Academy for Teachers
“Stories Out of School” Flash Fiction Contest
Christopher Chilton of New York City won the 2023 “Stories Out of School” Flash Fiction Contest for “Tree Club.” He received $1,000 and publication in A Public Space. Daniel Handler judged. The annual award is given for a work of flash fiction about teachers and school. (See Deadlines.)
Academy for Teachers, “Stories Out of School” Flash Fiction Contest, 10 West 90th Street, New York, NY 10024. Gwenith Williams, Contact.
gwenith@academyforteachers.org academyforteachers.org/contests
Academy of American Poets
First Book Award
Sara Daniele Rivera of Albuquerque, New Mexico, won the 2023 First Book Award for The Blue Mimes. She will receive $5,000; a six-week all-expenses-paid residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Umbria, Italy; and publication of her book by Graywolf Press in April 2024. Her work will also be featured on the Academy of American Poets website and in American Poets, and copies of her book will be distributed to over 5,000 members of the Academy of American Poets. Eduardo C. Corral judged. The annual award is given to a poet who has not published a poetry collection in a standard edition. (See Deadlines.)
Academy of American Poets, First Book Award, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038. (212) 274-0343, ext. 13. Nikay Paredes, Programs Director. awards@poets.org poets.org/academy-american-poets/prizes/first-book-award
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Literature Awards
Thirteen writers were among those to receive awards in literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Nonfiction writer Masha Gessen of New York City received the $25,000 Blake-Dodd Prize, given triennially for “achievement in nonfiction.” Poet Shane McCrae of New York City received the $20,000 Arthur Rense Poetry Prize, given triennially to “an exceptional poet.” Fiction writer Lauren Groff of Gainesville, Florida, received the $20,000 Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award, given annually to a prose writer whose work “merits recognition for the quality of its style.” Fiction and nonfiction writer Hernan Diaz of New York City received the $20,000 John Updike Award, given biennially to “a writer in mid-career who has demonstrated consistent excellence.” Essayist and nonfiction writer Meghan O’Gieblyn of Madison, Wisconsin, received the $20,000 Benjamin Hadley Danks Award, given triennially to an “exceptional writer” of literary works. Novelist Imbolo Mbue of New York City won the $10,000 Addison M. Metcalf Award, given biennially to “a young writer of great promise.” Fiction writer Anna DeForest of New York City won the $10,000 Rosenthal Family Foundation Award for Literature for her novel, A History of Present Illness (Little, Brown); the annual award is given to a “young writer of considerable literary talent” for a book published during the previous year. Arts and Letters Awards in Literature winners included poets Natalie Diaz of Mohave Valley, Arizona, and Atsuro Riley of San Francisco; poet, novelist, essayist, and translator Forrest Gander of Sonoma Mountain, California; novelist, nonfiction writer, and translator Jennifer Croft of Tulsa; and nonfiction writer Joshua Prager of Maplewood, New Jersey. They each received $10,000. The annual awards are given to poets, fiction writers, nonfiction writers, and translators to honor “exceptional accomplishment” in literature. Morgan Talty of Levant, Maine, received the $5,000 Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction for his story collection, Night of the Living Rez (Tin House); the annual award honors a debut book of fiction published in the previous year. There is no application process.
American Academy of Arts and Letters, Literature Awards, 633 West 155th Street, New York, NY 10032. (212) 368-5900. academy@artsandletters.org artsandletters.org
American Poetry Review
Honickman First Book Prize
Jane Huffman of Denver won the 2023 APR/Honickman First Book Prize for Public Abstract. She received $3,000, and her collection will be published in September by American Poetry Review with distribution by Copper Canyon Press through Consortium. Dana Levin judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection by a writer who has not yet published a book of poems. The next deadline is October 1.
American Poetry Review, Honickman First Book Prize, 1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103. (215) 309-3722. aprweb.org
Bedford Competition
International Short Story & Poetry Awards
Damen O’Brien of Wynnum, Australia, won the 2022 Bedford Competition International Poetry Award for “The Bees.” David C. Shelley Jones of Sydney won the Short Story Award for “Six Foot Track.” They received £1,000 (approximately $1,248) each and publication in the Bedford Competition anthology. Jessica Mookherjee judged in poetry and Tim Jarvis judged in fiction. The annual awards are given for a poem and a short story. The next deadline is October 31.
Bedford Competition, International Short Story & Poetry Awards, 28 Miller Road, Bedford, MK42 9NZ, England. Philip Carey, Contact. thebedfordcompetition@gmail.combedfordwritingcompetition.co.uk
Biographers International Organization
BIO Award
Kitty Kelley of Washington, D.C., won the 2023 BIO Award. Kelley, whose most recent biographical work is Oprah (Crown Publishers, 2010), received $2,000 and gave the keynote address at this year’s BIO Conference in May. The annual award is given “to a distinguished colleague who has made significant contributions to the art and craft of biography.” There is no application process.
Biographers International Organization, BIO Award, P.O. Box 33020, Santa Fe, NM 87594. Michael Gately, Executive Director. execdirector@biographersinternational.orgbiographersinternational.org
California State University in Fresno
Philip Levine Prize for Poetry
Éric Morales-Franceschini of Athens, Georgia, won the 2022 Philip Levine Prize for Poetry for Syndrome. He received $2,000, and his book will be published by Anhinga Press. Juan Felipe Herrera judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. The next deadline is September 30.
California State University in Fresno, Philip Levine Prize for Poetry, English Department, 5245 N. Backer Avenue, PB98, Fresno, CA 93740. Mai Der Vang, Contest Coordinator.
maidervang@mail.fresnostate.edu fresnostate.edu/levineprize
Carve
Prose & Poetry Contest
Lee Woodman of Washington, D.C., Sena Moon of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Beth Manca of Arlington, Massachusetts, won the 2022 Prose & Poetry Contest. Woodman won in poetry for “Orca Ode”; Moon won in fiction for “Slow and Then Fast”; and Manca won in nonfiction for “Metamorphosis.” They each received $1,000 and publication by Carve. David J. Daniels judged in poetry, Maurice Carlos Ruffin judged in fiction, and Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint judged in nonfiction. The annual awards are given for a poem, a short story, and an essay. As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
Carve, Prose & Poetry Contest, 46 Bradford Street, Provincetown, MA 02657. Matthew Limpede, Publisher.
info@carvezine.com carvezine.com/home
Claremont Graduate University
Tufts Poetry Awards
Roger Reeves of Austin won the 31st annual Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award for Best Barbarian (Norton). He received $100,000. The annual award is given for a book of poetry by a midcareer poet published in the previous year. Robert Wood Lynn of the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, won the 30th annual Kate Tufts Discovery Award for Mothman Apologia (Yale University Press). He received $10,000. The annual award is given for a first book of poetry published in the previous year. Both prizes were judged by Carmen Giménez, Diana Khoi Nguyen, Prageeta Sharma, Patricia Smith, and Lynne Thompson. As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
Claremont Graduate University, Tufts Poetry Awards, 160 East 10th Street, Harper East B7, Claremont, CA 91711. (909) 621-8974. tufts.poetry@cgu.edu arts.cgu.edu/tufts-poetry-awards
Cleveland Foundation
Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Saeed Jones of Columbus, Ohio, won the 88th annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in poetry for Alive at the End of the World (Coffee House Press). Geraldine Brooks of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and Lan Samantha Chang of Iowa City won the award in fiction; Brooks won for Horse (Viking) and Chang won for The Family Chao (Norton). Matthew F. Delmont of Etna, New Hampshire, won the award in nonfiction for Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad (Viking). Journalist and nonfiction writer Charlayne Hunter-Gault of Sarasota, Florida, whose most recent essay collection is My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives (Harper, 2022), won the Lifetime Achievement Award. They each received $10,000. Rita Dove, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Joyce Carol Oates, Simon Schama, and Steven Pinker judged. The annual awards are given to honor books of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction published in the previous year that “contribute to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of cultural diversity.” The next deadline is December 31.
Cleveland Foundation, Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, 6601 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44103. (216) 685-2018.
submit@anisfield-wolf.org anisfield-wolf.org
Comstock Review
Muriel Craft Bailey Memorial Award
Rebecca Brock of Leesburg, Virginia, won the 2022 Muriel Craft Bailey Memorial Award for “Sometime in the Late Age of a Long Marriage.” She received $1,000 and publication in Comstock Review. Ellen Bass judged. The annual award is given for a single poem. (See Deadlines.)
Comstock Review, Muriel Craft Bailey Memorial Award, 4956 St. John Drive, Syracuse, NY 13215.
poetry@comstockreview.org comstockreview.org
Connecticut Poetry Society
Experimental Poetry Contest
Brandon Kelley of Hatfield, Pennsylvania, won the 2022 Experimental Poetry Contest for “Straight White Guys.” He received $1,000 and publication in Connecticut River Review. Richard Deming judged. The annual award is given for an innovative poem. (See Deadlines.)
Connecticut Poetry Society, Experimental Poetry Contest, P.O. Box 516, Cheshire, CT 06410. Kathleen McIntosh, Contest Chair. ctpoetryline@gmail.com ctpoetry.net
Copper Nickel
Jake Adam York Prize
Yalie Saweda Kamara of Cincinnati won the seventh annual Jake Adam York Prize for Besaydoo. She received $2,000 and her book will be published by Milkweed Editions in January 2024. Amaud Jamaul Johnson judged. The annual award is given for a first or second poetry collection. The next deadline is October 15.
Copper Nickel, Jake Adam York Prize, University of Colorado, English Department, Campus Box 175, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217. Wayne Miller, Contact.
wayne.miller@ucdenver.edu copper-nickel.org/bookprize
Dogwood
Literary Awards
Jennifer Goldring of St. Louis won the 2023 Award in Poetry for “Instructions for Recording Bird Vocalizations.” Roger Hart of West Havre, Montana, won the Award in Fiction for “In Which Nothing Happens Until Everything Does.” Naomi Bindman of Bennington, Vermont, won the Award in Nonfiction for “Love’s Imprint.” They each received $1,000, and their works will be published in the 2023 issue of Dogwood. Joan Kwon Glass judged in poetry, Jessica Handler judged in fiction, and Victoria Buitron judged in nonfiction. The annual awards are given for a poem, a short story, and an essay. (See Deadlines.)
Dogwood, Literary Awards, Fairfield University, English Department, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. (203) 254-4000, ext. 2565. Sonya Huber, Editor. shuber@fairfield.edu dogwoodliterary.wordpress.com
Furious Flower
Poetry Prize
Alafia Nicole Sessions of Weston, Florida, won the 2023 Furious Flower Poetry Prize for “Vernix Caseosa,” “Poem for Alternate Ending—II,” and “Portrait of Newly Postpartum Mother With Mastitis.” She received $1,500 and publication in Obsidian, and gave a reading at James Madison University in April. Evie Shockley judged. The annual award is given for a group of poems exploring Black themes. The next deadline is February 15, 2024.
Furious Flower, Poetry Prize, James Madison University, 500 Cardinal Drive, MSC 3802, Harrisonburg, VA 22807. furiousflower@jmu.edu jmu.edu/furiousflower/poetryprize
Ghost Story
Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition
Maureen McEly of Cincinnati won the Winter 2023 Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition for her story “The Barnyard and the Graveyard.” She received $1,000, and her story was published on the Ghost Story website and will also appear in the print anthology 21st Century Ghost Stories—Volume III. The editors judged. The award is given twice yearly for a work of flash fiction with a supernatural or magical realist theme. (See Deadlines.)
Ghost Story, Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition, P.O. Box 601, Union, ME 04862. Paul Guernsey, Editor.
editor@theghoststory.com theghoststory.com/flash-fiction-competition
Great Lakes Colleges Association
New Writers Awards
James Fujinami Moore of Los Angeles won the 2023 New Writers Award in poetry for his collection, indecent hours (Four Way Books). Tsering Yangzom Lama of Sweden and Vancouver, Canada, won in fiction for her novel, We Measure the Earth With Our Bodies (Bloomsbury). Lars Horn of Colorado, the U.K., and Miami, Florida, won in creative nonfiction for their lyric essay collection, Voice of the Fish (Graywolf Press). The winners will each receive a stipend as well as an honorarium of $500 per visit to travel to several of the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s 13 member colleges, where they will give readings, meet with students, and lead discussions. Chanda Feldman (Oberlin College), Eugene Gloria (DePauw University), and Tim Lake (Wabash College) judged in poetry; Matthew Ferrence (Allegheny College), Margot Singer (Denison University), and Ira Sukrungruang (Kenyon College) judged in fiction; and Amy Butcher (Ohio Wesleyan University), Nels Christensen (Albion College), and Rhoda Janzen Burton (Hope College) judged in creative nonfiction. The annual awards are given for first books of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The next deadline is May 25, 2024.
Great Lakes Colleges Association, New Writers Awards, 535 W. William Street, Suite 301, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Colleen Monahan Smith, New Writers Awards Director.
smith@glca.org glca.org/faculty/new-writers-award
Grid Books
Off the Grid Poetry Prize
Susan Okie of Bethesda, Maryland, won the 2023 Off the Grid Poetry Prize for Woman at the Crossing. She received $1,000, and her book will be published in print and audio formats by Grid Books. The annual award is given for a poetry collection by a poet over the age of 60. (See Deadlines.)
Grid Books, Off the Grid Poetry Prize, 118 Wilson Street, Beacon, NY 12508.
info@grid-books.org grid-books.org/off-the-grid-press
Howling Bird Press
Book Prize
Morgan Christie of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, won the 2023 Howling Bird Press Book Prize in nonfiction for her collection of autobiographical essays, Boolean Logic. She received $2,500, and her book will be published by Howling Bird Press in the fall. The annual award is given in alternating years for a poetry collection, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction. The 2024 prize will be awarded in poetry. (See Deadlines.)
Howling Bird Press, Book Prize, Augsburg University, 219 Memorial Hall, 2211 Riverside Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55454. James Cihlar, Publisher.
cihlar@augsburg.edu engage.augsburg.edu/howlingbird
Jewish Book Council
Berru National Jewish Book Award for Poetry
Sean Singer of Ossining, New York, won the 72nd Berru National Jewish Book Award for Poetry for Today in the Taxi (Tupelo Press). He received $1,000 and promotion of the book through the Jewish Book Council. The annual award, which honors Ruth and Bernie Weinflash, is given for a book of poetry with Jewish themes published during the previous year. The next deadline is September 22.
Jewish Book Council, Berru National Jewish Book Award for Poetry, 520 Eighth Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10018. (212) 201-2920. Naomi Firestone-Teeter, Executive Director.
njba@jewishbooks.org jewishbookcouncil.org
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Writing Fellowships
Twenty-five writers received 2023 Guggenheim Fellowships in creative writing. The fellows in poetry are Nicky Beer of Denver; Brian Komei Dempster of San Rafael, California; Kathy Fagan of Columbus, Ohio; Wayne Koestenbaum of New York City; Shara McCallum of State College, Pennsylvania; Roger Reeves of Austin; Atsuro Riley of San Francisco; and Karen Solie of Toronto. The fellows in fiction are Lucy Corin of Berkeley, California; Kali Fajardo-Anstine of Arvada, Colorado; James Hannaham and Jacqueline Woodson, both of New York City; Jac Jemc of San Diego, California; Don Lee of Baltimore; Rebecca Lee of Wilmington, North Carolina; and Héctor Tobar of Los Angeles. The fellows in general nonfiction are Dodie Bellamy of San Francisco; Liana Finck, Danielle Ofri, and Roger Rosenblatt, all of New York City; Jeff Hobbs of Los Angeles; Beth Macy of Roanoke, Virginia; Edward McPherson of St. Louis; Abraham Verghese of Menlo Park, California; and Kao Kalia Yang of St. Paul. The fellowships of approximately $50,000 each are given annually in recognition of “exceptional creative ability.” As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Writing Fellowships, 90 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016.
Langum Foundation
David J. Langum Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction
Anthony Marra of New Haven, Connecticut, won the 2022 David J. Langum Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction for Mercury Pictures Presents (Hogarth). He received $1,000. The annual award is given for a work of historical fiction published in the previous year that helps to make “the rich history of America accessible to the general reader.” The next deadline is December 1.
Langum Foundation, David J. Langum Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction, 2809 Berkeley Drive, Hoover, AL 35242. djlangum@samford.edu langumfoundation.org
Literary Arts
Oregon Literary Fellowships
Poet Matthew Dickman of Portland and fiction writer Grace Chao of Eugene received 2023 Oregon Literary Career Fellowships of $10,000. Poets Trevino L. Brings Plenty of Milwaukie and Sara Burant of Eugene; fiction writers Dustin Hendrick, Margaret Malone, and Cecily Wong, all of Portland; and nonfiction writers Judith Barrington, Elanor Broker, Deb Miller Landau, Julie Morris, Emily Shetler, and kim thompson, all of Portland, received 2023 Oregon Literary Fellowships of $3,500. Raquel Gutiérrez, Rebecca Lee, and Natasha Rao judged. The annual fellowships are given to Oregon writers to help them initiate, develop, or complete a literary project. (See Deadlines.)
Oregon Book Awards
Eric Tran of Portland received the 2023 Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry for Mouth, Sugar, and Smoke (Diode Editions). Sindya Bhanoo of Corvallis received the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction for her story collection, Seeking Fortune Elsewhere (Catapult). Casey Parks of Portland received the Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction for Diary of a Misfit: A Memoir and a Mystery (Knopf). Lauren Kessler of Eugene received the Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction for Free: Two Years, Six Lives, and the Long Journey Home (Sourcebooks). They each received $1,000. Chen Chen, Lisa Olstein, and Matthew Olzmann judged in poetry; Zinzi Clemmons, Jonathan Dee, and Shruti Swamy judged in fiction; Sloane Crosley, Christa Parravani, and Mychal Denzel Smith judged in creative nonfiction; and Richard Panek, Neal Thompson, and Kim Todd judged in general nonfiction. The annual awards are given for books of poetry and prose by Oregon writers published in the previous year. (See Deadlines.)
Literary Arts, 925 SW Washington Street, Portland, OR 97205. (503) 227-2583. Susan Moore, Director of Programs for Writers. susan@literary-arts.org literary-arts.org
Michigan Quarterly Review
Lawrence Foundation Prize
Emily Flamm of College Park, Maryland, won the 45th annual Lawrence Foundation Prize in Fiction for “Annex,” which appeared in the Fall 2022 issue of Michigan Quarterly Review. She received $2,000. Gabe Habash judged. The annual award is given for a short story published in Michigan Quarterly Review in the previous year. There is no application process.
Page Davidson Clayton Prize
Naomi Mulvihill of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, won the 14th annual Page Davidson Clayton Prize for Emerging Poets for “Poly-, Ambi-,” which appeared in the Winter 2022 issue of Michigan Quarterly Review. She received $500. Gillian White judged. The annual award is given for a poem or group of poems published in Michigan Quarterly Review by a poet who has not published a book at the time of publication in the journal. There is no application process.
Michigan Quarterly Review, University of Michigan, 3277 Angell Hall, 435 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
mqr@umich.edu sites.lsa.umich.edu/mqr
Moon City Press
Poetry Award
Adam Scheffler of Cambridge, Massachusetts, won the 2021 Moon City Poetry Award for Heartworm. He received $1,000, and his book was published by Moon City Press in February. The editors judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. The next deadline is May 1, 2024.
Short Fiction Award
Lee Ann Roripaugh of Vermillion, South Dakota, won the 2022 Moon City Short Fiction Award for Reveal Codes. They will receive $1,000, and their book will be published by Moon City Press in 2023. The editors judged. The annual award is given for a story collection. The next deadline is October 1.
Moon City Press, Missouri State University, English Department, 901 S. National Avenue, Springfield, MO 65897. Karen Craigo and Michael Czyzniejewski, Series Editors.
mczyzniejewski@missouristate.edu moon-city-press.com
National Book Critics Circle
Book Awards
Cynthia Cruz of Saas-Fee, Switzerland, received the 2022 National Book Critics Circle Award in poetry for Hotel Oblivion (Four Way Books). The finalists were Mosab Abu Toha of Gaza for Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear (City Lights Publishers); David Hernandez of Long Beach, California, for Hello I Must Be Going (University of Pittsburgh Press); Paul Hlava Ceballos of Seattle for banana [ ] (University of Pittsburgh Press); and the late Bernadette Mayer for Milkweed Smithereens (New Directions Publishing). Ling Ma of Chicago received the fiction award for her story collection, Bliss Montage (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). The finalists were Percival Everett of Los Angeles for Dr. No (Graywolf Press); Jon Fosse of Bergen and Oslo, Norway, and Hainburg an der Donau, Austria, for A New Name (Transit Books), translated from the Norwegian by Damion Searls of Minneapolis; Mieko Kawakami of Tokyo for All the Lovers in the Night (Europa Editions), translated from the Japanese by Sam Bett of Portland, Maine, and David Boyd of Charlotte, North Carolina; and Namwali Serpell of New York City for The Furrows (Hogarth). Hua Hsu of New York City received the autobiography award for Stay True (Doubleday). The finalists were Jazmina Barrera of Mexico City for Linea Nigra: An Essay on Pregnancy and Earthquakes (Two Lines Press), translated from the Spanish by Christina MacSweeney of Norwich, England; Dorthe Nors of Jutland, Denmark, for A Line in the World: A Year on the North Sea Coast (Graywolf Press), translated from the Danish by Caroline Waight of London; Darryl Pinckney of New York City for Come Back in September: A Literary Education on West Sixty-Seventh Street, Manhattan (Farrar, Straus and Giroux); and Ingrid Rojas Contreras of San Francisco for The Man Who Could Move Clouds (Doubleday). Isaac Butler of New York City won the nonfiction award for The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act (Bloomsbury). The finalists were Kelly Lytle Hernández of Culver City, California, for Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands (Norton); Joseph Osmundson of New York City for Virology: Essays for the Living, the Dead, and the Small Things in Between (Norton); Annie Proulx of southern New Hampshire for Fen, Bog, & Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis (Scribner); and Ed Yong of Washington, D.C., for An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us (Random House). Beverly Gage of New Haven, Connecticut, won the biography award for G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century (Viking). The finalists were Kerri K. Greenidge of Medford, Massachusetts, for The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family (Liveright); Jennifer Homans of New York City for Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century (Random House); Clare Mac Cumhaill of Durham, England, and Rachael Wiseman of Liverpool, England, for Metaphysical Animals: How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life (Doubleday); and Aaron Sachs of Ithaca, New York, for Up From the Depths: Herman Melville, Lewis Mumford, and Rediscovery in Dark Times (Princeton University Press). Timothy Bewes of Providence received the criticism award for Free Indirect: The Novel in a Postfictional Age (Columbia University Press). The finalists were Rachel Aviv and Margo Jefferson, both of New York City, for Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) and Constructing a Nervous System (Pantheon), respectively; Peter Brooks of New Haven, Connecticut, for Seduced by Story: The Use and Abuse of Narrative (New York Review Books); and Alia Trabucco Zerán of Santiago and London for When Women Kill: Four Crimes Retold (Coffee House Press), translated from the Spanish by Sophie Hughes of London. The National Book Critics Circle, a professional organization composed of more than 600 book critics and reviewers from across the country, selects the winners of the annual awards, which honor books of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction published in the United States in the previous year. Publishers may submit books for consideration; there is no application process.
John Leonard Prize
Morgan Talty of Levant, Maine, won the John Leonard Prize for his story collection, Night of the Living Rez (Tin House). The annual award is given for a first book in any genre published in the United States in the previous year. There is no application process.
Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize
Author Andrey Kurkov of Kyiv and translator Boris Dralyuk of Tulsa won the Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize for the novel Grey Bees (Deep Vellum), translated from the Russian. The annual award is given for a book in any genre translated into English and published in the United States in the previous year. There is no application process.
National Book Critics Circle, c/o Marion Winik, Contact. 4600 Keswick Road, Baltimore, MD 21210.
membership@bookcritics.org bookcritics.org
National Federation of State Poetry Societies
Barbara Stevens Poetry Book Manuscript Competition
Nancy Hengeveld of Preston, Minnesota, won the 2022 Barbara Stevens Poetry Book Manuscript Competition for Petrichor. She received $1,000, publication of her book by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies in June, and 50 author copies. Ellen Bass judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. The next deadline is November 15.
National Federation of State Poetry Societies, Barbara Stevens Poetry Book Manuscript Competition. Eleanor Berry and Terry Jude Miller, Co-chairs.
stevenschair@nfsps.com nfsps.com
New American Press
New American Fiction Prize
Joan Leegant of Newton, Massachusetts, won the 2022 New American Fiction Prize for her story collection Displaced Persons. She will receive $1,500 and her book will be published by New American Press. Weike Wang judged. The annual award is given for a book of fiction. The next deadline is June 15, 2024.
New American Press, New American Fiction Prize, P.O. Box 1094, Grafton, WI 53024. David Bowen, Executive Director.
david@newamericanpress.com newamericanpress.com/category/contests
New Literary Project
Jack Hazard Fellowships
William Archila of Los Angeles, Victoria María Castells of Miami, Florida, Leticia Del Toro of Moraga, California, Elizabeth DiNuzzo of Albany, New York, t’ai freedom ford and Vernon Clifford Wilson, both of New York City, Emily Y. Harnett of Haverford, Pennsylvania, Jeff Kass of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ariana D. Kelly of Boston, Kate McQuade of Andover, Massachusetts, Tyson Morgan of Hillsborough, California, Shareen K. Murayama of Honolulu, Sahar Mustafah of Chicago, and Ky-Phong Tran of Long Beach, California, are the recipients of the 2023 Jack Hazard Fellowships for Creative Writers Teaching High School. They will receive $5,000 each. The awards are given annually to 14 creative writers from across the United States who teach high school students full-time and are at work on a piece of fiction or creative nonfiction or a memoir. The next deadline is December 31.
New Literary Project, Jack Hazard Fellowships, 4100 Redwood Road, Suite 20A/424, Oakland, CA 94619. Ian S. Maloney, Program Director.
ian@newliteraryproject.org newliteraryproject.org/jack-hazard-fellowship
Nightboat Books
Poetry Prize
Funto Omojola of New York City and Nat Raha of Edinburgh, Scotland, won the 2022 Nightboat Poetry Prize. Omojola won for components of a child’s destiny & there’s a party in the canopy & i make an oil painting of a bribe and Raha won for apparitions (nines). They both received $1,000, publication of their book by Nightboat Books, and 25 author copies. The editors judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. The next deadline is November 15.
Nightboat Books, Poetry Prize, 310 Nassau Avenue, #205, Brooklyn, NY 11222.
info@nightboat.org nightboat.org
North Carolina Writers’ Network
Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize
Sallie Bingham of Santa Fe won the 2023 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize for “What I Learned From Fat Annie.” She received $1,000, and her story will be considered for publication in Thomas Wolfe Review. Judy Goldman judged. The annual award is given for a short story or novel excerpt. The next deadline is January 30, 2024.
Jacobs/Jones African American Literary Prize
Nina Roselle of Garner, North Carolina, won the 2023 Jacobs/Jones African American Literary Prize for “Emma’s Hands.” She received $1,000, and her story will be considered for publication in Carolina Quarterly. Gabriel Bump judged. The annual award is given for a short story or an essay by an African American writer who resides in North Carolina. The next deadline is January 2, 2024.
Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition
Diane Milhan of Mount Airy, North Carolina, won the 2023 Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition for “Abandoned Sky Shames and Shades.” She received $1,000, and her essay will be considered for publication in Ecotone. Julia Ridley Smith judged. The annual award is given for an essay that “is outside the realm of conventional journalism and has relevance to North Carolinians.” The next deadline is January 15, 2024.
North Carolina Writers’ Network, P.O. Box 21591, Winston-Salem, NC 27120. Ed Southern, Contact.
ed@ncwriters.org ncwriters.org
PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Award for Fiction
Yiyun Li of Princeton, New Jersey, won the 2023 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for her novel The Book of Goose (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). She received $15,000. The four finalists were Jonathan Escoffery of Oakland; Kathryn Harlan of Talent, Oregon; Dionne Irving of South Bend, Indiana; and Laura Warrell of Los Angeles. Escoffery won for If I Survive You (MCD), Harlan won for Fruiting Bodies (Norton), Irving won for The Islands (Catapult), and Warrell won for Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm (Pantheon). They each received $5,000. The winner and finalists were invited to read at the annual PEN/Faulkner Award Celebration in Washington, D.C., in May. Christopher Bollen, R.O. Kwon, and Tiphanie Yanique judged. The annual award is given for a book of fiction published during the previous year. The next deadline is September 30.
PEN/Faulkner Foundation, Award for Fiction, 6218 Georgia Avenue NW, Unit #1062, Washington, D.C. 20011. Sarah Silberman, Awards and Literary Programs Director.
sarah@penfaulkner.org penfaulkner.org
Perugia Press
Perugia Press Prize
Carolina Hotchandani of Omaha won the 2023 Perugia Press Prize for The Book Eaters. She received $1,000, and her book will be published by Perugia Press in September. The annual award is given for a first or second book of poetry by a writer who identifies as a woman. The next deadline is November 15.
Perugia Press, Perugia Press Prize, P.O. Box 60364, Florence, MA 01062. Rebecca Olander, Director.
editor@perugiapress.org perugiapress.org
Ploughshares
Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction
Kashona Notah of Ann Arbor, Michigan, won the 12th Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction for his story “Bettie Page and Jimmy Free Bird,” which was published in the Winter 2022–2023 issue of Ploughshares. He received $2,500. The editors judged. The annual award is given for a short story published in the journal in the previous year. There is no application process.
Ploughshares, Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction, Emerson College, 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116. (617) 824-3757. Ellen Duffer, Managing Editor.
pshares@pshares.org pshares.org
Poetry Society of America
Frost Medal
Juan Felipe Herrera of Fresno, California, won the 2023 Frost Medal. Herrera, whose most recent poetry collection is Every Day We Get More Illegal (City Lights Books, 2020), received $5,000. The annual award is given by the Poetry Society of America Board of Governors to recognize distinguished lifetime achievement in American poetry. There is no application process.
Poetry Society of America, Frost Medal, 119 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. (212) 254-9628.
info@poetrysociety.org poetrysociety.org
Poets & Writers, Inc.
Jackson Poetry Prize
Sandra Lim of Cambridge, Massachusetts, won the 17th annual Jackson Poetry Prize. Lim, whose most recent book is The Curious Thing (Norton, 2021), received $85,000. Joy Harjo, Carl Phillips, and John Yau judged. The annual award is given to “an American poet of exceptional talent.” There is no application process.
Poets & Writers, Inc., Jackson Poetry Prize, 90 Broad Street, Suite 2100, New York, NY 10004. (212) 226-3586. Rachel Schuder, Director of Development and Marketing.
Rattle
Poetry Prize Readers’ Choice Award
George Bilgere of Cleveland won the 2022 Rattle Poetry Prize Readers’ Choice Award for “Palimpsest,” which appeared in Issue 78 of Rattle. He received $5,000. The editors selected the finalists and Rattle subscribers chose the winner. The annual award is given for a single poem. (See Deadlines.)
Neil Postman Award for Metaphor
Brian Morrison of Muncie, Indiana, won the 2023 Neil Postman Award for Metaphor for “Lighting the Rocket,” which appeared in Issue 75 of Rattle. He received $2,000. The editors judged. The annual award is given for a single poem exhibiting the best use of metaphor among submissions Rattle received during the previous year. There is no application process.
Rattle, 12411 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604. (818) 505-6777. Timothy Green, Editor.
Red Wheelbarrow
Poetry Prize
Claudia Meléndez Salinas of Salinas, California, won the 2022 Poetry Prize for “Transitioning.” She received $1,000, publication in Red Wheelbarrow, and a letterpress broadside of her poem produced by Greenhouse Review Press. Juan Felipe Herrera judged. The annual award is given for a single poem. (See Deadlines.)
Red Wheelbarrow, Poetry Prize, De Anza College, 21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Cupertino, CA 95014. Ken Weisner, Editor. weisnerken@deanza.edu deanza.edu/english/creative-writing/red-wheelbarrow.html
Salem State University
Claire Keyes Poetry Award
Robin Messing of New York City won the 2023 Claire Keyes Poetry Award for a group of poems. She received $1,000, and her poems will be published in Volume 45 of Soundings East. January Gill O’Neil judged. The annual award is given for a group of poems. The next deadline is February 1, 2024.
Salem State University, Claire Keyes Poetry Award, Soundings East, English Department MH 249, 352 Lafayette Street, Salem, MA 01970. Kevin Carey, Advisory Editor.
kcarey@salemstate.edu salemstate.edu/campus-life/arts/creative-writing/soundings-east
Sewanee Review
Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction Contest
Sarah Ghazal Ali of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, won Sewanee Review’s fifth annual poetry contest for “Pantoum With Ecclesiastes.” Grace Chao of Eugene, Oregon, won the fiction contest for “The Year I Became My Mother.” Maureen Stanton of Georgetown, Maine, won the nonfiction contest for “The Murmur of Everything Moving.” They each received $1,000 and publication in the Spring 2023 issue of Sewanee Review. Richie Hofmann judged in poetry, Raven Leilani judged in fiction, and Lisa Taddeo judged in nonfiction. The annual awards are given for a single poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. (See Deadlines.)
Sewanee Review, Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction Contest, 735 University Avenue, Sewanee, TN 37383. (931) 598-1185. sewaneereview@sewanee.edu thesewaneereview.com/contest
The Story Prize
Ling Ma of Chicago won the 2022 Story Prize for Bliss Montage (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). She received $20,000. The finalists were Andrea Barrett of Westport, New York, for Natural History (Norton) and Morgan Talty of Levant, Maine, for Night of the Living Rez (Tin House). They each received $5,000. Members of the Story Prize board selected the three finalists, and Adam Dalva, Danielle Evans, and Miwa Messer chose the winner. Arinze Ifeakandu of Tallahassee, Florida, won the 2022 Story Prize Spotlight Award for God’s Children Are Little Broken Things (A Public Space Books). He received $1,000. Members of the Story Prize board judged. The annual awards are given for story collections published during the previous year. (See Deadlines.)
The Story Prize, 41 Watchung Plaza, #384, Montclair, NJ 07042. Larry Dark, Director.
info@thestoryprize.org thestoryprize.org
Tucson Festival of Books
Literary Awards
Valentina Gnup of Oakland won the 2023 poetry award for “A Fat Encyclopedia of Astounding Mistakes” and other poems. Kathleen Furin of Philadelphia won the fiction award for her story “Body Memory.” Jen Parsons of Telluride, Colorado, won the nonfiction award for an excerpt from her memoir, “Sugaring.” Allison Adelle Hedge Coke judged in poetry, Juan Martinez judged in fiction, and Priyanka Kumar judged in nonfiction. The winners each received $1,000 and a scholarship to the 2023 Tucson Festival of Books Masters Workshop in March. The annual awards are given for a group of poems, a short story or novel excerpt, and an essay or memoir excerpt. The next deadline is October 31.
Tucson Festival of Books, Literary Awards, P.O. Box 855, Cortaro, AZ 85652. Meg Files, Director.
masters@tucsonfestivalofbooks.org tucsonfestivalofbooks.org
Tusculum Review
Chapbook Prize
Mubanga Kalimamukwento of Mounds View, Minnesota, won the 2022 Tusculum Review Poetry Chapbook Prize for unmarked graves. She received $1,000, publication in Tusculum Review, and the creation of a limited edition chapbook. Carmen Giménez judged. The annual award is given in alternating years for a collection of poems, a short story, or an essay. The next deadline, for nonfiction, is June 15, 2024.
Tusculum Review, Chapbook Prize, 60 Shiloh Road, P.O. Box 5113, Greeneville, TN 37745. (423) 636-7300 ext. 5420. Kelsey Trom, Editor.
review@tusculum.edu ttr.tusculum.edu/contest
University of Iowa Press
Iowa Short Fiction Award
Thomas A. Dodson of Ashland, Oregon, won the Iowa Short Fiction Award for No Use Pretending. His book will be published by University of Iowa Press in the fall. Gish Jen judged. The annual award is given for a debut story collection. The next deadline is September 30.
University of Iowa Press, Iowa Short Fiction Award, c/o Iowa Writers’ Workshop, 507 N. Clinton Street, 102 Dey House, Iowa City, IA 52242. (319) 335-2000.
uipress@uiowa.edu uipress.uiowa.edu
University of Pittsburgh Press
Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize
Ryler Dustin of Albion, Michigan, won the 2023 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize for Trailer Park Psalms. He received $5,000 and publication by University of Pittsburgh Press in the fall. Jeffrey McDaniel judged. The annual award is given for a debut poetry collection. The next deadline is April 30, 2024.
University of Pittsburgh Press, Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize, 7500 Thomas Boulevard, 4th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Eileen O’Malley, Contact.
eomalley@upress.pitt.edu upittpress.org/prize/agnes-lynch-starrett-poetry-prize
University of Southern California Dornsife
Chowdhury Prize in Literature
Victoria Chang of Los Angeles won the 2023 Chowdhury Prize in Literature. Chang, whose most recent poetry collection is The Trees Witness Everything (Copper Canyon, 2022), received $20,000 and an invitation to attend a gala ceremony on the USC campus in the spring. Nicole Terez Dutton, Maggie Nelson, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Claudia Rankine, and David L. Ulin judged. The annual award is given to midcareer “authors who are at an inflection point, with a body of work already behind them, but also with significant future potential.” There is no application process.
University of Southern California Dornsife, Chowdhury Prize in Literature, English Department, 3501 Trousdale Parkway, Taper Hall of Humanities 404, Los Angeles, CA 90089. David L. Ulin, Prize Administrator.
dulin@usc.edu dornsife.usc.edu/chowdhury-prize/chowdhury-prize
Washington Writers’ Publishing House
Literary Awards
K. Avvirin Berlin of Charlottesville, Virginia, won the 2023 Jean Feldman Poetry Award for Leda’s Daughters. Len Kruger of Washington, D.C., won the 2023 Fiction Award for his novel, Bad Questions. Bernardine “Dine” Watson of Washington, D.C., won the 2023 Creative Nonfiction Award for her memoir, Transplant. They each received $1,500, and their books will be published by Washington Writers’ Publishing House in October 2023. The annual awards are given for a poetry collection, a story collection or novel, and a memoir, essay collection, or creative nonfiction hybrid collection by a writer who lives in Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia. The next deadline is November 1.
Washington Writers’ Publishing House, Literary Awards, c/o Caroline Bock, 2814 Fifth Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20017.
wwphpress@gmail.com washingtonwriters.org
WB Yeats Society of NY
Yeats Poetry Prize
George Franklin of Miami, Florida, won the 2023 Yeats Poetry Prize for his poem “Picking Favorites.” He received $1,000, publication on the WB Yeats Society of NY website, a two-year membership to the organization, and an invitation to an awards ceremony in New York City in the spring. Alan Feldman judged. The annual award is given for a single poem. The next deadline is February 1, 2024.
WB Yeats Society of NY, Yeats Poetry Prize, National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY 10003. Andrew McGowan, President.
andrewjjmcgowan@gmail.com yeatssociety.nyc
Winning Writers
Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest
Maurya Kerr of Oakland won the 2022 Tom Howard Poetry Contest for “Orion.” Tamara Panici of Washington, D.C., won the 2022 Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for “Elegy for Childhood Written in a Language I Did Not Yet Speak, Addressed to the God I Once Knew.” They each received $3,000, publication on the Winning Writers website, and a two-year gift certificate from the literary database Duotrope. Soma Mei Sheng Frazier judged. The annual awards are given for a poem in any style and a poem written in a traditional style. The next deadline is September 30.
Winning Writers, Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest, 351 Pleasant Street Suite B PMB 222, Northampton, MA 01060. Adam Cohen, President.
info@winningwriters.com winningwriters.com
Yale University Library
Bollingen Prize for American Poetry
Joy Harjo of Tulsa won the 2023 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry for Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years (Norton, 2022) and for her contributions to American poetry. She received $175,000. Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, Natalie Diaz, and Ilya Kaminsky judged. The biennial award is given “to an American poet for the best book published during the previous two years or for lifetime achievement in poetry.” There is no application process.
Yale University Library, Bollingen Prize for American Poetry, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, 121 Wall Street, New Haven, CT 06511. Michael Morand, Contact.
michael.morand@yale.edu beinecke.library.yale.edu/programs/prizes
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