August's Writing Contests & Opportunities

Your Monthly Submission Shortlist

Below is a carefully curated selection a few great vetted opportunities to keep you writing and submitting without analysis paralysis. Every month, I post 1-2 top-tier opportunities in the following categories that are worth your time and $ to submit.

• Poetry

• Fiction

• Nonfiction/Essay

• Grants, Fellowships, or Residencies.

• Workshops (online) & Retreats (in-person) or Conferences.

These Monthly Roundups are to help you submit your work without information overload. Let’s keep progressing your story.

1. Oxford Poetry Prize 2025

Hosted by: Partus Press. A prestigious annual prize for a single, unpublished poem in English. Winners receive significant cash awards and publication in a renowned literary magazine with a rich history dating back to 1910.

Prize Details:

• 1st Prize: £1,000

• 2nd Prize: £200

• 3rd Prize: £100

• All prize-winning poems published in Oxford Poetry

Eligibility & Guidelines:

• Submit a single poem per file, up to 50 lines (excluding title, epigraphs)

• Unlimited entries allowed; each poem requires a separate submission and fee

• Work must be original, unpublished, and not AI-generated

• Blind submissions: no author info in the poem file

• Open internationally; entrants must be 18+

• Fee: £10 per poem (limited low-income fee waivers available)

Important Dates:

• Submissions Open: May 1, 2025

• Deadline: Midnight UTC, August 31, 2025

• Expect results by November 2025

2. Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2025

Hosted by: Aesthetica Magazine (UK)

This prestigious international competition awards excellence in both poetry and short fiction. Winners receive a significant cash prize and publication in the annual anthology.

Award Details:

• Prize:

  • Poetry Winner: £2,500 (~$3,324 USD)

  • Short Fiction Winner: £2,500

  • Published in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual

  • Plus, plus, plus (see website).

• Deadline: August 31, 2025

• Entry Fees:

  • £12 for poetry

  • £18 for short fiction

Eligibility & Guidelines:

• Poetry: Up to 40 lines per poem

• Short Fiction: Up to 2,000 words

2. Short Story Competition

Hosted by: Anthology Magazine (Ireland)

This annual contest invites original, previously unpublished short stories on the theme of Memories. Open worldwide, it offers generous cash prizes and publication in a future issue.

Details:

• Prizes:

  1st: €1,000

  2nd: €250

  3rd: €150

• Genre: Short fiction (theme: Memories)

• Max Length: 1,500 words

• Deadline: August 1, 2025

• Open to: International submissions

• Eligibility: Open to all writers, any publication history. Original, unpublished work only. Multiple entries allowed (each with separate fee)

• Length: Up to 1,500 words

• Entry Fee: €10–€18 per story

Visit Website for Details

1. Prairie Schooner – Summer Creative Nonfiction Contest

Hosted by: University of Nebraska–Lincoln

This annual summer contest celebrates imaginative creative nonfiction essays. The winning entry receives a $1,000 prize and publication in the Spring 2026 issue—curated by guest judge Aimee Nezhukumatathil.

Contest Details:

• Prize: $1,000 + publication

• Genre: Creative nonfiction (essay up to 5,000 words)

• Deadline: August 1, 2025

• Entry Fee: $20 (includes a copy of the Spring 2026 issue)

Eligibility & Guidelines:

• Open to emerging and established writers

• Previously unpublished work only

• Simultaneous submissions allowed (must withdraw if accepted elsewhere)

• Manuscript must be double-spaced, standard font, and anonymized (name/contact info in cover letter only)

• Multiple submissions permitted (separate fee per entry)

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GRANT / FELLOWSHIP / RESIDENCY

James Castle House Artist Residency (2-week)

Boise City Department of Arts & History invites local and national emerging and mid-career artists in any creative field to apply for a two-week residency at the James Castle House in Boise, Idaho.

This residency invites artists to immerse themselves in the historic site where James Castle lived and worked for the last 46 years of his life. Artists are asked to explore the house, its history, and the surrounding landscape, and respond to their experience through the creation of new works. Residents will share their creative practice and process with our community through one public event during their stay.

Deadline: August 6, 2025

Each residency cycle provides one participant with private furnished living quarters, 24-hour studio access, and a $1,000.00 stipend to assist with living expenses and supplies necessary to create work. The resident is responsible for travel and shipping expenses.

*Please note that this is a solo residency. The selected participant will have regular contact with staff at the James Castle House and the Boise community, but they will reside alone.

Through this program, the James Castle House keeps the legacy of daily creativity and experimentation alive on-site, cultivating a growing local and national community and providing a deeper understanding of James Castle and the place he called home.

CONFERENCE / WORKSHOP / RETREAT

Deep Winter Writers 2026

Hosted by: Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity | Literary Arts
Location: Banff, Alberta, Canada

This immersive 19-day retreat invites writers in all creative genres to escape the demands of daily life and dive deep into a focused literary project. With space, solitude, and optional mentorship, Deep Winter Writers cultivates an environment of growth, community, and creative risk-taking.

Program Details:

• Dates: January 12 – 30, 2026

• Application Deadline: August 20, 2025

• Format: Self-directed with optional mentorship & workshops

• Faculty Mentors: Holly Pester, Divya Victor, Nasser Hussain

• Guest Editor: Joshua Rothes (Sublunary Editions)

• Duration: 3 weeks

Program Includes:

• Private accommodation and personal writing studio

• Optional:

  • One-on-one mentoring

  • Thematic talks and craft workshops

  • Faculty Q&As

  • Public reading opportunities

• Third week dedicated to focused writing without programming

• English-language program; only English submissions accepted

Eligibility:

• Open to emerging and established writers

• Writers must have a proven publication record

• Open to all creative genres

• Participants should be self-motivated and comfortable in an autonomous, unstructured residency.

I know we can get lost in long lists, so hopefully these quality monthly sub-samplers will be helpful. If you apply, let me know in the comments—I’d love to cheer you on and post your success in the newsletter.

Happy Submitting!

♥ NJ

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POEtic Threads: Apparel for Writers.

For those of us who live in words, edit with caffeine, and revise until our eyelids stick to our scleras. POEtic Threads focuses on comfortable, wearable pieces, that nod to the writing life: for when you’re deep in the draft trenches, heading to a reading/book club, or just want to be cozy.