If you're looking for a writing contest to enter but have missed most of the spring deadlines, you're in luck! There are still several contests open for submission throughout the summer for writers seeking to compete with their best work. Below are some of the best we've found:
The Tamaqua Award for a Collection of Essays
Deadline: September 30, 2018
Entry Fee: $22.00 USD
The Tamaqua Award for a Collection of Essays is offered by Hidden River Arts and Hidden River Press, with the winner receiving $1,000. Hidden River Arts is an independent literary and performing arts organization based in Philadelphia that is dedicated to the service, support and celebration of all artists but seeks to serve the "outsider artist." Prior publication is acceptable, as long as the journal or magazine it was published it does not own exclusive rights.
This contest is international, but all entries must be in English. The editors accept simultaneous submissions but request that the author notify them if your work has been chosen to be published in another publication. To submit your original essays to this writing contest, you'll need to complete an online application. Your submission must include your name, address, telephone number, email, website (if you have one), a brief biography, outline, full synopsis and full manuscript. According to the submission guidelines and disclosures, all awards are determined by Hidden River staff and winners (semi-finalists and finalists) will be announced on the Hidden River Arts blog.
The Alcott Award for Young Adult Fiction
Deadline: October 15, 2018
Entry Fee: None
Hidden River Arts and Hidden River Press also offer The Alcott Award, which is in its inaugural year in 2018. The winner will receive $1,000 and publication by Many Frog Press, an imprint of Hidden River Publishing. Writers should submit an unpublished, book-length work of Young Adult fiction featuring at least one strong female lead character. This competition is open to international submissions for all writers in English.
All submissions must be made online and include name, address, telephone number, email, website (if you have one), a brief biography, outline, full synopsis and full manuscript. The contest disclosure states that simultaneous submissions are accepted and that all submissions will be considered for publication by Hidden River Publishing.
Dzanc Books Nonfiction Prize
Deadline: September 30, 2018
Entry Fee: $25.00 USD
This contest is awarded annually and is open for submissions this year from March 1st, 2018 through September 30th, 2018. The Dzanc Books Nonfiction contest seeks book-length works of nonfiction, including memoirs, essays, polemical writing, historical writing, and biography. The winning submission will receive an advance of $1,500 and publication in Fall 2019. The winner and finalists will be announced on November 15th.
Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Competition
Deadline: September 30, 2018
Entry Fee: $25.00 USD
The Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Prize is for a book-length collection of short stories. This year's contest will be judged by Emily Geminder, whose collection Dead Girls and Other Stories won the prize in 2016. The winner of this year's competition be awarded a $2,500 advance and publication in Fall 2019 by Dzanc Books. The competition's rules state that it is open to new or established writers, as well as agented submissions. All submissions, however, must be previously unpublished. The winner and finalists will be announced on November 15th.
Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction
Deadline: September 30, 2018
Entry Fee: $25.00 USD
The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction prides itself on recognizing daring, original, and innovative novels.
The winner of this competition will receive a $5,000 advance and publication in Fall 2019 by Dzanc Books. For 2018, the judges will be: John Domini (Movieola! and The Sea-God's Herb), Peter Stenson (Thirty-Seven), and Alice Hatcher, author of The Wonder That Was Ours, which was chosen as last year's winner.
Whether you are a new, upcoming, agented, un-agented, or established writer, this contest is open for you to submit. The only requirement is that all works must be previously unpublished novel-length manuscripts and should include a brief synopsis, author bio, and contact information. Also, the contest judges as that you format your manuscript as a Word .doc or .docx file.
The contest is open for submissions from March 1st, 2018 through midnight on September 30th, 2018, with finalist announced on the Dzanc web page on November 15th.
ExOphidia Press' Third Annual Poetry Prize
Deadline: August 31, 2018
Entry Fee: $25.00 USD
The Third Annual Poetry Prize, offered by ExOphidia Press, is open to all English language authors who have a poetry book manuscript. Authors should submit a manuscript between 64 and 84 numbered pages, including the title page and the Table of Contents, and the manuscript should be single-spaced and a Word document. You should not include any illustrations or graphics, nor include your name anywhere within the manuscript. Manuscripts are accepted via Submittable and will be judged by Richard-Gabriel Rummonds, an internationally acclaimed author of 14 books and a former handpress printer.
The Booksie 2018 Poetry Contest
Deadline: September 30, 2018
Entry Fee: $6.95 USD
If you think you should be crowned Poet Laureate of 2018, here's your opportunity (in Booksie's world, at least). In addition to being crowned Booksie Gold Poet Laureate, the winner of The Booksie 2018 Poetry Contest will receive a $1,000 cash award, a "Gold winner" badge for their website, and one free week of boosts for their winning story (boosting features the story in front of Booksie's millions of monthly readers). Additionally, two runner-ups will receive a cash prize of $150, a "Silver winner" badge for their website, and One week of boosts. Booksie is accepting poetry of any type, length or content, as long as it's absolutely original. According to the website, they're looking for everything from serious to whimsical, fact to fiction, and anything that strikes a chord with readers. Poets can submit as many entries as they'd like and judging will be done in rounds, with six finalists selected (five selected from the editorial team and a sixth selected by Booksie readers).
The 2018 Quill Prose Award
Deadline: April 1 – August 31, 2018
Entry Fee: $10.00 USD
The 2018 Quill Prose Award recipient will be awarded $1,000 and book publication through Red Hen Press, a small press committed to publishing works of literary excellence, supporting diversity, and promoting literacy in local schools. Submissions must be 150+ pages of prose written by a queer writer and will be Judged by David Francis. Past winners include 2017's "The Falls of the Wyona" by David Brendan Hopes and 2016's "Scissors, Paper, Stone" by Martha K. Davis.
Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize
Deadline: October 1, 2018
Entry Fee: $25.00 USD
The RCAH Center for Poetry at Michigan State University, in cooperation with the MSU Press, is accepting submissions for The 2018 Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize. A $1,000 award will be granted to the winner, in addition to publication in Spring 2020 under the Wheelbarrow Books imprint. This biannual poetry contest awards $1,000 and book publication to one established poet and one new poet annually. Submissions are now open to authors of at least one full-length collection of poetry.
The FC2 Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest
Deadline: November 1, 2018
Entry Fee: $25.00 USD
If you have not previously published, The FC2 Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest is open to you through Fiction Collective Two. Manuscripts may include a collection of short stories, one or more novellas, or a novel of any length, even if it has been published in another magazine or anthology. Your manuscript must be anonymously submitted, and your name or address cannot appear anywhere on the manuscript. Pages should be numbered consecutively and all files should be uploaded as a MS Word document or PDF. Judges include: Jeffrey DeShell, Michael Mejia, Lance Olsen, Matthew Roberson, Joanna Ruocco, and Elisabeth Sheffield.
Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize
Deadline: November 1, 2018.
Entry Fee: $25.00 USD
If you are a more established writer and have had at least three books of fiction published, this is the writing contest for you. The FC2 Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize requires three previously published novels and submissions that may include a collection of short stories, one or more novellas, or a novel of any length. Manuscripts must be anonymously submitted, and the title page should contain the title of the manuscript only. Pages should be numbered consecutively. Files should be uploaded as a MS Word document or PDF. The winner, who will be announced in May 2019, will receive a $15,000 prize and and publication by FC2, an imprint of the University of Alabama Press. You don't have to worry about length as there is no requirement and if your work has previously been published (either self-published or otherwise), it will also be considered. Judges are Jeffrey DeShell, Noy Holland, Lance Olsen, Michael Mejia, Matthew Roberson, Joanna Ruocco, and Elisabeth Sheffield.