Wkend Update: Poetry Contests
- Richelle Murry
- Jan 17
- 4 min read
Jan.17, 2026
Hello! I promised writing poetry contests didn't I? Well before Saturday hits a closing note, here are several of these contests you might be interested in or you might know someone who loves to write and create stories. Here are those contest entries courtesy from Poets and Writers.
Credit Source: Poets & Writers
Writing Contests, Grants & Awards
The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.
Stanford University Libraries
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $50
Application Deadline: 1/30/26
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Two prizes of $5,000 each are given biennially for books of fiction and nonfiction published in the previous two years. The awards, cosponsored by the Stanford University...
North Carolina Writers’ Network
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/30/26
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Thomas Wolfe Review is given annually for a short story or a self-contained novel excerpt. Karen Tucker will judge. Submit a work...
Iowa Review
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,500 each and publication in Iowa Review are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission...
Prairie Heritage, Inc.
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a published poetry collection, book of fiction, or book of creative nonfiction that “illuminates the heritage of North America’s mid-...
Ghost Story
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Fiction
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...
Pinch
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
An award of $1,000, publication in Pinch, and two contributor copies will be given annually for a work of flash creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission...
Austin Community College
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,500 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a book of fiction, and a book of creative nonfiction published during the previous year. Authors or...
swamp pink
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in swamp pink are given annually for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission system,...
Fish Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,155
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,155) and publication in the annual Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a short memoir. The winner is also invited to give a...
PEN America
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Nine fellowships of $1,500 each and participation in a virtual five-month mentorship program, which includes one-on-one mentorship with an established writer; introductions to...
Regal House Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Regal House Publishing is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 100 pages with a $25...
Nimrod International Journal
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Two prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Nimrod International Journal are given annually for a poem or group of poems and a work of fiction. A runner-up in each...
Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund
Cash Prize: $2,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Grants of up to $2,000 each are given in alternating years to feminist poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers who are citizens of the United States or Canada. This year...
Black Lawrence Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Cross-Genre
A prize of $1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a novel. The contest is open to traditional novels as well as “novels-in-...
Chautauqua Institution
Cash Prize: $5,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
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...
Schaffner Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 1/31/26
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Schaffner Press is given annually for a poetry collection, a novel, a story collection, an essay collection, or a memoir that “deals in...
That is it for this month in January. February will be up. Click on the links above to get the information. Enjoy your Saturday! Another post coming around the corner!
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