African Poetry Book Fund
Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry
Mangaliso Buzani of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, won the 2019 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry for a naked bone (Deep South). He received $1,000. Aracelis Girmay judged. The annual award is given for a book of poetry by an African poet published in the previous year. (See Deadlines.)
Sillerman First Book Prize
Cheswayo Mphanza of Chicago won the 2019 Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets for The Rinehart Frames. He received $1,000, and his book will be published by University of Nebraska Press in 2021. The African Poetry Book Fund editorial board judged. The annual award, cosponsored by Prairie Schooner, is given for a debut poetry collection by an African poet. The next deadline is December 1.
African Poetry Book Fund, University of Nebraska, 110 Andrews Hall, P.O. Box 880334, Lincoln, NE 68588. (402) 472-0911. Ashley Strosnider, Managing Editor.
africanpoetrybf@unl.edu
africanpoetrybf.unl.edu
Alice James Books
Alice James Award
Aldo Amparán of El Paso, Texas, won the 2020 Alice James Award for Brother Sleep. He received $2,000, and his book will be published by Alice James Books in April 2022. Katie Marya of Lincoln, Nebraska, received the Editor’s Choice Awards for Sugar Work. She received $1,000, and her book will be published in October 2022. The annual awards are given for poetry collections. (See Deadlines.)
Alice James Books, Alice James Award, 114 Prescott Street, Farmington, ME 04938. (207) 778-7071.
info@alicejamesbooks.org
www.alicejamesbooks.org/submit
A Public Space
A Public Space Writing Fellowships
Fiction writers Katie Foster, Rosemarie Ho, and Crawford Hunt, all of New York City, received the 2020 A Public Space Writing Fellowships. They each received $1,000, a six-month mentorship with the editors to prepare a piece for publication in A Public Space, and the opportunity to meet with publishing professionals and participate in a public reading in New York City. The annual fellowships are given to emerging fiction writers and nonfiction writers who have not published a full-length book. (See Deadlines.)
A Public Space, A Public Space Writing Fellowships, 323 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217. (718) 858-8067.
general@apublicspace.org
www.apublicspace.org
Austin Community College
Balcones Prizes
Maya Phillips of New York City won the 23rd annual Balcones Poetry Prize for her poetry collection, Erou (Four Way Books). Prudence Arceneaux, Charlie Clark, and Amanda Johnston judged. Max Porter of London won the tenth annual Balcones Fiction Prize for his novel Lanny (Graywolf Press). Brian Van Reet judged. The winners each received $1,500. The annual awards honor a book of poetry and a book of fiction published during the previous year. The next deadline is January 31, 2021.
Austin Community College, Balcones Prizes, Creative Writing Department, 6101 Highland Campus Drive, Austin,
TX 78752.
www.austincc.edu/crw
Bellingham Review
Literary Awards
Esther Ra of Seoul won the 2020 49th Parallel Poetry Award for “A Bouquet of Bandaged Mouths.” Philip Metres judged. Danny Thiemann Venegas of Berkeley, California, won the Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction for “Echolocation for Mixed Race Runaways.” Aimee Parkison judged. Traci Brimhall of Los Angeles won the Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction for “Possession.” Sue William Silverman judged. They each received $1,000, and their winning works will be published in the Spring 2021 issue of Bellingham Review. The annual awards are given for a poem, a short story, and a work of creative nonfiction. The next deadline is March 15, 2021.
Bellingham Review, Literary Awards, Western Washington University, Mail Stop 9053, Bellingham, WA 98225. Allie Spikes, Managing Editor.
bellingham.review@wwu.edu
www.bhreview.org
Binghamton University
Book Awards
Joe Jiménez of San Antonio, Texas, won the 2020 Milt Kessler Poetry Book Award for his poetry collection Rattlesnake Allegory (Red Hen Press). Leslie Heywood judged. Monique Truong of New York City won the 2020 John Gardner Fiction Book Award for her novel The Sweetest Fruits (Penguin Random House). Lisa Coll Nicolaou judged. They each received $1,000. The annual awards are given for a poetry collection and a novel or collection of short fiction published in the previous year. The next deadline is February 1, 2021.
Binghamton University, Book Awards, P.O. Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902. (607) 777-2713. Tina Chang, Director.
www.binghamton.edu/english/creative-writing/binghamton-center-for-writers/book-awards.html
Blue Mountain Center
Richard J. Margolis Award
Mansoor Adayfi of Belgrade, Serbia, won the 2019 Richard J. Margolis Award. He received $5,000 and a monthlong residency at the Blue Mountain Center, a writers and artists colony in Blue Mountain Lake, New York. The annual award is given to an essayist or journalist whose work “combines warmth, humor, wisdom, and concern with social justice.” As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
Blue Mountain Center, Richard J. Margolis Award, c/o Margolis & Bloom, 100 William Street, Suite 220, Wellesley, MA 02481.
award@margolis.com
award.margolis.com
BOA Editions
A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize
Justin Jannise of Houston won the 2020 A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize for How to Be Better by Being Worse. He received $1,000, and his book will be published by BOA Editions in 2021. Richard Blanco judged. The annual award is given for a first book of poetry. The next deadline is November 30.
BOA Editions, A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize, 250 North Goodman Street, Suite 306, Rochester, NY 14607. (585) 546-3410. Ron Martin-Dent, Marketing Director.
contact@boaditions.org
www.boaeditions.org
Boulevard
Nonfiction Contest for Emerging Writers
Emi Nietfeld of New York City won the second annual Nonfiction Contest for Emerging Writers for “My Mom Claims I Had a Drink with My Rapist. I Investigate.” She received $1,000, and her essay was published in the April 2020 issue of Boulevard. The annual award is given for an essay by a writer who has not published a full-length book in any genre with a nationally distributed press. (See Deadlines.)
Boulevard, Nonfiction Contest for Emerging Writers, 4125 Juniata Street B, Saint Louis, MO 63116. Jessica Rogen, Editor.
www.boulevardmagazine.org
Brick Road Poetry Press
Poetry Book Contest
Robert Tremmel of Ankeny, Iowa, won the 2019 Brick Road Poetry Book Contest for The Return of the Naked Man. He received $1,000, and his book will be published by Brick Road Poetry Press in 2021. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set; the contest is on hiatus in 2020.
Brick Road Poetry Press, 341 Lee Road 553, Phenix City, AL 36867. Keith Badowski and Ron Self, Coeditors.
www.brickroadpoetrypress.com
Broadside Lotus Press
Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award
Tanque R. Jones of Knoxville, Tennessee, won the 2020 Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award for Body Not My Own. She will receive $500, and her book will be published by Broadside Lotus Press in February 2021. The annual award is given for a poetry collection by an African American poet. The next deadline is March 1, 2021.
Broadside Lotus Press, Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award, 8300 East Jefferson Avenue #504, Detroit, MI 48214. Gloria House, Senior Editor.
broadsidelotus@gmail.com
www.broadsidelotuspress.org
Carlow University
Patricia Dobler Poetry Award
Kathleen Kirk of Normal, Illinois, won the 2019 Patricia Dobler Poetry Award for her poem “Fox Collar.” She received $1,000 and publication in Voices From the Attic. Denise Duhamel judged. The annual award is given for a single poem by a woman poet over 40 who has not published a book in any genre.
(See Deadlines.)
Carlow University, Patricia Dobler Poetry Award, 3333 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. (412) 578-6346. Jan Beatty and Sarah Williams-Devereux, Contacts.
dobleraward@carlow.edu
www.carlow.edu/Dobler_Poetry_Award.aspx
Cave Canem Foundation
Toi Derricotte & Cornelius Eady Chapbook Prize
Marissa Davis of Paducah, Kentucky, won the 2019 Toi Derricotte & Cornelius Eady Chapbook Prize for My Name & Other Languages I Am Learning How to Speak. She received $500, publication by Jai-Alai Books, and a weeklong residency at the Writer’s Room at the Besty Hotel in Miami. She will also give a reading as part the O, Miami Poetry Festival’s online programming. Danez Smith judged. The annual award is given for a poetry chapbook by a Black poet. (See Deadlines.)
Cave Canem Foundation, Toi Derricotte & Cornelius Eady Chapbook Prize, 20 Jay Street, Suite 310-A, Brooklyn, NY 11201. (718) 858-0000.
www.cavecanempoets.org/prizes/toi-derricotte-cornelius-eady-chapbook-prize
Center for African American Poetry and Poetics/Autumn House Press
Book Prize
Carly Inghram of New York City won the inaugural Center for African American Poetry and Poetics Book Prize for her poetry collection The Animal Indoors. She received $3,000, and her book will be published by Autumn House Press in 2021. Terrance Hayes judged. The annual award is given for a first or second poetry collection or work that intersects with poetry, including hybrid work and translation, by a writer of African descent. The next deadline is February 15, 2021.
Center for African American Poetry and Poetics/Autumn House Press, Book Prize, University of Pittsburgh, Department of English, 526 Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
www.caapp.pitt.edu
Center for Book Arts
Poetry Chapbook Competition
Katerina Isabel Ramos-Jordán of San Juan, Puerto Rico, won the 25th annual Poetry Chapbook Competition for ECHOESISTEMAS /lentos cerramientos. She received $500, publication of her chapbook by the Center for Book Arts, and a weeklong residency at the Millay Colony in Austerlitz, New York. Raquel Salas Rivera judged. The annual award is given for a poetry chapbook. The next deadline is December 15.
Center for Book Arts, Poetry Chapbook Competition, 28 West 27th Street, Third Floor, New York, NY 10001.
www.centerforbookarts.org
Cider Press Review
Book Award
Kathryn Nash Davis of Rockville, Virginia, won the 2019 Cider Press Review Book Award for Passiflora. She received $1,500, publication of her book by Cider Press Review, and 25 author copies. Lesley Wheeler judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. The next deadline is November 30.
Cider Press Review, Book Award, P.O. Box 33384, San Diego, CA 92163. Caron Andregg, Editor in Chief.
editor@ciderpressreview.com
www.ciderpressreview.com/bookaward
Cloudbank Books
Vern Rutsala Book Prize
Jane Craven of Raleigh, North Carolina, won the 2020 Vern Rutsala Book Prize for her poetry collection, My Bright Last Country. She received $1,000, and her book will be published by Cloudbank Books. Holly Karapetkova judged. The annual award is given for a collection of poetry, flash fiction, or a combination of the two. (See Deadlines.)
Cloudbank Books, Vern Rutsala Book Prize, P.O. Box 610, Corvallis, OR 97339. Michael Malan, Editor.
www.cloudbankbooks.com
Colorado Review
Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction
Josie Sigler Sibara of Waterville, Maine, won the 17th annual Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction for “The German Woman.” She received $2,000, and her story will be published in the fall 2020 issue of Colorado Review. Lori Ostlund judged. The annual award is given for a short story. The next deadline is March 14, 2021.
Colorado Review, Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction, Colorado State University, 9105 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523. (970) 491-5449. Stephanie G’Schwind, Director.
nelliganprize.colostate.edu
Comstock Review
Jessie Bryce Niles Poetry Chapbook Contest
Katharyn Howd Machan of Ithaca, New York, won the 2019 Poetry Chapbook Contest for A Slow Bottle of Wine. She received $1,000, publication of her chapbook by Comstock Writers Group, and 50 author copies. The editors judged. The biennial award is given for a poetry chapbook. The next deadline is October 31, 2021.
Comstock Review, Jessie Bryce Niles Poetry Chapbook Contest, 4956 St. John Drive, Syracuse, NY 13215.
www.comstockreview.org
Crazyhorse
Writing Prizes
Daniel Schonning of Fort Collins, Colorado, won the 2020 Lynda Hull Memorial Poetry Prize for his poem “Aleph with all, all with Aleph.” Cyrus Cassells judged. Jack Ortiz of Los Angeles won the Crazyhorse Fiction Prize for his story “They’re More Afraid of You.” Jamel Brinkley judged. Dawn D’Aries of Forty Fort, Pennsylvania, won the Crazyhorse Nonfiction Prize for her essay “The Super’s Wife.” Sue William Silverman judged. Each winner received $2,000 and publication in Issue 98 of Crazyhorse. The annual awards are given for a poem, a short story, and an essay. The next deadline is January 31, 2021.
Crazyhorse, Writing Prizes, College of Charleston, English Department, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424. Jonathan Bohr Heinen, Managing Editor.
crazyhorse@cofc.edu
crazyhorse.cofc.edu
Elixir Press
Poetry Award
Brianna Noll of Los Angeles won the 20th annual Elixir Press Poetry Award for The Era of Discontent. She received $2,000, and her book will be published by Elixir Press. Jane Satterfield judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. (See Deadlines.)
Elixir Press, Poetry Award, P.O. Box 27029, Denver, CO 80227. Dana Curtis, Editor.
info@elixirpress.com
www.elixirpress.com
Ellen Meloy Fund
Desert Writers Award
Hannah Hindley of Tucson, Arizona, won the 2019 Ellen Meloy Fund Desert Writers Award. She received $5,000 to work on her creative nonfiction manuscript “Lazarus in the Desert: Death and Life in Arizona’s Endangered Waterways.” Established to honor the memory of Ellen Meloy, the annual award provides support to creative nonfiction writers “whose work reflects the spirit and passion for the desert embodied in Meloy’s writing” to spend time in a desert environment. The next deadline is January 15, 2021.
Ellen Meloy Fund, Desert Writers Award, D. A. Davidson and Co., P.O. Box 1677, Helena, MT 59624.
info@ellenmeloy.com
www.ellenmeloy.com
Fiction Collective Two
Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize
Yannick Murphy of Reading, Vermont, won the 2020 Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize for her story collection The Good Word. She received $15,000, and her book will be published by Fiction Collective Two. Renee Gladman judged. The annual award is given for a short story collection, novella, novella collection, or novel by a writer who has published at least three books of fiction. (See Deadlines.)
Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest
JoAnna Novak of Los Angeles won the 2020 Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Prize for her story collection, Meaningful Work. She received $1,500, and her book will be published by Fiction Collective Two. Sarah Blackman judged. The annual award is given for a short story collection, novella, novella collection, or novel. (See Deadlines.)
Fiction Collective Two, University of Alabama Press, P.O. Box 870380, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. (773) 702-7000.
www.fc2.org/prizes.html
Finishing Line Press
Open Chapbook Competition
Brian Ascalon Roley of Montgomery, Ohio, won the 2019 Open Chapbook Competition for Ambuscade. He received $1,000, and his chapbook will be published by Finishing Line Press. The annual award is given for a poetry chapbook. (See Deadlines.)
Finishing Line Press, Open Chapbook Competition, P.O. Box 1626, Georgetown, KY 40324. Chris Kincaid, Editor.
finishingbooks@aol.com
www.finishinglinepress.com
Fordham University at Lincoln Center
Poets Out Loud Prizes
Sarah Mangold of Edmonds, Washington, won the 2019–2020 Poets Out Loud Prize for Her Wilderness Will Be Her Manners. Stephanie Ellis Schlaifer of Saint Louis won the Editors’ Prize for Well Waiting Room. They each received $1,000, publication by Fordham University Press in fall 2021, and a book launch at Fordham University at Lincoln Center in New York City, with a $500 stipend for travel. Elisabeth Frost and Cynthia Hogue judged. The annual awards are given for poetry collections. (See Deadlines.)
Fordham University at Lincoln Center, Poets Out Loud Prizes, 113 West 60th Street, Room 924i, New York, NY 10023. (212) 636-6792. Elisabeth Frost, Series Editor.
pol@fordham.edu
www.fordham.edu/pol
Ghost Story
Supernatural Fiction Award
Lesley Bannatyne of Somerville, Massachusetts, won the Summer 2020 Supernatural Fiction Award for “Corpse Walks Into a Bar.” She received $1,000, and her story was published on the Ghost Story website and in the print anthology 21st Century Ghost Stories. The editors judged. The award is given twice yearly for a short story with a supernatural or magic realism theme. (See Deadlines.)
Ghost Story, Supernatural Fiction Award, P.O. Box 601, Union, ME 04862. Paul Guernsey, Editor.
www.theghoststory.com/tgs-fiction-award
Griffin Trust
Griffin Poetry Prize
Etel Adnan of Paris and Sausalito, California, and Sarah Riggs of New York City won the 2020 International Griffin Poetry Prize for Riggs’s translation from the French of Adnan’s Time (Nightboat Books). Kaie Kellough of Montreal won the Canadian Prize for Magnetic Equator (McClelland & Stewart). Adnan received CAD $26,000 (approximately $19,240), Riggs received CAD $39,000 (approximately $28,860), and Kellough received CAD $65,000 (approximately $48,100). The finalists for the International Prize were Abigail Chabitnoy of Denver for How to Dress a Fish (Wesleyan University Press); Sharon Olds of New York City for Arias (Knopf); and Natalie Scenters-Zapico of Tampa for Lima :: Limón (Copper Canyon Press). The finalists for the Canadian Prize were Chantal Gibson of Vancouver for How She Read (Caitlin Press) and Doyali Islam of Toronto for heft (McClelland & Stewart). The winners and finalists each received CAD $10,000 (approximately $7,400). The annual awards are given for a book of poetry published in English during the previous year by a poet or translator from any country and for a book of poetry in English by a Canadian poet or translator. The next deadline is December 31.
Griffin Trust, Griffin Poetry Prize, 363 Parkridge Crescent, Oakville, Ontario L6M 1A8, Canada. (905) 618-0420. Ruth Smith, Executive Director.
info@griffinpoetryprize.com
www.griffinpoetryprize.com
Hackney Literary Awards
Novel Contest
Miriam Ruth Black of Tucson, Arizona, won the 2019 Novel Contest for her novel manuscript “Shayna.” She received $5,000. The annual award is given for an unpublished novel. (See Deadlines.)
Hackney Literary Awards, Novel Contest, 4650 Old Looney Mill Road, Birmingham, AL 35243.
www.hackneyliteraryawards.org
Harvard University
Radcliffe Institute Fellowships
Poets Tonya M. Foster of San Francisco and Phillip B. Williams of Bennington, Vermont, fiction writers Kiese Laymon of Oxford, Mississippi, and Will Mackin of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and nonfiction writers Miriam Pawel of Pasadena, California, James Sturm of Hartland, Vermont, and Héctor Tobar of Los Angeles received fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. They each received $77,500 and an additional $5,000 to cover project expenses. The annual fellowships are given to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers with substantial publications or a current contract for the publication of a book. (See Deadlines.)
Harvard University, Radcliffe Institute Fellowships, Byerly Hall, 8 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. (617) 496-1324.
fellowships@radcliffe.harvard.edu
www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/fellowship-program
Hurston/Wright Foundation
Awards for College Writers
Sadia Hassan of Atlanta and Sakinah Hofler of Newark won the 2019 Hurston/Wright Awards for College Writers. Hassan won in poetry for her series of poems “Black Girl Prayer Poems.” Venus Thrash judged. Hofler won in fiction for her story “The Gifts We Don’t Need.” Naima Coster judged. They each received $1,000, free admission to a Hurston/Wright writing workshop, and an invitation to the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Ceremony. The annual awards, cosponsored by Amistad Press, are given for a poem and a short story by Black students enrolled full-time in an undergraduate or graduate program. As of this writing, the deadline has not been set.
Hurston/Wright Foundation, Awards for College Writers, 10 G Street, NE, Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20002.
info@hurstonwright.org
www.hurstonwright.org/programs/college-awards
John Pollard Foundation
International Poetry Prize
Isabel Galleymore of Birmingham, England, won the 2020 John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize for Significant Other (Carcanet Press, 2019). She received €10,000 (approximately $11,380). Harry Clifton, Tim Dooley, Eve Patten, and Nerys Williams judged. The annual award is given for a debut poetry collection published during the previous year. (See Deadlines.)
John Pollard Foundation, International Poetry Prize, Trinity Oscar Wilde Center, 21 Westland Row, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. Sophia Ní Sheoin, Centre Senior Executive Officer.
wilde@tcd.ie
www.tcd.ie/english/news-events/news-john-pollard-foundation2020.php
LitMag
Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction
R. D. Puller of Saint Louis won the 2020 Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction for “So Ezra He Became.” He received $3,500. Eliezra Schaffzin of Cambridge, Massachusetts, won the second-place prize for “Seesaw.” She received $1,000. Their stories were published in LitMag and reviewed by the literary agency Sobel Weber Associates. The annual award is given for a short story. The next deadline is December 31.
Anton Chekhov Award for Flash Fiction
J. G. Parisi of La Mesa, California, won the 2020 Anton Chekhov Award for Flash Fiction for “The Garbage Dump Veteran Museum and Gallery.” He received $1,250. His story will be published in LitMag and was reviewed by the literary agency Sobel Weber Associates. The annual award is given for a work of flash fiction. (See Deadlines.)
LitMag, Greeley Square Station, P.O. Box 20091, New York, NY 10001.
info@litmag.com
www.litmag.com
Loft Literary Center
McKnight Artist Fellowships
Poets Jacob Lindberg of Victoria, Minnesota, Michael Torres of Mankato, Minnesota, and Claire Wahmanholm of Saint Paul, and spoken word artist Blythe Baird of Minneapolis received 2020 McKnight Artist Fellowships. They each received $25,000. Natalie Diaz judged in poetry and Patricia Smith judged in spoken word. The annual fellowships are given to Minnesota writers who have published at least one book or work in several journals. As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
Loft Literary Center, McKnight Artist Fellowships, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Open Book, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55415.
www.loft.org
Milkweed Editions
Ballard Spahr Prize for Poetry
torrin a. greathouse of Minneapolis won the 2019 Ballard Spahr Prize for Poetry for Wound from the Mouth of a Wound. She received $10,000, and her collection will be published by Milkweed Editions in December 2020. Aimee Nezhukumatathil judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection by a resident of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin. As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
Milkweed Editions, Ballard Spahr Prize for Poetry, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Open Book, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55415.
www.milkweed.org
Mississippi Review
Mississippi Review Prizes
Katherine Gaffney of Champaign, Illinois, won the 2020 Mississippi Review Prize in poetry for her poem “Quickening (Or Motherhood: An Absence).” Yolanda Movsessian of Houston won in fiction for her story “The Death of a Storyteller.” Danielle Beazer Dubrasky of Cedar City, Utah, won in nonfiction for her essay “Juliet.” They each received $1,000 and publication in the Mississippi Review. Angela Ball judged in poetry, Olivia Clare judged in fiction, and Joshua Bernstein judged in nonfiction. The annual awards are given for a group of poems, a story, and an essay. The next deadline is January 1, 2021.
Mississippi Review, Mississippi Review Prizes, 118 College Drive, #5144, Hattiesburg, MS 39406. (601) 266-4321. Adam Clay, Editor in Chief.
msreview@usm.edu
www.usm.edu/mississippi-review
New York Public Library
Cullman Center Fellowships
Poets Togara Muzanenhamo of Harare, Zimbabwe, and Gregory Pardlo of New York City; fiction writers Hernan Diaz of New York City, Jonas Hassen Khemiri of Stockholm, Sweden, Hanna Pylväinen of Richmond, Virginia, and Namwali Serpell of Berkeley, California; nonfiction writers Burkhard Bilger, Barbara Demick, and Nina Munk, all of New York City, and Sophia Roosth of Cambridge, Massachusetts; and graphic novelist Peter Kuper of New York City received 2020–2021 Cullman Center Fellowships. They will each receive $70,000, an office in the Cullman Center at the New York Public Library, and full access to the library’s physical and electronic resources from September 2020 to May 2021. The annual fellowships are given to poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and scholars whose work will benefit directly from access to the research collections at the New York Public Library. (See Deadlines.)
New York Public Library, Cullman Center Fellowships, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018.
www.nypl.org/csw
Nina Riggs Poetry Foundation
Nina Riggs Poetry Award
Rachel Eliza Griffiths of New York City won the inaugural Nina Riggs Poetry Award for “Good Mother,” which was originally published in Tin House. She received $1,000. Maria Hummel judged. The annual award is given for a poem that examines relationships, family, or domestic life that was published in a book or magazine within the last three years. (See Deadlines.)
Nina Riggs Poetry Foundation, Nina Riggs Poetry Award, c/o Cave Wall Press, P.O. Box 29546, Greensboro, NC 27429. (336) 324-2946. Rhet Iseman Trull, President.
editor@cavewallpress.com
www.cavewallpress.com/ninaaward.html
Ohio University Press
Hollis Summers Poetry Prize
Fleda S. Brown of Traverse City, Michigan, won the 2020 Hollis Summers Poetry Prize for Brief. She received $1,000, and her book will be published by Ohio University Press in spring 2021. Stephen Dunn judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. The next deadline is December 1.
Ohio University Press, Hollis Summers Poetry Prize, 30 Park Place, Alden Library, Suite 101, Athens, OH 45701.
www.ohioswallow.com/poetry_prize
Passaic County Community College
Paterson Poetry Prize
Jericho Brown of Atlanta won the 2020 Paterson Poetry Prize for The Tradition (Copper Canyon Press). He received $1,000. The annual award is given for a poetry collection published in the previous year. The next deadline is February 1, 2021.
Passaic County Community College, Paterson Poetry Prize, Poetry Center, One College Boulevard, Paterson, NJ 07505. (973) 684-6555.
sdesai@pccc.edu
www.poetrycenterpccc.com
Ploughshares
Ashley Leigh Bourne Prize for Fiction
Kiley Reid of Philadelphia won the second annual Ashley Leigh Bourne Prize for Fiction for “George Washington’s Teeth,” which appeared in the Fall 2019 issue of Ploughshares. She received $2,500. The editors judged. The annual award is given for a short story published in Ploughshares in the previous year. There is no application process.
Ploughshares, 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116.
www.pshares.org
Prairie Schooner
Writing Prizes
Olákìtán Aladésuyì of Lagos, Nigeria, won the 2020 Lawrence Foundation Award for her story “Girl of my dreams.” She received $2,000. Maurine Ogbaa of Houston won the 2020 Glenna Luschei Award for her story “The Men in Her Life.” She received $1,500. Rewa Zeinati of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, won the 2020 Edward Stanley Award for a group of poems; E. J. Koh of Seattle won the 2020 Virginia Faulkner Award for Excellence in Writing for her essay “How to Age with Grace.” They each received $1,000. He Xiang of New York City won the 2020 Prairie Schooner Strousse Award for a group of poems, and Benjamin Keoseyan of Tucson, Arizona, won the 2020 Bernice Slote Award for a group of poems. They each received $500. Kwame Dawes judged. The annual awards are given for poems, short stories, and essays published in Prairie Schooner in the previous year. There is no application process.
Prairie Schooner, University of Nebraska, 110 Andrews Hall, P.O. Box 880334, Lincoln, NE 68588. (402) 472-0911. Ashley Strosnider, Managing Editor.
prairieschooner@unl.edu
www.prairieschooner.unl.edu
Press 53
Award for Short Fiction
Jen Fawkes of Little Rock, Arkansas, won the 2020 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction for Tales the Devil Told Me. She received $1,000, publication of her book by Press 53, and 50 author copies. Kevin Morgan Watson judged. The annual award is given for a short story collection. The next deadline is December 31.
Press 53, Award for Short Fiction, 560 North Trade Street, Suite 103, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. (336) 770-5353. Kevin Morgan Watson, Publisher.
www.press53.com/award-for-short-fiction
Publishing Triangle
Literary Awards
Téa Mutonji of Toronto won the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction for her story collection, Shut Up You’re Pretty (Arsenal Pulp Press). Ocean Vuong of Northampton won the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction for his novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (Penguin Press). Saidiya Hartman of New York City and Carmen Maria Machado of Philadelphia both won the Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction; Hartman won for Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women, and Queer Radicals (Norton) and Machado won for her memoir, In the Dream House (Graywolf Press). Saeed Jones of Columbus, Ohio, won the Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction for his memoir, How We Fight for Our Lives (Simon & Schuster). Shira Erlichman of New York City won the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry for her collection, Odes to Lithium (Alice James Books). Sam Ross of New York City won the Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry for his collection, Company (Four Way Books). Kai Cheng Thom of Toronto won the Publishing Triangle Award for Trans and Gender-Variant Literature for her poetry and essay collection I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl’s Notes From the End of the World (Arsenal Pulp Press). Each winner received $1,000. Oliver Baez Bendorf of Kalamazoo, Michigan, won the Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award, given to a LGBTQ writer who has published one to two books. He received $1,500. The annual awards honor books of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction by LGBTQ authors, or with LGBTQ themes, published in the United States or Canada during the previous year. As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
Publishing Triangle, Literary Awards, 511 Avenue of the Americas, #D36, New York, NY 10011.
publishingtriangle@gmail.com
www.publishingtriangle.org
Red Hen Press
Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award
M. Soledad Caballero of Pittsburgh won the 2019 Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award for Birds of Prey. She received $1,000, and her book will be published by Red Hen Press in fall 2021. Allison Joseph judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. (See Deadlines.)
Fiction Award
Lily Hoang of Carlsbad, California, won the 2019 Fiction Award for her novel Underneath. She received $1,000, and her book will be published by Red Hen Press in fall 2021. Cai Emmons judged. The annual award is given for a novel. (See Deadlines.)
Red Hen Press, P.O. Box 40820, Pasadena, CA 91114. (626) 356-4760.
editorial@redhen.org
www.redhen.org
Reed Magazine
Gabriele Rico Challenge for Creative Nonfiction
Eileen Vorbach Collins of Rotonda West, Florida, won the 2020 Gabriele Rico Creative Nonfiction Challenge for “Two Tablespoons of Tim.” She received $1,333, and her essay was published in Issue 152 of Reed Magazine. The annual award is given for an essay. (See Deadlines.)
Edwin Markham Prize for Poetry
Jeanne Julian of New Bern, North Carolina, and Rodrigo Toscano of New Orleans both won the 2020 Edwin Markham Prize for Poetry. Julian won for “Intimacy at the Blue Moon Café,” and Toscano won for “Gaps.” Each received $500, and their poems were published in Issue 152 of Reed Magazine. Brenda Hillman judged. The annual award is given for a poem or group of poems. (See Deadlines.)
John Steinbeck Award for Fiction
Richard Stim of Sausalito, California, won the 2020 John Steinbeck Award for Fiction “Closer to Heaven.” He received $1,000, and his story was published in Issue 152 of Reed Magazine. Vanessa Hua judged. The annual award is given for a short story. (See Deadlines.)
Reed Magazine, San José State University, English Department, One Washington Square, San José, CA 95192. (408) 924-4425.
mail@reedmag.org
www.reedmag.org
Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation
Poetry Prize
Jerl Surratt of Hudson, New York, won the 2020 Robinson Jeffers Tor House Poetry Prize for his poem “Twilight Time.” He received $1,000. Marie Howe judged. The annual award is given for a single poem. The next deadline is March 15, 2021.
Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation, Poetry Prize, P.O. Box 223240, Carmel, CA 93922. (831) 624-1813. Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts, Coordinator.
thf@torhouse.org
www.torhouse.org
Salem State University
Claire Keyes Poetry Award
Arielle Hebert of Durham, North Carolina, won the 2020 Claire Keyes Poetry Award for a group of her poems. She received $1,000 and publication in Volume 42 of Soundings East. Erika Meitner judged. The annual award is given for a group of poems. The next deadline is February 15, 2021.
Salem State University, Claire Keyes Poetry Award, English Department, 352 Lafayette Street, Salem, MA 01970. Kevin Carey, Advisory Editor.
kcarey@salemstate.edu
www.salemstate.edu/campus-life/arts/creative-writing/soundings-east
Southern Indiana Review
Mary C. Mohr Awards
Em Dial of Toronto won the 2019 poetry award for her poem “& the white girl tells me I need to marry a Latino man so that my kids can be the world.” Lara Palmqvist of Faribault, Minnesota, won the fiction award for her story “Corpse Flower.” Courtney Kersten of Santa Cruz, California, won the nonfiction award for her essay “The Ergonomics of Loss.” They each received $2,000 and publication in Southern Indiana Review. José Olivarez judged in poetry, Nickolas Butler judged in fiction, and Sarah Perry judged in nonfiction. The annual awards are given for a poem, a short story, and an essay. As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
Southern Indiana Review, Mary C. Mohr Awards, University of Southern Indiana, 8600 University Boulevard, Evansville, IN 47712. (812) 228-5145. Ron Mitchell, Editor.
sir.contest@usi.edu
www.southernindianareview.org
Travelers’ Tales
Solas Award
Erin Byrne of Sausalito, California, won the 2020 Solas Awards Grand Prize for “Our Ravaged Lady.” She received $1,000 and publication in Volume 12 of The Best Travel Writing: True Stories From Around the World and on the Travelers’ Tales website. The editors judged. The annual award is given for a travel essay. (See Deadlines.)
Travelers’ Tales, Solas Award, 2320 Bowdoin Street, Palo Alto, CA 94306.
info@besttravelwriting.com
www.besttravelwriting.com
Trustees of the Robert Frost Farm
Frost Farm Prize
Jennifer Davis Michael of Sewanee, Tennessee, won the 10th annual Frost Farm Prize for “Forty Trochees.” She received $1,000 and an invitation to read at the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, New Hampshire. Rachel Hadas judged. The annual award is given for a single poem written in a metrical form. The next deadline is March 30, 2021.
Trustees of the Robert Frost Farm, Frost Farm Prize, c/o Robert Crawford, 280 Candia Road, Chester, NH 03036.
hylabrookpoets@gmail.com
www.frostfarmpoetry.org/prize
University of Georgia Press
Georgia Poetry Prize
Chioma Urama of New Orleans won the 2019 Georgia Poetry Prize for A Body of Water. She received $1,000, and her book will be published by University of Georgia Press in February 2021. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. The next deadline is November 30.
University of Georgia Press, Georgia Poetry Prize, Main Library, Third Floor, 320 South Jackson Street, Athens, GA 30602.
www.ugapress.org
University of North Texas Press
Vassar Miller Prize
Leigh Anne Couch of Sewanee, Tennessee, won the 2020 Vassar Miller Prize in Poetry for Every Lash. She received $1,000, and her book will be published by University of North Texas Press in April 2021. Jenny Browne judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. (See Deadlines.)
University of North Texas Press, Vassar Miller Prize, 1155 Union Circle #311336, Denton, TX 76203. (940) 565-2142. Karen DeVinney, Assistant Director/Managing Editor.
www.untpress.unt.edu/contest
University of Texas
Dobie Paisano Fellowships
Poet Sebastián Hasani Páramo of Dallas and poet and fiction writer Sarah Smith of Pittsburgh each won a 2020 Dobie Paisano Fellowship. Smith received the Ralph A. Johnston Memorial Fellowship, which includes a monthly stipend of $6,000 and a four-month stay at Dobie Paisano’s ranch, located fourteen miles southwest of Austin. Páramo received the Jesse H. Jones Writing Fellowship, which includes a monthly stipend of $4,500 and a four-month stay at Paisano’s ranch. The annual fellowships, cosponsored by the Texas Institute of Letters, are given to writers who are native Texans, who have lived in Texas for at least three years, or who have published significant work with a Texas subject. As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
University of Texas, Dobie Paisano Fellowships, Graduate School, 110 Inner Campus Drive, Stop G0400, Austin, TX 78712.
www.dobiepaisano.utexas.edu
University of Utah Press
Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry
Zachary Asher of Los Angeles won the 2019 Agha Shahid Ali Poetry Prize for gone bird in the glass hours: a poem play. He received $1,000, publication of his book by University of Utah Press, and $500 in travel and lodging expenses to give a reading at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Alberto Ríos judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. The next deadline is April 15, 2021.
University of Utah Press, Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry, J. Willard Marriott Library, 295 South 1500 East, Suite 5400, Salt Lake City, UT 84112. Hannah New, Contact.
hannah.new@utah.edu
www.uofupress.com/ali-poetry-prize.php
Verse
Tomaž Šalamun Prize
Jake Bauer of Traverse City, Michigan, won the 2020 Tomaž Šalamun Prize for Big Pool, Oh. He received $500, publication of his chapbook by Factory Hollow Press, and a monthlong residency at the Tomaž Šalamun Center for Poetry in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Bianca Stone judged. The annual award is given for a poetry chapbook. The next deadline is March 15, 2021.
Verse, Tomaž Šalamun Prize, University of Richmond, English Department, Richmond, VA 23173. (804) 287-6431. Brian Henry, Editor.
www.versemag.blogspot.com
Waterston Desert Writing Prize
Hannah Hindley of Tucson, Arizona, won the 2020 Waterston Desert Writing Prize for “Thin Blue Dream,” a proposal for a book of interconnected essays. She received $2,500 and a four-week residency at PLAYA in Summer Lake, Oregon. She was also invited to give a reading at a virtual awards event given by the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. Robert Michael Pyle judged. The annual award is given for a nonfiction work-in-progress that illustrates “artistic excellence, sensitivity to place, and desert literacy.” The next deadline is April 1, 2021.
Waterston Desert Writing Prize, P.O. Box 640, Bend, OR 97709. (541) 480-3933.
info@waterstonedesertwritingprize.org
www.waterstondesertwritingprize.org
White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails
Prize in Southern Poetry
Gregory Emilio of Decatur, Georgia, won the White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails Prize in Southern Poetry for “Japanese Maple.” He received $1,500, and his poem was published on the Valentine’s Day menu at White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails in Atlanta. James Smith judged. The annual award is given for a single poem on a theme by a writer from the South. As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails, Prize in Southern Poetry, 270 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30303. (404) 524-7200.
www.whiteoakkitchen.com
Yale University Press
Yale Series of Younger Poets
Desiree C. Bailey of New York City won the 2020 Yale Series of Younger Poets prize for What Noise Against the Cane. Her book will be published by Yale University Press. Carl Phillips judged. The annual award is given for a debut poetry collection. (See Deadlines.)
Yale University Press, Yale Series of Younger Poets, P.O. Box 209040, New Haven, CT 06520.
ysyp@yale.edu
youngerpoets.yupnet.org
Zócalo Public Square
Book Prize
William Sturkey of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, won the tenth annual Zócalo Public Square Book Prize for Hattiesburg: An American City in Black and White (Belknap Press). He received $5,000 and was invited to give Zócalo Public Square’s virtual Book Prize Lecture in May. The annual award is given for a book of nonfiction published in the United States in the previous year that “most enhances our understanding of community, human connectedness, and social cohesion.” As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
Poetry Prize
Jai Hamid Bashir of New York City won the ninth annual Zócalo Public Square Poetry Prize for “Little Bones.” She received $500 and was invited to give a virtual reading at Zócalo Public Square’s Book Prize Lecture in May. The annual award is given for a poem that “best evokes a connection to place.” As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
Zócalo Public Square, 100 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
www.zocalopublicsquare.org
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