We told the rain to come again another day, and now those days have finally arrived… Don’t be too glum, though, because now you have the perfect excuse to spend all day perfecting your pile of submissions before entering them in one of these contests!
Annual Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Nonfiction Contest
There is still just enough to time to enter The Briar Cliff Review’s writing contest, so don’t miss your chance! Prose entries can be up to 5000 words, poetry entries can include up to three poems, and simultaneous submissions are allowed. The first-place winner in each category is awarded $1000 and will be published in the 2019 edition of The Briar Cliff Review. Submission guidelines here!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: November 1
Gabriele Rico Challenge in Creative Nonfiction
Reed Magazine is currently accepting submissions for this award, but not for long! This prize recognizes outstanding works of nonfiction, up to 5000 words, and the winner receives $1333! Please note that entries must be creative nonfiction, such as personal essays or narratives, and not scholarly papers or book reviews. Check it out!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: November 1
John Steinbeck Fiction Award
Another great contest from Reed Magazine ends this month, so make sure you check out this one as well! Send in works of fiction under 5000 words, with a word count and a brief bio, and you could win $1000! All entries do need to be stand-alone short stories, however, not chapters from larger works. Submit here!
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: November 1
Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest
The University of Alabama Press is looking for fiction that is too innovative, challenging, and ambitious for traditional publishing, and they’re willing to pay you for the privilege of publishing yours! Open to any author writing in English who hasn’t been published with their imprint Fiction Collective Two, submissions may include a collection of short stories, one or more novellas, or a novel of any length. The winner, chosen by judge Aimee Parkison, receives $1500 and publication. Learn more here!
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: November 1
Walt Whitman Award
If you are an unpublished poet, this is an opportunity meant specifically for you! The Walt Whitman Award is meant to honor a poet’s first book, with a $5000 prize, a six-week residency in Italy, publication, and distribution of the winning book to all members of the Academy of American Poets. As an extra bonus, the judge is decorated poet Li-Young Lee! Do it!
Entry Fee: $35 Deadline: November 1
Patrick Henry Writing Fellowship
This is an amazing opportunity for any historical writer! Applicants should have a book-length project in progress, and it should address the history and/or legacy of the American Revolution and their founding ideas (very broadly defined). The fellowship includes a $45,000 stipend, a book allowance, and a nine-month residency in Chestertown, MD. Entries need to include a cover letter, CV, a writing sample, a description of a class they might teach, and a persuasive description of the work-in-progress. More details here!
Entry Fee: FREE Deadline: November 15
Robert C. Jones Prize for Short Prose
This contest from Pleiades Press is open to all fiction and nonfiction writers, whose collections can include anything from short stories and flash fiction, to lyric essays and any other short prose you can think of! Manuscripts need to be at least 60 pages, and previously unpublished, while indicating whether they are fiction or nonfiction. Chosen by judge Kazim Ali, the winning manuscript receives $2000, and publication with national distribution! Guidelines here.
Entry Fee: $25 Deadline: November 15
VanderMey Nonfiction Prize
Now open,Ruminate’s current contest is a big one, with the winner receiving $1500 and publication! Submissions need to be essays or short memoirs, 5500 words or less, and there are no limits on the number of entries per person. Judged by Jessica Wilbanks. Submit here.
Entry Fee: $20 Deadline: November 15
Nilsen Literary Prize
Are you wondering what to do with your just-finished manuscript? Well, this prize is meant for an applicant’s first novel! Submissions can be novels, novellas, or collections of closely-linked short stories. The manuscript must be unpublished, as the winner will be published through Southeast Missouri State University Press, and they will also receive $2000. Check it out!
Entry Fee: $30 Deadline: November 16
Mid-American Review Poetry and Fiction Awards
These are actually two contests through Mid-American Review, the Sherwood Anderson Fiction Award and the James Wright Poetry Award. Submissions may be up to 6000 words, or up to three poems, and the winner of each contest receives $1000 and publication. Make sure to select the correct contest for your submission! More details here.
Entry Fee: $10 Deadline: November 30
Narrative Fall 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. All entries are considered for publication, and all contest entries are also eligible for the $4000 Narrative Prize! Guidelines here.
Entry Fee: $26 Deadline: November 30