10 Free Writing Competitions For The Rest of 2021.

Do you feel like 2021 passed you by? Do you think you fell short of the goals you set out for yourself when the year began?

From personal experience, I find that one way to make sure this does not continue into the next year is to actively prepare by sowing more seeds now that the year 2022 will potentially reap starting from the coming New Year's Day.

So, why not challenge yourself to a new hobby or take your hobby to the next level with these free writing competitions still running till the end of the year?

1."Undiscovered Gems" Writing Competition: 

PRIZE:$500

"Undiscovered Gems" exists to provide authors whose books remain unpublished an opportunity to present their work in a different light, and achieve the recognition and reward which may have previously been out of reach.

To enter, write a short story based on your unpublished book. Entries will be evaluated by senior publishers from Exisle Publishing and EK Books.

Entries Close December 1, 2021

2. "GlobeSoup" Writing Competition:

PRIZE: $500

7 DAY STORY WRITING CHALLENGES take place throughout the year.

Each challenge runs for exactly 7 days.

Before a new challenge begins, all those who have registered will be randomly divided into 12 GROUPS. Each group corresponds to a different GENRE.

When the challenge begins you will receive an email with your randomly assigned genre and the SECRET CHALLENGE THEME.

All participants receive the same theme and must write a short story of no more than 2,000 words, inspired by the theme, written in the genre assigned to them.

You have exactly 7 days to write and submit your story.

When you receive the theme and your genre, it is up to you if you want to take part. Once registered, you will be randomly assigned a genre each time a new challenge begins and there will be a new theme for each challenge. If you don’t feel inspired by the theme and genre you can wait for the next challenge! There is no need to re-register each time.

3. "Rattle" Weekly Poetry Contests:

PRIZE: $100 and a complimentary subscription to the print magazine

Selected poems will appear as the Sunday poem at Rattle.com, with occasional extra poems Tuesday or Thursday, which are fed to over 10,000 people via their RSS feed and daily email service. The deadline for each week is Friday at midnight PST. The poems must respond to news that occurred in the previous week and has been written in the time since.

Who can enter: Open to all nationalities and to anyone aged 18 and above

Word Count: 1,000 – 3,000 words

4. The "Writing Quarter" Competition:

PRIZE: $30

This competition is open to all writers aged 18 or over, regardless of nationality or country of residence.

Please only submit one entry per month.

No entry fee.

Submit stories of 1,000-3,000 words. It is an open theme competition.

This is an ongoing monthly competition. The deadline is the last date of every month.

Submit your competition entry to [email protected].

The winner will receive $30. The prize money will be sent through PayPal. Authors retain all rights to their work.

5. Citizen: The New Story Flash Fiction Competition:

PRIZE: Winning stories will be published on the Word Factory website and promoted via social media. Also: “Monthly winners will be in with a chance of winning some fantastic prizes, including Word Factory membership, citizenship-themed book bundles and more. They’re also hoping to showcase the very best stories at a future Word Factory salon.”

Who can enter: writers over the age of 18 years. They’re looking for the best entries from young writers (18-25 years).

Word Count: up to 500 words

Deadline: last day of each month

6. Creatively Naughty:

PRIZE:$25

Sometimes it’s fun to get creatively naughty with food. Life is too short to not enjoy and savour every morsel.

-Theme for Fall: Love is in the air!

-Who can enter: I found no restrictions

-Word Count: 500 words

Submission dates:

-Spring: March, April, May – March 1 to May 20th

-Summer: June, July, August – June 1 to August 20th

-Fall: September, October, November – September 1 to November 20th

-Winter: December, January, February – December 1 to February 20th

7. "Servicescape" Short Story Award:

PRIZE: $1,000.00 USD

For this award, any genre or theme of a short story is accepted. All applicants should submit their original unpublished work of short fiction or nonfiction.

Who can enter: Open to all nationalities and to anyone aged 18 and above

Word Count: up to 5,000 words

Deadline: November 30, 2021 SAST

8. Green Stories Writing Competition:

PRIZE: £1,000

Organised by the University of Southampton, Green Stories is a ‘free’ writing competition project with a range of categories for novelists and short story writers. Entries should conform with positive visions of more sustainable futures and/or the inclusion of green solutions but needn’t have an explicitly green theme.

Deadline: December/February/March (Every Year)

9. RSL Ondaatje Prize:

PRIZE: £10, 000

An annual award administered by the Royal Society for Literature which goes to the work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry that judges feel best evokes the spirit of a place. All prize winners also receive a paperweight clock, which they are awarded at a celebratory dinner.

DEADLINE: December (Every Year)

10. "Writing Prompts" Competition:

PRIZE: £10 Amazon voucher

Deadline: Every two months

There is no word limit

Writing must be inspired by images shared on Creative Writing Ink account.

Entry must be posted online (details in link)

So these are ten writing opportunities left in the year to take advantage of with the hope that even if you don't win a prize this year, your writing improves to take you to higher places next year and beyond.

After all, practice makes perfect!