For many, nothing spurs creativity as much as deadlines do. Like I always say, we are all temporarily superhuman in the face of deadlines. Include a reward for beating the deadlines, and you have just created the biggest motivation for any writer. Here are some writing contests and prizes you can enter for this March. These prizes are FREE to enter so all you have to do is just write.

  • THE CAMBRIDGE CENTRE FOR ANIMAL RIGHTS LAW

“The Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law organises an annual essay competition in the field of animal rights law. The aim of this competition is to encourage students to explore the fascinating questions that animals rights raise, and to discuss these questions in an original piece of writing that may inspire them to engage further with the topic in the future. Three prizes will be awarded. The winning essay will be awarded £750, £500 will go to the second place, and £250 to the third place.”

Deadline: March 8, 2021

Read More here

  • SPECULATIVE PHILOSOPHICAL FICTION CONTEST:

Genre: Speculative flash fiction on theme of Absence. The theme could be explored through philosophical, metaphysical, or epistemological fiction.

Word limit: 1000 words max.

Prize: $500.00, (through PayPal) and two runners-up will receive $50.00 each.

Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Read more here:

  • PRESSFULS

Genre: Horror and fantasy fiction

Word limit: 10,000 words max

Prize: $50 and publication.

Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Read more here

  • L. RON HUBBARD’S WRITERS OF THE FUTURE CONTEST

Restrictions: open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium.

Genres: Science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy up to 17,000 words.

Prizes: Three cash prizes in each quarter: a First Prize of $1,000, a Second Prize of $750, and a Third Prize of $500. At the end of the year the winners will have their entries re-judged, and a Grand Prize winner shall be determined and receive an ADDITIONAL $5,000.

Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Read more here

  • FOLEY POETRY CONTEST

Genre: One unpublished poem on any topic.

Word limit: The poem should be 30 lines or fewer and not under consideration elsewhere. 

Prize: $1000. 

Deadline: March 31, 2021.

Read more here

  • EBOQUILLS CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

We have received and reviewed submissions from Switzerland, Zambia, Ghana, Liberia, the Philipines, India, and from all over Nigeria. All of us at Eboquills are committed to promoting contemporary African literature. Our resolve to make Eboquills a cocktail of voices. Something like a fruit salad, with many tiny bits of different juicy fruits, is why we want to feature your poems, short stories (fiction/non-fiction), book reviews, and spoken word videos.”

Submit here:

GOOD LUCK!