G&A: The Contest Blog

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Start the year off right by submitting to writing contests with deadlines of January 15, 24, and 30. Prizes include $5,000 for creative nonfiction that evinces a passion for the desert, $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to give a reading at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond for a published first or second book of poetry, $1,500 for a poetry collection, $1,000 for a short story or a self-contained novel excerpt, and more. All awards offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more. Good luck in 2023, writers!

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. Diane Seuss will judge. Deadline: January 15. Entry fee: $20.

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. Deadline: January 15. 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. Writers of any citizenship working anywhere in the world are eligible, though the work should presume English-language readers. Jamaica Baldwin will judge. Deadline: January 15. 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 will also be 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. Julia Ridley Smith will judge. Deadline: January 15. Entry fee: $12.

North Carolina Writers’ Network
Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story or a self-contained novel excerpt. Judy Goldman will judge. The winning work of fiction will also be considered for publication in Thomas Wolfe Review. Deadline: January 30. Entry fee: $25 entry fee ($15 for NCWN members).

Poetry Society of Virginia
North American Book Award

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published during the previous year. The winner is also invited to read at the organization’s annual Spring Poetry Festival, held at the Richmond Public Library in May. Self-published books and books that have previously received a post-publication award are ineligible. Bill Glose will judge. Deadline: January 15. Entry fee: $36

Sixfold
Poetry and Short Story Awards

Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sixfold are given quarterly for a group of poems and a short story. Deadline: January 24. Entry fee: $5.

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. Deadline: January 15. 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.

Submissions Open for Ballard Spahr Prize for Poetry

Here’s a new year’s resolution for you: Give your book a fighting chance to get published! For poets in the Upper Midwest, there’s no better way to get the ball rolling than by submitting to Milkweed Editions’ Ballard Spahr Prize for Poetry, which offers $10,000 and publication of a collection by a poet currently residing in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin.

Using only the online submission system, submit one unpublished poetry manuscript of at least forty-eight pages by January 15. There is no entry fee, and poets may be at any stage in their career. Maggie Smith will judge. View the website for complete guidelines.

Established in 2011, the Ballard Spahr Prize for Poetry aims to support outstanding poets from the Upper Midwest by bringing their work to the attention of a national audience. In addition to the financial award and publication, the winning poet will receive a standard royalty contract, national distribution, and a robust marketing and publicity campaign by Milkweed Editions, a nonprofit literary press based in Minneapolis. The 2022 Ballard Spahr Prize for Poetry went to K. Iver for Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco, selected by Tyehimba Jess and featured in the current issue of Poets & Writers Magazine in Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin.

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Celebrate the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023 in literary style by submitting to contests with deadlines of December 31 and January 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6! Don’t miss the opportunity to receive fellowships offering $43,750 for a nine-month residency at Colgate University, $72,000 and writing space at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City, and $15,000 alongside a yearlong stay in the Bay Area. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more and four are free to enter. Continue flourishing into the new year, writers! 

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. Deadline: December 31. Entry fee: $16, which includes a subscription to Boulevard.

Colgate University
Olive B. O’Connor Fellowships

Two nine-month residencies at Colgate University, including a stipend of $43,750, health benefits, and travel expenses, are given annually to poets, fiction writers, or nonfiction writers. The 2023–2024 fellowships will be awarded to a poet and a nonfiction writer working on their first books. Each fellow will teach one creative writing course per semester and give a public reading. Writers who have recently completed an MFA, MA, or PhD in creative writing are among those eligible. Deadline: January 6. Entry fee: none.

Florida Review
Jeanne Leiby Memorial Chapbook Contest

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Florida Review is given annually for a chapbook of short fiction, short nonfiction, or graphic narrative. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: December 31. Entry fee: $25, which includes a subscription to Florida Review.

Leon Levy Center for Biography
Leon Levy Biography Fellowships

Four fellowships of $72,000, writing space at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City, access to research facilities, and research assistance from a graduate student are given annually to nonfiction writers working on biographies. An additional fellowship, the Sloan Fellowship, is given annually to a writer working on a biography of a figure in the field of science or technology. Deadline: January 4. Entry fee: none.

Mississippi Review
Mississippi Review Prize

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Mississippi Review are given annually for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. Current or former University of Southern Mississippi students are ineligible. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: January 1. Entry fee: $15 ($16 for electronic submissions), which includes a copy of the prize issue.

The Moth
Poetry Prize

A prize of €6,000 (approximately $6,128) and publication in the Moth is given annually for a single poem. Three runner-up prizes of €1,000 (approximately $1,021) each and publication in the Moth are also given. The four shortlisted poets, including the winner, will also be invited to read at an awards ceremony at the Poetry Ireland festival in Dublin in spring 2023. Louise Glück will judge. Deadline: December 31. Entry fee: €15 (approximately $15) per poem.

North Carolina Writers’ Network
Jacobs/Jones African American Literary Prize

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story or an essay that “seeks to convey the rich and varied existence of Black North Carolinians.” The winning entry is considered for publication in the Carolina Quarterly. Black writers who live in North Carolina are eligible. Deadline: January 2. Entry fee: $20 ($10 for NCWN members).

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. Deadline: December 31. Entry fee: none.

San José State University
Steinbeck Fellowships in Creative Writing
 
Six yearlong residencies at San José State University in San José, California, which include a stipend of $15,000 each, are given annually to fiction writers and creative nonfiction writers. The fellows are required to give one public reading and may be asked to live in the Bay Area during the academic year, as public health guidelines allow. Deadline: January 3. Entry fee: none.

Tupelo Press
Dorset Prize

A prize of $9,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives the option of either a weeklong residency at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, Massachusetts, or a two-week residency at Gentle House in Port Angeles, Washington, both valued at $1,000. Diane Seuss will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: December 31. Entry fee: $30. 

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 the Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Awards

The submission deadline for the annual Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) Literary Awards is coming up! Given 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, these awards honor literary works that depict the “cultural, historical, or sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Winners in the four categories will each receive $1,000. Books published by small, large, and specialty presses are eligible.

Publishers may nominate books published in 2022 by sending one copy of each title to be considered to members of the awards committee by December 31. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines and a list of jurors to whom books should be sent.

Now in its fifty-second year running, BCALA is devoted to advocating for the “development, promotion, and improvement of library services and resources” for the African American community at large and provides professional development for Black librarians. The association’s literary awards, which were first presented in 1994 at the second National Conference of African American Librarians, acknowledge books that “portray some aspect of the African American experience” whether it be from the past, present, or future. Decisions for this year’s awards will be made in January 2023, and the winners will be presented at the American Library Association’s conference in June. Now in its fifty-second year running, BCALA is devoted to advocating for the “development, promotion, and improvement of library services and resources” for the African American community at large and provides professional development for Black librarians. The association’s literary awards, which were first presented in 1994 at the second National Conference of African American Librarians, acknowledge books that “portray some aspect of the African American experience” whether it be from the past, present, or future. Decisions for this year’s awards will be made in January 2023, and the winners will be presented at the American Library Association’s conference in June. 

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

As 2022 winds to a close, give your writing one last chance to shine this year by submitting to contests with deadlines of December 15 and December 30. Awards include a seven-month residency at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts; a weeklong residency at Millay Arts in Austerlitz, New York; publication of poetry and nonfiction books; and $3,000 for a published debut novel. All contests offer a cash prize of $500 or more. We wish you success, writers!

Center for Book Arts
Poetry Chapbook Contest

A prize of $500 and letterpress publication by the Center for Book Arts is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner will also receive 10 copies of their chapbook and an additional $500 to give a reading with the contest judge at the Center for Book Arts in New York City in fall 2023, and a free weeklong residency at Millay Arts in Austerlitz, New York, during the Wintertide Rustic Retreat. Deadline: December 15. Entry fee: $30. 

Codhill Press
Pauline Uchmanowicz Poetry Award

A prize of $1,000, publication by Codhill Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. James Sherwood will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: December 30. Entry fee: $30.

Essay Press/University of Washington Bothell
Book Contest

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Essay Press will be given annually for lyric essays, prose poems, and works of experimental biography and autobiography that “challenge the formal possibilities of prose.” The winner will also be invited to read at the University of Washington Bothell in downtown Seattle; all travel expenses will be covered. Collaborative, digital, and hybridized work, including text and art, are eligible. Deadline: December 15. Entry fee: $20 (or $25 to receive a copy of a previous or forthcoming Essay Press book).

Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown
Writing Fellowships

Fellowships for a seven-month residency at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts, are given annually to four poets and four fiction writers who have not published a full-length book in any genre. Each fellowship includes a private apartment, a monthly stipend of $1,000, and an exit stipend of $1,000. Deadline: December 15. Entry fee: $50.

Longleaf Press
Book Contest

A prize of $1,000, publication by Longleaf Press, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection. The winner will also be invited to give a virtual reading in early 2024. Roger Weingarten, Longleaf’s editor in chief, will judge. Deadline: December 15. Entry fee: $27.

Story
Story Foundation Prize

A prize of $1,500 and publication in Story is given annually for a short story. Deadline: December 15. Entry fee: $25 (which includes a subscription to Story).

Virginia Commonwealth University
Cabell First Novelist Award

A prize of at least $3,000 is given annually for a debut novel published during the current year. The winner and two additional guest panelists (usually the winner’s agent and editor) also receive lodging and travel expenses to attend the First Novelist Award event night at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in fall 2023. A committee of VCU faculty and MFA candidates will judge. Deadline: December 30: 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 C.P. Cavafy Poetry Prize

Resist the urge to buy more stuff this Black Friday, and invest the money you save in your writing: Apply to Poetry International’s annual C.P. Cavafy Poetry Prize, which comes with an award of $1,000 and publication in the magazine.

Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of any length with a $15 entry fee ($3 for each additional poem) by December 1. All entries are considered for publication. The editors will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Sylvie Baumgartel of Santa Fe won the 2021 C.P. Cavafy Prize for her poem “Stealth Bomber.” Poetry International editor in chief and contest judge Sandra Alcosser described what stood out to her about the poem: “Each line shines and cuts as the poet creates a conceit that moves between the military-industrial complex and equally complex family relationships."

Based at San Diego State University, Poetry International has been in circulation for more than twenty-five years and is among the most revered poetry magazines in the world. Each annual print issue includes poems in English and in translation. Contributors have included Kim Addonizio, Kwame Dawes, Seamus Heaney, Nicole Sealey, Tomas Tranströmer, Derek Walcott, and many others. Poetry International aims to publish work that is “strong and compelling and that highlights our shared humanity while inviting us into the diverse realities of people across the globe.”  

Submissions Open for the Everett Southwest Literary Award

Submissions are still open for the 2023 Everett Southwest Literary Award, hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma Department of English! Offered biennially, the winner of this prize will receive $5,000 for an unpublished short story manuscript. The second-place and third-place winners will receive $3,000 and $1,000, respectively. All three writers will be invited to give a reading at the University of Central Oklahoma during their spring 2023 semester, public health guidelines allowing. Writers residing in or writing about Oklahoma, New Mexico, or Texas are eligible.

Submit a PDF of a short story collection between 140 to 250 pages, a cover letter including a bio and contact information, and a complete list of publishing credits via e-mail with a $25 entry fee (to be mailed separately) by December 5. Guggenheim fellow and National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.  

With beginnings in 2006, this award honors the late Dr. Mark Allen Everett, an Oklahoma-based supporter of the arts and distinguished medical professional, through a donation from the Everett Family Foundation Fund. Previous judges of this competition include Sandra Cisneros, Allison Hedge Coke, and Brian Turner. Kelli Jo Ford had her debut novel-in-stories, Crooked Hallelujah, published by Grove Press a year after winning this award in 2019. The winners of the current submission period will be announced in spring 2023.  With beginnings in 2006, this award honors the late Dr. Mark Allen Everett, an Oklahoma-based supporter of the arts and distinguished medical professional, through a donation from the Everett Family Foundation Fund. Previous judges of this competition include Sandra Cisneros, Allison Hedge Coke, and Brian Turner. Kelli Jo Ford had her debut novel-in-stories, Crooked Hallelujah, published by Grove Press a year after winning this award in 2019. The winners of the current submission period will be announced in spring 2023.  

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

With the fall season underway and a new month around the corner, get a jump start on submitting to contests with deadlines of November 30 and December 1! These awards present opportunities for queer writers as well as debut poetry and prose writers, among others. Plus, one lucky poet will win $3,000, publication of their manuscript, and the chance to give a reading under the auspices of the Folger Shakespeare Library. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more and one is even free to enter. Onward, writers!  

Autumn House Press
Rising Writer Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given in alternating years for a debut work of poetry or fiction. The 2023 prize will be given for fiction. The winner will also receive a $500 grant for travel and book promotion. Matt Bell will judge. All finalists are considered for publication. Deadline: November 30. Entry fee: $25 (the submission fee may be waived in cases of financial need).

BOA Editions
A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by BOA Editions is given annually for a first book of poetry by a U.S. resident. Tina Chang will judge. Deadline: November 30. Entry fee: $25.

Langum Foundation
David J. Langum Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a book of historical fiction published during the current year. Self-published books are ineligible. Deadline: December 1. Entry fee: none.

Masters Review
Novel Excerpt Contest

A prize of $3,000, publication in Masters Review, and an agent consultation will be given annually for an excerpt of an unpublished novel or novel-in-progress showing “a sense of style, with a clear grasp on craft” by an emerging writer. Halley Dunne Parry of the Hamilburg Agency will offer the consultation for this contest cycle. Charmaine Craig will judge. Writers who have not published a book or who have published a book with a circulation of less than 5,000 are eligible. All entries will be considered for publication. Deadline: December 1. Entry fee: $20.

Meadowlark Press
Birdy Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,000, publication by Meadowlark Press, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: December 1. Entry fee: $25.

Quarter After Eight
Robert J. DeMott Short Prose Contest

A prize of $1,008.15 and publication in Quarter After Eight is given annually for a prose poem, a short short story, or a micro essay. Kirstin Valdez Quade will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: November 30. Entry fee: $15.

Red Hen Press
Quill Prose Award

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a story or essay collection, a novel, or a hybrid work of prose by a queer writer. Elizabeth Bradfield will judge. Deadline: November 30. Entry fee: $10.

Regal House Publishing
W.S. Porter Prize for Short Story Collections

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Regal House Publishing is given annually for a story collection. The editors will judge. Deadline: December 1. Entry fee: $25.

Tadpole Press
100-Word Writing Contest

A prize of $1,000 will be given twice annually for a work of flash poetry or prose. Deadline: November 30. Entry fee: $10. 

Waywiser Press
Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize

A prize of $3,000 and publication by the Waywiser Press is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has published no more than one previous collection. The winner will also give a reading with the contest judge under the auspices of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. Deadline: December 1. Entry fee: $29.

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 Anton Chekhov Award for Flash Fiction

Writers have until the end of the month to submit to LitMag’s 2023 Anton Chekhov Award for Flash Fiction. Offered annually, the award comes with a prize of $1,250, publication in LitMag, and an introduction to agents from the Bent Agency, Brandt & Hochman, Folio Literary Management, InkWell Management, Sobel Weber Associates, and Triangle House Literary, who will review the winner’s work.

Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 500 to 1,500 words with a $16 entry fee by November 30. All entries are considered for publication. The editors will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

The 2022 winner of the contest was Caroline Kim for “The End of the Dynasty.” Finalists included Jared Carlson for “Invention,” William Hawkins for “Easter Morning,” and Delano S. C. Parisi for “The Immortal Ontologist in the Apocalypse,” which was published by LitMag.

An annual print journal released each fall, LitMag features established and emerging writers of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. LitMag also publishes writing on its website. “We seek work that moves and amazes us,” the editors say. “We are drawn to big minds and large hearts.”

 

Whiting Foundation Announces 2022 Creative Nonfiction Grant Winners

Nine writers have won the Whiting Foundation’s Creative Nonfiction Grant for 2022, the seventh year the foundation has offered the award. The $40,000 grants—which, unlike the Whiting Awards, writers must apply for—are meant to support multi-year book projects that exhibit both boldness of vision and evidence of sharply honed craft: “singularity of voice, arresting narrative vision, and in-depth research spread over multiple years,” as the foundation puts it.

The Whiting Foundation’s Creative Nonfiction Grant winners (clockwise from upper left): Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, Emily Dufton, Wes Enzinna, Ekow Eshun, Patricia Evangelista, Alejandra Oliva, Mathelinda Nabugodi, May Jeong, and Brooke Jarvis.


The winners are Atossa Araxia Abrahamian for The Hidden Globe, an investigation of special economic zones that exist outside the bounds of nation states, forthcoming from Riverhead; Emily Dufton for Addiction, Inc.: Medication-Assisted Treatment and the War on Drugs, a history of the medication-assisted treatment for heroin addiction, forthcoming from the University of Chicago Press; Wes Enzinna for Impossible Paradise: Life, Death, and Home in a California Tent City, which probes the origins and consequences of American homelessness through the lens of an outdoor encampment in Oakland, forthcoming from Penguin Press; Ekow Eshun for The Strangers, a study of Black masculinity that mashes up memoir with biographies of culturally influential figures from the 19th century to the present day, forthcoming from Hamish Hamilton in the United Kingdom; Patricia Evangelista for Some People Need Killing, a mix of literary journalism and first-person narrative investigating President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs in the Phillipines, forthcoming from Random House; Brooke Jarvis for Invisible Apocalypse, a deep-dive into the disappearance of insects across the globe, forthcoming from Crown; May Jeong for The Life: Sex, Work, and Love in America, an intersectional exploration of the lives of sex workers, forthcoming from Atria; Mathelinda Nabugodi for The Trembling Hand: Reflections of a Black Woman in the Romantic Archive, a critique of Romantic poetry and its links to the Black Atlantic slave trade, forthcoming from Hamish Hamilton in the United Kingdom and Knopf in the United States; and Alejandra Oliva for Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration, which explores the U.S. immigration system as seen through the eyes of the author, who has worked as a translator for asylum seekers, forthcoming from Astra House.

Courtney Hodell, the Whiting Foundation’s director of literary programs, praised the grantees for having “the courage and freshness of vision to address consequential stories hiding in plain sight,” she said in a statement. “It’s our hope that the Foundation’s support will help these gifted writers delve into the most necessary places, whether that’s in the archives, on the street, or within our understanding.”

Each of the winning projects were reviewed by two first-round readers, who judged according to “substance, narrative skill, quality of research, and impact.” Sixteen finalists were then evaluated by a panel of four judges, who considered how the grant might support the development of the book. The anonymous readers and judges were experts in the field of each proposed book project.

For more than forty years, the Whiting Foundation has supported literature and the humanities through its programs and grants. The Whiting Awards annually awards ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama with $50,000 each, and the Whiting Literary Magazines Prizes help journals foster path-breaking writing with individual financial awards.

To learn more about the Whiting Foundation’s Creative Nonfiction Grant, visit the foundation’s website. Check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation. 

Photo credits: Abrahamian: Jarrad Henderson; Dufton: Mike Kepka; Eshun: Zeinab Batchelor; Evangelista: Geloy Concepcion; Oliva: Anna Longworth; Nabugodi: Amy Jugg, The Fitzwilliam Museum; Jeong: Andrew Quilty; Jarvis: Colette Cosner.

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