Genre: Creative Nonfiction

LGBTQIA+ Literary Success Grants

Georgia Writers
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
January 15, 2026

Three grants of $500 each will be given annually to a poet, fiction writer, and nonfiction writer to “amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ youth in Georgia.” Grantees will also receive a scholarship to attend and give a reading of their work at the Red Clay Conference in March 2026 on the Marietta campus of Kennesaw State University. LGBTQIA+ writers between the ages of 18 and 24 who have not published more than one book and have been residents of Georgia for at least one year, or who are full-time students at a Georgia college or university at the time of application and on the date of the award are eligible. Submit up to 10 pages of poetry or prose and a 500-word statement of purpose by January 15, 2026. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for an application and 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.

Stephen Mitchell Translation Prize

Green Linden Press
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Green Linden Press is given annually for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction translated from any language into English. Christopher Nelson will judge. Submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages with a $25 entry fee by November 30. All finalists will be considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Memoir Prize

Narratively
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
December 7, 2025
A prize of $3,000 and publication on Narratively’s storytelling platform is given annually for a short work of memoir written in the first person. Two runners-up prizes of $1,000 each and publication will also be awarded. The winner and two runners-up will also be included in a special digital collection. Using only the online submission system, submit an essay of 2,000 to 5,000 words with a $20 entry fee by December 7. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Mississippi Review Prize

Mississippi Review
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
January 1, 2026

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Mississippi Review are given annually for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. Current or former University of Southern Mississippi students are ineligible. Submit three to five poems totaling no more than 10 pages or a story or essay of 800 to 8,000 words with a $15 entry fee ($16 for electronic submissions) by January 1, 2026. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

California Book Awards

Commonwealth Club of California
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
November 15, 2025
Five prizes of $2,500 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a book of fiction, a first book of fiction, a book of creative nonfiction, and a book dealing with a California-based issue, topic, or historical period. Books written by authors residing in California are eligible. Publishers may submit six copies of books published in 2025 by November 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Fall Story Contest

Narrative
Entry Fee: 
$27
Deadline: 
November 21, 2025

A prize of $2,500 is given annually for a short story, a short short story, an essay, a memoir, a photo essay, a short graphic narrative, or an excerpt from a longer work of prose. A second-place prize of $1,000 is also awarded. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 15,000 words of prose with a $27 entry fee by November 21. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Tags: 
essays | short stories | short-shorts

Jack Hazard Fellowships

New Literary Project
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
January 9, 2026
Up to ten fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to creative writers who are high school teachers to support summer work on an ongoing fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, or poetry project. Full-time instructors at accredited U.S. high schools teaching in the 2025–2026 academic year who are contracted to return to their schools in fall 2026 and who have been teaching for at least three years are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of up to 5,000 words of poetry or prose, a brief bio, a curriculum vitae, a project description, and contact information for the head of school by January 9, 2026. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

New Millennium Writing Awards

New Millennium Writings
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

Four prizes of $1,000 each are given biannually for a single poem, a short story, a short short story, and an essay. The winners also receive publication in New Millennium Writings and on the journal’s website. Works that have not appeared in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000 or were published only online, as well as previously unpublished works, are eligible. Submit up to three poems totaling no more than five pages, a short short story of up to 1,000 words, or a story or essay of up to 7,499 words with a $20 entry fee by November 30. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Jacobs/Jones African American Literary Prize

North Carolina Writers’ Network
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
January 2, 2026

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story or an essay that “seeks to convey the rich and varied existence of Black North Carolinians.” The winning entry is considered for publication in Carolina Quarterly. Black writers who live in North Carolina are eligible. Submit a story or essay of up to 3,000 words (a self-contained excerpt from a longer work is also accepted) with a $20 entry fee ($10 for NCWN members) by January 2, 2026. Include two copies if submitting by mail. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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