Academy for Teachers
“Stories Out of School” Flash Fiction Contest
Jules Fitz Gerald of southern Oregon won the 2024 “Stories Out of School” Flash Fiction Contest for “Orientation.” She received $1,000 and publication in A Public Space. Karen Russell judged. The annual award is given for a work of flash fiction about teachers and school, in which the protagonist or narrator is a K–12 teacher. (See Deadlines.)
Academy for Teachers, “Stories Out of School” Flash Fiction Contest, 178 Columbus Avenue, P.O. Box 231167, New York, NY, 10023. Jeff Wills, Chief Operations Officer. jeff@academyforteachers.org academyforteachers.org/contests
Academy of American Poets
First Book Award
Robin Walter of Fort Collins, Colorado, won the 2024 First Book Award for Little Mercy. She will receive $5,000 and publication of her book by Graywolf Press in April 2025. Her work will also be featured on the Academy of American Poets website and in American Poets, and copies of her book will be distributed to over 5,000 members of the Academy of American Poets. Victoria Chang judged. The annual award is given to a poet who has not published a poetry collection in a standard edition. (See Deadlines.)
Academy of American Poets, First Book Award, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038. (212) 274-0343, ext. 13. Nikay Paredes, Programs Director. awards@poets.org poets.org/academy-american-poets/prizes/first-book-award
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Literature Awards
Seventeen writers were among those to receive awards in literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Fiction writer and nonfiction writer Darryl Pinckney of New York City received the $100,000 Christopher Lightfoot Walker Award, given to “a writer who has made a significant contribution to American literature.” Fiction and nonfiction writer Andrew Holleran of Gainesville, Florida, received the $20,000 Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award, given annually to a prose writer whose work “merits recognition for the quality of its style.” Fiction writer Gayl Jones of Lexington, Kentucky, received the $20,000 Katherine Anne Porter Award, given biennially to “a prose writer whose achievements and dedication to the literary profession have been demonstrated.” Fiction writers Cal Flyn of Orkney, Scotland, and Chetna Maroo of London won E. M. Forster Awards, given to “writers from the United Kingdom or Ireland for a stay in the United States.” They each received $20,000. Fiction writer Maya Binyam of Los Angeles won the $10,000 Rosenthal Family Foundation Award for Literature for Hangman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux); the annual award is given for “an exceptional novel” published during the previous year. Nonfiction writer Jennifer Homans of New York City received the $10,000 Morton Dauwen Zabel Award, given to “a critic of progressive, original, and experimental tendencies.” Translators Charlotte Mandell of the Hudson Valley in New York and Michael F. Moore of New York City won Thornton Wilder Prizes for Translation. They each received $10,000. Arts and Letters Awards in Literature winners included poet Ama Codjoe of New York City; poet, fiction writer, and nonfiction writer Elisa M. Gonzalez of New York City; poet and translator Boris Dralyuk of Los Angeles; fiction writers Lan Samantha Chang of Iowa City, Michelle Huneven of Altadena, California, and Elizabeth McCracken of Austin; and nonfiction writer David George Haskell of Sewanee, Tennessee. They each received $10,000. The annual awards are given to poets, fiction writers, nonfiction writers, and translators to honor “exceptional accomplishment” in literature. Taylor Koekkoek of Madison, Wisconsin, received the $5,000 Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction for his short story collection, Thrillville, USA (Simon & Schuster); the annual award honors a debut book of fiction published in the previous year. There is no application process.
American Academy of Arts and Letters, 633 West 155th Street, New York, NY 10032. (212) 368-5900. academy@artsandletters.org artsandletters.org
American Poetry Review
Honickman First Book Prize
Jacob Eigen of Chicago won the 2024 Honickman First Book Prize for The Twenty-First Century. He received $3,000, and his collection will be published in September by American Poetry Review with distribution by Copper Canyon Press through Consortium. Roger Reeves judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection by a writer who has not yet published a book of poetry. The next deadline is October 1.
American Poetry Review, Honickman First Book Prize, 1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103. (215) 309-3722. Elizabeth Scanlon, Editor in Chief. escanlon@aprweb.org aprweb.org
Bedford Competition
International Short Story & Poetry Awards
Ben Howard of Leeds, England, won the 2023 Bedford Competition International Poetry Award for “Pantoum.” Isaac Hogarth of Sydney won the Short Story Award for “Joey.” They received £1,500 (approximately $1,903) each and publication in the Bedford Competition anthology. MacGillivray judged in poetry and Timothy J. Jarvis judged in fiction. The annual awards are given for a poem and a short story. The next deadline is October 31.
Bedford Competition, International Short Story & Poetry Awards, 28 Miller Road, Bedford, MK42 9NZ, England. Philip Carey, Contact. thebedfordcompetition@gmail.com bedfordwritingcompetition.co.uk
Biographers International Organization
BIO Award
Kai Bird of New York City won the 2024 BIO Award. Bird, whose most recent biography is The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter (Crown, 2021), received $2,000. The annual award is given “to a distinguished colleague who has made significant contributions to the art and craft of biography.” There is no application process.
Biographers International Organization, P.O. Box 33020, Santa Fe, NM 87594. Michael Gately, Executive Director. execdirector@biographersinternational.org biographersinternational.org
California State University in Fresno
Philip Levine Prize for Poetry
William Archila of Los Angeles won the 2023 Philip Levine Prize for Poetry for S Is For. He received $2,000, and his book will be published by Black Lawrence Press. He will also receive 25 author copies. Douglas Kearney judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. The next deadline is September 30.
California State University in Fresno, Philip Levine Prize for Poetry, English Department, 5245 N. Backer Avenue, PB98, Fresno, CA 93740. Mai Der Vang, Contest Coordinator. maidervang@mail.fresnostate.edu fresnostate.edu/levineprize
Cave Canem Foundation
Cave Canem Prize
Ajibola Tolase of Hamilton, New York, won the 2024 Cave Canem Poetry Prize for 2,000 Blacks. He will receive $1,000, and his book will be published by University of Pittsburgh Press in September. Lynne Thompson judged. The annual award is given for a debut poetry collection by a Black poet. The next deadline is May 6, 2025.
Cave Canem Foundation, Cave Canem Prize, 20 Jay Street, Suite 310-A, Brooklyn, NY 11201. (718) 858-0000. info@ccpoets.org cavecanempoets.org/prizes
Claremont Graduate University
Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards
Paisley Rekdal of Salt Lake City won the 32nd annual Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award for West: A Translation (Copper Canyon Press). She received $100,000. The annual award is given for a book of poetry by a midcareer poet published in the previous year. Jacqui Germain of St. Louis won the 31st annual Kate Tufts Discovery Award for Bittering the Wound (Autumn House Press). She received $10,000. The annual award is given for a first book of poetry published in the previous year. Both prizes were judged by Ellen Bass, Carmen Giménez, Diana Khoi Nguyen, Lynne Thompson, and Divya Victor. As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
Claremont Graduate University, Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards, 160 East 10th Street, Harper East B7, Claremont, CA 91711. (909) 621-8974. tufts.poetry@cgu.edu arts.cgu.edu/tufts-poetry-awards
Cleveland Foundation
Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Monica Youn of New York City won the 89th annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in poetry for From From (Graywolf Press). Teju Cole of Cambridge, Massachusetts, won the award in fiction for Tremor (Random House). Ned Blackhawk of New Haven, Connecticut, won the award in nonfiction for The Rediscovery of America: Native People and the Unmaking of U.S. History (Yale University Press). Poet, fiction writer, and memoirist Maxine Hong Kingston of Oakland, whose work across genres has been most recently compiled in Maxine Hong Kingston: The Woman Warrior, China Men, Tripmaster Monkey, Hawai‘i One Summer, Other Writings (Library of America, 2022), won the Lifetime Achievement Award. They each received $10,000. Peter Ho Davies, Rita Dove, Tiya Miles, Steven Pinker, and Natasha Trethewey judged. The annual awards are given to honor books of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction published in the previous year that “contribute to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of cultural diversity.” The next deadline is December 31.
Cleveland Foundation, Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, 6601 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44103. (216) 861-3810. submit@anisfield-wolf.org anisfield-wolf.org
Coffee-House Poetry
Troubadour International Poetry Prize
Jennifer Harrison of Windsor, Australia, won the 2023 Troubadour International Poetry Prize for “Traceries.” She received £2,000 (approximately $2,537). Simon Walsh of Brattleboro, Vermont, won the second-place prize for “A Child’s Christmas in Alcohol.” He received £1,000 (approximately $1,268). Both poems were published on the Coffee-House Poetry website, and the winners participated in a virtual reading with the judges, Mona Arshi and Tom Sleigh, in March. The annual award is given for a single poem. As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
Coffee-House Poetry, Troubadour International Poetry Prize, P.O. Box 16210, London, W4 1ZP, England. poems@coffeehousepoetry.org coffeehousepoetry.org/prizes
Comstock Review
Muriel Craft Bailey Memorial Award
Jodi Balas of Wilkes–Barre, Pennsylvania, won the 2023 Muriel Craft Bailey Memorial Award for “Bone Density.” She received $1,000 and publication in Comstock Review. Danusha Laméris judged. The annual award is given for a single poem. (See Deadlines.)
Comstock Review, Muriel Craft Bailey Memorial Award, 4956 St. John Drive, Syracuse, NY 13215. poetry@comstockreview.org comstockreview.org
Connecticut Poetry Society
Experimental Poetry Contest
JoAnne McFarland of New York City won the 2023 Experimental Poetry Contest for “American Graphic.” She received $1,000 and publication in Connecticut River Review. Richard Deming judged. The annual award is given for an innovative poem. (See Deadlines.)
Connecticut Poetry Society, Experimental Poetry Contest, P.O. Box 516, Cheshire, CT 06410. Kathleen McIntosh, Contest Chair. ctpoetryline@gmail.com ctpoetry.net
Copper Nickel
Jake Adam York Prize
Sarah V. Schweig of Portland, Maine, won the eighth annual Jake Adam York Prize for The Ocean in the Next Room. She received $2,000, and her book will be published by Milkweed Editions in January 2025. Cynthia Cruz judged. The annual award is given for a first or second poetry collection. The next deadline is October 15.
Copper Nickel, Jake Adam York Prize, University of Colorado, English Department, Campus Box 175, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217. Wayne Miller, Editor. wayne.miller@ucdenver.edu copper-nickel.org/bookprize
Dogwood
Literary Awards
Mirande Bissell of Ellicott City, Maryland, won the 2024 Dogwood Literary Award in Poetry for “Incomplete Quadriplegia.” Amie LaBrie of Cranbury, New Jersey, won the Award in Fiction for “A Girl’s Guide to Surviving (or Avoiding) a Kidnapping.” Barbara Cameron of Los Angeles won the Award in Nonfiction for “At the End of Cherry Tree Lane.” They each received $1,000, and their works will be published in the 2024 issue of Dogwood. Allison Joseph judged in poetry, Hirsh Sawney judged in fiction, and Heather Kirn Lanier judged in nonfiction. The annual awards are given for a poem, a short story, and an essay. (See Deadlines.)
Dogwood, Literary Awards, Fairfield University, English Department, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. (203) 254-4000, ext. 2565. Sonya Huber, Editor. shuber@fairfield.edu dogwoodliterary.wordpress.com
Ghost Story
Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition
Gerard J Waggett of Dorchester, Massachusetts, won the Winter 2024 Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition for his story “He Loved His Mamma and His Mayonnaise.” He received $1,000, and his story was published on the Ghost Story website. The editors judged. The award is given biannually for a work of flash fiction with a supernatural or magical realist theme. (See Deadlines.)
Ghost Story, Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition, P.O. Box 601, Union, ME 04862. Paul Guernsey, Editor. editor@theghoststory.com theghoststory.com/flash-fiction-competition
Gival Press
Poetry Award
Rod Carlos Rodriguez of San Antonio, Texas, won the 2023 Gival Press Poetry Award for A History of Echoes. He received $1,000, and his book will be published by Gival Press in October. Beverly Burch judged. The biennial award was given for a poetry collection. As of this writing, the prize has been discontinued.
Gival Press, P.O. Box 3812, Arlington, VA 22203. (703) 351-0079. Robert L. Giron, Editor in Chief. givalpress@yahoo.com givalpress.com
Grid Books
Off The Grid Poetry Prize
Jane Medved of Jerusalem won the 2024 Off the Grid Poetry Prize for Wayfarers. She received $1,000, and her book will be published in print and audio formats by Grid Books. The annual award is given for a poetry collection by a poet over the age of 60. (See Deadlines.)
Grid Books, Off the Grid Poetry Prize, 118 Wilson Street, Beacon, NY 12508. info@grid-books.org grid-books.org/off-the-grid-press
Howling Bird Press
Book Prize
Emily Hyland of Santa Fe won the 2024 Howling Bird Press Book Prize for her poetry collection, Divorced Business Partners. She received $2,500, and her book will be published by Howling Bird Press in the fall. The annual award is given in alternating years for a poetry collection, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction. The 2025 prize will be awarded in fiction. (See Deadlines.)
Howling Bird Press, Book Prize, Augsburg University, 219 Memorial Hall, 2211 Riverside Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55454. Nayt Rundquist, Publisher. rundquis@augsburg.edu engage.augsburg.edu/howlingbird
Jewish Book Council
Berru National Jewish Book Award for Poetry
Carlie Hoffman of New York City won the eighth Berru National Jewish Book Award for Poetry for When There Was Light (Four Way Books). She received $1,000 and promotion of the book through the Jewish Book Council. The annual award is given for a book of poetry with Jewish themes published during the previous year. The next deadline is September 20.
Jewish Book Council, Berru National Jewish Book Award for Poetry, 520 Eighth Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10018. (212) 201-2920. Naomi Firestone-Teeter, CEO. njba@jewishbooks.org jewishbookcouncil.org
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Writing Fellowships
Twenty-seven writers received 2024 Guggenheim Fellowships in creative writing. The fellows in poetry are Kaveh Akbar of Iowa City; Jos Charles of Long Beach, California; Elaine Equi of New York City; Vievee Francis of Junction, Vermont; Airea D. Matthews of Philadelphia; Robyn Schiff of Chicago; Safiya Sinclair of Phoenix; Tracy K. Smith of Waban, Massachusetts; and Mai Der Vang of Fresno, California. The fellows in fiction are Camille Bordas of Chicago; Jamel Brinkley of Iowa City; Emma Cline and Justin Torres, both of Los Angeles; Laird Hunt of Providence; and Julia Phillips, Kirstin Valdez Quade, and Emma Straub, all of New York City. The fellows in general nonfiction are Jonathan Alter of Montclair, New Jersey; Thomas Beller of New Orleans and New York City; Jefferson Cowie of Nashville; David Mura of Minneapolis; Beth Nguyen of Madison, Wisconsin; Jennifer Raff of Lawrence, Kansas; Sonia Shah of Baltimore; Christina Sharpe of Toronto; Adam Shatz of New York City; and James Wood of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The fellowships of approximately $50,000 each are given annually in recognition of “exceptional creative ability.” As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Writing Fellowships, 90 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016. fellowships@gf.org gf.org
Literary Arts
Oregon Book Awards
Daniela Naomi Molnar of Portland received the 2024 Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry for CHORUS (Omnidawn). Patrick deWitt of Portland received the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction for his novel The Librarianist (HarperCollins). Erica Berry of Portland received the Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction for her book of cultural criticism, Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear (Flatiron Books). Josephine Woolington of Portland received the Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction for Where We Call Home: Lands, Seas, and Skies of the Pacific Northwest (Ooligan Press). They each received $1,000. Abigail Chabitnoy, Eleni Sikelianos, and Mark Wunderlich judged in poetry; Allison Escoto, Morgan Talty, and Jacinda Townsend judged in fiction; Molly McCully Brown, Rachel Louise Martin, and Jared Yates Sexton judged in creative nonfiction; and Timothy Denevi, Chris Mathers Jackson, and Steve Olson judged in general nonfiction. The annual awards are given for books of poetry and prose by Oregon writers published in the previous year. (See Deadlines.)
Literary Arts, Oregon Book Awards, 925 SW Washington Street, Portland, OR 97205. (503) 227-2583. Susan Moore, Director of Programs for Writers. susan@literary-arts.org literary-arts.org
Michigan Quarterly Review
Lawrence Foundation Prize
Thea Chacamaty of San Anselmo, California, won the 46th annual Lawrence Foundation Prize in Fiction for “Harm Reduction,” which appeared in the Summer 2023 issue of Michigan Quarterly Review. She received $2,000. Dur e Aziz Amna judged. The annual award is given for a short story published in Michigan Quarterly Review in the previous year. There is no application process.
Page Davidson Clayton Prize
Hannah Keziah Agustin of Madison, Wisconsin, won the 15th annual Page Davidson Clayton Prize for Emerging Poets for “Bangungot,” which appeared in the Summer 2023 issue of Michigan Quarterly Review. She received $500. Katie Hartsock judged. The annual award is given for a poem or group of poems published in Michigan Quarterly Review by a poet who has not published a book at the time of publication in the journal. There is no application process.
Michigan Quarterly Review, University of Michigan, 3277 Angell Hall, 435 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. mqr@umich.edu sites.lsa.umich.edu/mqr
Moon City Press
Poetry Award
Tina Schumann of Seattle won the 2023 Moon City Poetry Award for Boneyard Heresies. She received $1,000, and her book will be published by Moon City Press in December. The editors judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. The next deadline is June 1, 2025.
Short Fiction Award
Avitus B. Carle of Philadelphia won the 2023 Moon City Short Fiction Award for These Worn Bodies. She will receive $1,000, and her book will be published by Moon City Press in the fall. The editors judged. The annual award is given for a story collection. The next deadline is June 1, 2025.
Moon City Press, Missouri State University, English Department, 901 S. National Avenue, Springfield, MO 65897. Karen Craigo and Michael Czyzniejewski, Series Editors. mczyzniejewski@missouristate.edu moon-city-press.com
National Book Critics Circle
Book Awards
Kim Hyesoon of Seoul received the 2023 National Book Critics Circle Award in poetry for Phantom Pain Wings (New Directions), translated from the Korean by Don Mee Choi of Berlin. The finalists were the late Saskia Hamilton for All Souls (Graywolf Press); Romeo Oriogun of Ames, Iowa, for The Gathering of Bastards (University of Nebraska Press); Robyn Schiff of Chicago for Information Desk (Penguin Books); and Charif Shanahan of Chicago for Trace Evidence (Tin House). Lorrie Moore of Nashville received the award in fiction for her novel I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home (Knopf). The finalists were Teju Cole of Cambridge, Massachusetts, for Tremor (Random House); Daniel Mason of Palo Alto, California, for North Woods (Random House); Marie NDiaye of Paris for Vengeance Is Mine (Knopf), translated from the French by Jordan Stump of Lincoln, Nebraska; and Justin Torres of Los Angeles for Blackouts (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Safiya Sinclair of Phoenix received the award in autobiography for How to Say Babylon (Simon & Schuster). The finalists were Susan Kiyo Ito of Oakland for I Would Meet You Anywhere (Ohio State University Press); David Mas Masumoto of Fresno, California, for Secret Harvests: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm (Red Hen Press); Ahmed Naji of Las Vegas for Rotten Evidence: Reading and Writing in an Egyptian Prison (McSweeney’s), translated from the Arabic by Katharine Halls of London; and Matthew Zapruder of Oakland for Story of a Poem (Unnamed Press). Roxanna Asgarian of Dallas received the nonfiction award for We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). The finalists were Kerry Howley of Los Angeles for Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs (Knopf); Dina Nayeri of St. Andrews, Scotland, for Who Gets Believed?: When the Truth Isn’t Enough (Catapult Books); Jeff Sharlet of Hanover, New Hampshire, for The Undertow: Scenes From a Slow Civil War (Norton); and Christina Sharpe of Toronto for Ordinary Notes (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Jonny Steinberg of New Haven, Connecticut, received the biography award for Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage (Knopf). The finalists were Jonathan Eig and Rachel Shteir, both of Chicago, for King: A Life (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) and Betty Friedan: Magnificent Disruptor (Yale University Press), respectively; Gregg Hecimovich of Cambridge, Massachusetts, for The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of the Bondwoman’s Narrative (Ecco); and Yunte Huang of Santa Barbara, California, for Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong’s Rendezvous With American History (Liveright). Tina Post of Chicago received the criticism award for Deadpan: The Aesthetics of Black Inexpression (NYU Press). The finalists were Nicholas Dames and Grace E. Lavery, both of New York City, for The Chapter: A Segmented History From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century (Princeton University Press) and Pleasure and Efficacy: Of Pen Names, Cover Versions, and Other Trans Techniques (Princeton University Press), respectively; Myriam Gurba of Long Beach, California, for Creep: Accusations and Confessions (Avid Reader Press); and Naomi Klein of Sunshine Coast, Canada, for Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). The National Book Critics Circle, a professional organization composed of more than 700 book critics and reviewers from across the country, selects the winners of the annual awards, which honor books of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction published in the United States in the previous year. Publishers may also suggest books for consideration by the recommended date of November 1.
John Leonard Prize
Tahir Hamut Izgil of Washington, D.C., won the John Leonard Prize for his memoir, Waiting to Be Arrested at Night: A Uyghur Poet’s Memoir of China’s Genocide (Penguin Press), translated from the Uyghur by Joshua L. Freeman of Taipei, Taiwan. The annual award is given for a first book in any genre published in the United States in the previous year. There is no application process.
Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize
The late novelist Tezer Özlü and translator Maureen Freely of Bath, England, won the Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize for the novel Cold Nights of Childhood (Transit Books), translated from the Turkish. The annual award is given for a book in any genre translated into English and published in the United States in the previous year. There is no application process.
National Book Critics Circle, c/o Michael Schaub, Vice President Online. 4600 Keswick Road, Baltimore, MD 21210. mschaubtx@gmail.com bookcritics.org
National Federation of State Poetry Societies
Barbara Stevens Poetry Book Manuscript Competition
Jessica Barksdale of Vancouver, Washington, won the 2023 Barbara Stevens Poetry Book Manuscript Competition for Let’s End This Now. She received $1,000, publication of her book by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies in June, and 50 author copies. Edward Hirsch judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. The next deadline is October 15.
National Federation of State Poetry Societies, Barbara Stevens Poetry Book Manuscript Competition, 2230 SE Laura Lane, Dallas, OR 97338. Eleanor Berry, Chair. stevenschair@nfsps.com nfsps.com
New American Press
New American Poetry Prize
Megan Merchant of Prescott, Arizona, won the 2023 New American Poetry Prize for Hortensia, in Winter. She will receive $1,500, publication of her book by New American Press in the fall, and 25 author copies. Jamaica Baldwin judged. The annual award is given for a poetry collection. The next deadline is January 15, 2025.
New American Fiction Prize
Craig Bernardini of New York City won the 2023 New American Fiction Prize for his story collection 12 Oxen Under the Sea. He will receive $1,500, and his book will be published by New American Press. Gabriel Bump judged. The annual award is given for a book of fiction. As of this writing, the deadline for the 2025 contest has not been set.
New American Press, P.O. Box 1094, Grafton, WI 53024. David Bowen, Executive Director. david@newamericanpress.com newamericanpress.com/category/contests
New Literary Project
Jack Hazard Fellowships
Cyd A. Apellido of Charlotte, North Carolina, Sean Gleason of Oakland, Mohammad Hakima of New York City, Monica Judge of Bethesda, Maryland, Natalie Mislang Mann of Pacoima, California, Chad Marsh of Kirkland, Washington, Sarah Schiff of Atlanta, Heather Tone of Austin, Alonzo Vereen of Washington, D.C., and Adam White of Needham, Massachusetts, are the recipients of the 2024 Jack Hazard Fellowships for Creative Writers Teaching High School. They will receive $5,000 each. The awards are given annually to ten to fourteen creative writers from across the United States who teach high school students full-time and are at work on a piece of fiction or creative nonfiction or a memoir. As of this writing, the next deadline has not been set.
New Literary Project, Jack Hazard Fellowships, 4100 Redwood Road, Suite 20A/424, Oakland, CA 94619. Ian S. Maloney, Program Director. ian@newliteraryproject.org newliteraryproject.org/jack-hazard-fellowship
Nightboat Books
Poetry Prize
Stine An (안수연) of New York City, Yongyu Chen of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Edward Salem of Detroit won the 2023 Nightboat Poetry Prize. An won for B-Dragon Suite, Chen won for Perennial Counterpart, and Salem won for Monk Fruit. They each received $1,200, publication of their book by Nightboat Books, and 25 author copies. The editors judged. The annual award is given for up to four poetry collections. The next deadline is November 15.
Nightboat Books, Poetry Prize, 310 Nassau Avenue, #205, Brooklyn, NY 11222. info@nightboat.org nightboat.org
North Carolina Writers’ Network
Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize
Victoria Crane of Charlottesville, Virginia, won the 2024 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize for “Benediction.” She received $1,000, and her story will be published in Thomas Wolfe Review. Heather Newton judged. The annual award is given for a short story or novel excerpt. The next deadline is January 30, 2025.
Jacobs/Jones African American Literary Prize
Brenda C. Wilson of Charlotte won the 2024 Jacobs/Jones African American Literary Prize for “Emma’s Hands.” She received $1,000, and her story will be considered for publication in Carolina Quarterly. DéLana R. A. Dameron judged. The annual award is given for a short story or an essay by an African American writer who resides in North Carolina. The next deadline is January 2, 2025.
Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition
Nikolai Mather of Wilmington, North Carolina, won the 2024 Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition for “Highway 17 (failing at local journalism).” He received $1,000, and his essay will be considered for publication in Ecotone. Belle Boggs Smith judged. The annual award is given for an essay that “is outside the realm of conventional journalism and has relevance to North Carolinians.” The next deadline is January 15, 2025.
North Carolina Writers’ Network, P.O. Box 21591, Winston-Salem, NC 27120. Ed Southern, Executive Director. ed@ncwriters.org ncwriters.org
PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Award for Fiction
Claire Jiménez of Blythewood, South Carolina, won the 2024 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for her novel What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez (Grand Central). She received $15,000. The finalists were Jamel Brinkley of Iowa City for his story collection Witness (Farrar, Straus and Giroux); Henry Hoke of New York City for his novel Open Throat (MCD); Alice McDermott of Bethesda, Maryland, for her novel Absolution (Farrar, Straus and Giroux); and Colin Winnette of San Francisco for his novel Users (Soft Skull). They each received $5,000. The winner and finalists were invited to read at the annual PEN/Faulkner Award Celebration in Washington, D.C., in May. Xochitl Gonzalez, Alan Michael Parker, and Lynn Steger Strong judged. The annual award is given for a book of fiction published during the previous year. The next deadline is September 30.
PEN/Faulkner Foundation, Award for Fiction, 6218 Georgia Avenue NW, Unit #1062, Washington, D.C. 20011. Sarah Silberman, Awards and Literary Programs Director. sarah@penfaulkner.org penfaulkner.org
Perugia Press
Perugia Press Prize
Joan Kwon Glass of Milford, Connecticut, won the 2024 Perugia Press Prize for Daughter of Three Gone Kingdoms. She received $2,000, and her book will be published by Perugia Press in September. The annual award is given for a first or second book of poetry by a writer who identifies as a woman. The next deadline is November 15.
Perugia Press, Perugia Press Prize, P.O. Box 60364, Florence, MA 01062. Rebecca Olander, Editor and Director. editor@perugiapress.org perugiapress.org
Ploughshares
Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction
Molly Aitken of Sheffield, England, won the 13th annual Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction for “Thresholds,” which was published in the Spring 2023 issue of Ploughshares. She received $2,500. The editors judged. The annual award is given for a short story published in the journal in the previous year. There is no application process.
Ploughshares, Emerson College, 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116. (617) 824-3757. Ellen Duffer, Managing Editor. pshares@pshares.org pshares.org
Poetry Society of America
Frost Medal
Joy Harjo of Tulsa won the 2024 Frost Medal. Harjo, whose most recent poetry collection is Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years (Norton, 2022), received $5,000. The annual award is given by the Poetry Society of America board of governors to recognize distinguished lifetime achievement in American poetry. There is no application process.
Poetry Society of America, 119 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. (212) 254-9628. info@poetrysociety.org poetrysociety.org
Poets & Writers, Inc.
Jackson Poetry Prize
Fady Joudah of Houston won the 18th annual Jackson Poetry Prize. Joudah, whose most recent book is […]: Poems (Milkweed Editions, 2024), received $100,000. Natalie Diaz, Gregory Pardlo, and Diane Seuss judged. The annual award is given to “an American poet of exceptional talent.” There is no application process.
Poets & Writers, Inc., 90 Broad Street, Suite 2100, New York, NY 10004. (212) 226-3586. Rachel Schuder, Director of Development and Marketing. rschuder@pw.org pw.org
Rattle
Poetry Prize Readers’ Choice Award
Dusty Bryndal of New York City won the 2023 Rattle Poetry Prize Readers’ Choice Award for “No Evidence,” which appeared in Issue 82 of Rattle. She received $5,000. The editors selected the finalists, and Rattle subscribers chose the winner. The annual award is given for a single poem. (See Deadlines.)
Neil Postman Award for Metaphor
Abby E. Murray of Tacoma, Washington, won the 2024 Neil Postman Award for Metaphor for “Supermoon,” which appeared on the Rattle website. She received $2,000. The editors judged. The annual award is given for a single poem exhibiting the best use of metaphor among submissions Rattle received during the previous year. There is no application process.
Rattle, 12411 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604. Timothy Green, Editor. tim@rattle.com rattle.com
Red Wheelbarrow
Poetry Prize
Amy Miller of Ashland, Oregon, won the 2023 Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize for “Color Guard.” She received $1,000, publication in Red Wheelbarrow, and a letterpress broadside of her poem produced by Greenhouse Review Press. Ellen Bass judged. The annual award is given for a single poem. (See Deadlines.)
Red Wheelbarrow, Poetry Prize, De Anza College, 21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Cupertino, CA 95014. Ken Weisner, Editor. weisnerken@deanza.edu deanza.edu/english/creative-writing/red-wheelbarrow.html
Salem State University
Claire Keyes Poetry Award
Laura Read of Spokane, Washington, won the 2024 Claire Keyes Poetry Award for a group of poems. She received $1,000, and her poems will be published in Volume 46 of Soundings East. Maria Mazziotti Gillan judged. The annual award is given for a group of poems. The next deadline is February 1, 2025.
Salem State University, Claire Keyes Poetry Award, Soundings East, English Department MH 249, 352 Lafayette Street, Salem, MA 01970. Kevin Carey, Advisory Editor. kcarey@salemstate.edu salemstate.edu/campus-life/arts/creative-writing/soundings-east
San Diego Entertainment & Arts Guild
Steve Kowit Poetry Prize
Andrea Carter of San Diego, California, won the 2023 Steve Kowit Poetry Prize for “At the Edge of the Lost Coastline.” She received $1,000, and her poem was published in San Diego Poetry Annual. Kazim Ali judged. The annual award is given for a single poem. The next deadline is October 15.
San Diego Entertainment & Arts Guild, Steve Kowit Poetry Prize, 1953 Huffstatler Street, Suite A, Rainbow, CA 92028. Bill Harding, President. sdeag1@gmail.com sdeag.org
Sewanee Review
Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction Contest
Shannon Pratson of London won Sewanee Review’s sixth annual poetry contest for “Still Life With Sky, Coffee, Tulips, Anna Karenina, and God.” Maeve Barry of New York City won the fiction contest for “Girabella.” Jacky Grey of Eugene, Oregon, won the nonfiction contest for “Things of My Mother’s.” They each received $1,000 and publication in the Spring 2024 issue of Sewanee Review. Major Jackson judged in poetry, Megan Mayhew Bergman judged in fiction, and Alexander Chee judged in nonfiction. The annual awards are given for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. (See Deadlines.)
Sewanee Review, Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction Contest, 735 University Avenue, Sewanee, TN 37383. (931) 598-1185. sewaneereview@sewanee.edu thesewaneereview.com/contest
The Story Prize
Paul Yoon of the Hudson Valley in New York won the 2023 Story Prize for The Hive and the Honey (Marysue Rucci Books). He received $20,000. The finalists were Yiyun Li of Princeton, New Jersey, for Wednesday’s Child (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) and Bennett Sims of Iowa City and Berlin for Other Minds and Other Stories (Two Dollar Radio). They each received $5,000. Members of the Story Prize board selected the three finalists, and Merve Emre, Allison Escoto, and Tania James chose the winner. SJ Sindu of Richmond, Virginia, won the 2023 Story Prize Spotlight Award for The Goth House Experiment (Soho Press). They received $1,000. Members of the Story Prize board judged. The annual awards are given for story collections published during the previous year. The next deadline is July 1, 2025.
The Story Prize, 41 Watchung Plaza, #384, Montclair, NJ 07042. Larry Dark, Director. info@thestoryprize.org thestoryprize.org
Texas Review Press
George Garrett Fiction Prize
Krystal Anali Vazquez of New York City won the 2023 George Garrett Fiction Prize for her story collection, Lady Without Land / Señorita Sin Tierra. She received $1,000, publication by Texas Review Press, and 10 author copies. Manuel Muñoz judged. The annual award is given for a story collection or novel. The next deadline is September 30.
Texas Review Press, George Garrett Fiction Prize, P.O. Box 2146, Huntsville, TX 77341. trp@shsu.edu texasreviewpress.org
Tucson Festival of Books
Literary Awards
Sean Webb of Wilkes–Barre, Pennsylvania, won the 2024 Tucson Festival of Books poetry award for “Immolation” and other poems. Monika Gupta of University Place, Washington, won the fiction award for an excerpt from her novel “The Right Kind.” Lindsey Pharr of Alexander, North Carolina, won the nonfiction award for her essay “Unfinished Foxes.” Tim Z. Hernandez judged in poetry, Jean Kwok judged in fiction, and Laila Halaby judged in nonfiction. The winners each received $1,000 and a scholarship to the 2024 Tucson Festival of Books Masters Workshop in March. The annual awards are given for a group of poems, a short story or novel excerpt, and an essay or memoir excerpt. The next deadline is October 31.
Tucson Festival of Books, Literary Awards, P.O. Box 855, Cortaro, AZ 85652. Meg Files, Director. masters@tucsonfestivalofbooks.org tucsonfestivalofbooks.org
Tusculum Review
Poetry Chapbook Prize
Kelly Gray of Southern Kashia Pomo land and Coast Miwok land won the 2023 Tusculum Review Poetry Chapbook Prize for The Mating Calls of a Specter. She received $1,000 and publication in Tusculum Review. Her chapbook was also published as a stand-alone limited edition. Justin Phillip Reed judged. The annual award is given in alternating years for a collection of poems, a short story, or an essay. The next deadline, given in nonfiction, is June 15, 2025.
Tusculum Review, Poetry Chapbook Prize, 60 Shiloh Road, P.O. Box 5113, Greeneville, TN 37745. (423) 636-7300, ext. 5420. Kelsey Trom, Editor. review@tusculum.edu ttr.tusculum.edu/contest
University of Iowa Press
Short Fiction Awards
Marguerite Sheffer of New Orleans won the 2024 Iowa Short Fiction Award for The Man in the Banana Trees. Sharon Wahl of Tucson won the 2024 John Simmons Short Fiction Award for Everything Flirts: Philosophical Romances. Both books will be published by University of Iowa Press in the fall. Jamil Jan Kochai judged. The annual awards are given for debut story collections. The next deadline is September 30.
University of Iowa Press, Short Fiction Awards, 102 Dey House, Iowa City, IA 52242. (319) 335-2000. uipress@uiowa.edu uipress.uiowa.edu
University of Southern California Dornsife
Chowdhury Prize in Literature
Hari Kunzru of New York City won the 2024 Chowdhury Prize in Literature. Kunzru, whose most recent novel is Blue Ruin (Knopf, 2024), received $20,000 and an invitation to attend a gala ceremony on the USC campus in the spring. Nicole Terez Dutton, Maggie Nelson, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Claudia Rankine, and David L. Ulin judged. The annual award is given to midcareer authors “who are at an inflection point, with a body of work already behind them, but also with significant future potential.” There is no application process.
University of Southern California Dornsife, English Department, 3501 Trousdale Parkway, Taper Hall of Humanities 404, Los Angeles, CA 90089. David L. Ulin, Prize Administrator. dulin@usc.edu dornsife.usc.edu/chowdhury-prize/chowdhury-prize
Washington Writers’ Publishing House
Literary Awards
Chanlee Luu of Roanoke, Virginia, won the 2024 Jean Feldman Poetry Award for The Machine Autocorrects Code to I. Varun Gauri of Bethesda, Maryland, won the 2024 Carol Trawick Fiction Award for his novel, The Blessings of Jupiter and Venus. Megan Doney of Christiansburg, Virginia, won the 2024 Washington Writers’ Publishing House Creative Nonfiction Award for her memoir, Unarmed. Gauri received $2,000, and Luu and Doney each received $1,500. All three books will be published by Washington Writers’ Publishing House in October 2024. The annual awards are given for a poetry collection, a story collection or novel, and a memoir, essay collection, or creative nonfiction hybrid collection by a writer who lives in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, D.C. The next deadline is November 1, 2025.
Washington Writers’ Publishing House, Literary Awards, c/o Caroline Bock, 2814 Fifth Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20017. wwphpress@gmail.com washingtonwriters.org
WB Yeats Society of NY
Yeats Poetry Prize
Carlos Andrés Gómez of Atlanta won the 2024 Yeats Poetry Prize for “Double Golden Shovel Sonnet Found on the Q Train.” He received $1,000, publication on the WB Yeats Society of NY website, a two-year membership to the organization, and an invitation to an awards ceremony in New York City in April. January Gill O’Neil judged. The annual award is given for a single poem. The next deadline is February 1, 2025.
WB Yeats Society of NY, Yeats Poetry Prize, National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY 10003. Andrew McGowan, President. andrewjjmcgowan@gmail.com yeatssociety.nyc
Winning Writers
Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest
Kizziah Burton of Houston won the 2023 Tom Howard Poetry Contest for “Cist.” Mikaela Hagen of Madison, Wisconsin, won the 2023 Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for “Sestina for My Daughter.” They each received $3,000, publication on the Winning Writers website, and a two-year gift certificate from the literary database Duotrope. Michal “MJ” Jones judged. The annual awards are given for a poem in any style and a poem that rhymes or is written in a traditional style. The next deadline is October 1.
Winning Writers, Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest, 351 Pleasant Street Suite B PMB 222, Northampton, MA 01060. Adam Cohen, President. info@winningwriters.com winningwriters.com
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