Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest
Welcome to the 35th annual Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest. Submit published or unpublished work. $12,000 in prizes.
It looks like you're viewing this page with a mobile device. If you need help entering our contest, please email info@winningwriters.com.
Please submit during
October 15, 2026-May 1, 2027
Prizes:
- STORY: First Prize, $3,500
- ESSAY: First Prize, $3,500
- The top two winners will also receive two-year gift certificates from our co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value)
- 10 Honorable Mentions will receive $500 each (any category)
- Top 12 entries published online
- Enter via Submittable
For this contest, a story is any short work of fiction, and an essay is any short work of nonfiction. Final judge: Tamra Badgett, assisted by Sarah Halper. Please submit as many entries as you like. All themes accepted. Entries may be published or unpublished. Length limit: 6,000 words maximum. No restriction on age of author. All countries eligible except Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, or Belarus (due to US government restrictions). Acceptable use of AI: Please click the link to supplemental contest information below.
Fee: $27 per entry. First time entering? We prepared this brief video to guide you. See also our short entry checklist, then click the button below to submit. Read the winning entries from the 33rd contest. We'll announce the results of the 34th contest on October 15, 2026, and the results of the 35th contest on October 15, 2027.
This contest will open for submissions on October 15, 2026.
Supplemental contest information (copyright, privacy, special assistance, etc.)
What to Submit
Short stories, essays, or other works of prose. There are no restrictions on style or theme. Each entry should be your own original work. You may submit the same work simultaneously to this contest and to others, and you may submit works that have been published or won prizes elsewhere. (However, please do not submit work that has previously received recognition at Winning Writers.)
Use of AI
Any writing that you submit to a Winning Writers contest must be composed using your own words, and may not contain any AI-generated text. The text, narrative voice, characterization, and imagery must come entirely from the writer. Any use of AI in the creation of your entry must be specifically described at the time of submission.
Writers may consult AI to find grammatical and technical errors, or to point out passages in a first draft that need clarification or rearranging, but may not use generative AI to rewrite those passages. AI should do no more for you than a human beta-reader or a style manual would do.
AI guidelines inspired by Columbia Fiction Foundry
Prizes and Publication
Fiction Category
First Prize, $3,500 cash
Essay Category
First Prize, $3,500 cash
Ten Honorable Mention entries will receive $500 cash each (any category)
All entries that win cash prizes will be published on the Winning Writers website and announced in the Winning Writers Newsletter (circulation 50,000+). Finalists may also be recognized.
Most Countries Eligible; English Language
Due to US government restrictions, we regret that we are unable to accept entries from Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, or Belarus. All other countries are eligible. The works you submit should be in English. If you have written a work in another language, you may submit an English translation.
Anonymous Judging
Entries are judged anonymously. Please omit your name and all identifying information from your entry. Please also omit any publishing credits from your entry. All the information we need is collected on our online entry form. Here is a brief video describing how we judge entries anonymously.
No Age Restriction
Writers of all ages may enter.
Privacy
Your privacy is assured. We will not rent your information to third parties.
Copyright
If your entry wins any cash prize, you agree to give Winning Writers a nonexclusive license to publish your work online. This includes possible publication in one or more ebooks. From time to time, selected winning entries may also be published in printed collections. If you win a prize and we wish to publish your work in print, we will ask you for permission to include your entry in one of these books. You may accept or decline this invitation as you choose. Your entry will not be published in print without your consent, and you retain all other rights. You are free, for example, to publish your work in print or online elsewhere, and to enter it into other contests, whether or not you win a prize in this contest.
Refunds
Generally entry fees are not refundable. However, if you believe you have an exceptional circumstance, please contact us within one year of your entry.
Contest History
Contest founder John Howard Reid (d. 2018) won first prizes and other awards in prestigious literary events. A journalist and magazine editor, he published several historical novels, a collection of poetry, a guide to winning literary contests, and over fifty books of film criticism and movie history. For several years, Mr. Reid was assisted by Dee C. Konrad, a former Associate Professor in the English faculty of Barat College of DePaul University and Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Assistance
If you have questions, please email them to info@winningwriters.com.
