Genre: Fiction

Hazel Rowley Prize

Biographers International Organization
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
March 1, 2026

A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a work-in-progress by a debut biographer. The winner also receives a review of their manuscript proposal by an agent, publicity through the Biographers International Organization (BIO) website and the Biographer’s Craft newsletter, registration to the annual BIO Conference in May, and a one-year BIO membership. Writers who have not previously published or who are not under contract to write a book of biography, history, or other work of narrative nonfiction are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample, a manuscript proposal, and a résumé in one document totaling no more than 20 pages with a $25 entry fee by March 1. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award

Poets & Writers, Inc.
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
March 1, 2026

Two prizes of $750 each are given annually to a poet and a fiction writer residing in the United States. Both winners also receive a monthlong residency at Jentel Artist Residency in Wyoming and will meet with writers, editors, publishers, and agents virtually or in person in New York City. The 2026 contest is open to residents of Connecticut. Poets and fiction writers who have published no more than one full-length book in the genre in which they are applying are eligible. Submit 7 to 10 pages of poetry or up to 25 pages of fiction via e-mail by March 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Self-Publishing Literary Awards

Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
February 28, 2026
Two prizes of $2,500 each are given annually for a poetry e-book and a fiction e-book self-published by an African American writer during the previous year. The awards honor books that depict “cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Using only the online submission system, submit an e-book self-published in 2025 by February 28. There is no entry fee. 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.

Big Moose Prize

Black Lawrence Press
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
January 31, 2026
A prize of $1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a novel. The contest is open to traditional novels as well as “novels-in-stories, novels-in-poems, and other hybrid forms that contain within them the spirit of a novel.” The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 90 to 1,000 pages with a $30 entry fee by January 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Tags: 
novel

Raz-Shumaker Book Prizes

Prairie Schooner
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
March 15, 2026

Two prizes of $3,000 each and publication by University of Nebraska Press are given annually for a poetry collection and a story collection. Submit a poetry manuscript of at least 50 pages or a fiction manuscript of at least 150 pages with a $25 entry fee by March 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Chautauqua Janus Prize

Chautauqua Institution
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
January 31, 2026

A prize of $5,000 and publication in Chautauqua is given annually for a single work of fiction or nonfiction by an emerging writer displaying “daring formal and aesthetic innovations that upset and reorder readers’ imaginations.” The winner will also receive a $2,000 travel and lodging stipend to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in the summer. Writers who have not published a book of over 15,000 words in any prose genre are eligible. Submissions may consist of unpublished work or work published no earlier than April 2025. Submit a manuscript of up to 15,000 words totaling no more than 100 pages with a $25 entry fee by January 31. 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 Awards

Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$100
Deadline: 
March 4, 2026

Two prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for a book of fiction and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) published in the previous year that “foster peace, social justice, and global understanding.” A runner-up for each prize receives $5,000. Publishers may submit any number of books published in 2025 with a $100 entry fee per title by March 4. Books first printed in or translated into English are accepted. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Contest

Selected Shorts
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
March 6, 2026

A prize of $1,000 and tuition for a 10-week writing class through New York City’s Gotham Writers Workshop is given annually for a short story. The winning work is published on Electric Literature and recorded at a Selected Shorts performance. Simon Rich will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 750 words with a $25 entry fee by March 6. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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