July’s here, and it’s the perfect moment to share your work with the world. If you’re interested in free-entry writing competitions, poetry and short story contests, awards, or something that refuses to be labeled, there’s a spot here waiting for you.
All the opportunities listed are free to enter and sorted into open calls, region-specific submissions, fellowships, and grants, so you can easily find what fits.
Bookmark this page and check back often; I’ll keep adding new calls as they pop up.
Put your work out there. And have fun while at 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.
Gryllus and Hobby Horse Press are accepting stories, poems, dialogues, and screenplays made entirely of dialogue for their Conversation Piece contest (cash prize, publication, deadline: July 7, 2025).
The HG Wells Short Story Competition is accepting short stories (1,500–5,000 words) on the theme “The Middle Ground” with prizes of £1,000 (under 22) and £500 (over 21); deadline: July 8, 2025.
The International Science Council is seeking freelance science writers to join its paid roster (deadline: July 11, 2025).
The Burlington Contemporary is accepting unpublished reviews of contemporary art exhibitions for its Art Writing Prize (£1,000 award; deadline: July 14, 2025).
Poets & Patrons is accepting traditional and modern sonnet submissions for the 2025 Helen Schaible International Sonnet Contest, offering prizes up to $50 (deadline: July 15, 2025).
Able Muse Press is accepting book-length poetry, fiction, and nonfiction manuscripts worldwide with no reading fee (deadline: July 15, 2025).
Humans & Nature Press Digital is accepting essays, poetry, and artwork on the theme of seeds, paying $500 per contributor (deadline: July 15, 2025).
The Sunlight Press is accepting personal essays, reviews, artist reflections, and photography submissions (pay: $50 for essays and fiction, $35+ for poetry, $20 per photo; deadline: July 15, 2025, or until caps are reached).
Brink Literary Journal is accepting hybrid, cross-genre, and other creative work (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translation, art) on the theme of Obsession, paying $25–$100 per piece (deadline: July 31, 2025).
New Myths is looking for fiction, poetry, and nonfiction submissions (pay: 3 cents/word, minimum $50; deadline: July 31, 2025).
Biopage is accepting inspiring, uplifting, and heartwarming stories for its Storytelling Writing Contest with a top prize of $300 (deadline: July 31, 2025).
GRANT WRITING OPPORTUNITIES, AWARDS, AND CREATIVE WRITING FELLOWSHIPS & WORKSHOPS
The Sir Harry Evans Global Fellowship is accepting applications from early-career journalists for a nine-month investigative journalism fellowship at Durham University and Reuters, offering a monthly salary of ~£4,444 plus stipends (deadline: July 7, 2025).
The Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism is offering grants of up to $5,000 to women and nonbinary print journalists worldwide for narrative journalism projects (deadline: July 13, 2025).
FSG Fellowship is accepting fiction, nonfiction, or poetry samples from emerging U.S.-based writers for a $15,000 fellowship (deadline: July 18, 2025).
The Speculative Literature Foundation is offering $500 grants to support diverse speculative fiction writers and projects (deadline: July 31, 2025).
WITH RESTRICTIONS
Opportunities for writers from specific regions, demographics, or calls with themes.
The Banff Mountain Book Competition is accepting mountain literature submissions of all forms with over $29,000 in prizes (deadline: July 3, 2025).
The Hubert Butler Essay Prize is seeking essays from UK or EU writers on the 2025 theme (check their website for the theme), offering a €1,500 first prize (deadline: July 4, 2025).
Line of Advance is accepting prose and poetry submissions from U.S. military service members, veterans, and their families for the 2025 Colonel Darron L. Wright Memorial Writing Awards (cash prizes: $250, $150, $100; deadline: July 4, 2025).
Mslexia is accepting short fiction (up to 2,200 words) and poetry (up to 40 lines) from women writers for their Showcase section, with payment for published pieces (deadline: July 7, 2025).
Kokonut Head Media is seeking three African writers for a paid three-month residency to produce short stories (deadline: July 15, 2025).
Uncovered Travel Initiative Africa is accepting travel stories (1,000–1,200 words) on the theme “Encounters that inspire conservation” for their Travel Writing Competition 2025 (deadline: July 15, 2025).
The Margins (Asian American Writers’ Workshop) is accepting poems and visual art on the theme “Imagined Histories” (pay: paid, see rate sheet; deadline: July 15, 2025).
A Long House is seeking poetry and nonfiction from Black and African writers living with chronic illness for its chapbook Chronic (pay: $50; deadline: July 15, 2025).
The 2025 Black Voices in Children’s Literature Writing Contest is accepting unpublished children’s book manuscripts from Black U.S.-based writers (prizes: $1,000, $500, $250; deadline: July 21, 2025).
Gaudy Boy is seeking unpublished adult novel manuscripts from authors of Asian heritage worldwide, offering a $1,500 advance plus publication in the US and Singapore (deadline: July 31, 2025).
khōréō is looking for short speculative fiction (under 5,000 words) from immigrant and diaspora writers, paying $0.08–$0.10 per word (deadline: July 31, 2025).
WRITING OPPORTUNITIES WITH AUGUST 2025 DEADLINES
BOA Editions is seeking book-length poetry manuscripts from women poets of color in the U.S. for the Blessing the Boats Selections (honorarium: $1,500; deadline: August 1, 2025).
Taco Bell Quarterly is looking for prose, poetry, art, and more that intersect with Taco Bell, paying $150 (deadline: August 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).
Chicken Soup for the Soul is looking for story and poetry submissions for upcoming books; they pay only if your piece is published (deadline: rolling).
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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David