Nothing excites a writer more than getting recognition for their poems and stories. Of course, there are ways to achieve that – a personal blog, publishing a collection, or letting your loved ones read what you write. But the best option? Entering a writing contest!
A writing contest is the best way to hone your skills, find areas to improve and learn humility in case of rejection. However, there are so many writing contests out there that sifting through them can become overwhelming.
That is precisely why we have curated a list of writing contests of 2024. Whether you’re just starting out or a published writer, these competitions will offer a great platform to showcase your writing.
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New Writers Poetry Competition 2024
New Writers is a reliable website that provides writing tips, resources, and information on competitions. But wait, it goes one step further – and is also the host of the New Writers Poetry Competition! It is open to all poets around the world, where you can unleash your creativity however you want.
There is an entry fee – and that’s £10 per entry. However, to make the contest even more accessible, there is an option for low-income entries, where low-income writers can submit one entry for free! The three winning entries will win a hefty cash prize, as well as publication on their website and an anthology.
Details – https://newwriters.org.uk/poetry-competition/
Deadline – 31st July, 2024.
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Fiction Factory Short Story Competition
Fiction Factory is a UK-based business that runs writing competitions for a wide range of authors, from short stories to poets. Currently, authors across the globe are invited to submit their short stories. It can be of any genre, except Children’s and YA fiction, and not exceed 3,000 words. The judge for this contest is Sue Copsey, who publishes adult fiction under the pseudonym Olivia Hayfield.
The entry fee is £7, but the organization also offers the low-income entries option! And, you can also pay a little extra if you want to receive optional critique. The grand prize is £500, and the winning stories will go on their website as well as their anthology.
Details – https://fiction-factory.biz/short-story-competition/
Deadline – 31st July, 2024.
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Free Verse Poetry Contest
Free the Verse is a quarterly poetry magazine launched in January 2022. While you can submit your works for their issues for free, it’s their poetry contest that’s more exciting. The competition started in 2023, and this year, it has gone international!
The theme is nature poetry, which can include green and pastoral poetry. Only one entry will be chosen as the winner, with the poet getting a prize of $100 and publication in their magazine. And guess what? Multiple entries are allowed and each entry will cost you around $2.50!
Details – https://www.free-the-verse.com/international-poetry-competition
Deadline – 31st July, 2024.
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Oxford Poetry Prize
Would you love to win a place in one of the oldest and most prestigious magazines dedicated to poetry? If yes, head over to Oxford Poetry, which is back with its annual Oxford Poetry Prize 2024! The competition can be a little expensive to participate in – costing £10 per entry – but there is the option of free entry too. Even more so, the perks are too good to ignore this contest!
The last day to submit is 31st August, and the results will be out by the end of October. As for the prize, the winning poet will receive a cash prize of £1,000, while the runners-up will get £200 and £100 respectively. On top of that, all of the winning entries will get published in a print issue of the magazine as well as on their official website.
Details – https://www.oxfordpoetry.com/prize.html
Deadline – 31st August, 2024.
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Ink of Ages Fiction Prize
If you’re a history or mythology buff and a writer, this is the perfect writing contest for you! The Ink of Ages Fiction Prize is hosted by the World History Encyclopedia (WHE) and sponsored by Oxford University Press. The contest calls upon writers 18 years old or above, who can submit historical or mythology-inspired short stories. The only requirement is that the stories should be in English and between 1500 and 2000 words.
The contest starts on 1 August and will be open till 15 September. There are no submission fees and the prizes are as unique as the contest. If you win, you can win history books, customized merch and infographics, lifetime membership to WHE. On top of that, your work will be promoted to WHE millions of global readers!
Details – https://fictionprize.worldhistory.org/
Deadline – 15th September, 2024.
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Women’s Fiction Competition 2024 – Flash Fiction
Mslexia is a quarterly magazine for women writers, where you’ll find valuable insights on all things writing. But bring your attention to the unique contest it’s hosting – one calling on women writers to submit their flash fiction!
For an entry fee of £6, you get to send a short fiction of not more than 300 words. The winning entry, three finalists and eight additional chosen entries will be published in their eBook anthology. That’s not all, though! The winner will get £500 while the finalists will receive £50 each. There is no age limit or restriction on location. The only criteria are that you self-identify as a woman.
Details – https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/flash-fiction/womens-fiction-competition-2024-flash-fiction/
Deadline – 23rd September, 2024.
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Dream Quest One Poetry and Writing Contest – Summer 2024
Dream Quest One is an international writing contest that allows you to showcase your writing talent! Currently, you can participate in the Summer 2024 Poetry & Writing Contest for a fee of $5 and $10 for poems and stories respectively.
There is a restriction on the length of your works – poems shouldn’t exceed 30 lines and short stories are of a maximum five pages. Other than that, you can dabble in any genre and style! The top three winners will be getting exciting cash prizes, along with a feature on the official website.
Details – https://www.dreamquestone.com/
Deadline – 30th September, 2024.
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Storyhouse Contest 2024
Storyhouse was launched by Richard Loller who established the Preservation Foundation Inc. in 1976. It is a platform that showcases write-ups of creative people from all around the world. But divert your attention to the contests it conducts – which are plenty! Currently, two competitions are open for you to participate in – the Biographical Nonfiction Contest and Travel Nonfiction Contest.
It is open to all and that too, without any entry fee! On top of that, the winner and the runner-up receive $200 and $100 respectively, while the rest of the finalists get a certificate! But there’s a catch – only a truly ‘unpublished writer’ can send in their works.
Details – https://www.storyhouse.org/contest2024.html
Deadline –
- Biographical Nonfiction Contest (31st August, 2024)
- Travel Nonfiction Contest (30th October, 2024)
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India Writing Project
India Writing Project (IWP) is on a mission – to discover creative souls in India in an exciting way! They do this by conducting seasons of writing competitions, where anyone can unleash their written prowess. Currently, IWP’s season 7 is underway, and it is open for any kind of essays, articles, poems and short stories. The restriction is not on the genre, but on the word count; you can’t exceed more than 1500 words.
The entry fee is ₹999, with the first three winners getting the cash prize of ₹51,000, ₹31,000 and ₹21,000 respectively. Along with that, these entries will also be published on National Media, their website and social media platforms! That’s not all – there are also ‘best’ and ‘Editor’s Choice’ categories, complete with cash prizes and publication.
But the best part is the constructive criticism IWP provides on your work. It’s detailed feedback of your piece and it’s as brutally honest as it can get – something every writer and poet needs!
Details – https://indiawritingproject.com/s7/
Deadline – 15th October, 2024.
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Reedsy Prompts Contest
Reedsy is a one-stop shop for everything you’d ever need while writing. Book editing software? Check. Marketplace to hire editors and ghostwriters? Check. A blog full of writing tips and tricks? Check, check, check! But, more importantly, it also offers weekly writing contests to keep your creative juices flowing!
Every Friday, Reedsy releases five themed writing prompts, for which you can submit your entries for $5. The winner will get a cash prize of $250, while all the winning stories will feature in their literary magazine, Prompted. Moreover, some shortlisted entries will also get $25 credit that they can use while browsing through Reedsy marketplace services!
Details – https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
Deadline – All year round.
Final Words
The competitions listed here are incredibly different from each other – if one dabbles in flash fiction, one calls upon short stories. You can find the one you are the most comfortable with, entry fee and genre-wise. But participate, you must! Why? Because taking part in writing contests has trifold benefits. Firstly, you can improve your writing. Secondly, you get recognition for your poem or stories and thirdly, win prizes!
