Each month we aim to provide a helpful round-up of writing competitions, fellowships, publication opportunities and more for writers at all stages of their careers.
For new writers, or for anyone seeking a refresher, we highly recommend reading How to Submit Your Writing to Literary Magazines.
Deadlines and details do sometimes change, so please check the relevant websites (linked in bold) for all the latest details. For more opportunities and regular updates follow Aerogramme Writers’ Studio on Facebook and Twitter.
The O. Henry Prize Stories
is an annual collection of the year’s twenty best stories published in American and Canadian magazines. Entries must be submitted by the magazine’s editors and should reach the series editor, Laura Furman, by 1 May. The 20 stories selected for the 2015 O. Henry Prize collection are available here.
Malahat Review’s Far Horizons Poetry Award
is currently accepting poetry from emerging writers worldwide. No more than 3 poems per submission (multiple submissions welcome). Entry fee comes with one-year subscription. A prize of $1000 will be awarded to one winner. The deadline is 1 May.
Prairie Schooner
was established in 1926. Its intention is to publish the best writing available, both from beginning and established writers. Submissions close 1 May.
10 Days to a Daily Habit
is a new Skillshare course taught by novelist, essayist and bookseller Emily Gould. This self-paced creative writing challenge is aimed at helping you unlock your creativity and kickstart a daily writing habit. Enrol using the link above to access this course, and hundreds of others, for three months for just 99 cents.
David Nathan Meyerson Prize for Fiction
is only open to writers who have not yet published a book of fiction, either a novel or collection of stories. The winner receives US$1000 and publication in Southwest Review. Stories can be up to 8000 words in length and all entries will be considered for publication. The deadline for entries is 1 May.
Diverse Voices Quarterly
aims to be an outlet for and by everyone: every age, race, gender, sexual orientation and religious background. Submissions received by 1 May will be considered for the August/September issue.
Lockjaw Magazine
is a biannual online journal including literary ephemera, art, and music. Submissions for issue IV open on 1 May.
An Introduction to Screenwriting
is a free online course offered by the University of East Anglia’s School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing. The program begins on 2 May.
CBS Diversity Institute’s Writers Mentoring Program
aims is to provide access and opportunities for talented and motivated diverse writers. The program is held in Los Angeles but writers do not need to be American residents to apply (there are no travel grants or subsidies though). Applications close 2 May.
Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting
award up to five fellowships of US$35,000 each year. This international screenwriting competition is open to writers based anywhere in the world, regardless of citizenship. The regular entry deadline is 18 April, with late entries accepted until 2 May.
Sundance Screenwriters Lab
is a five-day writer’s workshop that gives independent screenwriters the opportunity to work intensively on their feature film scripts with the support of established writers in ‘an environment that encourages innovation and creative risk-taking’. The next Screenwriters Lab will be held in January 2017, just before the Sundance Film Festival. Applications close on 3 May.
Wellstone Center in the Redwoods
offers four writing fellowships per year, as well as week-long writing residencies and an emerging writers residencies. The Center is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California, four miles for Pacific Ocean. The next fellowship application deadline is 6 May.
Boston Accent Lit
aims to showcase work that is daring and innovative, as well as providing a platform for underrepresented voices. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis; work received by 7 May will be considered for the third issue.
Griffith Review’s Novella Project
offers a prize pool of AUD$25,000. While there is no firm word length requirement, writers are advised that works between 10,000 and 25,000 words are preferable; 35,000 words is the maximum. Entrants must be from either Australia or New Zealand. Closes 13 May.
We Need Diverse Books
in conjunction with the Library of Congress, is running a master class on writing and publishing for children and young adults. The class will take place on 13 June in Washington, D.C. Applications close 13 May.
Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest
is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have yet to publish a book. The winner in each genre will be awarded US$1000. Entries close 15 May.
Georgia Review
features an eclectic blend of essays, fiction, poetry, graphics, and book reviews. Appealing across disciplinary lines, the Review draws its material from a wide range of cultural interests —including, but not limited to, literature, history, philosophy, anthropology, politics, film, music, and the visual arts. Unsolicited submissions are open until 15 May. The Georgia Review pays all contributors; the current standard rates are $50 per printed page for prose and $4 per line for poetry.
subTerrain Magazine
is based in Vancouver and is published three times a year. Submissions for its summer/fall issue, which carries a general theme, close on 15 May.
Alaska Quarterly Review
is a literary journal devoted to contemporary literary art, publishing fiction, short plays, poetry, photo essays, and literary non-fiction in traditional and experimental styles. The editors encourage new and emerging writers, while continuing to publish award-winning and established writers as well. Unsolicited submissions will be accepted until 15 May.
Raymond Carver Short Story Contest
is open to writers from around the world. First prize is US$1500 and the guest judge for 2016 is Caitlin Horrocks. Entries open on 1 April and close on 15 May.
Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition
is dedicated to recognising and supporting the work of emerging writers whose fiction has not yet achieved success. Entries must be less than 3500 words and the competition is open to writers based anywhere is the world. The winner receives US$1500 and publication. The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition first ran in 1981; entries for the 2015 prize close on 15 May (discounted entry available before 1 May).
Creative Nonfiction
is seeking new essays for issue on the theme ‘Joy’. In addition to publication one writer will receive a prize of $1000 and one runner-up will receive $500. Closes 16 May.
A Very Short Story Contest
sets writers the challenge of creating a great short story in ten words or fewer. There is no entry fee and the winner receives a free writing class. Closes 16 May.
Litro Magazine
is seeking submissions for its July 2016 print issue with the theme ‘Cuba’. It accepts short fiction, flash/micro fiction and non-fiction. Submissions close 25 May.
A3 Review
is seeking contributions under 150 words on the theme ‘Five Senses.’ The editors prose, poetry, graphic stories, photography, paintings, drawings, and other visual and word-based creations. Closes 28 May.
Lifted Brow & RMIT non/fictionLab Prize for Experimental Non-Fiction
is open to writers worldwide. The winner will receive AUD $5000. Closes 29 May.
Book Smugglers Publishing Novella Initiative
is seeking original novellas from all around the world to be published in 2017. Manuscripts should be original speculative fiction, between 17,500 and 40,000 words long. Closes 30 May.
Irish Literary Review
is an online publication for new poetry and short fiction from Ireland and around the world. Flash fiction should be under 500 words, fiction should be no shorter than 1500 words and no longer than 3000 words and poems should not exceed 40 lines. The current reading period closes 30 May.
Big Issue Australia
is currently considering submissions for its fiction issue. Previous editions have featured, among others: Christos Tsiolkas, Frank Moorhouse, Alice Pung and Cate Kennedy. Stories must be no longer than 3000 words and the writers can be based anywhere in the world. Closes 31 May.
New England Review
was founded by poets Sydney Lea and Jay Parini in New Hampshire in 1978. It welcomes submissions of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, translation and creative writing for the NER website. New submissions will be accepted until 31 May.
Matador Review
is accepting submissions for its first issue. It will consider fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, flash fiction, poetry, book reviews and visual art. Submissions close 31 May
Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction
is for manuscripts between 40,000 and 75,000 words and may include long stories or novellas. One winning writer will receive US$1000 and publication by the University of Georgia Press under a standard book contract. Writers must be residents of North America. Entries close 31 May.
NBCUniversal’s Writers on the Verge
is a 12-week program focused on polishing writers and readying them for a staff writer position on a television series. They are looking for writers who are ‘almost there’ but need that final bit of preparation with their writing and personal presentation skills. The program consists of two weekly night classes to be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at NBCUniversal in Universal City, CA. Applications open on 1 May and close on 31 May.
Harvard Review
publishes short fiction, poetry, essays, drama, and book reviews. Writers at all stages of their careers are invited to apply, however, it only publishes a very small fraction of the material received. Submissions close 31 May.
AGNI
is proud to be known as a magazine that publishes important new writers early in their careers. AGNI considers poetry, short fiction, and essays and most of the work it publishes is unsolicited. Submissions may be accepted for publication in AGNI or (with the writer’s permission) AGNI Online. Closes 31 May.
One Story
is a literary magazine that contains, simply, one story. Approximately every three-four weeks, subscribers are sent One Story in the mail, or on their digital devices.Submissions are open between 1 September and 31 May. Stories must be between 3,000 and 8,000 words and can be in any style on any subject.
Warner Bros Writers’ Workshop
is for new writers looking to start and further their career in the world of television. Graduates include Terrance Winter (Boardwalk Empire), Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives), Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl) and Felicia Henderson (Soul Food). Applications close 31 May.
Baltimore Review’s Summer Contest
has the theme ‘Games’. Three winners will be selected from among all entries. There is a 3000 word limit for fiction and creative non-fiction, and one to three poems can be included per entry. All entries considered for publication. Closes 31 May.
Red Line
welcomes submissions of up to 4500 words from contributors ‘who have something interesting to say and a talent for communicating’. Shortlisted stories will be considered for publication in an end of year anthology. ‘Greed’ is the theme for the upcoming issue and submissions close on 31 May.
The Disney | ABC Writing Program
was created in 1990 and is based in Los Angeles. The program aims to place participants as staff writers on Disney/ABC television series and begins with curriculum designed to better prepare them for this role. Writers become employees and will be paid a weekly salary. Applications open in May.
Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans
is a creative writing contest for U.S. military veterans and active duty personnel and is hosted by The Iowa Review. Writing can be in any genre, about any subject matter and must be under 20 pages. First prize is $1000 and publication in the Spring 2017 issue of The Iowa Review and there is no entry fee. Entries open on 1 May and close on 1 June.
Ploughshares
reopens to submissions on 1 June. Writers are asked to include a short cover letter citing major publications and awards, as well as any association or past correspondence with a guest or staff editor.
American Short Fiction Contest
is open to entries between 2000 and 6500 words. It offers a first prize of US$1000 prize and publication and all entries will be considered for publication. Closes 1 June.
NonBinary Review
is a quarterly interactive literary journal that joins many stories around each issue’s theme. The editors invite authors to explore each theme in any way that speaks to them including rewriting a familiar story from a new point of view, mashing genres together or writing a personal essay about some aspect of the selected theme. NonBinary review is currently accepting submissions for issue nine on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland close on 1 June.
Gladstone’s Library Writers in Residence
Built in 1902, Gladstone’s Library is the UK’s only residential library. The Library’s Writers in Residence program began in 2011. Four residencies are offered each year with each writer staying at the Library for a month. The Writers in Residence are asked to keep a blog about their stay, as well as running a creative writing workshop. Residents receive full room and board, reimbursement for travel expenses and a small stipend of £100 per week. Applications close on 1 June.
Willow Springs Books
invites submissions for the 2016 Spokane Prize for Short Fiction. The winner receives US$2000 plus publication. Manuscripts should be no less than 98 pages (with no maximum page count) and include at least 3 short stories. Entries close 1 June.
Where The Stars Rise
is a new anthology of speculative fiction featuring original stories that celebrate Asian diversity, featuring an Asian main character, Asian setting and/or some amount of Asian elements, by authors with an Asian heritage/ancestry. Submissions close 1 June.
Literary Journal of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library
is accepting submissions for its fifth annual issue. The theme is Indiana. The journal accepts submissions of poetry, creative non-fiction, short fiction, original artwork, and/or photography related to the theme. The deadline is 1 June.
Fourteen Hills
is edited by graduate students in the creative writing program at San Francisco State University. It is committed to presenting a diversity of experimental and progressive work by emerging and cross-genre writers. Submissions close 1 June.
Brighton Prize
is accepting international entries for the first time. The prize is for flash fiction up to 350 words and short stories of between 1000 and 2000 words. Closes 10 June.
Mslexia Women’s Pamphlet Competition
is for short collections of 20-24 pages of 18-20 poems.First prize is publication plus £250, 25 complimentary copies of the pamphlet and a 10 per cent royalty on sales. One or more poems from the pamphlet will be published in Mslexia magazine. Open to women poets worldwide. Closes 13 June.
S.D Harvey Short Story Award
is presented by the Australian Crime Writers Association and Melbourne-based literary journal Kill Your Darlings. Entries can be submitted by published and unpublished writers and can be either fiction or nonfiction stories. Closes 15 June.
Virginia Quarterly Review
publishes poetry, fiction and non-fiction. While they have a long history of publishing accomplished and award-winning authors, Virginia Quarterly Review also seeks and supports emerging writers and submissions from writers based anywhere in the world are welcomed. The next reading period opens on 15 June.
Vermont Studio Center
is the largest international artists’ and writers’ residency program in the United States. Each month the Center hosts over 50 writers and artists from across the country and around the world. The next fellowship application deadline is 15 June.
Norton Writer’s Prize
is awarded annually for an outstanding essay written by an undergraduate student. Literacy narratives, literary and other textual analyses, reports, profiles, evaluations, arguments, memoirs, proposals, mixed-genre pieces, and more are eligible provided they were completed for an undergraduate writing class. Entries close 15 June.
BorderSenses Literary and Arts Journal
seeks to provide a venue for emerging and established writers and artists from the U.S.-Mexico border area and beyond. They seek poetry, fiction, non-fiction and book reviews in both Spanish and English from every corner of the world. Submissions for volume 22 close on 15 June.
Fiction
is a semiannual publication established in 1972. It is looking for the best new writing available, leaning toward the unconventional, and accepts a variety of genres: experimental, satire, literary, translations, and contemporary. The current reading period closes on 15 June.
Newcastle Poetry Prize
is one of Australia’s oldest literary prizes and has an AUD$20,000 prize pool. The entry must be a poem, or suite of poems, by a single author totalling no more than 200 lines and all entries will be considered for inclusion in an anthology. This prize is open to Australian residents only. Entries close 19 June.
Puritan: Frontiers of New English
is an online, quarterly publication based in Toronto. They publish new fiction, poetry, interviews, essays and reviews. Submissions received before 25 June will be considered for the summer issue.
Bellevue Literary Review
seeks high-caliber, unpublished work, broadly and creatively related to the themes of health, healing, illness, the mind, and the body. Submissions close on 30 June.
Carey Institute for Global Good
is offering a residency program for creators of longform nonfiction. Pulitzer Prize winning writer and journalist Tim Weiner has been named as the first Director. The campus offers in Rensselaerville, New York, peaceful, private and inspiring place to live, work and create, providing complimentary access to modern communication technologies and a gourmet on-site restaurant.
Barrelhouse
is an independent non-profit literary organisation that aims to bridge the gap between serious art and pop culture. Its magazine welcomes submissions of fiction, comics, poetry and interviews, and contributions to its ‘Stupid Idea Junk Drawer’.
Printers Row Journal
is a product of the Chicago Tribune. Every week a new fiction story between 5000 and 8000 words is delivered with the journal. Story submissions are judged on a rolling schedule.
OFI Press Magazine
is an international poetry and fiction publication based in Mexico City. It seeks to publish high quality work from writers of all nationalities, with a particular interest in submissions from young Latin American and Mexican writers.
Guernica Magazine
considers fiction between 1200 and 4500 words and “strongly prefers fiction with a diverse international outlook – or if it’s American, from an underrepresented or alternative perspective.” Works in translation are especially welcome.
The Sun
is an independent, monthly magazine based in North Carolina that publishes personal essays, short stories, interviews, poetry and photographs. All contributors are paid (up to $1500 for fiction) but the magazine receives over 1000 submissions per month, meaning responses can take three to six months.
