G&A: The Contest Blog

Poets! Polish those poems and full-length manuscripts this weekend and consider submitting to the following contests, all with a deadline of January 31. Each contest offers a prize of at least $1,000:

New Millennium Awards: A prize of $1,000 and publication in New Millennium Writings is given twice yearly for a poem. Alexis Williams Carr and Don Williams will judge. Entry fee: $20.

Crazyhorse Literary Prize: A prize of $2,000 and publication in Crazyhorse is given annually for a poem. Erika Meitner will judge. Entry fee: $20.

Center for African American Poetry and Poetics’ Fellowship in Creative Writing: A two-year fellowship, including an annual stipend of $48,000 and health benefits, at the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics (CAAPP) at the University of Pittsburgh will be given biennially to a poet. Poets with an MFA or PhD in creative writing who have not published more than one book and have knowledge of African American or African diasporic poetry and poetics are eligible. Entry fee: none.

Autumn House Press Rising Writer Contest: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given annually for a debut poetry collection by a writer age 33 or younger. Stacey Waite will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund’s Individual Artist Grants for Women: Grants of up to $1,500 each are given to feminist poets who are citizens of the United States or Canada. Entry fee: $25.

Schaffner Press Nicholas Schaffner Award for Music in Literature: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Schaffner Press is given annually for a poetry collection that “deals in some way with the subject of music and its influence.” Entry fee: $25.

Hurston/Wright Foundation’s Award for College Writers: A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem by a Black college student. Entry fee: $25.

Iowa Review Awards: A prize of $1,500 and publication in Iowa Review is given annually for a group of poems. Kiki Petrosino will judge. Entry fee: $20.

Winter Anthology Writing Contest: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Winter Anthology is given annually for a group of poems. Entry fee: $11.

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

This morning PEN America announced the finalists for its 2019 Literary Awards, which showcase the best books of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and translation published in the previous year. More than $370,000 in prize money will be awarded to the winning writers, who will be announced at a ceremony in New York City on February 26. This year more than 50 percent of the finalists are debut writers and authors published by small presses.

PEN 2019 Finalists

The $75,000 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award recognizes a book-length work in any genre. The 2019 finalists are Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah for Friday Black (Mariner Books), Ada Limón for The Carrying (Milkweed Editions), José Olivarez for Citizen Illegal (Haymarket Books), Richard Powers for The Overstory (Norton), and Tara Westover for Educated (Random House).

The finalists for the PEN/Hemingway Award, which includes $25,000 and a residency at the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming, are Akwaeke Emezi for Freshwater (Grove Press), Meghan Kenny for The Driest Season (Norton), Ling Ma for Severance (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), Tommy Orange for There There (Knopf), and Nico Walker for Cherry (Knopf).

The PEN/Bingham Prize, which was previously awarded for a first book of fiction, will now be awarded for a debut story collection. The finalists for the $25,000 award are Chaya Bhuvaneswar for White Dancing Elephants (Dzanc Books), Jamel Brinkley for A Lucky Man (Graywolf Press), Helen DeWitt for Some Trick (New Directions), Akil Kumarasamy for Half Gods (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), and Will Mackin for Bring Out the Dog (Random House).

The PEN Open Book Award, worth $5,000, will be conferred to an author of color for a book-length work of any genre. The finalists are Shauna Barbosa for Cape Verdean Blues (University of Pittsburgh Press), Tyrese Coleman for How to Sit: A Memoir in Stories and Essays (Mason Jar Press), Ángel García for Teeth Never Sleep (University of Arkansas Press), Nafissa Thompson-Spires for Heads of the Colored People (Atria), and Jenny Xie for Eye Level (Graywolf Press).

The PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay is given to a collection of essays that exemplify the form. The finalists for the $10,000 award are Jabari Asim for We Can’t Breathe: On Black Lives, White Lies, and the Art of Survival (Picador), Alexander Chee for How to Write an Autobiographical Novel (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Brian Phillips for Impossible Owls (FSG Originals), Zadie Smith for Feel Free (Penguin Press), and Michelle Tea for Against Memoir (Feminist Press).

Visit the website for a complete list of finalists, including those for PEN awards in nonfiction, biography, translation, poetry in translation, and literary science writing.

Established in 1963, the PEN America Literary Awards have honored hundreds of writers. Layli Long Soldier, Jenny Zhang, and Alexis Okeowo were among the 2018 winners.

Zócalo Public Square is open to submissions for its eighth annual Poetry Prize. The prize is awarded to a poem that “best evokes a connection to place.” The winner will receive $500 and a published interview with Zócalo.

Submissions are currently open; the deadline is February 4. To submit, send up to three poems to poetry@zocalopublicsquare.org. There is no entry fee. The editors will judge. For complete guidelines, visit the website.

The winner will be announced in March 2019. Previous winners include Charles Jensen for his poem “Tucson”; Matt Phillips for his poem “Crossing Coronado Bridge”; and Gillian Wegener for “The Old Mill Café.”

Established in Los Angeles in 2003, Zócalo Public Square is dedicated to connecting “people to ideas and to each other by examining essential questions in an accessible, broad-minded, and democratic spirit.”

Looking to work on submissions over the weekend? The contests listed below have deadlines through January 15 and are open to writers of fiction and nonfiction:

Australian Book Review’s Calibre Essay Prize: A prize of AUD $5,000 (approximately $3,600) is given annually for an essay. A second-place prize of AUD $2,500 (approximately $1,800) is also given. The winners will be published in Australian Book Review. J. M. Coetzee, Anna Funder, and Peter Rose will judge. Entry fee: $18. Deadline: January 14.

Ellen Meloy Fund’s Desert Writers Award: A prize of $5,000 is given annually to enable a creative nonfiction writer “whose work reflects the spirit and passions for the desert embodied in Ellen Meloy’s writing” to spend creative time in a desert environment. Entry fee: None. Deadline: January 15.

BkMk Press’s Chandra Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication by BkMk Press is given annually for a short story collection. Entry fee: $30. Deadline: January 15.

University of Texas in Austin’s Dobie Paisano Fellowships: Two residencies, cosponsored by the Texas Institute of Letters, at a rural retreat west of Austin are given annually to writers who are native Texans, who have lived in Texas for at least three years, or who have published significant work with a Texas subject. The six-month Jesse H. Jones Writing Fellowship is given to a writer in any stage of his or her career and includes a grant of $18,000. The four-month Ralph A. Johnston Memorial Fellowship is given to a writer who has demonstrated “publishing and critical success” and includes a grant of $25,000. Entry fee: $20; $30 to enter both competitions. Deadline: January 15.

PRISM’s Jacob Zilber Prize for Short Fiction: A prize of $1,500 CAD (approximately $1,130) and publication in PRISM is given annually for a short story. Entry fee: $40. Deadline: January 15.

Literal Latté’s K. Margaret Grossman Fiction Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Literal Latté is given annually for a short story. Entry fee: $10. Deadline: January 15.

Third Coast’s Fiction Contest: An award of $1,000 and publication in Third Coast is given annually for a short story. Deborah Reed will judge. Entry fee: $18. Deadline: January 15.

Visit the contest websites for complete submission details, including eligibility guidelines and length requirements. For a look at more writing contests with upcoming deadlines, visit our Grants & Awards database and submission calendar.

Minneapolis–based independent publisher Milkweed Editions recently announced that its Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry will continue under a new name, the Ballard Spahr Prize for Poetry. The annual books prize, which is open to poets living in the upper Midwest, has also been expanded to include Michigan on its list of eligible states of residence for entrants.

Established in 2011, the prize offers $10,000 and publication by Milkweed Editions for a collection of poetry by an emerging or established poet residing in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or Michigan.

“This meaningful prize recognizes artistic excellence and rewards poets publicly and lucratively, and we are grateful for the vision and commitment of the Ballard Spahr Foundation to carry this prize forward in partnership with Milkweed,” said Daniel Slager, Milkweed’s publisher and CEO.

Submissions are currently open, and the deadline is February 15. Using the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages. There is no entry fee. Khaled Mattawa will judge.

Previous winners include Claire Wahmanholm for Wilder (2018); Caitlin Bailey for Solve for Desire (2017); Chris Santiago for Tula (2016); Jennifer Willoughby for Beautiful Zero (2015); Michael Bazzett for You Must Remember This (2014); Rebecca Dunham for Glass Armonica (2013); and Patricia Kirkpatrick for Odessa (2012).

Is it your New Year’s resolution to submit more of your poetry to contests and journals? Here are several poetry contests, all of which offer a cash prize of $500 to $2,000, with upcoming deadlines.

92Y Unterberg Poetry Center Discover Poetry Prizes: Four prizes of $500 each and publication in the Paris Review Daily are given annually for a group of poems. Winners also receive lodging and travel expenses to give a reading at the 92nd Street Y in New York City in May. Poets who have not yet published a full-length poetry collection are eligible. Timothy Donnelly and Mai Der Vang will serve as preliminary judges; Daniel Borzutzky, Randall Mann, and Patricia Smith will serve as final judges. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: January 11.

Colorado Review Colorado Prize for Poetry: A prize of $2,000 and publication by the Center for Literary Publishing is given annually for a poetry collection. Kazim Ali will judge. Entry fee: $25.Deadline: January 14.

BkMk Press Ciardi Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication by BkMk Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Entry fee: $30. Deadline: January 15. 

WOMR/WFMR Community Radio Joe Gouveia Outermost Poetry Contest: A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem. Marge Piercy will judge. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: January 15.

Third Coast Poetry Contest: A prize of $1,000 each and publication in Third Coast is given annually for a poem. Leila Chatti will judge. Entry fee: $18. Deadline: January 15.

Asheville Poetry Review William Matthews Poetry Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Asheville Poetry Review is given annually for a poem. Dorianne Laux will judge. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: January 15.

Wells College Press Chapbook Competition: A prize of $1,000, publication by Wells College Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner will also receive room and board to attend a launch party at Wells College in Fall 2019. Dan Rosenberg will judge. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: January 15.

Visit the contest websites for complete submission details, including eligibility guidelines and length requirements. For a look at more writing contests with upcoming deadlines, visit our Grants & Awards database and submission calendar. 

Planning to write over the holidays? Finish your writing year up strong and head into 2019 resolved to send more work out into the world with the following contests in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. The twenty contests below have deadlines at the end of December or in the first days of January.

Bauhan Publishing Monadnock Essay Collection Prize: A prize of $1,000, publication by Bauhan Publishing, and 50 author copies is given annually for an essay collection. Anne Barngrover will judge. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: December 31.

Bayou Magazine Poetry and Fiction Prizes: Two prizes of $1,000 each and a subscription to Bayou Magazine are given annually for a poem and a short story. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: January 1.

Boulevard Short Fiction Contest: A prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a short story by a writer who has not published a nationally distributed book. Entry fee: $16. Deadline: December 31.

Bright Hill Press Poetry Book Competition: A prize of $1,000, publication by Bright Hill Press, and 30 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Entry fee: $27. Deadline: December 31.

Crosswinds Poetry Contest: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Crosswinds is given annually for a poem. Tina Cane will judge. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: December 31.

Florida Review Jeanne Leiby Memorial Chapbook Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Florida Review is given annually for a chapbook of short fiction, short nonfiction, or graphic narrative. Entry fee: 25. Deadline: December 31.

Gemini Magazine Poetry Contest: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a poem. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $7. Deadline: January 2.

Glimmer Train Family Matters Contest: A prize of $2,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories, and 20 copies of the prize issue is given annually for a short story about families of any configuration. Entry fee: $18 Deadline: January 2.

Lascaux Review Prize in Short Fiction: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Lascaux Review is given annually for a short story. Entry fee: $10. Deadline: December 31.

Mississippi Review Prize: Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Mississippi Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: January 1.

The Moth Poetry Prize: A prize of €10,000 (approximately $12,000) and publication in the Moth is given annually for a poem. Three runner-up prizes of €1,000 (approximately $1,200) each are also given. The winners will also be invited to read at an awards ceremony at the Poetry Ireland festival in Dublin in Spring 2019. Jacob Polley will judge. Entry fee: $13. Deadline: December 31.

New Rivers Press Many Voices Project Competition: Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication by New Rivers Press are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction or creative nonfiction by an emerging writer. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: December 31.

Nowhere Magazine Travel Writing Contest: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Nowhere Magazine is given twice yearly for a poem, a short story, or an essay that “possesses a powerful sense of place.” Porter Fox will judge. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: December 31.

Press 53 Award for Short Fiction: A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 50 author copies is given annually for a story collection. Kevin Morgan Watson will judge. Entry fee: $30. Deadline: December 31.

Quercus Review Press Poetry Book Award: A prize of $1,000, publication by Quercus Review Press, and 15 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Sam Pierstorff will judge. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: December 28.

River Styx Micro-Fiction Contest: A prize of $1,500 and publication in River Styx is given annually for a short short story. Entry fee: $10. Deadline: December 31.

Tampa Review Danahy Fiction Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review is given annually for a short story. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: December 31.

Tampa Review Prize for Poetry: A prize of $2,000 and publication by University of Tampa Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Entry fee: $28. Deadline: December 31.

Tupelo Press Dorset Prize: A prize of $3,000 and publication by Tupelo Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives a weeklong residency at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Entry fee: $30. Deadline: December 31.

Whitefish Review Montana Award for Fiction: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Whitefish Review is given annually for a short story. Rick Bass will judge. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: January 1.

Visit the contest websites for complete submission details, including eligibility guidelines and length requirements. For a look at more writing contests with upcoming deadlines, visit our Grants & Awards database and submission calendar. Happy holidays, and happy submitting!