of poetry. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1,000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Neville Dawes First Book Prize for Emerging Caribbean Poets. Restrictions: Open to Caribbean writers who have not published a book-length poetry collection. Genre: Poetry collection. Prize: $1000. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

After the End Poetry Competition. Genre: Poetry. “This poetry competition invites creative responses from poets that critically engage with ideas of time and temporality and the question of who gets to say that something has ended. Work from poets at every stage of their writing careers is welcome." Prize: First prize is £200, second and third place winners will be offered £100 each. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

The Pushcart Prize honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in small presses and literary magazines. Magazine and small press editors may nominate up to six works. Pushcart Press publishes yearly anthologies of the winning submissions. Prize: Publication and enormous prestige. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

The Schneider Family Book Award is sponsored by the American Library Association. The award honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Prize: Three annual awards each consisting of $5000 and a framed plaque, will be given annually in each of the following categories: birth through grade school (age 0-10), middle school (age 11-13) and teens (age 13-18). (Age groupings are approximations). Genre: May be fiction, biography, or other form of nonfiction. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing. Restrictions: Open to published writers who are writing from the region. Genres: All. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 1, 2025. 

Ezra Jack Keats Children's Book Award. Genre: Published or self-published picture books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

McGovern Center Writing Awards in Fiction. Restrictions: Open to anyone in the 50 U.S. states and affiliated territories. Genre: Unpublished fiction that is medical or healthcare-related in theme or focus. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Tony Quagliano Poetry Fund, International Poetry Award. Restrictions: Open to poets who have a published body of work over a period of years. Poems must be in English. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: December 1, 2025. (Biennial award) 

One Teen Story. Restrictions: Open to writers age 13 -19. Genre: Short story between 2,000 to 4,500 words. Prize: $500 upon publication and 25 copies of the magazine. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Poetry Center at Smith College Prize. Restrictions: Open to sophomore or junior high school girls in New England. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Charlotte and Wilbur Award For Compassion for Animals. Genre: Picture book, chapter book, middle-grade book (or graphic novel), or young adult book traditionally or self- published in 2025. Books in translation are welcome. The Charlotte and Wilbur Award for Compassion for Animals will award one winning book and one honor book for their dedication to promoting compassion and respect for animals in their readers. Prize: The winning book will receive a prize of $2,500 and the honor book will receive $1,000. If the winning or honor book is a picture book, the prize will be split between the author and illustrator. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Jane Martin Poetry Prize (UK). Restrictions: Open to UK residents between 18 and 30 years of age. Genre: Poetry. Prize: First prize £1000, second prize, £500. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

The Association of Jewish Libraries Jewish Fiction Award. Genre: All works of fiction with significant Jewish thematic content written in English–novels, short story and flash fiction collections–by a single author published and available for purchase in the United States during 2022 are eligible for the award. Jewish thematic content means an extended grappling with Jewish themes throughout the book, including Judaism, Jewish history and culture, Jewish identity, etc. Prize: The award will include a $1,000 cash prize as well as support to attend the AJL conference to receive the award. Deadline: December 1, 2025.

RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: Candidates must be: A Canadian citizen or permanent resident; Under the age of 35; Unpublished in book form and without a book contract. Genre: Poetry and fiction. Prizes: Up to C$10,000. Deadline: December 2, 2025.

J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award. Genre: Nonfiction book. Applicants for the award must already have a contract with a U.S.-based publisher to write a nonfiction book. Award: $25,000. Deadline: December 4, 2025.

RSL Christopher Bland Prize. Restrictions: Writers must be a citizen of, or resident in, the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. Books must have been published for the first time in the UK or RoI within the 2023 calendar year. Books must be entered by trade publishers or agents based in the UK or RoI; each publisher, imprint of a publisher, or agent may enter two books only. Genre: Debut novel or non-fiction book first published by a writer aged 50 or over. Prize: £10,000. Deadline: December 5, 2025. 

The Republic of Letters. Genre: Tell us the story of a wrong turning, a mistake you can’t undo, a decision you can’t have back that led to whatever searing regret you have at this moment in time. Prize: $25 - $75. Deadline: December 6, 2025. 

Kim Wall Memorial Fund. Restrictions: Open to "journalists whose work embodies the spirit of Kim’s reporting. The grant will fund women or non-binary reporters covering subculture, broadly defined, and what Kim liked to call “the undercurrents of rebellion.” Kim wanted more women to be out in the world, brushing up against life, and the Kim Wall Memorial Fund honors this legacy.” Genre: Journalism. Prize: $5,000 grants. Deadline: December 7, 2025.

Friends of American Writers. Restrictions: The author must be a resident (or previously have been a resident for approximately five years) of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota or Wisconsin; or the locale of the book must be in a region identified above. The author must not have published more than three books under his/her own pen name. Genres: Books can be fiction or creative non-fiction and published in 2025. Self-published and e-Books are not eligible. Prize: $500 - $2000. Deadline: December 13, 2025.

Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Competition. Restrictions: The Competition is open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any published novel (except that authors of self-published works only may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work) and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. Genre: Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: December 14, 2025.

THE GEORGE ELIOT FELLOWSHIP ESSAY PRIZE. Genre: Paper on George Eliot's life or work. Prize: £500. Deadline: December 15, 2025. (Deadline is "middle of December")

Folk Tales/Faux Tales/Fox Tales. Genre: Three faux-tales: one science fiction, one fantasy, one horror. These folk-tails might emerge from any culture, any history, any landscape, but they should inform South Asian experiences. Prize: CAD150 each. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Leave Your Mark: Teen Contest. Restrictions: open to writers ages 13-18 years old. Genre: Write about a scar. Physical or invisible. This could be a scar you have, or one for a character you make up. You can do this in any form you like: story, song, script, or poem, as long as it's 250 words or fewer. Prize: 400 Gotham credit, a $50 gift certificate to Bookshop, and publication. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Smokelong Fellowship for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: All writers previously unpublished in SmokeLong Quarterly and who do not have a published chapbook or book-length work in any genre (or are not under contract for such) are eligible to apply. Genre: Flash fiction (1000 words max). Prize: $500. Deadline: December 15, 2025. 

Massachusetts Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to Massachusetts residents. Genre: (1) fiction, (2) nonfiction, (3) poetry, (4) children’s picture books/early readers, (5) middle-grade/young adult literature, (6) translated literature, and (7) graphic novel/memoir published in 2025. Additionally, the Notable Contribution to Publishing award recognizes the exceptional output of the Massachusetts publishing community. Prize: Prestige. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

The Four Quartets Prize. Genre: Unified and complete sequence of poems published in America in a print or online journal, chapbook. Poems in the sequence may have been published in different journals provided that they were brought together and they form a complete sequence. Prize: Three finalists will receive $1,000 each. The winner will receive an additional $20,000. Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Eggtooth Editions Chapbook Contest. Restrictions: Open to writers who have not previously published a full-length book. Genre: Chapbook in any genre. Prize: $250 and 20 copies of the chapbook. Deadline: December 15, 2025. Closes when cap is reached.

Griffin Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry. To be eligible for the prize, a book of poetry must be a published first-edition collection (i.e. not previously published in any country), written in English, or translated into English, by a poet/translator from any part of the world, including Canada. Entries must come from publishers only. Inquiries about entries must also come from publishers only. Prize: The winner will receive C$130,000 and the other shortlisted poets will each receive C$10,000. Deadline: December 19, 2025, for books published between July 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.

VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Genre: First novel published in 2025. No self-published books. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 30, 2025.

Black Caucus of the American Library Association. BCALA presents four awards to an African American writer published in the United States during the previous year: one for adult fiction, one for nonfiction, one for a first novelist and one for poetry. These awards acknowledge outstanding achievement in the presentation of the cultural, historical and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora. Prize: Four $1,000 awards. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Ludington Writers: Making Waves. Genre: "We invite poets, fiction, and non-fiction authors, and visual artists to submit works uplifting voices and experiences from the LGBTQ+ community and about it." Prize: Four (4) $50 awards. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is held four times a year. Restrictions: The Contest is open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least six cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits. Genre: Short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy. Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500, Annual Grand Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Lilith Magazine Fiction Competition. Genre: Fiction. Short story of interest to Jewish women. Prize: $300. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Prize: $500 and publication in Meridians Journal: feminism, race, transnationalism. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

William Carlos Williams Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to students enrolled in M.D. and D.O. programs in the US, Puerto Rico, or Canada, and a physician category, open to any rank of physician (M.D. or D.O.) at any career stage, from residency to retirement, in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or Canada. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $300. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

The Lyric College Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to undergraduates enrolled full time in an American or Canadian college or university. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Hooks Institute National Book Award. Genre: Nonfiction book that best furthers understanding of the American Civil Rights Movement and its legacy. Prize: $1000. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

The W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction honors the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. It recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction. Genre: Military fiction. Prize: $5000. Deadline: December 31, 2025.

Maureen Seaton Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to persons who reside, either full or part-time, in South Florida. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2025. Closes when cap is reached.

Lex:lead Essay Competition. Restrictions: Candidates must show citizenship in an eligible country and be enrolled in studies with at least one law class in an eligible country at the time of the award. Genre: Essay: How can laws regulating climate change and the environment support economic development?Prize: $500 scholarship. Deadline: December 31, 2025. (Registration deadline October 31)

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: December 31, 2025. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.