Genre: Poetry

Poetry and Fiction Prizes

Washington Writers’ Publishing House
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
November 15, 2021
Two prizes of $1,500 each, publication by Washington Writers’ Publishing House, and 50 author copies are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection or novel. Writers who live in Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of 50 to 70 pages or a novel or story collection of 150 to 350 pages with a $25 entry fee by November 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Rita Dove and Natasha Trethewey at Emory University

Caption: 

“When you’re judging a contest I’m looking for something to just knock me over, and that’s what happened when I read Natasha’s manuscript,” says Rita Dove about first encountering Natasha Trethewey’s poetry while judging a book contest. In this 2011 conversation at Emory University, the two former U.S. poets laureate discuss writing, mentorship, and literary ancestries. 

Genre: 
Poetry
Tags: 
Rita Dove
Natasha Trethewey
Emory University
2011
United States Poet Laureate

Dogfish Head Poetry Prize Open for Submissions

G&A: The Contest Blog
7.31.21

The deadline is approaching for the nineteenth annual Dogfish Head Poetry Prize, given for a book-length manuscript by a poet living in Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., or West Virginia. Perfect for beer lovers, the award includes $500, publication by Broadkill River Press, 10 author copies, and two cases of Dogfish Head craft beer. The winner is expected to attend a reading and awards ceremony at the Dogfish Inn in Lewes, Delaware, on December 11. Lodging for a two-night stay at the inn is provided, but travel expenses are not included.

Submit a manuscript of 48 to 78 pages to dogfishheadpoetryprize@earthlink.net by August 15. Only writers over the age of 21 are eligible. Hayden Saunier will judge. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

The most recent recipient of the Dogfish Head Poetry Prize was Susan Rothbard, whose winning manuscript, Birds of New Jersey, was praised by Edgar Kunz, the final judge, as a “sometimes shocking, often bemused, and always insightful collection.”

Effort at Speech

The Time Is Now
7.27.21

“I will tell you all. I will conceal nothing,” writes Muriel Rukeyser in her poem “Effort at Speech Between Two People,” in which two disembodied voices confess, speak, and exchange information about their lives. In the poem, the voices are both individual and collective, and the use of caesuras serve as a visual cue for silence in a conversation. Write a poem in which two people speak without relying on the use of traditional dialogue tags. How can you focus on the sounds of the language and the potential for slippage between voices to add texture to the poem? For more inspiration, watch Carl Phillips read Rukeyser’s poem in the Poets & Writers Theater.

Upcoming Contest Deadlines


G&A: The Contest Blog
7.23.21

As the Olympics kick off, seek out some worthy competition of your own. Opportunities abound for poets, fiction writers, and nonfictions writers in these nine contests with deadlines of July 31. All award a cash prize of $1,000 or more and many award publication. Good luck, writers!

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 2022 prize will be awarded in fiction. Novels, novellas, and story collections are eligible. Entry fee: $25.

Mudfish Poetry Prize—A prize of $1,200 and publication in Mudfish is given annually for a single poem. Marie Howe will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20 ($3 for each additional poem).

Munster Literature Center Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition— A prize of €2,000 (approximately $2,382) 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. Simon Van Booy will judge. Entry fee: €18 (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. Entry fee: $27.

New Millennium Writings Writing 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.

Prairie Heritage, Inc. Jan Garton Prairie Heritage Book Award—A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a published book of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction that “illuminates the heritage of North America’s mid-continental prairies.” Authors, publishers, and the general public may submit two copies of a book published between 2017 and 2020. Entry fee: None. 

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 Felicia Rice at Moving Parts Press. Mark Doty 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. Paisley Rekdal will judge in poetry, Brandon Taylor will judge in fiction, and Stephanie Danler will judge in nonfiction. Entry fee: $30 entry fee (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.

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