G&A: The Contest Blog

Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint has won the 2018 Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize for her manuscript, Zat Lun. She will receive $12,000 and publication by Graywolf Press.

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Of Zat Lun, Graywolf Press editor Steve Woodward said, “Myint’s hybrid approach and incorporation of myth and oral traditions overturn expectations around immigrant narratives, and add layers to her parallel investigations of both her family history and that of Myanmar. The whole team at Graywolf is delighted to see this truly original and bold manuscript join the ranks of the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize winners.”

Myint is the author of the lyric novel, The End of Peril, the End of Enmity, the End of Strive, A Haven (Noemi Press, 2018). She is completing a PhD in creative writing at the University of Denver.

The Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize is given biennially for a manuscript-in-progress by a writer not yet established in the genre. Esmé Weijun Wang won the 2016 award for her essay collection, The Collected Schizophrenias, which will be published in February 2019. Other previous winners include Leslie Jamison, Eula Biss, and Kevin Young. Visit the website for more information.

(Photo: Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint; Credit: Dennis Shyu)

Summer has officially begun! If your summer plans involve submitting to contests, consider the following prizes for single poems and groups of poems. Each contest offers an award of at least $1,000 and publication.

Bellevue Literary Review Prize in Poetry: A prize of of $1,000 each and publication in Bellevue Literary Review is given annually to a poet for a works about health, healing, illness, the body, and the mind. Jennifer Bartlett will judge. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: July 1

Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation website is given annually for a poem that explores “positive visions of peace and the human spirit.” Entry fee: $15. Deadline: July 1

Stone Canoe Literary Awards: A prize of $500 and publication in Stone Canoe is given annually for a group of poems by a writer who is a current or past resident of upstate New York. Writers who have not published a book with a nationally distributed press are eligible. The editors will judge. There is no entry fee. Deadline: July 8

Ledbury Poetry Festival Poetry Competition: A prize £1,000 (approximately $1,400); a course at Ty Newydd, the National Writing Centre of Wales; and publication on the Ledbury Poetry Festival website is given annually for a poem. The winner is also invited to read at the Ledbury Poetry Festival in July 2019 in Ledbury, England; travel expenses are not included. Entry fee: $7. Deadline: July 12

Comstock Review Muriel Craft Bailey Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Comstock Review is given annually for a poem. Maggie Smith will judge. Entry fee: $5. Deadline: July 15

Rattle Poetry Prize: A prize of $10,000 and publication in Rattle is given annually for a poem. A Reader’s Choice Award of $2,000 is also given to one of ten finalists. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: July 15

Literal Latté Poetry Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Literal Latté is given annually for a poem or group of poems. Entry fee: $10. Deadline: July 15

Narrative Poetry Contest: A prize of $1,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a poem or group of poems. The poetry editors will judge. Entry fee: $26. Deadline: July 15

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

Fiction writers, consider submitting your short stories, novellas, and novels to the following contests, each of which offers a prize of at least $1,000 and publication. The deadline is June 30.

Glimmer Train Press Short Story Award for New Writers: A prize of $2,500 and publication in Glimmer Train Stories is given three times yearly for a short story by a writer whose fiction has not appeared in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. Entry fee: $18

Hidden River Arts William Van Wert Fiction Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Hidden River Review of Arts & Letters is given annually for a short story or a novel excerpt. Entry fee: $17

The Moth International Short Story Prize: A prize of €3,000 (approximately $3,690) and publication in the Moth is given annually for a short story. A second-place prize of publication, a weeklong retreat at the Circle of Missé in Missé, France, and a €250 (approximately $308) travel stipend; and a third-place prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,230) and publication are also given. Kevin Barry will judge. Entry fee: $15

Engine Books Fiction Prize: A prize of $2,000 and publication by Engine Books is given annually for a short story collection, a novella, a novella collection, or a novel. Entry fee: $30

Winning Writers North Street Book Prize: A grand prize of $3,000 and five prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for self-published books of poetry, fiction, genre fiction, creative nonfiction, and children's picture books. The winners will all also receive publication of an excerpt on the Winning Writers website; a marketing consultation with author and publishing consultant Carolyn Howard-Johnson; $300 in credit at BookBaby, a distributor for self-published authors; and free advertising in the Winning Writers e-mail newsletter. Ellen LaFleche and Jendi Reiter will judge. 

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

Submissions are currently open for the 2019 Louise Meriwether First Book Prize. An award of $5,000 and publication by the Feminist Press is given annually for a debut book of fiction or nonfiction by a woman or nonbinary writer of color. 

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Submit a story collection, novel, memoir, biography, or manifesto of 30,000 to 80,000 words via e-mail by June 30. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines. The winner will be announced in February 2019, and the winning collection will be published in Spring 2020.

Established in 2016, the prize honors author Louise Meriwether, whose 1970 novel, Daddy Was a Number Runner, was one of the first contemporary American novels to feature a young black girl as its protagonist.

The inaugural prize was awarded to writer YZ Chin in 2017 for her story collection, Though I Get Home. The 2018 prize was awarded to Claudia D. Hernández for her nonfiction fusion of poetry and narrative essay, Knitting The Fog (April 2019).

Poets, if you have a manuscript ready to submit, consider the following book contests with upcoming deadlines, each of which offers an award of at least $1,000 and publication.

Paz Prize for Poetry: An award of $2,000 and publication by Akashic Books is given biennially for a poetry collection originally written in Spanish by a U.S. resident. The winning manuscript will be translated into English and published in a bilingual edition. Rigoberto González will judge. No entry fee. Deadline: June 15.

University of Akron Press Akron Poetry Prize: A prize of $1,500 and publication by University of Akron Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Diane Seuss will judge. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: June 15.

Bitter Oleander Press Library of Poetry Book Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Bitter Oleander Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Entry fee: $28. Deadline: June 15.

Omnidawn Publishing First/Second Poetry Book Prize: A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 100 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. Srikanth Reddy will judge. Entry fee: $27. Deadline: June 18.

Barrow Street Press Book Prize: A prize of $1,500 and publication by Barrow Street Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Ada Limón will judge. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: June 30.

Bauhan Publishing May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Prize: A prize of $1,000, publication by Bauhan Publishing, and 100 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. David Blair will judge. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: June 30.

Parlor Press New Measure Poetry Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Parlor Press in the Free Verse Editions series is given annually for a poetry collection. Jon Thompson will judge. Entry fee: $28. Deadline: June 30.

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

Submissions are currently open for the 2018 JuxtaProse Nonfiction Prize. An award of $1,000 and publication in JuxtaProse is given annually for an essay. The editors will judge.

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Using the online submission system, submit an essay of 500 to 7,000 words with a $15 entry fee by June 18. Multiple entries are accepted. The winner will be announced on June 30.

Established in 2015, JuxtaProse is an Idaho-based literary magazine that publishes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction by emerging and established writers from around the world. Recent contributors include poets Rae Armantrout and Molly McCully Brown; fiction writer Christian A. Winn; and creative nonfiction writers Lance Larson and Steven Faulkner. Regular submissions are accepted year-round. Visit the website for more information.

Submissions are currently open for the Paz Prize for Poetry, sponsored by the Miami Book Fair and the National Poetry Series. An award of $2,000 and publication by Akashic Books is given biennially for a poetry collection originally written in Spanish by a U.S. resident. The winning manuscript will be translated into English and published in a bilingual edition. Rigoberto González, a contributing editor of Poets & Writers Magazine, will judge.

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Using the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages by June 15. There is no entry fee. The finalists will be announced at the end of July, and the winner will be announced in September.

Established in 2012, the Paz Prize for Poetry is named for late Nobel Prize–winning poet, essayist, and diplomat Octavio Paz. Past winners include Miami Century Fox by Legna Rodríguez Iglesias and translated by Eduardo Aparicio; Nine Coins / Nueve Monedas by Carlos Pintado and translated by Hilary Vaughn Dobel; and Colaterales / Collateral by Dinapiera Di Donato and translated by Ricardo Alberto Maldonado.

As we head into the holiday weekend, consider submitting to these writing contests, all of which are given for stories, groups of poems, and essays. Each contest offers an award of at least $1,000 and publication and has a deadline of June 1.

American Short Fiction Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize: A prize of $2,500 and publication in American Short Fiction will be given annually for a short story. ZZ Packer will judge. Entry fee: $20.

Boston Review Poetry Contest: A prize of $1,500 and publication on the Boston Review website is given annually for a poem or group of poems. Mary Jo Bang will judge. Entry fee: $20.

Boulevard Emerging Poets Contest: 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. Entry fee: $16.

Southern Humanities Review Auburn Witness Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Southern Humanities Review is given annually for a poem of witness in honor of the late poet Jake Adam York. The winner also receives travel expenses to give a reading at Auburn University in Alabama in October with the contest judge; this year's judge is Camille T. Dungy. Entry fee: $15. 

Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition: A prize of $5,000, publication in the 87th annual Writer's Digest Competition Collection, and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Writer's Digest Conference in New York City to meet one-on-one with four agents or editors is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay. Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication in the Writer's Digest Competition Collection will also be given for a rhyming poem, a non-rhyming poem, a short story, and an essay. Entry fee: $25–$35.

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

Submissions are currently open for the Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize. A prize of $1,000 and publication by Gaudy Boy, an imprint of the literary nonprofit Singapore Unbound, will be given annually for a poetry collection by an Asian writer. Poet and artist Wong May will judge.

The contest is open to emerging and established Asian poets residing anywhere in the world. Submit a manuscript written in English of 50 to 100 pages with a $10 entry fee by May 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Five finalists will be announced in August, and the winner will be announced in September.

Established in 2017, Gaudy Boy publishes “poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction of extraordinary merit by Asian voices.” The inaugural title is Alfian Sa’at’s story collection Malay Sketches.

To learn more about Singapore Unbound, read Melynda Fuller’s article on the organization from the March/April 2017 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.

Submissions are currently open for the Don Belton Fiction Reading Period. Sponsored by Indiana Review and Indiana University Press, a prize of $1,000 and publication in the Blue Lights Books series will be given for a story collection, novel, or novella. The editors and Michael Martone will judge.

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The editors seek “literary fiction that has an intelligent sense of language, assumes a degree of risk, and has consequence beyond the world of its narrators.” Using the online submission manager, submit an unpublished manuscript of up to 80,000 words with a $25 entry fee, which includes a one-year subscription to Indiana Review, by May 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Established this year, the prize honors award-winning fiction writer and teacher Don Belton, who died in 2009. Belton wrote the novel Almost Midnight (Beech Tree Books, 1986) and edited the anthology Speak My Name: Black Men on Masculinity and the American Dream (Beacon Press, 1995). Listen to poet Ross Gay read his elegy for Belton, “Spoon.”

(Photo: Don Belton)