Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Six prizes of $15,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, general nonfiction, U.S. history, biography, and memoir first published in the United States during the current year. Eligible authors include U.S. citizens and permanent residents or those who have made the United States their longtime primary home. Using only the online submission system, submit a digital copy of a book published in 2025 with a $75 entry fee by October 15. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for an essay by a writer who has not published a full-length book in any genre with a nationally distributed press. Submit an essay of up to 8,000 words with an $18 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Boulevard, by September 30. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Action, Spectacle is given annually for a poem, a short work of fiction, or a short work of creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit any number of poems totaling up to 10 pages or a short story, essay, or excerpt from a longer work of no more than 8,500 words with a $20 entry fee by October 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Half-term and full-term fellowships of $16,000 and $30,000 respectively are given annually to artists, academics, and creative writers, including poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, to support the development of a project. In addition to a stipend, the fellows are each provided with meals, a private workspace, and a bedroom with a private bathroom as they join the Academy’s residential community on the Janiculum Hill in Rome, alongside other fellows and visiting artists and scholars. All applicants, except those applying for the National Endowment for the Humanities postdoctoral fellowships, must be U.S. citizens at the time of their application. Writers who in the past six years have published a book in their respective genre are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 20 pages of poetry or prose, a résumé, a project proposal, and contact information for three references with a $50 entry fee by November 1 (or an $80 entry fee by November 15). Visit the website for complete guidelines.