Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Summer Short Story Award for New Writers

Masters Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
September 7, 2025
A prize of $3,000 and publication in Masters Review is given annually for a short story or an essay by an emerging writer. Writers who have not published a book, self-published writers, and writers who have published books only with indie presses are eligible. The winning story will also be sent to agents Victoria Cappello (Bent Agency), Sarah Fuentes (United Talent Agency), Andrea Morrison (Writers House), Heather Schroder (Compass Talent), Nat Sobel (Sobel Weber Associates), and Marin Takikawa (Friedrich Agency) for review. Submit a story or essay of up to 6,000 words with a $20 entry fee from July 1 to September 7. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Buinho Creative Hub Residencies

Buinho Creative Hub offers residencies of two weeks to two months year-round to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers in the historic town of Messejana, Portugal. Residents are provided with a single- or double-occupancy room in one of three traditional Portuguese houses, as well as access to private and shared studios. The Buinho residence also features a central studio and backyard workshop. The cost of the residency is €800 to €1,000 (approximately $894 to $1,118) per month, depending on the room; transportation and meals are not included.

Type: 
RESIDENCY
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
yes
Event Date: 
December 9, 2025
Rolling Admissions: 
yes
Application Deadline: 
December 9, 2025
Financial Aid?: 
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
December 9, 2025
Free Admission: 
no
Contact Information: 

Buinho Creative Hub Residencies, Rua Nova de São Brás 43, 7600-346 Messejana, Portugal. Carlos Alcobia, General Manager.

Carlos Alcobia
General Manager
Contact City: 
Messejana
Country: 
PT
Add Image: 

Spring Story Contest

Narrative
Entry Fee: 
$27
Deadline: 
July 31, 2025
A prize of $2,500 is given annually for a work of flash fiction, a short story, a graphic story, an essay, a memoir, or an excerpt from a work of fiction or creative nonfiction. A second-place prize of $1,000 is also awarded. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 15,000 words of prose with a $27 entry fee by July 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Translation Awards

American-Scandinavian Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 15, 2025
A prize of $2,500 and publication of an excerpt in Scandinavian Review is given annually for an English translation of a work of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction written in a Nordic language (Danish, Faroese, Finnish, Greenlandic, Icelandic, Norwegian, Sami, or Swedish). A prize of $2,000 and publication is also awarded annually to a translator whose literary translations from a Nordic language have not previously been published. An additional prize of $2,000 and publication is awarded for a translation from the Danish. Translations of works by 20th- and 21st-century Nordic authors that have not been published in English are eligible for all three prizes. Using only the online submission system, submit 15 to 25 pages of poetry in translation or 25 to 50 pages of prose in translation, a copy of the original work, a biographical statement about the author whose writing is being translated and the significance of their work, a document signed by or on behalf of the author granting permission for the translation to be entered into the competition, and a curriculum vitae by September 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Summer Creative Nonfiction Contest

Prairie Schooner
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
August 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Prairie Schooner is given annually for an essay. Submit up to 5,000 words of prose with a $20 entry fee by August 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

St. Lawrence Book Award

Black Lawrence Press
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
August 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a debut collection of poems, short stories, or essays. The editors and a panel of previous St. Lawrence Book Award winners will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of 45 to 95 pages or a prose manuscript of 120 to 280 pages with a $30 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literary Awards

Santa Fe Writers Project
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
September 15, 2025
A prize of $1,500 and publication by the Santa Fe Writers Project is given biennially for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction. Deesha Philyaw will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a story collection, a novel, an essay collection, or a memoir of any length with a $30 entry fee by September 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Writing Contest

Black Warrior Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
August 1, 2025
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Black Warrior Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems of any length, a story of up to 7,000 words, or an essay of no more than 6,000 words with a $20 entry fee (fee waivers are available based on financial need) by August 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Deborah Tall Lyric Essay Book Prize

Seneca Review Books
Entry Fee: 
$27
Deadline: 
August 1, 2025
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Seneca Review Books is given biennially for a collection of lyric essays. The winner will also receive an invitation to give a reading with Hobart & William Smith Colleges. Melissa Febos will judge. Hybrid work, verse forms, text and image, and “connected or related pieces” are accepted. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 120 pages with a $27 entry fee by August 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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