Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Four prizes of $25,000 each are given annually to Minnesota poets, prose writers, and spoken word artists. Fellows will also receive an all-expenses-paid, one- or two-week residency in partnership with Artist Communities Alliance and have the opportunity to attend one-on-one career consultations, workshops, and networking events run by the nonprofit organization Springboard for the Arts. The prizes are offered in poetry/spoken word and prose in alternating years; the 2026 fellowships will be awarded in poetry and spoken word. Writers who have been residents of Minnesota for the year prior to the deadline and who will reside in Minnesota for the duration of the fellowship are eligible; writers must also have published at least one book, have had work appear in several journals, or have been booked to perform their work. Using only the online submission system, submit 15 to 18 pages of poetry by November 15. Spoken-word poets can also submit 8 to 10 minutes of recorded poetry. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Fifteen fellowships are given annually to artists, academics, and creative writers, including poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators, whose work will benefit directly from access to the research collections at the New York Public Library. The fellows each receive $90,000, an office at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library’s main branch in the Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, and full access to the library’s collections from September 2026 through May 2027. Fellows are required to work on their projects at the Cullman Center for the duration of the fellowship. Writers currently enrolled in a graduate degree-granting program are ineligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of up to 4,500 words, a project proposal of no more than 1,500 words, a curriculum vitae, and three reference letters by September 26. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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 (approximately $1,158) and online publication in Irish Times is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that features “an exploration of the writer’s relationship with the natural world.” The winner also receives a weeklong stay at the Moth Retreat in County Cavan, Ireland. Mark Cocker will judge. Submit a poem or a work of prose of up to 4,000 words with an entry fee of €15 (approximately $17) by September 30. Visit the website for the required entry form for submissions by post and complete guidelines.