Writing Contests: May 2025

Quality over quantity. Hence the small list of writing contests. Focusing on fewer projects at a time, but putting more of yourself into each one should help the quality of your writing to rise (I know this, and yet I continue to pile too much extra writing upon myself).

Mistakes can happen, no matter how hard I try to prevent them. For any of the contests below, make sure you go directly to the contest source and read all available information found there, as sometimes I get it wrong, or details change after I publish my blog post.

Any quotes beneath the different headings are from the featured contest's website. Have fun, and good luck!

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2025 RBC PEN Canada New Voices Award

Contest Deadline: "Monday May 12, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. EST. "

Entry Fee: Pretty sure it is free.

Special Requirements: "[The] Writer must be 17 or over as of Monday, March 17, 2025".

Theme: None found.

Age Category: 17 and up.

Rights Information: None found. *

Prize: $3,000 CAD, mentorship from a Canadian author.

Prose Submissions: between 2,000 and 4,000 words.

Poetry Submissions: May enter multiple poems, but the combined word count must be 2,500 words or less.

You can read more, including formatting specifications, here.

*I was unable to find information about what rights (if any) PEN Canada wishes to have over the winning poetry or prose. I would recommend contacting the contest manager with any questions you may have. There is an email address close to the bottom of this webpage where you can send questions regarding the award.

A Very Short Story Contest

Contest Deadline: "Entries must be submitted online by 11:59 pm Eastern Time, Friday, May 31, 2025."

Entry Fee: FREE

Special Requirements:  Entries must be no more than 10 words long. Also, see next contest listed.

Theme: None

Age Category: None

Rights Information: Unspecified.

Prizes: Winning entry will be posted on GothamWriters.com. "Winner receives a free Gotham class of their choosing, excluding any premium classes (Zoetrope Fiction, Business Writing, Level III)".

One entry per person.

You can find details here.

"The winner will be notified by mid-June."

Briefly Write 10

Contest Deadline: May 31, 2025

Entry Fee: FREE

Special Requirements: Entries must be exactly ten words long.

Theme: Action.

Age Category: None found.

Rights Information: "By entering Write 10, you are granting us first electronic rights only. Copyright reverts to the author upon publication."

Prize: Unspecified. Sounds like there is a small monetary prize of some sort.

Take a minute to read the information shared on this page. You'll find story structuring ideas, rules, and links to previous winning stories.

One entry per person.

Results will be out by the end of August.