With thousands of dollars in cash prizes and numerous opportunities to secure a publishing contract, you’re sure to find the right free writing contest for your work. We found 40 reputable, well-reviewed, free writing contests for poets, fiction writers, essayists and more. Some legitimate contests charge small entry fees, but often a fee can be a red flag for a scam, so those might be the ones you want to stay away from.īesides, there are plenty of free writing contests that encourage and inspire boundless creativity with real cash prizes and career-advancing opportunities! Since it can be hard for a writer to know where to find them, we did the legwork for you. Have you ever Googled “writing contests”? Many require reading fees or prizes-like seeing your work in print-that you can only receive if you pay for it.
