Literary Contests - Poetry Writing

Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry

Honoring the memory of a celebrated poet and a beloved teacher, the Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry is awarded annually and is sponsored by The University of Utah Press and The University of Utah Department of English. $1,500 Cash Prize and Publication from the Press; $500 and reading in The Univer...

Salt Lake City, UT   US

Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize

Established in 1981, the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize is administered by the University of Pittsburgh Press. Named in honor of Agnes Lynch Starrett, the Press’s first director, the prize is awarded for a first full-length book of poems. The prize carries a cash award of $5,000 and public...

Pittsburgh, PA   US

AICW Bressani Literary Prize

The Bressani Prize has three goals: it aims to stimulate and enhance the literary production of works by Canadian authors of Italian origin or ancestry; to add to the richness of the Italian immigrant experience in Canada by celebrating its literary expression; and to honour and reflect aspects of I...

Vancouver, BC   CA

Alberta Book Awards

The Alberta Book Publishing Awards are presented by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta.Categories include: Children’s Books, Scholarly and Academic Books, Trade Fiction, Trade Non-Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Poetry and Editorial Excellence. To enter, publishers must have its chief o...

Edmonton, AB   CA

Aliki Perroti and Seth Frank Most Promising Young Poet Award

Established in 2013, the Aliki Perroti and Seth Frank Most Promising Young Poet Award recognizes a student poet twenty-three years old or younger, with an annual cash prize of $1,000.

Students who have won one of our 2014 University & College Poetry Prizes and who were twenty-three years old or yo...

New York, NY   US

Amy Lowell Traveling Poet Scholarship

The American poet Amy Lowell died in 1925. Her will established an annual scholarship to support travel abroad for gifted American-born poets. The scholarship is administered by the Trustees under her will at the law firm of Choate, Hall & Stewart in Boston, Massachusetts. There is no age requireme...

Boston, MA   US

Anna Pidruchney Award for New Writers

Awarded to a novice writer under the age of 35 for a literary work which includes Ukrainian Canadian characters or is based on a Ukrainian Canadian theme. Eligible works of literary fiction, that being poetry, short stories, novels, plays, personal essays or memoirs are acceptable. Only one submiss...

Edmtonton, AB   CA

Askew's Word on the Lake Writing Contest

Whether you’re an established or emerging writer, the Askew’s Word on the Lake Writing Contest has a place for you. Part of the Word on the Lake Writers’ Festival in Salmon Arm, BC, the contest is open to submissions in short fiction (1,200 to 1,500 words), nonfiction (1,200 to 1,500 words), a...

Salmon Arm, BC   CA

BC and Yukon Book Prizes

The BC Book Prizes, established in 1985, celebrate the achievements of British Columbia writers and publishers. The prizes are for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, regional, children’s and illustrated children’s literature.

The seven Prizes are presented annually at the Lieutenant Gover...

Vancouver, BC   CA

Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award

Established in 1998, in honor of the poet Benjamin Saltman (1927-1999), this award is for a previously unpublished original collection of poetry. Awarded collection is selected through an annual competition which is open to all poets. ...

Pasadena, CA   US

Berkshire Prize for a First or Second Book of Poetry

The Berkshire Prize for a First or Second Book of Poetry is open to anyone writing in the English language, whether living in the United States or abroad. Translations are not eligible for this prize, nor are previously self-published books....

North Adams, MA   US

Bisexual Book Awards

Books can be submitted by the author, publisher or the Bi Writers Association (BWA). However, anyone may suggest a book for us to outreach. Any book with a bisexual or bi+ character, bisexual storyline, bisexual subject matter or bisexual themes can be submitted. The book award categories are open t...

New York, NY   US

BKMK Press Book Prize

The BKMK Press Prize offers $1000 and publication for the best book-length collections of poetry and short fiction.

Submissions for The G. S. Sharat Chandra Prize for Short Fiction should be approximately 125- 300 pages, double spaced.

Poetry manuscripts for The John Ciardi Prize for Po...

Kansas City, MO   US

Black River Chapbook Competition

Twice each year Black Lawrence Press will run the Black River Chapbook Competition for an unpublished chapbook of poems or short fiction between 16-36 pages in length. The contest is open to new, emerging, and established writers. The winner will receive book publication, a $500 cash award, and ten ...

Pittsburgh, PA   US

Blue Ridge Mountains CWC Directors Choice Awards

Past and present attendees of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference are eligible to submit their published work to this contest. ...

Ridgecrest, NC   US

Book Excellence Awards

The Book Excellence Awards (www.bookexcellenceawards.com) is an international book awards competition. The Book Excellence Awards is dedicated to helping authors and publishers increase their visibility, credibility and book sales through extended support and resources on topics such as publis...

Toronto, ON   CA

bpNichol Chapbook Award

The bpNichol Chapbook Award recognizes excellence in Canadian poetry published in chapbook form. The prize is awarded to a poetry chapbook judged to be the best submitted. The author receives $4,000 and the publisher receives $500. Awarded continuously since 1986, the bpNichol Chapbook Award is curr...

St John's, NL   CA

Bridport Prize

The mission of the Bridport Prize is to encourage emerging writers and promote literary excellence through its competition structure. The Bridport Prize was founded by Bridport Arts Centre in 1973 and has steadily grown in stature and prestige.

The poem and short story categories each have a fi...

Bridport,   UK

Byron Caldwell Smith Book Awards

These awards are given biennially to one individual in each of three categories, residing or employed in Kansas, who has authored an outstanding book published within the two calendar years preceding the application deadline. One $750 award for fiction, one $750 award for non-fiction, and one $750 a...

Lawrence, KS   US

Caterpillar Poetry Prize

The Caterpillar is delighted to announce its inaugural poetry prize - for a single poem written by an adult for children (aged 7-11). What we are looking for is a stand-out poem to which we can award a prize of €1,000 to celebrate the richness of children’s writing.

The Priz...

Cavan, Co. Cavan   IE

CBC Poetry Prize

Open to original, unpublished, poems or poetry collections between 400 and 600 words written by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.

All works that have published in print or on the Internet, including self-published works, as well as works that have been broadcast or delivered in...

Montreal, PQ   CA

Christian Author Awards

Sponsored by Xulon Press, the Christian Author Awards recognizes preeminent new Christian authors who are independently published.

Full-length books of fiction and non-fiction are eligible. Eligible books must be in English and published in the United States as a self-published work or as a work p...

Maitland, FL   US

Cider Press Review Book Award

Submit 48-80 pages of original poetry in English not previously published in book form (individual poems may have been previously published in journals, anthologies, and chapbooks). ...

San Diego, CA   US

Cider Press Review Editors’ Prize

Submit 48-80 pages of original poetry in English not previously published in book form (individual poems may have been previously published in journals, anthologies, and chapbooks). ...

San Diego, CA   US

Claremont Review Annual Writing Contest

This international magazine for young writers hosts an annual writing contest for writers from 13 to 19 years old. Winners are selected in both poetry and fiction categories.

Writers can enter up to three poems, three postcard stories (up to 500 words) or one longer story (max 5000 words) with eac...

Victoria, BC   CA

Colorado Prize for Poetry

The Colorado Prize for Poetry is an international literary contest started in 1995. Since the contest began, over 5,000 book-length poetry manuscripts have been entered. Each year's prizewinner receives a $2,500 honorarium and publication of his or her book by the Center for Literary Publishing...

Fort Collins, CO   US

Cowles Poetry Book Prize

Individual poems in the manuscript may have been published previously in a chapbook, magazines, journals or anthologies, but the work as a whole must be unpublished. Translations and previously self-published books are not eligible.

Open to any poet writing in English, age 18 or older, regar...

Cape Girardeau, MO   US

Cuirt New Writing Prize

Poetry entries must consist of 3 poems under 50 lines each. Fiction pieces may be up to 2000 words. Entries in both English and Irish are welcome.<p>Young Cuirt is for ages 12-17. Entries are welcome in poetry and fiction. The winner will receive €100 cash prize and they will have the o...

Galway City,   IE

CWA Communications Contest

The Contest is open to ANY person, worldwide, CWA member or non-member, whose work meets the requirements of any CWA Regular or Special Award Contest Category. Entries in all Regular Categories and Special Awards must contain at least two-thirds cat-specific content unless the category-specific rul...

Saint Louis, MO   US

Dorothy Hewett Award

The Dorothy Hewett Award is open to all writers who have completed a manuscript and are seeking publication. The work must be fiction, narrative nonfiction or poetry, inclusive of hybrid genres such as verse novels or memoir. The winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000, courtesy of Copyright Age...

Perth, WA   AU

Dr. William Henry Drummond Poetry Contest

Dr. William Henry Drummond (1854-1907) was "Canada’s First National Poet" as well as doctor and a silver mine owner in the Cobalt area. Included in many anthologies through the years including: The New Oxford Book of Canadian Verse (1982).

All entrants must be Canadian residents or landed im...

Cobalt, ON   CA

DWAA Annual Writing Competition

The Maxwell Medallion writing contest is open to all writers, editors, publishers, photographers, artists and others whose work falls into the designated competition categories, which include newspaper, blog postings and magazine columns or articles on canine health, training, rescue or other topics...

Westlake Village, CA   US

Elixir Press Annual Poetry Awards

Elixir Press is sponsoring a poetry contest open to all poets writing in English. There will be a Judge’s Prize of $2,000 and an Editors’ Prize of $1000. Both winning manuscripts will be published by Elixir Press. All entries will be considered for publication. An outside judge, to be announc...

Denver, CO   US

Eric Gregory Awards

The Eric Gregory Awards, for a collection by poets under the age of 30, were founded in 1960 by the late Dr Eric Gregory for the encouragement of young poets. Applicants must be under the age of 30 on the 31 October of the application year Applications must be a British National, or resident...

London, England   UK

Eric Hoffer Award for Independent Books

The Eric Hoffer Award for independent books recognizes excellence in publishing with a $2,000 grand prize and various category honors and press type distinctions, as well as the winners of the Montaigne Medal, da Vinci Eye, and First Horizon Award. The book awards are covered in the US Review of Boo...

Titusville, NJ   US

FAPA President’s Book Awards

Each year the Florida Authors and Publishers Association (FAPA) sponsors the FAPA President's Book Awards, which recognizes book publishing excellence and creativity in design, content, and production for authors and publishers. This contest isn't limited to Florida, it is open to anyone thr...

Fort Myers, FL   US

Foster Poetry Prize

Formerly the Young Buck Poetry Prize for writers under the age of 35, the Foster Poetry Prize, created by CV2 magazine, is awarded to the author of the single best submitted poem by a writer of any age. Along with the prize, the winner receives a cash sum and publication in CV2.

Open to Canad...

Winnipeg, MB   CA

Fugue Annual Writing Contest

Fugue’s Annual Writing Contest accepts submissions of both poetry and prose (fiction and nonfiction). Multiple submissions are accepted as long as separate fees are paid. For poetry submissions, please send between 1-3 poems. For prose submissions, please send no more than one short story or o...

, ID   US

GCWA Writing Contest

Writing Contest is open to GCWA members and the public — adults 18 and over, and youth 11 to 17. Winners will be announced at the GCWA meeting in May 2023.
Original, unpublished submissions only.
Your entry must be original, in English, unpublished, and unproduced, not accepted by an...

Fort Myers, FL   US

Georgia Author of the Year Award

The Georgia Author of the Year Awards celebrates the best literature by Georgia writers. Georgia Writers Association assumed responsibility for the Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) shortly after its founding in 1994. The awards were first given in 1964 by the Dixie Council of Authors and Jo...

Kennesaw, GA   US

Gerald Lampert Memorial Award

The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award is given in the memory of Gerald Lampert, an arts administrator who organized authors’ tours and took a particular interest in the work of new writers. The award recognizes a first book of poetry published by a Canadian. The award carries a $2,000 prize....

Toronto, ON   CA

Global Ebook Awards

The Global Ebook Awards are more than an honor for the best ebooks published, they offer high-profile publicity for ebook authors, publishers and ebooks....

Santa Barbara, CA   US

Governor General's Literary Awards

French-language book in each of the seven categories of Fiction, Literary Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Children’s Literature (text), Children’s Literature (illustrated books) and Translation (from French to English).

Books published in English between 1 September 2014 and 28 February ...

Ottawa, ON   CA

Griffin Poetry Prize

The Griffin Poetry Prize is the world’s largest prize for a first edition single collection of poetry written in, or translated into English, from any country in the world - the Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry aims to spark the public’s imagination and raise awareness of the crucial role ...

Oakville, ON   CA

Hamilton Literary Awards

The Hamilton Arts Council is calling for submissions by Hamilton-area authors for the 22nd Annual Hamilton Literary Awards to recognize works and authors that represent the best and brightest in Hamilton literature for the year 2014. Published books in three genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry...

Hamilton, ON   CA

HeartWood Broadside Series Contest

Submit one poem (of any form) or flash prose piece (fiction or nonfiction) per entry; regardless of genre, the entry must be 200 words or less. There is no limit on the number of entries per person....

Buckhannon, WV   US

High Plains Book Award

The High Plains Books Awards recognize regional authors and/or literary works which examine and reflect life on the High Plains. The High Plains region includes Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The Art & Photograph...

Billings, MT   US

Hudson Prize

Each year Black Lawrence Press will award The Hudson Prize for an unpublished collection of poems or short stories. The prize is open to new, emerging, and established writers. The winner of this contest will receive book publication, a $1,000 cash award, and ten copies of the book. Prizes awarded o...

Pittsburgh, PA   US

IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award

The IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for excellence in book publishing is regarded as one of the highest national honors for small and independent publishers.

The awards are administered by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), with help from over 150 book publishing professionals includ...

Manhattan Beach, CA   US

Icelandic Festival Of Manitoba Poetry & Short Stories Contest

The Icelandic Festival of Manitoba invites you to submit previously unpublished poetry (three entries per person) and/or a short story (one per person-maximum of 1200 words)

Prize entries will be awarded and successful entries will be published in the festival program and/or on the festival...

Winnipeg, MB   CA

Iowa Poetry Prize

The Iowa Poetry Prize, open to new as well as established poets, is awarded for a book-length collection of poems written originally in English. Previous winners, current University of Iowa students, and current and former University of Iowa Press employees are not eligible. ...

Iowa City, IA   US

J.M. Abraham Poetry Award

The J.M. Abraham Poetry Award was created by the writing community in the late 1990s. The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, with the assistance of several poets, publishers, and post-secondary institutions, raised funds for an annual award program designed to honour the best book of poetry b...

Halifax, NS   CA

Jake Adam York Prize

The Jake Adam York Prize is a collaboration between Copper Nickel & Milkweed Editions. It is open to all poets in the US who have published no more than one full-length poetry collection. The entries are due October 15. The entry fee is $25 (which includes a year's subscription to Cop...

Denver, CO   US

K. Valerie Connor Memorial Poetry Celebration contest

The K. Valerie Connor Memorial Poetry Celebration is an annual province-wide literary contest run by the Leacock Museum in honour of one of our museum's cherished volunteers, Valerie Connor. This contest supports original works of poetry from Ontario residents in three age categories and offers...

Orillia, ON   CA

Kerry County Council Creative Writing for Youth Competitions

Submissions may be in the form of poems, short stories or essays. One entry only per youth.

Creative Writing for 9 years and Under (Max word count 300 words)
Creative Writing for 12 years and Under (Max word count 500 words)
Creative Writing for 14 years and Under (Max word count 500...

Kerry,   IE

LSW Writing Contest

The LSW Writing Contest is open to adults (age 18 and older) with writing in the following categories: Poetry : Up to 3 poem submissions. Short-Short Fiction: Up to 2 story submissions. Word count limit per submission: 500 Short Fiction: 1 story submission. Word count limit: 2,500 Stories...

Duluth, MN   US

Lush Triumphant Literary Awards

Open to short fiction (3,000 words max), poetry (5 related poems, up to 15 pages), and creative non-fiction (max 4,000 words). Winning entries will receive $1,000 plus payment for publication. Runners up will be published in subsequent issues. Entry fee includes a 1 year subscription to subTerrain m...

Vancouver, BC   CA

Mairtin Crawford Award

The Mairtín Crawford Awards are aimed at writers working towards their first full collection of poetry, short stories, or a novel. Both published and unpublished writers are invited to submit between 3-5 poems for the poetry award, and a short story of up to 2,500 words for the short story award, w...

Belfast, Northern Ireland   UK

Malahat Review Long Poem/Novella Prize

The Malahat Review, Canada's premier literary magazine, invites entries from Canadian, American, and overseas authors for the Long Poem Prize. Two awards of $1,000 CAD each are given. Poets contributing to The Malahat Review have also won or been nominated for National Magazine Awards for Poetry and...

Victoria, BC   CA

May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Prize

The May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Prize is named for May Sarton, the renowned novelist, memoirist, poet, and feminist (1912-1995).

The winner receives $1000, book publication, and 100 copies of the published book, as well as distribution with our other spring titles through our partner UPNE (Uni...

Peterborough, NH   US

Miller Williams Poetry Prize

A prize of $5,000 and publication by University of Arkansas Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 60 to 90 pages with a $28 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines. ...

Fayetteville, AR   US

Montreal International Poetry Prize

Organized by McGill’s Department of English, the competition is held every two years and awards a prize of $20,000 to an original poem of forty lines or less....

Montreal, PQ   CA

NAIWE 1st Annual Book Awards 2023

Winning a respected book award helps an author reach new audiences and boost sales. It also delivers a satisfying cap for all the hard work that goes into publishing a manuscript. If you have written a book that was published in the last five years, you are eligible to enter it in the NAIWE 1st...

Montpelier, VA   US

National Book Awards

The National Book Award is one of the nation’s most prestigious literary prizes and has a stellar record of identifying and rewarding quality writing. In 1950, William Carlos Williams was the first Winner in Poetry, the following year William Faulkner was honored in Fiction, and so on throug...

New York, NY   US

National Indie Excellence Awards

The National Indie Excellence Awards is open to all English language books available for sale, including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, and self-published authors.

The National Indie Excellence Awards exists to help establish independent publishing as a str...

Hermosa Beach, CA   US

New Letters Editor's Choice Award

We're looking for work that experiments, that crosses the traditional boundaries of genre and form.

Enter your hybrid work - your lyric essays, prose poems, short-shorts, collages, micro-memoirs . . . whatever you're doing that's experimental, that defies easy categorization.

Sub...

Kansas City, MO   US

New Zealand Book Awards

The New Zealand Book Awards celebrate excellence, identifying the very best books for adult readers written by New Zealanders. From 2016, in a partnership between the New Zealand Book Awards Trust and the Auckland Readers and Writers Festival Trust, they will be held annually as part of the Auckland...

Auckland,   NZ

Next Generation Indie Book Awards

The Next Generation Indie Book Awards (#NGIBA) is the largest non-profit book awards program for indie authors and publishers.

The Next Generation Indie Book Awards was established to recognize and honor the most exceptional independently published books in over 70 different categories, for the ye...

Lake Oswego, OR   US

Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards (NEMBA)

The Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards (NEMBA) was established in 1988 to recognize books that substantially represent northeastern Minnesota in the areas of history, culture, heritage, or lifestyle. Starting with a single category in the early years, the awards have grown to include six categories...

Duluth, MN   US

Patricia Cleary Miller Award for Poetry

A poetry entry may contain up to six poems, and those poems need not be related.<br>Please include one cover sheet stating the genre (poetry) and the tile(s) of each poem. <br>The name of the file you upload should be the title of the first poem in the entry....

Kansas City, MO   US

Peggy-Chapman Andrews Award

This prize is for a first novel from a resident of Great Britain. Entrants to the novel prize are required to submit a short 300 word synopsis with their entry....

Bridport,   UK

Prairie Grindstone Prize

The Prairie Grindstone Prize is worth $50,000 and will go to writers in Alberta and Saskatchewan, alternating from year to year — starting with Alberta in 2023. The literary prize is aimed at acknowledging hardworking and perhaps under-appreciated writers of fiction, poetry and creative nonfi...

Calgary, AB   CA

Prime Number Magazine Awards

Submit one unpublished poem or story. Poem should be no more than three pages in length (no word count needed) with numbered pages and spaced according to the poet’s intended style. Short story should be 53 to 5,300 words, double-spaced in 12-pt. type with numbered pages. ...

Winston-Salem, NC   US

Prix Aurora Awards

The Aurora awards are run by the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA), a federally registered non-profit society. The awards recognize the best Canadian professional and amateur (fan) achievements for the calendar year. The Auroras are only for Canadian citizens or permanent resi...

Calgary, AB   CA

QWF Awards

Every year, The Quebec Writers' Federation shines the spotlight on the best English-language writers to emerge from Quebec. The QWF Awards include six $2,000 book prizes for Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, First Book, Translation, and Children's and Young Adult Literature. The winners of these book pr...

Westmount, PQ   CA

Raiziss/de Palchi Translation Awards

The Raiziss/de Palchi Translation Awards recognize outstanding translations into English of modern Italian poetry through a $10,000 book prize and a $25,000 fellowship, given in alternating years.

To apply, a translator must submit four copies of a proposal describing the work-in-progress, the app...

New York, NY   US

RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers

The RBC Bronwen Wallace Award is open to writers under the age of 35 and unpublished in book form. The award alternates each year between poetry and short fiction.

To be eligible candidates must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, under the age of 35 as of the deadline, and unpublishe...

Toronto, ON   CA

Red Shed Open Poetry Competition

This open poetry competition to anyone aged 16 and over. Entries should be unpublished poems up to 50 lines in length....

Wakefield,   UK

Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award

This award honors the achievements of the great Dominican-American poet, translator, and public school teacher Rhina Polonia Espaillat. The Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award will be awarded for an original poem of not more than fifty lines that reflects her lyricism, empathy, and ability to find grace in...

Walden, NY   US

Sally Albiso Poetry Book Award

Poets located in Alaska, Oregon, or Washington are eligible for an award honoring the late Sally Albiso, an author of MoonPath Press. Submissions must be between 56-80 pages and in a doc, docx, or rtf file format, with no identifying information included. The award is endowed by her husband John Alb...

Tillamook, OR   US

Saskatchewan Book Awards

The Saskatchewan Book Awards offers 14 annual or semi-annual awards to celebrate, promote and reward Saskatchewan authors and publishers worthy of recognition.

Award winners are determined through a jury process of the highest integrity, by high-calibre jurors who are recognized as leaders wit...

Regina, SK   CA

Somerset Maugham Award

W. Somerset Maugham set up a fund in 1947 to enable young writers to enrich their work by gaining experience of foreign countries. The awards are given for a published work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry. The author must be a British national, or resident in Great Britain and Northern Irelan...

London, England   UK

Spirit First Poetry Contest

Poetry submissions may be of any length and any style but must have a theme of Meditation, Mindfulness, Silence, Stillness, or Solitude (we are referring to peaceful solitude - not loneliness). Poems may reflect any discipline, any faith, or none. Poems must be previously unpublished.

Enter up...

Langley Park, MD   US

Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry

Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry is awarded for a collection of poetry by an Alberta author published in the previous calendar year. Short story, essay, or poetry collections may contain work that has been previously published as long as the collection in book form is a first edition....

Edmonton, AB   CA

Tethered by Letters F(r)iction Literary Competition

TBL is pleased to announce our Spring Literary Competition. There are three submission categories: 1) short stories of any genre ranging from 1,000 to 7,500 words, 2) flash fiction with a word limit of either 55, 250, or 500 words, and 3) poetry no longer than three pages. For these contests we are ...

Elizabeth, CO   US

The City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize

The City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize is awarded in honour of acclaimed Calgary writer W.O. Mitchell and recognizes literary achievement by Calgary authors. The prize was established in 1996 and is coordinated through a partnership between The City of Calgary and the Writers' Guild of Alberta...

Edmonton, AB   CA

The Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry

Robert Kroetsch was one of Canada's most celebrated literary writers and critics. His novels, poetry, and theory have consistently been benchmarks for literary innovation in Canada. His novel The Studhorse Man (1969) won the Governor General's Award for Literary Merit, and in 2004, he was made an O...

Montreal, PQ   CA

The Washington Prize

The Washington Prize, awarded annually to a living American or Canadian poet, is $1,500 and book publication for a manuscript of original poetry in English. Poets at any stage in their career may submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages between January 15 and March 15. $25 entry fee. The winner is sele...

Washington , DC   US

The Whistler Independent Book Awards

Established in 2016 to recognize excellence in Canadian independent publishing, the Whistler Independent Book Awards offers prizes in two categories: fiction and nonfiction. There are three finalists in each category (fiction and nonfiction), with the winners being announced at the annual Whistler W...

New Westminster, BC   CA

Trillium Book Award

The Trillium Book Award was established by the Ontario government in 1987 to “recognize excellence, support marketing and to foster increased public awareness of the quality and diversity of Ontario writers and writing.”

The prize for the Trillium Book Award, awarded in both Engli...

Toronto, ON   CA

Utmost Christian Poetry Contest

This contest is open only to Christians. It is open to all Christians. You do not need to be a member of Utmost Christian Writers. You may be a published poet or an unpublished poet. It does not matter what country you live in—but you must be a Christian believer to enter our contest. ...

Edmonton, AB   CA

Vallum Award for Poetry

Vallum is accepting original and previously unpublished poetry submissions for the Vallum Award for Poetry. Submit up to 1-3 poems of maximum 60 lines each. The $25 entry fee covers 3 poems. Do not label your poems with your name or address; instead include a cover letter with all pertinent informa...

Montreal, PQ   CA

Vallum Chapbook Award

Vallum is accepting original and previously unpublished chapbooks for this contest. Poems may be on any theme or subject, but must be original and not previously published....

Montreal, PQ   CA

Vermont Book Award

The Vermont Book Award is a new prize created to honor artists with deep connections to the state of Vermont, and to draw attention to a state so uniquely suited for creative enterprise.

To be eligible for this year’s prize, a book must either be set in Vermont, published by a Vermont...

Montpelier, 05602   US

Vern Rutsala Book Contest

Submit 60 to 90 pages of poetry and/or flash fiction, including a Table of Contents and Acknowledgments page. Cloudbank editors seek a wide range of styles, approaches, forms, and aesthetics, for example: lyric, prose poems, experimental, flash fiction, etc....

Corvallis, OR   US

Welsh Poetry Competition

The International Welsh Poetry Competition is an annual English language poetry award and the largest of its kind in Wales. The contest was founded in 2007 by Welsh poet and photographer Dave Lewis....

Pontypridd, Wales   UK

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

Now in its 14th year, this contest seeks today’s best humor poems. No fee to enter. Submit published or unpublished work. $2,000 in prizes....

Northampton, MA   US

Western Australian Premier's Book Awards

A biennial award made available by the Western Australian Government and are managed by the State Library of Western Australia.

The categories are as follows: Children’s Books, Digital Narrative, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Scripts, Writing for Young Adults, West Australian History and W...

Perth, WA   AU

Western Writers of America Spur Awards

To be eligible, works submitted must be set in the American West, the early frontier, or relate to the Western or frontier experience. Submitted works must be first copyrighted and published in the calendar year covered by the award. Categories include Western Traditional novel, Historical nov...

, NM   US

WFNB Writing Competition

WFNB Writing Competition offers prizes in seven categories: fiction manuscript, short fiction, poetry manuscript, single poem, children and teens, young writers, and creative non-fiction. Prizes for all categories total $2,600.

Entrants must be New Brunswick residents, or non-resident New Brunsw...

Fredericton, NB   CA

Wicked Young Writers' Award

The Wicked Young Writers’ Award was established by the long-running musical Wicked in order to link the important messages of the production with a competition that would inspire young people to use their writing to look at life a little differently. Since its launch in 2010, we have received ...

Chichester,   UK

Word Awards

The Word Awards was established to encourage the pursuit of excellence in the art, craft, practice and ministry of writing and help to raise the profile of Canadian writers who are Christian.The content of eligible entries must be consistent with a Christian worldview and the historic Christian trad...

Brantford, ON   CA

Writer’s Digest Self-Published eBook Awards

Writer’s Digest’s 9th Annual Self-Published E-book Awards honors the best self-published e-book(s) in eight of the most popular categories with $5,000 in cash, a featured interview in Writer’s Digest magazine, and a paid trip to the ever-popular Writer’s Digest Annual Conference in New York ...

Blue Ash, OH   US