Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Prize for Literature

Towson University
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
June 15, 2024
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 2024 are eligible. Publishers, institutions, or individuals may submit three copies of a book or manuscript by June 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Chapbook Prize

Tusculum Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
June 15, 2024
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tusculum Review is given annually for a poetry chapbook, a short story, or an essay. This year’s prize will be awarded in nonfiction. Mary Cappello will judge. Submit a manuscript of up to 17,000 words with a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Tusculum Review, by June 15.

Housatonic Book Awards

Western Connecticut State University
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
June 14, 2024
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 and a hotel stay to give a reading and teach a master class at Western Connecticut State University’s low-residency MFA program. Using only the online submission system, submit a PDF of a book published in 2023 with a $25 entry fee by June 14. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

North Street Book Prize

Winning Writers
Entry Fee: 
$79
Deadline: 
July 1, 2024
A grand prize of $10,000 and additional prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for self-published and hybrid-published books (works published by presses that coordinate all aspects of book publication in exchange for a fee) in genres including poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and graphic narrative. Each of the winners also receives publication of an excerpt on the Winning Writers website; a marketing consultation with author and publishing consultant Carolyn Howard-Johnson; $500 in credit at BookBaby, a distributor for self-published authors; three months of Plus service from Book Award Pro (plus $250 in account credit for the grand prize winner), a literary award database and submission platform; and free advertising in the Winning Writers e-mail newsletter. Ellen LaFleche and Jendi Reiter will judge. Submit a book of up to 200,000 words with a $79 entry fee by July 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Prizes in Poetry and Prose

Bellevue Literary Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
July 1, 2024
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Bellevue Literary Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay about health, healing, illness, the body, or the mind. Leila Mottley will judge in poetry, Wayétu Moore will judge in fiction, and Esmé Weijun Wang will judge in creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems totaling no more than five pages or up to 5,000 words of prose with a $20 entry fee by July 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Grants for Artist Projects

Artist Trust
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
June 21, 2024
Grants of $1,500 each will be given annually to poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers who are residents of Washington State. Students enrolled in a degree-granting program are ineligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of up to 10 pages of poetry, prose, or hybrid-genre work with a project description, a statement about how funding will contribute to the progress of the applicant’s work, and a brief bio by June 21. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Robert and Adele Schiff Awards

Cincinnati Review
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
July 15, 2024
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Cincinnati Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Erica Dawson will judge in poetry, Michael Griffith will judge in fiction, and Kristen Iversen will judge in nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit up to eight pages of poetry, a short story of up to 10,000 words, or an essay of no more than 5,000 words with a $25 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Cincinnati Review, by July 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

PEN/Bare Life Review Grants

PEN America
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
August 1, 2024
Two grants of $5,000 each will be given annually for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction works-in-progress “by immigrant and refugee writers, recognizing that the literature of migration is of inherent and manifest value.” Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of up to 40 pages of poetry or up to 75 pages of prose, a curriculum vitae, and an outline and description of the project by June 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Chapbook Contest

DIAGRAM/New Michigan Press
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
May 15, 2024
A prize of $1,000, publication by New Michigan Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a chapbook of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid-genre work. Ander Monson will judge. Submit a manuscript of 18 to 44 pages with a $25 entry fee by May 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants

PEN America
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
August 1, 2024
Ten grants of $3,000 to $4,000 each are given annually to support the translation of book-length works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction that have not previously appeared in English or have appeared only in an “outdated or otherwise flawed translation.” A separate grant of $5,000, called the PEN Grant for the English Translation of Italian Literature, is also given to support the translation of a book of fiction or nonfiction from Italian into English. Manuscripts with up to two translators are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a translation sample of 8 to 10 pages of poetry or prose, a copy of the same passage in the original language, a biography and bibliography of the translated author, a project statement, and the curriculum vitae of the translator by June 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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