Poets & Writers Blogs

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Though the temperature outside is starting to drop, you can stoke the fires of your writing practice by submitting to contests with deadlines of October 15, 16, 17, and 18! Poets, there are multiple awards to win, including a prize of approximately $66,500 for a year of travel and study outside of North America, and $5,000 plus publication of a poetry collection by Alice James Books. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more and two are free to enter. Keep those literary fires burning!

Alice James Books
Alice James Award

A prize of $5,000 and publication by Alice James Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet residing in the United States. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: October 16. Entry fee: $30.

Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship
An award of approximately $66,500 is given annually to a U.S. poet for a year of travel and study outside of North America. Deadline: October 15. Entry fee: none.

Copper Nickel
Jake Adam York Prize

A prize of $2,000 and publication by Milkweed Editions is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. Amaud Jamaul Johnson will judge. Deadline: October 15. Entry fee: $25, which includes a subscription to Copper Nickel.

John Pollard Foundation
International Poetry Prize

A prize of €10,000 (approximately $10,732) is given annually for a debut poetry collection published during the current year. Deadline: October 18. Entry fee: none. 

Pulitzer Prizes
Prizes in Books

Six prizes of $15,000 each are given annually to honor books of poetry, fiction, general nonfiction, U. S. history, biography, and memoir or autobiography published in the United States during the current year. American authors only are eligible for the poetry, fiction, general nonfiction, biography, and memoir or autobiography categories. Deadline: October 17. Entry fee: $75.

San Diego Entertainment & Arts Guild
Steve Kowit Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication in San Diego Poetry Annual is given annually for a single poem. The winner will also receive an invitation to read at an award ceremony in April 2023. Deadline: October 15. Entry fee: $15.

Silverfish Review Press
Gerald Cable Book Award

A prize of $1,000, publication by Silverfish Review Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a first poetry collection. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: October 15. Entry fee: $25, which includes a copy of the winning book.

TulipTree Publishing
Humor Story Contest

A prize of $1,000 and publication in the Fall/Winter issue of TulipTree Review is given annually for a humorous poem, story, or essay. Deadline: October 17. Entry fee: $20.

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation.

Submissions Open for African Poetry Book Fund’s Glenna Luschei Prize

The deadline is approaching for the Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry, presented by the African Poetry Book Fund and in partnership with Prairie Schooner. Offered annually for a book of poetry written by an African poet and published during the previous year, the prize awards $1,000. Writers who were born in Africa, who are a national or a resident of an African country, or whose parents are African are eligible. Only collections written in English, including works of translation, will be considered.

Authors and publishers may submit four copies (or unbound proofs) of a poetry collection of at least 48 pages published in 2021 by October 1. There is no entry fee. Gabeba Baderoon will judge. Visit the website for an entry form and complete guidelines.

Established in 2015, this Pan African Poetry Prize, named after the literary philanthropist Glenna Luschei, “is the only one of its kind in the world and aims to honor and promote African poetry.” The winner will be announced in January 2023. Please note that self-published books and books published by the African Poetry Book Fund are ineligible. Recent winners include Mangaliso Buzani (a naked bone), Koleka Putuma (Collective Amnesia), Juliane Okot Bitek (100 Days), and Rethabile Masilo (Waslap). Established in 2015, this Pan African Poetry Prize, named after the literary philanthropist Glenna Luschei, “is the only one of its kind in the world and aims to honor and promote African poetry.” The winner will be announced in January 2023. Please note that self-published books and books published by the African Poetry Book Fund are ineligible. Recent winners include Mangaliso Buzani (a naked bone), Koleka Putuma (Collective Amnesia), Juliane Okot Bitek (100 Days), and Rethabile Masilo (Waslap). 

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

With fall fast approaching, kickstart the new season by submitting to contests with a deadline of September 30. Prizes abound for writers of supernatural fiction, hybrid poetry collections, essays, translations, poems evoking the American South, and more. Awards range from $1,000 to $75,000, and two contests are even free to enter. May the autumnal equinox be in your favor!

Diode Editions
Poetry Book Contest

A prize of $1,500, publication by Diode Editions, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner will also have select poems from their book published in Diode Poetry Journal. Hybrid words, prose poetry, translations, and collaborative works are eligible. Entry fee: $20.

Dzanc Books
Short Story Collection Prize

A prize of $2,500 and publication by Dzanc Books is given annually for a story collection. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Ghost Story
Supernatural Fiction Award

A prize of $1,500, publication on the Ghost Story website and in the Ghost Story print anthology series, 21st Century Ghost Stories, is given twice yearly for a short story with a supernatural or magic realism theme. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $20.

Lascaux Review
Prize in Creative Nonfiction

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for an essay. The winner and finalists will also be published on the Lascaux Review website and in the journal’s print annual. Previously published and unpublished essays are eligible. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $15.

New York Public Library
Cullman Center Fellowships

Fifteen fellowships are given annually to artists, academics, and creative writers, including poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators, whose work will benefit directly from access to the research collections at the New York Public Library. The fellows each receive $75,000, an office at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library’s main branch in the Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, and full access to the library’s collections from September 2023 through May 2024. Fellows will be required to work on their projects at the Cullman Center for the duration of the fellowship. Writers currently enrolled in a graduate degree-granting program are ineligible. Entry fee: none.

Texas Review Press
X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize

A prize of $10,000, publication by Texas Review Press, and 20 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection. Kimiko Hahn will judge. Entry fee: $28.

Texas Review Press
George Garrett Fiction Prize

A prize of $1,000, publication by Texas Review Press, and 20 author copies will be given annually for a short story collection or novel. Vi Khi Nao will judge. Entry fee: $28.

University of Arkansas Press
Miller Williams Poetry Prize

A prize of $5,000 and publication by University of Arkansas Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Patricia Smith will judge. Entry fee: $28.

University of Mississippi
Willie Morris Award for Southern Poetry

A prize of $3,000 is given annually for a single poem that evokes the American South. The winner will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Oxford, Mississippi, for the awards ceremony in March 2023. Susan Kinsolving will judge. Entry fee: none. 

Winning Writers
Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

Two prizes of $3,000 each, two-year gift certificates for membership to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually for a poem in any style and a poem that either rhymes or is written in a traditional style. Soma Mei Sheng Frazier and Michal “MJ” Jones will judge. Entry fee: $20.

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation.

Deadline Nears for Diode Editions’ Poetry Book Contest

There is still time to submit to Diode Editions’ poetry book contest! Offered annually for a full-length manuscript, the competition awards the winner with a prize of $1,500, publication by Diode Editions, and 20 author copies of the published collection. The winner will also have select poems from their book published in Diode Poetry Journal.

To submit, e-mail a manuscript of 55 to 100 pages to Diode Editions with a receipt of payment of the $20 reading fee by September 30. Hybrid works, prose poetry, translations, and collaborative works are eligible. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

An independent press based in Doha, Qatar, and Richmond, Virginia, Diode Editions was founded by editor in chief Patty Paine in 2012 as an extension of Diode Poetry Journal. The press publishes full-length poetry collections, chapbooks, and poetry-related nonfiction works. Diode’s mission is “to beautifully craft our books, and to fanatically support our authors.”

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

August may be coming to an end, but September presents a new chance to get a little love—and money—for your writing: Submit to contests with deadlines of September 5, 8, 15, 16, and 26! Among the prizes are $78,000 fellowships from Harvard University, $50,000 fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, publication of a poetry collection and chapbook, and awards for individual poems, essays, and stories. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more, and two are free to enter. Good luck, writers!

Coffee-House Poetry
Troubadour International Poetry Prize

A prize of £2,000 (approximately $2,507) is given annually for a single poem. A second-place prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,254) is also given. Both winners receive publication on the Coffee-House Poetry website and an invitation to read alongside the contest judges at a celebration on December 5. Joshua Bennett and Victoria Kennefick will judge. Deadline: September 26. Entry fee: $7.

Dogwood
Literary Awards

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Dogwood are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Finalists are chosen by the editorial staff and accepted for publication; winners are then chosen from the finalist pool by a guest judge. All entries are considered for publicaton. Deadline: September 5. Entry fee: $12.

Finishing Line Press
New Women’s Voices Chapbook Competition

A prize of $1,500 and publication by Finishing Line Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook by a writer who identifies as a woman and has not yet published a full-length collection. Leah Huete de Maines will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: September 15. Entry Fee: $20.

Harvard University
Radcliffe Institute Fellowships

Fellowships of $78,000 each, office space at the Radcliffe Institute, and access to the libraries at Harvard University are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to allow them to pursue creative projects. Writers also receive $5,000 to cover project expenses. Deadline: September 8. Entry Fee: none.

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Writing Fellowships

Fellowships of approximately $50,000 each are awarded annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers on the basis of “exceptional creative ability.” Citizens and permanent residents of the United States and Canada with a “significant and appropriate record” of publication are eligible. Deadline: September 16. Entry fee: none.

Lightscatter Press
Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,000, 25 author copies, and multimodal publication by Lightscatter Press will be given annually for a poetry collection written by an emerging writer. Hybrid works and multilingual texts which combine English with another language are eligible. Rick Barot will judge. Deadline: September 15. Entry fee: $30.

The Moth
Nature Writing Prize

A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,089) and publication in the Moth is given annually for a poem, story, or essay that features “an exploration of the writer’s relationship with the natural world.” The winner also receives a weeklong stay at the Circle of Misse artist’s retreat in Missé, France. Max Porter will judge. Deadline: September 15. Entry Fee: $15.

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Deadline Nears for Puerto del Sol’s Writing Awards

There are still two weeks left to submit to Puerto del Sol’s contest in poetry and prose! Offered annually for a single poem and one work of fiction or nonfiction, winners receive $1,000 and publication by the journal. All submissions will be considered for publication.

 


 

Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems or 25 pages from one “self-contained” work of fiction or nonfiction with a $15 entry fee by September 2. The entry fee includes a copy of the latest issue of the journal. Kali Fajardo-Anstine, author of the novel Woman of Light (One World, 2022), will judge in prose and Anthony Cody, author of the poetry collection Borderland Apocrypha (Omnidawn Publishing, 2022), will judge in poetry. Visit the online submission system for complete guidelines.

Published by the MFA candidates at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, Puerto del Sol is committed to providing “a forum for inventive and fresh prose, poetry, reviews, criticism, and artwork,” striving to showcase a mix of emerging and established writers. The journal values work “that presents authenticity, sincerity, and respect.”

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Savor the last weeks of summer by submitting to contests with a deadline of August 31 or September 1! These competitions include opportunities for poets over the age of 60 and translators of poetry or prose from a Nordic language into English. Awards include $10,000 for a short story collection or novel as well as a six-week residency in Umbria, Italy. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more and two are free to enter. Best of luck, writers!

Academy for Teachers
Stories Out of School Flash Fiction Contest

A prize of $1,000 and publication in A Public Space will be given annually for a work of flash fiction about teachers and school, in which the protagonist or narrator is a K–12 teacher. Daniel Handler will judge. Deadline: September 1. Entry fee: none.

Academy of American Poets
First Book Award

A prize of $5,000, publication by Graywolf Press, and a six-week residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Umbria, Italy, is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has not published a book of poems in a standard edition. The winning book will also be distributed to over 5,000 members of the Academy of American Poets. Eduardo C. Corral will judge. Deadline: September 1. Entry fee: $35.

American-Scandinavian Foundation
Translation Awards

A prize of $2,500 and publication of an excerpt in Scandinavian Review is given annually for an English translation of a work of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction written in a Nordic language (Danish, Faroese, Finnish, Greenlandic, Icelandic, Norwegian, Sami, or Swedish). A prize of $2,000 and publication is also awarded to a translator whose literary translations from a Nordic language have not previously been published. Translations of works by 20th- and 21st-century Nordic authors that have not been published in English are eligible. Deadline: September 1. Entry fee: none. 

Black Lawrence Press
St. Lawrence Book Award

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Black Lawrence Press is given annually for a debut collection of poems, short stories, or essays. The editors will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $27.

Grid Books
Off the Grid Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Grid Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer over the age of 60. Garrett Hongo will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $25.

Gulf Coast
Prize in Translation

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gulf Coast is given in alternating years for a group of poems or a prose excerpt translated from any language into English. The 2022 prize will be given for poetry. Daniel Borzutzky will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $20, which includes a subscription to Gulf Coast, or $10, which includes a half-year subscription.

Munster Literature Centre
Fool for Poetry International Chapbook Competition

A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,089) and publication by the Munster Literature Centre is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner will also receive accommodations to give a reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival in 2023. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: €25 (approximately $27).

Talking Gourds
Fischer Prize

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. The winner will also be featured in a Bardic Trails online reading in 2023 and will receive a $100 honorarium for participating. Anna Scotti will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $10 ($25 for three poems).

University of New Orleans Press
Lab Prize

A prize of $10,000 and publication by University of New Orleans Press is given annually for a short story collection or novel. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $28.

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Submissions Open for the Masters Review Short Story Award for New Writers

The Masters Review is still accepting submissions for the Short Story Award for New Writers! Offered twice yearly for a short work of fiction by an emerging writer, the winner of this summer’s contest will receive a prize of $3,000 and publication in the Masters Review. In addition, the winning story will be sent to agents Victoria Cappello (Bent Agency), Sarah Fuentes (Fletcher & Company), Andrea Morrison (Writers House), Heather Schroder (Compass Talent), and Nat Sobel (Sobel Weber Associates) for review. Writers who have not published a book or who have published a book with a circulation of less than 5,000 are eligible to apply. All stories will be considered for publication.

Using only the online submission system, submit a short story of up to 6,000 words with a $20 entry fee by August 28. Chelsea Bieker, novelist and author of the short story collection Heartbroke, will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

The mission of the Masters Review is to champion emerging writers, and they encourage all who apply to their Short Story Award to “dazzle us, take chances, and be bold.” Though the review focuses on literary fiction, there is no stylistic or topical preference for stories submitted. Writers will receive a response to their submissions by the end of November and the winner will be announced by the end of December. Past winners have received agency representation from Sarah Fuentes (Fletcher & Company) and Victoria Marini (Irene Goodman Literary Agency), and one even went on to publish their short story collection with Grove Atlantic.   

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

It’s hot out there, folks! Stay cool—or cooler, anyway—indoors while applying to some contests with deadlines of August 8, 9, 15, and 20. Among the awards are a $3,000 prize for a poetry collection; a $1,500 prize for a poem and a short story; a $1,000 prize for a book of innovative poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or hybrid-genre work; and $1,000 prizes for individual poems, works of flash fiction or nonfiction, and short stories. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more. Good luck!

Futurepoem Other Futures Award: A prize of $1,000, publication by Futurepoem, and 25 author copies is given annually for a book of innovative poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or hybrid-genre work “that challenges conventions of genre and language, content, and form.” The editors will judge. Entry fee: $28.

Gival Press Short Story Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Gival Press website is given annually for a short story. Entry fee: $25.

Grayson Books Poetry Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Grayson Books is given annually for a poetry collection. John Sibley Williams will judge. Entry fee: $26.

Indiana Review’s 1/2 K Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Indiana Review is given annually for a poem or a work of flash fiction or creative nonfiction. Geffrey Davis will judge. All finalists will be considered for publication. Entry fee: $20 (which includes a subscription to Indiana Review); no fee for Black and/or Indigenous writers.

Kallisto Gaia Press Poetry and Short Fiction Prizes: Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication in Ocotillo Review are given annually for a poem and a short story. Zoë Fay-Stindt will judge the Julia Darling Memorial Poetry Prize and Jen Knox will judge the Chester B. Himes Memorial Short Fiction Prize. Entry fee: $20.

Omnidawn Publishing Open Book Prize: A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 100 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Shane McCrae will judge. Entry fee: $27; for an additional $3, entrants will receive a book of their choice from the Omnidawn catalogue. 

TulipTree Publishing Stories That Need To Be Told Contest: A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that “tells a story that needs to be told.” The winner will also receive a two-year subscription to the literary database Duotrope and publication in the annual Stories That Need to Be Told contest anthology. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20.

Deadline Nears for Granum Foundation Prizes

There is still time to submit to the Granum Foundation Prizes! Awarded annually to a poet, fiction writer, or creative nonfiction writer to support the completion of a manuscript-in-progress, the Granum Foundation Prize offers $5,000; up to three finalists will receive $500 or more. A Translation Prize of $500 or more will also be awarded. There is no entry fee for either prize.

Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of approximately 12 poems or 25 pages of prose, along with a cover letter, project description, and a statement about how the grant will support your work, by August 2. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

The prizes are meant to provide practical support to writers who have demonstrated a “commitment to the literary arts” and can articulate the merits of their writing project, including their ability to complete it within a set timeframe. The money may be used to pay for tools of the trade—a computer, for example—or to defray the costs of writing residencies, editorial services, and more.

Welcoming applicants from all backgrounds, the Granum Foundation seeks to foster the growth of emerging writers. As the foundation’s website puts it: “We are placing bets on undiscovered writers from all walks of life who might never get the chance to complete their first books, or who change careers later in life to chase literary dreams, or who feel they have been excluded from traditional avenues of support.”

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

With July already underway, it’s never too soon to start submitting to contests with a deadline of July 31! These competitions offer unique awards such as two cases of Dogfish Head craft beer, a weeklong residency at the Anam Cara Writer’s Retreat in West Cork, Ireland, and 20 copies of a letterpress broadside of a winning poem, alongside cash prizes of at least $500. One contest even has no entry fee. Cheers, writers!

Connecticut Poetry Society Experimental Poetry Contest: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Connecticut River Review will be given annually for an innovative poem. Richard Deming will judge. Audio and video recordings are eligible. Entry fee: $15. 

Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales Dogfish Head Poetry Prize: A prize of $500, publication by Broadkill River Press, 10 author copies, and two cases of Dogfish Head craft beer are given annually for a poetry collection written by a poet living in Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., or West Virginia. The winner is expected to attend a reading and award ceremony at the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware, on December 10. Lodging for a two-night stay at the Dogfish Inn in the beach town of Lewes, Delaware, is provided. Travel expenses are not included. Michael Glaser will judge. Entry fee: none. 

Hidden River Arts Hawk Mountain Short Story Collection Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Hidden River Press is given annually for a story collection. Entry fee: $20.

Howling Bird Press Book Contest: A prize of $2,500 and publication by Howling Bird Press is given in alternating years for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. The 2023 prize will be awarded in nonfiction. Memoirs, essay collections, and other creative nonfiction are eligible. Entry fee: $25.

Munster Literature Centre Seán O’Faoláin International Short Story Competition: A prize of €2,000 (approximately $2,178) and publication in Southword is given annually for a short story. The winner also receives a weeklong residency at the Anam Cara Writer’s Retreat in West Cork and accommodation at the Cork International Short Story Festival. Entry fee: €19 (approximately $21).

Narrative Spring Story Contest: A prize of $2,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a short story, a short short story, an essay, or an excerpt from a work of fiction or creative nonfiction. A second-place prize of $1,000 is also awarded. The editors will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $27.

New Millennium Writings Awards: Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication in New Millennium Writings and on the journal’s website are given twice yearly for a poem, a short story, a short short story, and an essay that have not appeared in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20.

Press 53 Award for Poetry: A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Tom Lombardo will judge. Entry fee: $30. 

Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Red Wheelbarrow is given annually for a single poem. The winner will also receive 20 copies of a letterpress broadside of the winning poem, printed by Gary Young at Greenhouse Review Press. Juan Felipe Herrera will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $15.

Sewanee Review Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction Contest: Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sewanee Review are given annually for a group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Richie Hofmann will judge in poetry, Raven Leilani will judge in fiction, and Lisa Taddeo will judge in nonfiction. Entry fee: $30 (which includes a subscription to Sewanee Review).  

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Submissions Open for Santa Fe Writers Project Book Award

The 2022 Santa Fe Writers Project (SFWP) Book Award is still open for submissions! Offered biennially for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction, the prize awards $1,500 and publication by the Santa Fe Writers Project, a publisher with global distribution. Writers from all around the world are welcome to apply, though submitted manuscripts must be written in English. Unpublished and self-published work as well as prose published with a micro or small press that has not received marketing support are eligible. Winners will receive a full developmental edit, collaboration with an in-house copy editor, and the opportunity to work closely with SFWP’s layout and design team.

Using only the online submission system, submit a story collection, a novel, an essay collection, or a memoir of any length with a $30 entry fee by July 18. Deesha Philyaw, author of the award-winning short story collection The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines

An independent press founded in 1998, Santa Fe Writers Project challenges “the norms by embracing short stories, novellas, translations, reprints, and the avant-garde.” Started two years after the press began, the SFWP Book Award has previously been judged by writers including Carmen Maria Machado, Emily St. John Mandel, and Benjamin Percy. Recent contest winners are A.A. Balaskovits (Magic for Unlucky Girls), Lilly Dancyger (Negative Space), Wendy J. Fox (If the Ice Had Held), and Joseph Holt (Golden Heart Parade). 

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

According to some astrological predictions, the “Cancer season” we entered this week is particularly auspicious thanks to a new moon influenced by Jupiter, the planet of good fortune. So why not try your luck by applying to some contests with a July 15 deadline? Among the awards are a $20,000 prize for a published story collection; a $15,000 prize for a poem; a $1,000 prize for a poetry collection; a $1,000 prize for a novel; and $1,000 prizes for individual poems, short stories, essays, and works of flash fiction. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more. May Jupiter’s benefic beams shine upon you, writers!

Cincinnati Review Robert and Adele Schiff Awards: Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Cincinnati Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Rebecca Lindenberg will judge in poetry, Michael Griffith will judge in fiction, and Kristen Iversen will judge in nonfiction. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20.

Comstock Review Muriel Craft Bailey Memorial Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Comstock Review is given annually for a single poem. Ellen Bass will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $27.50 (or $5 per poem via postal mail).

Ghost Story Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition: A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Ghost Story website and in the 21st Century Ghost Stories anthology is given twice yearly for a work of flash fiction with a supernatural or magical realism theme. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $15.

Narrative Poetry Contest: A prize of $1,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a poem or group of poems. The poetry editors will judge. All entries will be considered for publication. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $25.

Rattle Poetry Prize and Reader’s Choice Award: A prize of $15,000 and publication in Rattle is given annually for a single poem. A Reader’s Choice Award of $5,000 is also given to one of ten finalists. The editors will judge the Poetry Prize, and subscribers and entrants will judge the Reader’s Choice Award by vote. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $25. 

Regal House Publishing’s Petrichor Prize for Finely Crafted Fiction: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Regal House Publishing is given annually for a novel. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Story Prize: A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a short story collection written in English and published in the United States in the current year. Two runners-up receive $5,000 each. The $1,000 Story Prize Spotlight Award is also given for an additional short story collection “of exceptional merit.” Larry Dark and Julie Lindsey will judge the three finalists and the Spotlight Award winner; three independent judges will choose the Story Prize winner. Entry fee: $75.

Word Works Tenth Gate Prize: A prize of $1,000, publication by the Word Works, and 30 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has published at least two full-length books of poetry. Felicia Zamora will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Deadline Nears for Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize

Conduit Books & Ephemera is now accepting submissions for its Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize. Awarded annually for a manuscript by a poet writing in English who has not yet published a full-length poetry collection, the prize offers a cash award of $1,500, publication by Conduit Books & Ephemera, and thirty author copies. Bob Hicok will judge.

Submit a manuscript of 48 to 90 pages with a $25 entry fee by July 5. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Last year’s prize winner was Rachel Abramowitz for her poetry collection, The Birthday of the Dead. Previous winners include Suphil Lee Park, Meg Shevenock, and Michelle Lewis. Launched in 2018, the prize is named for Hicok’s grandmother-in-law. “Marystina Santiestevan loved poetry, labor unions, animals, plants, and poets,” says Hicok. “When I met her and Henry, her husband, I enjoyed a most un-American experience: I was immediately treated as an honored guest in their house, even made to sit in Henry’s chair, just because I was a poet.” Before submitting to the contest, writers are advised to familiarize themselves with Conduit, the biannual journal affiliated with the press which “champions originality, intelligence, irreverence, and humanity.”

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Celebrate the beginning of summer and the endless possibilities the season brings by submitting to contests with a deadline of June 30. Awards include an $8,000 grand prize for a self-published book in any of seven categories, including graphic narrative and creative nonfiction; a weeklong retreat in Missé, France, for a winning short story; and an approximately $51,123 prize for a poetry collection by a poet or translator published during the previous year. Enjoy!

Cider Press Review Editors’ Prize Book Award: A prize of $1,000, publication by Cider Press Review, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $26. 

Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry Prize: Two prizes of $65,000 Canadian (approximately $51,123) each are given annually for poetry collections by a Canadian poet or translator and by an international poet or translator published during the previous year. Finalists receive $10,000 Canadian (approximately $7,865) each for their participation in the shortlisted authors event to be held in Toronto. Adam Dickinson, Valzhyna Mort, and Claudia Rankine will judge. Entry fee: None.

Los Angeles Review Literary Awards: Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Los Angeles Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, a short short story, and an essay. Joshua Rivkin will judge in poetry, Landon Houle will judge in fiction, Thea Prieto will judge in flash fiction, and Chelsea Catherine will judge in creative nonfiction. Entry fee: $20.

The Moth International Short Story Prize: A prize of €3,000 (approximately $3,423) is given annually for a short story. A prize of a weeklong retreat at Circle of Misse in Missé, France, with a €250 (approximately $285) travel stipend, and a prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,141) are also given. The winners will be published in the Moth. Sarah Hall will judge. Entry fee: €15 (approximately $17).

Omnidawn Publishing Poetry Chapbook Contest: A prize of $1,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 100 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Ruth Ellen Kocher will judge. Entry fee: $18. (For an additional $2, entrants will receive one chapbook of their choice from the Omnidawn catalogue.)  

Poetry London Prize: A first-place prize of £5,000 (approximately $6,762), a second-place prize of £2,000 (approximately $2,705), and a third-place prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,353) will be given annually for a poem. The winners will also receive publication in the Autumn issue of Poetry London and an invitation to read at the issue’s launch, held at the Southbank Centre in London. Romalyn Ante will judge. Entry fee: £8 (approximately $11), or £4 (approximately $5) for Poetry London subscribers.

Twyckenham Notes Joe Bolton Poetry Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Twyckenham Notes is given annually for a poem or group of poems. The editors will judge. All entries will be considered for publication. Entry fee: $20. 

University of North Texas Press Katherine Anne Porter Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of North Texas Press is given annually for a collection of short fiction. Entry fee: $25.

University of Pittsburgh Press Drue Heinz Literature Prize: A prize of $15,000 and publication by University of Pittsburgh Press is given annually for a collection of short fiction. Writers who have published at least one previous book of fiction or a minimum of three short stories or novellas in nationally distributed magazines or literary journals are eligible. Entry fee: None.

Winning Writers North Street Book Prize: A grand prize of $8,000 and seven additional prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for self-published books of poetry, fiction, genre fiction, creative nonfiction, children’s literature, graphic narrative, and art books. Each of the winners will also receive publication of an excerpt on the Winning Writers website; a marketing consultation with author and publishing consultant Carolyn Howard-Johnson; $300 in credit at BookBaby, a distributor for self-published authors; and free advertising in the Winning Writers e-mail newsletter. Ellen LaFleche and Jendi Reiter will judge. Entry fee: $70.

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.