Genre: Creative Nonfiction

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that responds to the following prompt: “What if the only way to save yourself from this reality is to write yourself a new one?” The winner also receives a two-year subscription to the literary database Duotrope and publication in the annual Stories That Need to Be Told anthology. E-mail a poem of up to five pages or a story or essay of up to 10,000 words with a $20 entry fee (sent via postal mail or PayPal) by August 9. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Dogwood are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems totaling no more than 10 pages or up to 22 pages of prose with a $12 entry fee by September 5. Writers who are incarcerated may submit to the contest free of charge via postal mail or the Dogwood website. All submissions are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,000, publication by Futurepoem, and 25 author copies is given annually for a book of innovative poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid work “that challenges conventions of genre and language, content and form.” The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of up to 200 pages with a $28 entry fee (or a sliding-scale fee of $9 or $18 based on financial need) from July 15 to August 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $5,000 is given annually to a poet, fiction writer, or creative nonfiction writer to support the completion of a manuscript-in-progress. Up to three finalists are awarded at least $500 each. A Translation Prize of at least $1,500 is also given. Using only the online submission system, submit 12 poems or a prose sample of up to 25 pages by August 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.