The temperature keeps rising as we move into July, but it only takes a little ingenuity to avoid the doldrums. Our idea? Beat the summer heat by drinking lemonade, visiting the pool, and fanning yourself with a pile of submissions!
FEATURED! Short Story Award For New Writers
This is our biggest submission period of the year! The Masters Review is looking for stories under 7000 words, written by emerging writers who have a way with words and a passion for prose. The winner receives $3000, publication, and agency review, and the first and second place authors also receive cash prizes, publication, and review. Don’t let this opportunity slip by! Details here.
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: July 31
Bellevue Literary Review Prizes
All three of the Bellevue Literary Review’s contests are ending soon, so enter now if you want to receive one of the three $1000 and publication first-place prizes! All entries should be related to themes of health, healing, illness, the mind, and the body. Geraldine Brooks is judging fiction, Rachel Hadas is judging poetry, and Rivka Galchen is judging nonfiction. Honorable mention winners also earn $250 and publication! Guidelines here.
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: July 1
Richard J. Margolis Award
Inspired by journalist and essayist Richard J. Margolis, this prize provides financial and other support to a promising journalist whose work combines warmth, humor, and wisdom with social justice. This prize recognizes one writer with $5000, and a one-month residency at the Blue Mountain Center in Blue Mountain Lake, NY. Applicants need to provide a biographical note, a project description, and two writing samples. Submission guidelines here.
Entry Fee: FREE Deadline: July 1
Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers
These awards, presented by Nimrod International Journal through the University of Tulsa, honor the work of writers at the beginning of their careers in either fiction or poetry. Contestants can enter up to five pages of poetry, and up to 5000 words of prose. The winner of each category will receive $500 and their manuscript will be published in the spring issue of Nimrod! Details here.
Entry Fee: $12 Deadline: July 15
Rattle Poetry Prize
Rattle is looking for an outstanding piece of poetry, and they are definitely willing to compensate you handsomely for it! This annual competition awards $10,000 for a single poem to be published in the winter issue of their magazine. Ten finalists also receive $200, and additional poems from the entries are frequently published. Four poems are allowed per entry, and there is no line limit. What are you waiting for? Enter here!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: July 15
Robert and Adele Schiff Awards in Poetry and Prose
The Cincinnati Review is currently accepting submissions for their annual contest. The winning poem and prose piece will be judged by Poetry Editor Don Bogen and Fiction Editor Michael Griffith. The winning entries will be published in 2018 and receive $1000 each, so don’t lose your chance! Learn more here.
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: July 15
The Story Prize
This competition daunting for any author, but the reward at the end is well worth the effort! A $20,000 book prize is awarded to the author of a collection of short stories that was published this year. Currently they’re accepting submissions of books that were published from January through June. Could this be you? Do it!
Entry Fee: $75 Deadline: July 15
William Faulkner Literary Competition
This is a multi-faceted event, with opportunities for a staggering variety of writers. Authors can submit their work to novel, adult short story, one-act play, and poetry categories! Prizes and deadlines vary for each category, with the winning novel receiving $2000 and publication. Make sure you read each category’s guidelines closely. More information here.
Entry Fee: $20 – $50 Deadline: July 15
Kenneth Patchen Award
If you have an unpublished fiction manuscript, this is opportunity knocking! The Journal of Experimental Fiction is currently accepting submissions for this prize. An innovative full-length fiction work will be selected, and the winner will receive publication and $1000. Do it!
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: July 31
Narrative Spring Story Contest
This contest is open to all fiction and nonfiction writers, writing anything from short stories and memoirs, to essays and literary nonfiction! The entries need to be less than 15,000 words and previously unpublished, while containing a strong narrative drive and intense insights. First prize is $2500, second is $1000, and third is $500. Guidelines here.
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: July 31
Virginia Quarterly Review READING SESSION
This is the month to send in your work to the Virginia Quarterly Review, because it’s the only time of year that they accept unsolicited submissions! They’re looking for fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and they’re willing to pay over $1000 for accepted content. Don’t miss your chance! Learn more here.
Entry Fee: FREE Deadline: July 31
by Kimberly Guerin