Book Awards & Writing Competitions - United States

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

Agatha Awards

The Agatha Awards honor the traditional, "cozy" mystery. That is to say, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. Agatha Awards are given for materials first published in the United States by a living author during the calendar year 2014 (January 1-December 31), either in hardc...

Gaithersburg, MD   US

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

AKO Caine Prize for African Writing

The AKO Caine Prize Award for African Writing is an annual literary award for a published short story by an African writer. In addition to the £10,000 prize, we invite five shortlisted writers to London for a series of events including public readings, interviews with media institutions, private ev...

London, England   US

Alex Awards

The Alex Awards were first given annually beginning in 1998. The titles were selected by the YALSA Adult Books for Young Adults Task Force from the previous year’s publishing and were part of the Adult Books for Young Adults Project, which explored the role of adult books in the reading lives o...

Chicago, IL   US

Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award

For 10 pages of poetry from a manuscript-in-progress. Awards are open to Poetry Society of America members for free. ...

Brooklyn, NY   US

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

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

Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction

The Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, named to honor prolific science fiction and fantasy author Andre Norton (1912-2005), is a yearly award presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) to the author of an outstanding young adult or middle grad...

Enfield, CT   US

Andrew Price-Smith Book Award

Andrew Price-Smith, one of the leading scholars of global health security and the David Packard Smith Professor of International Relations at Colorado College, died of cancer on July 11, 2019. His 2001 book, The Health of Nations: Infectious Disease, Environmental Change, and Their Effects on Nation...

Storrs, CT   US

Anthony Awards

The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. Among the most prestigious awards in the world of mystery w...

Stevensville, MD   US

Aspen Words Literary Prize

The Aspen Words Literary Prize is a $35,000 annual award for an influential work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture. Annually, open to authors of any nationality, the award is one of the largest liter...

Aspen, CO   US

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

Baen Fantasy Adventure Award

The award recognizes the best original adventure fantasy short story in the style of fantasy greats like Larry Correia, Mercedes Lackey, Elizabeth Moon, Andre Norton, J.R.R. Tolkien, and David Weber. Write and submit a short story of no more than 8,000 words. It must be a work of fantasy, though all...

Wake Forest, NC   US

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

Best Book in Interdisciplinary Studies

The IDSS has established a book award prize that recognizes a work that is an original and outstanding contribution to interdisciplinary studies, broadly defined. Interdisciplinary studies are unique in making conceptual and methodological connections across disciplines, challenging disciplinary ort...

Storrs, CT   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

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 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

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

Blueberry Award

The Blueberry Award. The Blueberry Award honors the best children's books for 3 - 10 years olds published last year that inspire a love of nature and action for the planet. ...

Evanston, IL   US

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

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. ...

Chicago, IL   US

CALIBA Golden Poppy Awards

The members of CALIBA present The Golden Poppy Book Awards to recognize the most distinguished books written by writers and artist who make California their home. The Golden Poppies are given for books published in the following categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Cooking & Food, Mystery, Romance,...

Campbell, CA   US

California Book Awards

The Commonwealth Club of California's California Book Awards is one of the oldest and most prestigious literary award programs in the US. It has various categories including Fiction, First Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Young Adult and Juvenile. Since 1931, they have recognized California writers...

San Francisco, CA   US

California State Poetry Society Annual Contest

This contest is open to all poets, whether or not they are members of the CSPS. Entries must be in English and be the original, unpublished work of the poet. There is an 80-line (two-page) limit for each poem, as longer poems are generally too difficult to include in the California Quarterly (CQ).....

Sunland, CA   US

Carol Awards

The Carol Awards are ACFW’s recognition for the best Christian fiction published by traditional publishing houses in the previous calendar year. Beginning with the 2015 Carol Awards program, certain independently published Christian fiction will be eligible.

Qualifying titles shall be written f...

Palm Bay, FL   US

Catholic Arts and Letters Award

Also known as the Lily Awards, the CALA for Fiction recognizes works of Catholic fiction that merit distinction. The CALA for Excellence in Achievement recognize individuals who have shown distinction in how they have furthered the growth of Catholic Arts and Letters. The CALAs for fiction are bienn...

Eaton, IN   US

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

Cecil Hemley Memorial Award

The Cecil Hemley Memorial Award is given once a year to a member of the Poetry Society of America for a lyric poem that addresses a philosophical or epistemological concern....

Brooklyn, NY   US

Chadwick Alger Prize

The Chadwick F. Alger Prize honors the best single-authored book published in the prior year related to international organization and multilateralism. It is presented annually by the International Organization Section of the International Studies Association. The Award Committee values works focusi...

Storrs, CT   US

Chatelaine Awards

Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring romantic themes and adventures of the heart,historical love affairs, perhaps a little steamy romance, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them. (Hint: check other genres for romance categories as well, such as parano...

Bellingham, WA   US

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 Book Awards

The Christian Book Awards are among the most prestigious awards in the religious publishing industry, as well as the oldest. Formerly the Gold Medallion Book Awards, the Christian Book Awards have been awarded to Christian authors since 1978. Given out by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Associa...

Phoenix, AZ   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

Christy Awards

Every year publishers are invited to submit novels written from a Christian worldview and copyrighted in the year preceding the awards.<p>To be eligible, you must submit a full-length work of fiction, including a novella published as a freestanding entity.<p> All eligible submissions ...

Lawrence, KS   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

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

CMA Book Awards

This program recognizes the outstanding work of publishers, authors, and book editors who serve Catholic readers. The Catholic Media Association announces winning entry names at its Catholic Media Conference, publishes them in the Awards issue of The Catholic Journalist, and showcases them on the...

Chicago, IL   US

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

Conservative Book of the Year

ISI honors the Conservative Book of the Year with the Paolucci Book Award. The award is named in memory of Henry and Anne Paolucci, distinguished scholars, teachers, and writers who exemplified the ideal of the public intellectual. ...

Wilmington, DE   US

Coretta Scott King Book Award

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luthe...

Chicago, IL   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

CWA Communications Contest

Each year, the Cat Writers’ Association selects the best entries in each category and awards them with Certificates of Excellence. The highest-scoring Certificate-winning entry in each category receives a Muse Medallion at our Annual Awards Ceremony. Special Awards focus on a specific topic and co...

Saint Louis, MO   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

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

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

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

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 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

Ernest Hemingway Flash Fiction Prize

Though many writers have helped to shape the history of flash fiction, Ernest Hemingway’s first short-story collection, In Our Time, easily makes him one of the form’s primary pioneers. For this reason, Fiction Southeast has chosen to honor his accomplishments through the Ernest Hemingway Flash ...

Baton Rouge, LA   US

Euler Book Prize

The Euler Book Prize is awarded annually to an author or authors of an outstanding book about mathematics. The Prize is intended to recognize authors of exceptionally well written books with a positive impact on the public's view of mathematics and to encourage the writing of such books. Eligib...

Washington D.C., DC   US

Excellence in Publishing Awards

The goal of the "Excellence in Publishing Awards" is to recognize the best in Catholic publishing. Publishers may submit multiple books. Publishers who are Foundation Members at the time of submission will receive one free submission for every paid submission.

Awards will be given for books fallin...

Ellicott City, MD   US

Ezra Jack Keats Book Award

Known collectively as the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, the New Writer Award was established in 1985 and the New Illustrator Award in 2001 to recognize and encourage emerging talent in the field of children’s books. The EJK Book Award is given annually to an outstanding new writer and new illust...

Brooklyn, NY   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

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

Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction

More than fifty short-story collections have appeared in the Flannery O'Connor Award series, which was established to encourage gifted emerging writers by bringing their work to a national readership. The first prize-winning book was published in 1983; the award has since become an important pr...

Athens, GA   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

Four Quartets Prize

The Four Quartets Prize is for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in America in a print or online journal, chapbook, or book....

Brooklyn, NY   US

FTGS Book Prize

The Feminist Theory and Gender Studies (FTGS) section of the International Studies Association (ISA) awards an annual prize for exceptional published work in the field of international studies and global politics that uses feminist theory and gender studies. To be eligible for the award, books must ...

Storrs, CT   US

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 one e...

, 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

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 hou...

Palm Bay, FL   US

George Bogin Memorial Award

For a selection of four or five poems that use language in an original way to reflect the encounter of the ordinary and the extraordinary and to take a stand against oppression in any of its forms....

Brooklyn, NY   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

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

GIRS Book Award

Annually, the ALIAS and ISA hold an award competition to recognize excellence in scholarship of teaching and learning as related to international affairs. The recipient must be a member of ISA and books must have been published within the two-year period prior to the competition. Service to ISA and ...

Storrs, CT   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

Gotham Book Prize

The Gotham Book Prize is awarded annually to the best book published that calendar year — either fiction or nonfiction — that either is about New York City or takes place in New York City....

New York, NY   US

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

HeartWood Poetry Prize

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

Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism

The Bernstein Award recognizes works written by working journalists that raise awareness about current events or issues of global or national significance. Works of fiction, anthologies, biography, memoir, history, collections of columns, or articles are not eligible....

New York, NY   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

Hugo Awards

The Hugo Awards, presented annually since 1955, are science fiction’s most prestigious award. They were first awarded in 1953, and have been awarded every year since 1955. The awards are run by and voted on by fans.<p>The Hugos are World awards. Works are eligible when they are first publis...

Cambridge, MA   US

IACP Cookbook Awards

The IACP Cookbook Awards honor the authors, publishers, and other contributors behind the best cookbooks published each year. Being acknowledged as a finalist or winner has become a coveted mark of distinction, in part because of the program' growing list of illustrious honorees, who, over...

New York, NY   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

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law/Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize

Established in 2007 at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law by alumnus Roy C. Palmer and his wife, Susan M. Palmer, the prize honors a work of scholarship that explores the tension between civil liberties and national security in contemporary American society. The $10,000 prize is designed to encourage a...

Chicago, IL   US

ILA Childrens and Young Adults Book Awards

The ILA Children’s and Young Adults’; Book Awards are intended for newly published authors who show unusual promise in the children’s and young adults’ book field. Awards are given for fiction and nonfiction in each of three categories: primary, intermediate, and young adult....

Newark, DE   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.

The ...

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

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

Iowa Short Fiction Award & John Simmons Short Fiction Award

Any writer who has not previously published a volume of prose fiction is eligible to enter the competition. The manuscript must be a collection of short stories in English of at least 150 word-processed, double-spaced pages. We do not accept e-mail submissions. ...

Iowa City , IA   US

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

Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award

The National Space Society and Baen Books applaud the role that science fiction plays in advancing real science and have teamed up to sponsor this short fiction contest in memory of Jim Baen. Write a short story of no more than 8,000 words, that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years...

Wake Forest, NC   US

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

Kindle Book Awards

The Kindle Book Review’s Best Indie Book Awards is co-sponsored by book sites like Kindle Boards, Digital Book Today, World Literary Cafe, and Author Marketing Club. Any independent or small press author can submit books in the categories of Mystery/Thriller, Romance, Y/A, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Literar...

Kokomo, IN   US

Lambda Literary Awards

For over 30 years, the Lambda Literary Awards (or “Lammys”) have maintained a proud tradition of celebrating vibrant, dynamic LGBTQ storytelling. In 1989, the Lambda Literary Awards were created to garner national visibility for LGBTQ books, which had established a foothold through a nasce...

New York, NY   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

Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction

Three Winners are announced who are published and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are Longlisted. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies. Open to anyone in the world. We welcome all forms of nonfiction incl...

New York, NY   US

Letter Review Prize for Poetry

Three Winners are announced who are published and share in the $800 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are Longlisted. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies. Open to anyone in the world. There are no style or subject restrictions. ...

New York, NY   US

Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction

Three Winners are announced who are published and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are longlisted. All entries are considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies. Open to anyone in the world. There are no genre or theme restric...

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

Liz Carpenter Award for Best Book on the History of Women

The Liz Carpenter Award is given annually for the best scholarly book on the history of women and Texas published during the calendar year. Winning authors will receive a certificate and $2,000 at the Association's annual meeting. Judges may withhold the award at their discretion. Publishe...

Austin, TX   US

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

Lucille Medwick Memorial Award

The Lucille Medwick Memorial Award is given once a year to a member of the Poetry Society of America. It was established by Maury Medwick in memory of his wife, the poet and editor, for an original poem in any form on a humanitarian theme....

Brooklyn, NY   US

Lyric Poetry Award

The Lyric Poetry Award is given once a year to a member of the Poetry Society of America and was "established under the will of PSA member Mrs. Consuelo Ford (Althea Urn), and also in memory of Mary Carolyn Davies, for a lyric poem on any subject....

Brooklyn, NY   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

Margaret Lawrence Award for Fiction

This award is given to the Manitoba writer whose book is judged to be the best book of adult fiction written in English and published during the calendar year. Eligible authors must have been resident in Manitoba ...

Winnipeg, MB   US

Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award

The Black-Eyed Susan Book Award is a children’s choice award for the state of Maryland. Each year since 1992, the Black-Eyed Susan Book Award has been given to authors and/or illustrators of outstanding books chosen for the award by Maryland students. The award seeks to promote literacy and li...

Westminster, MD   US

Mathical Book Prize

The Mathical Book Prize is an annual award that recognizes outstanding fiction and literary nonfiction for youth ages 2-18, exploring the many facets of mathematics in the world. The prize is selected by a committee of PreK-12 math and language arts teachers, librarians, mathematicians, early childh...

Berkeley, CA   US

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

McNally Robinson Book For Young People Awards

This award is divided into the categories of Older and Younger. The Older Category is presented to the Manitoban writer whose English language book is judged the best written. It is geared towards books published for readers who are ages 9 to 18. Fiction and non-fiction are eligible. The Younge...

Winnipeg, MB   US

Michael L. Printz Award

The Michael L. Printz Award annually honors the best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit, each year. In addition, the Printz Committee names up to four honor books, which also represent the best writing in young adult literature. The awards announcement is made at the ALA Mi...

Chicago, IL   US

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

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

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

Morton Marcus Poetry Contest

The annual Morton Marcus Poetry Prize is held in honor of the memory and work of Morton Marcus, whose life and work inspired thousands through his infectious belief in community, dedication to the work of poetry, and support of the arts. ...

Santa Cruz, CA   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

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

Narrative Spring Story Contest

Entries can include short shorts, short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction. Entries must be previously unpublished, no longer than 15,000 words, and must not have been previously cho...

San Francisco, CA   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

National Outdoor Book Awards

The National Outdoor Book Awards (NOBA) is a non-profit educational program sponsored by the NOBA Foundation, the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education, and Idaho State University. Its purpose is to recognize and encourage outstanding writing and publishing in the outdoor field. Books ma...

Pocatello, ID   US

Nebula Awards

The Nebula Awards are given annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for the best science fiction or fantasy fiction published during the previous year. Nebula Award nominees and winners are chosen by members of the SFWA. Works are nominated each year between Novem...

Enfield, CT   US

NEOWA Excellence in Craft Writing Contest

Categories are: 1. Best Column, Newspaper 2. Best Column, Magazine 3. Best Article, Newspaper 4. Best Article, Magazine 5. Best Opinion, Newspaper 6. Best Opinion, Magazine 7. Best Humor, Ne...

Augusta, ME   US

NEOWA Youth Outdoor Writing Contest

The contest is open to schools in New England. Student entries must be submitted by school personnel.

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, sporting ...

East Bridgewater, MA   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, Adul...

Boston, MA   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 categorizatio...

Kansas City, MO   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

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

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

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

Patricia Cleary Miller Award for Poetry

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

Kansas City, MO   US

PEN Translation Prize

The $3,000 PEN Translation Prize invites submissions of book-length translations from any language into English published during the current calendar year. Eligible titles must be original book-length literary translations published by a U.S. trade publisher. Self-published books and reprints are no...

New York, NY   US

Prime Number Magazine Awards for Poetry & Short Fiction

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

Pura Belpré Award

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outsta...

Chicago, IL   US

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

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

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

Robert H. Winner Memorial Award

For a manuscript of 10 pages by a mid-career poet who has not had substantial recognition. Open to poets 40 and over who have published no more than one full-length collection of poetry. Poets who have not published a poetry collection are eligible....

Brooklyn, NY   US

Ron Tyler Award for Best Illustrated Book on Texas History and Culture

The Ron Tyler Award, funded by the Summerlee Foundation, is given annually for a book dealing with Texas history and using special visual applications such as photography and reproduction of historic paintings. The book should be published in the calendar year for which the award is given and make a...

Austin, TX   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

Schneider Family Book Awards

The Schneider Family Book Awards are designed to recognize authors or illustrators for portraying storylines featuring characters with special needs.The awards are given annually for books aimed at each of three audiences – children up to age 8, kids ages 9 to 13 and teens ages 14 to 18. ...

Chicago, IL   US

Shamus Awards

Eligible works must feature as a main character a person PAID for investigative work but NOT employed for that work by a unit of government. These include traditionally licensed private investigators; lawyers and reporters who do their own investigations; and others who function as hired private ag...

Laughlin, NV   US

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

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

STAIR Book Award

The Science, Technology and Art in International Relations (STAIR) Book Award is an annual award conferred for the best book that develops interdisciplinary advances regarding the interplay between international relations and the politics of science, technology and art. Eligible nominees can either ...

Storrs, CT   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

Tartts First Fiction Award

The Livingston Press at the University of West Alabama is offering a chance for a beginning fiction writer to get their work published. Eligible authors must not have a book of short fiction published yet, though novels are accepted. They will receive $1000, plus a royalty contract, and 60 copies of...

Livingston, AL   US

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 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 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 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 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award

The Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award seeks to discover and honor the best books of the previous year (novels, novellas, collections and anthologies, and non-fiction) that incorporate the elements of mystery, thriller, and suspense in numerous genres or, in the case of nonfiction, books that ar...

Franklin, TN   US

The Masters Review Flash Fiction Contest

This contest will honor a grand prize winner in three categories—Microfiction, Flash Fiction, and Sudden Fiction—by awarding $1,000 and online publication to each winner. A runner-up in each category will also be honored with a $200 prize and online publication. ...

Bend, OR   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 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 Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award

The Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award is given once a year to a member of the Poetry Society of America "to honor the memory and poetry of Emily Dickinson, for a poem inspired by Dickinson though not necessarily in her style, For a short poem, no longer than 16 lines. ...

Brooklyn, NY   US

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. The award was established in 2004 and first presented in 2006. <p> The a...

,   US

Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award

The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award is an annual award presented by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best short science fiction story published in English in the preceding calendar year. Nominations are only accepted from editors and revi...

Lawrence, KS   US

Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award

Texas State University College of Education developed The Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award to honor authors and illustrators who create literature that depicts the Mexican American experience. The award was established in 1995 and was named in honor of Dr. Tomás Rivera...

San Marcos, TX   US

Towner Award

The Towner Award is the Washington state award for nonfiction picture books written for 2nd-6th grade students. In the spring, all Washington State students in public and independent schools, from second through sixth grades, are invited to vote for their favorite book if they have listened to or re...

Seattle, WA   US

Two Sylvias Press Chapbook Prize

Prize for the best collection of poems. Submit 17-24 pages of poetry (not including the title page, table of contents, and end notes). Individual poems may be previously published, but the collection should be unpublished....

Kingston, WA   US

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 pr...

Montpelier, VT   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

Virginia Literary Awards

The annual Virginia Literary Awards honor Virginia writers and celebrate their contributions to the literary landscape of our state and nation. Given to Virginia authors in the categories of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction—and to nonfiction authors for works about a Virginia subject as well—the ...

Richmond, VA   US

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 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

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

World Fantasy Awards

The World Fantasy Awards, established in 1975, are presented annually at the World Fantasy Convention. The World Fantasy Award has been described as one of the three most prestigious speculative fiction awards. The nine awards are presented at the banquet of the World Fantasy Convention held each y...

Mukilteo, WA   US

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

Young Readers Choice Awards

The Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Award is the oldest children’s choice award in the U.S. and Canada. Chosen by the children of Alberta, Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, from books published 3 years previously, and nominated by l...

Bothell, WA   US