grade Writing Grants & Contests | February 2017

by Mariah Beckman

Published in Issue No. 237 ~ February, 2017
Sponsor and Award Entry Fee Genre Cash Prize Prize includes Application Deadline
Virginia Commonwealth University
Levis Reading Prize

A prize of $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to give a reading at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond is given annually for a first or second book of poetry published during the previous year…

$0 Poetry $5,000 Reading 2/1/17
Binghamton University
Book Awards

Two prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for books of poetry and fiction published during the previous year. The Milt Kessler Poetry Book Award is given for a poetry collection of at least 48 pages….

$0 Poetry, Fiction $1,000   2/1/17
Passaic County Community College
Paterson Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a book of poetry published in the previous year. The winning poet must participate in an awards ceremony and give a reading at the Poetry Center in Paterson, New…

$0 Poetry $1,000 Reading 2/1/17
University of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellowships

An academic year in residence, which includes a stipend of at least $30,000, at the University of Wisconsin in Madison is given annually to up to six writers working on a first or second book of poetry…

$50 Poetry, Fiction $30,000 Reading, Workshop, Residency 2/1/17
Memphis
Fiction Award

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Memphis magazine is given annually for a short story by a writer living within 150 miles of Memphis. Submit a story of 2,500 to 3,500 words with a $20 entry…

$20 Fiction $1,000 Publication 2/1/17
Southern Indiana Review
Michael Waters Poetry Prize

A prize of $3,000 and publication by Southern Indiana Review Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Michael Waters will judge. Submit up to 80 pages of poetry (no more than one poem per page)…

$25 Poetry $3,000 Publication 2/1/17
Stadler Center for Poetry
Philip Roth Residencies

Two four-month residencies, which include a stipend of $5,000 each, at the Stadler Center for Poetry at Bucknell University are given in alternating years to poets, fiction writers, and creative…

$0 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $5,000   2/1/17
Colgate University
Olive B. O’Connor Fellowships

Two nine-month residencies at Colgate University, including a stipend of $40,500, health benefits, and travel expenses, are given annually to poets, fiction writers, or nonfiction writers. The 20172018…

$0 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $40,500 Reading 2/1/17
Northern Colorado Writers
Top of the Mountain Book Award

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a novel, memoir, or book-length work of narrative nonfiction. Submit the first twenty-five pages of a novel or creative nonfiction manuscript with a one-page…

$25 Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $1,000   2/1/17
University of Rochester
Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize

A prize of $7,500 is given annually for a book of fiction published during the previous year by a woman who is a U.S. citizen. Publishers may submit four copies of a novel or collection of short fiction…

$0 Fiction $7,500   2/1/17
American Short Fiction
American Short(er) Fiction Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication in American Short Fiction is given annually for a piece of flash fiction. Justin Torres will judge. Submit up to three stories of no more than 1,000 words each…

$17 Fiction $1,000 Publication 2/1/17
Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission
United States/Japan Creative Artists Residencies

Up to five residencies of three to five months, each of which includes a stipend of up to $24,000 for living expenses, housing, and professional support, are awarded annually to U.S. poets, fiction…

$0 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $24,000   2/1/17
WB Yeats Society of NY
Yeats Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication on the WB Yeats Society of NY website will be given annually for a poem. The winner will also be invited to a ceremony in New York City in the spring. Alfred Corn will…

$15 Poetry $1,000 Publication 2/1/17
Southern Illinois University
Devil’s Kitchen Reading Awards

Three prizes of $1,000 each and an all-expenses-paid trip to give a reading at the Devil’s Kitchen Fall Literary Festival at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in October are given annually for a…

$20 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $1,000 Reading 2/2/17
Library of Virginia
Literary Awards

Three prizes of $2,500 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published in the previous year. Books by writers who were born in or are residents of Virginia or, in the case…

$0 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $2,500   2/10/17
National Poetry Series
Open Competition

Five prizes of $10,000 each and publication by participating trade, university, or small press publishers are given annually for poetry collections. Publishers include Beacon Press, Ecco, Milkweed…

$30 Poetry $10,000 Publication 2/15/17
Sarabande Books
Morton and McCarthy Prizes

Two prizes of $2,000 each and publication by Sarabande Books are given annually for collections of poetry and fiction. For the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry, submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages…

$29 Poetry, Fiction $2,000 Publication 2/15/17
Center for Fiction
New York City Emerging Writers Fellowship

Fellowships of $5,000 each, membership to the Center for Fiction in New York City, and access to writing space at the Center are given annually to fiction writers living in New York City who have not yet…

$0 Fiction $5,000   2/15/17
Milkweed Editions
Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry

A prize of $10,000 and publication by Milkweed Editions is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet currently residing in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin. Submit a book-…

$0 Poetry $10,000 Publication 2/15/17
Academy of American Poets
Raiziss/de Palchi Fellowship Award

A fellowship of $25,000 and a five-week residency at the American Academy in Rome is given biennially to a U.S. translator for a work-in-progress of modern Italian poetry translated into English. Maria…

$0 Poetry $25,000 Residency 2/15/17
Center for Documentary Studies
Documentary Essay Prize

A prize of $3,000 and publication in the Center for Documentary Studies online magazine is given biennially for an essay that demonstrates a “reliance on documentary methods, specifically immersive…

$40 Creative Nonfiction $3,000 Publication 2/15/17
Salem State University
Claire Keyes Poetry Award

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Soundings East is given annually for a group of poems. Submit 8 to 10 pages of poetry (no more than one poem per page) with a $10 entry fee, which includes a…

$10 Poetry $1,000 Publication 2/15/17
Academy of American Poets
Harold Morton Landon Translation Award

A prize of $1,000 is given annually to a U.S. citizen for a book of poetry translated from any language into English and published in the United States during the previous year. Collaborations by more…

$0 Poetry $1,000   2/15/17
Furious Flower Poetry Center
Gwendolyn Brooks Centennial Poetry Prize

A prize of $2,000 will be given for a group of poems by a poet who has not published more than one poetry collection. A second-place prize of $1,000 will also be given. The winners will also each receive…

$20 Poetry $2,000 $2,000 2/16/17
Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Self-Publishing Literary Awards

Two prizes of $500 each are given annually for a poetry e-book and a fiction e-book by an African American writer self-published in the United States during the previous year. The awards honor books that…

$0 Poetry, Fiction $500   2/17/17
Mad River Books
Journal Non/Fiction Collection Prize

A prize of $1,500 and publication by Mad River Books, the trade imprint of Ohio State University Press, is given annually for a collection of short prose. Michael Kardos will judge. Using the online…

$25 Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $1,500 Publication 2/20/17
Association of Writers & Writing Programs
Award Series

Two prizes of $5,500 each and publication by a participating press are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection. In addition, two prizes of $2,500 each and publication by a…

$30 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $5,500 Publication 2/28/17
Glimmer Train Press
Short Story Award for New Writers

A prize of $2,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories, and 20 author copies is given three times a year for a short story by a writer whose fiction has not appeared in a print publication with…

$18 Fiction $2,500 Publication 2/28/17
Tupelo Press
Snowbound Chapbook Award

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Tupelo Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Submit a manuscript of 20 to 36 pages with a $25 entry fee by February 28. All entries are considered for…

$25 Poetry $1,000 Publication 2/28/17
Fish Publishing
Flash Fiction Prize

A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,090) and publication in the Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a short short story. Chris Stewart will judge. Submit a story of up to 300 words with a 14…

$15 Fiction $1,090 Publication 2/28/17
Florida Review
Jeanne Leiby Memorial Chapbook Award

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Florida Review is given annually for a chapbook of flash fiction or nonfiction, short stories, essays, or graphic narrative. Submit a manuscript of up to 45…

$25 Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $1,000 Publication 2/28/17
Restless Books
Prize for New Immigrant Writing

A prize of $10,000 and publication by Restless Books will be given in alternating years for a book of fiction and a book of nonfiction by a first-generation resident of the United States. The 2016 prize…

$0 Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $10,000 Publication 2/28/17
Public Poetry
Poetry Contest

A prize of $1,074 and publication on the Public Poetry website will be given annually for a poem on a theme. This year’s theme is “Work.” Using the online submission system, submit up to three poems of…

$20 Poetry $1,074 Publication 2/28/17
Red Hen Press
Women’s Prose Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press will be given annually for a book of fiction or nonfiction by a woman. Aimee Bender will judge. Using the online submission system, submit a story or…

$25 Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $1,000 Publication 2/28/17
Atlanta Review
International Poetry Competition

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Atlanta Review is given annually for a poem. Submit up to two poems of any length with an $11 entry fee ($16 for up to four poems) by March 1. All entries…

$11 Poetry $1,000 Publication 3/1/17
Ahsahta Press
Sawtooth Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,500, publication by Ahsahta Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Current and former students of Boise State University are ineligible. Tyrone Williams will…

$25 Poetry $1,500 Publication 3/1/17
Lake Forest College
Madeleine P. Plonsker Residency

A prize of $10,000, publication by &NOW Books, an imprint of Lake Forest College Press (with distribution by Northwestern University Press), and a three-week residency at Lake Forest College is given…

$0 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $10,000 Publication, Residency 3/1/17
42 Miles Press
42 Miles Poetry Award

A prize of $1,000, publication by 42 Miles Press, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Current and former students of Indiana University in South Bend are ineligible. David…

$25 Poetry $1,000 Publication 3/1/17
Mississippi Arts Commission
Literary Artist Fellowships

Grants of up to $5,000 each are given in alternating years to Mississippi poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. This year the fellowships will be offered in creative nonfiction….

$0 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $5,000   3/1/17
Leeway Foundation
Art and Change Grants

Project grants of up to $2,500 each are given twice yearly by the Leeway Foundation to women and transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, or otherwise gender-nonconforming poets, fiction writers, and…

$0 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $2,500   3/1/17
Broadside Lotus Press
Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award

A prize of $500 and publication by Broadside Lotus Press is given annually for a poetry collection by an African American poet. Submit two copies of a manuscript between 60 to 90 pages between January 2…

$0 Poetry $500 Publication 3/1/17
Tusculum Review
Chapbook Contest

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tusculum Review is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Manuscripts with one or two authors are eligible. Submit a chapbook of 20 to 30 pages with a $20…

$20 Poetry $1,000 Publication 3/1/17
Hunger Mountain
Literary Prizes

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Hunger Mountain are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Submit up to three poems or a story or essay of up to 10,000 words with…

$20 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $1,000 Publication 3/1/17
Selected Shorts
Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

A prize of $1,000 and tuition for a 10-week writing class through New York City’s Gotham Writers Workshop is given annually for a short story. The winning work will be published on the Electric…

$25 Fiction $1,000 Workshop 3/1/17
Alabama State Council on the Arts
Literary Fellowships

Fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in the state of Alabama for at least two years. Using the online submission system…

$0 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $5,000   3/1/17
DASH Journal
Poetry Contest

A prize of $1,000 and publication in DASH Journal will be given annually for a poem. The editors will judge. Submit up to three poems of no more than 33 lines each with a $10 entry fee ($15 for…

$10 Poetry $1,000 Publication 3/1/17
Naugatuck River Review
Narrative Poetry Contest

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Naugatuck River Review is given annually for a narrative poem. Using the online submission system, submit up to three poems of no more than 50 lines each…

$20 Poetry $1,000 Publication 3/1/17
Sponsor and Award Entry Fee Genre Cash Prize Prize includes Application Deadline
Southern Indiana Review

Michael Waters Poetry Prize

A prize of $3,000 and publication by Southern Indiana Review Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Michael Waters will judge. Submit up to 80 pages of poetry (no more than one poem per page)…

$25 Poetry $3,000 Publication 2/1/17
Stadler Center for Poetry

Philip Roth Residencies

Two four-month residencies, which include a stipend of $5,000 each, at the Stadler Center for Poetry at Bucknell University are given in alternating years to poets, fiction writers, and creative…

$0 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $5,000   2/1/17
Colgate University

Olive B. O’Connor Fellowships

Two nine-month residencies at Colgate University, including a stipend of $40,500, health benefits, and travel expenses, are given annually to poets, fiction writers, or nonfiction writers. The 20172018…

$0 Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $40,500 Reading 2/1/17
Northern Colorado Writers

Top of the Mountain Book Award

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a novel, memoir, or book-length work of narrative nonfiction. Submit the first twenty-five pages of a novel or creative nonfiction manuscript with a one-page…

$25 Fiction, Creative Nonfiction $1,000   2/1/17
University of Rochester

Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize

A prize of $7,500 is given annually for a book of fiction published during the previous year by a woman who is a U.S. citizen. Publishers may submit four copies of a novel or collection of short fiction…

$0 Fiction $7,500   2/1/17
American Short Fiction

American Short(er) Fiction Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication in American Short Fiction is given annually for a piece of flash fiction. Justin Torres will judge. Submit up to three stories of no more than 1,000 words each…

$17 Fiction $1,000 Publication 2/1/
Philosophy Through Fiction

Short Story Competition

February 1st, 2017 $500

Publication

Free 7,500
American Short(er)

Fiction Contest

February 1st, 2017 $1,000

Publication

$17 1,000
Mercier Press

Fiction Competition

February 1st, 2017 €1000 Free 12,000
Stringybark Short Story Award February 5th, 2017 $500 $12 1,500
Alt.Publish

Writing Contest

February 10th, 2017 1st $200

2nd $100

3rd $50

Publication

Free 5,000
National Flash

Fiction Youth Competition

February 10th, 2017 1st £100

2nd £75

3rd £50

Free 360
Bath Flash Fiction Award February 12th, 2017 1st £1,000

2nd £300

3rd £100

£9 300
The Amour Romance Contest by Inkitt February 14th, 2017 Publishing contract Free 20,000+
CDS Documentary

Essay Prize in Writing

February 15th, 2017 $3,000

Publication

$40 6,000
Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook February 13th, 2017 Residential writing course Free 2,000

 

Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook

Short Story Competition

February 13th, 2017 Residential writing course Free 2,000
404 Ink

WHAT THE F?

February 18th, 2017 Publication Free 2,000
Book a Break

Short Story Competition

February 19th, 2017 Holiday in Provence! Free 2,000
Readers’ Digest

100 Words Competition

February 20th, 2017 1st £2,000

2nd £200

3rd £200

Free exactly 100
Past-Year Memoir Contest February 20th, 2017 Free writing class Free 16
Chiplitfest

Short Story Competition

February 20th, 2017 1st £500

2nd £100

3rd £50

£8 5,000
Young Writers

Short Story Competition

February 28th, 2017 £150 Free 3,500
Reflex Fiction

Flash Fiction Competition

February 28th, 2017 1st £100

2nd £50

3rd £25

Free 360

(180 minimum)

Exeter Writers

Short Story Competition

February 28th, 2017 1st £500

2nd £250

3rd £100

£6 3,000
Wundor Short Fiction Contest February 28th, 2017 £500 £10 5,000 – 45,000
Flash 500

Short Story Competition

February 28th, 2017 1st £500

2nd £200

3rd £100

£7 3,000
Fish Flash Fiction Competition February 28th, 2017 €1,000 €14 300
Kelpies Prize February 28th, 2017 £2,000

Publication

Free 30,000-70,000
Birds of a Feather Press

Travel Writing Competition

February 28th, 2017 $200 Free 2,000
Jane Austen

‘A Life in Hampshire’

February 28th, 2017 £1000 £5 < 2017
1000 Word Challenge February 28th, 2017 £100 £5 1,000
Grindstone Literary

Flash Fiction Competition

February 28th, 2017 1st £50

2nd £25

3rd £10

£2.50 250
Nature & Place

Poetry Competition

March 1st, 2017 1st £1000

2nd £500

£6 40 lines
Emerging Writer’s Contest March 1st, 2017 $1,000 $24 6,000
Howard Frank Mosher

Short Fiction Prize

March 1st, 2017 $1000 $20 10,000
Ginosko Flash Fiction Contest March 1st, 2017 $500 $5 800
Paranormal Horror

Short Story Competition

March 1st, 2017 £50

Publication

Free 4,000

account_box More About

Mariah Beckman is a Seattle-based writer and editor. A transplant from the cloudless skies and arid heat of the Arizona desert, Mariah spends most of her time trying not to feel soggy. Mariah holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Arizona State University and spends much of her free time with her beau, her family, and her pot-bellied pig, Bebop. When she’s not pretending to know how to knit, she loves to run, hike, kayak, shop, snap photos, and explore the nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest.