Ditch the chill with these hot winter writing contests

Let's keep our writerly minds and fingers warmed up with this list of wintery writing contests! I love Texas contests but with so many online, we can write from anywhere in the world.

Now-January 31: WOW! -- that's Women on Writing -- offers two quarterly, repeating contests for short fiction and nonfiction essays. Closing for the current nonfiction contest is January 31, for the fiction contest February 28. See the site for fees, prizes and rules for both.

Now-February 2: The Masters Review is open to submissions of previously unpublished work for its Winter Short Story Award for New Writers, judged by best-selling author Bret Anthony Johnstone. The contest, for fiction and creative nonfiction up to 6,000 words, is open to any writer who has not published a novel or memoir with a major press. Cash prizes and online publication for all winning entries. All winners also receive review from several partnered literary agencies. Fee: $20.

Now-February 28: The Crime Writers Association has current contests open -- its Emerging Authors Dagger and its Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition .  

Both are open to anyone writing in English. The Emerging Author Dagger is for a crime novel opening (3,000 word maximum) and synopsis (1,500 word maximum) in any crime/mystery/thriller subgenre. Eligible writers must not have had a publishing contract for a full-length novel of any kind, and do not have a literary agent at the time the contest closes. Fee: £42, Cash prize. See the sites for additional details.

The Margery Allingham contest is for short stories up to 3,500 words. Among other criteria, they must meet Golden Age writer Allingham's definition of a mystery: "The Mystery remains box-shaped. . . Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it." Cash prize. Fee: £18. 

Now-March 20: Book Pipeline's Unpublished Contest offers winners cash prizes in multiple fiction and nonfiction genres and circulation to publishing executives. March 20 is the early deadline, with $35 entry fee. Fees increase to $60 by the late entry date of September 5. See the site for details.

Image by Jon Hoefer from Pixabay

March 24-July 11: You don't have to live in Texas to enter the Writer's League of Texas Manuscript 2025 Contest. Although details are skimpy at this point, the contest allows writer in a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres to submit the first (approximately) 10 pages plus a synopsis of their work. No finished manuscript necessary! 

Winners in each category will meet virtually with a top literary agent (and the final judge in their category) via Zoom. All entrants, winners or not, may opt for feedback on their submissions from experienced editors. Check the site for details as they become available. Warning: the site currently is a bit confusion, since it starts by mentioning that the 2024 contest is closed. Just keep scrolling!

A few years ago, WLT changed its Agents & Editors conference from annual to biannual. Due to that change, 2025 will not see an in-person conference. But check out the WLT's online Agents Symposium, as listed in my previous post.

Now-May 1: Thrillerfest's Best First Sentence Contest returns. This is a pay for play event, as contestants must either be ITW members or registered for this year's Thrillerfest XX, June 17-21. Entries may be from the contestant's published or unpublished work. Winners receive a critique from one of the contest judges, who are the festival's 2025 master class teachers. See the site for details.

Now-May 5: Writer's Digest's writing competitions have so many categories, deadlines, and rules, it's condensed them into a pdf "2025 Competition Season Planner." Note that the deadline provided here is only the "early bird" deadline for the organization's poetry and manuscript entries. See the pdf at the site for additional deadlines for categories such as self-published books, personal essays and self-published e-books.

More ongoing contests:

Indefatigable site Reedsy lists more than 300 of what it deems the best writing contests in 2025. Lots of genres and prizes. Submission requirements vary. See the site for details.

Writer of the Future contests repeat quarterly. Open to new and amateur science fiction and fantasy writers. Cash prizes each quarter. No entry fee. See the site for details.

Writer/blogger Erica Verrillo's Publishing and other forms of insanity features lists of free contests monthly. Check the site for details.