Upcoming Short Story Contests 2019

>>>Contests, Competitions, etc

With a new year comes all sorts of opportunities to get your writing published on a broad platform. Below, via Aerogramme Writers’ Studios, are some competitions for 2019. Please check websites for submission guidelines and writer eligibility, as not all are open to Jamaicans.

Let Your Hair Down Speculative Writing Contest

is open to speculative fiction up to 1,800 words, as well as to poetry and creative non-fiction. First prize is CA$1,000 (US$730) and all entries will be considered for publication. The entry fee is $32.95 and includes a one-year subscription to EVENT magazine. The closing deadline is 20 January.

Kenyon Review’s Short Fiction Contest is only open to writers who have not yet published a book. To enter writers must provide a story of up to 1,200 words. The entry fee is US$24 and includes a one-year subscription to the Kenyon Review. The closing deadline is 31 January.

Masters Review Winter Short Story Award is for new writers who have not published a novel or collection with a circulation over 5,000 copies. First prize is US$3,000, publication on The Masters Review site, and review from multiple agencies. The second and third place stories receive $300 and $200, respectively, publication, and agency review. The entry fee is $20. The closing deadline is 31 January.

Chicago Tribune’s Nelson Algren Award has been held annually since 1981. The award carries a first prize of US$3,500 and has five finalists ($750 each). Stories can be up to 8,000 words and entrants must be a legal resident of the United States. There is no entry fee. The closing deadline is 31 January. Iowa Review Awards is open to short fiction of up to 25 pages (double spaced), as well as poetry and non-fiction. First prize is $1,500 and all entries will be considered for publication. The judges for the 2019 Awards are Rebecca Makkai (fiction), Kiki Petrosino (poetry) and Roxane

Gay (non-fiction). The entry fee is $20. The closing deadline is 31 January.

Newcastle Short Story Award is open to Australian writers aged over 18. Stories may be up to 2,000 words and the winner will receive AUD$3,000. The entry fee is $16.50. The closing deadline is 4 February.

Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook Short Story Competition

offers the winner a place on an Arvon residential writing course of their choice (valued at £1,000) and publication on writersandartists.co.uk. Stories must be under 2,000 words and can be on any theme. There is no entry fee. The closing deadline is 13 February.

Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize will be awarded for an original work of short fiction under 2,000 words. The first prize winner will receive €1,000 (US$1,100), a week’s residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Italy and a consultation with a US literary agent from Foundry Literary. The entry fee is €20. The closing deadline is 14 February.

Howard Frank Mosher Short Fiction Prize is run by Vermont-based journal Hunger Mountain. The winner receives US$1,000 and publication. Stories may be up to 10,000 words in length and all entries will be considered for publication. The entry fee is $20. The closing deadline is 1 March.

White Review’s Short Story Prize awards £2,500 to the best piece of short fiction by a writer resident in Britain and Ireland who has yet to secure a publishing deal. Entries must be 2,000 words minimum, 7,000 words maximum. The entry fee is £15 and free entry is offered to writers who are on a low-income. The closing deadline is 4 March.

BBC National Short Story Award is open to British nationals and UK residents who have a prior record of publication in creative writing in the United Kingdom. First prize is £15,000 and entries may be up to 8,000 words. Entries can be either unpublished or first

Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction is offered each year by Colorado State University’s Center for Literary Publishing.

The winner receives a US$2,000 honorarium and the story is published in the fall/winter issue of Colorado Review. There are no theme restrictions, but stories must be at least 10 pages (or 2500 words) but no more than 50 pages (12,500 words). The entry fee is $17. The closing deadline is 14 March.

Bath Short Story Award is open to stories up to 2,200 words in length. First Prize is £1,200 (US$1,500) and stories may be in any genre. This year the shortlist judge is literary agent Samuel Hodder from Blake Friedmann Literary Agency. The entry fee is £8. The deadline for entries is 15 April.

Tom Howard/john H Reid Short Story Contest

is open to original short stories and essays on any theme. The winner in each category receives US$2,000 and there are 10 minor prizes of $100 each. Entries should be maximum of 6,000 words. The entry fee is $20. The closing deadline is 30 April. Tillie Olsen Short Story Award is run by The Tishman Review. The contest is open to stories up to 5000 words and first prize is US$500. The entry fee is $15 and all entrants receive a one-year digital subscription to the magazine. Entries open on 1 April and close on 30 May.

Curt Johnson Prose Award is run by December magazine, a magazine whose many accomplishments include being