Deadlines for various end-of-the month contests and reading periods are upon us once again. Put your last bit of polish on those long-percolating projects. Entry fees, freebies – it’s all below.
Glimmer Train – “Come on, ride the Train. Hey, ride it.” And thusly did the Quad City DJ’s bring forth this month’s fiction submissions. First Prize for the Short Story Award for New Writers nets you a cool $1500 and publication in Glimmer Train. Details can be found on their website, though I’ll note right off the bat that the contest is open to any writer whose fiction (no novels, poetry, or stories written for children, please) has not appeared in a print publication with a circulation greater than 5000. Them’s the rules. DUE DATE: May 31, 2014. Entry Fee: $15
American Short Fiction – “Only God can judge me,” you say? That’s perfect, because ASF got God — a.k.a. Amy Hempel, modern master of the form — to judge. It’s a blind read, so make sure to leave any identifying information off of the manuscript itself. More details here. DUE DATE: June 1, 2014. Entry Fee: $20 per submission.
Ploughshares – If you can type or polish fast, and are a new or emerging writer, Ploughshares invites you to submit up to 6000 words by May 15, for a chance to win $1000 and publication in this very prestigious journal. If you have not yet published a book, you qualify, so submit up to one piece of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Here are the details. DUE DATE: May 15. ENTRY FEE: $24 includes subscription.
Southern Indiana Review – Here’s a Creative Nonfiction contest to mix it up. The winner of the Thomas A. Wilhelmus Editors’ Award receives $2000 and publication in SIR. This contest is open to anyone, be they published or unpublished. DUE DATE: June 2, 2014. Entry Fee: $20 for first submission, $5 for each additional submission.
BOA Editions – If you have an entire collection of short stories that you believe to be the bees’ knees, then check out BOA Editions’ contest. Their Short Fiction Prize includes a $1000 honorarium and publication. Submission guidelines here. DUE DATE: May 31, 2014. Entry Fee: $25.
Graywolf Press – Here’s another Nonfiction prize for those who crave truth over beauty. If you have a project that “tests the boundaries of literary nonfiction,” look their way. The only major catch for indie non-profit Graywolf’s contest this month is that you must have already published a book (in any genre). Inquire within. No Entry Fee. DUE DATE: May 31, 2014.
University of Georgia Press – UGA Press gives out the annual Flannery O’Connor Award for outstanding collections of short fiction. That can include longer stories or novellas, as long as the entry does not go over 75,000 words. Contest details here. DUE DATE: May 30, 2014. Entry Fee: $25.
Writer’s Digest – WD’s Annual Writing Competition promises one heckuva payout: $3000 for first place and an all-expenses-paid trip to the next Writer’s Digest Conference, where you can meet one-on-one with editors and agents. Plus, they’re not too picky about the type of work they’re looking for; memoir, poetry, YA, genre shorts, and literary shorts are all game. Submission guidelines. DUE DATE: June 2, 2014. Entry Fee: $30 for the first manuscript; $25 for each additional entry submitted during the same transaction.