G&A: The Contest Blog

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Celebrate the upcoming first day of spring by submitting to contests with a March 31 deadline! Opportunities abound for poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators. Don’t miss the chance to apply for six-month fellowships with A Public Space or to win $10,000 for a debut book of nonfiction by a first-generation immigrant or $5,000 for a manuscript of narrative poetry. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more and four are free to enter. May your writing bloom this springtime!

A Public Space
Writing Fellowships

Three six-month fellowships of $1,000 each are given annually to emerging poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers who “embrace risk in their work” and have not published a full-length book. The fellows will work with the editors to prepare a piece for publication in A Public Space, receive complimentary access to all A Public Space master classes during the fellowship year, and will also have the opportunity to meet with publishing professionals and participate in a public reading. Entry fee: none.

Banipal Trust for Arab Literature
Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation

A prize of £3,000 (approximately $3,665) is given annually for a book of poetry or fiction translated from Arabic into English and published for the first time in English during the previous year. Translations of Arabic works of poetry or fiction originally published in 1967 or later are eligible. Entry fee: none.

Black Lawrence Press
Hudson Prize

A prize of $1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a collection of poems, short stories, essays, or hybrid work. Collections including multilingual text are welcome, but the primary written language must be English. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $27.

Elixir Press
Antivenom Poetry Award

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Elixir Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. John Estes will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $30.

Four Way Books
Levis Prize in Poetry

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Four Way Books is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner will also be invited to participate in readings either virtually or in person in New York City, as public health guidelines allow. Diane Seuss will judge. Entry fee: $30.

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.

Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature
Paul Engle Prize

A prize of $20,000 is given annually to a writer “who, like Paul Engle, represents a pioneering spirit in the world of literature through writing, editing, publishing, or teaching, and whose active participation in the larger issues of the day has contributed to the betterment of the world through the literary arts.” Poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers are eligible. Self-nominations are not allowed. Entry fee: none.

Laura Boss Poetry Foundation
Laura Boss Narrative Poetry Award

A prize of $5,000, publication by New York Quarterly Books, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a manuscript of narrative poetry. The winner and finalists are invited to give a reading in Paterson, New Jersey, in partnership with the Poetry Center of Passaic County Community College. José Antonio Rodríguez will judge. Entry fee: $25 (which may be waived for those experiencing financial hardship).

Restless Books
Prize for New Immigrant Writing

A prize of $10,000 and publication by Restless Books is given in alternating years for a debut book of fiction or nonfiction by a first-generation immigrant. The 2023 prize will be given in nonfiction. Writers who have not published a book of nonfiction in English are eligible. Entry fee: none.

Trustees of the Robert Frost Farm
Frost Farm Prize for Metrical Poetry

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem written in metrical verse. The winner also receives a scholarship to attend and give a reading at the Frost Farm Poetry Conference in Derry, New Hampshire, in June. Alfred Nicol will judge. Entry fee: $6. 

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 Approaches for the National Poetry Series Open Competition

With only a few more days left before the deadline, don’t miss the opportunity to submit to the annual National Poetry Series Open Competition. Five U.S. poets will receive $10,000 each and publication of their collections by participating trade, university, or small press publishers. The 2023 publishers are Beacon Press, Ecco, Milkweed Editions, Penguin Books, and University of Georgia Press. Residents of the United States and American citizens living abroad are eligible to apply.

Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of a suggested length of 48 to 64 pages with a $35 entry fee by March 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Finalists will be notified around May 31, around which time their manuscripts will be shared with five judges for further consideration. The competition winners will be notified around August 31, and all finalists will be informed of their status at that time.  

The National Poetry Series literary awards program seeks to “support poetry and increase the audience for poetry by heightening its visibility among readers,” as well as “give American poets, of all ethnic and racial groups, gender, religion, and poetic style, access to publishing outlets not ordinarily available to them.” Members of the Board of Directors include Natalie Diaz, Daniel Halpern, Cathy Park Hong, Imani Perry, Tracy K. Smith, and Natasha Trethewey. Recent winners include Adrienne Chung (Organs of Little Importance, Penguin Books), Olatunde Osinaike (Tender Headed, Akashic Books), Tennison S. Black (Survival Strategies, University of Georgia Press), Courtney Bush (I Love Information, Milkweed Editions), and Alisha Dietzman (Sweet Movie, Beacon Press).

Deadline Nears for the Journal Non/Fiction Prize

About a week remains before submissions are due for the Journal Non/Fiction Prize. The literary magazine of the Ohio State University MFA Program in Creative Writing, the Journal, will select one full-length collection of short prose to be published by Mad Creek Books, the trade imprint of Ohio State University Press, and offer a cash prize of $1,500. Emerging and established writers of fiction and creative nonfiction are eligible.

Using only the online submission system, submit a collection of short stories, essays, or novellas (or a combination thereof) of 150 to 350 pages with a $23 entry fee ($11.50 for BIPOC writers), which includes a subscription to the Journal, by March 11. Michelle Herman, cofounder of the MFA program at Ohio State University, will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Last year’s winner was Rebecca Bernard for her story collection, Our Sister Who Will Not Die. “If Mary Gaitskill’s Bad Behavior and Ottessa Moshfegh’s Homesick for Another World had a lovechild, it would be Our Sister Who Will Not Die,” Nick White, author of How to Survive a Summer, wrote of the book. “Wild and subversive in the very best ways, these stories had me by the throat.”

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

February may be the shortest month, but there is still plenty of time to submit to contests with a deadline of February 28. Prizes include $5,500 for a poetry collection and a story collection, $5,000 for a single work of prose characterized by “daring formal and aesthetic innovations,” and $2,500 for a self-published poetry e-book and a fiction e-book by an African American writer. All awards have a cash prize of $1,000 or more. Go forth and prosper, writers!

Association of Writers & Writing Programs
Award Series

Two prizes of $5,500 each and publication by a participating press are given annually for a poetry collection and a story collection. In addition, two prizes of $2,500 each and publication by a participating press are given annually for a novel and a book of creative nonfiction. For the Donald Hall Prize for Poetry, the University of Pittsburgh Press will publish the winning collection. For the Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction, Red Hen Press will publish the winning collection. For the AWP Prize for the Novel, the University of Nebraska Press will publish the winning novel. For the Sue William Silverman Prize for Creative Nonfiction, the University of Georgia Press will publish the winning book. 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. Translated works are also eligible. 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 by an African American writer self-published in the United States during the previous year. The awards honor books that depict “cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Entry fee: none.

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 will also give a lecture during the summer 2023 season of the Chautauqua Institution. Writers who have not published a book of over 15,000 words and/or 100 pages in any prose genre are eligible. Entry fee: $20.

Fish Publishing
Flash Fiction Prize

A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,035) and publication in the Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a short short story. The winner is also invited to give a reading at the West Cork Literary Festival in July 2023. Kit de Waal will judge. Entry fee: $14. 

Minds Shine Bright
Confidence Competition

A prize of $1,600 AUD (approximately $1,031) and publication in the Confidence Minds Shine Bright anthology will be given annually for works of poetry or fiction exploring the theme of confidence. Entry fee: $3.

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. Sawako Nakayasu will judge. Entry fee: $35.

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 will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to read with the judge in the fall of 2023. 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. Heid E. Erdrich will judge. Entry fee: none.

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. Cai Emmons will judge. 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. 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.

Submissions Now Open for the Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant

Calling all nonfiction writers! Submissions have recently opened for the 2023 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant. Up to ten grants of $40,000 each will be given to prose writers with book-length works-in-progress. Intended for multiyear book projects that are at “a crucial point mid-process,” these grants recognize that “works of deeply researched and imaginatively composed nonfiction require significant time and resources.” Works of history, biography, memoir, philosophy, food or travel writing, graphic nonfiction, and personal essays, among other categories of work, are eligible. Manuscripts must be under contract with a U.S., U.K., or Canadian publishing company by April 25. In acknowledgment of the additional obstacles many BIPOC writers face in securing institutional resources for such projects, writers of color are especially encouraged to apply.

Using only the online submission system, submit up to 25,000 words of the book-in-progress; the original proposal to publishers that led to the contract; a signed contract; a statement of progress; a plan for the use of funds; a list of grants, fellowships, or other funding received for the book-in-progress; a résumé; and a letter of support from the book’s editor or publisher by April 25. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Past grantees include Sarah M. Broom (The Yellow House), Meghan O’Rourke (The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness), Akash Kapur (Better to Have Gone: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia), Albert Samaha (Concepcion: Conquest, Colonialism, and an Immigrant Family’s Fate), and Chloé Cooper Jones (Easy Beauty). For the eighth cycle of these grants, the foundation will host online information sessions on February 22 and March 23 at 12PM ET to answer questions about, and offer guidance on the application process. The 2023 grantees will be announced in the fall. Past grantees include Sarah M. Broom (The Yellow House), Meghan O’Rourke (The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness), Akash Kapur (Better to Have Gone: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia), Albert Samaha (Concepcion: Conquest, Colonialism, and an Immigrant Family’s Fate), and Chloé Cooper Jones (Easy Beauty). For the eighth cycle of these grants, the foundation will host online information sessions on February 22 and March 23 at 12PM ET to answer questions about, and offer guidance on the application process. The 2023 grantees will be announced in the fall. 

Submissions Open for the Mo Habib Translation Prize

The deadline is approaching for the inaugural Mo Habib Translation Prize in Persian Literature, collaboratively established by the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at University of Washington, the Mo Habib Memorial Foundation, and Deep Vellum Publishing. A $10,000 prize and publication by Deep Vellum will be awarded for a Persian novel or short story collection translated into English. Submissions of modern works of fiction from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Iran, and their diaspora are eligible. $2,000 will be given when the winner is announced in July, and the remaining $8,000 will be given once the winning translation is submitted in full by May 2024.

Using only the online submission system, submit a sample of no more than 20 pages of the proposed translation, in both the original language and in English, as well as a curriculum vitae of up to three pages, a cover letter, and proof of copyrights (if applicable) by March 1. There is no entry fee. Anna Learn, Shelley Fairweather-Vega, and Siamak Vossoughi will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Named after Mohammad Habib, a structural engineer and project manager originally from Tehran who attended the University of Washington, the prize “seeks to expand the readership of Persian literature in English, beyond academic audiences.” Prize partner Deep Vellum is a literary nonprofit in Dallas that aims to publish literature that “fosters cross-cultural dialogue, breaks down barriers between communities, and promotes empathy.” As of 2020, approximately half of their titles were international works. Named after Mohammad Habib, a structural engineer and project manager originally from Tehran who attended the University of Washington, the prize “seeks to expand the readership of Persian literature in English, beyond academic audiences.” Prize partner Deep Vellum is a literary nonprofit in Dallas that aims to publish literature that “fosters cross-cultural dialogue, breaks down barriers between communities, and promotes empathy.” As of 2020, approximately half of their titles were international works. 

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Give your writing a little love the day after Valentine’s Day, and submit to contests with a February 15 deadline. Prizes include $3,000 for a first or second poetry collection or a work that intersects with poetry, including hybrid text, speculative prose, and translation; $1,500 for a group of poems; and $2,000 for a work of fiction. All awards have a cash prize of $1,000 or more, and four have no entry fee. 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. Achy Obejas will judge. 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. Anna Deeny Morales will judge. Entry fee: none.

Airlie Press
Airlie Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Airlie Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Arrowsmith Press
Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry

A prize of $1,000 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. Poets who are living in the United States as green card holders are among those eligible. Poets whose work appears in translation into English are also eligible. Canisia Lubrin will judge. 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. Nicole Sealey will judge. Entry fee: none.

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. The winner also receives a $500 honorarium to give a reading at James Madison University (either virtually or in person, as public health guidelines allow). Poets who have published no more than one collection of poetry are eligible. Evie Shockley will judge. 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. Jamaica Baldwin will judge. Writers of any citizenship working anywhere in the world are eligible, though the work should presume English-language readers. Entry fee: $25.

Sarabande Books
Morton and McCarthy Prizes

Two prizes of $2,000 each and publication by Sarabande Books are given annually for collections of poetry and fiction. Entry fee: $29.

Syracuse University Press
Veterans Writing Award

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Syracuse University Press is given biennially in alternating years for either a debut fiction or a debut nonfiction manuscript written by a U.S. veteran, active-duty personnel in any branch of the U.S. military, or the immediate family member of a veteran or active-duty personnel. The 2023 award will be given in nonfiction. Anuradha Bhagwati will judge. 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.

Deadline Nears for Courage to Write Grants

Do you have a manuscript that needs some cash to reach the finish line? Apply for the de Groot Foundation’s Courage to Write Grants, which offer $7,000 to each of seven emerging poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers with works-in-progress and “for whom a monetary boost could help further or complete the project.” Awardees will meet virtually to discuss their projects and share ideas. 

Using only the online submission system, submit a brief bio of up to 120 words, a completed application form, and five pages of a current, unpublished poetry or prose manuscript with a $22 entry fee by February 12. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Previous winners of the Courage to Write Grants include Zahir Janmohamed for his memoir, The Permitted Hours; Campbell Walmsley for her novel, Burn Rate; and Jefferey Spivey for his story collection, The Birthright of Sons.

In addition to the Courage to Write Grants, the de Groot Foundation will offer the Lando Grants, which award $7,000 to each of three writers exploring immigrant/refugee issues in any genre; applications are also due on February 12. Up to ten Writer of Note Grants of $1,500 each will be awarded to writers selected from the pool of finalists for the Lando and Courage to Write grants. 

Founded in 2010, the de Groot Foundation is a private family foundation that aims “to support high impact, sustainable innovation, education and cultural projects” worldwide. Funding from the organization has helped finance the first women’s hospital in Cambodia; a library in Nianiar, Senegal; and individual artistic projects. The foundation has recently amplified its attention to the literary arts: “Because of our love of literature and the power of story, we’re passionate about focusing the de Groot Foundation’s initiatives on discovering new voices and encouraging emerging writers,” says the foundation’s website.

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

There’s no better way to beat the winter slump than by staying warm indoors and submitting to contests with deadlines of January 31 and February 1! Opportunities include fellowships for writers working on a biography of an important African American figure (or figures); publication of novels-in-stories, novels-in-poems, and hybrid forms; and an award for a story written in Japanese that takes place in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more and four are free to enter. May the work you do this winter, writers, bring you spring and summer rewards! 

American Short Fiction
American Short(er) Fiction Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication in American Short Fiction is given annually for a work of flash fiction. Karen Russell will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: February 1. Entry fee: $18.

Biographers International Organization
Frances “Frank” Rollin Fellowship

Two prizes of $5,000 each will be given annually to writers “working on a biographical work about an African American figure (or figures) whose story provides a significant contribution to our understanding of the Black experience.” Biographers may be at any stage in the writing process. The winners will also receive publicity through the Biographers International Organization (BIO) website, registration to the annual BIO Conference in May, and a one-year BIO membership. Adam Henig, Tamara Payne, and Eric K. Washington will judge. Deadline: February 1. Entry fee: none.

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. Deadline: January 31. Entry fee: $27.

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. Deadline: January 31. 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. Deadline: January 31. Entry fee: $20.

Little Tokyo Historical Society
Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest
 
Two prizes of $1,000 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: January 31. Entry fee: none.

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 will 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 to apply. Deadline: January 31. Entry fee: $25.

Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College
Paterson Poetry Prize

A prize of $2,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published in the previous year. The winning poet is expected to participate in an awards ceremony, give a reading, and teach a workshop at the Poetry Center in Paterson, New Jersey. Books of at least 48 pages are eligible. Deadline: February 1. Entry fee: none.

Southern Indiana Review
Michael Waters Poetry Prize

A prize of $5,000 and publication by Southern Indiana Review Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Michael Waters will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: February 1. Entry fee: $30, which includes a subscription to Southern Indiana Review

Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts
Philip Roth Residencies

Two four-month residencies, which include a stipend of $5,000 each, at the Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts at Bucknell University are given annually to writers in any literary genre, including poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, hybrid works, and graphic novels, working on a first or second book. Deadline: February 1. 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.

Deadline Approaches for the Eliud Martínez Prize

Submissions are open for the Eliud Martínez Prize, an award from the Inlandia Institute celebrating writers who identify as Hispanic, Latino/a/x, or Chicana/o/x. The winning writer will receive a prize of $1,000 and publication of their book of fiction or creative nonfiction by Inlandia Books.

Using only the online submission system, submit a novel, memoir, essays, stories, and multi-genre or hybrid fiction and nonfiction work between 150 and 300 pages with a $15 entry fee by January 31. Proposals for longer works of up to 500 pages may be submitted with an excerpt, table of contents, and a synopsis. Only manuscripts written primarily in English will be considered. Isabel Quintero will judge. Fee waivers are available. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Located in Southern California, the Inlandia Institute is a nonprofit that fosters the literary activity of the state’s Inland region. The Eliud Martínez Prize is offered annually in memory of the novelist and artist Eliud Martínez, who taught as a professor at the University of California in Riverside. The prize’s most recent winner is Zita Arocha, who won the inaugural award for her memoir, Guajira: The Cuba Girl.

 

 

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