July's Writing Contests & Opportunities
Vetted Shortlists for The Busy Writer
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
(inc. Short/Flash/Micro fiction)
Nonfiction/Essay
Grants or Fellowships or Residency
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.
POETRY
1. Chapbook Contest
Hosted by: Diagram + New Michigan Press
Details
Prize: $1000, Publication + 25 author copies (Finalists considered for publication)
Genre: Unpublished work (unpublished as a whole; individual pieces may be published already of course), prose or poetry or some combination or something between genres, 18-44 manuscript pages (no more than one poem per page)
Deadline: JULY 15
2. Poetry Book Award
Hosted by: Press 53
This annual competition recognizes an outstanding, unpublished full-length poetry manuscript. The winner receives a cash advance, publication under the Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection, and author copies.
Details:
Prize: First: $1,000 advance + publication + 53 author copies
Genre: Poetry (unpublished full-length manuscript)
Length: 50–120 pages
Deadline: July 31, 2025 (midnight EST)
Open to: U.S. residents (including territories), ages 18+
Judge: Tom Lombardo (Press 53 Poetry Series Editor)
Eligibility: Writers aged 18+ / Manuscripts must be unpublished in full (chapbook/individual poems previously published okay) / Simultaneous submissions allowed.
Entry Fee: $30 per manuscript
FICTION
1. The Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition
Hosted by: The Ghost Story (UK)
This annual contest celebrates exceptional supernatural or uncanny flash fiction. Submissions between 250 and 1,000 words are welcome, whether ghostly, surreal, magical realist, or otherwise uncanny. Winners receive a cash prize and publication on The Ghost Story website.
Details:
Prize: £1,000 + online publication winner + £200 to two honorable mentions
Genre: Flash fiction (250–1,000 words), supernatural or uncanny themes
Deadline: July 15, 2025
Open to: International submissions
Eligibility: Open to all flash fiction writers. Previously unpublished work only. Simultaneous submissions are allowed
Length: 250–1,000 words
Entry Fee: £15 (multiple entries allowed)
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: July 31, 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
NON-FICTION / ESSAY
1. Sewanee Review Nonfiction Contest
This July, the Sewanee Review will hold its eighth annual Nonfiction contest. This year’s judge is Roger Reeves in creative nonfiction.
Contest Dates Open July 1st—31st
GRANT / FELLOWSHIP / RESIDENCY
Book Residency Grant (Women)
Organization: Women’s Studio Workshop
The Artist’s Book Grant is a six- to eight-week residency for artists to produce a limited edition book work. Working intensively in our studios, artists print and bind their own books, and are encouraged to create an edition size no larger than 100 and no smaller than 50.The grant includes a stipend of $350/week, up to $750 for materials, up to $250 for travel within the Continental US, free onsite housing, and 24/7 studio access. WSW can provide technical advice; training on new equipment, techniques, and materials; and production assistance. The contract stipulates that 20% of the edition goes to WSW’s archive, exhibition, and display copies; 20% of the edition goes to the artist; and 60% of the edition goes to general sales. WSW has developed a series of archive and exhibition opportunities for our artists’ books, and artists can collaborate with WSW on marketing for a 50% commission fee.
Deadline: July 15, 2025
CONFERENCE / WORKSHOP / RETREAT
Loghaven Artist Residency-Retreat
Hosted by: Loghaven Artist Residency (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Loghaven offers a retreat-style residency for artists across disciplines—including writers—who seek dedicated time, space, and financial support to create new work. The program is designed to be immersive and process-oriented, without the pressure of public presentations.
Details:
Length: 2–8 weeks
Includes: Weekly living stipend / Room and board / Travel subsidy / Freight /materials reimbursement
Setting: Historic cabin community in a scenic, wooded area
Deadline: July 15, 2025
Eligibility: Open to artists in all disciplines / Must be over 21 and demonstrate a serious commitment to their art / International artists eligible (depending on visa status and COVID guidelines)
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
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.
I’ve just learned about this whole chapbook thing, even though I don’t do poetry it’s really intriguing