Genre: Fiction
Jesmyn Ward Prize in Fiction
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Michigan Quarterly Review is given annually for a short story. Kevin Wilson will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 1,500 to 7,000 words with a $25 entry fee by November 30. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Danahy Fiction Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review is given annually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 500 to 5,000 words with a $20 entry fee, which includes one copy of the next issue of Tampa Review, by December 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Amity Literary Prize
A prize of $1,000, publication by Anamcara Press, and 50 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection, story collection, essay collection, novel, or memoir. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of 60 to 120 pages, a fiction manuscript of at least 70,000 words, or a nonfiction manuscript of 80,000 to 100,000 words (plus a summary of 500 to 750 words) with a $25 entry fee by December 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Mississippi Review Prize
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Mississippi Review are given annually for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. Current or former University of Southern Mississippi students are ineligible. Submit three to five poems totaling no more than 10 pages or a story or essay of 800 to 8,000 words with a $15 entry fee ($16 for electronic submissions) by January 1, 2026. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Cabell First Novelist Award
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a debut novel published during the current year. The winner is also provided money for the cost of travel and lodging to attend the Cabell First Novelist Award event at VCU in fall 2026. A committee of VCU faculty and MFA candidates will judge. Agents, editors, and authors may submit one digital copy and five hard copies of a book published in 2025 by December 30. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Literary Award
Up to two prizes of $1,000 each and an invitation to give a public lecture at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia is given annually for books of fiction and/or nonfiction published in the current year that are by a writer from Philadelphia or examine and reflect life in the greater Philadelphia area. Members of the award committee will judge. Authors or publishers may submit two hard copies (or advance reader’s copies) of books published in 2025 by December 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Fall Story Contest
A prize of $2,500 is given annually for a short story, a short short story, an essay, a memoir, a photo essay, a short graphic narrative, or an excerpt from a longer work of prose. 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 November 21. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Short Short Story Competition
A prize of $3,000 is given annually for a short short story. The winner is also provided money for travel and lodging expenses to attend the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference. A second-place prize of $1,500 is also awarded. The winners will both be published in Writer’s Digest. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 1,500 words with a $30 entry fee by the early bird deadline of November 17 or with a $35 entry fee by December 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Literary Awards
Four prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a debut novel, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) by African American writers published in the United States in the current year. The awards honor books that depict the “cultural, historical, or sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Publishers may nominate books published in 2025 by December 31. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for a list of jurors to whom books should be sent and complete guidelines.



