Archive May 2023

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

5.26.23

If you’re not at the beach this Memorial Day, why not apply to some writing contests with a June 1 deadline? There is no entry fee for three generous awards: the Bard Fiction prize, which comes with $30,000 and a one-semester appointment as a writer-in-residence at Bard College; PEN America’s PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants, which offer awards of up to $4,000 to support the translation of book-length works; PEN America’s PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History, which offer awards of $15,000 to two nonfiction works-in-progress that “use oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement.” All other contests offer a cash award of $1,000 or more and publication. Good luck, writers!

American Short Fiction
Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize
A prize of $2,500 and publication in American Short Fiction is given annually for a short story. The winner also receives a weeklong, all-expenses-paid writing retreat at the Tasajillo Residency in Kyle, Texas. Entry fee: $20.

Bard College
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. fiction writer under the age of 40. The recipient must give at least one public lecture and meet informally with students but is not expected to teach traditional courses. Entry fee: None.

Boulevard
Emerging Poets Contest
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a group of poems by a poet who has not published a poetry collection with a nationally distributed press. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $18.

PEN America
PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants
Ten grants between $3,000 and $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of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction that have not previously appeared in English or have appeared only in an “outdated or otherwise flawed translation.” An additional $5,000 grant, the PEN Grant for the English Translation of Italian Literature, is given to support the translation of a book of fiction or nonfiction from Italian into English. Manuscripts with up to two translators are eligible. Entry fee: None.

PEN America
PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History
Two grants of $15,000 are given annually for nonfiction works-in-progress that “use oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement.” Entry fee: None.

Salamander
Fiction Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Salamander is given annually for a short story. Kirstin Valdez Quade will judge. 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, creative nonfiction, and translation.

Deadline Nears for Max Ritvo Poetry Prize

G&A: The Contest Blog

5.19.23

Calling all emerging poets: Don’t forget to send your poetry manuscripts to Milkweed Editions’ Max Ritvo Poetry Prize, which offers an award of $10,000 and publication for a debut poetry collection.

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Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages with a $25 entry fee by May 31. Nobel Prize–winning poet Louise Glück will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

The Max Ritvo Poetry Prize celebrates the life of the acclaimed author of the poetry collections Four Reincarnations (2016) and The Final Voicemails (2018), both published by Milkweed Editions, an independent publisher based in Minneapolis. Ritvo, who died in 2016, “came into the Milkweed family like a ball of fire,” Daniel Slager, the press’s publisher, said when the prize was established in 2017. “I can think of no better way to honor Max and his legacy than a first-book poetry prize, which will honor outstanding accomplishment in the art form he excelled in, enriching American letters for years to come.”

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

G&A: The Contest Blog

5.12.23

Though the dog days of summer may be, thankfully, weeks away, now is the perfect time to submit to contests with a May 31 deadline! Don’t miss the opportunity to win over $6,000 and publication in poetry and short story categories; an emerging writer fellowship offering $5,000, plus the chance to meet editors and agents; or a $10,000 cash prize for a debut poetry collection, among other awards. These contests have renowned judges such as Toi Derricotte, Louise Glück, Lori Ostlund, and Kirk Wilson. All awards and fellowships offer a prize of $1,000 or more. Best of luck, writers!

Anhinga Press
Anhinga Prize for Poetry
A prize of $2,000, publication by Anhinga Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. 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. Toi Derricotte will judge in poetry, Pam Houston will judge in fiction, and Jenny Boully will judge in nonfiction. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $30.

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

Bridport Arts Centre
Bridport Prizes
Two prizes of £5,000 (approximately $6,034) each and publication in the Bridport Prize anthology are given annually for a poem and a short story. A second-place prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,207) and publication is also given in each category. Additionally, a prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,207) and publication is given for a work of flash fiction. Roger Robinson will judge in poetry, Colin Barrett will judge in short story, and Christopher Allen will judge in flash fiction. Entry fee: £12 (approximately $14) for poetry, £14 (approximately $17) for fiction, and £11 (approximately $13) for flash fiction.

The 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, and to receive critical feedback on their work from an editor. Applicants who on June 1, 2023, will be enrolled in a degree-granting program or are currently under contract with a publisher for a work of fiction are ineligible. 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 story collection or a novel. Kirk Wilson will judge. Entry fee: $40.

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. Louise Glück will judge. 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. 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. Entry fee: $30.

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.

Submissions Open for the Masters Review Spring Small Fiction Awards

G&A: The Contest Blog

5.5.23

Submissions are still open for the Masters Review’s new Spring Small Fiction Awards, offering three $1,000 cash prizes and online publication to winners in the categories of micro fiction, flash fiction, and sudden fiction. Emerging writers, including but not limited to those who have self-published books or who have titles published by independent presses, are eligible to apply.

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Using the online submission system, submit a work of micro fiction of up to 500 words, a work of flash fiction between 501 and 1,000 words, and/or a work of sudden fiction between 1,001 and 1,500 words with a $20 entry fee by June 1. Submissions may include up to two stories in any combination of the three categories. K-Ming Chang, author of the novel Bestiary and a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree, will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Founded to celebrate “the mighty power of the compressed form,” the Spring Small Fiction Awards are meant to broaden the Masters Review’s search for “the very best in small fiction.” Contest entrants will receive a response by the end of August, and the winners will be announced by the end of September. With a commitment to “celebrating new and emerging writers” the Masters Review launched in 2011 “with the hopes of bridging the gap between new and established writers.”