Genre: Fiction

Book Prize

Permafrost
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
October 15, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Alaska Press is given in alternating years for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. The 2025 prize will be given in creative nonfiction. Alison Hawthorne Deming will judge. Submit an essay collection or book-length creative nonfiction manuscript, including memoir and literary journalism, of 150 to 300 pages and a brief bio with a $25 entry fee by October 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction

University of Mississippi
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of $12,000 is given annually for a novel published during the current year that asks readers “to engage with or reflect on the complexities of the U.S. South.” The winner will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Oxford, Mississippi, for the awards ceremony in March 2026. Submit a hard copy of a published book, or an advance reader’s copy of a book to be published in October, November, or December, by September 30. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence

Columbus State University
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
October 15, 2025
A prize of $10,000 and publication with DLJ Books, the imprint of Columbus State University Press, will be given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction “that engages a reader with upholding human values, such as trust, generosity, love, gratitude, or responsibility.” Maureen Gibbon will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of any length with a $25 entry fee by October 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Prizes in Books

Pulitzer Prizes
Entry Fee: 
$75
Deadline: 
October 15, 2025
Six prizes of $15,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, general nonfiction, U.S. history, biography, and memoir first published in the United States during the current year. Eligible authors include U.S. citizens and permanent residents or those who have made the United States their longtime primary home. Using only the online submission system, submit a digital copy of a book published in 2025 with a $75 entry fee by October 15. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Money Chronicles: A Story Initiative

Principal Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
October 12, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Short Édition website and in Principal Foundation’s Short Story Dispensers (located in six cities across the United States) will be given annually for a short story or essay “on themes related to money and personal finance.” Mateo Askaripour, Paco de Leon, David Drury, Bourree Lam, and Daniel Lefferts will judge. Using only the online submission, submit a manuscript of up to 7,500 characters of prose by October 12. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Short Story Competition

Creative Writing Ink
Entry Fee: 
$16
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,340), publication on the Creative Writing Ink website, and a free online writing course with Creative Writing Ink will be given annually for a short story. W. T. Paterson will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 3,000 words with a £12 (approximately $16) entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Stegner Fellowships

Stanford University
Entry Fee: 
$55
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
Ten fellowships, five in poetry and five in fiction, of $75,000 each per year to attend Stanford University’s two-year creative writing program are given annually for manuscripts of poetry and fiction. The creative writing faculty at Stanford University will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 15 pages of poetry or up to 9,000 words of prose, a statement of purpose, a statement on your participation as a workshop member, and contact information for two references with a $55 entry fee (waivers are available based on financial need) by November 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Fresh Voices Fellowship

Epiphany
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Epiphany is given annually for a poem or a group of poems, a work of fiction, or a work of creative nonfiction. The winner will also be offered a one-year editorial fellowship at Epiphany. BIPOC writers who do not have an advanced degree in creative writing and are not currently enrolled in a degree-granting program are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five pages of poetry or prose and a cover letter by November 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

George Garrett Fiction Prize

Texas Review Press
Entry Fee: 
$28
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of $2,000, publication by Texas Review Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a short story collection or novel. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 40,000 to 80,000 words with a $28 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

John Lewis Writing Grants

Georgia Writers
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
October 1, 2025
Three grants of $500 each are given annually in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to “elevate, encourage, and inspire the voices of Black writers in Georgia.” Grantees also receive a scholarship to attend and present a reading at the Red Clay Writers Conference, held in March 2026 at Kennesaw State University in Marietta, Georgia. Black writers who 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) and who have published no more than one book are eligible to apply. Submit a poetry or prose writing sample of up to 10 pages and an artist’s statement of no more than 500 words discussing your work and goals as a writer by October 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for an application and complete guidelines.

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