G&A: The Contest Blog

With fall fast approaching, kickstart the new season by submitting to contests with a deadline of September 30. Prizes abound for writers of supernatural fiction, hybrid poetry collections, essays, translations, poems evoking the American South, and more. Awards range from $1,000 to $75,000, and two contests are even free to enter. May the autumnal equinox be in your favor!

Diode Editions
Poetry Book Contest
A prize of $1,500, publication by Diode Editions, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner will also have select poems from their book published in Diode Poetry Journal. Hybrid words, prose poetry, translations, and collaborative works are eligible. Entry fee: $20.

Dzanc Books
Short Story Collection Prize
A prize of $2,500 and publication by Dzanc Books is given annually for a story collection. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Ghost Story
Supernatural Fiction Award
A prize of $1,500, publication on the Ghost Story website and in the Ghost Story print anthology series, 21st Century Ghost Stories, is given twice yearly for a short story with a supernatural or magic realism theme. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $20.

Lascaux Review
Prize in Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for an essay. The winner and finalists will also be published on the Lascaux Review website and in the journal’s print annual. Previously published and unpublished essays are eligible. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $15.

New York Public Library
Cullman Center Fellowships
Fifteen fellowships are given annually to artists, academics, and creative writers, including poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators, whose work will benefit directly from access to the research collections at the New York Public Library. The fellows each receive $75,000, an office at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library’s main branch in the Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, and full access to the library’s collections from September 2023 through May 2024. Fellows will be required to work on their projects at the Cullman Center for the duration of the fellowship. Writers currently enrolled in a graduate degree-granting program are ineligible. Entry fee: none.

Texas Review Press
X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize
A prize of $10,000, publication by Texas Review Press, and 20 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection. Kimiko Hahn will judge. Entry fee: $28.

Texas Review Press
George Garrett Fiction Prize
A prize of $1,000, publication by Texas Review Press, and 20 author copies will be given annually for a short story collection or novel. Vi Khi Nao will judge. Entry fee: $28.

University of Arkansas Press
Miller Williams Poetry Prize
A prize of $5,000 and publication by University of Arkansas Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Patricia Smith will judge. Entry fee: $28.

University of Mississippi
Willie Morris Award for Southern Poetry
A prize of $3,000 is given annually for a single poem that evokes the American South. The winner will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Oxford, Mississippi, for the awards ceremony in March 2023. Susan Kinsolving will judge. Entry fee: none. 

Winning Writers
Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest
Two prizes of $3,000 each, two-year gift certificates for membership to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually for a poem in any style and a poem that either rhymes or is written in a traditional style. Soma Mei Sheng Frazier and Michal “MJ” Jones will judge. Entry fee: $20.

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.

August may be coming to an end, but September presents a new chance to get a little love—and money—for your writing: Submit to contests with deadlines of September 5, 8, 15, 16, and 26! Among the prizes are $78,000 fellowships from Harvard University, $50,000 fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, publication of a poetry collection and chapbook, and awards for individual poems, essays, and stories. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more, and two are free to enter. Good luck, writers!

Coffee-House Poetry
Troubadour International Poetry Prize
A prize of £2,000 (approximately $2,507) is given annually for a single poem. A second-place prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,254) is also given. Both winners receive publication on the Coffee-House Poetry website and an invitation to read alongside the contest judges at a celebration on December 5. Joshua Bennett and Victoria Kennefick will judge. Deadline: September 26. Entry fee: $7.

Dogwood
Literary Awards
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Dogwood are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Finalists are chosen by the editorial staff and accepted for publication; winners are then chosen from the finalist pool by a guest judge. All entries are considered for publicaton. Deadline: September 5. Entry fee: $12.

Finishing Line Press
New Women’s Voices Chapbook Competition
A prize of $1,500 and publication by Finishing Line Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook by a writer who identifies as a woman and has not yet published a full-length collection. Leah Huete de Maines will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: September 15. Entry Fee: $20.

Harvard University
Radcliffe Institute Fellowships
Fellowships of $78,000 each, office space at the Radcliffe Institute, and access to the libraries at Harvard University are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to allow them to pursue creative projects. Writers also receive $5,000 to cover project expenses. Deadline: September 8. Entry Fee: none.

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Writing Fellowships
Fellowships of approximately $50,000 each are awarded annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers on the basis of “exceptional creative ability.” Citizens and permanent residents of the United States and Canada with a “significant and appropriate record” of publication are eligible. Deadline: September 16. Entry fee: none.

Lightscatter Press
Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,000, 25 author copies, and multimodal publication by Lightscatter Press will be given annually for a poetry collection written by an emerging writer. Hybrid works and multilingual texts which combine English with another language are eligible. Rick Barot will judge. Deadline: September 15. Entry fee: $30.

The Moth
Nature Writing Prize
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,089) and publication in the Moth is given annually for a poem, story, or essay that features “an exploration of the writer’s relationship with the natural world.” The winner also receives a weeklong stay at the Circle of Misse artist’s retreat in Missé, France. Max Porter will judge. Deadline: September 15. Entry Fee: $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.

There are still two weeks left to submit to Puerto del Sol’s contest in poetry and prose! Offered annually for a single poem and one work of fiction or nonfiction, winners receive $1,000 and publication by the journal. All submissions will be considered for publication.

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Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems or 25 pages from one “self-contained” work of fiction or nonfiction with a $15 entry fee by September 2. The entry fee includes a copy of the latest issue of the journal. Kali Fajardo-Anstine, author of the novel Woman of Light (One World, 2022), will judge in prose and Anthony Cody, author of the poetry collection Borderland Apocrypha (Omnidawn Publishing, 2022), will judge in poetry. Visit the online submission system for complete guidelines.

Published by the MFA candidates at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, Puerto del Sol is committed to providing “a forum for inventive and fresh prose, poetry, reviews, criticism, and artwork,” striving to showcase a mix of emerging and established writers. The journal values work “that presents authenticity, sincerity, and respect.”

Savor the last weeks of summer by submitting to contests with a deadline of August 31 or September 1! These competitions include opportunities for poets over the age of 60 and translators of poetry or prose from a Nordic language into English. Awards include $10,000 for a short story collection or novel as well as a six-week residency in Umbria, Italy. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more and two are free to enter. Best of luck, writers!

Academy for Teachers
Stories Out of School Flash Fiction Contest
A prize of $1,000 and publication in A Public Space will be given annually for a work of flash fiction about teachers and school, in which the protagonist or narrator is a K–12 teacher. Daniel Handler will judge. Deadline: September 1. Entry fee: none.

Academy of American Poets
First Book Award
A prize of $5,000, publication by Graywolf Press, and a six-week residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Umbria, Italy, is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has not published a book of poems in a standard edition. The winning book will also be distributed to over 5,000 members of the Academy of American Poets. Eduardo C. Corral will judge. Deadline: September 1. Entry fee: $35.

American-Scandinavian Foundation
Translation Awards
A prize of $2,500 and publication of an excerpt in Scandinavian Review is given annually for an English translation of a work of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction written in a Nordic language (Danish, Faroese, Finnish, Greenlandic, Icelandic, Norwegian, Sami, or Swedish). A prize of $2,000 and publication is also awarded to a translator whose literary translations from a Nordic language have not previously been published. Translations of works by 20th- and 21st-century Nordic authors that have not been published in English are eligible. Deadline: September 1. Entry fee: none. 

Black Lawrence Press
St. Lawrence Book Award
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Black Lawrence Press is given annually for a debut collection of poems, short stories, or essays. The editors will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $27.

Grid Books
Off the Grid Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Grid Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer over the age of 60. Garrett Hongo will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $25.

Gulf Coast
Prize in Translation
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gulf Coast is given in alternating years for a group of poems or a prose excerpt translated from any language into English. The 2022 prize will be given for poetry. Daniel Borzutzky will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $20, which includes a subscription to Gulf Coast, or $10, which includes a half-year subscription.

Munster Literature Centre
Fool for Poetry International Chapbook Competition
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,089) and publication by the Munster Literature Centre is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner will also receive accommodations to give a reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival in 2023. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: €25 (approximately $27).

Talking Gourds
Fischer Prize
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. The winner will also be featured in a Bardic Trails online reading in 2023 and will receive a $100 honorarium for participating. Anna Scotti will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $10 ($25 for three poems).

University of New Orleans Press
Lab Prize
A prize of $10,000 and publication by University of New Orleans Press is given annually for a short story collection or novel. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $28.

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.

The Masters Review is still accepting submissions for the Short Story Award for New Writers! Offered twice yearly for a short work of fiction by an emerging writer, the winner of this summer’s contest will receive a prize of $3,000 and publication in the Masters Review. In addition, the winning story will be sent to agents Victoria Cappello (Bent Agency), Sarah Fuentes (Fletcher & Company), Andrea Morrison (Writers House), Heather Schroder (Compass Talent), and Nat Sobel (Sobel Weber Associates) for review. Writers who have not published a book or who have published a book with a circulation of less than 5,000 are eligible to apply. All stories will be considered for publication.

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Using only the online submission system, submit a short story of up to 6,000 words with a $20 entry fee by August 28. Chelsea Bieker, novelist and author of the short story collection Heartbroke, will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

The mission of the Masters Review is to champion emerging writers, and they encourage all who apply to their Short Story Award to “dazzle us, take chances, and be bold.” Though the review focuses on literary fiction, there is no stylistic or topical preference for stories submitted. Writers will receive a response to their submissions by the end of November and the winner will be announced by the end of December. Past winners have received agency representation from Sarah Fuentes (Fletcher Company) and Victoria Marini (Irene Goodman Literary Agency), and one even went on to publish their short story collection with Grove Atlantic.   The mission of the Masters Review is to champion emerging writers, and they encourage all who apply to their Short Story Award to “dazzle us, take chances, and be bold.” Though the review focuses on literary fiction, there is no stylistic or topical preference for stories submitted. Writers will receive a response to their submissions by the end of November and the winner will be announced by the end of December. Past winners have received agency representation from Sarah Fuentes (Fletcher & Company) and Victoria Marini (Irene Goodman Literary Agency), and one even went on to publish their short story collection with Grove Atlantic.   

It’s hot out there, folks! Stay cool—or cooler, anyway—indoors while applying to some contests with deadlines of August 8, 9, 15, and 20. Among the awards are a $3,000 prize for a poetry collection; a $1,500 prize for a poem and a short story; a $1,000 prize for a book of innovative poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or hybrid-genre work; and $1,000 prizes for individual poems, works of flash fiction or nonfiction, and short stories. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more. Good luck!

Futurepoem Other Futures Award: A prize of $1,000, publication by Futurepoem, and 25 author copies is given annually for a book of innovative poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or hybrid-genre work “that challenges conventions of genre and language, content, and form.” The editors will judge. Entry fee: $28.

Gival Press Short Story Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Gival Press website is given annually for a short story. Entry fee: $25.

Grayson Books Poetry Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Grayson Books is given annually for a poetry collection. John Sibley Williams will judge. Entry fee: $26.

Indiana Review’s 1/2 K Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Indiana Review is given annually for a poem or a work of flash fiction or creative nonfiction. Geffrey Davis will judge. All finalists will be considered for publication. Entry fee: $20 (which includes a subscription to Indiana Review); no fee for Black and/or Indigenous writers.

Kallisto Gaia Press Poetry and Short Fiction Prizes: Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication in Ocotillo Review are given annually for a poem and a short story. Zoë Fay-Stindt will judge the Julia Darling Memorial Poetry Prize and Jen Knox will judge the Chester B. Himes Memorial Short Fiction Prize. Entry fee: $20.

Omnidawn Publishing Open Book Prize: A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 100 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Shane McCrae will judge. Entry fee: $27; for an additional $3, entrants will receive a book of their choice from the Omnidawn catalogue. 

TulipTree Publishing Stories That Need To Be Told Contest: A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that “tells a story that needs to be told.” The winner will also receive a two-year subscription to the literary database Duotrope and publication in the annual Stories That Need to Be Told contest anthology. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20.

There is still time to submit to the Granum Foundation Prizes! Awarded annually to a poet, fiction writer, or creative nonfiction writer to support the completion of a manuscript-in-progress, the Granum Foundation Prize offers $5,000; up to three finalists will receive $500 or more. A Translation Prize of $500 or more will also be awarded. There is no entry fee for either prize.

Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of approximately 12 poems or 25 pages of prose, along with a cover letter, project description, and a statement about how the grant will support your work, by August 2. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

The prizes are meant to provide practical support to writers who have demonstrated a “commitment to the literary arts” and can articulate the merits of their writing project, including their ability to complete it within a set timeframe. The money may be used to pay for tools of the trade—a computer, for example—or to defray the costs of writing residencies, editorial services, and more.

Welcoming applicants from all backgrounds, the Granum Foundation seeks to foster the growth of emerging writers. As the foundation’s website puts it: “We are placing bets on undiscovered writers from all walks of life who might never get the chance to complete their first books, or who change careers later in life to chase literary dreams, or who feel they have been excluded from traditional avenues of support.”

With July already underway, it’s never too soon to start submitting to contests with a deadline of July 31! These competitions offer unique awards such as two cases of Dogfish Head craft beer, a weeklong residency at the Anam Cara Writer’s Retreat in West Cork, Ireland, and 20 copies of a letterpress broadside of a winning poem, alongside cash prizes of at least $500. One contest even has no entry fee. Cheers, writers!

Connecticut Poetry Society Experimental Poetry Contest: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Connecticut River Review will be given annually for an innovative poem. Richard Deming will judge. Audio and video recordings are eligible. Entry fee: $15. 

Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales Dogfish Head Poetry Prize: A prize of $500, publication by Broadkill River Press, 10 author copies, and two cases of Dogfish Head craft beer are given annually for a poetry collection written by a poet living in Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., or West Virginia. The winner is expected to attend a reading and award ceremony at the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware, on December 10. Lodging for a two-night stay at the Dogfish Inn in the beach town of Lewes, Delaware, is provided. Travel expenses are not included. Michael Glaser will judge. Entry fee: none. 

Hidden River Arts Hawk Mountain Short Story Collection Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Hidden River Press is given annually for a story collection. Entry fee: $20.

Howling Bird Press Book Contest: A prize of $2,500 and publication by Howling Bird Press is given in alternating years for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. The 2023 prize will be awarded in nonfiction. Memoirs, essay collections, and other creative nonfiction are eligible. Entry fee: $25.

Munster Literature Centre Seán O’Faoláin International Short Story Competition: A prize of €2,000 (approximately $2,178) and publication in Southword is given annually for a short story. The winner also receives a weeklong residency at the Anam Cara Writer’s Retreat in West Cork and accommodation at the Cork International Short Story Festival. Entry fee: €19 (approximately $21).

Narrative Spring Story Contest: A prize of $2,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a short story, a short short story, an essay, or an excerpt from a work of fiction or creative nonfiction. A second-place prize of $1,000 is also awarded. The editors will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $27.

New Millennium Writings Awards: Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication in New Millennium Writings and on the journal’s website are given twice yearly for a poem, a short story, a short short story, and an essay that have not appeared in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20.

Press 53 Award for Poetry: A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Tom Lombardo will judge. Entry fee: $30. 

Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Red Wheelbarrow is given annually for a single poem. The winner will also receive 20 copies of a letterpress broadside of the winning poem, printed by Gary Young at Greenhouse Review Press. Juan Felipe Herrera will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $15.

Sewanee Review Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction Contest: Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sewanee Review are given annually for a group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Richie Hofmann will judge in poetry, Raven Leilani will judge in fiction, and Lisa Taddeo will judge in nonfiction. Entry fee: $30 (which includes a subscription to Sewanee Review).  

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.

The 2022 Santa Fe Writers Project (SFWP) Book Award is still open for submissions! Offered biennially for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction, the prize awards $1,500 and publication by the Santa Fe Writers Project, a publisher with global distribution. Writers from all around the world are welcome to apply, though submitted manuscripts must be written in English. Unpublished and self-published work as well as prose published with a micro or small press that has not received marketing support are eligible. Winners will receive a full developmental edit, collaboration with an in-house copy editor, and the opportunity to work closely with SFWP’s layout and design team.

Using only the online submission system, submit a story collection, a novel, an essay collection, or a memoir of any length with a $30 entry fee by July 18. Deesha Philyaw, author of the award-winning short story collection The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines. 

An independent press founded in 1998, Santa Fe Writers Project challenges “the norms by embracing short stories, novellas, translations, reprints, and the avant-garde.” Started two years after the press began, the SFWP Book Award has previously been judged by writers including Carmen Maria Machado, Emily St. John Mandel, and Benjamin Percy. Recent contest winners are A.A. Balaskovits (Magic for Unlucky Girls), Lilly Dancyger (Negative Space), Wendy J. Fox (If the Ice Had Held), and Joseph Holt (Golden Heart Parade).