Literary contests & writing competitions worldwide.
Filter by country, language, manuscript type and genre. Free and paid, from open contests anyone can enter to the world’s flagship prizes. 55 hand-picked, regularly checked.
Akutagawa Prize
Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature
- Prize:
- ¥1,000,000 + immense prestige
- Deadline:
- Twice a year (Jan & Jul)
- Who:
- Serious literary fiction by new/emerging Japanese authors; selected from published magazine works (not open submission)
Bath Children's Novel Award
Bath Children's Novel Award
- Prize:
- £3,000 + agent introductions
- Deadline:
- Autumn (annual)
- Who:
- Open worldwide (in English); unpublished/unagented
Bath Novel Award
Bath Novel Award
- Prize:
- £5,000 + agent introductions and feedback
- Deadline:
- Late May (annual)
- Who:
- Open worldwide (in English); unpublished/unagented novelists
BBC National Short Story Award
BBC Radio 4 / Cambridge University
- Prize:
- £15,000 first prize
- Deadline:
- Spring (annual)
- Who:
- UK nationals/residents with a prior record of publication
Big Book Award (Bolshaya Kniga)
Center for the Support of Domestic Literature
- Prize:
- Around 3,000,000 RUB (top prize)
- Deadline:
- Varies (annual)
- Who:
- Best prose in Russian; submitted/nominated
CBC Literary Prizes
CBC Books
- Prize:
- CAD $6,000 + a Banff Centre residency + publication
- Deadline:
- Short Story Sept–Nov; Nonfiction Jan–Mar; Poetry Apr–Jun
- Who:
- Canadian citizens and residents
Commonwealth Short Story Prize
Commonwealth Foundation
- Prize:
- £5,000 overall winner; £2,500 each regional winner (5 regions)
- Deadline:
- Opens Sept, closes 1 Nov (annual)
- Who:
- Citizens of a Commonwealth country, 18+
Deutscher Buchpreis (German Book Prize)
Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels
- Prize:
- €25,000 winner; €2,500 each shortlisted author
- Deadline:
- Shortlist Sept; awarded Oct (Frankfurt Book Fair)
- Who:
- German-language novels (DE/AT/CH); nominated by publishers
Dublin Literary Award
Dublin City Council
- Prize:
- €100,000 (€25,000 to the translator if applicable)
- Deadline:
- Varies (annual)
- Who:
- Novels nominated by public libraries worldwide (incl. translations)
Make your entry count
Editing & proofreading
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OpenPublishing a poetry collection
Build, order and typeset a collection properly.
OpenCover design
Where a cover is allowed, make it stop the scroll.
OpenTemplates & checklists
A manuscript template formatted the way comps expect.
OpenEntering a contest? Give your manuscript its best shot.
Judges read fast and reject faster. A clean, well-edited entry — and, where it’s allowed, a professional cover — is the difference between the shortlist and the slush pile.
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