Competition Guide
MARCH
Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize & Author of Tomorrow Prize
Published and unpublished (at least 50,000 word) adventure novels, for adults or ages 12-21
Prizes: £15,000 in the published category, £15,000 advance and publication in the unpublished category; £1,000, 2x£100 in the junior category Free entry Closing date: 7 March www.wilbur-nisosmithfoundation.org
Forward Prizes for Poetry
Best Collection, Best First Collection, Best Single Poem, books must be submitted by publishers and single poems by magazine editors and competition administatrators Prizes: Best collection £10,000, best first collection £5,000, best single poem £1,000 Free entry Closing date: 8 March www.forwardartsfoundation.org
Evesham Festival of Words Short Story Competition
Short stories up to 2,500 words Prizes: £150, £50 and £30 Entry fee: £5 Closing date: 11 March http://eveshamfestivalofwords.org
Nelligan Prize
Short stories, 2,500-12,500 words Prizes: $2,000 and publication Entry fee: $15 Closing date: 14 March https://coloradoreview.colostate. edu/nelligan-prize/ Room Fiction Contest Short stories, up to 3,500 words Prizes: Can$1,000, $250, $50 and publication
$42
15 March Entry fee: Closing date: https://roommagazine.com/
Cloudbank Competition
Flash fiction up to 500 words, and poems Prizes: $200 Entry fee: $15 for up to five Closing date: 15 March http://cloudbankbooks.com
Word Works Washington
Poetry collections, 48-80 pages, by US or Canadian poets Prizes: $1,500 and publication Entry fee: $25 Closing date: 15 March www.wordworksbooks.org/ submissions/washington-prize/
Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize
Proposal for a book-length essay Prizes: £3,000 advance and publication, writing residency Free entry Closing date: 15 March https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com
Fourth Genre Steinberg Essay Prize
Creative non-fiction, up to 6,000 words Prizes: $1,000 Entry fee: $20 Closing date: 15 March https://fourthgenre.byu.edu/ steinberg/
James Jones First Novel Fellowship
A novel in progress by an unpublished US writer Prizes: $10,000; $1,000 Entry fee: $30 Closing date: 15 March www.wilkes.edu/academics/ graduate-programs/mastersprograms/creative-writing-mamfa/
Eludia Prize
Unpublished first novels by women over 40 Prizes: $1,000 and publication Entry fee: $20 Closing date: 15 March https://hiddenriverarts. wordpress.com
South Carolina Novel Prize
Unpublished novels by writers from South Carolina Prizes: $1,000 and publication Entry fee: $35 Closing date: 15 March, TBC https://hubcity.org/press/newsouthern-voices-poetry-prize
Kraken Book Prize for Middle-Grade Fiction
Middle-grade books, 120-350 pages Prizes: $750 and publication Entry fee: $25 Closing date: 15 March https://regalhousepublishing.com
BBC National Short Story Award
Short stories, up to 8,000 words Prizes: £15,000, 4x£600 Free entry Closing date: 15 March www.bbc.co.uk/nssa
Fowey Festival Short Story Competition
Short stories up to 1,500 words on a given theme Prizes: £100, £75 Entry fee: £5 Closing date: 16 March www.foweyfestival.com
Gordon Burn Prize
A published novel or work of non-fiction that challenges perceived ideas about genre Prizes: £5,000, retreat up to three months at Gordon Burn’s cottage Free entry Closing date: 17 March www.newwritingnorth.com
Savage Writing Contest
Write a mystery within 48 hours Prizes: $20, $15, $10 Amazon cards Free entry Closing date: 20 March http://tclj.toasted-cheese.com/ dead-of-winter/
Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest
One personal essay, no limit but usually around 2,000-5,000 words, by a Canadian writer Prizes: $1,000 and publication Entry fee: $40 Closing date: 28 March https://tnq.ca/contests/
Desperate Literature
Short stories, under 2,000 words Prizes: €1,000, writer’s retreat and widespread publication, 2x€500 Entry fee: €20 Closing date: 29 March https://desperateliterature.com
KSP Writers Centre Spooky stories Competition
Spooky short stories, up to 2,500 words, by Western Australian residents or citizens Prizes: Aus$300, $150; $100, $50 for youths Entry fee: $10 Closing date: 29 March www.kspwriterscentre.com
Cleveland State University Poetry Center
Full-length poetry collections, over 48 pages, by poets who have had no, or one, collection published; essay collections, 100-300 pages Prizes: 3x$1,000 and publication Entry fee: $28 Closing date: 31 March www.csupoetrycenter.com
Pick your favourites and start scheduling your entries, with over 800 competitions to enter – surely something for every writer!