Awards for Unpublished Manuscripts

3-Day Novel Contest

Can you produce a masterwork of fiction in three short days? The 3-Day Novel Contest is your chance to find out. For 37 years, hundreds of writers have stepped up to the challenge each Labour Day weekend, fuelled by nothing but adrenaline and the desire for spontaneous literary nirvana.

Th...

Vancouver, BC   CA

Adventure Writer's Competition

The AWC accepts novels exhibiting (in whole) the general action-adventure-themed genre and style. The Adventure Writer's Competition is sponsored by the Clive Cussler Collector's Society, Braveship Books and AJM Books. It is a annual writing competition for published and non published auth...

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£2,000 international prize for unpublished or independently published writers of novels for adults or young adults.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

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

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Each year Black Lawrence Press will award The Big Moose Prize for an unpublished novel.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

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Twice each year Black Lawrence Press will run the Black River Chapbook Competition for an unpublished chapbook of poems or short fiction between 16-36 pages in length.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

Black Voices in Childrens Literature

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, culturally relevant children's stories written by and about Black people. Every entry is consi...

Minneapolis, MN   US

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

CANSCAIP Writing For Children Competition

A goal of the Writing for Children Competition is to discover, encourage, and promote new writers of children's literature across Canada. The Writers Union of Canada initiated the Competition in 1996, and in 2014 CANSCAIP took on this initiative. This contest is open to unpublished write...

Toronto, ON   CA

CBC Literary Prizes Nonfiction Prize

Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada are eligible to enter. For any contestant who has not reached the age of majority in his/her province or country of residence, parental or guardian consent is necessary to enter the Contest. The Nonfiction Prize includes memoir, biography, hum...

Montreal, PQ   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

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

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.

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 opportu...

Galway City,   IE

Don D. and Catherine S. Fowler Prize

The Don D. and Catherine S. Fowler Prize will be awarded to the best book-length, single-author manuscript in anthropology submitted to the Press. All submitted manuscripts must demonstrate the best substantive research and quality writing. Successful entries will focus on the human experience in th...

Salt Lake City, UT   US

Dorothy Hewett Award

UWA Publishing, in partnership with Copyright Agency Limited and ABC 720 Perth, has established a new award for an unpublished manuscript. The aim of the Dorothy Hewett Award is to support literary talent both in and related to Western Australia, and to celebrate the life and writing of a stalwar...

Perth, WA   AU

Drue Heinz Literature Prize

Drue Heinz Literature Prize for a collection of short fiction. The prize carries a cash award of $15,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press under its standard contract.

Eligible submissions include an unpublished manuscript of short stories; two or more novellas (a novella may ...

Pittsburgh, PA   US

Finch Memoir Prize

The Finch Memoir Prize is an annual publication prize for an unpublished memoir of between 40,000 and 80,000 words. The $10,000 prize money, payable on publication, includes a component of $5000, which is an advance against royalties from sales of the resulting book.. The winner is chosen by an inde...

Road Arcadia, NSW   AU

Fresh Ink

Fresh Ink is a novice contest designed for new hobby writers who have not yet been published. The awards are the ideal opportunity to have your word critiqued by a professional. Receive valuable insights, recommendations and connections that will assist you in developing your craft. Winners will hav...

Brantford, ON   CA

Genesis Contest

The ACFW Genesis Contest is for unpublished Christian fiction writers. With ten categories to enter, Genesis provides the opportunity for unbiased feedback on writers’ work by published authors and experienced judges, and the chance for finalists to have their work read by Christian publishing...

Palm Bay, FL   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

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

Malahat Review Novella Contest

The Malahat Review, Canada's premier literary magazine, invites entries from Canada, the United States, and elsewhere for the Novella Prize. One prize of $1,500 CAD is awarded. Previous winning entries have also won or been nominated for National Magazine Awards for Fiction and the O. Henry Prize. T...

Victoria, BC   CA

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

Nilsen Literary Prize for a First Novel

Submissions must be previously unpublished novels, novellas, or collections of closely linked short stories.

Manuscripts that have been self-published or published online will not be accepted.

Open to English-writing, U.S. residents who have not yet published a novel. ...

Cape Girardeau, MO   US

Operation Thriller Writing Competition

This is an open call for US and UK writers who write thriller fiction. Your story must be for an adult audience and have a thriller intrigue as main component. Cosy crime or cosy mystery novels will not be accepted. Paranormal elements are allowed as long as the thriller element stays predominant. Y...

Austin, TX   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...

Speen, England   UK

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

The Black Orchid Novella Award

The Black Orchid Novella Award offers a $1,000 prize to the best original, unpublished novella that conforms to the tradition of the Nero Wolfe series. Entries must be 15,000 to 20,000 words in length, and submitted by the deadline....

New York, NY   US

The Center for Book Arts Poetry Chapbook Competition

The Center's Poetry Chapbook Competition has been going strong since 1996; past winners have included Ailish Hopper, Jeffrey Skinner, L.B.Thompson, and Rachel Zucker. Poets! Submit your work for this year’s contest; the deadline every year is December 1; current guidelines are up on our site...

New York, NY   US

The Killer Nashville Claymore Award

Every year, the Killer Nashville Claymore Award assists new and rebranding English-language fiction authors get published, including possible agent representation, book advances, editor deals, and movie and television sales. ...

Franklin, TN   US

The Wallace Stegner Prize in Environmental Humanities

The Wallace Stegner Prize will be awarded to the best monograph submitted to the Press in the broad field of environmental humanities. To compete for this award, manuscripts must emphasize interdisciplinary investigations of the natural and human environments and their fundamental interconnectedness...

Salt Lake City, UT   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

Turn Off The Lights Thriller Contest

Submit your mystery, thriller, suspense, or horror novel for the chance to become a published author and win huge cash prizes! Entering the contest is free; all that is required is to upload your book onto Inkitt and submit it on the contest page....

Berlin,   DE

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 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