WINTER ONLINE WORKSHOP
Tin House
DEADLINE: October 6, 2025
INFO: Tin House's Winter Online Workshop consists of curated workshops, industry panels, craft lectures, agent meetings, affinity groups, social hours, and, of course, online karaoke.
Additionally, every enrolled participant will have the opportunity to meet with one guest agent for ten minutes either Julia Kardon (HG Literary), Kent Wolf (Neon Literary), Mina Hamedi (Janklow & Nesbit), Reiko Davis (DeFiore & Company), Shabnam Banerjee-McFarland (Odom Media Management) or Sonali Chanchani (Folio Literary).
APPLICATION:
We ask for one unpublished writing sample. For short fiction/novel/nonfiction, 4,000 words or less. For poetry, four poems, totaling no more than eight pages.
If you have previously been accepted/attended, please do not apply with the same sample. A different excerpt from the same project is acceptable. Once admitted, you will have the opportunity to workshop a different manuscript.
In addition to the writing sample, the application includes several questions about your project.
Applicants must be 18 years of age to apply.
International writers may apply.
There is no cap on the number of Tin House Workshops you may attend.
Applications are read by a board composed of Tin House Workshop staff and Tin House Reading Fellows. Acceptance is based on the strength and promise of the writing sample and how much the board feels an applicant might benefit from the Workshop and contribute to the community. All applications are evaluated through the lens of our Core Values.
Scholarships are available for BIPOC Writers, authors identifying as Native American and/or Indigenous in North America, parent writers who have at least one child under the age of eighteen, writers who are trans, and writers who were born or reside outside of the United States. To apply, they ask for one unpublished writing sample. For short fiction/novel/nonfiction, 4,000 words or less. For poetry, four poems, totaling no more than eight pages.
tinhouse.com/workshop/winter-workshop/#scholarships-&-financial-assistance
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2025 JOHN LEWIS WRITING GRANTS
Georgia Writers Association
DEADLINE: October 10, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET
SUBMISSION FEE: $0
INFO: The Georgia Writers Association's John Lewis Writing Grants are inspired by the late civil rights icon and his more than three decades of service as Georgia’s 5th District representative. The John Lewis Writing Grants will be awarded annually in the categories of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and screen/playwriting.
The purpose of the John Lewis Writing Grants is to elevate, encourage, and inspire the voices of promising Black writers in Georgia. Applicants must be emerging writers who are Black or African-American residents of Georgia for at least one year, or full-time students at a Georgia college or university at the time of application and on the date of the award. Writers who are eligible may apply annually but may only win the John Lewis Grant one time.
GRANT: The winning recipients will receive $500, and an invitation to read from their work at the next Red Clay Writers Conference.
QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and emerging writers who are Black or African-American residents of Georgia for at least one year, or full-time students at a Georgia college or university at the time of application and on the date of the award. Applicants are ineligible if they have published more than one traditionally published book. Promising writers without publication will be considered. Writers who are eligible may apply annually but may only win a grant once. There is no submission fee to enter. Applicants are ineligible if they are of relations to any of the Georgia Writers staff or board of directors.
GUIDELINES:
Writers may apply in only one genre and must submit the following:
A completed grant application
An artist statement of 500 words (max.) as a concise description of your work and goals as a writer. Tell us what inspires your writing career, and how your work engages (directly or indirectly) with the legacy of John Lewis.
A writing sample of 10 pages (max.) of a published or unpublished piece in the genre in which you are applying: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or screen/playwriting. If submitting poetry, one poem per page please.
*Do not include your name or any identifying information in the writing sample.
georgiawritersassociation.submittable.com/submit/333082/2025-john-lewis-writing-grants
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Art Omi: Writers Residency
Art Omi
DEADLINE: October 15, 2025
INFO: Art Omi: Writers hosts authors and translators from around the world for residencies throughout the spring and fall. The program’s strong international emphasis provides exposure for global literary voices and reflects the spirit of cultural exchange that is essential to Art Omi’s mission.
Guests select a residency of approximately one month in either the spring or autumn, with ten writers at a time gathering to live and work in a rural setting overlooking the Catskill Mountains. Daytime is reserved for writing and quiet activities, while evenings are more communal. A program of weekly visits brings guests from the New York publishing community. Noted editors, agents, and book scouts are invited to share dinner and conversation on both creative and practical subjects, offering insight into the workings of the publishing industry, and introductions to some of its key professionals. Readings throughout the year invite the public to experience finished and in-process work by writers and translators in residence.
Art Omi: Writers welcomes published writers and translators of every type of literature. All text-based projects—fiction, nonfiction, theater, film, poetry, etc.—are eligible. International, cultural, and creative exchange is a foundation of our mission, and a wide distribution of national background is an important part of our selection process.
All residencies are fully funded with accommodations, food, local transport, and public programming provided. However, please note that Art Omi: Writers does not provide travel funds. We have some limited travel funds available for those who find it a barrier to participating in the program, reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please contact Emma Ramadan, Art Omi: Writers Residency Program Director, at eramadan@artomi.org for more details.
Notable alumni include:
Joseph O'Neill author of Netherland, which won the Pen/Faulkner Award
Aleksander Hemon, author of The Question of Bruno, recipient of a "genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation
Gary Shteyngart, bestselling author of The Russian Debutante's Handbook, Absurdistan, and Super Sad True Love Story
Susan Choi, bestselling author of American Woman and inaugural recipient of the PEN/W.G. Sebald Award.
Goce Smilevski, author of Freud's Sister, which won the European Union Prize for Literature
Jan Brandt, bestselling author of Gegen Die Welt (Against the World)
Buket Uzuner, international bestselling author of Istanbulians
James Hannaham, author of Delicious Foods, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Hurston-Wright Award.
Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin which won the National Book Award
Kiran Desai, bestselling author of Inheritance of Loss, which won the Man Booker Prize
Shehan Karunatilaka, author of Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Matthew, which won the Commonwealth Prize
Mikhail Shishkin, bestselling author of The Taking of Izmail, which won the Russian Booker Prize
TRANSLATION LAB:
In September Art Omi: Writers hosts an annual Translation Lab, in which English language translators are invited to work alongside the writers whose work they translate. The focused residency provides an integral stage of refinement, allowing translators to dialogue with the writers about text-specific questions.
Following in the tradition of the Art Omi: Writers residency as started by Heinrich Maria Ledig-Rowohlt, the Translation Lab emphasizes translation as a means towards cultural exchange. It serves as an essential community builder for English language translators who are working to increase the amount of international literature available to American readers, as it is currently estimated that less than three percent of all books published in the United States are translated works.
The residency is a rare and unique opportunity for writers and their translators to work together, considering that most writers never meet their translators in person. All text-based projects—fiction, nonfiction, theater, film, poetry, etc.—are eligible.
ACCOMODATIONS + FACILITIES:
Art Omi is located two and a half hours north of New York City in the historic Hudson River Valley. Named for the hamlet of Omi, which is within the town of Ghent, New York, Art Omi is also near to Albany and Hudson, which offer train connections thirty or fifteen minutes' drive from campus, respectively.
The facilities, situated on three hundred acres of open land, include a large two-story barn with indoor studios; contemporary residence buildings designed with a vernacular reference to local barns, surrounded by abundant perennial beds, expansive lawns dotted with fruit trees, adjacent to The Sculpture and Architecture Park. Residents receive private bedroom accommodations with shared bathrooms and common areas.
A Federal Period farm house serves as a gathering center, providing a full kitchen and library; while the front porch overlooks rolling hills and the majestic outline of the Catskill Range. A swimming pool, bicycles, WiFi access and a computer with printing capability is available on the premises.
Columbia County, and the nearby Berkshire Mountains, are popular destinations because of their historical, natural and cultural riches. From bird sanctuaries to modern dance, presidential mansions to farmer’s markets, the environs offer a singular blend of rural quiet and cultural stimulation. Staff and friends in the neighborhood are often available for excursions of interest to residents. The local library has a modest collection, but is a member of the Mid-Hudson group, calling on the resources of libraries within much of eastern New York.
TIMELINE:
Decision Notification: January 2026
RESIDENCY DATES:
Art Omi: Writers 2026 takes place over four sessions, two in the Spring and two in the Autumn.
SPRING 2026
Spring Session One: Wednesday, April 1–Monday, April 27
Spring Session Two: Thursday, April 30–Tuesday, May 26
AUTUMN 2026
Session One: Thursday, September 24–Thursday, October 15
Session Two: Wednesday, October 21–Wednesday, November 18
Art Omi: Translation Lab 2026 takes place from Wednesday, September 9–Monday, September 21. Please note, a separate open call only for Translation Lab will run in early 2026.
artomi.org/residencies/writers/
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call for submissions: 1.1 Foglifter Online Exclusive: Body Politics
Foglifter
DEADLINE: October 15, 2026
INFO: As Foglifter revitalizes our website and digital production, we are interested in creating and holding space for works that may not fit within the constraints of our print edition. We are now accepting submissions for our new Online Exclusive Issue dedicated to showcasing queer voices across a wide spectrum of creative forms.
As always, we are seeking art that aligns with our mission of promoting queer, transgressive, and original work. The themes will change from issue to issue. For 1.1, our theme is Body Politics. Bodies are sites of power, protest, pleasure, oppression, transformation, and resistance. They are legislated, labeled, liberated, and loved. In a world where bodies are constantly scrutinized, marginalized, and controlled—especially queer, trans, fat, disabled, racialized, and reproductive bodies—we want to create a space for work that responds, reclaims, and reimagines.
Please submit work that engages with themes that may include gender expression and transition, reproductive justice, disability and chronic illness, surveillance and censorship, body modification culture, fat liberation and anti-ableism, queer desire and sexuality, the racialized body, and performance and protest. We invite works that grapple with the political, personal, and cultural dimensions of the queer body.
Pieces must be original, unpublished work in genres including, but not limited to: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, comics, visual art, scripts, and multimedia (video, audio, music, interactive pieces, experimental work, etc.) that align with the current issue’s theme.
This online exclusive issue will be published as a winter issue on our website. We’re especially interested in pieces that experiment with form, push boundaries, and reflect the complexity, joy, rage, beauty, and multiplicity of the queer experience.
WHY ONLINE EXCLUSIVE?
Our print publication has limits—page counts, dimensions, ink. This digital issue is a space without borders. We want to uplift work that can’t—or won’t—fit in print: multimedia projects, audio pieces, visual art, and performance pieces that demand to be seen and heard in digital space.
GENERAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
We accept only first rights to publication.
We do accept simultaneous submissions, however please withdraw pieces that have been accepted elsewhere.
Please include a short bio, description of your work, any past publications, and applicable trigger warnings in your cover letter.
Visual and [multi]media work must be web-viewable—please include links or uploads through Submittable and include content warnings if applicable
GENRE SPECIFIC GUIDELINES:
Please submit up to 5 pieces
For video and audio submissions, please limit to 5 minutes
We accept art created via all mediums (except AI -- no AI art submissions). This includes, but is not limited to, photography, painting, digital, ink, pencil, collage, etc.
Acceptable file types: .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .tif, .tiff, .png, .svg, .pdf, .doc, .docx, .txt, .rtf, .odt, .mp3, .m4a, .wav, .mp4, .mov, .avi, .mpg, .3gp, .wmv
All applicable artworks submitted will be considered for cover art for the online exclusive issue
We love experimental work, feel free to submit hybrid forms that blend genres
For grant purposes, we cannot consider submissions that do not include a completed demographic survey with their submission
Foglifter aims to reflect the vibrant diversity of the LGBTQ+ literary community in our award-winning journal. Fill out our anonymized Demographics Survey to be considered for publication—then take a screenshot of the thank-you screen at the end and attach it along with your submission.
foglifter.submittable.com/submit
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The 2026 Alice James Award
Alice James Books
DEADLINE: October 17, 2025
ENTRY FEE: $30
INFO: Alice James Books will consider submissions of poetry manuscripts to the 2026 Alice James Award postmarked through October 17th, 2025. The Alice James Award welcomes submissions from emerging as well as established poets. Entrants must reside in the United States.
AWARD: The winner of the 2026 award will receive $2000, book publication, promotion, and distribution via Consortium Book Sales and Distribution. In addition to the winning manuscript, one or more additional manuscripts may be chosen for publication as the Editor’s Choice.
GUIDELINES FOR MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS:
AI-generated and AI-assisted work is strictly prohibited. Those interested in submitting to the AJA may use AI to research and inspire revision to existing poems but submitted collections as a whole, and every element of the poems within, must have been originally imagined and created by the author alone; in cases where lines or phrases were inspired by or pay homage to other resources, proper attribution is required. All manuscripts proven to have benefited from AI assistance will be immediately disqualified.
Screening for the Alice James Award is blind. No contact information may appear within your manuscript, including within the filename, if electronically submitted. Do not include any preambles, bios, author's notes, or acknowledgments within your submitted manuscript. Notes on the poems are permitted.
Hard copy submissions: send one copy of your manuscript with two title pages (one that includes just the title of your manuscript, the second the title and your contact information [your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and an optional biographical note]). Use only binder clips. No staples, folders, or printer-bound copies.
Manuscripts may be submitted online or by regular mail. Mail hard copy entries to: Alice James Books, Alice James Award, Auburn Hall, 60 Pineland Drive, Suite 206, New Gloucester, ME 04260. Online submissions are open until 11:59 PM EST on the deadline.
Manuscripts must have a numbered table of contents, typed in no smaller than 12-point font, paginated, and 48 – 100 pages (single-spaced) in length. We accept double-sided manuscripts.
Decorative illustrations, photographs, or images should not be included; hybrid poems are permitted. Images that identify the author must be redacted.
Individual poems from the manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, anthologies, or chapbooks of less than 25 pages, but the collection, as a whole, must be unpublished.
Translations and self-published books are not eligible.
No multi-authored collections, please.
MANUSCRIPTS CANNOT BE RETURNED. Please do not send us your only copy.
Entry fee for the Alice James Award is $30 for online and hardcopy submissions. Checks or money orders for hardcopy submissions should be made payable to Alice James Books.
Winners will be announced in February/March 2026.
CHECKLIST FOR ENTRY
Electronic: One (1) PDF or .docx copy of manuscript (NO CONTACT INFORMATION WITHIN MANUSCRIPT).
Hardcopy: Two (2) copies of title page (one page that shows only the title, the second which shows the title and your contact information) and One (1) printed copy of manuscript enclosed (NO CONTACT INFORMATION WITHIN MANUSCRIPT). If you wish acknowledgment of the receipt of your manuscript, include a stamped addressed postcard. For notification of winners, include a business-sized SASE.
$30 entry fee
alicejames.submittable.com/submit/308743/the-2026-alice-james-award
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Open Call: Artist Publishing Cohort
at Louie Place
DEADLINE: October 24, 2025 at 11:59pm ET
INFO: at Louis Place (aLP) is a community for artists and writers. Through an accessible, collaborative online platform, at Louis Place is an ecosystem for artistic practice that values liberation, experimentation, cooperation, and shared leadership. Through daily co-writing, weekly writing groups, and monthly guest workshops, participants find opportunities for personal and creative growth, as well as connections to peers from across the continent and the world.
With support from the Wagner Foundation, the second edition of the Artist Publishing Cohort will continue offering personalized support for artists with publishing projects in progress.
TIMELINE:
Applicants notified: mid-December, 2025
Program dates: January - May, 2026
ELIGIBILITY:
The Artist Publishing Cohort is created to support:
Visual artists, choreographers and performing artists, and other interdisciplinary artists over the age of 18 whose primary training and professional profile is outside of the field of creative writing
Artists preparing a publishing project featuring their own creative work, such as a novel, memoir, monograph, or book of poems
Artists looking for regular practical and creative support on their publishing project, who are self-directed, proactive, and able to take initiative to participate in the community's full range of program offerings
Artists who are willing and able to participate in a small group cohort for peer support and workshop, who are looking to build their work in fellowship with other artists and writers
Artists preparing work for digital publication, self-publication, or traditional publication
Artists with projects actively and urgently in progress and ready for support
We love all writers, but the program is not suited for:
Academically-trained writers preparing academic manuscripts in any field
Playwrights and other trained writers preparing projects for performance rather than publication
Published authors with access to extensive writing networks
Artists preparing print editions that won’t require an editorial process
Artists preparing projects that will be distributed in editions less than 50
Artists ineligible to work in the US.
Current and past aLP writers are eligible for this opportunity, along with those who are new to our community.
BENEFITS:
Participating artists receive:
Financial support: A stipend of $1,000 to support their creative work—use it to offset childcare, research, rent, groceries, supplies, or anything else connected to life as an artist.
Workshop: Participate in a bi-weekly workshop to share pages for feedback and accountability and identify opportunities and connections, facilitated by aLP staff.
Practicums: In spring 2026, aLP will offer a second comprehensive Artist Publishing Practicum designed to demystify the pathway to publication for visual artists featuring a network of special guests.
Resources: Benefit from monthly writing workshops by guest lecturers, our archive of past events, our prompt and resource libraries, our extended network of writers of all kinds, and all other aLP offerings.
Artist Publishing Cohort artists should be prepared to participate fully in program offerings, including biweekly workshop. Cohort artists are not required to attend every event, but should be able to make a meaningful commitment to regular participation.
at Louis Place was created by and for writers marginalized by conventional writing communities, including Black, Indigenous, immigrant, disabled, over-50, and writers outside urban centers; it is open to everyone who shares our values. at Louis Place is led by Steffani Jemison, Naima Lowe, Janavi Janakiraman, and Quincy Flowers.
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Call for Zine Submissions - Act Your Age: Fandom at 35+ and Beyond
Wild Ramp Publishing
DEADLINE: October 24, 2025
INFO: For Act Your Age Volume 3, we’re diving into the theme of "Generations". We're looking for stories, art, and creative work that explore how fandom connects across age, time, and family lines.
Are you a second- or third-generation fan in your family?
Maybe your love of a band, show, book, or game was inherited from a parent or grandparent—or maybe you’re the one who passed it on to your child, your sibling, your nibling, or even your neighbor.
Do you participate in fan activities that bring together people of different ages?
Have you found meaning in how fandom acts as a bridge between generations, cultures, or communities?
We’re accepting essays, stories, visual art, comics, poetry, and other creative work that fits the theme. Both personal reflections and imaginative takes are welcome.
Microsoft Word, Google Drive links and png artwork is accepted. If your work is selected for publication, you’ll receive two copies of the zine as a thank-you.
Got questions? wildramppublishing@gmail.com
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SHENANDOAH FELLOWSHIP FOR EMERGING EDITOR
Shenandoah
DEADLINE: October 31, 2025
INFO: The Shenandoah Fellowship for Emerging Editors will be open on will be open on October 1, 2025 for applications from fellows in all genres (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, comics). We will consider and accepts fellows on a rolling basis.
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP: In order for substantive change to happen in the predominantly homogeneous publishing industry, innovation must happen at all levels, from the big five book corporations in New York City to literary magazines like Shenandoah. We recognize that if we want writers from diverse backgrounds, varied perspectives, and underrepresented groups to feel at home in Shenandoah, and for the literature we publish to be full of varied and passionate perspectives that enliven, empower, and engage all of us, we need to have representation at our core.
Through this editorial fellowship, we’re committed to expanding the roster of people we work with and to discovering new voices to amplify and empower. Selected fellows will receive a $1000 honorarium and will curate a selection of published work in a specific genre, working with the Shenandoah staff to guide the work to publication. This opportunity will give fellows the chance to learn about all aspects of a small literary publisher and create connections with peers and potential future employers in the industry and in academia.
REQUIREMENTS + ELIGIBILITY: We welcome writers and editors of all experience levels. No previous editorial experience is necessary, but we are looking for applicants who are passionate and informed about the literary community. We are committed to the development of an inclusive environment and strive to advance diverse perspectives and approaches.
We welcome applications from all writers, including underrepresented minority candidates and members of other communities that are traditionally underrepresented in academia and publishing. Washington and Lee University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, military status, genetic information, or any other protected class status under the law in its educational programs and activities, admissions, and with regard to employment.
THE APPLICATION:
Please upload a single document that responds to these three prompts separately:
In 500 words or fewer, describe why this fellowship would be valuable to you, addressing what you think is the role and value of a literary magazine in the publishing ecosystem.
In 500 words or fewer, tell us about a favorite piece of writing you recently read in a literary magazine in your desired genre. Describe how you found it, who wrote it, its aesthetic attributes, and what you loved about it.
In 500 words or fewer, describe the unique perspective or experience you would bring to Shenandoah. Make sure to include your writing and editing experience and the genre you would be most excited to work in (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics).
shenandoah.submittable.com/submit
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The Sarabande Chapbook Prize
Sarabande Books
DEADLINE: October 31, 2025 at 11:59pm
INFO: The Sarabande Chapbook Prize publishes two projects of poetry and hybrid work annually. Established in 2024, Sarabande’s 30th anniversary year, the prize celebrates Sarabande’s three-decade legacy of publishing highly distilled literary forms.
AWARD: Winners receive $1,000, publication, and a standard royalty contract.
ELIGIBILITY:
This contest is open to any poet writing in English. Employees and board members of Sarabande are not eligible. Works that have previously appeared in part in magazines or in anthologies may be included. Translations and previously published collections are not eligible.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
Manuscript must be anonymous
Manuscript must be typed, standard font, 12 pt., paginated
Between 20-30 pages, single spaced
Multiple submissions are permitted if submitted separately, each with a submission fee. Edits to submissions will not be permitted, but any publications resulting from this contest will undergo a fully collaborative editorial process and copyedit. Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted, but please withdraw your manuscript if accepted elsewhere.
sarabandebooks.submittable.com/submit
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Evaristo Prize for African Poetry
African Poetry Book Fund
DEADLINE: October 31, 2025
INFO: The Evaristo Prize for African Poetry is an annual prize of USD $1,500 awarded to ten poems written by an African poet.
Established first as the Brunel International African Poetry Prize (BIAPP) in 2012 by British writer Bernardine Evaristo, who founded and managed the prize for ten years, the Evaristo Prize was renamed and passed on to be managed by the African Poetry Book Fund in 2022. A close partner of APBF, the BIAPP sought to “encourage a new generation of poets who might one day become an international presence.” Indeed, the excellence of BIAPP winners continues to be celebrated globally as many of the poets have gone to publish chapbooks, full-length poetry collections, and win more prizes. The BIAPP announced their final winner in May 2022.
President of the UK’s Royal Society of Literature and a celebrated writer, Bernardine Evaristo is an APBF Editorial Board Member; Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London; and the author of ten books of fiction, poetry, essays, drama, criticism, and journalism.
The next Evaristo African Poetry Prize will begin accepting submissions in October 2025.
ELIGIBILITY
The Prize is open to African writers. An “African writer” is taken to mean someone who was born in Africa, who is a national or resident of an African country, or whose parents are African.
The prize is open to African poets who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published at the time of submission. Self-published poetry books, chapbooks, and pamphlets are exempt from this stipulation.
Only poems written in English can be considered, but we welcome poems in translation for consideration too. In the case that the winning work is translated, a percentage of the prize money would be awarded to the translator.
No past or present paid employees of the University of Nebraska Press, Akashic Books, or Amalion Press, or current faculty, students, or employees at the University of Nebraska are eligible for the prizes.
African poets who have published a chapbook in a New-Generation African Poets Chapbooks Box Set series remain eligible for the Evaristo African Poetry Prize if they have not published a full-length book of poems.
WHEN TO SEND:
Manuscripts of 10 poems, no more and no less, will be accepted annually between October 1st and November 1st via Submittable. Please do not send any submissions via email. We do not have the capacity to track submissions by email and any manuscripts received as such will not be considered.
MANUSCRIPT:
Poems must be the original work of the entrant and be no longer than 40 lines each.
Poems may have been previously published or won previous awards.
People who have entered previously for the prize can re-submit but are advised to share new poems.
While we have no specific formatting rules, we suggest sending your manuscript in Times New Roman or Arial, 12-point font, single-spaced. We also prefer one poem per page, meaning a new poem does not begin on the same page on which another ends. The entire submission must be in black ink, no colors.
All entries must be submitted via Submittable. Poems must be submitted in a single document without any identifying information included. The document should be named after the title of the first poem in the packet. Alterations cannot be made to poems once entered. The Submittable cover letter, which will be concealed to screeners and judges, should include the entrants’ name, nationality, country of birth, full address including country of permanent residence, personal email address and telephone number.
JUDGING:
The APBF will convene a judging panel every year. The inaugural judging panel included Gabeba Baderoon (Chair), Tjawangwa Dema, and Tsitsi Jaji.
In 2024, the judging panel included Tjawangwa Dema (Chair), Tsitsi Jaji, and Mahtem Shiferraw.
To ensure confidentiality and fairness, all submissions to the Evaristo Prize are handled by our Book Prize Coordinator, Nicole Lachat. Please direct questions regarding submissions to apbf@brown.edu.
The APBF reserves the right to not award the Prize if, in the judges’ opinion, such an action is justified. APBF also reserves the right to split the Prize if they decide that more than one poet is worthy of winning it.
A shortlist of poets will be announced in April, a winner in May. All shortlisted and winning poets agree to allow the APBF website to post their ten submitted poems.
For questions regarding the prize, please write to Jae Geralde at apbf@brown.edu.
africanpoetrybf.brown.edu/contest-prizes/evaristo-prize-for-african-poetry/
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Graybeal-Gowen Prize for Virginia Poets 2025
Shenandoah
DEADLINE: October 31, 2025
INFO: Submissions for this prize will be accepted between October 15 and October 31, 2025. Winners will be chosen by guest judge Tim Seibles.
All submissions will be considered for publication. Poets living in or born in Virginia, as well as those who have lived in Virginia for two or more years in the past, are eligible. Submit as many as three poems, each no longer than 50 lines, along with brief biographical note, which should confirm the basis for eligibility as a Virginian.
One poem will be selected to receive the $1000 prize and will be published in Shenandoah. No Washington and Lee staff, faculty, or their families are eligible. The Graybeal-Gowen Prize was established to honor the memory of WLU graduate and lover of poetry, Howerton Gowen.
https://shenandoah.submittable.com/submit
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Poetry to be Considered by Editorial Fellow Samyak Shertok
Shenandoah
DEADLINE: N/A
INFO: For this issue, I’m especially interested in poetry in forms: received, modified, hybrid, found (“hermit crab”), invented, reinvented. Poems that honor the tradition, dismantle the conventions, create space for new “grotesque” shapes. Forms that explode. Forms that implode. Forms that reinvent themselves even as they’re burning. Poems that explore the political and cultural consequences and privileges of their own forms. Poems that treat form not as a passive vessel but as a house with agency that decides who enters, who stays, who’s evicted, who’s haunted. Where form and content are in an endless tension-dialogue-struggle with each other until the two become inseparable or one swallows the other whole. Poems where form itself becomes a language. But most importantly, forms that are deeply personal and singular. Send me your raw, wrought, seductive, seditious, sublime, monstrous, Ravana, Hydra-headed forms that dare us to behead them.
Submit up to 5 pages. Include a brief note in your cover letter discussing your use of form(s).
https://shenandoah.submittable.com/submit
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Deep Line Poetry Series
Hub City Press
DEADLINE: October 31, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
INFO: The Deep Line Poetry Series was created to spotlight poetry by writers working in the American South, writing about and from BIPOC communities. Submissions are open to all Southern poets at any stage of their career. There is no fee associated with submitting to this series. A finalist will be selected by the Editor-at-Large, and will be published by Hub City Press in the following year. In addition to publication, the finalist will receive a prize of $2000.
Formally the BIPOC Poetry Series, the Deep Line Poetry Series is open to all poets at any stage of their careers who reside in or are from the South and whose project reflects the experience of marginalized Southern communities. Submitters must live in or be from the following fourteen states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia or West Virginia.
This series is made possible with funding from the Poetry Foundation.
Editor-at-Large 2025: Jennifer Chang
ELIGIBILITY:
Submitters must either currently reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia or West Virginia or have a strong tie to one or more of the listed states.
Submitters must not be affiliated with Hub City Press or Hub City Writers Project as a staff member or volunteer or as previously published Hub City author. Close friends and relatives of the final judge are not eligible.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
One finalists will be announced in early 2026.
The manuscript must be between 50 and 200 pages (12 point, serif typeface). Works that have previously appeared in magazines or in anthologies may be included.
This contest is not read anonymously, so please include a bio with your manuscript. Manuscripts should include one title page with the manuscript’s title only. You may also include a table of contents. Manuscripts that do not adhere to this guideline will be immediately eliminated.
Simultaneous submissions of the same manuscript to other publishers or contests are acceptable but please notify us if your manuscript has been accepted elsewhere.
While translations and manuscripts in languages other than English are not accepted, manuscripts that occasionally use words from other languages are acceptable and welcome.
No revisions of submitted manuscripts will be allowed during the contest.
There is no fee associated with submitting to this series.
FAQs:
I have never published a book before. Am I eligible?
Yes! The Deep Line Poetry Series is open to poets of all stages of their careers.
I have published several books before. Am I eligible?
Yes! The Deep Line Poetry Series is open to poets of all stages of their careers.
I have previously lived in one of the Southern states listed. Am I eligible?
Yes! As long as you have ties to the South (have been born/raised in the South; have previously lived in the South for 3+ years; or are a current resident), you’re eligible to apply.
Questions?
If your question isn't addressed above, please email kate@hubcity.org.
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Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize
Persea Books
DEADLINE: October 31, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
ENTRY FEE: $30
INFO: The Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize (formerly the Lexi Rudnitsky Poetry Prize) is a collaboration between Persea Books and The Lexi Rudnitsky Poetry Project. This annual competition sponsors the publication of a poetry collection by a female-identifying poet who has yet to publish a full-length poetry book.
PRIZE: The winner receives an advance of $1,000 and publication of her collection by Persea.
In addition, the winner receives the option of an all-expenses-paid residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center, a renowned artists retreat housed in a fifteenth-century castle in Umbertide, Italy.
SUBMISSION + ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES:
Entrants must identify as female, and must be U.S. citizens (living anywhere in the world) or currently living in the United States (regardless of citizenship or residency status).
Submitted manuscripts should be at least 48 pages of poetry. In addition, they should include a title page displaying the collection title only. No identifying information should be included anywhere in the submission. Submissions should not include publication credits, acknowledgments, thank-yous, or dedications.
Submissions must be written primarily in English to be considered. Translations are not accepted.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted. Please contact us immediately if you must withdraw your manuscript(s) from consideration.
Entry fees, which support outreach by the Lexi Rudnitsky Poetry Project (e.g. promoting poetry in New York City public schools) are nonrefundable. There are a limited number of fee waivers available for those experience financial hardship. Please email poetry@perseabooks.com to inquire about a waiver.
For the purposes of this contest, a previously published full-length book of poems is defined as a volume of at least 48 pages that has been made readily available through trade distribution (i.e. local and/or on-line booksellers, including Amazon.com). Anyone who has already published a book that meets these criteria is ineligible.
The winner is chosen by an anonymous selection committee and announced on Persea's web site in January.
Any questions about the contest or its guidelines should be emailed to poetry@perseabooks.com.
perseabooks.submittable.com/submit
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Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award
Red Hen Press
DEADLINE: October 31, 2025
ENTRY FEE: $25
INFO: Established in 1998, in honor of the poet Benjamin Saltman (1927–1999), this award is for a previously unpublished original collection of poetry. The awarded collection is selected through an annual competition that is open to all poets.
AWARD DETAILS:
$3,000
Book publication by Red Hen Press
Judge: Brenda Cardenas
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Name on cover sheet only, 48 page minimum, 96 page maximum. Entries will be accepted via Submittable only.
ELIGIBILITY:
The award is open to all writers with the following exceptions:
Authors who have had a full-length work published by Red Hen Press, or a full-length work currently under consideration by Red Hen Press
Employees, interns, or contractors of Red Hen Press
Relatives of employees or members of the executive board of directors
Relatives or individuals having a personal or professional relationship with any of the final judges where they have taken any part whatsoever in shaping the manuscript, or where, for whatever reason, selecting a particular manuscript might have the appearance of impropriety
PROCEDURES + ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS:
To be certain that every manuscript finalist receives the fairest evaluation, all manuscripts shall be submitted to the judges without any identifying material.
Bios, acknowledgments, and other identifying material shall be removed from judged manuscripts until the conclusion of the competition.
Red Hen Press is committed to maintaining the utmost integrity of our awards. Judges shall recuse themselves from considering any manuscript where they recognize the work. In the event of refusal, a manuscript score previously assigned by the managing editor of the press will be substituted.
redhen.org/awards/benjamin-saltman-poetry-award
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AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SPOKEN WORDS CONTEST 3.0
IHRAM Press
DEADLINE: October 31, 2025
INFO: The African Secretariat of the International Human Rights Art Movement is proud to announce the upcoming "African Human Rights Spoken Word Contest," a transformative platform that harnesses the power of spoken word artistry to address pressing human rights issues. The contest aims to bring together poets, artists, and activists from across the African continent to creatively express their thoughts and perspectives on critical matters such as social justice, climate change, women's empowerment, immigration, human trafficking, police brutality, and violence against women.
In an era where dialogue and advocacy hold the key to positive change, the contest seeks to amplify the voices of those often marginalized and unheard. Through the art of spoken word, participants will have the opportunity to shed light on the urgent need for social justice, a sustainable environment, and equal rights for women. The African Human Rights Spoken Words Contest will serve as a powerful catalyst for awareness, empathy, and action, encouraging participants to delve into these multifaceted issues and inspire others to do the same.
The African Human Rights Spoken Word Contest is set to unleash a wave of creative expression, advocacy, and solidarity across the African continent. Poets, spoken word artists, and all individuals passionate about human rights are encouraged to participate and contribute to this vital dialogue. Together, we can harness the power of spoken words to pave the way towards a more just, equitable, and compassionate future.
Submit a captivating 1-minute video where you passionately recite a unique and artistic poem crafted by you. This is your opportunity to shine and potentially be showcased on our vibrant social media platforms.
Demonstrate and elucidate the potent utilization of spoken language as a catalyst for the advancement and bolstering of human rights across the African continent. To merit rightful acknowledgment, submissions should inherently encapsulate the essence of human rights.
PRIZES:
First Prize - $100
Second Prize - $75
Third Prize - $50
Five honorable mentions
The works that emerge victorious will take center stage at the International Human Rights Art Festival, set to unfold between December 9th and 14th, 2025, in New York City.
OTHER BENEFITS:
Award of Certificates of Participation to all Entrants.
Award of Certificates of Excellence to only the shortlisted entrants.
GUIDELINES":
Upload a 1-minute video of yourself reciting your original poem of not less than 20MB.
Entries are welcomed from anywhere in the world, but must address human rights issues in Africa
Stories must have Human Rights at heart.
Only one Video per entrant
Your video can explore any of the following human rights themes: Freedom of Expression, Government Violations, Police Brutality, corruption, forced Eviction, terrorism, Gender Inequality, LGBT Rights, Child Labour, Child Marriage, Domestic Violence, violence and discrimination against women; child abuse; female genital mutilation, ethnic, regional, and religious discrimination, child trafficking etc.
Record yourself in a quiet place (no music or background noise). Listen to your audio before you upload to make sure we can hear you well. No other persons are allowed in the video.
Make sure the video is not shaky, the camera must be still while filming.
Ensure your video is artistic, original, and creative. Videos must not have been previously published or used for a commercial purpose such as private sale or used in monetized platforms. All content to be used must be original, including any music.
Do not add any graphics, text, or captions. If you need to perform your poem in sign language, you are welcome to do so.
Film in landscape mode.
We strongly encourage diverse, untraditional, and unheard voices to enter this competition
The 1-minute Video must be a new and original piece of work. The Story must not have been published in any form or awarded previously.
Winners will be announced on the November 25th, 2024
Any signs of plagiarism will disqualify the contestant.
IHRAM reserves the right to withdraw and reclaim the financial value of the contest if it is discovered that a Spoken Word Artist has fabricated any information in their submission.
Organizers’ decision is final
All entrants agree to offer IHRAM first world rights, with the right to upload selected videos on its media and streaming platforms.
All entries must be submitted to: wole@humanrightsartmovement.org and copy ihrafafrica@humanrightsartmovement.org
Title of your mail should be addressed as “AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SPOKEN WORD CONTEST”
Entrants are advised to send the following information alongside their entries
Name, Age, Gender, Country, Address, Phone Number, Where you heard about the Contest, Short Profile about yourself, Name of school or university if any
It is your responsibility to ensure that your submission is eligible for the Contest. By entering your work for the Contest you are confirming to us that the work that you are submitting is your own original work, and that you have read and agreed to the Conditions of Entry of the Contest.
We will write to everyone who entered for the Contest and inform them of the outcome of their application once the judging process has concluded.
African Human Rights Spoken WorD Contest is an initiative of the International Human Rights Art Movement (IHRAM), USA aimed at promoting and supporting the realization of human rights in Africa.
For more enquiries contact: Wole Adedoyin +2348072673852 (woleadedoyin@gmail.com)
humanrightsartmovement.org/african-spoken-word-contest
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James Hearst Poetry Prize
North American Review
DEADLINE: November 1, 2025
ENTRY FEE: $23 (include copy of the Summer Issue)
INFO: The James Hearst Poetry Prize is a competition intended to recognize the finest poetry. We welcome all forms of previously unpublished poetry and up to five poems per submission. James Hearst wrote like he farmed, with an eye for clean fields and straight fences. A writing professor at the University of Northern Iowa for four decades, he also served as a contributing editor and guiding light for the North American Review. The Complete Poetry of James Hearst was published in 2001 by the University of Iowa Press. The winning entry, runners-up, honorable mentions, and finalists will be offered publication in the North American Review’s spring issue. Results will be announced in late January.
You may submit up to five previously unpublished poems in a Word document. All contact information should be entered in your cover letter. No names or addresses should appear on manuscripts. In Submittable's title field, please list the titles of your poems. Your poems will be assigned log numbers so they can be read blind. Simultaneous submission to other journals or competitions is allowed with notice should your poems be accepted elsewhere. All finalist poems will be published, and all entrants will receive the Spring issue of NAR. Current University of Northern Iowa students are not eligible to submit.
Results will be announced in January 2026.
AWARD: $1,000
JUDGE: Danez Smith
northamericanreview.submittable.com/submit
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: A SPECIAL FOLIO ON SOCCER
Michigan Quarterly Review
DEADLINE: November 1, 2025
ENTRY FEE: $3
INFO: Michigan Quarterly Review invites submissions for a special issue dedicated to exploring the rich and complex world of soccer, a global phenomenon that transcends sport to influence culture, politics, identity, and society. We seek scholarly articles, personal and reflective essays, memoirs, biographies, short stories, poetry, and translated works that illuminate soccer’s multifaceted dimensions across regions and disciplines.
We encourage contributions addressing a wide range of topics, including but not limited to: soccer and national identity in diverse contexts such as multiracial societies in Europe, multiculturalism in the United States, and postcolonial narratives in Latin America, Africa, and Asia; labor issues, human trafficking, and the globalization of the football industry; the impact of soccer on youth and marginalized communities; racism, right-wing radicalism, and social justice movements within and beyond the sport; intersections of soccer with religion and politics; and the influence of global capital on the governance and commercialization of soccer.
We particularly welcome works that engage with historical and contemporary developments in regions including the Gulf, South Asia, China, Europe, the United States, and Latin America, reflecting the sport’s global reach and cultural significance.
Submissions in genres ranging from academic analysis to personal memoirs and creative writing are encouraged. Translations of significant works from non-English languages that offer international perspectives will enrich this issue.
Please submit original, unpublished works between 2,000 and 8,000 words. The folio will be published as part of our Summer 2026 issue.
Join us in examining soccer not merely as a game but as a profound lens into identity, power, culture, and society worldwide.
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Derricotte/Eady Chapbook Prize
Cave Canem
DEADLINE: November 3, 2025
INFO: The Derricotte/Eady Prize, named after Cave Canem co-founders Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady, spotlights chapbook-length manuscripts by Black poets.
Awarded to one poet annually, the Derricotte/Eady Prize recipient receives a monetary prize, the publication of their manuscript through O, Miami Books, a residency at The Writer’s Room at The Betsy Hotel-South Beach, and a featured reading at the O, Miami Festival in April.
Cave Canem is honored to partner with O, Miami to produce the annual Derricotte/Eady Prize in collaboration with The Writer’s Room at The Betsy Hotel-South Beach.
ABOUT THE 2026 JUDGE:
giovanni singleton (1999) earned a BA from American University and an MFA from the New College of California. She is the author of the poetry collections AMERICAN LETTERS: works on paper (2017) and Ascension (2011), which won a California Book Award for Poetry. singleton is founding editor of nocturnes (re)view of the literary arts. Her honors and awards include fellowships from the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, Cave Canem, and the Napa Valley Writers Conference. Her work has been anthologized widely and appeared on the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts building. Coordinator for the Lunch Poems reading series at the University of California–Berkeley, singleton has taught at Saint Mary’s College, Naropa University, and New Mexico State University.
AWARD: Winner receives $1,000; publication of their manuscript through O, Miami Books; 10 copies of the chapbook; a residency at The Writer’s Room at The Betsy Hotel-South Beach; and a featured reading at the O, Miami Festival in April.
ELIGIBILITY: All unpublished, original collections of poems written in English by Black poets. Please note that this is not a first book award. Cave Canem defines Black poets as any poet who identifies as a member of the African Diaspora.
Please note that in the event that an applicant has submitted the same manuscript to other book awards and received an award, they must disclose this information to Cave Canem.
EXCLUSIONS: Current or former students, colleagues, employees, family members and close friends of the judge; current or former employees and members of the board of Cave Canem Foundation; O, Miami; and authors who have published a book or have a book under contract with Jai-Alai Books are ineligible.
cavecanempoets.org/programs/#derricotte-eady-chapbook-prize
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MQR MIXTAPE: SWANA INSOMNIA
Michigan Quarterly Review
DEADLINE: November 5, 2025
ENTRY FEE: $3
INFO: In the words of the Sufi mystic and poet Hayyuna, an individual with “a state of closeness [with the Beloved] cannot sleep, and experiences moments of profound sorrow.”
Hayunna lived in the port town of al-Ubulla, in present-day Iraq. There, she taught and influenced the famous Rabia of Basra, who learned to situate sleeplessness on a well-defined spiritual path to divine Love – a far cry from insomnia’s clinicalization in the West. Sleeplessness is deeply rooted in various SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) cultures and cosmogonies: as a sign of spiritual fortitude; in figures like Abdel Halim Hafez’s sawwah, or night wanderer; in late nights spent gossiping over coffee and cigarettes; and in diasporic transcendence of local time to stay in tune with family and beloveds experiencing war and occupation time zones away.
For this issue of MQR Mixtape, I am seeking poems, essays, short fiction, visual, and sound pieces from artists of the SWANA region and its diasporas engaging with insomnia as a site of “holiness, estrangement, and resistance,” as Egyptian choreographer and visual artist Doa Aly puts it. Map the topographies of your sleepless state, its cultural, political, psychological, and somatic dimensions. Send your stories of endurance and exhaustion, your waking dreams, your late-hour longings, griefs, and epiphanies. I am just as interested in works where sleeplessness is an ambient occurrence as those featuring it as the main event.
EDITOR: Noor Al-Samarrai
GUIDELINES:
For this particular issue, please submit:
Poetry (up to three poems)
Prose (up to 4,000 words) Short fiction, Non-fiction essays, Hybrid works
Visual art/photography (up to five works; if sculpture please provide multiple angles)
Video (up to 20 minutes)
Sound/audio works (up to 15 minutes)
Hybrid works (up to three pages) Comics, collages, collaborations, choreographic and performance scores, archival materials, letters, etc.
Only previously unpublished work will be considered. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted by another publication. Please send only one submission per window; subsequent submissions will be rejected automatically.
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WINTER RESIDENCY 2026
Velvetpark Media (Brooklyn, NY)
DEADLINE: November 9, 2025 by 11:59pm EST
APPLICATION FEE: $25
INFO: Velvetpark Residency is a project based live-work studio, awarded through a selection process by open application. It is open to LGBTQ+ writers and visual artists to complete a proposed project. Applicants from across the United States are welcome to apply, however, must have a primary residence.
The studio will be awarded bi-yearly, and will alternate between writers Winter/Spring, and visual artists Summer/Fall respectively. This schedule will continue to alternate into the ensuing years.
Velvetpark‘s Residency award is open for for an artists, writers, creators age eighteen and above, who are not enrolled in an academic program. The residency is for a 6 month term, as indicated in application form.
The VP Residency is housed within Crown Studios, an artist building on a floor of eleven working arts professionals in the Crown and Prospect Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York.
For almost two decades Velvetpark has recognized queer people in the arts, academia and activism, by featuring stories on, by, or about these individuals in the pages of the print magazine and online. It is in the same spirit that our residency program has been launched and expanded to include imaginative and enterprising LGBT+ creators, who need space to support and cultivate their work.
RESIDENCY DATES:
Please note that we will be awarding TWO 3 month terms for our writer residency this year!
Term 1: January 5th – March 30th 2026*
Term 2: April 3rd – June 28th 2026*
*Dates are subject to change.
CHECKLIST:
100 – 250 word, project proposal
– additional .pdf, docx, .doc, .jpg files and supporting materials accepted (limited to 10 mb in size)
Project Outline:
– Provide a detailed outline of what you expect to complete within your 3 month term.
Writers — Work Samples
– Poets, submit up to 15 – 20 pages of poetry
– Prose, 25 – 30 pages of prose
– screenplay/play script, provide 1 – 2 completed works
– additional works accepted via url, to online portfolio or published works
CV/Resume
– should reflect your artistic/creative accomplishments
2 references
– 1 professional reference, who can speak about your work and
– 1 personal reference, who can speak about you personally, your work ethic, values, and any other pertinent information about you.
– provide names and contact; phone/email of these individuals (letters not required).
– finalists’ references will be contacted by selection committee to speak about you.