Literary Contests - Young Writers

Publishing, writing, and literary prizes for Young Writers

Alice Munro Short Story Competition

This annual short story competition is designed to provide an opportunity for writers to develop their craft and connect with like-minded associates. The Festival’s Steering Committee is dedicated to supporting the efforts and talent of unpublished and emerging writers of short fiction.<p>Mo...

    Wingham, ON   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.<p>Students who have won one of our 2014 University & College Poetry Prizes and who were twenty-three years...

    New York, NY   US

BBC Young Writers’ Award

Young people aged 14 to 18, who live in the UK, are invited to submit short stories of up to 1,000 words on any topic. The judges will be looking for high-quality writing, stories that demonstrate originality, imagination and creativity, and writers who can capture the reader and hold their attentio...

    London,   UK

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

BSFA Awards

The BSFA Awards are presented annually by the British Science Fiction Association, based on a vote of BSFA members and – in recent years – members of the British national science fiction convention Eastercon. They are fan awards that not only seek to honour the most worthy examples in each categ...

    Stoke on Trent, England   UK

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. ...

    Galway City,   IE

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

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.<br/> Original, unpublished submissions only. <br/>Your entry must be original, in English, unpublished, and unproduced, not a...

    Fort Myers, FL   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 web...

    Winnipeg, MB   CA

Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize for Canadian Youth

The  Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize for Canadian Youth was established to foster a lifelong relationship between Canadian youth and the literary arts, specifically poetry. The prize is supported through a generous donation from the Stursberg family and other donors in honour of Jessamy Sturs...

    Toronto, ON   CA

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. Word Count Limits: Age 9-11: Short Story Maximum 500 words; Poem Maximum 70 lines Age 11-13 : Short StoryMaximum 500 words; Poem Maximum 70 lines Age 13-15: Short Story Maximum 1000 words; Po...

    Kerry,   IE

Maine Literary Awards

The Maine Literary Awards are open to all current Maine residents, including seasonal residents. All nominations to the Book Awards, regardless of category, must have been published during the 2017 calendar year. The editors (or lead editor) of books entered in the Anthology category must be Maine r...

    Portland, ME   US

Martyn Godfrey Young Writers Award

This is an annual, juried contest open to all Albertan students in grades 4 through 9. Students are invited to submit their best short stories (500-1500 words) or short tales told in a comic book / graphic novel style. There are two Grand Prizes, one for Grades 4-6 and one for Grades 7-9. The ...

    Edmonton, AB   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

NEOWA Youth Outdoor Writing Contest

The contest is open to schools in New England. Student entries must be submitted by school personnel.<p>The written entries should be no longer than 500 words and must be on any outdoor-oriented topic and can include, for example: fishing, boating, archery, shooting, hunting, field trials, spo...

    East Bridgewater, MA   US

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

    Lake Oswego, OR   US

Page Turner Awards

Awards are offered in five categories: Writing Award : for unpublished, completed manuscripts Young Writer Award : for writers aged between 18 and 25 Writing Mentorship Award : for uncompleted manuscripts Screenplay Award : for scriptwriters with a completed screenplay Book Award : for aut...

    Speen, England   UK

Portico Sadie Massey Awards for Young Readers and Writers

Competition 1: Write a short story set in the North of England Write a story set in the North of England: based in your home, community, or somewhere further afield. Where is meaningful to you? Competition 2: Book Review Choose any type of book you want, one you are reading for pleasure or ...

    Manchester, England   UK

V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize

This prize for the best unpublished short story of the year was founded by the RSL at the beginning of the new millennium to commemorate the centenary of an author widely regarded as the finest English short-story writer of the 20th century, and to preserve a tradition encompassing Pritchet's ...

    London,   UK

WFNB Writing Competition

You must be a New Brunswick resident to participate in the New Brunswick Writing Competition, unless you are a Writers' Federation of New Brunswick member. WFNB members can participate from anywhere. The program celebrates eight categories of unpublished writing in the genres of novel, sho...

    Fredericton, NB   CA