Hey creators!
We are back again with another playlist, specifically for authors/writers and poets.
To gain exclusive access to this list of (14) grants for authors/writers and (2) for poets, as well as other funding opportunities, consider joining Grants For Creators (GFC) as a paid subscriber for $10 per month or $100 per year.
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We will continue to update this playlist, so bookmark this page and circle back often.
Grants For Authors/Writers
1. [NEW] 1Picture1000Words Contest - For Writers
How much is a picture really worth? They say a picture is worth a thousand words; this contest asks you to prove it. Look at this picture on the site, and write 1,000 words about it. You can write whatever you want, so long as you connect it to the photo. Creative nonfiction. Sci-fi. A joke. Something else. It’s up to you.
The photo should not feel like an incidental detail that was tacked on to writing you had already produced. Remember, you are writing the definitive 1,000 words for this photo. Make them count. Another way to think about it is to imagine a bunch of people reading your writing and then being presented with five pictures of dogs; could they reliably tell which one you were inspired by? First place gets $1,000. Second and third get $250 each.
Deadline: August 31, 2026
2. [NEW] The PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize - For Emerging Writers
This prize recognizes 12 emerging writers for their debut short story published in a literary magazine, journal, or cultural website, and aims to support the launch of their careers as fiction writers. The 12 winning stories are selected by a committee of three judges who are respected experts in the art of the short story. The winning writers each receive a $2,000 cash prize, and their winning stories will be published by Autumn House Press in the annual anthology, Best Debut Short Stories: The PEN America Dau Prize.
Deadline: September 1, 2026
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