Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction Book Prizes
AWP, university, and independent presses (and a few calls for submissions)
BOOK CONTESTS
Some writers, debut or farther along in their careers, publish their manuscripts with independent and university presses that sponsor book prizes or else have contracted with a literary organization such as AWP to publish the titles chosen by the judges of their annual book prizes.
Many writers will submit a manuscript to multiple contests over a period of several years before they receive a phone call or email sharing the news their book has won. National Book Award finalists Charles Baxter and Bonnie Jo Campbell, for example, both published their first books after winning AWP’s short story collection prize (the Grace Paley Prize), and other writers including Lori Ostlund, Karin Lin-Greenberg, Melinda Moustakis, and Colette Sartor got their starts after their manuscripts were selected for the University of Georgia Press’s Flannery O’Connor Award.
Admittedly, contests can be expensive. Most of them have submission fees ranging from $10-$30 (at the very least, if you keep an e-receipt in your files, these fees can be claimed on your tax return).
The following contests are only a few of the many out there. Poets & Writers’ “Deadlines” section in the back of every issue lists contests with upcoming deadlines, and of course, there’s always Google.
POETRY COLLECTION PRIZES
These contests generally include a cash award and publication of your manuscript. They sometimes also include a public reading and will cover some or all travel expenses for a reading they’re hosting.
1. The Academy of American Poets First Book Award - (48-100 pp - single spaced) - submission period: July 1 - September 1 - $5,000 prize + publication
2. University of Wisconsin’s Creative Writing Institutes’ Brittingham & Felix Pollak Prizes (50-90 pp - single-spaced). Submission deadline: September 15
3. Alice James Books award – (48-100 pp - single spaced), “winner will receive $2,000, book publication, and distribution through Consortium. In addition to the winning manuscript, one or more additional manuscripts may be chosen for publication as the Editor’s Choice” - submissions open March 8 - October 11, 2024.
4. National Poetry Series contest (suggested length 48-64 pp - but no set requirements) – annual deadline is usually March 15, with the submission portal opening on January 1.
5. Yale Younger Poets competition (48-64 pp - now open to poets of any age) – annual submission period is October 1 – November 15.
6. Prairie Schooner Book Prize (two prizes and two genres: short story collection & poetry collection - at least 50 pp) – annual submission period is usually January 15 – March 15.
7. New American Press Poetry Prize (full-length collections - no pp # specified) - $1500 cash prize, 25 copies, and promotional support - annual submission period is usually September 15 - January 15.
8. AWP’s Donald Hall Poetry Prize (48 pp minimum) - the award comes with a $5,500 and publication by University of Pittsburgh Press. Annual submission period is January 1 – February 28/29.
9. Black Lawrence Press’s Hudson Prize (poetry or prose - 45-95 pp for poetry). “The prize is open to new, emerging, and established writers. The winner of this contest will receive book publication, a $1,000 cash award, and ten copies of the book. Prizes awarded on publication” - annual submission period is January 1 - March 31.
10. BOA Editions A. Poulin Jr. Prize (65 - 120 pp) must be the winner’s first published book of poetry. $1,000 cash prize, publication by BOA Editions in spring 2026. Submission period is August 1 - November 30, 2024. This year’s judge is Maya C. Popa.
NOVEL AND SHORT STORY COLLECTION CONTESTS
1. AWP’s Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction (short story collection - 150-300 double-spaced pp.) and the James Alan McPherson Prize for the novel (60,000-110,000 words) – annual submission period is January 1 – February 28/29. Both awards come with a $5,500 cash prize and publication.
2. Drue Heinz Prize (short story collection or two or more novellas - 150 - 300 double-spaced pp) – annual submission period is May 1 – June 30 - requires some prior publication (no entry fee).
3. Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction (short story collection - no pp # specified) – annual submission period is April 1 - May 31.
4. Mary McCarthy Fiction Prize (short story collection - 150-250 double-spaced pp), Sarabande Books – annual submission period is January 1 – February 15.
5. Prairie Schooner Book Prize (two genres & two prizes: short story collection - at least 150 double-spaced pp & poetry collection - at least 50 single-spaced pp) – annual submission period is January 15 – March 15
6. Autumn House Press Fiction Prize (novellas, short stories, novels - approx 150-300 double-spaced pp) - annual submission period is January 1 - May 31.
7. Rosemary Daniell Fiction Prize (novellas, short stories, novels, 40,000-70,000 words) for women writers. “We are particularly seeking stories that give voice to the marginalized and underrepresented,” Minerva Rising Press. $1000 cash prize and 10 copies - submission period is August 10 - October 10.
8. New American Press Fiction Prize (novellas, short stories, novels - approx 150-300 double-spaced pp) - annual submission period is February 15 - June 15.
9. Iowa Short Fiction Award and John Simmons Short Fiction Award (short story collection - at least 150 double-spaced pp) - prizes awarded to two collections of stories - for writers who haven’t yet published a book-length work of fiction - annual submission period is August 1 - September 30.
10. Black Lawrence Press’s Hudson Prize (poetry or prose - 120-280 double-spaced pp for prose). “The prize is open to new, emerging, and established writers. The winner of this contest will receive book publication, a $1,000 cash award, and ten copies of the book. Prizes awarded on publication” - annual submission period is January 1 - March 31.
11. The Publishing Laboratory - University of New Orleans (novels & short story collections - no word/page limit) - “the contest is open to all authors from around the world, regardless of publishing history” - annual submission period of March 1 - August 31
12. Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction (novel - submissions above 40K words recommended, but there is no hard minimum) - annual submission period is February 1 - September 30
13. Black Lawrence Press’s Big Moose Prize (novel - 90-1,000 double-spaced pages) - annual submission period - early bird: November 1 - 30; regular: December 1 - January 31
14. Acre Books (essays, short story collections, novels, novellas) accepts queries and submissions for fiction and nonfiction manuscripts August 1 - 30. Use contact form at this link for your query letter and up to 10 pp of your manuscript. “Please submit only one book at a time. If we wish to see the full manuscript, we will contact you.”
15 BOA Editions Short Fiction Prize (short story collection, 100 - 200 double-spaced pp) $1,000 cash prize, publication by BOA Editions. Submission period is usually April 1 - May 31. Judge is BOA publisher Peter Conners.
NONFICTION BOOK CONTESTS
1. AWP Sue William Silverman Prize for Creative Nonfiction – $2,500 prize, publication by the University of Georgia Press (manuscripts should be 150-300 double-spaced pp.) - annual submission period is January 1 – February 28/29.
2. Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize – usually every other year. “Submissions are now closed for the 2024 Graywolf Nonfiction Prize. The submission period for the next Graywolf Nonfiction Prize will be in 2026.” $20,000 advance awarded to the recipient. Other prizes are offered on occasion, including the Graywolf Press Africa Fiction Prize (set to open in 2025 for the next submission round). $12,000 advance awarded to the recipient.
3. River Teeth Journal Nonfiction Book Prize - “manuscripts must be in English, double-spaced, and between 35K-85K words long (approx. 150-350 double-spaced pp). Winner will receive book publication with the University of New Mexico Press and a $1,000 honorarium. Submission period is August 1 - October 30.
4. The Journal at Ohio State University Non/Fiction Prize, (short stories, novellas, essays or a hybrid ms. featuring both fiction and nonfiction - 150-350 double-spaced pp), $1,500 cash award, submissions open February 1 - March 11.
5. Ohio State University Press 21st Century Essays series (not a contest per se, but they are open to manuscript submissions March 1 - April 30).
6. Autumn House Nonfiction Prize (150-300 double-spaced pp. or 37,500-75,000 words). “The winner will receive book publication, a $1,000 honorarium, and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant to promote their book. All finalists will be considered for publication.” Submission period has passed for this year (March 1 - April 30, 2024) - check the site later this year for 2025 dates.
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