September 05, 2026
Contests, Grants, and Residencies
MacDowell – Fellowship / Residency 2027 (Multidisciplinary / Writing Residency)
A month-long retreat in Peterborough, New Hampshire providing artists with private studios, room and board, and financial aid opportunities. Submission requires a project description, curriculum vitae, and writing sample.
L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future – Science Fiction & Fantasy
A long-running competition geared toward emerging, non-professionally established writers working in speculative genres, offering cash awards, publication, and career opportunities.
NYPL Cullman Center – Fellowship 2027–28 (Scholarly & Creative Writing)
A fellowship awarding 15 writers, scholars, and translators an eight-month residency and stipend to complete projects that explicitly require on-site use of the New York Public Library’s physical research collections.
Sejong International – Sijo Competition (Poetry)
An international poetry contest focusing on the traditional Korean Sijo format, inviting participants to blend established structural conventions with contemporary themes.
Speculative Literature Foundation (SLF) – Working Class Writer’s Grant (Speculative Fiction)
An annual grant established to support financially disadvantaged speculative fiction writers in continuing their work and creative projects.
Chestnut Review – Winter Edition (Literary / Narrative)
Chestnut Review seeks compelling narrative work highlighted by resonant imagery and rich language for inclusion in their quarterly online publication and annual print anthology.
The Lindenwood Review – Creative Non-Fiction Contest (Flash Nonfiction)
Organized by Lindenwood University’s MFA in Writing Program, this free contest is open to US undergraduate students from any college. Accepted submissions include personal narratives, lyrical essays, and experimental creative nonfiction across diverse formats.
Hedge Apple Magazine – Halloween Contest (Artwork, Photography, Poetry, & Fiction)
Open to everyone, this contest accepts artwork, photography, poetry, and fiction pieces up to 2,000 words. Winners will be announced during Halloween week on the magazine’s website.
Drinking Gourd / Northwestern University – Chapbook Poetry Prize
A first-book poetry award administered by Northwestern University aimed at poets creating, giving voice to, and sharing the lived experiences of people of color.
Palette Poetry – Open Submissions (Poetry)
A fee-free submission queue welcoming emerging poets to submit up to five unpublished poems (totaling no more than 10 pages) in a single document.
Find more open contests, conferences, submissions and events on the Opportunities page here!