Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards Program

Award Amount
Application deadline
Awarded By:

Writer's Digest

Number of Awards & Eligibility: Seven cash awards offered annually.
In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:
  1. Must have an interest in writing popular fiction in one or more of the following categories: crime; horror; romance; science fiction/fantasy; thriller; young adult.
  2. This award is for international and U.S. students.
  3. Entries are not accepted from the following countries due to SEC restrictions: Syria, Iran, North Korea.

In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

Description: This popular fiction writing contest is open to any writer who submits a story of 4,000 words or less in one or more of the following categories: crime; horror; romance; science fiction/fantasy; thriller; young adult. Entries are accepted from U.S. and non-U.S. residents with no age restriction; entries are not accepted from Syria, Iran, or North Korea due to SEC restrictions.

Application requirements for the Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards Program are:

  • Manuscript(s)
  • Entry fee (per manuscript)
Additional Information: Writer's Digest retains one-time publication rights to the grand prize, first prize, and honorable mention winning entries in each category to be published in a Writer's Digest publication. The following are not permitted to enter the contest: employees of F+W, a Content and eCommerce Company., and their immediate family members; Writer's Digest contributing editors and correspondents as listed on the masthead; Writer's Online Workshops instructors; and grand prize winners from the previous three years.

Award Amount: The grand prize winner will receive the following prizes: $2,500 in cash; an announcement of the winner on the cover of Writer's Digest (subscriber issues only); a paid trip to the Writer's Digest Conference; an interview with the author in Writer's Digest's May/June issue; $100 off a purchase at www.writersdigestshop.com; a copy of the 2018 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market. The first prize winner in each category will receive the following prizes: $500 in cash; an announcement of the winner in the May/June issue of Writer's Digest; $100 off a purchase at www.writersdigestshop.com; a copy of the 2018 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market. Honorable mentions will: have their stories promoted on writersdigest.com; and receive a copy of the 2018 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $786.

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Monday, September 16

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Monday, September 16

Entry forms and information are available online on the Writer's Digest website. To enter, the student must prepare a manuscript of no more than 4,000 words in one of the following short story categories: crime; horror; romance; science fiction/fantasy; thriller; young adult. Detailed explanations of each category are available on the Writer's Digest website. The entry must be original, in English, unpublished and unproduced, not accepted by any other publisher or producer at the time of submission. Any piece posted online, anywhere other than a personal blog, is considered published. Students may enter multiple manuscripts. It is highly recommended that the student read the information available at the "Preparing Your Entry Page" link before preparing his/her manuscript(s). Each manuscript must be accompanied by an entry form and entry fee. Only one entry form need be submitted for multiple manuscripts; however, there is a separate entry fee required for each manuscript.
About Writer's Digest:
Contact Information: x, x
Address: 10151 Carver Road Suite 200 Blue Ash, Ohio 45242

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