10 Writing Contests for March 2024

Here are ten writing contests with March 2024 deadlines that do and do not charge entry fees. Contests may have certain restrictions, so please read the rules and/or guidelines carefully before submitting your work. Good luck!

Baltimore Science Fiction Society Poetry Contest. Form: Unpublished poetry (up to 60 lines). Entries should address the themes of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and science. Reprints: No. Entry Fee: Free. Prize: $100, 2nd Prize: $75, and 3rd Prize: $50. Winners will also receive publication, an invitation to read at Balticon, and a convention membership. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize. Form: Unpublished short story (up to 750 words). Reprints: No. Entry Fee: $25 per story. Prize: $1,000, publication, a free 10-week course with Gotham Writers, and the winning story performed by an actor. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Wolfson Poetry Chapbook Prize. Form: Unpublished poetry manuscript (25–40 pages). Entry Fee: $15. Prize: $500 + fifty complimentary chapbook copies. Deadline: March 18, 2024.

Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest is open to citizens or residents of Canada. Form: Unpublished personal essay (2,000–5,000 words). Entry Fee: $40 + a one-year subscription to The New Quarterly. Prize: $1,000. All entries chosen for publication will be paid $250. Deadline: March 28, 2024.

Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry Oklahoma Poem Contest. Entrants who reside in Oklahoma may submit an unpublished poem (up to 30 lines) that honors or celebrates the state. Poems are judged in four categories: K-4th, 5th-8th, 9th-12th, and Adult. Entry Fee: Free. Prize: Monetary (amounts not disclosed). Deadline: March 28, 2024.

The Plaza Prose Poetry Prize. Form: Unpublished prose poetry (up to 450 words with a 50-line maximum). Entry Fee: £11 (£5.50 per subsequent entry). Prize: £750, 2nd Prize: £200, and 3rd Prize: £50. Ten shortlisted entries will receive publication. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Indignor Playhouse Short Story Annual Competition is open to new and published writers. Theme: Fear. Form: Unpublished short stories (up to 5,000 words). Entry Fee: $20. Prize: $500, 2nd Prize: $250, and 3rd Prize: $150. Winners also receive publication, a medal, and other exciting prizes. Deadline: March 31, 2024. Click here for contest rules.

The Plaza Microfiction Prize. Form: Unpublished microfiction (up to 300 words). Entry Fee: £9 (£4.50 per subsequent entry). Prize: £500, 2nd Prize: £150, and 3rd Prize: £50. Ten shortlisted entries will receive publication. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Fish Publishing Poetry Prize. Form: Unpublished poetry (up to 60 lines). Entry Fee: €14 for online entries (€9 for subsequent online entries) and €16 for mailed entries (€11 for subsequent mailed entries). Prize: €1,000, 2nd Prize: €300 + a writing course, 3rd Prize: €300, and seven honorable mentions. All ten winners will be published in Fish Anthology 2024, receive five complimentary anthology copies, and be invited to read at the West Cork Literary Festival in Ireland. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

The Plaza Flash Fiction Prize. Form: Unpublished flash fiction (up to 1,000 words). Entry Fee: £11 (£5.50 per subsequent entry). Prize: £1,000, 2nd Prize: £300, and 3rd Prize: £100. Ten shortlisted entries will receive publication. Deadline: March 31, 2024.

Want writing gigs delivered to your inbox? Click the “Follow” button under The Author’s Source’s logo.