To submit the names of writing contests and awards for the month that I may have missed, please email me at fictionwriting.guide@about.com. To check out contests for other months, go to the list of months.
And read about our criteria for judging whether it's a legitimate contest or a writing scam.
- Binghamton University John Gardner Fiction Award -- March 1
$1,000 Award for a book of fiction published during the previous year. The writer will be asked to participate in an awards ceremony and to give a reading at the University. Three copies of each book should be sent to: Maria Mazziotti Gillan, Director, Creative Writing Program, Binghamton University-State University of New York, Department of English, General Literature, and Rhetoric, Library North Room 1149, Vestal Parkway East, P.O. Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000. - Del Sol Press Robert Olen Butler Fiction Prize -- March 1
$1,200 and publication for the best short story, either published (in a periodical) or unpublished, 2,000-8,000 words; open to submissions from both emerging and established writers. Top ten finalist stories will be published in book form in the spring. Finalists invited to submit book-length manuscripts for consideration by Del Sol Press. Send to: Katie Jean Shinkle, Contest Coordinator, Robert Olen Butler Short Fiction Prize, PO Box 1550, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403, $16.00 entry fee. - Gulf Coast
Writing Contests -- March 1
Prize is $1,000 in each genre (Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction) and publication in Gulf Coast. Submit one previously unpublished story or essay (25 pp max) to Gulf Coast Prize [genre], English Department, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-3013. $23.00 reading fee includes subscription. - James Jones Literary Society
First Novel Fellowship -- March 1
The Annual James Jones First Novel Fellowship will be awarded to an American author of a first novel-in-progress by the James Jones Literacy Society. Novellas and collections of closely linked short stories also considered. A two-page (maximum) outline of the entire novel and the first 50 pages of the novel-in-progress are to be submitted. James Jones First Novel Fellowship, c/o M.A./M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Wilkes University, 84 West South Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766. $25 reading fee. - The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop -- March 1
Young Writers is an intensive two-week workshop for writers aged 16-18, designed to help them develop their creative and critical abilities with language. Two sessions are offered in June and July. Apply online; submit scholarship applications via mail: Kenyon Review Young Writers, Finn House, 102 W. Wiggin Street, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio 43022-9623. - The Ledge
Fiction Awards Competition -- March 1
Three prizes of $1,000, $250, and $100, each with publication, for stories of no more than 7,500 words. Send entries to: The Ledge Fiction Awards, 40 Maple Avenue, Bellport, NY 11713. $10 fee. $20.00 subscription gains free entry. - Leeway Foundation
Art and Change Grants -- March 1
Project-based grants of up to $2,500 for women and trans artists in the Delaware Valley region (Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties) who create art for social change. The grant supports projects that have an impact on the artist and a larger group, audience, or community. Mail application to: Leeway Foundation, The Philadelphia Building, 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 832, Philadelphia, PA 19107. - Writers @ Work Fellowship Competition -- March 1
2010 GUIDELINE UNAVAILABLE AT TIME OF WRITING. CHECK SITE FOR UPDATES. Writers @ Work, a non-profit literary arts organization that hosts a conference each June, offers an annual Fellowship Competition for emerging writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Winners are honored with cash prizes and publication in Quarterly West, and a consultation with prominent editor or agent. See website for submission information. - Short Story Radio Romance Award -- TBA
Founded in 2006, Short Story Radio broadcasts professional recordings of short stories by published and previously unpublished writers. The winning entrant to their short story competition will have his or her story professionally recorded by a British Equity member actor and broadcast on www.shortstoryradio.com, and £150. Submit stories of 5,000 words maximum; see website for full details. £8 entry fee. - New South Review Writing Contest -- March 4
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in New South are given annually for a poem and short story. Send work of 7500 words or less to: New South/Writing Contest, Campus Box 1894, Georgia State University, MSC 8R0322 Unit 8, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3083. $15 reading fee.