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The ServiceScape Quick Story Award contest accepts unpublished brief story submissions—as much as 5,000 phrases—from all genres and themes.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Literature Writing Contest invitations Black authors from throughout the Midwestern United States to submit their unpublished works to raise, promote and have fun African-American voices and illustration in youngsters’s literature.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