Novel Writing Competitions 2020 Novels & Stories

Might be an unpopular opinion, but I feel like contests get overhyped for debuts. The ones everyone names—like the Writers of the Future or the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (though that's gone now)—are flooded. You're statistically more likely to land an agent through a cold query than win most of those.

That said, if you're set on contests, I'd look at the 'Debut Dagger' from the Crime Writers' Association. Even being shortlisted carries weight in that genre. The 'First Pages Prize' is also decent because it's just your opening, so less commitment, and feedback can be sharp. Local library or university contests can have better odds, weirdly. I wasted entry fees on a few big ones years ago; the smaller, genre-specific ones felt more constructive.

Honestly, the best 'contest' for a debut in 2024 might be a well-run mentorship program like Pitch Wars or Author Mentor Match. It's not a contest with a cash prize, but the career guidance and industry connection you 'win' are arguably more valuable for getting that first book out there.

I'm skeptical of most free contests, honestly. Too many feel like data collection or anthology-mill schemes, where you 'win' a spot in a pricey collection you have to buy. But I found one exception last year: 'The First Chapters Prize' from The London Library. No fee, open internationally, decent prize money and mentoring. I entered on a whim, didn't win, but the feedback was genuinely thoughtful—more than I got from some paid submissions. The key is vetting: if it's run by a legit literary journal, university creative writing department, or a major publisher's imprint, it's usually okay. Random websites promising 'exposure'? Run.

WordHunt (formerly Scribophile's) quarterly contests are another solid free option. You need to critique others' work to earn karma points to enter, which keeps the community serious. The prizes are small but real, and the feedback you get during the process is the real value. Helped me tighten a short story that later got published elsewhere. I'd take that over a hundred no-feedback rejections from random places.

Man, I actually think a lot of advice about contests misses the point. Everyone's chasing trends and trying to write the 'perfect' contest entry, but the judges read hundreds of those. What sticks out is something that feels genuinely alive, even if it's a little messy.

Last year, I made it to the shortlist for a regional prize with a story about a retired lighthouse keeper talking to his pet parrot. Zero marketability, on paper. But the feedback said the voice was so distinct they remembered it weeks later. I didn't win the grand prize, but that specific praise was worth more than any generic 'well-crafted' comment.

Forget trying to guess what the panel wants. Your best shot is to write the story only you could write, with a specific, compelling voice on the first page. Polish it until it shines, sure, but don't sand off all the interesting edges in the process. A judge would rather be surprised than bored.