Writers of the Future Contest
ListedCompetition
- Award
- Quarterly cash prizes $1,000/$750/$500, paid within 60 days of announcement. Quarterly first winners compete for an additional $5,000 annual cash prize. Winners offered travel/hotel for annual ceremony and free writing workshop.
- Deadline
- Recurring quarterly cutoffs: December 31, March 31, June 30 and September 30, midnight Pacific Time; postal postmark or electronic receipt. Late work moves to following quarter.
- How to apply
- Submit one original English speculative-fiction prose manuscript per quarter online or by mail, with anonymous double-spaced numbered pages and separate contact/word-count information. Short story under 10,000 words or novelette under 17,000; no AI-generated content, already published work, fanfiction or nonspeculative work. No entry fee; no revisions after submission.
- Who can apply
- New/amateur writers who have not professionally published a novel/short novel, more than one novelette, or more than three short stories. Professional means at least eight cents/word and at least 5,000 copies/hits. Any quarterly prize winner cannot enter again; unchanged repeated submissions become ineligible. Void where prohibited by law; rules impose no age restriction.
- Good to know
- Authors retain publication rights; any anthology inclusion handled separately with winners. Contest year October 1-September 30.
- Details
- WritingNo AI assistance allowed