The Illinois Emerging Writers Competition is accepting submissions for the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award. The award for first place is $500; second place is $300 and third place is $100. Winning poems also will be submitted for possible publication in Bluestem, Ninth Letter, Quiddity, and RHINO journals and Poetic License Press publications. Entries must be postmarked by June 30, 2015. View the entry form and guidelines here.
The Writer’s “An Ocean of Possibility” short story contest is now accepting submissions of 1,000-word fiction stories. Writers have a choice of three ocean-themed quotes as inspiration for their stories: “Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.” – Sarah Kay “Doesn’t it seem to you,” asked Madame Bovary, “that the mind moves more freely in the presence of that boundless expanse, that the sight of it elevates the soul and gives rise to thoughts of the infinite and the ideal?” – Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary … Read Article →
The Luminarts Cultural Foundation at the Union League Club of Chicago is accepting applications for its annual creative writing competition, which awards five $5,000 grant awards and Luminarts Fellowships across the categories of creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Luminarts competitions are open to applicants who are between the ages of 18 and 30. The submission deadline is June 1, 2015. Writers may submit their work here.
Glimmer Train‘s Family Matters contest is looking for stories of up to 12,000 words “about families of all configurations.” The submission deadline is March 31, 2015. The reading fee is $15 per story.
Writer’s Digest is accepting entries in a variety of categories for its 84th Annual Writing Competition. Click here to enter. The early bird submission deadline is May 4, 2015.
Black Lawrence Press is still accepting submissions of unpublished poetry or short story collections for the 2015 Hudson Prize. The contest winner will receive book publication, a $1,000 cash award, and ten copies of the book. The submission deadline is March 31, 2015. Writers can submit their manuscripts here.
Two Cities Review, a new literary magazine, is accepting submissions for its prose contest. The contest theme is Cities Gone Wrong. The winner in each category—fiction and nonfiction—will receive $250 and publication. The submission deadline is March 15, 2015. Writers can submit their entries for a $5 fee here. *** Catamaran Literary Reader is offering a $200 early bird registration discount for its second annual fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama summer writing conferences. The conference takes place August 12–16, 2015. Register by April 15 for the discounted ($1,050) price, which covers four nights’ lodging at the Robert Louis Stevenson campus on Pebble Beach; meals;… Read Article →
Tuscany Press is considering submissions of adult novels, young adult novels, and short stories for its Tuscany Prize for Catholic Fiction. The submission deadline is June 30, 2015. Writers may submit their work here.
The North American Review is accepting submissions for its inaugural Torch Memorial Prize for Creative Nonfiction, which commemorates writer and teacher Rafael Torch. The submission deadline is April 1, 2015. Eula Biss will judge the contest. The winner will receive $500 and publication in North American Review.
New Letters is accepting entries for its annual literary awards. Writers can submit their work here for a $25/entry reading fee. New Letters will award the following prizes: $1,500 New Letters Prize for Poetry for the best group of three to six poems $1,500 Dorothy Cappon Prize for the best Essay $1,500 Alexander Cappon Prize for Fiction for the best short story The submission deadline is May 18, 2015.
Crab Orchard Review, the literary journal of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is accepting submissions from graduate and undergraduate students for the Charles Johnson Fiction Award, the Rafael Torch Literary Nonfiction Award, and the Allison Joseph Poetry Award. The winner in each category will receive $1,000 and publication. There is a $5 entry fee. The submission deadline is this Friday (February 20, 2015). Submit to the 2015 COR Student Writing Awards here.
Summer Literary Seminars (SLS) has extended the deadline for its 2015 literary contest to midnight tonight (February 17, 2015). The judges for the contest are Aimee Bender (fiction), Philip Graham (nonfiction), and Brenda Shaughnessy (poetry). The winners of this year’s contest will not only garner prizes sponsored by Guernica, Fence magazine, Ninth Letter, and Graywolf Press but will also receive tuition, airfare, and accommodations to the 2015 DISQUIET International Program in Lisbon, Portugal.