Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Stories That Need to Be Told Contest

TulipTree Publishing
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
August 9, 2023
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that “tells a story that needs to be told.” The winner will also receive a two-year subscription to the literary database Duotrope and publication in the annual Stories That Need to Be Told contest anthology. E-mail a poem, a story, or an essay of up to 10,000 words with a $20 entry fee (to be sent separately) by August 9. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Spring Story Contest

Narrative
Entry Fee: 
$27
Deadline: 
July 31, 2023
A prize of $2,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a short story, a short short story, an essay, or an excerpt from a work of fiction or creative nonfiction. A second-place prize of $1,000 is also awarded. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a work of fiction or creative nonfiction of up to 15,000 words with a $27 entry fee by July 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction Contest

Sewanee Review
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
July 31, 2023
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sewanee Review are given annually for a single poem or group of poems, a short story, and a creative nonfiction essay. Major Jackson will judge in poetry, Megan Mayhew Bergman will judge in fiction, and Alexander Chee will judge in creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit up to six poems or a story or essay of up to 10,000 words with a $30 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Sewanee Review, between July 1 and July 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines. 

Translation Awards

American-Scandinavian Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 1, 2023
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 annually 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. Using only the online submission system, submit 15 to 25 pages of poetry or 25 to 50 pages of prose, a copy of the original work, a statement about the original author and the significance of their work, a document signed by or on behalf of the author granting permission for the translation to be entered into the competition, and a curriculum vitae by September 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

St. Lawrence Book Award

Black Lawrence Press
Entry Fee: 
$28
Deadline: 
August 31, 2023
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 and a panel of previous St. Lawrence Book Award winners will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of 45 to 95 pages or a prose manuscript of 120 to 280 pages with a $28 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Writing Contest

Black Warrior Review
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
September 1, 2023
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Black Warrior Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Gary Soto will judge in poetry, Michael Martone will judge in fiction, and Jesse McCarthy will judge in nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of any length or a story or essay of no more than 7,000 words with a $15 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Black Warrior Review, by September 1. There is no entry fee for the first 300 Black and/or Indigenous writers who submit. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Prize in Translation

Gulf Coast
Entry Fee: 
$13
Deadline: 
August 31, 2023
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 2023 prize will be given for a work of prose. Submit up to 10 pages of a story or essay translated into English, a copy of the original text, a brief synopsis of the author and the work being translated, and proof that permission to translate the work has been granted with a $26 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Gulf Coast, or a $13 entry fee, which includes a half-year subscription, by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Note: This listing has been updated to include information provided by the sponsoring organization after the issue went to press.

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