G&A: The Contest Blog

According to some astrological predictions, the “Cancer season” we entered this week is particularly auspicious thanks to a new moon influenced by Jupiter, the planet of good fortune. So why not try your luck by applying to some contests with a July 15 deadline? Among the awards are a $20,000 prize for a published story collection; a $15,000 prize for a poem; a $1,000 prize for a poetry collection; a $1,000 prize for a novel; and $1,000 prizes for individual poems, short stories, essays, and works of flash fiction. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more. May Jupiter’s benefic beams shine upon you, writers!

Cincinnati Review Robert and Adele Schiff Awards: Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Cincinnati Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Rebecca Lindenberg will judge in poetry, Michael Griffith will judge in fiction, and Kristen Iversen will judge in nonfiction. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20.

Comstock Review Muriel Craft Bailey Memorial Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Comstock Review is given annually for a single poem. Ellen Bass will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $27.50 (or $5 per poem via postal mail).

Ghost Story Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition: A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Ghost Story website and in the 21st Century Ghost Stories anthology is given twice yearly for a work of flash fiction with a supernatural or magical realism theme. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $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. All entries will be considered for publication. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $25.

Rattle Poetry Prize and Reader’s Choice Award: A prize of $15,000 and publication in Rattle is given annually for a single poem. A Reader’s Choice Award of $5,000 is also given to one of ten finalists. The editors will judge the Poetry Prize, and subscribers and entrants will judge the Reader’s Choice Award by vote. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $25. 

Regal House Publishing’s Petrichor Prize for Finely Crafted Fiction: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Regal House Publishing is given annually for a novel. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $25.

Story Prize: A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a short story collection written in English and published in the United States in the current year. Two runners-up receive $5,000 each. The $1,000 Story Prize Spotlight Award is also given for an additional short story collection “of exceptional merit.” Larry Dark and Julie Lindsey will judge the three finalists and the Spotlight Award winner; three independent judges will choose the Story Prize winner. Entry fee: $75.

Word Works Tenth Gate Prize: A prize of $1,000, publication by the Word Works, and 30 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has published at least two full-length books of poetry. Felicia Zamora 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, and creative nonfiction.

Conduit Books & Ephemera is now accepting submissions for its Marystina Santiestevan First Book Prize. Awarded annually for a manuscript by a poet writing in English who has not yet published a full-length poetry collection, the prize offers a cash award of $1,500, publication by Conduit Books & Ephemera, and thirty author copies. Bob Hicok will judge.

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Submit a manuscript of 48 to 90 pages with a $25 entry fee by July 5. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Last year’s prize winner was Rachel Abramowitz for her poetry collection, The Birthday of the Dead. Previous winners include Suphil Lee Park, Meg Shevenock, and Michelle Lewis. Launched in 2018, the prize is named for Hicok’s grandmother-in-law. “Marystina Santiestevan loved poetry, labor unions, animals, plants, and poets,” says Hicok. “When I met her and Henry, her husband, I enjoyed a most un-American experience: I was immediately treated as an honored guest in their house, even made to sit in Henry’s chair, just because I was a poet.” Before submitting to the contest, writers are advised to familiarize themselves with Conduit, the biannual journal affiliated with the press which “champions originality, intelligence, irreverence, and humanity.”

Celebrate the beginning of summer and the endless possibilities the season brings by submitting to contests with a deadline of June 30. Awards include an $8,000 grand prize for a self-published book in any of seven categories, including graphic narrative and creative nonfiction; a weeklong retreat in Missé, France, for a winning short story; and an approximately $51,123 prize for a poetry collection by a poet or translator published during the previous year. Enjoy!

Cider Press Review Editors’ Prize Book Award: A prize of $1,000, publication by Cider Press Review, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $26. 

Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry Prize: Two prizes of $65,000 Canadian (approximately $51,123) each are given annually for poetry collections by a Canadian poet or translator and by an international poet or translator published during the previous year. Finalists receive $10,000 Canadian (approximately $7,865) each for their participation in the shortlisted authors event to be held in Toronto. Adam Dickinson, Valzhyna Mort, and Claudia Rankine will judge. Entry fee: None.

Los Angeles Review Literary Awards: Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Los Angeles Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, a short short story, and an essay. Joshua Rivkin will judge in poetry, Landon Houle will judge in fiction, Thea Prieto will judge in flash fiction, and Chelsea Catherine will judge in creative nonfiction. Entry fee: $20.

The Moth International Short Story Prize: A prize of €3,000 (approximately $3,423) is given annually for a short story. A prize of a weeklong retreat at Circle of Misse in Missé, France, with a €250 (approximately $285) travel stipend, and a prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,141) are also given. The winners will be published in the Moth. Sarah Hall will judge. Entry fee: €15 (approximately $17).

Omnidawn Publishing Poetry Chapbook Contest: A prize of $1,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 100 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Ruth Ellen Kocher will judge. Entry fee: $18. (For an additional $2, entrants will receive one chapbook of their choice from the Omnidawn catalogue.)  

Poetry London Prize: A first-place prize of £5,000 (approximately $6,762), a second-place prize of £2,000 (approximately $2,705), and a third-place prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,353) will be given annually for a poem. The winners will also receive publication in the Autumn issue of Poetry London and an invitation to read at the issue’s launch, held at the Southbank Centre in London. Romalyn Ante will judge. Entry fee: £8 (approximately $11), or £4 (approximately $5) for Poetry London subscribers.

Twyckenham Notes Joe Bolton Poetry Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Twyckenham Notes is given annually for a poem or group of poems. The editors will judge. All entries will be considered for publication. Entry fee: $20. 

University of North Texas Press Katherine Anne Porter Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of North Texas Press is given annually for a collection of short fiction. Entry fee: $25.

University of Pittsburgh Press Drue Heinz Literature Prize: A prize of $15,000 and publication by University of Pittsburgh Press is given annually for a collection of short fiction. Writers who have published at least one previous book of fiction or a minimum of three short stories or novellas in nationally distributed magazines or literary journals are eligible. Entry fee: None.

Winning Writers North Street Book Prize: A grand prize of $8,000 and seven additional prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for self-published books of poetry, fiction, genre fiction, creative nonfiction, children’s literature, graphic narrative, and art books. Each of the winners will 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. Entry fee: $70.

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 Short Fiction Story Contest, sponsored by the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival (BCLF), is currently accepting submissions. The contest awards two prizes: the BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writers Prize, which is open to unpublished U.S. and Canadian fiction writers of Caribbean heritage, and the BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean, which honors “Caribbean writers of all levels who reside and work in the Caribbean.” The winner of each award will receive $1,750, as well publication in the New York Carib News and a selection of titles from Akashic Books. Winners will be also be profiled on the BCLF website.

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Using the online submission system, submit a short story of up to 3,000 words by July 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival celebrates “culture as expressed through the pen of the storyteller and the voice of the poet” and aims to “facilitate vibrant conversations about Caribbean identity.” This year’s festival will take place from September 9 to September 11 at an outdoor location in Brooklyn, New York City. Visit the festival’s website for additional details as the event approaches.

Memorial Day weekend is upon us! Spend part of the holiday applying to contests with deadlines of June 13, 15, and 16. Four prizes are available for recent books of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction—including the Pulitzer Prize, which comes with a $15,000 award, and the Bard Fiction Prize, which offers $30,000 and a writer-in-residence appointment. There are several publication prizes for poetry or fiction manuscripts, along with a fellowship for a Maine writer. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more, and three do not require an entry fee. May the force be with you, writers!

42 Miles Poetry Award: A prize of $1,000, publication by 42 Miles Press, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. David Dodd Lee will judge. Deadline: June 15. Entry fee: $25.

Bard Fiction Prize: A prize of $30,000 and a one-semester appointment as writer-in-residence at Bard College is given annually to a U.S. writer under the age of 40 for a published a book of fiction. Deadline: June 15. Entry fee: None.

Bitter Oleander Press Library of Poetry Award: A prize of $1,500 and publication by Bitter Oleander Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Deadline: June 15. Entry fee: $28.

Maine Arts Commission Maine Artist Fellowship: A fellowship of up to $5,000 is given annually to a poet, a fiction writer, a creative nonfiction writer, or a writer working in a genre beyond these categories who has lived in the state of Maine for at least one year. The fellow is expected to reside in the state for the year of the fellowship. Deadline: June 16. Entry fee: None.

New American Fiction Prize: A prize of $1,500, publication by New American Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a book of fiction. Weike Wang will judge. Deadline: June 15. Entry fee: $25.

Pulitzer Prizes: Five prizes of $15,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, general nonfiction, U.S. history, and biography or autobiography (including memoir) first published in the United States during the current year. Deadline (for books published between January 1 and June 14): June 15. Entry fee: $75.

Towson University Prize for Literature: A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction by a current resident of Maryland who has lived in the state for at least three years. Books published within the past three years or scheduled for publication in 2022 are eligible. Deadline: June 15. Entry fee: None.

Western Connecticut State University Housatonic Book Awards: Three prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published in the previous year. The winners also receive $500 in travel expenses to give a reading and teach a master class at Western Connecticut State University’s low-residency MFA program. Deadline: June 13. Entry fee: $25.

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. Adrian Matejka will judge. Deadline: June 15. 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, and creative nonfiction.

Boulevard is now accepting submissions for its annual Emerging Poets Contest. Designed to honor a poet who has not yet published a collection with a nationally-distributed press, the contest awards a cash prize of $1,000 and publication in Boulevard. The magazine’s editors will judge.

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Submit three poems of any length with a $16 fee, which includes a one-year subscription to Boulevard, by June 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Last year’s Emerging Poets Contest was judged by Ryan Smith, who selected winner Jennifer Conlon. Previous contest winners have included poets Alex Chernow, Elizabeth Hoover, and Tomás Q. Morín. Based in Saint Louis, Boulevard is a biannual literary magazine—available in print and online—that publishes contemporary fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews. Boulevard’s first issue, released in 1986, featured fiction by Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer, poetry by Kenneth Koch, and interviews with composers Philip Glass and Steve Reich. By its third issue in 1987, Boulevard had attained national bookstore distribution, which continues into the present.

Now that summer is on the horizon, bring in the warm weather by submitting to contests with deadlines of May 30 or May 31. Prizes abound for fiction writers with six awards being offered for short story collections or novels; additionally, nine fellowships of $5,000 each, plus other perks, are available for emerging fiction writers living in New York City. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more and two do not require an entry fee. Good luck, writers!

Anhinga Press Prize for Poetry: A prize of $2,000, publication by Anhinga Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Erika Meitner will judge. Deadline: May 31. Entry fee: $25 ($28 for electronic submissions).

Autumn House Press Literary Prizes: Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication by Autumn House Press are given annually for a poetry collection, a book of fiction, and a book of creative nonfiction. Each winner also receives a $1,500 travel and publicity grant. Carl Phillips will judge in poetry, Venita Blackburn will judge in fiction, and Lia Purpura will judge in nonfiction. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: May 31. Entry fee: $30. 

BOA Editions Short Fiction Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication by BOA Editions is given annually for a short story collection. Peter Conners will judge. Deadline: May 31. Entry fee: $25.

Center for Fiction Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellowships: Nine fellowships of $5,000 each, a one-year membership to the Center for Fiction in New York City, and a year of access to the Writers Studio writing space at the center are given annually to fiction writers living in New York City who have not yet published a book of fiction. Winners also have the opportunity to meet with editors and agents who represent new writers. Applicants who on June 1, 2022, will be enrolled in a degree-granting program or are currently under contract with a publisher for a work of fiction are ineligible. Deadline: May 30. Entry fee: none.

Elixir Press Fiction Award: A prize of $2,000, publication by Elixir Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a short story collection or a novel. Anthony E. Varallo will judge. Deadline: May 31. Entry fee: $40.

Gival Press Novel Award: A prize of $3,000 and publication by Gival Press is given biennially for a novel. Deadline: May 30. Entry fee: $50.

Milkweed Editions Max Ritvo Poetry Prize: A prize of $10,000 and publication by Milkweed Editions is given annually for a debut poetry collection by a U.S. poet. Henri Cole will judge. Deadline: May 31. Entry fee: $25.

Southern Poetry Review Guy Owen Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Southern Poetry Review is given annually for a single poem. Deadline: May 31. Entry fee: $20 (which includes a subscription to Southern Poetry Review).

University of Georgia Press Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction: A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Georgia Press is given annually for a collection of short fiction. Lori Ostlund will judge. Deadline: May 31. Entry fee: $30. 

Writer’s Center First Novel Prize: A prize of $3,000 is given annually for a first novel published in the previous calendar year. Deadline: May 31. 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, and creative nonfiction.

Submissions are still open for the annual Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize! Offered for an “original Anglophone” poetry collection by a writer of Asian heritage living anywhere in the world, this award includes an increased monetary prize of $1,500 and publication by Gaudy Boy in the United States and Singapore. Emerging and established poets are eligible to apply.

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To submit, e-mail a manuscript of 70 to 120 pages written in English and a short cover letter with a $10 entry fee by May 15. Yeow Kai Chai will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

An imprint of the New York City–based literary nonprofit Singapore Unbound, Gaudy Boy publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction “of extraordinary merit by Asian voices.”  The name Gaudy Boy comes from both a poem entitled “Gaudy Turnout” by Singaporean poet Arthur Yap and the Latin word gaudium, meaning “joy”; the press aims to “delight [their] readers with the various powers of art.” In August five finalists for their Poetry Book Prize will be announced and invited to participate in a September reading, where the winner will be announced. The prizewinning manuscript will be published in spring 2023. Previous winners include Lawrence Lacambra Ypil for The Experiment of the Tropics, Jenifer Sang Eun Park for Autobiography of Horse, and Paula Mendoza for Play for Time. An imprint of the New York City–based literary nonprofit Singapore Unbound, Gaudy Boy publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction “of extraordinary merit by Asian voices.”  The name Gaudy Boy comes from both a poem entitled “Gaudy Turnout” by Singaporean poet Arthur Yap and the Latin word gaudium, meaning “joy”; the press aims to “delight [their] readers with the various powers of art.” In August five finalists for their Poetry Book Prize will be announced and invited to participate in a September reading, where the winner will be announced. The prizewinning manuscript will be published in spring 2023. Previous winners include Lawrence Lacambra Ypil for The Experiment of the Tropics, Jenifer Sang Eun Park for Autobiography of Horse, and Paula Mendoza for Play for Time. 

Bring in the new month by applying to contests with a deadline of May 15! These awards include opportunities for poets of Asian heritage; women, transgender, and gender-nonconforming writers whose work advances social change; and novelists writing debut books set in the American South. Plus, don’t miss the chance to win a residency in Miami Beach, Florida, or Naples, New York. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more and two are free of cost to submit.

Academy of American Poets James Laughlin Award: A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a second book of poetry by a living poet to be published in the coming calendar year. The winner also receives an all-expenses paid weeklong residency at the Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Copies of the winning book are distributed to members of the Academy of American Poets. Aracelis Girmay, Solmaz Sharif, and Mai Der Vang will judge. Entry fee: None.

Academy of American Poets Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize: A prize of $25,000 is given annually for a poetry collection by a living poet published in the United States during the previous year. The winner also receives an all-expenses paid 10-day residency at the Glen Hollow cottage in Naples, New York. Copies of the winning book are distributed to members of the Academy of American Poets. Entry fee: $75.

American Poetry Review Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in American Poetry Review is given annually for a single poem by a poet under the age of 40. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $15 (which includes a copy of the prize issue).

Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation Book Prize: A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a debut novel set in the American South. The author may live anywhere, but eligible novels must be set primarily in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, or Washington, D.C. Self-published books are eligible, but books available only as e-books are not. Ben Fountain will judge. Entry fee: $35.

Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize: A prize of $1,500 and publication by Gaudy Boy, an imprint of the New York City–based literary nonprofit Singapore Unbound, is given annually for a poetry collection by an Asian writer. Yeow Kai Chai will judge. Entry fee: $10.

Leeway Foundation Transformation Awards: Awards of $15,000 each are given annually to women, transgender, or otherwise gender-nonconforming poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers in the Philadelphia area who have been creating art for social change for five or more years. Writers who have lived for at least two years in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties, who are at least 18 years of age, and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible. Entry fee: None.

Lost Horse Press Idaho Prize for Poetry: A prize of $1,000, publication by Lost Horse Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a U.S. poet. Dzvinia Orlowsky will judge. Entry fee: $28.

McGill University Montreal International Poetry Prize: A prize of $20,000 Canadian (approximately $15,728) and publication in the 2022 Montreal Poetry Prize Anthology is given biennially for a poem. Lorna Goodison will judge and Cameron Awkward-Rich, Heather Christle, Nabina Das, Liz Howard, Joanne Limburg, Conor O’Callaghan, Tanure Ojaide, Michael Prior, Medrie Purdham, Mark Tredinnick, and Rhian Williams will serve as jurors. Entry fee: $25 Canadian (approximately $20).

Pittsburg State University Cow Creek Chapbook Prize: A prize of $1,000, publication by Pittsburg State University, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Chen Chen will judge. Entry fee: $15.  

Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest: Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Ploughshares are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Each winner also receives a consultation with the literary agency Aevitas Creative Management. Writers who have not published a book or a chapbook with a print run over 300 are eligible. Chen Chen will judge in poetry, Amelia Gray will judge in fiction, and Danielle Geller will judge in nonfiction. Entry fee: $24 (which includes a subscription to Ploughshares). 

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 Louise Meriwether First Book Prize, founded jointly by Feminist Press and TAYO Literary Magazine, is accepting fiction and narrative nonfiction submissions for their annual award for a first book by a woman of color or a nonbinary writer of color. The award celebrates work “in the tradition of Meriwether’s Daddy Was a Number Runner, one of the first contemporary American novels featuring a young Black girl as the protagonist.” The winner will receive $5,000 and publication with Feminist Press in spring 2024. The editors expect to offer close editorial guidance to the prize winner.

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To submit, e-mail a prose manuscript of 30,000 to 80,000 words and a cover letter by May 8. Lupita Aquino, Bridgett M. Davis, Nancy Jooyoun Kim, Cassandra Lane, and Feminist Press executive director and publisher Margot Atwell will judge. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines. 

Established in 2016 to honor the legacy of Louise Meriwether—an author, essayist, journalist, and antiwar activist, and the first African American woman to work as a story editor in Hollywood—the prize is meant to further “telling much-needed stories that shift culture and act as a springboard for new writers joining the industry.” Finalists will be notified in October and the winner will be announced in March 2023. Previous winners are Cassandra Lane (We Are Bridges), Melissa Valentine (The Names of All the Flowers), Claudia D. Hernández (Knitting the Fog), and YZ Chin (Though I Get Home). Established in 2016 to honor the legacy of Louise Meriwether—an author, essayist, journalist, and antiwar activist, and the first African American woman to work as a story editor in Hollywood—the prize is meant to further “telling much-needed stories that shift culture and act as a springboard for new writers joining the industry.” Finalists will be notified in October and the winner will be announced in March 2023. Previous winners are Cassandra Lane (We Are Bridges), Melissa Valentine (The Names of All the Flowers), Claudia D. Hernández (Knitting the Fog), and YZ Chin (Though I Get Home).