Free-Entry Writing Competitions and Opportunities Closing in July 2025

Let me be the first to say…

Jun 30, 2025

Hello, Friend.

It’s the very first day of July, and let me be the first to wish you a happy new month!

Sending you all the good energy as you shape your words, find new homes for your stories, and (hopefully!) rack up those acceptances, wins, and awards.

Thank you for being here, and for keeping the creative spirit alive in your own way.

Now, on to the good stuff.

Here’s a fresh roundup of free-entry writing opportunities closing in July. As usual, I’ve included deadlines, payment info, and submission guidelines so you don’t have to dig.

If you’re a new reader, welcome! The best thing you can do (for you, for me🥺👉👈) right now is hit this subscribe button.

Ahem, I’ve been rounding up these writing opportunities since 2022, gathering calls for submissions each month and sharing them with fellow writers. I even shared a bit more about it in my pinned post.

Read it here

The Writing Opportunities

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OPEN TO ALL WRITERS (WORLDWIDE)

These are poetry, prose, playwriting, and other opportunities for writers without restrictions based on location, demographics, or other criteria.

The HG Wells Short Story Competition is accepting short stories (1,500–5,000 words) on the theme "The Middle Ground" with prizes of £1,000 (under 22) and £500 (over 21); deadline: July 8, 2025.

The Burlington Contemporary is accepting unpublished reviews of contemporary art exhibitions for its Art Writing Prize (£1,000 award; deadline: July 14, 2025).

Humans & Nature Press Digital is accepting essays, poetry, and artwork on the theme of seeds, paying $500 per contributor (deadline: July 15, 2025).

Brink Literary Journal is accepting hybrid, cross-genre, and other creative work (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translation, art) on the theme of Obsession, paying $25–$100 per piece (deadline: July 31, 2025).

Biopage is accepting inspiring, uplifting, and heartwarming stories for its Storytelling Writing Contest with a top prize of $300 (deadline: July 31, 2025).

WITH RESTRICTIONS

Opportunities for writers from specific regions, demographics, or calls with themes.

The Banff Mountain Book Competition is accepting mountain literature submissions of all forms with over $29,000 in prizes (deadline: July 3, 2025).

The Hubert Butler Essay Prize is seeking essays from UK or EU writers on the 2025 theme (check their website for the theme), offering a €1,500 first prize (deadline: July 4, 2025).

Kokonut Head Media is seeking three African writers for a paid three-month residency to produce short stories (deadline: July 15, 2025).

Uncovered Travel Initiative Africa is accepting travel stories (1,000–1,200 words) on the theme "Encounters that inspire conservation" for their Travel Writing Competition 2025 (deadline: July 15, 2025).

Gaudy Boy is seeking unpublished adult novel manuscripts from authors of Asian heritage worldwide, offering a $1,500 advance plus publication in the US and Singapore (deadline: July 31, 2025).

khōréō is looking for short speculative fiction (under 5,000 words) from immigrant and diaspora writers, paying $0.08–$0.10 per word (deadline: July 31, 2025).

WRITING OPPORTUNITIES WITH AUGUST 2025 DEADLINES

BOA Editions is seeking book-length poetry manuscripts from women poets of color in the U.S. for the Blessing the Boats Selections (honorarium: $1,500; deadline: August 1, 2025).

Didn’t find exactly what you were looking for? No worries! Check out this full list of over 30 creative writing opportunities for July. (I can't list them all here because of the view limit.) The best part is, I try to update it daily with new opportunities.

Show me the full list!

P.S.: If you've ever won a writing contest, been published, or landed any other opportunity thanks to something shared on D'LitReview, I'd love to hear about it!