Literary Contests - Literary

Publishing, writing, and literary prizes for Literary

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

Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize

This prize for literary excellence offers a $60,000 first prize to the novel or short-story collection the judges determine is the year’s best book of fiction.<p>Books must be English-language, first-edition trade books published by a Canadian press, written by Canadian citizens or permanen...

    Toronto, ON   CA

Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction

The Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction was set up to celebrate excellence, originality and accessibility in writing by women throughout the world. Known from 1996 to 2012 as the Orange Prize for Fiction and in 2013 as the Women’s Prize for Fiction, it is the UK’s most prestigious annual...

    London, England   UK

Bath Novel Award

£2,000 international prize for unpublished or independently published writers of novels for adults or young adults. Judge: Susan Armstrong of Conville & Walsh Literary Agency. £22 entry fee per novel. First 5,000 words plus one page synopsis. ...

    Avon, England   UK

BC and Yukon Book Prize

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.<p> The seven Prizes are presented annually at the Lieutenant Govern...

    Vancouver, BC   CA

Big Moose Prize

Each year Black Lawrence Press will award The Big Moose Prize for an unpublished novel. 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 will be awarded on publication. ...

    Pittsburgh, PA   US

City of Fremantle Hungerford Award

The Hungerford Award is open to unpublished full-length works of fiction or narrative non-fiction by Western Australian authors. Those from outside the state are able to submit too, provided their work has a heavy WA focus. ...

    NorthFreemantle, WA   AU

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

Feathered Quill Book Awards

Feathered Quill Book Awards, a program run by Feathered Quill Book Reviews, a leader in online book review sites, awarding books with gold, silver, and bronze designations in a total of twenty-four categories. In addition, Feathered Quill also includes finalists – these are books with scores clos...

    Goshen, MA   US

Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards

You have a great book, you’re looking for some recognition, and you want a wider audience to fall in love with it. That’s where Foreword’s annual book awards program comes in. The IndieFab Awards recognize the best in indie book publishing, and has been doing so for fifteen years. Our prestigi...

    Traverse City, MI   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 J...

    Kennesaw, GA   US

Governor General’s Literary Awards

The Governor General’s Literary Awards are presented to English-language and French-language books in each of the following seven categories: Fiction, Literary Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Children’s Literature (text), Children’s Literature (illustrated books) and Translation (from French to E...

    Ottawa, ON   CA

Independent Publisher Book Awards

Conducted annually, the Independent Publisher Book Awards honor the year’s best independently published titles from around the world. The awards are intended to bring increased recognition to the thousands of exemplary independent, university, and self-published titles published each year. <p&g...

    Traverse City, MI   US

International Prize for Arabic Fiction

The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is an annual literary prize run with the support of the Booker Prize Foundation in London and funded by the TCA Abu Dhabi in the UAE. The Prize was launched in Abu Dhabi in April 2007 with the intention to address the limited international avail...

    London,   UK

John Dos Passos Prize for Literature

The John Dos Passos Prize for Literature is given annually by Longwood University to an underappreciated writer whose work offers incisive, original commentary on American themes. The winner of the prize receives an honorarium and will give a reading on Longwood’s campus in the spring. ...

    Farmville, VA   US

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

Marlowe and Christie Novel Prize

Submit the opening 3000 words of your novel. Conventionally published novelists are not eligible to enter. We are looking for the opening of your novel. Send us up to 3000 words. You need not have written more. Entries which are longer or not the opening of your novel will be disqualified. ​ ...

    Cambridge, England   UK

Miles Franklin Literary Award

The Miles Franklin Literary Award, recognised as Australia's most prestigious literary prize, is presented each year for the novel of the highest literary merit that presents Australian life in any of its phases. The award was established in 1955 through the will of Stella Maria Sarah Miles Fra...

    Sydney, NSW   AU

NAIWE 1st Annual Book Awards

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

Oregon Book Awards

The Oregon Book Awards program celebrates outstanding literary achievements by Oregon writers across various genres, including poetry, fiction, graphic literature, drama, literary nonfiction, and literature for young readers. Out-of-state judges evaluate entries based on literary merit, selecting fi...

    Portland, OR   US

Pacific Northwest Book Awards

Since 1964 the PNBA has presented annual awards to recognize excellence in writing from the Pacific Northwest. Rather than soliciting nominations for specific categories, we simply require that the author and/or illustrator reside within the PNBA region (Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Idaho an...

    Eugene, OR   US

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction honors the best published works of fiction by American permanent residents in a calendar year. The award's legacy is steeped in excellence; past winners include literary giants such as Philip Roth, Ann Patchett, and Imbolo Mbue. Books must be published by comm...

    Washington, DC   US

Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing

The ethos of America is defined by its immigrants. Their stories have always been an essential component of the nation's cultural consciousness, from Isaac Bashevis Singer to Jhumpa Lahiri, from Jacob Riis to Maxine Hong Kingston. In novels, short stories, memoirs, and works of journalism, immi...

    Brooklyn, NY   US

St. Louis Literary Award

For more than 50 years, the St. Louis Literary Award has honored many of the most important writers of our time and celebrated the contributions of literature in enriching our lives. The St. Louis Literary Award is among the oldest and most prestigious of literary prizes in the country. From 19...

    St. Louis, MO   US

Stonewall Book Awards

The first and most enduring award for LGBTQIA+ books is the Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by the American Library Association’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table. Since Isabel Miller’s Patience and Sarah received the first award in 1971, many other books have been honored fo...

    Chicago, IL   US

Toronto Book Awards

The Toronto Book Awards honour authors of books of literary or artistic merit that are evocative of Toronto. Authors are only eligible if their submission evokes the city itself, that is, contains some clear Toronto content (this may be reflected in the themes, settings, subjects, etc.). Authors do...

    Toronto, ON   CA

Trillium Book Award

The Ontario government established the Trillium Book Award in 1987 to celebrate the quality and diversity of Ontario writers and writing. It includes the Prix Trillium for Francophone writers, a Trillium Book Award for Poetry for emerging poets, and a Trillium Book Award for Children’s Literature ...

    Toronto, ON   CA

Windham-Campbell Prizes

The Donald Windham-Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prizes call attention to literary achievement and provide writers the opportunity to focus on their work independent of financial concerns. The prizes are open to English-language writers at all stages of their careers from anywhere in the world, ...

    New Haven, CT   US