Competitions

Doris Betts Fiction Prize ›

Postmark Deadline: October 31
Submissions accepted: September 15 – October 31
The Doris Betts Fiction Prize awards the first-prize winner $250. Up to ten finalists will be considered for publication in the North Carolina Literary Review.

Jacobs/Jones African-American Literary Prize ›

Postmark deadline: January 2 (annual)
Submissions accepted: November 1 – January 2
The Jacobs/Jones African-American Literary Prize honors Harriet Jacobs and Thomas Jones, two pioneering African-American writers from North Carolina, and seeks to convey the rich and varied existence of Black North Carolinians. The contest is administered by the Creative Writing Program at UNC-Chapel Hill. The winner receives $1,000 and possible publication of the winning entry in the North Carolina Literary Review.

Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition ›

Postmark deadline: January 15 (annual)
Submissions accepted: November 15 – January 15
The Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition encourages the creation of lasting nonfiction that is outside the realm of conventional journalism and has relevance to North Carolinians. Subjects may include traditional categories such as reviews, travel articles, profiles or interviews, place/history pieces, or culture criticism. The first-, second-, and third-place winners will receive $1,000, $300, and $200 respectively. The winning entry will be considered for publication by Ecotone.

Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize ›

Postmark deadline: January 30 (annual)
Submissions accepted: December 1 – January 30
Honors internationally celebrated North Carolina novelist, Thomas Wolfe. The winner receives $1,000 and publication in The Thomas Wolfe Review.

Marianne Gingher Flash Prose Contest ›

Postmark Deadline: February 15 (annual)
Submissions Accepted: December 15 – February 15
The Marianne Gingher Flash Prose Contest is open to pieces of flash prose, fiction or creative nonfiction, of no more than 1,000 words. The winner receives $500 and possible publication in Cold Mountain Review.

Randall Jarrell Poetry Competition ›

Postmark deadline: March 1 (annual)
Submissions accepted: January 15 – March 1
The Randall Jarrell Poetry Competition awards the winner publication in The Greensboro Review and $200

NCWN Weymouth Fellowship

Postmark Deadline: June 1 (annual)
Application Accepted: April 15 – June 1
Thanks to the generosity of anonymous donors, the NC Writers’ Network sponsors an annual fellowship to fund a week’s residency at the Weymouth Center for a writer who has never enjoyed a Weymouth residency before, and who would not be able to attend without this fellowship. The NCWN Weymouth Fellowship awards $500 each year to cover travel, groceries and other supplies for the residency, while the Weymouth Center provides the residency space.

Please read the Network’s statement on “A.I.” in contests and other Network-administered programs.