August’s in full swing, and if you’ve got words burning to be read, now’s a good time to send them out. From poetry and short story contests to fellowships, grants, and calls that don’t quite fit into a box, there’s plenty of writing competitions and opportunities to explore in this listicle.
Everything listed here is free to enter and grouped by category: open calls, region-specific submissions, fellowships, and more, so you can easily find what works for you.
Bookmark this page and pop back in during the month; new calls will be added as they drop.
Send your work out (and have fun with it.)
Call for Submissions By Categories
OPEN TO ALL WRITERS (WORLDWIDE)
These are poetry, prose, playwriting, and other opportunities for writers without restrictions based on location, demographics, or other criteria.
Abyss & Apex is accepting speculative fiction submissions (up to 10,000 words) from August 1–7, 2025, paying $0.08/word up to $80 max, and speculative poetry submissions in November 2025 for $5.50 per poem.
carte blanche is accepting unpublished fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, comics, photography, and French-to-English translations for Issue 52 on the theme of “Transformation” (pay: $75 per piece; deadline: August 11, 2025).
Orion Magazine is accepting nonfiction story pitches for its Spring 2026 “Labor Issue: Working the Land” with a $1000 payment per accepted feature (deadline: August 15, 2025).
The Society of Classical Poets is accepting traditional haiku submissions (3 per entrant) for a $200 prize (deadline: August 15, 2025).
Air and Nothingness Press is seeking speculative fiction stories (≤2000 words) on memory manipulation for their Mmeory anthology, paying $0.08/word (deadline: August 15, 2025).
Ligonier Valley Writers is accepting flash fiction entries exploring the dark (or light) side of AI/robots for their 20th annual contest; cash prizes up to $50, no entry fee (deadline: August 15, 2025).
Forum for Modern Language Studies is accepting English-language essays (6,000–8,000 words) on the theme “Anniversaries” for the 2025 Forum Prize, awarding £500 to the winner (deadline: August 15, 2025).
Mofic is hosting a free-entry writing contest for writers who upload at least 10 chapters to their platform, offering cash prizes up to $700 (deadline: August 20, 2025).
The Val Wood Prize 2025 is accepting short fiction entries (max 1,500 words) on the theme Secrets, with a £100 top prize and a deadline of August 31, 2025.
Lunch Ticket is accepting creative nonfiction submissions for the Diana Woods Memorial Award, offering $250 and publication (deadline: August 31, 2025).
Lunch Ticket is accepting submissions for The Gabo Prize for literary translation and multilingual texts, awarding $200 and publication (deadline: August 31, 2025).
GRANT WRITING OPPORTUNITIES, AWARDS, PRIZES AND CREATIVE WRITING FELLOWSHIPS & WORKSHOPS
The Oregon Literary Arts is offering 2026 Fellowships for Oregon-based writers in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, and young readers literature, with awards of $4,000–$10,000 (deadline: August 8, 2025). They are also accepting applications from Oregon-based publishers for the 2026 Oregon Literary Fellowships.
The Literary Translators’ Association of Canada is accepting submissions for the John Glassco Translation Prize, awarding $1,000 and a one-year LTAC membership to an emerging literary translator for their first book-length translation (deadline: August 8, 2025).
Pulitzer Center is offering AI Accountability Fellowships for journalists with in-depth AI reporting projects, providing up to $20,000 in support (deadline: August 11, 2025).
The University of Melbourne is offering the Peter Blazey Fellowship for Australian writers working on biography, autobiography, or life writing, with a $20,000 prize (deadline: August 11, 2025).
The Giller Prize is accepting submissions of novels, graphic novels, and short story collections by Canadian authors for a $100,000 CAD prize (deadline: August 15, 2025).
The Yale Drama Series is accepting full-length, unpublished play submissions in English for its 2026 playwriting competition; the winner receives $10,000, publication by Yale University Press, and a staged reading (deadline: August 15, 2025).
The Jan Michalski Foundation is offering fully funded writing residencies in Switzerland for writers and translators of all levels, with a CHF 400 weekly stipend (deadline: August 27, 2025).
WITH RESTRICTIONS
Opportunities for writers from specific regions, demographics, or calls with themes.
Pepper Coast Mag is accepting unpublished poetry submissions (1 poem, max 50 lines) for the 2025 Kofi Awoonor Poetry Prize, awarding $150 and publication (deadline: August 8, 2025).
Aké Review is accepting unpublished poetry (up to 3 poems), fiction/reflections (max 800 words), and artwork (max 2 pieces) for its 2025 edition on the theme “Reclaiming Truth” (token fee + 2 contributor copies; deadline: August 15, 2025).
Waterford Poetry Prize 2025 is accepting unpublished poetry submissions from writers living in Ireland, with prizes of €500, €400, and €300 (deadline: August 15, 2025).
The Mo Issa Writing Workshops 2025 is accepting applications from writers of fiction and nonfiction (deadline: August 15, 2025).
Pen&Quill is accepting poetry, prose, and other writing from writers aged 12–21 for its 3rd Annual Summer Competition (prizes: up to $200; deadline: August 21, 2025).
The Women’s Prize for Fiction is accepting submissions of full-length novels written in English by women for a chance to win £30,000 and the Bessie sculpture (deadline: August 29, 2025).
The Kindle Storyteller UK is accepting entries of self-published books in any genre via KDP (eBook + paperback) for a £20,000 prize (deadline: August 31, 2025).
The Mustapha Matura Award & Mentoring Programme is accepting submissions from Black playwrights of Caribbean and African descent in the UK (aged 25 and under), offering a £3,000 prize and a 9-month mentorship with a leading playwright (deadline: August 31, 2025).
The 30th International “Kusamakura” Haiku Competition is accepting original haiku submissions in English, Chinese, or Spanish, with a grand prize that includes an invitation to Kumamoto and up to ¥500,000 in travel support (deadline: August 31, 2025).
Writers Project of Ghana is accepting submissions for the Abena Korantemaa Oral History Prize — a GHC 3,500 award for 15–25 minute audio recordings of oral histories told by Ghanaian women aged 65+ (deadline: August 31, 2025).
WRITING OPPORTUNITIES WITH SEPTEMBER 2025 DEADLINES
Toronto Journal is accepting fiction and non-fiction submissions (set in the Greater Toronto Area) for its Winter 2026 issue; pay is $50 per piece (deadline: September 1, 2025).
Split Lip Magazine is accepting unpublished poetry, fiction (1,000–3,000 words), flash (under 1,000 words), memoir (under 2,000 words), art, and reviews, paying $75 per piece and $50 for mini-reviews (deadline for free submissions: September 2025).
The Hinternet is accepting essays (2,000–10,000 words) exploring how technology can promote peace, with a $10,000 prize (deadline: September 1, 2025).
ROLLING SUBMISSIONS
The Orange & Bee is seeking original fiction, poetry, and nonfiction that engage with fairy tales, paying up to $0.08/word or $80/flash piece or $50/poem (deadlines: January 14, July 14, and October 14, 2025).
The First Line is seeking fiction (300–5,000 words), poetry, and nonfiction essays that start with provided first lines, paying $25–$50 for fiction, $10 for poetry, and $25 for nonfiction (deadlines: Feb 1, May 1, Aug 1, and Nov 1, 2025).
Big Score Lit is seeking critical essays (not book reviews) from writers on a rolling basis, paying $400–$3,000 depending on word count and scope (currently reading for Spring 2026 issue).
Nashville Review is accepting fiction, poetry, nonfiction, translation, comics, and art submissions during August and January (year-round for comics and art), paying $25 per poem and $100 per prose or art piece.
Dark Holme Publishing is seeking psychological horror novellas (30,000–50,000 words) for The 13th Floor anthology, with an eerie, character-driven tone and a focus on supernatural or speculative horror.
Minority Africa is seeking multimedia feature pitches focused on solution-driven stories about African minorities, paying $100–$200 per piece (rolling deadline).
Bonus: Check out our full list of writing opportunities with rolling submissions here.
FAQs
What are the best free writing contests for beginners?
Several contests in this list have no entry fees, and they are run by prestigious organizations.
P.S.: If you’ve ever won a writing contest/gotten published/any other opportunity via these free-entry writing competitions and opportunities shared on D’LitReview, please let me know!
P.P.S.: If you liked this list, kindly share it with others who would love to see it too. Thanks for reading!
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Mooch Simon