Tags: first book awards

A prize of at least $3,000 is given annually for a debut novel published during the current year. The winner will also receive lodging and travel expenses to attend the First Novelist Award event night at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in fall 2024. 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 2023 by December 30. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a group of poems by a poet who has not published a poetry collection with a nationally distributed press. The editors will judge. Submit three poems of any length with an $18 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Boulevard, by June 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $2,500 and publication by Kent State University Press is given annually for a debut poetry collection. The winner is also invited to teach a weeklong writing workshop at Kent State University and give a reading with the judge, Marilyn Chin. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50 to 70 pages with a $30 entry fee by May 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Note: This listing has been updated to include information provided by the sponsoring organization after the issue went to press.

Five prizes of $1,000 each and publication by University of Massachusetts Press are given annually for a first poetry collection, a poetry collection by an author who has previously published a book, a short story collection, a novel, and a book of creative nonfiction. The creative writing faculty at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst will judge. Submit a poetry manuscript of 50 to 70 pages, a story collection or novel of 150 to 350 pages, or a memoir, book of narrative nonfiction, biography, or essay collection of 150 to 300 pages with a $30 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.