Genre: Fiction

McKnight Fellowships for Writers

Loft Literary Center
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
November 15, 2025
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.

Short Fiction Competition

Zoetrope: All-Story
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
October 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Zoetrope: All-Story website is given annually for a short story. The winner and finalists are considered for representation by several literary agencies, including Creative Artists Agency, William Morris Endeavor, and the Wylie Agency. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 5,000 words with a $30 entry fee by October 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Open Season Awards

Malahat Review
Entry Fee: 
$22
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
Three prizes of $2,000 Canadian (approximately $1,455) each and publication in Malahat Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of no more than 100 lines each or a short story or essay of up to 2,500 words with a $30 Canadian (approximately $22) entry fee by the early-bird deadline of September 30 or a $45 Canadian (approximately $33) entry fee by November 1. All entry fees include a subscription to Malahat Review. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Prize for Fiction

Dzanc Books
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of $5,000 and publication by Dzanc Books is given annually for a novel. Eugene Cross, Mubanga Kalimamukwento, and Tara Isabel Zambrano will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 40,000 words, a synopsis, and a brief bio with a $25 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Novel Excerpt Contest

Masters Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
November 9, 2025
A prize of $3,000 and publication in Masters Review is given annually for an excerpt of an unpublished novel or novel-in-progress displaying “a strong voice, compelling characters, and carefully constructed narrative arcs” by an emerging writer. The winner will also receive a consultation with literary agent Marin Takikawa of the Friedrich Agency. Writers who have not published a book or who have published a book with a circulation of less than 5,000 are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit an excerpt of up to 6,000 words with a $20 entry fee by November 9. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Short Story Collection Prize

Dzanc Books
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of $2,500 and publication by Dzanc Books is given annually for a story collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 40,000 words, a synopsis, and a brief bio with a $25 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Mieko Kawakami and Fernanda Melchor

Caption: 

In this 2020 Wheeler Centre virtual event, Roanna Gonsalves hosts a discussion about womanhood in fiction and the power of translation with Fernanda Melchor, author of Hurricane Season (New Directions, 2020), translated from the Spanish by Sophie Hughes; and Mieko Kawakami, author of Breasts and Eggs (Europa Editions, 2020), translated from the Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd.

Last Call

The Last Showgirl is a 2024 drama film directed by Gia Coppola starring Pamela Anderson as a veteran Vegas dancer in her fifties who finds herself becoming obsolete as the revue she has headlined for three decades prepares to close. As Shelly considers other job prospects and a lifetime invested in and shaped by outmoded notions of femininity, eroticism, and glamour, she is faced with confronting the people in her life: the stage manager who remains at the venue producing a new show, her estranged daughter, and an old friend who works as a cocktail waitress and has alcohol and gambling addictions. Write a short story in which your main character is confronted with the harsh realities of social expectations as they age, particularly those around gender, beauty, and worth. What are their personal values around these concepts and how do they navigate the resulting tensions?

Poured Over With Katie Yee

Caption: 

“She was a short story that kind of got too big and started rolling away from me,” says Katie Yee about her debut novel, Maggie; or a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar (Summit Books, 2025), in this episode of Poured Over: The Barnes & Noble Podcast hosted by Miwa Messer, in which they discuss writing outside of your own experience and usual style.

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