Leapfrog Global Fiction Prize

• Deadline: 5 May 2024
• Entry Fee: $35
• Prizes: First prize: publication contract offer from Leapfrog Press and Can of Worms Press (with advance)
• Word Limit: Minimum 22,000 words
• Category: Novel Competitions
• Competition Website: leapfrogprize.org/contest

Run by Leapfrog Press and Can of Worms Press, Leapfrog Global Fiction Prize is open to unpublished novels. They accept previously unpublished fiction manuscripts (minimum 22,000 words) of novels, novellas, and short-story collections, and in either adult or YA/Middle-Grade categories. They are seeking literary fiction and mainstream fiction, including science fiction and the judges tend to be less interested in strict genre fiction, but if a manuscript is good and grabs the attention, they will be open to it.

• First Prize: publication contract offer from Leapfrog Press and Can of Worms Press, with an advance payment against royalties, plus the finalist awards (see below).
• Finalists: $150 and critiques of the manuscript from contest judges; permanent listing on the Leapfrog Press and Can of Worms contest pages as a contest finalist.
• Semi-Finalist: Choice of a free Leapfrog or Can of Worms book; permanent listing on the websites.
• Honorable Mention: listing on the Leapfrog Press and Can of Worms Press websites.

This is a fantastic opportunity for aspiring novelists to skip the agents’ slush pile and get their novel out into the world!