Here are a few that offer exciting opportunities to either publish your work, teach classes, and/or just write. When you’re done, make sure to check out these
writer’s residencies too.
The Steinbeck Fellows Program ($10,000)Who’s Eligible: Emerging writers of any age and background who can produce a 1-3 page proposal of the work to be written (including a timeline), a writing sample no more than 30 pages, a resumé, and three letters of recommendation.
Entry Fee: $25
Deadline: January 2, 2016
The Orwell Prize (£3000)Who’s Eligible: Writers of works that reflect “good writing and thinking about politics”. See
The Rules for more information.
Entry Fee: N/A
Deadline: January 15, 2016
New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship ($7,000)Who’s Eligible: Fiction writers 25 years or older who are current residents of New York State and/or one of the Indian Nations located in New York State.
Entry Fee: None.
Deadline: January 28, 2016
Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize ($12,000 and publication by Graywolf)Who’s Eligible: An author of “the most promising and innovative literary nonfiction project by a writer not yet established in the genre.” Click for
required materials.
Entry Fee: N/A
Deadline: January 31, 2016
The Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize ($7,500)Who’s Eligible: A woman writer who is a United States citizen who wrote a book-size work of fiction that was published in 2014. Children’s Books and self-published books are not eligible. All entries must be submitted by publishers. The prize administrators are “particularly interested in calling attention to the work of a promising but less established writer.”
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 1, 2016
The Hub City/Emrys Queries for Novels Who’s Eligible: “Well-crafted, high-quality works by new and established authors, with an emphasis on the Southern experience. We are particularly interested in books with a strong sense of place. We believe strongly that the publishing industry needs to promote a more diverse range of experiences, and so have committed ourselves to spotlighting lesser-heard Southern voices including: people of color, gender diversity, LGBTQIA, people with disabilities, as well as ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.
“Entry Fee: N/A
Deadline: February 1, 2016
The American Short(er) Fiction Prize ($500 and publication) Who’s Eligible: “Staff and volunteers currently affiliated with American Short Fiction are ineligible for consideration or publication. Additionally, students, former students, and colleagues of the judge are not eligible to enter. We ask that previous winners wait three years after their winning entry is published before entering again.
“Entry Fee: $17
Deadline: February 1, 2016
Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing ($5,000)Who’s Eligible: A creative writer of fiction or non-fiction that’s at least 20 years old, and not registered as a student in a college or educational institution. (Entrants registered in a college or educational institution when filing the application are still allowed). The resident will receive free lodging on Bucknell University campus, and an office in the Stadler Center for Poetry.
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 1, 2016
The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award ($500) Who’s Eligible: Books of at least 48 pages with a minimum press run of 500 copies are eligible.
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 1, 2016
Northern Writers’ Awards (£500-5,000)Who’s Eligible: Writers of any nationality or descent who at the time of entering are permanently resident in the north of England.
Entry Fee: None, though writers are responsible for any associated travel costs
Deadline: February 3, 2016
Vermont Studio Center Fellowship ($N/A)Who’s Eligible: Emerging writers
Entry Fee: The fee for a four-week residency in 2013, including studio, room, board, and the visiting artist and writer program, was $3950 for 4 weeks and $2050 for 2 weeks. Applicants can apply for a grant/aid.
Deadline: February 15, 2016
The American Short(er) Fiction Contest ($1,000 prize and publication, and the second-place winner will receive $250 and publication)Who’s Eligible: Writers submitting entries under 1,000 words.
Entry Fee: $17
Deadline: February 15, 2016
The Center for Fiction Emerging Writers Fellowship ($5,000)
Who’s Eligible: New York City residents of any age who are not in a degree-granting program and have “not yet had a novel or short story collection published by either a major or independent publisher and who is also not currently under contract to a publisher for a work of fiction. Eligible applicants may have had stories or novel excerpts published in magazines, literary journals or online, but this is not a requirement.”
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: February 29, 2016
Radcliffe Institute Fellowship ($75,000) Who’s Eligible: Writers, authors, journalists and poets who have shown groundbreaking talent and achievements; and who possess any one of the following: 1) one or more released novels or books; 2) a publishing contract for book-length composition; or 3) at least three shorter writing projects, such as published magazine articles or academic essays. Poetry entrants must have had 20 or more poems (or a compilation of poetry ) published by a publisher during the previous 5 years. All entrants must currently be engaged in finishing a “work in progress.”
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: Information for 2017-2018 application cycle to come Spring 2016.
Who’s Eligible: Unpublished Christian fiction writers. “With ten categories to enter, Genesis provides the opportunity for unbiased feedback on writers’ work by published authors and experienced judges, and the chance for finalists to have their work read by Christian publishing house editors and literary agents. ACFW is pleased to see many previous category winners and finalists move further in their writing careers and become published authors.”
Entry Fee: $35
Deadline: March 15, 2016
2016 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting ($35,000)Who’s Eligible: “Screenwriters who have not earned more than $25,000 writing fictional work for film or television. Entry scripts must be the original work of one writer, or of two writers who collaborated equally, and must be written originally in English. Adaptations and translated scripts are not eligible.”
Entry Fee: $45 if submitted by March 7, 2016; $60 if submitted by April 18, 2016; $85 if submitted by May 2, 2016
Deadline: March 7, 2016 (early); April 18, 2016 (regular); May 2, 2016 (late) “The online application form must be completed and a PDF version of the script uploaded by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on May 2. Because of the anticipated surge in submissions, we cannot guarantee access to the online application form during the last six hours before the entry deadline.”
At least five different short stories, works of short fiction, excerpts from novels or memoirs, or creative essays (or any combination thereof) in two or more literary journals, anthologies, or publications that regularly include fiction and/or creative nonfiction as a portion of their format; or
A volume of short fiction or a collection of short stories; or
A novel or novella; or
A volume of creative nonfiction.
To qualify, work must have been first published with an eligible publisher between these dates, not only reprinted or reissued in another format during this period.
You may use digital, audio, or online publications to establish eligibility, provided that the publisher has a competitive selection process and stated editorial policy. If the online publication or website no longer exists, you must provide, upon request, sufficient evidence that your work once appeared online. If sufficient evidence cannot be provided, the online publication will not be eligible.”
Entry Fee: N/A
Deadline: March 9, 2016
Mslexia Women’s Short Story Competition (£2,000 for first prize, £500 second prize, £250 third prize)Who’s Eligible: Women poets of any nationality.
Entry Fee: £10 per story
Deadline: March 14, 2016
The James Jones First Novel Fellowship ($10,000)Who’s Eligible: United States citizens who have not previously published a novel.
Entry Fee: A $30 check/money order, payable to Wilkes University, NOT to James Jones First Novel Fellowship. A $3 processing fee applies to online submissions.
Deadline: March 15, 2016
The Hodson-Brown Fellowship ($20,000)Who’s Eligible: Academics, independent scholars and writers working on significant projects relating to the literature, history, culture, or art of the Americas before 1830. Candidates with a U.S. history topic are strongly encouraged to concentrate on the period prior to 1801. The fellowship is also open to filmmakers, novelists, creative and performing artists, and others working on projects that draw on this period of history.
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: March 15, 2016
PEN Center USA Emerging Voices Fellowship ($1,000) Who’s Eligible: “Poets and writers of fiction and creative nonfiction with clear ideas of what they hope to accomplish through their writing.”
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: The 2017 application period will open on March 30, 2016.
Winter 2016 Story Contest (First Prize is $2,500, Second Prize is $1,000, Third Prize is $500, and ten finalists will receive $100 each. All entries will be considered for publication.)Who’s Eligible: “All contest entries are eligible for the
$4,000 Narrative Prize for 2016 and for acceptance as a
Story of the Week.”
Entry Fee: $24
Deadline: March 31, 2016
The Short Fiction Prize (First Prize is £500, Second Prize is £100Who’s Eligible: Authors from anywhere in the world.
Entry Fee: £7
Deadline: March 31, 2016
Oregon Book Awards | Oregon Literary Fellowships + New Fellowship for Writers of Color (“The amount, number and categories of fellowships will be determined from the quality and quantity of applications, and the availability of funds.”)Who’s Eligible: Writers of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Drama, and Young Readers Literature based in Oregon full-time–both at the time of application and receipt of the prize.
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: Applications for the 2017 Oregon Literary Fellowships will go online in April 2016.
Bogliasco Foundation Fellowship ProgramDuration: Spring 2017 Semester
Location: The Liguria Study Center located on the Italian Riviera in the village of Bogliasco
Who’s Eligible: Applicants for Fellowships are expected to demonstrate significant achievement in their disciplines, commensurate with their age and experience. In addition, they must submit descriptions of the projects that they intend to pursue in Bogliasco. An approved project is presumed to lead to the completion of an artistic, literary, or scholarly work, followed by publication, performance, exhibition, or other public presentation. Approximately 50 Fellowships are awarded each year.
Associated Costs: $30 application fee; travel and living expenses if accepted. (The Foundation does offer a limited number of Special Fellowships that often include a small stipend and travel fare.)
Deadline: April 15, 2016 for the Spring semester beginning the following February.
Arts Writers Grant ($15,000 – 50,000)Who’s Eligible: “The Creative Capital | Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant Program supports writers whose work addresses contemporary visual art through project-based grants, ranging from 15,000 to 50,000 USD, issued directly to 20 individual authors a year. The program was founded in recognition of both the financially precarious situation of arts writers and their indispensable contribution to a vital artistic culture. The Arts Writers Grant Program aims to support the broad spectrum of writing on contemporary visual art, from general-audience criticism to academic scholarship.
Writers who meet the program’s eligibility requirements are invited to apply in the following categories:
– Articles
– Blogs
– Books
– New and Alternative Media
– Short-Form Writing
Through all its grants, the Arts Writers Grant Program aims to honor and encourage writing about art:
– that is rigorous, passionate, eloquent, and precise;
– in which a keen engagement with the present is infused with an appreciation of the historical;
– that is neither afraid to take a stand nor content to deliver authoritative pronouncements, but serves rather to pose questions and generate new possibilities for thinking about, seeing, and making art;
– that is sensitive to both the importance and difficulty of situating aesthetic objects within their broader social and political contexts;
– that does not dilute or sidestep complex ideas but renders accessible their meaning and value;
– that creatively challenges the limits of existing conventions, without valorizing novelty as an end in itself.
Due to legal constraints we can only fund US citizens, permanent residents of the United States, and holders of O-1 visas. For guidelines and additional eligibility requirements, please visitartswriters.org/guidelines.
Art Writing Workshop
In partnership with the International Association of Art Critics/USA Section, the Arts Writers Grant Program offers ten select applicants consultations with leading art critics. For more information, please visit
artswriters.org/writing-workshop.”
Entry Fee: N/A
Deadline: Submissions open April 20, 2016.
2016 Bristol Short Story Prize (1st Prize is £1,000, 2nd Prize £700, 3rd Prize £400. 17 further prizes of £100 will be presented to the writers whose stories appear on the shortlist.)
Who’s Eligible: “Entries must be previously unpublished with a maximum length of 4,000 words. There is no minimum length.”
Entry Fee: £8
Deadline: April 30, 2016
The Financial Times/OppenheimerFunds African and Middle Eastern Fiction Award ($40,000. Shortlisted runners up will each receive $5,000.)Who’s Eligible: Authors who are nationals or passport holders of any Asia-Pacific country (Afghanistan, American Samoa, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Korea, Dem. Rep., Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Fed. Sts.,Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa,Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam), and who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. The author’s books must be published for the first time in the English language, or English translation between January 1, 2015 and September 23, 2016. Books may be in print or digital form, or both. We ask that each publisher submits no more than three works.
Entry Fee: N/A
Deadline: May 6, 2016
Crook’s Corner Book Prize ($1,000–and a free glass of wine at Crook’s Corner every day for a year.)
Who’s Eligible: “The submitted book must be the author’s first published novel for adult readers, published in the United States between January 1, 2015 and June 15, 2016. Regardless of the author’s residence, the book must be set predominantly in the American South, which includes the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Books may be self-published if they have an ISBN number. Books that are available only as e-books are not eligible. Submissions are welcome from authors or publishers.”
Entry Fee: $35
Deadline: June 15, 2016
The Narrative Prize ($4,000)Who’s Eligible: Writers between 18 and 30.
Entry Fee: $22
Deadline: June 15, 2016
Bard Fiction Prize ($30,000) Who’s Eligible: A talented, aspiring creative writer under 39 years old, based in the U.S. The chosen resident will live on the Bard College campus, teach a course, and give a public lecture.
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 15, 2016
The Drue Heinz Literature Prize ($15,000)Who’s Eligible: Short story authors who have either 1) published a novel-size compilation of fiction; or 2) who have had a minimum of three narratives/ novellas published in “well-known publications and literary journals of high standard”. Online publication and self-publication don’t count toward this requirement.
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: June 30, 2016.
Guggenheim Fellowships are not available for the creation of residencies, curriculum development, or any type of educational program, nor are they available to support the development of websites or blogs.
Our awards are intended for individuals only; they are not available to organizations, institutions, or groups.
Guggenheim Fellowships are not open to students (undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate).
We regret that our awards are not available to support the writing of literature for children or young readers.
Anthology, e-book, or textbook projects are not supported by our awards.
Published writing not regarded as appropriate for our competition includes self-published works, publications for which the author has paid, and publications by publishers who do not engage in a process of critical review of submitted work. In addition, genre work (e.g., mysteries, romance, fantasy, etc.) is considered not competitive.
For all writers, if you have mainly published in periodicals, or on websites, it might be premature for you to apply here at this stage of your career, given the rigorous nature of our competition.”
Entry Fee: N/A
Deadline: Applications will be available in July 2016.
Emerging Writer Award (Winners receive full tuition support for our January Seminar and Workshop Program, round-trip airfare, lodging, a $500 honorarium, and the opportunity to appear on stage during the Seminar.)Who’s Eligible: Poets and writers of any age who have not yet published a book with a major publisher. (“If you have published a book with a small press that has a print run of 500 or so copies, you are still eligible.”)
Entry Fee: None
Deadline: September 12, 2016
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