G&A: The Contest Blog

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Before the holiday season descends with its tinsel-trimmed excuses for not sending out your work, try submitting to these eleven contests with a November 15 deadline! Among the awards are $20,000 for a published story collection, $3,000 for a short short story, $1,000 for a poetry collection, and $1,000 for an individual poem, story, and essay. All awards offer a cash prize of $500 or more. Good luck to you, writers!

Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival
Brooklyn Nonfiction Prize

A prize of $500 and publication on the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival website is given annually for a work of nonfiction that is set in Brooklyn, New York, and renders the borough’s “rich soul and intangible qualities through the writer’s actual experiences in Brooklyn.” The winner will also be invited to read and discuss their winning work at the festival’s finale event. All entries are considered for publication. Entry Fee: None.

Carve
Prose & Poetry Contest

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Carve will be given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Entry Fee: $17.

Commonwealth Club of California
California Book Awards

Five prizes of $5,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a book of fiction, a first book of fiction, a book of creative nonfiction, and a book of fiction or nonfiction that relates to California. Three additional prizes of $2,500 are also given in the fiction, first fiction, and nonfiction categories. Books written by authors residing in California are eligible. Entry Fee: None.

Community of Literary Magazines & Presses
Firecracker Awards 

Three prizes of $2,000 each will be given annually for a book of poetry, a book of fiction, and a book of creative nonfiction published by an independent press in the current year ($1,000 for each author and $1,000 for their respective publisher). Works in translation and graphic novels are eligible. Entry Fee: $65.

Nightboat Books
Poetry Prize

Up to four prizes of $1,000 each and publication by Nightboat Books are given annually for poetry collections. The editors will judge. Entry Fee: $28.

Nina Riggs Poetry Foundation
Nina Riggs Poetry Award

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem that examines relationships, family, or domestic life that was published in a book or magazine in the last three years. Nominate no more than six poems by one author that were published in a book or print magazine in 2020, 2021, or 2022. Self-nominations are not accepted. Entry Fee: None.

Perugia Press
Perugia Press Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Perugia Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection by a writer who identifies as a woman. Entry Fee: $15.

Pushcart Press
Editors’ Book Award

A prize of $1,000 is given occasionally for a fiction or nonfiction manuscript that has been rejected by a commercial publisher. The award recognizes “worthy manuscripts that have been overlooked by today’s high-pressure, bottom-line publishing conglomerates.” Manuscripts must be submitted with a formal letter of nomination from an editor at a U.S. or Canadian publishing company. Entry Fee: None.

The Story Prize
The Story Prize

A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a story collection written in English and first published in the United States in the current year. Two runners-up will receive $5,000 each, and one entrant will receive the $1,000 Story Prize Spotlight Award, given for a collection that merits further attention. Larry Dark and Julie Lindsey will select the three finalists and the Spotlight Award winner; three independent judges will choose the Story Prize winner. Entry Fee: $75.

Writer’s Digest
Short Short Story Competition

A prize of $3,000 and travel and lodging expenses for a trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference is given annually for a short short story. A second-place prize of $1,500 is also awarded. The winners will both be published in Writer’s Digest. Entry Fee: $30.

Yale University Press
Yale Series of Younger Poets

A prize of $1,000, publication by Yale University Press, and a writing fellowship at the James Merrill House in Stonington, Connecticut, is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has not published a full-length book of poetry. Rae Armantrout 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.

Deadline Nears for the Evaristo Prize for African Poetry

Submissions are still open for the Evaristo Prize for African Poetry! As part of this award, $1,500 is given annually for ten poems written by an African poet who has not yet published a poetry collection (self-published works of poetry and chapbooks not included). Writers who were born in Africa, who are a national or a resident of an African country, or whose parents are African are eligible. Only collections written in English, including works of translation, will be considered.

Using only the online submission system, submit exactly ten poems of no more than 40 lines each by November 1. There is no entry fee. Editorial board member Gabeba Baderoon will judge alongside poets Tjawangwa Dema and Tsitsi Ella Jaji. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Formerly known as the Brunel International African Poetry Prize, this award was established in 2012 by British writer Bernardine Evaristo and was recently passed on to the African Poetry Book Fund. With a decade long history and a 2022 inaugural contest cycle under a new title, the Evaristo Prize for African Poetry still seeks to “encourage a new generation of poets who might one day become an international presence.” The shortlist will be announced in April, and the winner will be revealed in May. Formerly known as the Brunel International African Poetry Prize, this award was established in 2012 by British writer Bernardine Evaristo and was recently passed on to the African Poetry Book Fund. With a decade long history and a 2022 inaugural contest cycle under a new title, the Evaristo Prize for African Poetry still seeks to “encourage a new generation of poets who might one day become an international presence.” The shortlist will be announced in April, and the winner will be revealed in May. 

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Embrace the harvest season by enjoying the bounty of literary opportunities this fall brings, including contests with a November 1 deadline! Prizes abound for poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers alike, with awards offered in speculative fiction and for writers living in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia area. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more, including the opportunity for one fiction writer to win $15,000 plus publication. Best of luck!

Briar Cliff Review
Writing Contests

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Briar Cliff Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $20, which includes a copy of the prize issue.

Brick Road Poetry Press
Book Contest

A prize of $1,000, publication by Brick Road Poetry Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Keith Badowski and Olivia Ivings will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $30. 

Fiction Collective Two
Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize

A prize of $15,000 and publication by Fiction Collective Two, an imprint of University of Alabama Press, is given annually for a novel, short story collection, novella, or novella collection. U.S. writers who have published at least three books of fiction are eligible. Matt Bell will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Fiction Collective Two
Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest

A prize of $1,500 and publication by Fiction Collective Two is given annually for a novel, short story collection, novella, or novella collection. U.S. writers who have not previously published a book with Fiction Collective Two are eligible. Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi will judge. Entry fee: $25.

F(r)iction
Short Story Contest

A prize of $1,000 is given twice a year for a short story. Ken Liu will judge. The winning story and all entries are considered for publication in F(r)iction. Entry fee: $15.

Malahat Review
Open Season Awards

Three prizes of $2,000 Canadian (approximately $1,595) each and publication in Malahat Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Ki’en Debicki will judge in poetry, Ben Lof will judge in fiction, and Bahar Orang will judge in creative nonfiction. Entry fee: $45 Canadian (approximately $36), which includes a subscription to Malahat Review.

North American Review
James Hearst Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review is given annually for a single poem. Paul Guest will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $23, which includes an issue of North American Review.

North American Review
Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review will be given annually for a work of speculative fiction. Brian Evenson will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $23, which includes an issue of North American Review.

Southeast Missouri State University Press
Nilsen Literary Prize

A prize of $2,000 and publication by Southeast Missouri State University Press is given annually for a novel, novella, or collection of linked stories by a U.S. writer who has not published a novel. Entry fee: $25.

Washington Writers’ Publishing House
Literary Awards

Three prizes of $1,500 each, publication by Washington Writers’ Publishing House, and 25 author copies are given annually for a poetry collection, a short story collection or novel, and, as of this award cycle, a memoir, essay collection, or creative nonfiction hybrid collection. Writers who live in Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia are eligible. Entry fee: $28.

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

Deadline Nears for the Changes Press Bergman Prize

Poets looking to publish their first or second poetry collections have until the end of the month to submit manuscripts to the Changes Press Bergman Prize. Offered annually, the prize awards the winner $10,000, publication by Changes Press, a book launch in New York City, and other opportunities for publicity.

Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages, a brief bio, and a list of previously published poems by October 31. Louise Glück, winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature, will judge. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

The Bergman Prize was established in 2020 in memory of Judson and Susan Bergman. The prize’s inaugural winner was Rachel Mannheimer, whose collection Earth Room was selected by Glück and released by Changes Press in April. An independent publisher based in New York City, Changes Press also publishes the online periodical Changes Review. Submissions for the journal are currently closed.

River Teeth Book Prize Open for Submissions

Spooky season officially starts tomorrow, but don’t let fear stop you from submitting to River Teeth’s Book Prize by the Halloween deadline! Offered annually for a volume of creative nonfiction, the prize awards the winner $1,000 and publication by the University of New Mexico Press.

Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of approximately 150 to 350 pages with a $27 entry fee, which includes a subscription to River Teeth, by October 31. Any style of literary nonfiction—including memoir, personal essays, and investigative reporting—is eligible. Natasha Trethewey, who served as U.S. poet laureate from 2012–2014 and is the author of Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir (Ecco, 2020), will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Previous winners of River Teeth’s Book Prize include Kevin Honold in 2019 for The Rock Cycle, Joan Frank in 2018 for Try to Get Lost: Essays on Travel and Place, and Debra Gwartney in 2017 for I Am a Stranger Here Myself.

Founded in 1999 at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio, by professors Joe Mackall and Dan Lehman, River Teeth publishes essays, memoir, and literary journalism in a biannual print journal as well as online content, including reviews and a weekly web publication called “Beautiful Things,” which highlights the beauty found in daily life. In 2019, River Teeth moved to Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, where it is led by senior editors Jill Christman and Mark Neely. Now retired from Ashland University, Mackall and Lehman remain as editors in chief of River Teeth.

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

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

Alice James Books
Alice James Award

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

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

Copper Nickel
Jake Adam York Prize

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

John Pollard Foundation
International Poetry Prize

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

Pulitzer Prizes
Prizes in Books

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

San Diego Entertainment & Arts Guild
Steve Kowit Poetry Prize

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

Silverfish Review Press
Gerald Cable Book Award

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

TulipTree Publishing
Humor Story Contest

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

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

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

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

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

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

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

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

Diode Editions
Poetry Book Contest

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

Dzanc Books
Short Story Collection Prize

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

Ghost Story
Supernatural Fiction Award

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

Lascaux Review
Prize in Creative Nonfiction

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

New York Public Library
Cullman Center Fellowships

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

Texas Review Press
X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize

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

Texas Review Press
George Garrett Fiction Prize

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

University of Arkansas Press
Miller Williams Poetry Prize

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

University of Mississippi
Willie Morris Award for Southern Poetry

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

Winning Writers
Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

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

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

Deadline Nears for Diode Editions’ Poetry Book Contest

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

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

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

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

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

Coffee-House Poetry
Troubadour International Poetry Prize

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

Dogwood
Literary Awards

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

Finishing Line Press
New Women’s Voices Chapbook Competition

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

Harvard University
Radcliffe Institute Fellowships

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

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Writing Fellowships

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

Lightscatter Press
Poetry Prize

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

The Moth
Nature Writing Prize

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

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

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