Annual APEX Awards for Publication Excellence
An annual competition for writers, editors, publications staff, and both business and non-profit communicators.
www.apexawards.com Details

Arizona Authors Association Awards
AAA requires entries for unpublished poetry, short stories, essays/articles, and novels. Cash prizes of $100 in each category, plus publication, are offered. Deadline: July 1, annually. Entry fees vary from $10 (poetry) to $30 (novels).
azauthors.com Details

Associated Writing Programs Awards
Annual awards of $2,000 (plus publication) are offered for original, unpublished, book-length work in each of three categories: novels, poetry, and creative non-fiction. Reading fee: $20. Deadline: February 28. Open to U.S. residents only.
www.awpwriter.org Details

AwardWeb
Information on major literary awards throughout the USA and other countries, particularly focusing on (though not limited to) science fiction and fantasy.
www.dpsinfo.com Details

Boston Review Annual Short Story and Poetry Contests
Contests for original, unpublished short stories (up to 4,000 words) and poems (no more than 10 pages) in any genre. Closing dates: September 1, and June 1, respectively. Entry fees: $20, and $15, respectively.
bostonreview.mit.edu Details

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
San Jose State University sponsors this yearly challenge 'to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels'. No entry fee. Official deadline: April 15.
www.bulwer-lytton.com Details

ByLine Magazine Contests
Writers magazine offers a large number of contests throughout the year, including poetry, fiction, non-fiction. Open to all. Modest cash prizes.
www.bylinemag.com Details

Communicator Awards, The
Annual competitions honoring excellence in all areas of communication, with separate categories for print (177 sub-categories), video (216 sub-categories) and audio (140 sub-categories).
www.communicator-awards.com Details

Flyway
6th Annual Flyway Sweet Corn Prize. $150 and a book bag of Iowa sweet corn for top entries in each category: fiction, nonfiction (maximum: 4,000 words) and poetry. Reading fee: $18. Deadline March 1st.
www.engl.iastate.edu Details