Beware the Ides of March! After all, when they’re upon us it means there’s only 15 more days to get your stuff together and submit to these contests. If only there were 23 contests here instead of 15… you know, one for each of Caesar’s stab wounds.
That would make for some powerful symmetry right?
The Cutbank Montana Prize in Fiction
- Deadline: March 1
- Guidelines: 35 pages or fewer
- Entry fee: $17
- First Prize: $500
The Pinch Literary Awards
- Deadline: March 14
- Guidelines: 5,000 words or fewer
- Entry fee: $20
- First Prize: $1,000
The Bellingham Review Literary Awards
- Deadline: March 15
- Guidelines: 6,000 words or fewer
- Entry fee: $18
- First Prize: $1,000
The Colorado Review Nelligan Prize
- Deadline: March 15
- Guidelines: 50 pages or fewer
- Entry fee: $15
- First Prize: $2,000
The Enizagam Literary Awards
- Deadline: March 15
- Guidelines: 6,000 words or fewer
- Entry fee: $20
- First prize: $1,000
The Gulf Coast Writing Contest
- Deadline: March 15
- Guidelines: 25 pages or fewer
- Entry fee: $23
- First prize: $1,500
- Deadline: March 15
- Guidelines: 9,000 words or fewer
- Entry fee: $15
- First prize: $1,000
The Selected Shorts Stella Kupferberg Short Story Prize
- Deadline: March 15
- Guidelines: 750 words or fewer (theme: complicated families)
- Entry fee: $25
- First Prize: $1,000
- Deadline: March 15
- Guidelines: 25 pages or fewer
- Entry fee: $15
- First prize: $1,000
The Florida Review Editors’ Awards
- Deadline: March 17
- Guidelines: 6,000 words or fewer
- Entry fee: $15
- First prize: $1,000
The Arts & Letters Prize Competition
- Deadline: March 18
- Guidelines: 25 pages or fewer
- Entry fee: $15
- First prize: $1,000
The DIAGRAM Innovative Fiction Contest
- Deadline: March 31
- Guidelines: 10,000 words or fewer
- Entry fee: $15
- First prize: $1,000
The Glimmer Train Fiction Open
- Deadline: March 31
- Guidelines: 20,000 words or fewer
- Entry fee: $19
- First prize: $2,500
The Narrative Winter Story Competition
- Deadline: March 31
- Guidelines: 15,000 words or fewer
- Entry fee: $22
- First prize: $2,500
The Shenendoah Bevel Summers Prize
- Deadline: March 31
- Guidelines: 1,000 words or fewer
- Entry fee: $0
- First prize: $1,000
As always, I’ve tried to only include the most updated, highest-quality contests here. That said, if you know of a contest that should be on here and isn’t, by all means let me know and I’ll add it! Keep in mind, this is only short story competitions — so you’ll find no fellowships or collection contests here (sorry)!
pinionpost 
Thanks for the contests. I am looking for more chances to submit my writing.
Thanks for the info, Brian. I’m curious… how many word would be on a page… like when they say 25 pages?