Genre: Fiction

Corruption and Consequence

The Time Is Now
2.19.25

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” wrote English Liberal historian and moralist Lord Acton in an 1887 letter to scholar and ecclesiastic Mandell Creighton about his concerns for political and religious leaders. This week write a short story that chronicles a character’s turn toward corruption after gaining a degree of power. You might decide to revolve the narrative around a lighthearted scenario with some humor, in which the corruption that results has relatively inconsequential stakes. Or you might set up a situation in which your character gains access or control over a significant position of authority, resulting in criminal behavior with far-reaching ripple effects. How do other characters respond to the newfound power of your main character?

Literary Prizes

New Ohio Review
Entry Fee: 
$22
Deadline: 
April 15, 2025
Three prizes of $1,500 each and publication in New Ohio Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Submit a poem or group of poems of up to six pages or a story or essay of up to 20 pages with a $22 entry fee, which includes a subscription to New Ohio Review, by April 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Italian Prose in Translation Award

American Literary Translators Association
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
March 17, 2025
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a book of fiction or nonfiction translated from Italian into English and published in the previous year. Publishers or translators may submit a book published in 2024 by March 17. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Prizes in Poetry and Fiction

Orison Books
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
April 1, 2025
Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication by Orison Books are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction. Phillip B. Williams will judge in poetry, and Tessa Fontaine will judge in fiction. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of 50 to 100 pages or a novel, novella, or collection of short stories or flash fiction of at least 30,000 words with a $25 entry fee by April 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Uplift Voices Fiction Award

Jaded Ibis Press
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
April 15, 2025
A prize of $1,500, publication by Jaded Ibis Press, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a novel, a novel in stories, or a short story collection by an author who identifies as having a historically marginalized voice. The winner will also receive up to $550 from the publisher toward submission fees for other relevant writing contests that honor published books. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50,000 to 80,000 words with a $20 entry fee by April 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

National Translation Awards

American Literary Translators Association
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
March 17, 2025
Two prizes of $4,000 each are given annually for a book of poetry and a book of prose translated from any language into English and published in the previous year. For the poetry prize, poetry collections in translation are accepted; for the prose prize, short story collections, essay collections, novels, memoirs, and hybrid prose works in translation are accepted. Publishers may submit a book published in 2024 by March 17. The entry fee is $30 for presses that publish 10 or fewer titles each year and $50 for presses that publish more than 10 titles each year. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Writing Fellowship for New Parents

Pen Parentis
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
April 17, 2025
A prize of $2,000, a year of mentorship, and publication in Dreamers Creative Writing Magazine is given annually to a fiction writer who is the parent of a child under the age of 10. The winner also receives an invitation to give a virtual reading for the Pen Parentis Literary Salon in November. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 350 words with a $20 entry fee (there is no entry fee for Pen Parentis members) by April 17. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Spain-USA Foundation Translation Award

American Literary Translators Association
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
March 17, 2025
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a book of fiction or nonfiction written by an author of Spanish nationality and published in the previous year. Publishers or translators may submit a book translated from Basque, Catalan, Galician, or Spanish into English and published in the United States in 2024 by March 17. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

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