Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Short Memoir Prize

Fish Publishing
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
January 31, 2026

A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,155) and publication in the annual Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a short memoir. The winner is also invited to give a reading at the West Cork Literary Festival in July. Ted Simon will judge. Submit a memoir of up to 4,000 words with a €22 (approximately $25) entry fee for online entries or €25 (approximately $29) for postal entries by January 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Tags: 
international | memoir

Iowa Review Awards

Iowa Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
January 31, 2026

Three prizes of $1,500 each and publication in Iowa Review are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 10 pages of poetry or up to 25 pages of prose with a $20 entry fee between January 1 and January 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literary Artist Fellowships

Mississippi Arts Commission
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
March 1, 2026

Fellowships of up to $5,000 each are given in alternating years to Mississippi poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. This year the fellowships will be offered in poetry and fiction. Applicants must be permanent residents of Mississippi. Students enrolled full-time in a degree-granting program are ineligible. Using only the online submission system, submit 5 to 10 pages of poetry or 15 to 20 pages of prose written in the past five years, a résumé, a brief bio, a writer’s statement, and a fellowship impact statement by March 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Tags: 
grants

Individual Artist Grants for Women

Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
January 31, 2026

Grants of up to $2,000 each are given in alternating years to feminist poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers who are citizens of the United States or Canada. This year, grants will be awarded to fiction writers. Using only the online submission system, submit 10 to 15 pages of prose, a statement regarding interest in receiving support from a feminist fund, a project description, a budget, and a résumé with a $25 entry fee between January 1 and January 31. A limited number of fee waivers are available upon request. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition

North Carolina Writers’ Network
Entry Fee: 
$12
Deadline: 
January 15, 2026

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for an essay “that is outside the realm of conventional journalism and has relevance to North Carolinians.” The winning essay is also considered for publication in Ecotone. Writers who are legal residents of North Carolina or who are members of the North Carolina Writers’ Network are eligible. Julie Marie Wade will judge. Submit an essay of up to 3,500 words (two copies if submitting by postal mail) with a $12 entry fee ($10 for NCWN members) by January 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Page Prize in Nonfiction

Pinch
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
January 31, 2026

An award of $1,000, publication in Pinch, and two contributor copies will be given annually for a work of flash creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit a work of flash prose of up to 1,000 words with a $15 entry fee by January 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Jan Garton Prairie Heritage Book Award

Prairie Heritage, Inc.
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
January 31, 2026

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a published poetry collection, book of fiction, or book of creative nonfiction that “illuminates the heritage of North America’s mid-continental prairies.” Authors, publishers, and the general public may submit two copies of a book by January 31. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Morton, McCarthy, and Sarabande Prizes

Sarabande Books
Entry Fee: 
$34
Deadline: 
February 15, 2026

Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication by Sarabande Books are given annually for a poetry collection, a work of fiction, and an essay collection. For the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry, using only the online submission system, submit a poetry collection of at least 48 pages with a $34 entry fee by February 15. For the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction, using only the online submission system, submit a collection of stories or novellas or a short novel of 150 to 250 pages with a $34 entry fee by February 15. For the Sarabande Prize in the Essay, using only the online submission system, submit an essay collection of 150 to 250 pages with a $34 entry fee by February 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literary Arts Fellowships

Alabama State Council on the Arts
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
March 2, 2026

At least two fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who are legal residents of Alabama and have lived in the state for a minimum of two years. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 20 pages of poetry or prose and a résumé including a list of publications by March 2 at 5 PM CDT. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Prizes in Poetry and Prose

Slippery Elm
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
February 1, 2026

Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Slippery Elm are given annually for a single poem and a short story or essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of any length or up to 5,000 words of prose with a $15 entry fee, which includes the latest issue of Slippery Elm, by February 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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