Genre: Fiction

Jack Hazard Fellowships

New Literary Project
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
January 9, 2026
Up to ten fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to creative writers who are high school teachers to support summer work on an ongoing fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, or poetry project. Full-time instructors at accredited U.S. high schools teaching in the 2025–2026 academic year who are contracted to return to their schools in fall 2026 and who have been teaching for at least three years are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of up to 5,000 words of poetry or prose, a brief bio, a curriculum vitae, a project description, and contact information for the head of school by January 9, 2026. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Short Short Story Competition

Writer’s Digest
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
December 15, 2025

A prize of $3,000 is given annually for a short short story. The winner is also provided money for travel and lodging expenses to attend the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference. A second-place prize of $1,500 is also awarded. The winners will both be published in Writer’s Digest. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 1,500 words with a $30 entry fee by the early bird deadline of November 17 or with a $35 entry fee by December 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers

Boulevard
Entry Fee: 
$18
Deadline: 
December 31, 2025

A prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a short story by a writer who has not published a nationally distributed book. The editors will judge. Submit a story of up to 8,000 words with an $18 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Boulevard, by December 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

New Millennium Writing Awards

New Millennium Writings
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

Four prizes of $1,000 each are given biannually for a single poem, a short story, a short short story, and an essay. The winners also receive publication in New Millennium Writings and on the journal’s website. Works that have not appeared in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000 or were published only online, as well as previously unpublished works, are eligible. Submit up to three poems totaling no more than five pages, a short short story of up to 1,000 words, or a story or essay of up to 7,499 words with a $20 entry fee by November 30. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Jeanne Leiby Memorial Chapbook Award

Florida Review
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
January 7, 2026

A prize of $1,000, publication by the Florida Review, and 50 author copies is given annually for a chapbook of short fiction, short nonfiction, or graphic narrative. Submit a manuscript of up to 45 pages with a $25 entry fee by January 7, 2026. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Firecracker Awards

Community of Literary Magazines & Presses
Entry Fee: 
$65
Deadline: 
November 14, 2025

Three prizes of $2,000 each are given annually for a book of poetry, a book of fiction, and a book of creative nonfiction published by an independent press in the current year ($1,000 for each author and $1,000 for their respective publisher). Works in translation and graphic novels are accepted. Using only the online submission system, publishers may submit books of poetry or prose published in 2025 with a $65 entry fee ($55 for CLMP members) for the first book and a $45 fee ($35 for CLMP members) for each additional entry by November 14. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Jacobs/Jones African American Literary Prize

North Carolina Writers’ Network
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
January 2, 2026

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story or an essay that “seeks to convey the rich and varied existence of Black North Carolinians.” The winning entry is considered for publication in Carolina Quarterly. Black writers who live in North Carolina are eligible. Submit a story or essay of up to 3,000 words (a self-contained excerpt from a longer work is also accepted) with a $20 entry fee ($10 for NCWN members) by January 2, 2026. Include two copies if submitting by mail. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Memoir Prize

Narratively
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
December 7, 2025
A prize of $3,000 and publication on Narratively’s storytelling platform is given annually for a short work of memoir written in the first person. Two runners-up prizes of $1,000 each and publication will also be awarded. The winner and two runners-up will also be included in a special digital collection. Using only the online submission system, submit an essay of 2,000 to 5,000 words with a $20 entry fee by December 7. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Writing Fellowships

Fine Arts Work Center
Entry Fee: 
$40
Deadline: 
November 15, 2025

Fellowships for a seven-month residency at the Fine Arts Work Center in Prov­ince­town, Massachusetts, are given annually to four poets and four fiction writers who have not published a full-length book in any genre. Each fellowship includes a private apartment, a monthly stipend of $1,250, and an exit stipend of $1,000. To apply for fellowships beginning in October 2026, submit up to 15 pages of poetry or 35 pages of fiction (include a synopsis if submitting a novel) and a curriculum vitae with a $40 entry fee before noon (EST) on November 15; submissions are also accepted from noon on November 15 to before noon on December 1 with a $55 entry fee, and from noon on December 1 to midnight on December 15 with a $65 entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Award for Short Fiction

Press 53
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
December 31, 2025

A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 53 author copies is given annually for a story collection. Kevin Morgan Watson will judge. Submit a manuscript of 100 to 250 pages with a $30 entry fee by December 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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