2026 WRITING CONTESTS
- Cully Perlman
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
2026 WRITING CONTESTS for fiction, poetry, nonfiction and more
Every year, new and experienced fiction and nonfiction writers see their names in print. It’s exciting. It tells us writers that, in some way, we’re accepted. That what we’ve written is worthy of publication. That all of our hard work—pulling an idea, a story, from thin air and putting our words down and editing and revising and rewriting and then sharing our work with others and doing it all over again until our baby is ready—has paid off. For many, this may come in the form of a novel or nonfiction book. But for most of us, it comes and/or came within the print or digital pages of literary journals in the U.S. and other countries. It’s also a great way to get exposure for you and your writing, and the 2026 writing contests have already begun.
Literary agents often read or browse these journals for promising writers. Philip Roth, author of the Plot Against America, the Human Stain, American Pastoral and more, it is said, was discovered by an agent after his short story was published in The New Yorker. The uber famous George Saunders, whom I’ve met and who is right now and has been for years the “it” writer, was publishing in journals and magazines, in particular the New Yorker, for decades. Same for Raymond Carver, Jonathan Lethem, Joyce Carol Oates, Junot Diaz, and plenty of other authors.
If you’re looking to test the literary waters without querying literary agents, or if you’re just starting out, consider submitting your short stories and novel excerpts to literary journals and literary contests. Some offer payment in author copies while others actually pay you for your work, especially if you win or place in literary contests. Below are a good number of literary contests and journals with upcoming submission deadlines. So, polish your work, get your entry fee ready, and submit away. You never know who’s watching. Good luck.
Sarabande Books
Prize: $2,000
Fee: $34
Deadline: 2/15/26 (DEADLINE HAS PASSED)
Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication by Sarabande Books for a poetry collection, a work of fiction, or an essay collection. You’ve missed the deadline for this one this year, but it’s a good one, so put it on your calendar for next year.
Autumn House Press
Prize: $1,000
Fee: $35
Deadline: 2/28/26 (DEADLINE APPROACHING)
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Autumn House Press for a book of fiction. The winner also receives a $1,500 travel and publicity grant.
Hayden’s Ferry Review
Prize: $1,000
Fee: $15
Deadline: 2/28/26 (DEADLINE APPROACHING)
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Hayden’s Ferry Review for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction.
Tupelo Press
Prize: $1,000
Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 2/28/26 (DEADLINE APPROACHING)
A prize of $1,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 25 author copies for a poetry chapbook.
Ploughshares
Prize: $2,000
Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 3/31/26 (DEADLINE APPROACHING)
Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Ploughshares. Accepting: a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay.
Willow Springs Books
Prize: $1,000
Fee: $25
Deadline: 4/1/26
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Willow Springs Books. Must be for a debut poetry collection by a poet 40 years old or under that.
Fourth Genre
Prize: $1,000
Fee: $20
Deadline: 4/15/26
$1,000 and publication in Fourth Genre for an essay.
DIAGRAM/New Michigan Press
Prize: $1,000
Fee: $28
Deadline: 4/30/26
$1,000, publication by New Michigan Press, and 25 author copies for a chapbook of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid-genre work.
Open to Arizona Authors
Open to published and unpublished authors. Entries will be judged on literary merit. Winning entries will be featured in the Arizona Authors Literary Magazine.
Top Prize: $500
Winner: $500 & a ticket to the Arizona Authors Awards Luncheon. Other financial prizes for first, second, and third place
Fee: $50
Deadline: June 01, 2026
Bellingham Review
Prize: $1,000
Fee: $15
Deadline: 3/15/26
Three prizes of $1,000 each. Publication in Bellingham Review
American Literary Translators Association
Prize: $3,000
Fee: $0
Deadline: 3/16/26
$3,000 for a debut poetry collection, book of fiction, or book of creative nonfiction translated into English
A Public Space
Prize: $1,000
Fee: $0
Deadline: 3/31/26
Three six-month fellowships of $1,000 each to emerging poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers who have not published
Ursula K. Le Guin Foundation
Prize: $25,000
Fee: $0
Deadline: 3/31/26
A prize of $25,000 for a book of fiction published in the previous year that “reflects the concepts and ideas that were central to Ursula K. Le Guin’s own work, including but not limited to: hope, equity, and freedom; non-violence and alternatives to conflict; and a holistic view of humanity's place in the natural world
Black Lawrence Press
Prize: $1,000
Fee: $30
Deadline: 3/31/26
$1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies for a collection of poems, short stories, essays, or hybrid work
Epiphany
Prize: $1,000
Fee: $10
Deadline: 4/15/26
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Epiphany for a poem or a group of poems and a short work of fiction or nonfiction
Ghost Story
Prize: $1,500
Fee: $20
Deadline: 4/30/26
$1,500 and publication on the Ghost Story website for a short story with a supernatural or magical realist theme.
Marsh Hawk Press
Prize: $2,000
Fee: $30
Deadline: 4/30/26
$2,000 and publication by Marsh Hawk Press for a poetry collection. Denise Duhamel of Florida International University (one of my alma maters!) will judge.
Desperate Literature
Prize: $2,334
Fee: $23
Deadline: 4/19/26
€2,000 (approximately $2,334), publication in the Desperate Literature prize anthology, and a weeklong residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation’s castle
Regal House Publishing
Prize: $1,000
Fee: $25
Deadline: 5/15/26
$1,000 and publication by Regal House Publishing is given annually for a novella.
Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation
Prize: $5,000
Fee: $35
Deadline: 5/15/26
$5,000 for a debut novel primarily set in the American South. Authors do not have to reside in the South.
For poetry that illuminates the unseen—courage, craft, and emotional precision.
$3,000 and will be awarded as follows:
Winner: $2,000 honorarium
Honorable Mentions (x4): $250 each
Additional contributors: Selected for publication in the anthology
Publication & Recognition
All winning and selected poems will appear in The LemonLight Anthology 2026, a limited-edition publication (print run of 250).
The above contests are just a sample of the countless contests and literary journals that accept works of fiction, poetry, nonfiction and other works open to your submission(s). Make sure you do your research on what they’re seeking, the deadlines, and obviously the entry fees, as you want to do your due diligence on how much you can afford to shell out for these contests. I have a shelf where I keep my publications, both in print and online, and while I no longer submit to short story contests, they’re still close to my heart.
Cully Perlman is author of a novel, THE LOSSES, as well as short stories and flash fiction published in a variety of literary journals. He can be reached at Cully@novelmasterclass.com
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