Genre: Fiction

Caine Prize for African Writing

Caine Prize for African Writing
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
February 27, 2026

A prize of £10,000 (approximately $13,323) is given annually for a previously published short story by a writer of African descent.

Bryan Washington: Palaver

Caption: 

In this episode of Poured Over: The Barnes & Noble Podcast hosted by Miwa Messer, Bryan Washington speaks about how his experiences in Tokyo and Osaka informed his latest novel, Palaver (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2025), and how third-person narratives reflect the estrangement of being in a different country.

Genre: 

Chautauqua Janus Prize

Chautauqua Institution
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
January 31, 2026

A prize of $5,000 and publication in Chautauqua is given annually for a single work of fiction or nonfiction by an emerging writer displaying “daring formal and aesthetic innovations that upset and reorder readers’ imaginations.” The winner will also receive a $2,000 travel and lodging stipend to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in the summer. Writers who have not published a book of over 15,000 words in any prose genre are eligible. Submissions may consist of unpublished work or work published no earlier than April 2025. Submit a manuscript of up to 15,000 words totaling no more than 100 pages with a $25 entry fee by January 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Morton, McCarthy, and Sarabande Prizes

Sarabande Books
Entry Fee: 
$34
Deadline: 
February 15, 2026

Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication by Sarabande Books are given annually for a poetry collection, a work of fiction, and an essay collection. For the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry, using only the online submission system, submit a poetry collection of at least 48 pages with a $34 entry fee by February 15. For the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction, using only the online submission system, submit a collection of stories or novellas or a short novel of 150 to 250 pages with a $34 entry fee by February 15. For the Sarabande Prize in the Essay, using only the online submission system, submit an essay collection of 150 to 250 pages with a $34 entry fee by February 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literary Awards

Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$100
Deadline: 
March 4, 2026

Two prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for a book of fiction and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published in the previous year that “foster peace, social justice, and global understanding.” A runner-up for each prize receives $5,000. Publishers may submit any number of books published in 2025 with a $100 entry fee per title by March 4. Books first printed in or translated into English are accepted. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Contest

Selected Shorts
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
March 6, 2026

A prize of $1,000 and tuition for a 10-week writing class through New York City’s Gotham Writers Workshop is given annually for a short story. The winning work is published on Electric Literature and recorded at a Selected Shorts performance. Simon Rich will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 750 words with a $25 entry fee by March 6. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Flash Fiction Prize

Fish Publishing
Entry Fee: 
$18
Deadline: 
February 28, 2026

A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,155) and publication in the annual Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a work of flash fiction. The winner is also invited to give a reading at the West Cork Literary Festival in July. Tania Hershman will judge. Submit a story of up to 300 words with a €16 (approximately $18) entry fee for online entries or €19 (approximately $22) for postal entries by February 28. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Prizes in Poetry and Prose

Slippery Elm
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
February 1, 2026

Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Slippery Elm are given annually for a single poem and a short story or essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of any length or up to 5,000 words of prose with a $15 entry fee, which includes the latest issue of Slippery Elm, by February 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition

Ghost Story
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
January 31, 2026

A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Ghost Story website is given biannually for a work of flash fiction with a supernatural or magical realist theme. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 250 to 1,000 words with a $15 entry fee by January 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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