Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Firecracker Awards

Community of Literary Magazines & Presses
Entry Fee: 
$65
Deadline: 
November 14, 2025

Three prizes of $2,000 each are given annually for a book of poetry, a book of fiction, and a book of creative nonfiction published by an independent press in the current year ($1,000 for each author and $1,000 for their respective publisher). Works in translation and graphic novels are accepted. Using only the online submission system, publishers may submit books of poetry or prose published in 2025 with a $65 entry fee ($55 for CLMP members) for the first book and a $45 fee ($35 for CLMP members) for each additional entry by November 14. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Steinbeck Fellowships in Creative Writing

San José State University
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
January 4, 2026

Six yearlong residencies at San José State University in San José, California, which include stipends of $15,000 each, are given annually to fiction writers and creative nonfiction writers. The fellows are required to give one public reading and reside in one of the counties within the San Francisco Bay Area or an adjacent county in the California central coast or central valley during most of the fellowship period. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 25 pages of prose, a project proposal, a résumé, and three letters of recommendation (uploaded by references) by January 4, 2026. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Desert Writers Award

Ellen Meloy Fund
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
January 15, 2026

A prize of $5,000 is given annually to enable a creative nonfiction writer “whose work reflects the spirit and passions for the desert embodied in Ellen Meloy’s writing” to spend creative time in a desert environment. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 10 pages of creative nonfiction, a project proposal, and a biographical statement of up to one page with a $15 entry fee by January 15, 2026. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

100-Word Writing Contest

Tadpole Press
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Tadpole Press website and in Tadpole Press Literary Magazine is given biannually for a work of flash poetry or prose. Angeline Boulley will judge. Submit a work of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction of no more than 100 words with a $15 entry fee by November 30. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Translation Prize

French-American Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
January 12, 2026

Two prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for translations from French into English of a book of fiction and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published in the United States during the current year. A jury of translators and literary professionals will judge. Authors, translators, agents, and publishers may submit six excerpts (three from the original French and three matching selections from the English translation) of approximately six pages each from a book published in 2025 by January 12, 2026. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Writing Contest

Winter Anthology
Entry Fee: 
$11
Deadline: 
January 10, 2026

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Winter Anthology is given annually for a group of poems, a short story, a novel excerpt, or an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 100 pages of poetry or prose with an $11 entry fee by January 10, 2026. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literature Awards

Friends of American Writers
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
December 13, 2025

A prize of around $2,500 is given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction published during the current year that is set in the Midwest or by a writer who is a resident of the Midwest (or who previously resided in the region for at least five years). The prize may be split if more than one winner is selected. Writers who have published up to three books are eligible. Self-published books are not accepted. Authors or publishers may submit two copies of books published in 2025 with an author bio by December 13. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Jeanne Leiby Memorial Chapbook Award

Florida Review
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
January 7, 2026

A prize of $1,000, publication by the Florida Review, and 50 author copies is given annually for a chapbook of short fiction, short nonfiction, or graphic narrative. Submit a manuscript of up to 45 pages with a $25 entry fee by January 7, 2026. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Prose Prize

Georgia Review
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
January 15, 2026

A prize of $1,500 and publication in Georgia Review is given annually for a short story or an essay. Kiese Laymon will judge. Submit a story or essay of up to 9,000 words with a $25 entry fee by January 15, 2026; mailed submissions must include a cover page with contact information and a brief bio, a self-addressed envelope, and a check for entry-fee payment. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Leon Levy Biography Fellowships

Leon Levy Center for Biography
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
January 4, 2026

Four yearlong fellowships of $72,000 each, writing space at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City, access to research facilities, and research assistance from a graduate student are given annually to nonfiction writers working on biographies. An additional Sloan Fellowship of the same amount is given annually to a writer working on a biography of a figure in the field of science or technology. Using only the online submission system, submit a sample of up to 2,500 words from the biography, a curriculum vitae, a project description, a narrative career history, and two letters of reference by January 4, 2026. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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