March on, fine writer, left, right, left, right, onward to publication! We’ve compiled over ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY (whhhhaaaat?) writing competitions, opportunities and contests with deadlines in March for you to enter. So whatever you’re workin’ on – go find it a brand new home and take the #Submit2020 challenge…
The Airlie Prize
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Requirements: 48 to 90 pages of original poetry
Prize: $1,000 + a print run of at least 500 copies
Entry Fee: $25
Notes: A custom bookmark or postcard will accompany the initial print run
More details and submissions info HERE
Backbone Press Chapbook Competition
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Requirements: Manuscripts of 16-25 pages of poetry in any form or style
Prize: $250 + publication + funding assistance for a reading
Entry Fee: $15
More details and submissions info HERE
Beardance Theatre Short Play Night
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Requirements: Short plays of up to 20 minutes for a cast of of up to 4 characters
Entry fee: FREE
Notes: Beardance Theatre is dedicated to producing work about and from the lesser-heard voices of society.
More details and submission info HERE
Black Heart Anthology
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Word Limit: 2,000 words
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Love Notes
More details and submission info HERE
Bridgend Writers’ Circle Open Short Story Competition
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Word Limit: 1,500-1,800 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £100 / 2nd prize: £50 / 3rd prize: £30
Entry fee: £5 for 1 story, £7.50 for 2
Notes: Entries must be sent as hard copies by post
More details and submission info HERE
Broken Silence Theatre Writer in Residence
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Requirements: A play script or extract of 8-12 pages
Prize: One regional writer from the South East will be chosen to receive tailored career support, including a minimum of 2 x mentoring/feedback sessions, 1 x script workshop and 1 x rehearsed reading, culminating in the development of a new full-length play over a 9-month period.
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Scripts should NOT have been previously staged/produced/published. Writers must currently live, or originally come from, one of the following counties: Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Surrey or Sussex.
More details and submissions info HERE
The Fountain Essay Contest
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Word Limit: 1,500-2,500 words
Prizes: 1st prize: $1,000 / 2nd prize: $500 / 3rd prize: $300 / 2x honourable mentions: $150
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Facing Challenges
More details and submissions info HERE
Impossible Archetype
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Requirements: 1-4 poems (under 10 pages total)
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Impossible Archetype welcome work from LGBTQ+ poets of all genders.
More details and submissions info HERE
Hunger Mountain Prizes
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Requirements: Short fiction, YA & children’s literature, non-fiction: 8,000 words / Poetry: up to 3 poems
Prizes: $1,000 in each category
Entry Fee: $20
Notes: See individual prizes for more details: The Howard Frank Mosher Short Fiction Prize, The Ruth Stone Poetry Prize, The Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult & Children’s Writing, The Hunger Mountain Creative Nonfiction Prize
More details and submissions info HERE
The Journal Non/Fiction Collection Prize
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Requirements: A book-length collection of short stories, essays, or a combination of the two: 150-350 pages
Prize: $1,500 + publication
Entry Fee: $25
Notes: If it is a hardship to meet the submission fee, please contact the editors to discuss options for a fee waiver.
More details and submissions info HERE
Liar’s League (London)
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Word Limit: 800-2,000 words
Prize: A public reading of your story + mp3 & YouTube recording + free drinks all night at the Liar’s League event (or a free book if you can’t attend)
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Young & Old – stories of youth and age (at any stage); the love and hate, conflicts and bonds between generations; tales of ancients and newborns, parents and children, boomers, GenX and millennials. Accepted stories will be read by a professional actor on the 14th April 2020.
More details and submissions info HERE
London Lovecraft Playwriting Competition
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Requirements: Plays of between 30 and 50 minutes
Prize: The prize-winning play will be performed as a staged reading as part of the 2020 London Lovecraft Festival
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Entries must be inspired by H.P. Lovecraft or his work. Plays must not have previously been produced and the competition is open to writers based in the UK.
More details and submissions info HERE
May Day Mountain Chapbook Series
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Requirements: 30-50 pages of fiction, short stories, poetics, nonfiction, hybrid work, short scripts, experimental biography or autobiography, new approaches to journalism, scholarship, or critique
Prize: $100 + 50 handmade letterpress copies of their manuscript
Entry Fee: $10
Notes: Every submitter will receive a hardcopy of a classic issue of Hunger Mountain
More details and submission info HERE
Script Pipeline Screenwriting Contest
Deadline: 1st March 2020 (*early deadline)
Requirements: Feature-length screenplays of any genre – no length requirements
Prize: 1st prize: $25,000 + long-term industry circulation + script development / 2nd prize: $2,500
Entry fee: $50
Notes: *Deadline extends to May with increased entry fees
More details and submissions info HERE
So It Goes
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Word Limit: 1 piece of prose or up to 5 poems, 1,250 words max
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Civil Engagement
More details and submissions info HERE
TreadBikely
Deadline: 1st March 2020
Word Limit: Fiction, poetry & non-fiction: 1,500 words
Prizes: 1st prize: $150 / 2nd prize: $100 / 3rd prize: $50
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Cycling
More details and submissions info HERE
Artlyst Art to Poetry Competition
Deadline: 2nd March 2020
Line Limit: 40 lines
Prizes: 1st prize: £1,000 / 2nd prize: £300 / 3x runners-up: £50
Entry Fee: £7
Notes: Poems must be based on an artwork
More details and submissions info HERE
Comedy Women in Print
Deadline: 2nd March 2020
Requirements: An 8,000 word extract of an unpublished comedy novel + 1 page synopsis
Prizes: 1st prize: £5,000 advance + publishing contract with Harper Collins / 2nd prize: £2,000 + mentoring / 3rd prize: A place on the online MA in Comedy Writing from Falmouth University
Entry Fee: £10
Notes: Completed novels will be requested at latest by 14th April and must be at least 85,000 words. There are also categories for published comedy novels and humorous graphic novels
More details and submissions info HERE
Edwin Morgan Poetry Award
Deadline: 2nd March 2020
Requirements: A collection of 25-50 poems
Prizes: 1st prize: £20,000 / 2nd prize: £2,500 / Shortlist: £1,000
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: The award is open to Scottish writers under 30 or under
More details and submissions info HERE
Griffith Review: The European Exchange
Deadline: 2nd March 2020
Word Limit: 2,000-6,000 words
Payment: Fees are negotiated by word length
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Griffith Review seeks new work that illuminates the evolving connections between Europe and Australia.
More details and submission info HERE
Swings & Roundabouts
Deadline: 2nd March 2020
Requirements: 15 minute plays
Prize: Selected plays will be produced and performed at a showcase for Shelter at the Southwark Playhouse on 3rd May 2020
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Themes: Stuck With You
More details and submissions info HERE
The Women’s Prize for Playwriting
Deadline: 2nd March 2020
Requirements: Playscripts of at least one hour in playing time
Prize: £12,000 + option for Paines Plough to co-produce the script
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: The Women’s Prize for Playwriting is open to all writers who identify as female.
More details and submission info HERE
The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize
Deadline: 2nd March 2020
Requirements: Unpublished (or self-published) adventure novel manuscripts of at least 50,000 words
Prizes: Publishing deal with Bonnier Books
Entry Fee: £20
Notes: Up to six writers will be shortlisted, and each will be offered one-to-one manuscript development with literary consultant David Llewelyn
More details and submissions info HERE
The Writer Essay Contest
Deadline: 3rd March 2020
Word Limit: 2,000 words
Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
More details and submissions info HERE
Windsor Fringe Kenneth Branagh Drama Writing Award
Deadline: 5th March 2020
Requirements: Playscripts of 30 minutes max playing time and up to 6 actors
Prize: £500
Entry Fee: £10
More details and submissions info HERE
Academy Nicholl Screenwriting Competition
Deadline: 6th March 2020 (*early deadline)
Requirements: Feature-length screenplays: 70-160 pages
Prizes: Up to five screenwriters will receive a $35,000 fellowship
Entry Fee: $48
Notes: *Deadline extends to May with increased entry fees.
More details and submissions info HERE
Jane Martin Poetry Prize
Deadline: 6th March 2020
Requirements: Two poems of no more than two sides of A4 in (total)
Prizes: 1st prize: £700 / 2nd prize: £300
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: The winner will have an opportunity to give a reading at a celebratory event at Girton College.
More details and submissions info HERE
On the Premises Short Story Contest
Deadline: 6th March 2020
Word Limit: 1,000-5,000 words
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: More Than One. Entries should include one or more characters who face this problem: there is more than one of something that there should absolutely, positively be only one of.
More details and submissions info HERE
Enfield Poets’ Poetry Competition
Deadline: 7th March 2020
Line Limit: 50 lines
Prizes: 1st prize: £500 / 2nd prize: £250 / 3rd prize: £100
Entry Fee: £4 for 1 poem, £10 for 3
More details and submissions info HERE
Reboot: Shorts 3
Deadline: 8th March 2020
Requirements: Short plays of 15-30 minutes with a maximum of 5 characters
Prize: 4-6 playwrights will receive £150 each and their plays will be performed at a central London theatre on 2-4 evenings in late spring/early summer 2020
Entry Fee: FREE
More details and submissions info HERE
BBC National Short Story Award
Deadline: 9th March 2020
Word Limit: 8,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £15,000 / 4x shortlisted stories: £600 each
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: The winning and shortlisted stories will be broadcast on Radio 4 and published in an anthology.
More details and submissions info HERE
Cave Canem Poetry Prize
Deadline: 9th March 2020
Requirements: Poetry collection manuscripts of 48-75 pages
Prize: $1,000 + publication by University of Pittsburgh Press in fall 2021 + 15 copies of the book + a feature reading
Entry fee: $20
Notes: The Cave Canem Prize is open to Black writers of African descent who have not had a full-length book of poetry published by a professional press
More details and submission info HERE
Mslexia Themed Writing
Deadline: 9th March 2020
Word Limit: Short fiction: up to 2 stories of 2,200 words each / Poetry: up to 4 poems of 40 lines each / Short scripts: up to 2 scripts of 1,000 words each
Payment: £25
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Other Worlds
More details and submission info HERE
SLAM Soaps
Deadline: 9th March 2020
Requirements: An existing script, minimum of 60 pages, maximum cast of 6, that you are looking to develop
Prizes: Development and full staging of your play at Boulevard Theatre
Entry fee: FREE
Notes: You must be available on performance dates 5th & 19th April, 3rd & 17th May, 21st June, 5th July & 19th July 2020. All writers will be given proper feedback on their scripts.
More details and submission info HERE
Burningword Literary Journal
Deadline: 10th March 2020
Word Limit: Flash fiction/non-fiction: 300-500 words (up to 2 pieces)/ Poetry: 10 pages (up to 5 poems)
Entry fee: FREE
More details and submission info HERE
Showtimes Tony Cox Screenplay Competition
Deadline: 11th March 2020
Requirements: Feature screenplays: 80-125 pages / Short screenplays: 40 pages / Episodic pilot screenplays: 21-30 pages (half hour) or 42-60 minute (hour) + series synopsis
Prize: Feature screenplay: $5,000 / Episodic screenplay (60 mins): $1,000 / Episodic screenplay (30 mins): $1,000 / Short screenplay: $500
Entry Fee: $60-80
More details and submissions info HERE
Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Competition
Deadline: 13th March 2020
Word Limit: 2,200 words
Prize: A two-night stay at the historic Grantley Hall in Yorkshire
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Summer
More details and submissions info HERE
The Nelligan Prize
Deadline: 14th March 2020
Word Limit: 2,500-12,500 words`
Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $15-17
More details and submissions info HERE
42 Miles Press Poetry Award
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Requirements: 50-120 pages of poetry
Prize: $1,000 + publication + 50 author copies
Entry fee: $25
More details and submissions info HERE
The Avenue
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Word Limit: Fiction & non-fiction: 5,000 words / Poetry: up to 5 poems
Payment: Fiction: $10 / Poetry: $5
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Sexual identity, gender and sexuality
More details and submissions info HERE
Bellingham Review Annual Contests
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Word Limit: Fiction & Non-fiction: 5,000 words / Flash fiction: up to 3 pieces, 1,500 words each / Poetry: up to 3 poems
Prizes: $1,000 in each category
Entry Fee: $20-30
More details and submissions info HERE
The Cambridge Prize for Flash Fiction
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Word Limit: 400 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £1,000 / 2nd prize: £300 / 3rd prize: £200 / Shortlist: £50
Entry Fee: £9
Notes: All shortlisted and winning writers will be published online across 2020
More details and submissions info HERE
Cinestory Feature Retreat & Fellowship Competition
Deadline: 15th March 2020 (*late deadline)
Requirements: Feature screenplays of 80-125 pages
Prize: $10,000 + a 12-month mentorship and development program with 2 Hollywood professionals + free tuition and housing for the retreat
Entry Fee: $80
Notes: *Deadline extends to April with increased entry fees
More details and submissions info HERE
Cymera Prize for Speculative Short Fiction
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Word Limit: 2,000 words
Prize: £75
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Scotland In 2030. The contest is open to writers who live in Scotland.
More details and submissions info HERE
Desperate Literature Prize for Short Fiction
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Word Limit: 2,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: €1000 + a week’s writing residency + a consultation with a literary agent from Andrew Nurnberg Associates / 2x runners-up: €500
Entry Fee: €20
Notes: There are 10 sponsored entries available to under represented writers or writers suffering from financial hardship
More details and submissions info HERE
Eludia Award
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Requirements: A book-length unpublished novel or collection of stories
Prize: $1,000 + publishing contract
Entry Fee: $20
Notes: The Eludia Award is open to women aged 40 or older
More details and submissions info HERE
Fitzcarraldo Editions/Mahler & Lewitt Studios Essay Prize
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Requirements: A proposal (5,000 words) for a book-length essay (minimum 25,000 words) + a separate writing sample of up to 5,000 words (optional)
Prize: £3,000 advance + up to 3 months residency at the Mahler & LeWitt Studios in Spoleto, Italy
Entry Fee: FREE
More details and submissions info HERE
Headline Poetry & Press: Restoration V1
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Word Limit: Micro fiction: 300 words / Short creative non-fiction: 500 / Poetry of all forms
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Restoration seeks creative works that ‘reflect the world we hope for; be it mythical, mystical, magical, or true’ – musings for this call are found on Twitter #restorationv1
More details and submissions info HERE
Newfound Prose Prize
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Requirements: 15-30 pages of prose (fiction or non-fiction).
Prize: $500 prize + 25 contributor copies
Entry Fee: $15
Notes: The winner will also have the option to sign a royalties contract to sell the chapbook with Newfound.
More details and submissions info HERE
Periwinkle Literary Magazine
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Word Limit: Fiction: 5,000 words / Non-fiction: 4,000 words / Poetry: up to 5 poems
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue
More details and submissions info HERE
Prairie Schooner Book Prize
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Word Limit: Fiction: 150 pages minimum / Poetry: 50 pages minimum
Prize: $3,000 + publication
Entry Fee: $25
Notes: Novels are not considered; the prize will consider manuscripts comprised either entirely of short stories or one novella along with short stories.
More details and submissions info HERE
Screamfest Horror Screenplay Competition
Deadline: 15th March 2020 (*regular deadline)
Requirements: Horror screenplays of 75-130 pages
Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $52
Notes: *Deadline extends to June with increased fees
More details and submissions info HERE
Showcase Teleplay Script Competition
Deadline: 24th March 2020
Requirements: TV scripts of 30-70 pages
Prizes: 1st prize: $1,000 / 2nd prize: $500
Entry Fee: $59
More details and submissions info HERE
Social Justice Anthologies
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Word Limit: Fiction & non-fiction: 5,000 words / Poetry: up to 3 pages, 10 pages max
Payment: $20-55
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Masculinity
More details and submissions info HERE
Southeast Review Writing Contests
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Word Limit: Short-short stories: up to 3 pieces, 500 words each / Non-fiction: 10 pages / Poetry: up to 3 poems, 10 pages max
Prizes: $500 in each category
Entry Fee: $16
More details and submissions info HERE
Tomaž Šalamun Prize
Deadline: 15th March 2020
Requirements: Poetry chapbooks of 20-28 pages
Prize: $500 + chapbook published by Factory Hollow Press + one-month residency in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Entry Fee: $16 ($12 for students)
More details and submissions info HERE
Fowey Festival Short Story Competition
Deadline: 16th March 2020
Word Limit: 1,500 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £100 / 2nd prize: £75
Entry Fee: £5
Notes: Theme: Not After Midnight
More details and submissions info HERE
MUSE Magazine
Deadline: 16th March 2020
Word Limit: Feature articles: 800-2,000 words / Profiles & interviews, activities & experiments: 500-800 words / Science fiction & science-focused fiction: 800-1,200 words
Payment:Non-fiction: up to 25 cents per word / Fiction: 10 cents per word
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Themes: Kids in Charge. MUSE is a non-fiction science themed magazine for children aged 9-14. Articles are commissioned following a query.
More details and submissions info HERE
Swings & Roundabouts
Deadline: 2nd March 2020
Requirements: 15 minute plays
Prize: Selected plays will be produced and performed at a showcase for Shelter at the Southwark Playhouse on 3rd May 2020
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Themes: Stuck With You
More details and submissions info HERE
Gay Magazine
Deadline: 17th March 2020
Word Limit: Essays of up to 3,500 words (1,200 preferred)
Payment: $1 a word for work up to 3,500 words in length
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Power
More details and submissions info HERE
New Welsh Writing Awards
Deadline: 17th March 2020
Word Limit: Unpublished books of 5,000-30,000 words (fiction or non-fiction)
Prize: £1,000
Entry Fee: £12
Notes: Entrants must be a resident of the UK or Ireland. Books should be set in Wales or have a Welsh theme.
More details and submissions info HERE
The Writers’ Cafe Magazine
Deadline: 18th March 2020
Word Limit: Prose: 1,000 words / Poetry: up to 5 poems
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Can You Dig It?
More details and submissions info HERE
The Lascaux Prize in Poetry
Deadline: 18th March 2020
Requirements: Up to 5 poems (no length restrictions)
Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
More details and submissions info HERE
Eversham Festival of Words Short Story Competition
Deadline: 20th March 2020
Word Limit: 2,500 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £150 / 2nd prize: £50 / 3rd prize: £30
Entry Fee: £5
More details and submissions info HERE
Ninth Letter
Deadline: 20th March 2020
Word Limit: Fiction & non-fiction: 8,000 words / Poetry: 3-6 poems (10 pages max)
Payment: $25 per printed page (max $150)
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: Debts
More details and submissions info HERE
The Page International Screenwriting Awards
Deadline: 20th March 2020 (*late deadline)
Requirements: Full-Length Features: 80-120 pages / Short Film Scripts: 30 pages / TV Drama Pilots: 50-70 pages / TV Comedy Pilots: 25-45 pages
Prize: Grand prize: $25,000 + a full fellowship to the Nostos Screenwriting Retreat in Tuscany / Gold prize: $1,000 / Silver prize: $500 / Bronze prize: $250
Entry Fee: $65
Notes: *Deadline extends to April with increased fees. Winners will also receive promo packages and gift card prizes.
More details and submissions info HERE
Poetry&Words at Glastonbury Festival
Deadline: 20th March 2020
Requirements: Up to 3 web links of live poetry performance + bio
Prize: Perform your work on Glastonbury’s biggest poetry stage
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Poetry&Words are looking for applications from experienced writers and performers
More details and submissions info HERE
Fosseway Writers Poetry Competition
Deadline: 21st March 2020
Line Limit: 40 lines
Prizes: 1st prize: £50 / 2nd prize: £30 / 3rd prize: £20
Entry Fee: £5 for first entry, £3 thereafter
Notes: Theme: Remote
More details and submissions info HERE
Green Stories Flash Fiction Competition
Deadline: 21st March 2020
Word Limit: 500 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £500 / 2nd prize: £100 / 3rd prize: £50
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Green Stories are looking for flash fiction that in some way touches upon ideas around building a sustainable society
More details and submissions info HERE
WriterSlam
Deadline: 22nd March 2020
Requirements: 10-15 page audio script extract (max 6 characters) + 200 word synopsis
Prize: The winner will receive a paid development commission and will work with the Audible commissioning team to develop a treatment and a one hour pilot episode, with the potential for Audible to green light the series
Entry Fee: FREE
More details and submissions info HERE
Wild Women Story Contest
Deadline: 23rd March 2020
Word Limit: 10,000 words
Prize: $1,000 (contributors for each issue will be paid a minimum of $50)
Entry Fee: $20
Notes: Wild Women is looking for empowering stories with female main characters (written by men or women) that celebrate the Wild Woman archetype
More details and submissions info HERE
Humans in the Wild
Deadline: 25th March 2020
Word Limit: 2,500 words
Payment: Selected authors will be paid $50
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Approximately 30 stories will be selected for inclusion
More details and submissions info HERE
Austin Screenplay Competition
Deadline: 27th March 2020 (*early deadline)
Requirements: Feature screenplays: 90-120 pages / Teleplays: 22-58 pages
Prizes: $1,000-5,000 + travel and accommodation expenses ($1,000)
Entry Fee: $45
Notes: *Deadline extends to May with increased entry fees
More details and submissions info HERE
Nashville Screenwriting Competition
Deadline: 27th March 2020 (*early deadline)
Requirements: Short scripts: 45 pages / Teleplays (half an hour) 25-40 pages / Teleplay (hour) 50-70 pages / Features: 75-100 pages
Prizes: Winning screenwriters will receive $750 or $1,000 in cash prizes, depending on the category
Entry Fee: $25-40
Notes: *Deadline extends to June with increased entry fees
More details and submissions info HERE
Pen to Print
Deadline: 27th March 2020
Word Limit: Poetry: 2 pages / Short stories: 2,000 words / Plays: one-act plays of 10 mins with 2-4 characters
Prizes: A tablet PC
Entry Fee: FREE
More details and submissions info HERE
The Red Planet Prize
Deadline: 27th March 2020
Requirements: An existing original full-length spec script for any medium (TV, film, radio, theatre) + a 1-2-page pitch and logline for an original TV serial or series idea for ITV (either an ‘unmissable 4-part thriller’ or a ‘returning procedural series) + a short CV highlighting any writing credits (these are not essential to enter)
Prize: A script commission + development opportunities
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: 4 writers will be invited to final interview to discuss their idea. The runners up will also be provided with development opportunities.
More details and submissions info HERE
Sonora Fiction & Poetry Contests
Deadline: 27th March 2020
Word Limit: Fiction: 5,000 / Poetry: 3-8 pages
Prizes: $1,000 in each category
Entry Fee: $15
Notes: Theme: Wonder
More details and submissions info HERE
Grindstone International Novel Prize
Deadline: 28th March 2020
Requirements: The opening 3,000 words of a novel (unfinished or finished) + 300-word synopsis
Prizes: Grand prize: £1,000 / 2nd prize: £500 / 4x shortlist: £50
Entry Fee: £16 (optional feedback for £8)
Notes: All long-listed stories will be eligible for publication in a print anthology
More details and submissions info HERE
Limnisa Short Story Competition
Deadline: 29th March 2020
Word Limit: 1,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: A week’s writing retreat in Greece / 2nd prize: 50% discount on writing retreat / 3rd prize: 35% discount on writing retreat
Entry Fee: FREE but entrants must provide a link to social media to show they have shared news of Limnisa and the competition (optional critique for £35)
Notes: Stories should be loosely inspired by the prompt on the competition page
More details and submissions info HERE
Retreat West Themed Flash Fiction Competition
Deadline: 29th March 2020
Word Limit: 500 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £200 / 2x runners-up: £100
Entry Fee: £8
Notes: Theme: Abandoned
More details and submissions info HERE
Frost Farm Poetry Prize for Metrical Poetry
Deadline: 30th March 2020
Requirements: Metrical poetry
Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $6
More details and submissions info HERE
Radius Playwriting Competition
Deadline: 30th March 2020
Requirements: Play scripts of 1-2 hours
Prize: £500 + staging at Finborough Theatre in June 2020
Entry Fee: FREE
More details and submissions info HERE
An Axe to Grind Flash Fiction Contest
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Word Limit: 1,000 words
Prize: $200*
Entry Fee: $5
Notes: *Prize pool increases with more entries
More details and submissions info HERE
The Henshaw Short Story Competition
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Word Limit: 2,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £200 / 2nd prize: £100 / 3rd prize: £50
Entry Fee: £6 (optional critique for £12)
More details and submissions info HERE
The Hudson Review
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Word Limit: Non-fiction: 10,000 words
Entry Fee: FREE
More details and submissions info HERE
Indiana Review
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Word Limit: Fiction & Non-fiction: 6,000 words / Flash fiction: up to 3 pieces, 1,000 each / Poetry: 3-6 poems
Payment: $5 per page ($25 minimum)
Entry Fee: $3
More details and submissions info HERE
Lindisfarne Prize for Debut Crime Fiction
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Word Limit: Short stories: 10,000 words / Novels: the first two chapters + synopsis
Prize: £2,500 to support the completion of the work + editorial and mentoring services from a local independent publisher
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: The Linisfarne Prize is open to all new writers who are from, or whose work celebrates, the north of England
More details and submissions info HERE
Live Canon Pamphlet Competition
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Requirements: Pamphlet collections of 18-35 poems
Prize: Publication
Entry Fee: £12
More details and submissions info HERE
Phoenix Writes Playwriting Competition
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Requirements: Play scripts of up to 20 minutes
Prize: Five finalist plays will be chosen to be performed at the Daneside Theatre, Congleton, Cheshire on Saturday 5th September, where the winning play, voted by the audience, will receive a prize of £150
Entry Fee: £10
Notes: The contest is open to UK writers only
More details and submissions info HERE
Prime Number Magazine Awards
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Word Limit: Fiction: 5,300 words / Poetry: 3 pages
Prizes: $1,000 in each category
Entry Fee: $15
More details and submissions info HERE
Queen Mob’s Teahouse Poo Anthology
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Word Limit: No formal limit on length
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Theme: poo!
More details and submissions info HERE
Red Hen Press Non-fiction Award
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Requirements: Non-fiction manuscripts of at least 150 pages
Prizes: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
More details and submissions info HERE
Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Requirements: Fiction manuscripts of at least 45,000 words
Prize: $10,000 + publication
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Entrants must be first-generation residents of their country
More details and submissions info HERE
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire of Acting Short Film Script Submissions
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Requirements: Short film scripts of 6-7 minutes (8-9 pages) suitable for 4 characters in their late teens to mid 20s
Payment: A copy of the completed film
Entry Fee: FREE
More details and submissions info HERE
ScreenCraft SciFi & Fantasy Screenplay Contest
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Requirements: Feature screenplays: 75-150 pages / Short screenplays: 7-35 pages / TV pilots: 25-75 pages
Prizes: Grand prize: $1,000 / 3x runners-up: $500
Entry Fee: $69
Notes: Winners also receive personal introductions to industry professionals and development support
More details and submissions info HERE
Shore Scripts Short Film Fund
Deadline: 31st March 2020 (*regular deadline)
Requirements: Short film scripts of 2-30 pages
Prizes: $10-15K Production Budget to make your Short Film + THOUSANDS of dollars worth of free camera equipment rental from ARRI Rental.
Entry Fee: $45
Notes: *Deadline extends to May with increased entry fees
More details and submissions info HERE
Short Fiction/University of Essex Prize
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Word Limit: 5,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £500 / 2nd prize: £250
Entry Fee: £9
Notes: Twenty-five free entries are available to writers for whom the fee would be a barrier to entry
More details and submissions info HERE
The Speculative Literature Foundation Older Writers Grant
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Requirements: A writing sample (up to 10 pages of poetry, 10 pages of drama, 5,000 words of fiction or creative non-fiction) + 500 word statement
Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: The SLF Older Writers Grant is awarded to a writer who is fifty years of age or older working within speculative literature
More details and submissions info HERE
Sunspot Single Word Contest
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Requirements: Submit the single word you feel is the most important in today’s world and explain why in 1,000 words
Prize: $500
Entry Fee: $10
More details and submissions info HERE
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crispss Scriptwriting Competition
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Requirements: An opening scene between 750-1000 words based on Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Prize: £1,000
Entry Fee: FREE
More details and submissions info HERE
Vernal Equinox Competition
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Word Limit: Short stories: 2,000 words / Flash fiction: 500 words / Poetry: 40 lines
Prizes: (in each category) 1st prize: £100 / 2nd prize: £25 / 3rd prize: £10
Entry Fee: £4 for 1 entry, £10 for 3
More details and submissions info HERE
Women of Resilience Chapbook Contest
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Requirements: 25 pages of poetry
Prizes: 1st prize: $200.00 + 100 copies of the chapbook / 2nd prize: $100 / 3rd prize: $50
Entry Fee: $25
Notes: The Women of Resilience chapbook contest is a “women’s only” competition.
More details and submissions info HERE
The Writers Bureau Short Story Competition
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Word Limit: 2,000 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £200 / 2nd prize: £200 / 3rd prize: £100 / 4th prize: £50
Entry Fee: £5 (£4 for members)
More details and submissions info HERE
WriteTime Short Story Competition
Deadline: 31st March 2020
Word Limit: 1,500 words
Prizes: 1st prize: £50 / 2nd prize: £25
Entry Fee: £3 for 1 entry, £5 for 2
Notes: The WriteTime competition is open to writers over 60 years old
More details and submissions info HERE
Ad Hoc Fiction (RECURRING)
Deadline: Various (weekly)
Word Limit: 150 words
Prize: Free entry to the Bath Flash Fiction Award
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Entries must include the prompt word (see website for latest deadline). Once submissions are closed, entries are published for public voting on the Ad Hoc site.
More details and submissions info HERE
Faber Academy QuickFic (RECURRING)
Deadline: Weekly (new prompt every Friday)
Word Limit: 250 words
Prize: A selection of books
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Stories must be in response to a weekly prompt posted each Friday at 9.50am
More details and submissions info HERE
Third Word Press Great Eighty Challenge (RECURRING)
Deadline: Rolling
Word Limit: Exactly 80 words
Prize: Royalties on publication
Entry Fee: FREE
Notes: Title not included in word count (but limited to 6 words).
More details and submissions info HERE
If you have a writing competition or opportunity to add to our April listings, please contact [email protected] before the 1st of March.
Please note: We rarely list contests with an entry fee of over £20 (with the exception of scriptwriting and chapbook competitions) unless they also offer free entries for low income writers.
