G&A: The Contest Blog

The Whiting Foundation is accepting applications for the 2024 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grants until April 23. Up to ten writers working on “complex, imaginatively composed” nonfiction books will receive a grant of $40,000 each. The grantees will be announced in December.

Eligible writers will have already made significant progress on their books, which should be multiyear, original projects that involve deep and significant amounts of research and writing. Given at a “crucial point mid-process,” the grants are intended to provide “an extra infusion of support” that can meaningfully improve the quality of the books. To be considered, projects must be under contract with a U.S., Canadian, or U.K. publisher. In acknowledgment of “additional structural hurdles to securing institutional resources to support such projects, “writers of color in particular are encouraged to apply.” 

Recipients of the 2023 grants were Nicholas Boggs for James Baldwin: A Love Story, Eiren Caffall for The Mourner’s Bestiary, Sarah Chihaya for Bibliophobia, Alexander Clapp for Waste Wars: A Journey Through the World of Globalized Trash, Kendra Taira Field for The Stories We Tell, Molly O’Toole for The Route: The Untold Story of the New Migrant Underground, Dom Phillips with collaborators for How to Save the Amazon: Ask the People Who Know, Carrie Schuettpelz for The Indian Card: A Journey Through America’s Native Identity Problem, Sonia Shah for Special: The Rise and Fall of a Beastly Idea, and Reggie Ugwu for Brilliance Is All We Have: Black Filmmakers and the Fight for the Soul of America.

To learn more, visit whiting.org/writers/creative-nonfiction-grant/about. The Whiting Foundation hosted two online information sessions to answer questions and offer guidance on applying for the grant; a recording of an info session is available here. Writers may submit an application via the online form by 11:59PM ET on April 23.

April Fool’s Day may be just around the corner, but your writing deserves to be taken seriously. Consider submitting your poems, essays, and short stories to these prizes and fellowships, all with April 14 and 15 deadlines (and one with no entry fee). Don’t forget to carefully read the contest guidelines before entering, and good luck!

Desperate Literature
Short Fiction Prize
A prize of €1,500 (approximately $1,628), publication in the Desperate Literature prize anthology, and a weeklong residency at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation’s castle in the Umbria region of Italy is given annually for a work of short fiction. Winners also receive a consultation with literary agent Charlotte Seymour (Johnson & Alcock Literary Agency), an editorial meeting with the Literary Consultancy, and the opportunity to give readings at Desperate Literature in Madrid and Burley Fisher Books in London. Megan McDowell, Ottessa Moshfegh, Samanta Schweblin, and Alejandro Zambra will judge. Entry fee: €20 (approximately $22).

Florida Review
Editor’s Prizes
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Florida Review are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. The editors will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $25 (which includes a subscription to Florida Review). 

New Ohio Review
Literary Prizes
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. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $22 (which includes a subscription to New Ohio Review). 

Poetry Foundation
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships
Five fellowships of $27,000 each are given annually to U.S. poets between the ages of 21 and 31. Entry fee: None.

University of Arkansas Press
Etel Adnan Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Arkansas Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection by a writer of Arab heritage. Series editors Hayan Charara and Fady Joudah will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation.

Jaded Ibis Press is currently accepting submissions of book-length creative nonfiction manuscripts, including memoir, essays, and reporting, for its Uplift Voices Nonfiction Book Award, given to a writer who identifies as a historically marginalized voice. The deadline to enter the contest, which awards $1,500 and publication by Jaded Ibis Press, is March 31. 

Using only the online submission system, submit 45,000 to 75,000 words of prose with a $20 entry fee. Myriam Gurba, whose most recent book is the essay collection Creep: Accusations and Confessions (Avid Reader Press, 2023), will judge. All entries will be considered for publication. 

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Jaded Ibis is a feminist press committed to publishing socially engaged literature with an emphasis on the voices of people of color, people with disabilities, and other historically silenced and culturally marginalized voices. Recently published titles include Mei-Mei Holland’s poetry and prose collection Year of the Cicada and Nada Samih-Rotondo’s memoir, All Water Has Perfect Memory, both of which were acquired by Jaded Ibis acquisitions editor Lisa Pegram, who says she’s interested in “submissions from authors who have a distinctive voice and write books that explore the lives and concerns of those who identify as women and/or people of color.”

About the Uplift Voices Nonfiction Book Award, the editors say it “is more than a literary contest; it’s an opportunity have your book lovingly edited, designed, produced as both an e-book and print edition, marketed, and submitted to eligible literary awards and prizes.” They add: “Join us in amplifying voices that need to be heard, and submit your manuscript for a shot at making a powerful impact. Your story matters, so let it be uplifted!” Visit the website for more information. 

Seeking the recognition you deserve—as well as a little extra cash—for an unpublished poem, story, or essay? Hoping to circumvent the tedious process of finding a publisher for a book-length manuscript? Consider submitting to one of the following six contests that offer generous cash prizes on top of publication by a highly reputed journal, press, or competition website, all with a deadline of April 1. Remember to carefully read the guidelines before you enter—and good luck!

Gemini Magazine
Short Story Contest 
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a short story. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $8. 

Nimrod International
Journal Nimrod Literary Awards 
Two prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Nimrod International Journal are given annually for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction. A runner-up in each category receives $1,000 and publication. The winners and runners-up will also participate in a virtual awards ceremony and conference in the fall. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20 (which includes a subscription to Nimrod International Journal). 

North American Review
Terry Tempest Williams Creative Nonfiction Prize 
A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review is given annually for an essay. Lyric essays, memoir-style essays, and literary journalism are eligible. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $23 (which includes an issue of North American Review). 

Orison Books
Prizes in Poetry and Fiction 
Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication by Orison Books are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction. Ellen Bass will judge in poetry and Kaveh Akbar will judge in fiction. Entry fee: $25. 

Saturnalia Books
Poetry Prize 
A prize of $1,500, publication by Saturnalia Books, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Carmen Giménez will judge. All entries are also considered for the Alma Book Awards, which offer two prizes of $1,000 each and publication. Entry fee: $30 entry. 

Winning Writers
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest 
A prize of $2,000, a gift certificate for a two-year membership to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website is given annually for a humorous poem. A second-place prize of $500 is also awarded. Jendi Reiter will judge. Unpublished and previously published works are eligible. Entry fee: None. 

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation.

This year’s Arts & Letters Prizes mark a quarter century for the contest in which three decorated judges select a group of poems, a short story, and an essay. The deadline for the twenty-fifth annual contest is March 31. The prize awards $1,000 and publication in Arts & Letters, a journal that has attracted both emerging and established writers such as Donald Hall, Sonja Livingston, and Xu Xi. 

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Using only the online submission system, submit up to four poems of any length or up to 25 pages of prose with a $20 entry fee. All entries are considered for publication. Chelsea Rathburn will judge in poetry, Tiphanie Yanique will judge in fiction, and Beth Ann Fennelly will judge in nonfiction. Visit the website for more information.

Founded by Martin Lammon in 1999 and operating out of Georgia College & State University’s MFA program in creative writing ever since, Arts & Letters has for nearly a decade been headed by its second editor, Laura Newbern, who’s also an associate professor in English at GCSU and a recipient of the 2010 Writer’s Award from the Rona Jaffe Foundation. And for those wondering if this contest is the right fit, the editorial board welcomes both formal and experimental work—even writing that otherwise “defies classification”—so long as, in the board’s words, the submission “doesn’t try too hard to grab our attention, but rather guides it toward the human voice and its perpetual struggle into language.” If you’re still not sure, you might find inspiration in the judges’ latest book in their respective category; that is, Rathburn’s Still Life With Mother and Knife (LSU Press, 2019), Yanique’s How to Escape From a Leper Colony (Graywolf Press, 2010), and Fennelly’s Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs (Norton, 2017).

What more fitting time than the arrival of spring to imagine growing an audience for your writing? Fortunately there are a number of writing contests with a March 15 deadline to consider. Prizes include $15,000 for a debut novel published during the current year (six finalists receive $1,000 each); $10,000 for a novel-in-progress by a debut author (a first and second runner-up receive $3,000 and $2,000, respectively); and five prizes of $10,000, plus publication by one of five participating trade, university, or small press publishers, for poetry collections by U.S. poets. Nine other awards offer publication and prizes ranging from $500 to $3,000 for work in various genres. Best of luck!

Bellingham Review
Literary Awards 
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Bellingham Review are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The 49th Parallel Award for Poetry is given for a poem or group of poems. The Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction is given for a short story or a work of flash fiction. The Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction is given for an essay or a work of flash nonfiction. All entries are considered for publication. English translations of works originally written in another language are accepted. Entry fee: $15. 

Broadside Lotus Press
Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award 
A prize of $500 and publication by Broadside Lotus Press is given annually for a poetry collection by an African American poet. Entry fee: None. 

The Center for Fiction
First Novel Prize
A prize of $15,000 is given annually for a debut novel by an American citizen published in the United States during the current year. Six finalists receive $1,000 each. Self-published works, books published exclusively in e-book editions, and novels previously published in other countries are not eligible. Small independent publishers may apply for a fee reduction. Entry fee: $100. 

Fourth Genre
Steinberg Memorial Essay Prize 
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Fourth Genre is given annually for an essay. Sarah Viren will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20. 

Indiana Review
Poetry and Creative Nonfiction Prizes 
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Indiana Review are given annually for a single poem and an essay. Entry fee: $20 (includes a subscription to Indiana Review).

James Jones Literary Society
First Novel Fellowship 
A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a novel-in-progress by a U.S. writer who has not published a novel. The first runner-up receives $3,000 and the second runner-up receives $2,000. Entry fee: $33. 

National Poetry Series
Open Competition 
Five prizes of $10,000 each and publication by participating trade, university, or small press publishers are given annually for poetry collections by U.S. poets. Entry fee: $35.

Prairie Schooner
Raz-Shumaker Book Prizes 
Two prizes of $3,000 each and publication by University of Nebraska Press are given annually for a poetry collection and a story collection. Kwame Dawes will judge. Entry fee: $25. 

Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation
Poetry Prize 
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Sun Yung Shin will judge. Entry fee: $10. 

Trio House Press
Louise Bogan Award 
A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet living in the United States. Oliver de la Paz will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Trio House Press
Trio Award for First or Second Book 
A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection by a poet living in the United States. Jessica Q. Stark will judge. Entry fee: $25. 

Verse
Tomaž Šalamun Prize 
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Factory Hollow Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner also receives a monthlong residency in a private apartment at the Tomaž Šalamun Centre for Poetry in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in summer 2025. Prose poetry, hybrid works, and translations of works of poetry by living writers from any language into English (with the relevant permission) are also eligible. Shane McCrae will judge. Entry fee: $17 ($13 for students).

The Word Works
Washington Prize 
A prize of $1,500 and publication by the Word Works is given annually to a U.S. or Canadian poet for a poetry collection. Entry fee: $25.

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation.

Poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers with work that illustrates “the wild woman spirit”—the creative agency and power women display in shaping the world—may want to consider submitting to TulipTree Publishing’s Wild Women Story Contest by March 8. The annual prize awards $1,000 and publication in TulipTree Review for a single poem, a short story, or an essay “whose main characters embody” this “feminine spirit.”

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Submit up to five pages of poetry or up to 10,000 words of prose with a $20 entry fee. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

With an application period closing on International Women’s Day, the Wild Women Story Contest recognizes work that honors the convictions of feminist historian Stephanie Camp, who believed that “[w]omen’s history does not merely add to what we know; it changes what we know and how we know it.” A selection of poems, stories, and essays submitted to the prize are gathered in TulipTree Review’s annual Spring/Summer Wild Women Issue, and both the grand prize winner and one honorable mention are nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Last year’s nominees were fiction writer Amy Soscia for “Life on the Ledge” and essayist Hannah Hindley for “Heat Map.” 

Thanks to the extra fraction of a calendar day it takes Earth to orbit the sun each year, you have this leap year’s compensation day to apply to awards with deadlines on February 28 and February 29! Use that temps perdu to submit to contests offering prizes including $22,000 and publication for a nonfiction manuscript-in-progress that “emphasizes innovation in form and content”; $3,000, publication, and 20 author copies for a first or second poetry collection; and two prizes of $2,000 for a poetry e-book and a fiction e-book that depict “cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Best of luck!

Association of Writers & Writing Programs
Award Series 
Three prizes of $5,500 each and publication by a participating press are given annually for a poetry collection, a short story collection, and a novel. A prize of $2,500 and publication by a participating press is also given annually for an essay collection or a memoir. Deadline: February 28. Entry fee: $30 ($20 for AWP members). 

Austin Community College
Balcones Prizes 
Two prizes of $1,500 each are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction published during the previous year. English translations of works originally written in another language are accepted. Deadline: February 28. Entry fee: $25 for poetry and $30 for fiction. 

Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Self-Publishing Literary Awards 
Two prizes of $2,500 each are given annually for a poetry e-book and a fiction e-book self-published during the previous year by an African American writer. The awards honor books that depict “cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Deadline: February 28. Entry fee: None.

Graywolf Press
Nonfiction Prize 
A prize of $22,000 (comprised of a $20,000 advance and a $2,000 research stipend) and publication by Graywolf Press will be given biennially for a nonfiction manuscript-in-progress that “emphasizes innovation in form and content” by a writer who is not yet established in the genre of nonfiction. The editors will judge. Deadline: February 28. Entry fee: None. 

Little Tokyo Historical Society
Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest 
Two prizes of $500 each and publication in Rafu Shimpo and on the Discover Nikkei and Little Tokyo Historical Society websites are given annually for short stories that take place in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles and “capture the cultural spirit” of the neighborhood. One prize is given for a story written in English; the other is given for a story written in Japanese. Deadline: February 29. Entry fee: None.

Omnidawn Publishing
First/Second Poetry Book Contest 
A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 20 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. Desirée Alvarez will judge. Deadline: February 29. Entry fee: $35. 

Red Hen Press
Women’s Prose Prize 
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a book of fiction or nonfiction by a writer who identifies as a woman. Laila Halaby will judge. Deadline: February 28. Entry fee: $25.

Tupelo Press
Snowbound Chapbook Award 
A prize of $1,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: February 28. Entry fee: $25. 

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation.

Poets of African descent sitting on a first or second collection (including work that intersects with poetry, such as hybrid text, speculative prose, and translation) should not miss out on the chance to submit to the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics/Autumn House Press Book Prize. This year’s deadline is February 15. The annual prize awards $3,000 and publication to a writer “embodying African American, African, or African diasporic experiences.”

Using only the online submission system, submit 48 to 168 pages of poetry or poetry-adjacent work. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines. 

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Founded in 1998, Autumn House Press publishes books in all genres with the belief “that literature is an affirmation of the deep and elemental range of our human experience” and that “our need for it is crucial now more than ever.” Over the years, the press has met this commitment by putting out debut poetry collections such as Ada Limón’s Lucky Wreck (2006), Danusha Laméris’s The Moons of August (2014), Cameron Barnett’s The Drowning Boy’s Guide to Water (2017), and Eric Tran’s The Gutter Spread Guide to Prayer (2020). This year’s CAAPP Book Prize judge, Aracelis Girmay, is a hybrid genre poet whose most recent work is the chapbook and was a flower (Center for Book Arts, 2023), made in collaboration with book artist Valentina Améstica.