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Best Writing Contests for 2026

Updated August 2026 · Top 10 · Ranked automatically from live listings

This list ranks the best writing contests currently open to entries, ordered by prize size with free-to-enter contests ranked ahead of fee-based ones. Every contest shows its deadline and entry fee up front, and closed contests drop off automatically — everything here is open right now.

  1. 1
    Writers' Trust of Canada

    Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction

    Writers' Trust of Canada is offering the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction to recognize excellence in Canadian nonfiction writing, with multiple submission deadlines throughout the year

    C$75,000Rolling deadlineFree to enter
  2. 2
    Berggruen Institute

    2026 Berggruen Prize Essay Competition — "A New Axial Age?" — $50,000 Prize

    Berggruen Institute is accepting essays up to 10,000 words on the theme "A New Axial Age?"

    $50,000Deadline: Aug 17, 2026Free to enter
  3. 3
    Epigram Literary Foundation Ltd

    Fiction (Novel or Short Story Collection)

    Epigram Literary Foundation Ltd is accepting novel or short story collection submissions for their annual Fiction Prize, with shortlisted entries announced in November and the winner announced the following January

    $25,000 SGDRolling deadlineFree to enter
  4. 4
    Kusamakura Haiku Competition (Kumamoto)

    Kusamakura Haiku Competition

    International haiku competition (English entries accepted). Grand Prize: goods worth ¥20,000. No entry fee.

    ¥20,000 (goods)Deadline: Aug 30, 2026Free to enter
  5. 5
    Amazon

    Kindle Storyteller Award

    Amazon is offering the Kindle Storyteller Award, an international prize recognizing authors who publish fiction, nonfiction, or any genre work through Kindle Direct Publishing, with reader voting playing a significant role in winner selection

    £20,000Deadline: Aug 31, 2026Free to enter
  6. 6
    American Blues Theater

    2027 Blue Ink Award for Playwriting

    American Blues Theater is offering the Blue Ink Award, an annual playwriting prize for original, unpublished full-length plays written in English, with cash prizes distributed to the winner, finalists, and semi-finalists, plus development support for the…

    Cash prize (the 2026 winner received $3,000); American Blues Theater states it distributes nearly $15,000 annually across winner, finalist and semi-finalist prizes and development supportDeadline: Aug 31, 2026Free to enter
  7. 7
    Shakespeare's Globe

    Climate Playwriting Prize 2026

    Shakespeare's Globe is inviting UK and UK-based playwrights to submit full-length plays (70 minutes or longer) engaging with the climate crisis, with the winner receiving a cash prize, dramaturgical support, industry exposure, and production opportunities or…

    £15,000 cash prize + dramaturgical supportDeadline: Sep 1, 2026Free to enter
  8. 8
    Writers Trust of Canada

    Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers

    Writers Trust of Canada is offering the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers to recognize and support emerging writers from the LGBTQ2S+ community, with multiple annual submission deadlines

    C$12,000 (LGBTQ2S+ emerging writers)Rolling deadlineFree to enter
  9. 9
    New York Public Library

    Young Lions Fiction Award

    New York Public Library is offering the Young Lions Fiction Award to recognize exceptional fiction by authors under 35

    $10,000Deadline: Sep 3, 2026Free to enter
  10. 10
    Otago University Press

    Kathleen Grattan Poetry Award

    Otago University Press is offering the Kathleen Grattan Poetry Award, a biennial prize for book-length poetry collections by New Zealand or South Pacific citizens or permanent residents, with a year's subscription to Landfall Tauraka included for the winning…

    NZ$10,000Deadline: Jul 31, 2027Free to enter
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How this list works

This ranking is recomputed automatically from CozyJobs' live opportunity data — no editorial picks. Larger awards rank first, free-to-enter programs rank ahead of fee-based ones at the same award level, and the soonest deadlines break ties. Opportunities past their deadline drop off automatically.

Frequently asked questions

Are writing contests worth entering?+

Selectively, yes — prioritize contests where the prize meaningfully exceeds the entry fee, the judge or publisher carries weight in your genre, and finalists get published or agented attention. A win or shortlist is a durable career credential.

Should I pay entry fees for writing contests?+

Modest fees ($10–$30) are standard for prizes run by literary magazines and presses — they fund the prize. Be skeptical of high fees relative to the award. This list ranks free-to-enter contests ahead of fee-based ones at the same prize level.

How is this list ranked and how often does it update?+

Rankings are recomputed automatically from live data: larger awards first, then free-to-enter programs, then the soonest upcoming deadlines. Closed or past-deadline opportunities drop off automatically, so every entry is open at the time you're reading.

Does CozyJobs list opportunities with entry fees?+

Yes, contests and residencies with modest entry fees are included when the award justifies it, and each listing shows the fee up front. Free-to-enter opportunities are ranked ahead of fee-based ones at the same award level.

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