Plaza Prize Writing Contest now taking submissions (Fantasy Category Deadline: July 31, 2025)

Hey all, I'm Michael J. Sullivan (New York Times, USA Today, and Washington Post Bestselling author) and I'm the judge for the Fantasy and Sci-fi Novel category of the Plaza Prize Writing contest for 2025. I should note that I DO NOT get any financial compensation for being a judge (they actually offered me $2,500 to pick 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and two honorable mentions) from the top 10 entries, but I opted to have that compensation added to the prize pool instead).

This is for novel length works (self-published or works in progress) and you'll be judged on the first 5,000 words or any number less than that if there is a particular breaking spot - like a chapter ending). Categories include Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Dark Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Speculative fiction, Progression, LitRPG, Slice of Life, Anime, Xianxia, Wuxia, Isekai. and genre hybrids (like Crime/Fantasy).

Some further details:

  • Prize money for 1st, 2nd and 3rd are: $3,750, $375, and $125 respectively
  • There will also be two "highly commended" picks without prize money
  • The winner will receive a one-on-one workshop from me at a luxury villa in Dordogne, France in mid-October 2025.
  • The top 5 short-listed authors will be invited to a writing lab led by me at a luxury villa in Dordogne, France in mid-October 2025.
  • Entry Deadline: July 31st 2025
  • Word Limit: 5,000
  • Entry fee: $37.50 for first submission, additional submissions $25.00 (no limit on number of submissions)
  • 100 Entry Fee Waived Bursaries are provided (across all 10 Plaza Prize Categories) for writers on low incomes and from underrepresented groups. 
  • Entries must be in English and written for an adult audience
  • Entries can have been published on any website, blog or online forum, but must not have been published by a Traditional Publisher in book or ebook or audiobook form (so self-published works are eligible)
  • Entries must be entirely your own work.
  • Entries may be from an original work-in-progress or a completed novel.
  • Entries must NOT have won in any other competition. If your entry was long-listed or shortlisted in other competitions it is eligible.
  • Judging is anonymous so don't include cover art or your name in the submission
  • Entries must include a synopsis (300 words or less)

Here's a little bit about myself. I've published twenty fantasy and one sci-fi novel since 2008, and I've been published by Orbit (fantasy imprint of Hachette Book Group) and Del Rey (Penguin Random House), and sold more than 2 million copies. I've also been a pioneer in the indie publishing movement. My works include:

  • The Riyria Revelations (6 novels - complete)
  • The Riyria Chronicle (5 novels - ongoing)
  • The Legends of the First Empire (6 novels - complete)
  • The Rise and Fall (3 novels complete)
  • Hollow World (Standalone science fiction thriller)

Something I should note, that when I first started writing, there were a number of "writing contests" I signed up for that I probably shouldn't have. I was new and naive, and it turned out these "contests" were just money making venues for those who ran them because the fees were high and the "winners" got little more than the ability to say "I won this contest" (or in some cases almost everyone was a "finalist" so it was little more than a paid participation scam). So, when I was approached to judge the Science Fiction and Fantasy Plaza Prize I was skeptical. But given the stature of some of the other judges (such Pulitzer Prize Winner Junot Diaz and Booker Prize Winner Damon Galgut), and after talking to last year's judge for speculative fiction, and also grilling the organization on the judging process) I feel comfortable being associated with this endeavor.

If you have any questions, I'll be around and try to answer them for you.