15 Nov Writing Contests, Grants & Awards
Ready to share your brilliant words with the world and maybe even snag some cash and recognition while you’re at it? ✨ We’ve compiled a list of writing contests, grants, and awards specifically seeking out and celebrating BIPOC voices like yours. So, ditch the self-doubt, embrace your power, and get those submissions polished and ready to go! Your next big break could be just around the corner.
Dive into the list below and see which one fits your best!
1. Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Four prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a debut novel, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) by African American writers published in the United States in the current year. The awards honor books that depict the “cultural, historical, or sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Publishers may nominate books published in 2024 by December 31. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for a list of jurors to whom books should be sent and complete guidelines.
Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Literary Awards, 129 William R. Harvey Way, Hampton, VA 23668. (757) 727-5185. Gladys Smiley Bell, Chair.
2. Commonwealth Club of California
Four prizes of approximately $2,500 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a book of fiction, a first book of fiction, and a book of creative nonfiction that relates to California. Three additional prizes of approximately $1,000 each are also given. Books written by authors residing in California are eligible. Publishers may submit six copies of books published in 2024 by November 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
Commonwealth Club of California, California Book Awards, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105.
3. Friends of American Writers
A prize of $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 Midwest 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 2024 with an author bio by December 14. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Friends of American Writers, Literature Awards, 2616 Blackhawk Road, Wilmette, IL 60091. Carrie Brenner, Adult Literature Awards Committee Chair.
4. New Literary Project (Jack Hazard Fellowships)
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, or memoir project. Full-time instructors at accredited U.S. high schools teaching in the 2024–2025 academic year who are contracted to return to their schools in fall 2025 and who have been teaching for at least three years are eligible. The New Literary Project selection committee and program director Ian S. Maloney will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of up to 5,000 words of prose, a brief bio, a curriculum vitae, a project description, and contact information for the head of school by January 3, 2025. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
New Literary Project, Jack Hazard Fellowships, 4100 Redwood Road, Suite 20A/424, Oakland, CA 94619. Ian S. Maloney, Program Director.
5. Virginia Commonwealth University (Cabell First Novelist Award)
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a debut novel published during the current year. The winner is also provided money for the cost of travel and lodging to attend the Cabell First Novelist Award event at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in fall 2025. A committee of VCU faculty and MFA candidates will judge. Agents, editors, and authors may submit one digital copy and five hard copies of a book published in 2024 by December 30. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Virginia Commonwealth University, Cabell First Novelist Award, c/o VCU English Department, Hibbs Building, Box 842005, Richmond, VA 23284. Celia Cummiskey, A
6. San José State University (Steinbeck Fellowships in Creative Writing)
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 5, 2025. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
San José State University, Steinbeck Fellowships in Creative Writing, Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, Room 590, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, San José, CA 95192. (408) 808-2067. Keenan Norris, Coordinator.
7. Baton Rouge Area Foundation (Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence)
A prize of $15,000 is given annually to an emerging African American writer for a book of fiction published in the current year. The winner is also provided money for the cost of travel and lodging to attend an awards ceremony and participate in educational outreach events in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2025. Anthony Grooms, Edward P. Jones, Opal J. Moore, Francine Prose, and Patricia Towers will judge. Submit eight copies (or bound galleys) of a story collection or novel published in 2024 by December 31. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, 100 North Street, Suite 900, Baton Rouge, LA 70802. (225) 387-6126. Travis Hutchins, Director of Donor Services.
8. The Story Prize
A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a story collection written in English and first published in the United States in the current year. Two runners-up will receive $5,000 each, and one entrant will receive the $1,000 Story Prize Spotlight Award, given for a collection that merits further attention. Larry Dark and Julie Lindsey will select the three finalists and the Spotlight Award winner; three independent judges will choose the Story Prize winner. Publishers, authors, or agents may submit two copies of a book (one of which may be an electronic copy) published between July 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, with an entry fee of $75 by November 15. The deadline for books published during the first half of the year was July 1. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
The Story Prize, 41 Watchung Plaza, #384, Montclair, NJ 07042. Larry Dark, Director.
9. Leon Levy Center for Biography
Four yearlong fellowships of $72,000, 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 6, 2025. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Leon Levy Center for Biography, Leon Levy Biography Fellowships, Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, Room 6200, New York, NY 10016. Thad Ziolkowski, Deputy Director.
10. Loft Literary Center (McKnight Fellowships for Writers)
Four prizes of $25,000 each will be given annually to Minnesota poets, prose writers, and spoken word artists. Fellows will also receive an all-expenses-paid, one- or two-week residency in partnership with Artist Communities Alliance and have the opportunity to attend one-on-one career consultations, workshops, and networking events run by the nonprofit organization Springboard for the Arts. The prize will be offered in poetry/spoken word and prose in alternating years; the 2025 fellowships will be awarded to fiction and creative nonfiction writers. Writers who have been residents of Minnesota for the year prior to the deadline and who will reside in Minnesota for the duration of the fellowship are eligible; writers must also have published at least one book, have had work appear in several journals, or have been booked to perform their work. Using only the online submission system, submit 20 to 25 pages of prose by November 19. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Loft Literary Center, McKnight Fellowships for Writers, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Open Book Building, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55415. (612) 215-2578. Marion Gómez, Program Manager.
Good luck and happy writing. Until next time
xo Kim
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