Here are five reputable novel writing contests to consider entering between now and April 1, 2026.
  • Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Competition
    • Deadline: December 14, 2025.
    • Prize: $10,000 and a publishing contract with Minotaur Books.
    • Details: This competition is open to writers who have never published a novel (self-published works are eligible as long as the submitted manuscript is unpublished) and are not under contract for a novel publication.
  • VCU Cabell First Novelist Award
    • Deadline: December 30, 2025.
    • Prize: $5,000.
    • Details: This award is for a first novel published in the calendar year 2025. Self-published books are not eligible.
  • The Marlowe and Christie Novel Prize
    • Deadline: January 5, 2026.
    • Prize: £1200 / $1600.
    • Details: This contest is for an unpublished novel-in-progress, requiring submission of the first 3,000 words.
  • William Saroyan International Prize for Writing
    • Deadline: January 30, 2026.
    • Prize: Two prizes of $5,000 each are given for works of fiction and nonfiction.
    • Details: The awards are intended to encourage new or emerging writers, with eligibility extending to works published between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2025. Writers who have published three books or more are ineligible.
  • 2026 Orison Prizes in Poetry & Fiction
    • Deadline: April 1, 2026.
    • Prize: $1,500 and publication by Orison Books for a full-length manuscript.
    • Details: The entry period for this prize is open from December 1, 2025, to April 1, 2026
Also consider these:

2026 Bristol Short Story Prize: 

Deadline January 31, 2026. Open to all published and unpublished writers over 16, this competition focuses on short stories.

2026 Calibre Essay Prize: 

Deadline February 2, 2026. This prize is open to all essayists writing in English.