Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Creative Nonfiction Prize

Indiana Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
March 15, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Indiana Review is given annually for an essay. Submit a work of prose of up to 6,000 words with a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Indiana Review, by March 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Paul Engle Prize

Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
March 31, 2025
A prize of $25,000 is given annually to a writer “who, like Paul Engle, represents a pioneering spirit in the world of literature through writing, editing, publishing, or teaching, and whose active participation in the larger issues of the day has contributed to the betterment of the world through the literary arts.” Poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers are eligible. Submit a nomination, including the writer’s curriculum vitae and a statement about how the writer embodies the spirit of the prize, by March 31. Self-nominations are not accepted. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Winter Story Contest

Narrative
Entry Fee: 
$27
Deadline: 
March 31, 2025
A prize of $2,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a short story, a work of flash fiction, an essay, a memoir, or an excerpt from a longer 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 up to 15,000 words of prose with a $27 entry fee by March 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literary Prizes

New Ohio Review
Entry Fee: 
$22
Deadline: 
April 15, 2025
Three prizes of $1,500 each and publication in New Ohio Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Submit a poem or group of poems of up to six pages or a story or essay of up to 20 pages with a $22 entry fee, which includes a subscription to New Ohio Review, by April 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Terry Tempest Williams Creative Nonfiction Prize

North American Review
Entry Fee: 
$23
Deadline: 
April 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review is given annually for an essay. Lyric essays, memoir-style essays, and literary journalism are eligible. Robin Hemley will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit an essay of 500 to 10,000 words with a $23 entry fee, which includes an issue of North American Review, by April 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Emerging Writer’s Contest

Ploughshares
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
May 15, 2025
Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Ploughshares are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Each winner also receives a consultation with the literary agency Aevitas Creative Management. Writers who have not published a book or a chapbook with a print run of over 300 copies are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit three to five pages of poetry or up to 6,000 words of prose with a $30 entry fee (there is no entry fee for current subscribers), which includes a subscription to Ploughshares, by May 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

100-Word Writing Contest

Tadpole Press
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
April 30, 2025
A prize of $2,000 is given biannually for a work of flash poetry or prose. Submit a work of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction of up to 100 words with a $15 entry fee by April 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Italian Prose in Translation Award

American Literary Translators Association
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
March 17, 2025
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a book of fiction or nonfiction translated from Italian into English and published in the previous year. Publishers or translators may submit a book published in 2024 by March 17. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

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