Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction Contest

Sewanee Review
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
July 31, 2025
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sewanee Review are given annually for a single poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Cindy Juyoung Ok will judge in poetry, Lauren Groff will judge in fiction, and Roger Reeves will judge in creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit up to six poems or a story or essay of up to 10,000 words with a $30 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Sewanee Review, from July 1 to July 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Individual Artist Fellowships

Delaware Division of the Arts
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
August 1, 2025
Established Professional Fellowships of $8,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in Delaware for at least one year and will remain Delaware residents during the grant period. Using only the online submission system, submit 15 to 20 pages of poetry or prose, a résumé, and an artist’s statement by August 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Stories That Need to Be Told Contest

TulipTree Publishing
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
August 9, 2025
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that responds to the following prompt: “What if the only way to save yourself from this reality is to write yourself a new one?” The winner also receives a two-year subscription to the literary database Duotrope and publication in the annual Stories That Need to Be Told anthology. E-mail a poem of up to five pages or a story or essay of up to 10,000 words with a $20 entry fee (sent via postal mail or PayPal) by August 9. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literary Awards

Dogwood
Entry Fee: 
$12
Deadline: 
September 5, 2025
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Dogwood are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems totaling no more than 10 pages or up to 22 pages of prose with a $12 entry fee by September 5. Writers who are incarcerated may submit to the contest free of charge via postal mail or the Dogwood website. All submissions are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Housatonic Book Awards

Western Connecticut State University
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
July 18, 2025
Three prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published in the previous year. The winners also receive $500 in travel expenses and a hotel stay to give a reading and teach a master class at Western Connecticut State University’s low-residency MFA program. Using only the online submission system, submit a PDF of a book published in 2024 with a $25 entry fee by July 18. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Other Futures Award

Futurepoem
Entry Fee: 
$28
Deadline: 
August 15, 2025
A prize of $1,000, publication by Futurepoem, and 25 author copies is given annually for a book of innovative poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid work “that challenges conventions of genre and language, content and form.” The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of up to 200 pages with a $28 entry fee (or a sliding-scale fee of $9 or $18 based on financial need) from July 15 to August 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Granum Foundation Prizes

Granum Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
August 1, 2025
A prize of $5,000 is given annually to a poet, fiction writer, or creative nonfiction writer to support the completion of a manuscript-in-progress. Up to three finalists are awarded at least $500 each. A Translation Prize of at least $1,500 is also given. Using only the online submission system, submit 12 poems or a prose sample of up to 25 pages by August 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Radcliffe Institute Fellowships

Harvard University
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 11, 2025
Fellowships of $78,000 each, as well as office space at the Radcliffe Institute and access to the libraries at Harvard University, are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to allow them to pursue innovative projects. Fellows, who are expected to reside in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or the surrounding Boston area during the fellowship period, September through May, also receive $5,000 to cover project expenses. Poets who have published a full-length collection or at least 20 poems in magazines or anthologies in the last five years and who are in the process of completing a manuscript are eligible. Fiction and nonfiction writers who have published one or more books, have a book-length manuscript under contract for publication, or have published at least three shorter works are eligible. Writers who are graduate students or enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of application are not eligible. For 2026–2027 fellowships, submit up to 10 poems of any length or a short story, a recent book chapter, or an essay totaling no more than 30 pages; a curriculum vitae; a project proposal; and contact information for three references by September 11. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Pages

Subscribe to Creative Nonfiction