Poets & Writers Blogs

Applications Open for Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grants

The Whiting Foundation is accepting applications for the 2024 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grants until April 23. Up to ten writers working on “complex, imaginatively composed” nonfiction books will receive a grant of $40,000 each. The grantees will be announced in December.

Eligible writers will have already made significant progress on their books, which should be multiyear, original projects that involve deep and significant amounts of research and writing. Given at a “crucial point mid-process,” the grants are intended to provide “an extra infusion of support” that can meaningfully improve the quality of the books. To be considered, projects must be under contract with a U.S., Canadian, or U.K. publisher. In acknowledgment of “additional structural hurdles to securing institutional resources to support such projects, “writers of color in particular are encouraged to apply.” 

Recipients of the 2023 grants were Nicholas Boggs for James Baldwin: A Love Story, Eiren Caffall for The Mourner’s Bestiary, Sarah Chihaya for Bibliophobia, Alexander Clapp for Waste Wars: A Journey Through the World of Globalized Trash, Kendra Taira Field for The Stories We Tell, Molly O’Toole for The Route: The Untold Story of the New Migrant Underground, Dom Phillips with collaborators for How to Save the Amazon: Ask the People Who Know, Carrie Schuettpelz for The Indian Card: A Journey Through America’s Native Identity Problem, Sonia Shah for Special: The Rise and Fall of a Beastly Idea, and Reggie Ugwu for Brilliance Is All We Have: Black Filmmakers and the Fight for the Soul of America.

To learn more, visit whiting.org/writers/creative-nonfiction-grant/about. The Whiting Foundation hosted two online information sessions to answer questions and offer guidance on applying for the grant; a recording of an info session is available here. Writers may submit an application via the online form by 11:59PM ET on April 23.

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Deadlines for Five April Contests Are Fast Approaching

April Fool’s Day may be just around the corner, but your writing deserves to be taken seriously. Consider submitting your poems, essays, and short stories to these prizes and fellowships, all with April 14 and 15 deadlines (and one with no entry fee). Don’t forget to carefully read the contest guidelines before entering, and good luck!

Desperate Literature
Short Fiction Prize

A prize of €1,500 (approximately $1,628), publication in the Desperate Literature prize anthology, and a weeklong residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation’s castle in the Umbria region of Italy is given annually for a work of short fiction. Winners also receive a consultation with literary agent Charlotte Seymour (Johnson & Alcock Literary Agency), an editorial meeting with the Literary Consultancy, and the opportunity to give readings at Desperate Literature in Madrid and Burley Fisher Books in London. Megan McDowell, Ottessa Moshfegh, Samanta Schweblin, and Alejandro Zambra will judge. Entry fee: €20 (approximately $22).

Florida Review
Editor’s Prizes

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Florida Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. The editors will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $25 (which includes a subscription to Florida Review). 

New Ohio Review
Literary Prizes

Three prizes of $1,500 each and publication in New Ohio Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $22 (which includes a subscription to New Ohio Review). 

Poetry Foundation
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships

Five fellowships of $27,000 each are given annually to U.S. poets between the ages of 21 and 31. Entry fee: None.

University of Arkansas Press
Etel Adnan Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Arkansas Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection by a writer of Arab heritage. Series editors Hayan Charara and Fady Joudah 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, creative nonfiction, and translation.

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Jaded Ibis Press Accepting Submissions From Historically Marginalized Writers for Uplift Voices Nonfiction Book Award Until March 31

Jaded Ibis Press is currently accepting submissions of book-length creative nonfiction manuscripts, including memoir, essays, and reporting, for its Uplift Voices Nonfiction Book Award, given to a writer who identifies as a historically marginalized voice. The deadline to enter the contest, which awards $1,500 and publication by Jaded Ibis Press, is March 31

Using only the online submission system, submit 45,000 to 75,000 words of prose with a $20 entry fee. Myriam Gurba, whose most recent book is the essay collection Creep: Accusations and Confessions (Avid Reader Press, 2023), will judge. All entries will be considered for publication. 

Jaded Ibis is a feminist press committed to publishing socially engaged literature with an emphasis on the voices of people of color, people with disabilities, and other historically silenced and culturally marginalized voices. Recently published titles include Mei-Mei Holland’s poetry and prose collection Year of the Cicada and Nada Samih-Rotondo’s memoir, All Water Has Perfect Memory, both of which were acquired by Jaded Ibis acquisitions editor Lisa Pegram, who says she’s interested in “submissions from authors who have a distinctive voice and write books that explore the lives and concerns of those who identify as women and/or people of color.”

About the Uplift Voices Nonfiction Book Award, the editors say it “is more than a literary contest; it’s an opportunity have your book lovingly edited, designed, produced as both an e-book and print edition, marketed, and submitted to eligible literary awards and prizes.” They add: “Join us in amplifying voices that need to be heard, and submit your manuscript for a shot at making a powerful impact. Your story matters, so let it be uplifted!” Visit the website for more information. 

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Two Weeks Left to Enter One of Six Contests Offering Cash Prizes and Publication

Seeking the recognition you deserve—as well as a little extra cash—for an unpublished poem, story, or essay? Hoping to circumvent the tedious process of finding a publisher for a book-length manuscript? Consider submitting to one of the following six contests that offer generous cash prizes on top of publication by a highly reputed journal, press, or competition website, all with a deadline of April 1. Remember to carefully read the guidelines before you enter—and good luck!

Gemini Magazine
Short Story Contest
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a short story. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $8. 

Nimrod International
Journal Nimrod Literary Awards
 
Two prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Nimrod International Journal are given annually for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction. A runner-up in each category receives $1,000 and publication. The winners and runners-up will also participate in a virtual awards ceremony and conference in the fall. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20 (which includes a subscription to Nimrod International Journal). 

North American Review
Terry Tempest Williams Creative Nonfiction Prize
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review is given annually for an essay. Lyric essays, memoir-style essays, and literary journalism are eligible. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $23 (which includes an issue of North American Review). 

Orison Books
Prizes in Poetry and Fiction
 
Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication by Orison Books are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction. Ellen Bass will judge in poetry and Kaveh Akbar will judge in fiction. Entry fee: $25. 

Saturnalia Books
Poetry Prize
 
A prize of $1,500, publication by Saturnalia Books, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Carmen Giménez will judge. All entries are also considered for the Alma Book Awards, which offer two prizes of $1,000 each and publication. Entry fee: $30 entry. 

Winning Writers
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
 
A prize of $2,000, a gift certificate for a two-year membership to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website is given annually for a humorous poem. A second-place prize of $500 is also awarded. Jendi Reiter will judge. Unpublished and previously published works are eligible. Entry fee: None. 

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.

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Arts & Letters Prizes in Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction Are Just Around the Corner

This year’s Arts & Letters Prizes mark a quarter century for the contest in which three decorated judges select a group of poems, a short story, and an essay. The deadline for the twenty-fifth annual contest is March 31. The prize awards $1,000 and publication in Arts & Letters, a journal that has attracted both emerging and established writers such as Donald Hall, Sonja Livingston, and Xu Xi. 

Using only the online submission system, submit up to four poems of any length or up to 25 pages of prose with a $20 entry fee. All entries are considered for publication. Chelsea Rathburn will judge in poetry, Tiphanie Yanique will judge in fiction, and Beth Ann Fennelly will judge in nonfiction. Visit the website for more information.

Founded by Martin Lammon in 1999 and operating out of Georgia College & State University’s MFA program in creative writing ever since, Arts & Letters has for nearly a decade been headed by its second editor, Laura Newbern, who’s also an associate professor in English at GCSU and a recipient of the 2010 Writer’s Award from the Rona Jaffe Foundation. And for those wondering if this contest is the right fit, the editorial board welcomes both formal and experimental work—even writing that otherwise “defies classification”—so long as, in the board’s words, the submission “doesn’t try too hard to grab our attention, but rather guides it toward the human voice and its perpetual struggle into language.” If you’re still not sure, you might find inspiration in the judges’ latest book in their respective category; that is, Rathburn’s Still Life With Mother and Knife (LSU Press, 2019), Yanique’s How to Escape From a Leper Colony (Graywolf Press, 2010), and Fennelly’s Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs (Norton, 2017).

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Contests With a March 15 Deadline

What more fitting time than the arrival of spring to imagine growing an audience for your writing? Fortunately there are a number of writing contests with a March 15 deadline to consider. Prizes include $15,000 for a debut novel published during the current year (six finalists receive $1,000 each); $10,000 for a novel-in-progress by a debut author (a first and second runner-up receive $3,000 and $2,000, respectively); and five prizes of $10,000, plus publication by one of five participating trade, university, or small press publishers, for poetry collections by U.S. poets. Nine other awards offer publication and prizes ranging from $500 to $3,000 for work in various genres. Best of luck!

Bellingham Review
Literary Awards
 
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Bellingham Review are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The 49th Parallel Award for Poetry is given for a poem or group of poems. The Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction is given for a short story or a work of flash fiction. The Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction is given for an essay or a work of flash nonfiction. All entries are considered for publication. English translations of works originally written in another language are accepted. Entry fee: $15. 

Broadside Lotus Press
Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award
 
A prize of $500 and publication by Broadside Lotus Press is given annually for a poetry collection by an African American poet. Entry fee: None. 

The Center for Fiction
First Novel Prize

A prize of $15,000 is given annually for a debut novel by an American citizen published in the United States during the current year. Six finalists receive $1,000 each. Self-published works, books published exclusively in e-book editions, and novels previously published in other countries are not eligible. Small independent publishers may apply for a fee reduction. Entry fee: $100. 

Fourth Genre
Steinberg Memorial Essay Prize
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Fourth Genre is given annually for an essay. Sarah Viren will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20. 

Indiana Review
Poetry and Creative Nonfiction Prizes
 
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Indiana Review are given annually for a single poem and an essay. Entry fee: $20 (includes a subscription to Indiana Review).

James Jones Literary Society
First Novel Fellowship
 
A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a novel-in-progress by a U.S. writer who has not published a novel. The first runner-up receives $3,000 and the second runner-up receives $2,000. Entry fee: $33. 

National Poetry Series
Open Competition
 
Five prizes of $10,000 each and publication by participating trade, university, or small press publishers are given annually for poetry collections by U.S. poets. Entry fee: $35.

Prairie Schooner
Raz-Shumaker Book Prizes
 
Two prizes of $3,000 each and publication by University of Nebraska Press are given annually for a poetry collection and a story collection. Kwame Dawes will judge. Entry fee: $25. 

Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation
Poetry Prize
 
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Sun Yung Shin will judge. Entry fee: $10. 

Trio House Press
Louise Bogan Award
 
A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet living in the United States. Oliver de la Paz will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Trio House Press
Trio Award for First or Second Book
 
A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection by a poet living in the United States. Jessica Q. Stark will judge. Entry fee: $25. 

Verse
Tomaž Šalamun Prize
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Factory Hollow Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner also receives a monthlong residency in a private apartment at the Tomaž Šalamun Centre for Poetry in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in summer 2025. Prose poetry, hybrid works, and translations of works of poetry by living writers from any language into English (with the relevant permission) are also eligible. Shane McCrae will judge. Entry fee: $17 ($13 for students).

The Word Works
Washington Prize
 
A prize of $1,500 and publication by the Word Works is given annually to a U.S. or Canadian poet for a poetry collection. 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, creative nonfiction, and translation.

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Deadline Nears for the Wild Women Story Contest

Poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers with work that illustrates “the wild woman spirit”—the creative agency and power women display in shaping the world—may want to consider submitting to TulipTree Publishing’s Wild Women Story Contest by March 8. The annual prize awards $1,000 and publication in TulipTree Review for a single poem, a short story, or an essay “whose main characters embody” this “feminine spirit.”

Submit up to five pages of poetry or up to 10,000 words of prose with a $20 entry fee. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

With an application period closing on International Women’s Day, the Wild Women Story Contest recognizes work that honors the convictions of feminist historian Stephanie Camp, who believed that “[w]omen’s history does not merely add to what we know; it changes what we know and how we know it.” A selection of poems, stories, and essays submitted to the prize are gathered in TulipTree Review’s annual Spring/Summer Wild Women Issue, and both the grand prize winner and one honorable mention are nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Last year’s nominees were fiction writer Amy Soscia for “Life on the Ledge” and essayist Hannah Hindley for “Heat Map.” 

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Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Thanks to the extra fraction of a calendar day it takes Earth to orbit the sun each year, you have this leap year’s compensation day to apply to awards with deadlines on February 28 and February 29! Use that temps perdu to submit to contests offering prizes including $22,000 and publication for a nonfiction manuscript-in-progress that “emphasizes innovation in form and content”; $3,000, publication, and 20 author copies for a first or second poetry collection; and two prizes of $2,000 for a poetry e-book and a fiction e-book that depict “cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Best of luck!

Association of Writers & Writing Programs
Award Series
 
Three prizes of $5,500 each and publication by a participating press are given annually for a poetry collection, a short story collection, and a novel. A prize of $2,500 and publication by a participating press is also given annually for an essay collection or a memoir. Deadline: February 28. Entry fee: $30 ($20 for AWP members). 

Austin Community College
Balcones Prizes
 
Two prizes of $1,500 each are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction published during the previous year. English translations of works originally written in another language are accepted. Deadline: February 28. Entry fee: $25 for poetry and $30 for fiction. 

Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Self-Publishing Literary Awards
 
Two prizes of $2,500 each are given annually for a poetry e-book and a fiction e-book self-published during the previous year by an African American writer. The awards honor books that depict “cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Deadline: February 28. Entry fee: None.

Graywolf Press
Nonfiction Prize
 
A prize of $22,000 (comprised of a $20,000 advance and a $2,000 research stipend) and publication by Graywolf Press will be given biennially for a nonfiction manuscript-in-progress that “emphasizes innovation in form and content” by a writer who is not yet established in the genre of nonfiction. The editors will judge. Deadline: February 28. Entry fee: None. 

Little Tokyo Historical Society
Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest
 
Two prizes of $500 each and publication in Rafu Shimpo and on the Discover Nikkei and Little Tokyo Historical Society websites are given annually for short stories that take place in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles and “capture the cultural spirit” of the neighborhood. One prize is given for a story written in English; the other is given for a story written in Japanese. Deadline: February 29. Entry fee: None.

Omnidawn Publishing
First/Second Poetry Book Contest
 
A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 20 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. Desirée Alvarez will judge. Deadline: February 29. Entry fee: $35. 

Red Hen Press
Women’s Prose Prize
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a book of fiction or nonfiction by a writer who identifies as a woman. Laila Halaby will judge. Deadline: February 28. Entry fee: $25.

Tupelo Press
Snowbound Chapbook Award
 
A prize of $1,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: February 28. 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, creative nonfiction, and translation.

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Deadline Approaches for the CAAPP/Autumn House Press Book Prize

Poets of African descent sitting on a first or second collection (including work that intersects with poetry, such as hybrid text, speculative prose, and translation) should not miss out on the chance to submit to the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics/Autumn House Press Book Prize. This year’s deadline is February 15. The annual prize awards $3,000 and publication to a writer “embodying African American, African, or African diasporic experiences.”

Using only the online submission system, submit 48 to 168 pages of poetry or poetry-adjacent work. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines. 

Founded in 1998, Autumn House Press publishes books in all genres with the belief “that literature is an affirmation of the deep and elemental range of our human experience” and that “our need for it is crucial now more than ever.” Over the years, the press has met this commitment by putting out debut poetry collections such as Ada Limón’s Lucky Wreck (2006), Danusha Laméris’s The Moons of August (2014), Cameron Barnett’s The Drowning Boy’s Guide to Water (2017), and Eric Tran’s The Gutter Spread Guide to Prayer (2020). This year’s CAAPP Book Prize judge, Aracelis Girmay, is a hybrid genre poet whose most recent work is the chapbook and was a flower (Center for Book Arts, 2023), made in collaboration with book artist Valentina Améstica. 

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Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Don’t let your writing life become a version of Groundhog Day, the 1993 film in which a disgruntled weatherman—played by Bill Murray—must relive, seemingly ad infinitum, the eponymous holiday. Change things up by submitting your work to a new contest! Nine awards have a deadline of February 15 or February 16, offering prizes that include $3,000 and publication for collections of poetry, fiction, and essays; $1,000 for a poetry collection translated from any language into English; and five prizes of $1,000 to $1,500 for a single poem “composed in the traditional modes of meter, rhyme, and received forms.” Good luck, writers!

Academy of American Poets
Ambroggio Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Arizona Press is given annually for a poetry collection originally written in Spanish by a living writer and translated into English. Norma Elia Cantú will judge. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: None.

Academy of American Poets
Harold Morton Landon Translation Award

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poetry collection translated from any language into English and published in the United States during the previous year. Valzhyna Mort will judge. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: None.

Arrowsmith Press
Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry

 A prize of $2,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published in English during the previous year by a writer who is not a citizen of the United States. English translations of works originally written in another language are accepted. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: $20.

Center for African American Poetry and Poetics/Autumn House Press
Book Prize

A prize of $3,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection (or a work that intersects with poetry, including hybrid text, speculative prose, and translation) by a writer of African descent. Aracelis Girmay will judge. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: None.

Finishing Line Press
Open Chapbook Competition
A prize of $1,500 and publication by Finishing Line Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Manuscripts written in a language other than English are accepted when accompanied by an English translation. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: $20.

Furious Flower Poetry Center
Furious Flower Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,500 and publication in Obsidian, the literary journal of Illinois State University, is given annually for a group of poems that explore Black themes. The winner also receives a $500 honorarium to give a reading at James Madison University. Poets who have published no more than one poetry collection are eligible. Roger Reeves will judge. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: $15.

Omnidawn Publishing
First/Second Poetry Book Contest

A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 20 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. Desirée Alvarez will judge. Deadline: February 16. Entry fee: $35.

Sarabande Books
Morton, McCarthy, and Sarabande Prizes

Two prizes of $3,000 each and publication by Sarabande Books are given annually for collections of poetry and fiction; in 2024, a new prize of $3,000 and publication will also be given for a collection of essays. For the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry, Hanif Abdurraqib will judge. For the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction, Lauren Groff will judge. For the Sarabande Prize in the Essay, Alexander Chee will judge. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: $29.

West Chester University
Poetry Awards

Five prizes of $1,000 to $1,500 will be given annually for a single poem “composed in the traditional modes of meter, rhyme, and received forms” (Iris N. Spencer Poetry Award); a single poem written in haiku form (Myong Cha Son Haiku Award); a single poem written in sonnet form (Sonnet Award); a single poem written in villanelle form (Villanelle Award); and a single poem written in Spanish and accompanied by the English translation or translated into Spanish and accompanied by the English original (Rhina P. Espaillat Award). Second-place prizes of $500 will also be awarded for the Iris N. Spencer Poetry Award and the Myong Cha Son Haiku Award. Only undergraduate students who are enrolled in a United States college or university are eligible. Ernest Hilbert will judge. Deadline: February 16. Entry fee: None.

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.

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Deadline Nears for Lando Grants

Writers of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction whose work explores diaspora should consider submitting to the Lando Grants from the de Groot Foundation by February 5. Three grants of $7,000 each will go to authors writing about “the issues and challenges of immigration, migration, and/or the refugee experience.” Three additional awards, called Lando Writer of Note Grants, of $1,500 each will also be awarded.

Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of five pages (graphic novelists may include up to 10 pages of prose and graphics), a brief bio, and a personal statement with a $22 entry fee. All writers currently engaged in a writing project are eligible. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

The Lando grants are named for Barry Lando, an investigative journalist and former producer of 60 Minutes, who is collaborating with the de Groot Foundation to offer the awards. In a statement, Lando says the prize draws attention to “one of the gravest problems facing the world today—the enormous rise in refugees and migrants fleeing catastrophic conditions in their homelands, desperate to start new lives in the globe’s more stable, prosperous nations. My goal is to encourage emerging authors to examine—via fiction or nonfiction, any aspect of this on-going challenge, from its varied causes to its impact in the ‘developed’ world. I am particularly interested in discovering potential authors and researchers with fresh ideas for solutions.”

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Upcoming Contest Deadlines

While you’re hibernating through subzero temperatures, why not try your luck with over a dozen contests offering publication, money, travel, and even mentorship? Prizes include $5,000 and publication in Chautauqua for a work of fiction or nonfiction by an emerging writer who displays “daring formal and aesthetic innovations,” fellowships of up to $2,000 to support feminist fiction writers, and $1,500 along with a virtual five-month mentorship program for emerging poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers “from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the publishing world.” Stay warm, folks, and send out your work!

Arts + Literature Laboratory
Edna Meudt Poetry Book Award
 
A prize of $1,000 will be given annually for a poetry collection published in the previous year by a writer who is a resident of Wisconsin (or who previously resided in Wisconsin for at least five years). The winner will also receive a five-day stay at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Gabrielle Bates will judge. Entry fee: $30.

Arts + Literature Laboratory
Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award
 
A prize of $1,000 will be given annually for a book of fiction published in the previous year by a writer who is a resident of Wisconsin (or who previously resided in Wisconsin for at least five years). The winner will also receive a five-day stay at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Alison Stine will judge. Entry fee: $30.

Arts + Literature Laboratory
Norbert Blei/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award

A prize of $1,000 will be given annually for a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published in the previous year by a writer who is a resident of Wisconsin (or who previously resided in Wisconsin for at least five years). The winner will also receive a five-day stay at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Sonya Huber will judge. Entry fee: $30.

Black Lawrence Press
Big Moose Prize

A prize of $1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a novel. The contest is open to traditional novels as well as “novels-in-stories, novels-in-poems, and other hybrid forms that contain within them the spirit of a novel.” The editors will judge. Entry fee: $28.

Chautauqua Institution
Chautauqua Janus Prize
 
A prize of $5,000 and publication in Chautauqua is given annually for a single work of fiction or nonfiction by an emerging writer displaying “daring formal and aesthetic innovations that upset and reorder readers’ imaginations.” The winner also receives a $2,000 travel and lodging stipend to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in summer 2024. Writers who have not published a book of over 15,000 words in any prose genre are eligible. Submissions may consist of unpublished work or work published no earlier than April 2023. Jimin Han will judge. Entry fee: $20.

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 biannually for a work of flash fiction with a supernatural or magical realist theme. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $15.

Inlandia Institute
Eliud Martínez Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Inlandia Books is given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction by a writer who identifies as Hispanic, Latino/a/e/x, or Chicana/o/e/x. Manuscripts must be written primarily in English. Fee waivers are available upon request. Entry fee: $15.

Iowa Review
Iowa Review Awards

Three prizes of $1,500 each and publication in Iowa Review are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20.

Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund
Individual Artist Grants for Women
 
Grants of up to $2,000 each are given in alternating years to feminist poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers who are citizens of the United States or Canada. This year grants will be awarded to fiction writers. English translations of works originally written in another language are accepted. A limited number of fee waivers are available upon request. Entry fee: $25.

New Millennium Writings
New Millennium Writing Awards
 
Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication in New Millennium Writings in print and online are given biannually for a single poem, a short story, a work of flash fiction, and a work of creative nonfiction. Previously unpublished works or works that have either appeared in a journal with a circulation under 5,000 or have been published only online are eligible. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $20.

PEN America
Emerging Voices Fellowship
 
Twelve fellowships of $1,500 each and participation in a virtual five-month mentorship program, which includes one-on-one mentorship with an established writer; introductions to editors, agents, and publishers; a professional headshot; and a one-year PEN America membership, are given annually to emerging poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers “from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the publishing world.” Fellows also participate in workshops on editing, marketing, and building a professional platform. Writers who have not yet published a book and who do not hold an advanced degree in creative writing are eligible. Entry fee: $25. 

Poetry Northwest
James Welch Prize for Indigenous Poets
 
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Poetry Northwest are given annually for a single poem by an Indigenous poet. The winners also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to read with the judge at Poets House in New York City in the fall. Writers who have published no more than one full-length book and who are community-recognized members of tribal nations within the United States and its territories are eligible. A Native poet of national prominence will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: None.

Regal House Publishing
Terry J. Cox Poetry Award
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Regal House Publishing is given annually for a poetry collection. John Warner Smith will judge. Entry fee: $25. 

Schaffner Press
Nicholas Schaffner Award for Music in Literature
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Schaffner Press is given annually for a poetry collection, a novel, a story collection, an essay collection, or a memoir that “deals in some way with the subject of music and its influence.” English translations of works originally written in another language with the author’s permission are accepted. Entry fee: $25.

Stanford Libraries
William Saroyan International Prize for Writing
 
Two prizes of $5,000 each are given biennially for books of fiction and nonfiction published in the previous two years. The awards, cosponsored by the Stanford Libraries and the William Saroyan Foundation, are “intended to encourage new or emerging writers and honor the Saroyan legacy of originality, vitality, and stylistic innovation.” Writers who have published up to three books are eligible. Entry fee: $50.

swamp pink
Writing Prizes
 
Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in swamp pink are given annually for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $15.

WOMR/WFMR Community Radio
Joe Gouveia Outermost Poetry Contest
 
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Marge Piercy will judge. 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, creative nonfiction, and translation.

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Deadline Approaches for the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize

Emerging Latinx poets: Start the new year off ambitiously by submitting to the biennial Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize, administered by the Huizache Literary Initiative at University of California in Davis, by February 16! The winning poet receives $1,000, publication by University of Nevada Press as part of its New Oeste Series, and an invitation to give a reading with the contest judge at UC Davis.

Using only the online submission system, submit 48 to 100 pages of poetry. Latinx poets residing in the United States who have neither published, nor have committed to publish, a full-length collection are eligible. Juan Felipe Herrera will judge. There is no entry fee.

Established in 2004 by Letras Latinas at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies “at a time when publishing opportunities for Latinx poets were few,” the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize has given exposure to poets with a wide variety of backgrounds and aesthetic approaches throughout its 20-year trajectory. When he first conceived of the prize, founder Francisco Aragón drew inspiration from Montoya’s The Iceworker Sings and Other Poems (Bilingual Press, 1999), a collection of urban elegies, prayers, and letters that touch on the poet’s experience as an ice plant worker and address the precarious conditions of a modern world divided by race and class. Most recently, Jordan Pérez won the prize for Santa Tarantula (University of Notre Dame Press, 2024), selected by Alexandra Lytton Regalado and Sheila Maldonado for the ways in which the poet “assembles her poems as shadowboxes, curious collections of the natural world, bible stories, and family memories” that account for “the everyday of a Latinx life in the South.”

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Upcoming Contest Deadlines

What better way to ring in the new year than to send your writing out for a shot at publication and some cash? Poets, fiction writers, and authors of creative nonfiction all have opportunities to apply to contests with a deadline of January 15. Awards include $5,000 for an essay and publication in Australian Book Review, $5,000 to spend creative time in the desert, and $3,000 and publication for a poetry collection by an author who is age 70 or older. Good luck!

Asheville Poetry Review
William Matthews Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Asheville Poetry Review is given annually for a single poem. The winner is also invited to give a reading at Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville, North Carolina. David Kirby will judge. Entry fee: $20.

Australian Book Review
Calibre Essay Prize

A prize of $5,000 AUD (approximately $3,262) is given annually for an essay. Two second-place prizes of $2,500 AUD (approximately $1,631) each will also be awarded. The winners will be published in Australian Book Review. Entry fee: $16.

Ellen Meloy Fund
Desert Writers Award

A prize of $5,000 is given annually to enable a creative nonfiction writer “whose work reflects the spirit and passions for the desert embodied in Ellen Meloy’s writing” to spend creative time in a desert environment. Entry fee: $15.

New American Press
New American Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,500, publication by New American Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Nikki Wallschlaeger will judge. Writers of any citizenship working anywhere in the world are eligible, though the work should presume English-language readers. Entry fee: $25.

North Carolina Writers’ Network
Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for an essay “that is outside the realm of conventional journalism and has relevance to North Carolinians.” The winning essay is also considered for publication in Ecotone. Writers who are legal residents of North Carolina or who are members of the North Carolina Writers’ Network are eligible. Belle Boggs will judge. Entry fee: $12.

Passager Books
Henry Morgenthau III First Book Poetry Prize

A prize of $3,000 and publication by Passager Books is given biennially for a first book of poems by a writer who is age 70 or older. Entry fee: $25.

Poetry Society of Virginia
North American Poetry Book Award

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published during the current year. The winner is also invited to read at the organization’s annual Spring Poetry Festival, held at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, in May 2024. Self-published books and books that have previously received a post-publication award are ineligible. Lisa Russ Spaar will judge. Entry fee: $36.

Red Hen Press
Cai Emmons Fiction Award

A prize of $5,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a short story collection, a novella, a novel, or other book-length work of fiction. Aimee Liu will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Wells College Press
Chapbook Contest

A prize of $1,000, publication by Wells College Press, and 10 author copies will be given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner will also receive room and board to give a reading at Wells College. English translations of works, including co-authored manuscripts, originally written in another language with the relevant permission are accepted. Entry fee: $25.

Virginia Commonwealth University
Levis Reading Prize

A prize of $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to give a reading at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond is given annually for a first or second book of poetry published during the previous year. Entry fee: None.

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.

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Upcoming Contest Deadlines

What better way to end the year than by giving contests that recognize emerging and established writers in various genres a shot? Prizes with a December 31 deadline include $20,000 (and three $1,000 prizes for finalists) for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the United States; $15,000 and travel and lodging expenses to attend an awards ceremony in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for a book of fiction by an emerging African American writer; and $1,000 plus publication for a chapbook of short fiction, short nonfiction, or graphic narrative. Eleven contests consider all entries for publication. Read on to learn more, and best of luck!

American Library Association
W.Y. Boyd Literary Award
 
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a novel published in the current year that is set in a period when the United States was at war. Entry fee: None.

Baton Rouge Area Foundation
Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
 
A prize of $15,000 is given annually to an emerging African American writer for a book of fiction published in the current year. The winner also receives travel and lodging expenses to attend an awards ceremony and participate in educational outreach events in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2024. Anthony Grooms, Edward P. Jones, Elizabeth Nunez, Francine Prose, and Patricia Towers will judge. Entry fee: None.

Before Columbus Foundation
American Book Awards
 
Awards are given annually for books published in the United States during the current year to recognize “outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America’s diverse literary community.” Anyone, in addition to writers and publishers, may submit nominations for the awards. Entry fee: None.

Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Literary Awards
 
Four prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a first novel, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) by African American writers published in the United States in the current year. The awards honor books that depict the “cultural, historical, or sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Entry fee: None.

Boulevard
Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers
 
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a short story by a writer who has not published a nationally distributed book. The editors will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $18.

Burnside Review
Press Book Contest

A prize of $1,000, publication by Burnside Review Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Arda Collins will judge. English translations of works originally written in another language are accepted. Entry fee: $25. 

Cleveland Foundation
Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards

Three to four prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published during the current year “that contribute to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of cultural diversity.” Rita Dove, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Joyce Carol Oates, Steven Pinker, and Simon Schama will judge. Entry fee: None.

Crosswinds
Poetry Contest
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Crosswinds is given annually for a single poem. April Ossmann will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20.

Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Griffin Poetry Prize
 
A prize of $130,000 Canadian (approximately $96,748) is given annually for a poetry collection published during the current year and written in, or translated into, English. Should the prize-winning book be a translation, 60 percent of the prize is awarded to the translator and 40 percent to the poet. Finalists each receive $10,000 Canadian (approximately $7,442) for their participation in the Griffin Poetry Prize Shortlist Readings held in Toronto. Entry fee: None.

Hub City Press
C. Michael Curtis Short Story Book Prize
 
A prize of $5,000 and publication by Hub City Press is given biennially for a short story collection. Writers who have not published more than one book in any genre and who currently reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, or West Virginia and who have lived there for at least two consecutive years are eligible. Maurice Carlos Ruffin will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Lascaux Review
Lascaux Prize in Short Fiction
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Lascaux Review is given annually for a short story. Previously published and unpublished stories are eligible. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $15.

LitMag
Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction
 
A prize of $2,500 and publication in LitMag is given annually for a short story. The winner will also have their work reviewed by agents from Bankoff Collaborative, the Bent Agency, Brandt & Hochman, Folio Literary Management, InkWell Management, Sobel Weber Associates, and Triangle House Literary. The editors will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20.

Livingston Press
Tartt Fiction Award
 
A prize of $1,000, publication by Livingston Press, and 60 author copies is given annually for a first collection of short stories by a U.S. citizen. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: None.

Michigan Quarterly Review
Jesmyn Ward Prize in Fiction
 
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Michigan Quarterly Review is given annually for a short story. David Lynn will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $25.

Michigan Quarterly Review
Laurence Goldstein Prize in Poetry
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Michigan Quarterly Review will be given annually for a single poem. Lawrence Joseph will judge. All entries will be considered for publication. Entry fee: $20.

The Moth
Poetry Prize
 
A prize of €6,000 (approximately $6,572) and online publication in the Irish Times is given annually for a single poem. Three runner-up prizes of €1,000 (approximately $1,095) each and online publication in the Irish Times are also given. The four shortlisted poets, including the winner, will also be invited to read at an online awards ceremony in spring 2024. Hannah Sullivan will judge. Entry fee: €15 (approximately $16).

Ohio University Press
Hollis Summers Poetry Prize
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Ohio University Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Entry fee: $30.

Plentitudes
Prizes in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry
 
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Plentitudes will be given annually for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. Mahtem Shiferraw will judge in poetry, Joss Lake will judge in fiction, and Daniel Allen Cox will judge in nonfiction. All entries will be considered for publication. Entry fee: $20.

Poetry Society of America
Four Quartets Prize
 
A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the United States in a print or online journal, a chapbook, or a book during the current year. Three finalists, including the winner, will receive $1,000 each. Entry fee: None.

Poetry Society of America
Robert H. Winner Memorial Award
 
A prize of $2,500 and publication on the Poetry Society of America website is given annually to a poet over 40 who has published no more than one book. Nathan McClain will judge. Entry fee: $15 (there is no entry fee for PSA members). Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Poetry Society of America
Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Poetry Society of America website is given annually for poetry from a manuscript-in-progress. Lucy Ives will judge. Entry fee: $15 (there is no entry fee for PSA members).

Press 53
Award for Short Fiction
 
A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 53 author copies is given annually for a story collection. Claire V. Foxx will judge. Entry fee: $30.

Tupelo Press
Dorset Prize
 
A prize of $3,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives a two-week residency at Gentle House in Port Angeles, Washington. Shane McCrae will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $30.

University of Tampa Press
Danahy Fiction Prize
 
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review will be given annually for a short story. All entries will be considered for publication. Entry fee: $25 (which includes a subscription to Tampa Review).

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.

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