Literary Contests - Self-Published

Aurealis Awards

Any work of speculative fiction written by an Australian citizen or permanent resident and published for the first time during the calendar year is eligible to be entered.

Works must be published and available to the general public to be eligible. This includes self-published works. Unpublished ma...

Karabar , NSW   AU

Axiom Business Book Awards

The Axiom Business Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary business books and their creators, with the understanding that business people are a very well-read and informed segment of the population, eager to learn about great new books that will inspire and inform them, ...

Traverse City, MI   US

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£2,000 international prize for unpublished or independently published writers of novels for adults or young adults.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

Black Voices in Childrens Literature

The Black Voices in Children’s Literature Writing Contest is celebrating its fifth year! The contest is open to Black authors who at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing anywhere in the United States. As always, the contest’s mission is to elevate authentic, culturall...

Minneapolis, MN   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

Business Book Awards

The Business Book Awards, in partnership with Pathway Group and organised by ThinkFest Ltd, celebrates the best work of authors who have shared their industry or market knowledge, experience and expertise in published book form. The awards reflect the changing face of the publishing industry, so are...

London, England   UK

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

Christian Indie Awards

Christian Indie Awards (formerly Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Awards) honors books produced by small publishers and independent authors each year for outstanding contribution to Christian life. Books are nominated by the publishers or authors and voting is open to Christian readers, re...

Pace, FL   US

CIPA EVVY Book Awards

The EVVY awards are open to any independently or self-published print book, e-book or audio book and may be submitted by the author, publisher or credited service provider (Illustrator, designer, editor, printer, consultant, etc). CIPA membership is NOT REQUIRED. ...

Lakewood, CO   US

Cybils Awards

The Cybils (Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers Literary) Awards were started by a small group of bloggers in 2006 as a grassroots project. Our mission has always been to help discover children’s and YA books which combine the highest literary merit and popular appeal and to bring those book...

Chicago, IL   US

Dartmouth Book Awards

The Dartmouth Book Awards honour Nova Scotia literature and recognize the valuable contribution writers make to our cultural heritage. Two prizes valued at $2,500.00 each are awarded in the categories of: fiction and non-fiction. A third $2,500.00 prize is awarded to the author from Atlantic Canada ...

Halifax, NS   CA

Dayton Literary Peace Prize

The Dayton Literary Peace Prize, inaugurated in 2006, is the first and only annual U.S. literary award recognizing the power of the written word to promote peace. The Dayton Literary Peace Prize invites nominations in adult fiction and nonfiction books published within the past year that have led re...

Dayton, OH   US

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

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

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

Florida Book Awards

The Florida Book Awards is an annual competition that exists for one purpose--to honor the best work written by Florida authors and about Florida culture in the previous year. Begun in 2006, the Florida Book Awards is the most comprehensive state book awards program in the United States, and the onl...

Tallahassee, FL   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

Gertrude Warner Awards for Middle-Grade Books

Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring stories of all shapes and sizes written to an audience between the ages of about eight to twelve. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Historical, Adventure we will put them to the test and choose the best Middle Grade Books ...

Bellingham, WA   US

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

Goody Business Book Awards

The Goody Business Book Awards are unique as they honour 100% social impact books in 50 different categories, covering 8 different book genres. A total of 100+ Award-Winning Authors are selected each year, and these awards provide more recognition options than other business book awards. Winning aut...

Santa Monica, CA   US

Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award

The Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award is a literary program designed for young readers and based in Atlantic Canada. Thousands of children in grades four to six read from the selection of outstanding Canadian books and vote for their favourites each year. To be eligible, books must be f...

Halifax, NS   CA

Heart Awards

The Heart Awards is a contest sponsored by the Oklahoma Romance Writers Guild and is open to all romantic works of fiction in digital form. Any author with a published novel or novella available in digital format that was published in the previous year is eligible to enter. Open to Authors Worldwide...

Oklahoma City, OK   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

Illumination Book Awards

With the motto, "Shining a Light on Exemplary Christian Books," the Illumination Book Awards are designed to honor the year’s best new titles written and published with a Christian worldview.

Authors, illustrators, publishers and self-publishers of Christian books written in English and int...

Traverse City, MI   US

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

Instruction & Insight Book Awards

CIBA is looking for the best Non-narrative/Non-Fiction books including guidebooks, instructional books, inspirational books and more. There is a $75.00 US Dollar fee and an amazing prize package. Please see our website for more details. ...

Bellingham, WA   US

Letter Review Prize for Manuscripts

Three Winners are announced who have a brief extract published, receive a letter of recommendation from our Judges for publishers, and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are Longlisted. Please submit the first 5000 words of your manuscript, whether it be prose or poetry. O...

New York, NY   US

Little Peeps Awards

Chanticleer International Book Awards Reviews is looking for the best books featuring stories of all shapes and sizes written to an audience for Early Readers. Story books, Beginning Chapter Books, Picture Books, Activity Books & Educational Books. ...

Bellingham, WA   US

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

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

McKitterick Prize

Tom McKitterick, the former editor of Political Quarterly and author of an unpublished novel, endowed the McKitterick Prize which was first awarded in 1990. It is also generously supported by Hawthornden Literary Retreat. It is given annually to an author over the age of 40 for a first novel, publis...

London, England   UK

Military and Front Lines Service Book Awards

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best non-fiction works that explore the lives and actions of those who serve their country and others. ...

Bellingham, WA   US

Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards

The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards contest is designed to honor the year’s best children’s books, authors and illustrators. The program is open to authors, illustrators, and publishers of children’s books written in English or Spanish and intended for the North American market. <p>Awa...

Traverse City, MI   US

Mystery & Mayhem Awards - Cozy Mystery Writing Contest

Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring "mystery and mayhem", amateur sleuthing, light suspense, travel mystery, classic mystery, British cozy, hobby sleuths, senior sleuths, or historical mystery, perhaps with a touch of romance or humor, we will put them to the t...

Bellingham, WA   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. <p> The National Indie Excellence Awards exists to help establish independent publishing ...

Hermosa Beach, CA   US

New England Book Awards

Titles submitted for the New England Book Awards must be either about New England, set in New England, or written by an author residing in New England. Submissions can be hardcovers, paperback originals, or reissues. The award categories are Children's, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult Fiction,...

Boston, 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

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

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

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

Searchlight Awards - Best Children's Picture Book Text

Entries are invited for our children’s picture book competition (text only), up to 500 words. Entrants must be 16 years and over. Stories must be previously unpublished. However, self-published picture books are eligible....

Bath, England   UK

Shelf Unbound Competition For Best Indie or Self-Published Book

Any independently published book in any genre is eligible for entry. Independently Published books include self-published books and e-books (such as those published through CreateSpace, Lulu.com, iUniverse, etc.) and/or books and e-books published through small presses releasing less than five title...

Richardson, TX   US

Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year

Run in Association with The Authors' Club, the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year is the centrepiece of the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards. <p> The prize, which is judged by a panel of travel writers, celebrates excellence in literary travel writing and is open to author...

London,   UK

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

TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award

All genres of books (i.e., picture books, fiction, non-fiction and poetry), written for young people up to age 12, are eligible for consideration. Teen/young adult books are not eligible for submission. Books must be published between January 1 and December 31 of the prize year.<p> Bo...

Toronto, ON   CA

The Dante Rossetti Awards

Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring stories of all shapes and sizes written to an audience between the ages of about twelve to eighteen. Categories: Contemporary Young Adult SFF & Paranormal Dystopian/Edgy/Urban Mystery/Thriller/Suspense Historical Yo...

Bellingham, WA   US

The Hemingway Awards

Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring twentieth-century wartime historical fiction: World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, 19th Century, 20th Century, World and other wars of the Twentieth Century. ...

Bellingham, WA   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

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