Writing Competitions - Almond Press

24/09/2026

Deadline: Oct 31: Drinking Gourd Chapbook Prize sponsored by Northwestern University Press. Submit your poetry manuscript (25–35 pages in length) exploring the experiences of people of color to win $500 and publication. No fee |
https://nupress.northwestern.edu/drinking-gourd-chapbook-prize-submission-guidelines/

22/09/2026

Deadline: Oct 15: Gerald Cable Book Award sponsored by Silverfish Review Press. Submit a book-length manuscript of original poetry to win $1000 and publication. More details on website. Fee: $25 |
https://silverfishreviewpress.com/submission-guidelines

21/09/2026

📌 New writing competition
★The Playwright’s Prize ★

📆Deadline: December 31, 2026 7:52 am - 7:52 am The Playwright’s Prize is a new annual international competition launched by the Chesham Literary Festival , an organisation established in 2023 to celebrate and promote writers and poets both locally and globally.

The prize aims to discover and showcase compelling, original stage plays. It offers a significant opportunity for playwrights to have their voices heard and gain attention for their work. This event is part of the festival’s broader commitment to fostering literary talent, alongside its poetry and short story competitions,

The competition welcomes original stage plays on any theme, provided they are written in English and do not exceed 20,000 words. It is open to writers from anywhere in the world.

There is an entry fee of £15 per script. The winner will be announced in March 2027 and will receive a cash prize of £100. The award will be presented at an award ceremony at Chesham Town Hall in June.

Is this event legit?YES! - Based on our research this event is legitimate and the organizer is well established. However, as with any opportunity, please remember to do your own research before submitting your work . Check the organizer's website and carefully read the terms and conditions!

Subscribe to Writing Deadlines Never miss a deadline again. The Writing Deadlines newsletter delivers curated, verified writing competitions, prizes, and open calls straight to your inbox — subscribe here .

🔗 Find out more: https://dystopianstories.com/events/playwrights-prize/

The Playwright's Prize is a new annual international competition launched by the Chesham Literary Festival, an organisation established in 2023

21/09/2026

📌 New writing competition
★The Chesham Short Story Prize ★

📆Deadline: December 31, 2026 7:24 am - 7:24 am The Chesham Short Story Prize is an annual international writing competition organized by the Chesham Literary Festival , an event established in 2023 to celebrate writers and poets from both the local area and beyond. This competition, alongside The Playwright’s Prize , represents a new expansion of the festival’s offerings.

The prize welcomes short stories of any genre and on any theme and encourages writers to unleash their imagination and share their unique voices with the world. Accepted categories include literary fiction, science fiction, crime, or contemporary stories.

Submissions must adhere to a maximum word count of 3,000 words and should be written in English. The event is open to writers from anywhere in the world.

The winner will be announced in March 2027 and will receive a cash prize of £100. Beyond the monetary award, the prize offers a significant opportunity for writers to gain recognition, have their voices heard, and showcase their talent.

Is this event legit?YES! - Based on our research this event is legitimate and the organizer is well established. However, as with any opportunity, please remember to do your own research before submitting your work . Check the organizer's website and carefully read the terms and conditions!

Subscribe to Writing Deadlines Never miss a deadline again. The Writing Deadlines newsletter delivers curated, verified writing competitions, prizes, and open calls straight to your inbox — subscribe here .

🔗 Find out more: https://dystopianstories.com/events/the-chesham-short-story-prize/

The Chesham Short Story Prize is an annual international writing competition organized by the Chesham Literary Festival, an event established

20/09/2026

Our weekly Writing Deadlines newsletter is out ⤵️
Prizes up to £5,000 | 19 opportunities from: The Hive: Poetry Collective on KSQD Radio, Connecticut Poetry Society, Black Anchor Publishing Group , Zoetrope: All-Story, Westport Writers' Workshop, PoetrySoup, Flume Press, Alice James Books, Cloudbank Books, Longleaf Press, and more!

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Discover 19 newly discovered writing competitions and submission opportunities. Poetry, essay, and short fiction contests with prizes up to £5,000.

20/09/2026

📌 New writing competition
★The New Voices Fiction Award ★

📆Deadline: December 15, 2026 4:37 pm - 4:37 pm The New Voices Fiction Awar d is a biannual short fiction contest from Jitney Books , a Miami-based independent publisher and literary blog. This is the award’s second edition, open to emerging and established writers submitting bold, original stories across any genre.

Entrants may submit fiction or creative nonfiction of 500 to 2,000 words, original and previously unpublished, in any genre. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, provided the press is notified promptly if a story is accepted elsewhere. The contest is open internationally with no age restrictions. The final judge is J.J. Colagrande.

The winner receives a cash prize, publication of the story, and a featured author interview published alongside it. Second place receives a smaller cash prize and publication. Third place receives publication only. Authors retain full copyright, with first North American (or first world) serial rights reverting back after publication.

Is this event legit?YES! - Based on our research this event is legitimate and the organizer is well established. However, as with any opportunity, please remember to do your own research before submitting your work . Check the organizer's website and carefully read the terms and conditions!

Subscribe to Writing Deadlines Never miss a deadline again. The Writing Deadlines newsletter delivers curated, verified writing competitions, prizes, and open calls straight to your inbox — subscribe here .

🔗 Find out more: https://dystopianstories.com/events/the-new-voices-fiction-award/

The New Voices Fiction Award is a biannual short fiction contest from Jitney Books, a Miami-based independent publisher and literary

20/09/2026

📌 New writing competition
★Wilder Series Poetry Book Prize ★

📆Deadline: December 15, 2026 4:26 pm - 4:26 pm The Wilder Series Poetry Book Prize is an annual full-length poetry manuscript contest from Two Sylvias Press , judged by press editors Kelli Russell Agodon and Annette Spaulding-Convy. The event is open to women over the age of 50 (born on or before December 31, 1976), including both established and emerging poets. The press uses an inclusive definition of “woman,” welcoming trans women, genderqueer women, femme, and non-binary people who are female-identified or assigned female at birth.

Entrants submit an original, unpublished full-length manuscript. Individual poems can be previously published in journals or anthologies as long as the collection as a whole is unpublished. Translations and previously self-published books are not eligible. Poets may submit more than one manuscript, each with its own fee. Simultaneous submissions are allowed. International submissions and collaborative manuscripts are welcome/

A limited number of fee waivers are available for writers facing financial hardship.

The winner receives a cash prize, publication by Two Sylvias Press , and 20 author copies. All submitted manuscripts are considered for publication. The press has run this prize since 2015 and maintains a public archive of past winners.

Is this event legit?YES! - Based on our research this event is legitimate and the organizer is well established. However, as with any opportunity, please remember to do your own research before submitting your work . Check the organizer's website and carefully read the terms and conditions!

Subscribe to Writing Deadlines Never miss a deadline again. The Writing Deadlines newsletter delivers curated, verified writing competitions, prizes, and open calls straight to your inbox — subscribe here .

🔗 Find out more: https://dystopianstories.com/events/wilder-series-poetry-book-prize/

The Wilder Series Poetry Book Prize is an annual full-length poetry manuscript contest from Two Sylvias Press, judged by press

20/09/2026

📌 New writing competition
★The Moriarty Award ★

📆Deadline: April 30, 2027 3:58 pm - 3:58 pm The Moriarty Award is a new annual prize from Bell Cow Productions , a literary media company behind several author-focused podcasts. Named after Sherlock Holmes’s antagonist Professor James Moriarty, it recognizes the author of the most complex, memorable villain or antagonist in a published novel.

Unlike a manuscript submission contest, this award works by nomination: anyone can nominate a novel published in the 2026 calendar year, along with its villain, antagonist, or ensemble cast, and pay the entry fee to enter it. Nominators receive a confirmation email with a link to submit further details about the book, author, and character being nominated.

The winner receives a cash prize, a Moriarty Award medal, and guest appearances at several mystery-writing events. The winner and shortlisted nominees also get a podcast feature on Bell Cow’s Author Round-Up, a website feature, and inclusion in Bell Cow’s “Cattle-Log.”

Is this event legit?YES! - Based on our research this event is legitimate and the organizer is well established. However, as with any opportunity, please remember to do your own research before submitting your work . Check the organizer's website and carefully read the terms and conditions!

Subscribe to Writing Deadlines Never miss a deadline again. The Writing Deadlines newsletter delivers curated, verified writing competitions, prizes, and open calls straight to your inbox — subscribe here .

🔗 Find out more: https://dystopianstories.com/events/the-moriarty-award/

The Moriarty Award is a new annual prize from Bell Cow Productions, a literary media company behind several author-focused podcasts.