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.