The April 2025 edition of "Get Submitting" is a monthly hand-curated list of the top five contests, grants, scholarships, submission calls, and awards. We try to prioritize opportunities that are at least one of the following: open to all genres, local, free to apply, and/or committed to celebrating and supporting writers from historically marginalized communities. We do the research, so you have more time for what matters: the writing.

Contests & Awards

Annual Literary Contest | Solstice Magazine

Fee: $18; Award:$500 - $1,000; Opens: April 1st

Solstice Magazine's Annual Literary Contest judges this year are Helen Elaine Lee (Fiction Prize), Sandra Lim (Stephen Dunn Poetry Prize), J. D. Scrimgeour (Michael Steinberg
Nonfiction Prize, Bhanu Pratap (Graphic Lit Prize). Winners, 5 finalists, and Editors’ Choice in each genre will be published in our Summer Awards Issue due out in August. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry | Beloit Poetry Journal

Fee: $15; Award: $1,500 and publication; Deadline: April 30th

Beloit Poetry Journal invites submissions for the Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry. This year's judge is Nikky Finney. Submit 1-3 unpublished poems on any subject in any style up to a maximum of 10 pages per entry. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Annual Writing Competition | Writer's Digest

Fee: $20-$30; Grand Prize Award: $5,000; Early Bird Deadline: May 5th

Writer’s Digest wants to shine the spotlight on up-and-coming writers in all genres through its Annual Writing Competition. Enter our 94th Annual Writing Competition for your chance to win and have editors and agents see your works! Almost 500 winners will be chosen. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Creative Nonfiction Book Award: Aurora Polaris | Trio House Press

Fee: $25; Award: $1,000 and 20 books; Deadline: May 15th

Trio House Press is pleased to offer the Aurora Polaris Award for a book of creative nonfiction of up to 80,000 words, open to writers at any stage of their career, in any form of creative nonfiction. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Grants

Creative Nonfiction Grant | Whiting Foundation

Fee: $0; Award: $40,000; Deadline: April 23rd

The 2025 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant of $40,000 will be awarded to as many as ten writers in the process of completing a book-length work of deeply researched and imaginatively composed nonfiction for a general adult readership. It is intended for multiyear book projects requiring large amounts of deep and focused research, thinking, and writing at a crucial point mid-process, after significant work has been accomplished but when an extra infusion of support can make a difference in the ultimate shape and quality of the work. Visit the website for complete guidelines.