Genre: Fiction

Oregon Literary Fellowships

Literary Arts
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
August 8, 2025
Fellowships of $3,500 each are given annually to aid Oregon writers in initiating, developing, or completing literary projects in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. These include one Women Writers Fellowship and one Writers of Color Fellowship. In addition, two Oregon Literary Career Fellowships of $10,000 each are awarded to writers who demonstrate exceptional talent; one of these two fellowships is reserved for a writer of color. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 15 pages of poetry or no more than 25 pages of prose (with an artist’s statement and an impact statement for those applying for Oregon Literary Career Fellowships) by August 8. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literary Prize

Aspen Words
Entry Fee: 
$105
Deadline: 
August 4, 2025
A prize of $35,000 is given annually for a book of fiction published in the current year that “illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.” Novels and story collections published in the United States in 2025 are eligible. Publishers may submit a digital copy along with a hard copy (or a bound galley) of the book with a $105 entry fee by August 4. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition

Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
September 1, 2025
A prize of $1,500 and publication on the competition website is given annually for a short story by a writer whose fiction has not appeared in a nationally distributed publication with a circulation of 5,000 or more. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 3,500 words with a $15 entry fee by September 1; submissions are also accepted from September 2 to September 15 with a $20 entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Double-booked

The Time Is Now
6.18.25

Double-booking can be a hilarious premise for comedy, as in the wedding rom-com films Bride Wars and You’re Cordially Invited in which two weddings are booked for the same venue on the same day, or a terrifying setup for horror, as in the 2022 film Barbarian in which a woman arrives at a rental home already occupied by a mysterious guest. This week write a short story that revolves around a reservation error that results in characters being unexpectedly forced into sharing a space. Do the opposing parties know each other or are they complete strangers? You might consider playing with narrative perspective and incorporating portions from opposing characters’ points of view or experimenting with a fragmentary structure to evoke suspense and disorientation. Is your story a comedy or horror of errors?

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.

Maine Artist Fellowship

Maine Arts Commission
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 3, 2025
A fellowship of up to $5,000 is given annually to a poet, a fiction writer, a creative nonfiction writer, or a writer working in a genre outside these categories who is a resident of Maine and has lived in the state for at least one year. The fellow is expected to reside in the state for the year of the fellowship. Writers who are age 25 or older and are not enrolled in a degree-granting program are eligible. The fellowship committee can appoint a translator to assist in the review of work submitted in a language other than English. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems, stories, or essays of no more than eight pages each; an artist statement; and a résumé (or a brief bio) between July 23 and September 3. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Pages

Subscribe to Fiction