Archive August 2022

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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