We found over four dozen excellent free poetry and prose contests with deadlines between November 15-December 31. In this issue, we bring you Julian Peters' illustration of "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes. Annie Mydla examines a major cause of unsatisfying endings in books.
This month's tip concerns vanity, back on the prowl for writers. If you have a tip, recommendation, or warning, please email it to info@winningwriters.com.
Open at Winning Writers, co-sponsored by Duotrope and Chill Subs
WERGLE FLOMP HUMOR POETRY CONTEST - NO FEE
Free to enter, $3,750 in prizes. Top award includes $2,000 plus a two-year gift certificate from Duotrope (a $100 value) and five years of Chill Subs' Best plan (a $1,000 value). 13 prizes in all.
Open at Winning Writers, co-sponsored by Duotrope
TOM HOWARD/JOHN H. REID FICTION & ESSAY CONTEST
$12,000 in prizes. Two top awards include $3,500 each plus two-year gift certificates from Duotrope (a $100 value). 12 prizes in all. $25 entry fee.
View past newsletters in our archives. Need assistance? Let us help. Join our 63,000 followers on Facebook and Bluesky. Advertise with us, starting at $20.
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Congratulations to Mark Fleisher, Patricia Lee Lewis, Gary Beck, Ruth Thompson, Linda Summersea, Kelli Russell Agodon, Samantha Terrell, Noah Berlatsky, Terri Kirby Erickson, Duane R. Herrmann, Louisa Prince, Charles Sartorius, Chen Du, Xisheng Chen, and Shanna McNair.
Winning Writers editor Jendi Reiter's essay "Double Incision Diary" was the runner-up for the 2025 Lascaux Review Prize in Creative Nonfiction. The next submission period for this contest, with prizes up to $1,000, will be April 1-September 30. In other news, Jendi's poem "Introvert Pervert" is forthcoming in Ocean State Review. Jendi was interviewed at I'm From Driftwood, a site that films LGBTQ people talking about pivotal moments in
their lives.
Learn about our subscribers' achievements and see links to samples of their work.
Have news? Please email it to jendi@winningwriters.com.
Do you use TikTok or Instagram? Send your news to the @winningwriters account so we can share it!
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Deadline: November 30, 2025
This short story competition is open to writers of any nationality writing in English. There is no restriction on theme or style. Submit online or by mail.
Prizes
FIRST – $3,443 – ($1,148 of which is for travel expenses to the launch of the Anthology) plus a week-long fiction writing workshop during the West Cork Literary Festival.
SECOND – $344 + Online Writing Course
THIRD – $344
Seven Honourable Mentions – $230 each
The ten published authors will each receive five copies of the Anthology and will be invited to read at the launch during the West Cork Literary Festival in July.
See the complete guidelines and enter here.
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The Two Sylvias Press Online Poetry Prompt Advent Calendar is filled with surprise prompts to help you end the year with 31 NEW poems!
Our Online Poetry Prompt Advent Calendar is perfect for ALL levels of poets or anyone interested in exploring their own creativity! Each day from December 1st, click on the calendar date to reveal a unique prompt to inspire a fresh poem. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned writer, each prompt is crafted to spark your creativity and help you build a daily writing habit.
Miss a day? No worries! Once unlocked, all prompts remain accessible, so you can explore them at your own pace throughout December and even into January.
How it works? Sign up and you'll receive your exclusive access code at the end of November, with prompts ready for you on December 1st.
You can also share the gift of poetry! Our Poetry Prompt Advent Calendar makes a thoughtful present for the poet in your life—or yourself! (See our website for more details.)
To see a sample prompt and order your Advent Calendar, please visit Two Sylvias Press.
Unwrap inspiration all season long!
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Deadline: November 30, 2025
First Prize: $1,250, publication in LitMag, and agency review by Sarah Fuentes of UTA, Molly Glick of CAA, Erin Harris and Sonali Chanchani of Folio Literary Management, Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency, David Forrer of Inkwell Management, Monika Woods of Triangle House, Emily Forland of Brandt & Hochman, and Nat Sobel of Sobel Weber Associates.
Finalists: Three finalists will receive $100 each. All finalists will be considered for possible agency review and publication.
Entries must be unpublished short stories between 500 and 1,500 words. Enter through Submittable only. Entry fee: $16.
Click for the complete guidelines and enter your flash fiction.
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 Many North Street Book Prize submissions share a problem: the exposition and inciting incident are strong, while the falling action and resolution are weak. The reason for the weakness varies. Maybe the resolution comes too quickly. Maybe it feels too fragile. Maybe it's unrealistic compared to what happened in the rising action and climax. Maybe it's muddled. Maybe it hasn't arrived at all.
In this post, managing editor Annie Mydla describes how looking at your resolution ideas through the lenses of genre and character type (static and dynamic) can help you make the right choices for your story.
Read on.
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Special offer through November 30, 2025
Entries are now being accepted for the 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the most exciting and rewarding book awards program open to independent publishers and authors worldwide who have a book written in English and released in 2024, 2025, or 2026 or with a 2024, 2025, or 2026 copyright date. Enter today and get a FREE category when you enter and pay for the first category. Use code Fall25 when entering. Valid until November
30th.
There are 80+ categories to choose from, so take advantage of this exciting opportunity to have your book considered for cash prizes, awards, exposure, possible representation by a leading literary agent, and recognition as one of the top independently published books of the year!
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Immerse yourself in over 50 years of enthralling stories, thought-provoking essays, and stunning poetry with a subscription to Ploughshares. Subscribers may also submit to our Emerging Writers' Contest and Regular Reading Period for free! Grab your subscription today.
Ploughshares has published quality literature since 1971. Our award-winning literary journal is published four times per year: blended poetry and prose issues in the winter and spring, a prose issue in the summer, and a longform poetry and prose issue in the fall.
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Deadline: December 31, 2025
Gifted fiction writers! Lilith magazine—independent, Jewish & frankly feminist—seeks quality short stories with heart, soul, and chutzpah, 3,000 words or under, double-spaced, for our Annual Fiction Contest.
First prize: $300 and publication. No fee to enter. We especially like fresh fiction with feminist and Jewish nuance and are eager to read submissions from writers of color and emerging writers of any age.
Submit to info@lilith.org with the subject line “Fiction Contest” and your surname. INCLUDE FULL CONTACT INFORMATION ON MANUSCRIPT.
Check out FRANKLY FEMINIST: Short Stories by Jewish Women from Lilith Magazine, available here or wherever you buy books.
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Deadline: December 31, 2025
First Prize: $2,500, publication in LitMag, and agency review by Sarah Fuentes of UTA, Molly Glick of CAA, Lisa Bankoff of Bankoff Collaborative, Erin Harris and Sonali Chanchani of Folio Literary Management, Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency, David Forrer of Inkwell Management, Monika Woods of Triangle House, Emily Forland of Brandt & Hochman, and Nat Sobel of Sobel Weber Associates.
Finalists: Three finalists will receive $100 each. All finalists will be considered for possible agency review and publication.
Contest Fee: $20. Entries must be unpublished short stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words. Submit through Submittable only. See the results of previous contests.
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Winner of the 2024 North Street Book Prize, Middle Grade
With a rich, soulful, and thought-provoking cat's-eye-view of the very beginnings of human society, Tamiu: A Cat's Tale is a gorgeously illustrated adventure myth about the first encounter between prehistoric humanity and the ancestors of the modern housecat.
This epic adventure of natural magic, self-discovery, and survival is perfect for fans of cat-centric fantasy. Follow Tamiu, a fearless and gifted young cat from the Woodlands, as she embarks on a journey that will change the fate of her world forever.
Tamiu is an adventurous young Cat from the Woodlands at the center of the World Island. A fearless hunter gifted in the Cat magic of stealth, agility, perception, and growing and shrinking, Tamiu has only once in her life had to run from anything—a mysterious and insatiable beast called Fire.
At the Grand Fray of the Woodland Cats, wizened sages back from the vast Outer Worlds share stories of long-lost Cat Clan cousins who are not only giants but have even mastered the elusive magic of cooperation—the one art Tamiu's mother always told her was beyond the reach of the Cats. With the power of these Lions, surely not even Fire could threaten her.
When Tamiu sets out to find these far-off giants—unsure if they are even real—she stumbles headlong into a world far bigger than she ever imagined, filled with stranger creatures than even the most wondrous tales of the sages. Most puzzling of all are the humans, who seem to be capable of almost anything despite understanding nothing. They struggle to even catch their own birds or mice, yet an assortment of once wild and free creatures lives under the sway of their taming and domesticating magic—even, incredibly, Fire. Luckily, no one can tame a Cat. Can they?
This fun, fast-paced, gripping, and moving tale is a must-read for fans of magical creatures, feline heroes, and intricate world-building. Perfect for readers who love tales of bravery, self-discovery, friendship, and epic quests, Tamiu: A Cat's Tale makes for a thoughtful holiday gift.
"Angelino Donnachaidh's wise and winsome novel Tamiu: A Cat's Tale is that magical book that's clear and concise enough for middle-grade readers, while containing deep lessons for adults to ponder...Finely detailed soft pencil illustrations by Fiorella Ikeue are equally good at expressing the animal characters' mythic and naturalistic qualities. They're never too cutesy, yet a human-level intelligence shines through the creatures' eyes."
—Jendi Reiter, final judge of the North Street Book Prize
(see the complete critique)
Read an excerpt from Tamiu: A Cat's Tale (PDF)
Buy this book on Amazon.
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This Month's Tip
Vanity is Back on the Prowl for Writers
Back in 2001 when Winning Writers was founded, "vanity contests" like poetry.com were all the rage. You submit a poem, they say they love it, and by the way you can buy the anthology for $49.95.
Today's vanity publishers are likewise trawling for free submissions. Once your piece is accepted, you'll need to pay up to receive a copy of the book or magazine with your work in it. A subscriber who wishes to remain anonymous made this unpleasant discovery when her poem was accepted by Local Gems Press for their California Bards SoCal Poetry Anthology. She withdrew her submission instead.
Have a tip, recommendation, or warning? Please email it to us at info@winningwriters.com.
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Deadline: Friday, January 2, 2026, 11:59pm Eastern US Time
Last time we checked, 77% of web-based fiction magazines pay their fiction writers nothing.
So did 60% of print-only fiction magazines!
If you'd like to try getting paid for your fiction, why not consider us? Since 2006, On The Premises magazine has aimed to promote newer and/or relatively unknown writers who can write creative, compelling stories told in effective, uncluttered, and evocative prose. We've never charged a reading fee or publication fee, and we pay between $75 and $250 for short stories that fit each issue's broad story premise. We publish stories in nearly every genre (literary/realist, mystery, light/dark fantasy, light/hard sci-fi, slipstream) aimed at readers older than 12 (no children's fiction).
The premise for our latest contest is "The Return of..."
For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which someone or something has returned after a significant absence. Does this return make people happy, unhappy, or somewhere in-between? That's up to you. Also: Was this return a surprise, or was it expected? That's also up to you.
One entry per author. No fee for entering.
Any genre except children's fiction, exploitative sex, or over-the-top gross-out horror is fine. We will not accept parodies of another author's specific fictional characters or world(s), and we do not accept fan fiction for the same reason. We will accept serious literary drama, crazy farces, and any variation of science fiction and fantasy you can imagine. Read our past issues and see!
You can find details and instructions for submitting your story here. To be informed when new contests are launched, subscribe to our free, short, monthly newsletter by using the text box at the bottom of our home page.
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Deadline: January 5, 2026
The 2026 DISQUIET Prize is now open for submissions.
Entries are accepted in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. One winner in each category will be published in Granta.com (fiction), NinthLetter.com (non-fiction) or The Common (poetry).
One grand prize winner will receive a full scholarship, accommodations, and travel stipend to attend the fourteenth annual DISQUIET International Literary Program in Lisbon (June 28-July 10, 2026).
Genre winners will receive a tuition waiver for DISQUIET 2026 in addition to publication.
Winners who are unable to attend the program in Lisbon may elect to receive a $1,000 cash prize in lieu of the tuition waiver.
See the complete guidelines at DISQUIET International Literary Program.
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The Center for Literary Publishing at Colorado State University is seeking submissions to the Colorado Prize for Poetry until January 14, 2026, allowing for a five-day grace period. Authors do not need to reside in Colorado or the United States. Our final judge will be Victoria Chang.
The Colorado Prize for Poetry is an international poetry book manuscript contest established in 1995. The winning book will be published by the Center for Literary Publishing and distributed by the University Press of Colorado in the fall of 2026. To find out what sort of work we publish, please take a look at some of our previous winners.
Manuscripts may consist of poems that have been published, but the manuscript as a whole must be unpublished. Please do not submit self-published books.
We have a limited number of fee waivers available for writers experiencing financial hardship. Email creview@colostate.edu directly to request one of these waivers.
Find out more on our website and submit online via Submittable.
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Deadline: January 15, 2026
The annual Rattle Chapbook Prize gives poets something truly special. Every year, three winners will each receive: $5,000 cash, 500 contributor copies, and distribution to Rattle's 8,000+ subscribers. In a world where a successful full-length poetry book might sell 1,000 copies, the winning book will reach an audience eight times as large on its release day alone—an audience that includes many other literary magazines, presses, and well-known poets. This will be a chapbook to launch a career.
And maybe the best part is this: The $30 entry fee is just a standard subscription to Rattle, which includes four issues of the magazine and three winning chapbooks, even if one of them isn't yours. Rattle is one of the most-read literary journals in the world—find out why just by entering! For more information, visit our website.
We congratulate our three winners from our 2025 contest:
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José Enrique Medina, Haunt Me
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Liz Robbins, Backlit
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Matthew Buckley Smith, The Soft Black Stars
Please enjoy this poem by 2025 winner José Enrique Medina. It appears in Haunt Me, published by Rattle in 2025.
Haunt Me
Against the greenhouse he built, the soul
of Tío Arturo leans, smelling faintly of brillantina.
Abuela drifts beneath cherry blooms,
thumbing her rosary, whispering prayers.
Mother, where are you?
Even the twins, who were never born, are here,
tossing big-headed mums, each one
a soft grenade of memory.
You died four years ago,
your silence unfolding like petals.
And still
you haven't stepped into my garden
or caressed my amapola blossoms.
What are you waiting for? Haunt me.
Crush lemongrass under your heels,
let me smell you. Ring wind chimes
when there's no breeze, so I'll know.
Or become the breeze itself,
and lift my petals one more time.
Eyes open, ears wide, I wait.
But you never come.
The twins giggle,
brush against my flowers,
and pollinate your absence.
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Entries must be received by January 30, 2026
Submissions are now being accepted for the 12th William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. Two prizes of $5,000 each are given for works of fiction and nonfiction. All entries must be predominantly in English and available for individual purchase by the general public. Self-published books are eligible. Poetry will not be considered in this cycle.
The awards, co-sponsored by Stanford University Libraries and the William Saroyan Foundation, commemorate the life, legacy and intentions of William Saroyan—author, artist, dramatist, composer—and are intended to encourage new or emerging writers, rather than to recognize established literary figures.
The award honors the Saroyan literary legacy. What is the Saroyan legacy or style?
Saroyan's literary style is characterized by originality, stylistic innovation and what is often described as an "exuberant humanism". It is this exuberance and desire to move art in new directions, rather than relevance to the particulars of Saroyan's common settings or themes, that Saroyan Prize judges will be seeking.
Submit five copies of your work published between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2025, with a $50 entry fee by January 30, 2026. An electronic file of your book will be accepted only if the book is not available in hard copy form. Writers who have published up to two books are eligible. Visit the Saroyan Prize website for complete eligibility and submission details.
 Congratulations to Mirinae Lee and Fae Myenne Ng, winners of the 2024 Saroyan Prize. University Librarian Michael A. Keller announced awards of $5,000 to each winner and remarked, "Both of these outstanding books offer fascinating cultural insights at the person-to-person level
otherwise very difficult to perceive." Learn more about their achievement.
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Missed your chance to grab a seat at the sold-out March 26-28 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop? Don't worry—the laughs (and lessons) are coming to you.
With Erma Home Schooling, you can livestream five inspiring keynote talks and four exclusive humor-writing workshops—all from the comfort of your couch. (Note: In-person workshops are not included.)
Learn how to:
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Find and sharpen your comedic voice
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Master timing, structure, and tone
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Use humor to connect, comfort, and help readers see the joy in life's messiest moments
Discover more about the keynote speakers, faculty, and sessions. Registration opens December 5. Early bird rate: $175 before March 9.
In a world that needs more laughter, your words matter.
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Some contests are best suited to writers at the early stages of their careers. Others are better for writers with numerous prizes and publications to their credit. Here is this month's selection of Spotlight Contests for your consideration:
Emerging Writers
Ezra Jack Keats Children's Book Award. The University of Southern Mississippi will award prizes of $5,000 in New Writer and New Illustrator categories for published picture books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. Books must have been first published in North America and in the English language during the current calendar year. Authors may be of any nationality. Winners must attend ceremony at the University of Southern Mississippi to receive award. No self-published titles. Only original stories qualify for the New Writer award; no folktales or retellings. Publisher must send 11 copies of book for consideration to the various
addresses specified on sponsor's website. Postmark deadline: December 1.
Intermediate Writers
Jane Martin Poetry Prize. Girton College will award a top prize of 1,000 pounds for unpublished poems by UK residents aged 18-30. Send 1-2 poems, maximum 2 single-spaced pages total. Must be received by December 1 (new deadline).
Advanced Writers
Four Quartets Prize. The Poetry Society of America will award a top prize of $21,000 for a unified and complete sequence of poems, 14 pages minimum, published in the US in a print or online journal, chapbook, or book during the current year. Self-published works are ineligible. Author, agent, or publisher may submit. Membership in PSA is not required. Postmark deadline: December 15 (new deadline).
See more Spotlight Contests for emerging, intermediate, and advanced writers within The Best Free Literary Contests database.
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Winning Writers finds open submission calls and free contests in a variety of sources, including Erika Dreifus' Practicing Writer newsletter, FundsforWriters, Erica Verrillo's blog, Authors Publish, Lit Mag News Roundup, Poets & Writers, The Writer, Duotrope, and literary journals' own newsletters and announcements.
• Meetinghouse
(poetry, prose, translations, art - November 16)
• Sink Hollow
(poetry, fiction, essays, and art by undergraduates - November 18)
• Eldredge Books: "Fashionably Late 2" Anthology
(essays about coming out as LGBTQ after 30 - November 28)
• The Fiddlehead: "Disability: The Revolution!" Issue
(poetry, fiction, essays, reviews by disabled writers - November 30)
• Tint Journal
(creative writing by non-native English speakers - November 30)
• Months to Years
(poetry, essays, and artwork about death and grief - December 1)
• DASH
(shorter poems and prose pieces - March 1)
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This month, editor Jendi Reiter presents selected books that deserve your attention. There are many more in our Books resource section. Winning Writers earns a small commission from books sold by Amazon.
 Jude Ellison S. Doyle
DILF: DID I LEAVE FEMINISM?
This incisive and funny memoir-in-essays explores the fraught but inseparable relationship between transmasculine people and feminist movements. A prominent feminist cultural critic before his transition, Doyle found that his experience was erased or his credentials questioned in spaces he had once fought for, even while he remained subject to patriarchal oppression as a gender minority. The book weaves personal anecdotes with important reassessments of Second Wave thinkers, recovering a complex historical record that reveals the gender essentialism of contemporary TERFs as a deviation from the movement.
Ron Currie
THE SAVAGE, NOBLE DEATH OF BABS DIONNE
This noir thriller is set in a post-industrial town in Maine where the French-Canadian residents have little left but their pride. The titular anti-heroine is a doting grandmother, fierce defender of her heritage, and local drug kingpin who justifies her extra-legal activities as a way to offset decades of discrimination against her community. When organized crime lords in Canada try to take over her business, at the same time as her daughter is found dead, Babs and her crew of chainsmoking grannies will stop at nothing to retain their autonomy and avenge her family. These characters are beyond messy but their love for each other and their community lifts the book out of bleakness.
S.J. Sindu
BLUE-SKINNED GODS
Brought up to believe that his blue skin is a miracle that makes him Vishnu reincarnated, a youth in an Indian village strives to break free of the cult of personality that his domineering father has woven around him. Later, as a young man seeking his place among queer South Asian expats in New York City, he becomes an influencer for a rock band and must once more confront the tension between honesty and belonging. Legends of gender-fluid deities and heroes in Indian mythology guide his coming-of-age journey.
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