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ELIGIBILITY: All unpublished, original collections of poems written in English by Black poets.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
_____
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.
_____
OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature
Bocas Lit
DEADLINE: November 7, 2025
INFO: The OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature is an annual award for literary books by Caribbean writers, first presented in 2011. Books are judged in three categories: poetry; fiction — both novels and collections of short stories; and literary nonfiction — including books of essays, biography and autobiography, history, current affairs, travel, and other genres, which demonstrate literary qualities and use literary techniques, regardless of subject matter.
There is a panel of three judges for each genre category, who determine category shortlists and winners.
The three category winners are then judged by a panel of four judges — consisting of the chairs of the category panels and the prize chair — who determine the overall winner.
The author of the book judged the overall winner will receive an award of US$10,000. The other category winners will receive US$3,000
_____
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.
velvetparkmedia.com/residency/
_____
THE SARABANDE CHAPBOOK PRIZE
Sarabande Books
DEADLINE: Extended to November 9, 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
_____
call for submissions
Literary Lit
DEADLINE: November 10, 2025
READING FEE: $2
INFO: We are looking for high-quality fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and essays that will leave a lasting impression on our intelligent readers. We look for work that touches upon the topics of femininity, womanhood, identity, empowerment, and/or pop culture.
These topics are nuanced, and we want to showcase their complexity. Whether your writing is funny, thought-provoking, or serious, please make sure it's the very best you can make it.
We do not accept any submissions generated by artificial intelligence. By submitting, you certify that your work is entirely your own.
HOW TO SUBMIT: You can submit through Duosuma during our regular reading periods. We charge a reading fee of $2.00 for each submission. Please include a bio and/or cover letter.
COMPENSATION: If you’re selected, we pay $25.00 for each fiction and nonfiction piece and $10.00 for each poem. As our magazine grows, our payments will, too.
literallylitmag.com/submissions
_____
Call for Submissions: Festive Anthology Vol. IV
Brittle Paper
DEADLINE: November 14, 2025
INFO: Brittle Paper is excited to announce the 2025 submission call for our annual festive anthology!
This year, we are celebrating the stories of those who spend the holidays away from ‘home.’ Whether you’re in a new home, studying abroad, going on vacation, or a diasporic building a new life, any festive season brings up a range of emotions. Sometimes it’s longing and grief, sometimes it’s joy and awe, and sometimes it’s a combination of it all. With this festive anthology, we wish to capture as many of those experiences as possible through poetry, short stories, and essays.
Brittle Paper is a space for Africa’s stories, whether it be on the continent or in the diasporic communities all over the world. This year, we want to celebrate and highlight our diasporic community, as well as those who have experienced the holidays away from home. Whether it’s a religious holiday, a traditional and cultural moment, a wedding, a birthday, or an important milestone, these are all moments that feel different when away from our home, country, family, and continent. And these are the experiences we would love to share with our readers!
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Submissions that do not adhere to the guidelines may not be reviewed
Email your submission to submissions@brittlepaper.com.
Email subject heading: “Festive Anthology Submission”
Include an author picture and biography.
Each submission needs to consist of only one piece of original and unpublished work, but simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Submissions need to be in Word format.
Poetry submission word limit: 500 words
Non/Fiction and Essay submission word limit: 3500 words
Selection process will take place after the deadline.
_____
Community Uplift Scholarships
Unicorn Authors Club
DEADLINE: November 15, 2025
INFO: Are you ready to join a BIPOC-centered community of authors and coaches and devote 2026 to writing your book? If so, we’re happy to share that we have three full scholarships available to support four months of membership in the Unicorn Authors Club.
Our three Community Uplift Scholarships are intended to support writers who are in one or more of the following communities:
Those directly affected by recent and ongoing fires and climate change;
Writers impacted by recent government cuts to funding;
Trans writers;
Gazan writers and writers whose work responds directly to events in Gaza.
These scholarships are for writers working on any kind of project that they are dedicated to (from romance, to memoir, to poetry collection, and beyond), as long as it is aligned with Unicorn values.
Unicorn Authors Club is a BIPOC-centered space, and we always prioritise BIPOC writers in these spaces and scholarships.
Scholarships are applicable only for a four-month term beginning in March 2026.
BENEFITS:
As a scholarship recipient, you will have access to all of our Unicorn Authors Club benefits at no cost, including:
Individual coaching from our experienced team on your manuscript and building a writing practice that works for you.
Magical co-writing spaces with like-minded authors.
Craft talks and tools to stimulate your storytelling.
Group coaching to hash out problems.
Custom writing prompts.
A supportive, welcoming space with fellow authors and accomplished mentors.
Our application is not used to judge your writing—it is simply to ensure that our program aligns with your writing needs at this stage. Don’t overthink it! We are excited to hear from you.
Questions? We will be holding a Zoom info session on November 6 at 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern.
unicornauthors.club/scholarships/
_____
2025 Poetry Prize
Nightboat Books
DEADLINE: November 15, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
ENTRY FEE: $28
INFO: The 2025 Poetry Prize is open to poets writing in English, including international Anglophone writers. Previous book publication is not a consideration for eligibility. Poems published in print or on-line periodicals, anthologies, or chapbooks may be included, but the manuscript itself must be unpublished. Original work only; translations are not eligible for the prize.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Family members and former students of Nightboat editors may not submit to the contest. Students do not include interactions at short-term residencies or fellowships. Former employees of Nightboat Books, including interns, may not submit to the contest.
FORMAT: Minimum of 48 pages, paginated, no more than one poem per page. Please include a title page (we do not read submissions anonymously, so it’s fine to include your name), a table of contents, and an acknowledgments page if applicable. You’re welcome to include images in your manuscript, but please note that we are not able to print in full-color.
SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Please notify Nightboat Books immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: Submission of more than one manuscript is acceptable. Each manuscript must be submitted separately, each with a separate entry fee.
INTERNATIONAL SUBMISSIONS: We accept international submissions.
REVISIONS: The winner will have the opportunity to revise the manuscript before publication. No revisions will be considered during the reading period.
Winner(s) will be announced by April 2026. Winning collection(s) to be published Spring-Fall 2028.
MORE INFO: Email questions/comments to info AT nightboat.org, but please do not send your manuscript to this email address.
_____
Call for Submissions: Issue II
UbuntuHarlem Magazine
DEADLINE: November 20, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
INFO: Ubuntu Magazine is a digital magazine highlighting the voices of Harlem’s youth (14–25) through the celebration of our stories and lived experiences, revealing the heartbeat of our community.
Theme for Issue II: Harlem’s ARTivism: Youth in Resistance
As New York City enters a charged political moment with the upcoming mayoral election, Harlem stands once again at the crossroads of art and resistance. This issue explores the power of art as activism = ARTivism, using creativity to confront injustice, spark dialogue, and build community. This issue will be published post-mayoral election results, so Issue II will be focused on how art can be political as a whole in our community and submissions don't need to be solely about the election.
We’re calling for visual and written submissions, including photography, drawings, interviews, poetry, essays, digital art, and more. DM us on Instagram or email ubuntumagazineharlem@gmail.com if you’d like to ask about submitting something outside the box; we love creative risks.
Submit for a chance to be part of the next issue of UbuntuHarlem Magazine.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSerhmr-goFQcsKQeTKsTGN4PrsGjHOXxOTXus26jnjrbcAgHg/viewform
_____
Tiny Grant 2026
Tiny Grant
DEADLINE: November 28, 2025
INFO: The Tiny Grant offers a minimum of $2,000 and up to $3,000 to emerging artists based in NYC. The program kicks off at the start of 2026 and runs through the end of June.
WHO WE ARE:
Lily and Lucy have been close friends since the first week of college. Both of us are immigrants with a deep love for art. Here’s a bit more about us:
Lily
I’m a visual artist specializing in drawing and painting. I enjoy exploring museums and galleries, and have painted several murals. Professionally I am a UX Program Manager at a tech company, focused on strategy and operations for designers and researchers.
Lucy
I have a lifelong passion for the performing arts. I am a classically trained pianist and ballerina, having started my journey at the age of three. In recent years, I have expanded into various other dance styles and am now also exploring stand-up comedy. Professionally, I am a general partner at a venture fund, focusing on early stage investments in advanced technical and scientific innovations.
WHY WE ARE DOING THIS:
Our shared love for art drives us to support emerging artists. As immigrants, we understand the challenges of navigating a new environment with limited resources and support. That’s why we are passionate about helping up-and-coming artists, providing the support they need to grow in their careers.
We ran the first ever pilot of Tiny Grant from January to June 2025, selecting six artists and learning with them along the way. It was an incredibly inspiring experience for us. We are excited to continue building this program and offer the program again this year. Check out the Tiny Grant Salon we hosted with our inaugural cohort in May 2025 here.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
We aim to award grants to 6-8 artists based in New York City who are in the greatest need of support and whose artistic visions resonate with us. We welcome applications from artists in any creative field, including visual arts, performing arts, literary arts, design, and others. The specific grant amount will be determined based on the number of artists selected to receive the grant this year.
This opportunity is especially suited for artists looking to pursue a full-time career. We encourage you to apply if you believe this grant could make a meaningful impact on your artistic journey.
PROGRAM DETAILS:
The 2026 program will run for six months (January to June). Grantees will receive the full grant amount at the start of the program, with two check-ins with us every two months. The program will culminate in a gathering and celebration with all grantees and a small group of friends.
APPROXIMATE TIMELINE:
Submission Deadline: November 28, 2025 11:59pm EST
Selection & Review: November 29 – December 7, 2025
Interviews: December 8 – December 14, 2025
Notification of Decisions: December 17, 2025
Acceptance of Grant by Artist: December 21, 2025
Disbursement: January 1, 2026
First Check-in: March 2026
Second Check-in: May 2026
Program Ends: June 30, 2026
Tiny Grant Salon: TBD (May - June 2026)
QUESTIONS: info@tinygrant.org
_____
2026 McKnight Fellowships for Writers (Poetry, Spoken Word, Picture Books)
Loft Literary Center
DEADLINE: November 30, 2025 by 11:59pm CT
INFO: The Loft Literary Center is pleased to announce the 2026 McKnight Fellowships for Writers, made possible by the generous support of the McKnight Foundation.
The McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship disciplines include: Printmaking (Highpoint Center), Book Arts (MCBA), Fiber Arts (Textile Center), Choreographers and Dancers (Cowles Center), Media Artists (FilmNorth), Visual Artists (MCAD), Ceramics (Northern Clay Center), Composers (American Composers Forum), Musicians (MacPhail Center), Writers (Loft Literary Center), Playwrights (Playwrights’ Center), Theater Artists (Playwrights’ Center), Culture Bearers (Indigenous Roots), and Community-Engaged Artists (Pillsbury House).
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM: The intent of the McKnight Artist and Culture Bearers Fellowships program is to recognize and support artists and culture bearers who are beyond emerging and have sustained experience in their area of practice. Fellows demonstrate achievement, commitment, and high level proficiency in artistic and/or culture bearer practice that contributes to their field and impacts and benefits people in Minnesota.
The McKnight Fellowships for Writers provide Minnesota writers who are beyond emerging with an opportunity to work on their craft for a concentrated period of time.
One $25,000 fellowship is awarded each year in children’s literature, including poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. This year’s award is offered to a writer for children under 8 years of age.
Four $25,000 fellowships are offered in alternating years to writers of creative prose and poetry/spoken word. The 2024 year cycle is in poetry/spoken word.
There will be four awards for poetry/spoken word.
In addition to the award money, fellows are offered a variety of professional development opportunities, including an opportunity to participate in a fully-funded artist residency through a partnership with the Artist Communities Alliance.
These fellowships do not support the work of playwriting, journalism, or nonfiction that is written primarily for educational or technical use.
JUDGING FOR THE MCKNIGHT FELLOWSHIPS FOR WRITERS: Prominent writers and editors living outside of Minnesota serve as the judges. There are no screening judges. All manuscripts are judged anonymously.
Due to the number of entries received, it is not possible for the judges to make individual comments on the manuscripts.
ELIGIBILITY:
General Requirements
Applicants must have been legal residents of Minnesota for the 12 months prior to the application deadline (since November 30, 2025) and must reside in Minnesota for the duration of the fellowship.
Applicants may not be enrolled full-time in any academic program.
Applicants may apply for only one McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship per year. You may not apply for the Award in Poetry/Spoken Word and also apply for any other McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships, including the Award in Children’s Literature.
Recipients of 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, or 2025 McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships in any discipline are not eligible to apply. Honorable mentions are eligible.
Loft and McKnight Foundation staff and board members are not eligible. Immediate family members of staff or board members of the Loft or McKnight Foundation are also not eligible.
If you have questions about your eligibility for the McKnight Fellowships for Writers, please email Cristeta Boarini, program manager of awards, at awards@loft.org before November 21, 2025. Please allow 3-5 days for a response as the volume of inquiries is high and the application deadline occurs over a federal holiday weekend.
Additional Requirements for the Awards in Poetry/Spoken Word
In addition to the general eligibility requirements, applicants must have either:
Published at least 12 original poems in no fewer than three literary journals or magazines that regularly feature poetry as part of their format. (Work published in an online journal that has an editorial process is eligible.) The same piece printed in a journal and in an anthology may only be counted once; applicants may not use multiple publications of the same work to meet the required number of pieces.
or
Published at least one full-length collection of poetry (page ranges for full-length poetry collections depend on the preferences of the publisher but generally are between 40 and 80 pages of poems).
or
Produced a full-length spoken word audiobook.
or
Produced a one person show with a presenting organization—the show must have been written by the applicant.
or
Written and performed spoken word/performance work, in contracted arrangements, for a minimum of three years, and with a minimum of eight performances with a minimum time slot of 15 minutes per performance. The three years do not have to be consecutive.
Work that is scheduled for publication/production between the contest deadline and April 1, 2026 may be included. In those cases, a letter from the press, editor, producer, community organizer, or curator stating the date of publication, release, or performance is required.
Additional Requirements for the Award in Children’s Literature: Writing for Children Under the Age of Eight
In addition to the general eligibility requirements, applicants must have:
Published a book for children under the age of eight, in any genre other than educational textbook material.
or
Published at least three pieces of original work in one or more publications that regularly feature creative work for children under the age of eight as part of their format. Work published in an online journal that has an editorial process is eligible. Work published in an anthology is eligible. The same piece printed in a journal and in an anthology may only be counted once; applicants may not use multiple publications of the same work to meet the three required pieces.
Work that is pending publication and will be published before April 1, 2026 is eligible. Please provide a letter from the editor or publisher with proof of publication.
Ineligible work in both awards:
Student-only publications and self-published books.
Work published on personal home pages or online sites that do not have an editorial process.
Work in a genre outside the category in which you are applying. (e.g., creative prose may not be used to meet the publication requirements for the Award in Poetry/Spoken Word and children's literature for children eight years of age and older may not be used to meet the publication requirements for the Award in Children's Literature: Writing for Children Under the Age of Eight).
A feature performance at a venue where the lineup is curated by the applicant.
Work that has previously won a McKnight Fellowship for Writers. If you are a previous winner, you must submit a manuscript different from the one for which you received the earlier award.
Translations.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Please prepare your writing/performance sample. Work samples may be published writing. All work samples must be anonymous. If your name appears as part of the manuscript text, omit it, use a pseudonym, or black it out so it is illegible. Do not include your name as part of the writing sample file name. Identifying information should only be included in the Submittable application form, which is concealed to the judge. Identifying information anywhere in the submitted files of your work sample will disqualify your submission.
You must apply through Submittable, and you will need to create a Submittable account if you do not already have one. If you have technical submission questions, please contact Submittable technical support at http://help.submittable.com/.
_____
2026 KWELI FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Kweli Journal
DEADLINE: November 30, 2025 by 11:59pm EST
APPLICATION FEE: $0
INFO: Building on Kweli's successful history of mentoring emerging authors since 2009, we will provide three or more early-stage writers with 10-month writing fellowships.
ELIGIBILITY:
Eligible candidates are early career vocational writers living in New York City, who are NOT enrolled in degree-granting programs and self-identify as Black, Indigenous, Arab, AAPI, and/or Latine.
Writers who have NOT yet contracted to publish a book are invited to apply.
Three (or more) fellowships will be awarded, which will include:
ten months of editorial support from Kweli Journal editors to prepare a piece for publication in the magazine;
a small stipend;
admission-free enrollment in three professionally led writing workshops on literary fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry.
participation in four public readings by workshop participants;
admission-free participation in our International Literary Festival, inclusive of pitch sessions with literary agents and editors;
optionally, admission-free participation in our Color of Children Literature Conference;
publication in Kweli Journal;
VIRTUAL writing retreat.
Only new writers who have not yet published or been contracted to write a book-length work are eligible. Only one submission per person is allowed. Please do not submit a piece you have previously submitted to Kweli Journal, either through the Fellowship category or the General Submissions category. Kweli Journal reserves the right to invite submissions.
TIMELINE::
Submissions for the Fellowships close at 11:59 p.m. (EST) on November 30, 2025.
Successful applicants will be informed by early January 2026.
The fellowship period will be February 9, 2026 – November 9, 2026.
PROCEDURE: Applications must be submitted through the Fellowship category in Submittable. Please submit the following:
A cover letter containing a one-paragraph biographical statement; one paragraph that is a favorite of yours from a book you've read recently; and a brief statement telling us why this particular passage is meaningful to you. Please also note in your cover letter which one of New York City's five boroughs you reside in.
A CV or résumé
a brief statement of your career goals and what you expect to accomplish as a Kweli Fellow.
A 10 page writing sample. There is no word-count requirement. Eligible genres are fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, and cross-genre writing, whether written for adults, young adults, or children.
Selection will be based on (i) quality, promise, and subject matter of the writing sample; (ii) educational or experiential preparation; and (iii) seriousness of purpose and willingness to push beyond one's comfort zone.
Note that we only accept PDF or Word files (.doc and .docx). The cover letter and manuscript should be submitted as separate files. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
kwelijournal.submittable.com/submit
_____
Four Palaces Publishing Writing Residency
Four Palaces Publishing (Dallas, TX)
DEADLINE: November 30, 2025 by 11:59pm CST
INFO: The Four Palaces Publishing Writing Residency offers one week of uninterrupted time and space for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ writers working in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry to focus on their craft in Dallas, Texas.
The residency includes a private hotel suite for one writer for seven days and six nights, a $100 per day meal credit for lunch and dinner (covered by Four Palaces Publishing), daily breakfast and two complimentary beer or wine vouchers provided by the hotel partner Dallas Marriott Suites Medical/Market Center, and a $1,000 honorarium inclusive of travel and per diem. Residents may also choose to participate in an optional paid public engagement such as a reading, artist talk, or mini workshop.
This residency is open to emerging and mid-career writers who are at least 18 years old and currently based in the United States. Applicants should identify as BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+. Writers from all genres within fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are encouraged to apply, and we particularly welcome those who have not yet had the opportunity to attend a formal residency.
Applications will be reviewed by a panel of writers and editors affiliated with Four Palaces Publishing. Selection will be based on artistic merit and strength of the writing sample, clarity and thoughtfulness of the project proposal, alignment with Four Palaces Publishing’s mission to amplify underrepresented voices, and the potential impact of the residency on the applicant’s creative growth.
Each application must include a short bio (150 words max), a project description (300 words max), a statement on how the applicant’s work aligns with Four Palaces Publishing’s mission (150 words max), and a writing sample of up to ten pages total in PDF or DOCX format. Poetry submissions may include up to five poems (ten pages maximum), and fiction or nonfiction submissions may include one piece or excerpt (ten pages maximum). Applicants should also complete all required form questions.
Selected writers will be notified by January 16, and the residency will take place in Spring 2026 (specific weeks to be confirmed). Four Palaces Publishing is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible residency experience. Applicants are encouraged to note any accessibility or accommodation needs in their submission.
Questions may be directed to frederick@fourpalaces.org. Updates and announcements will also be shared on Instagram at @fourpalaces
fourpalacespublishing.submittable.com/submit/329906/four-palaces-literary-2026-residency
_____
A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize
BOA Editions
DEADLINE: November 30, 2025
SUBMISSION FEE: $30
INFO: The A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize is awarded to honor a poet's first book, while also honoring the late founder of BOA Editions, Ltd., a not-for-profit publishing house of poetry and poetry in translation.
PRIZE:
Winner Receives:
Book publication by BOA Editions, Ltd. in spring 2027
$1,000 honorarium
JUDGE: Rigoberto González is the author of 20 books of poetry and prose, and the editor of Latino Poetry, a Library of America anthology. His awards include the PEN/Voelcker Award in Poetry, the Lenore Marshall Prize from the Academy of American Poets, the Shelley Memorial Prize from the Poetry Society of America, a Lambda Literary Award, The Poetry Center Book Award, Guggenheim, Lannan, NEA, NYFA, and USA Rolón fellowships. He is currently distinguished professor at the MFA program in Creative Writing at Rutgers-Newark, the State University of New Jersey.
ELIGIBILITY:
Entrants must be a U.S. citizen, a legal resident of the U.S., or have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), or Legal Permanent Status (LPS).
Entrants must be at least 18 years of age.
Only manuscripts by poets who have yet to publish a full-length book collection of poetry will be considered.
Individual poems in the submitted manuscript may have been published previously in magazines, journals, anthologies, chapbooks, or self-published books, but these poems must be submitted as part of an original manuscript.
Any published books of poetry disqualify contestants from entering this contest, though books published in other genres do not.(self-published books are okay.)
Translations and collaborative manuscripts are not eligible.
Employees, volunteers and board members of BOA Editions, Ltd., or their partners or spouses, or their immediate families, or immediate family of the judge are not eligible.
Per the Publishing Contest Ethics, as advanced by the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP), any person who has studied poetry in a formal program with the Final Judge—through a college, university, community program, residency, or private tutorial, within the last two years—is not eligible to submit a manuscript to this contest.
Authors of BOA titles in other genres and translators who have been under contract with BOA are not eligible to submit.
No AI-assisted submissions.
MANUSCRIPT FORMAT:
Minimum of 65 pages of poetry (not including Table of Contents, Acknowledgments, etc.), and maximum of 120 pages of poetry.
Manuscript text should be at least 12 pt. font.
Name address and telephone number must appear on the title or cover page of the manuscript.
Do not send loose/unattached artwork or photographs if mailing manuscript in. Artwork is only accepted when integrated into the manuscript itself digitally.
Paginated consecutively with a table of contents.
Bound with a binder clip (example).
Attach publications acknowledgments, if any.
Include a stamped, self-addressed postcard for notification of receipt of manuscript.
Do not send by FedEx or UPS.
Neither late nor early manuscripts will be accepted.
Contestants may submit the manuscript elsewhere simultaneously, but must notify BOA Editions immediately if a manuscript is accepted by another publisher.
Once submitted, manuscripts cannot be altered. Winner will be given the opportunity to revise before publication.
Contestants may submit more than one manuscript, but a separate entry fee and entry form must accompany each manuscript.
Manuscripts mailed from foreign countries risk not being received before final selections have been made.
SUGGESTED GUIDELINES:
Send manuscript in a plain or padded envelope. Please no boxes.
For notification of competition results, include a business-size SASE.
Keep a copy of your manuscript, as manuscripts will not be returned.
We advise that you send your manuscript by first class or priority mail.
ANSWERS TO FAQs:
The winner will be announced in spring 2026.
The winning manuscript will be published in spring 2027 as an original paperback edition in the New Poets of America Series.
The winner will retain full copyright of their work.
The paper from all manuscripts will be recycled after the winner is announced.
BOA Editions assumes no responsibility for loss of manuscripts.
The most cost-effective method for mailing your manuscript is to send via USPS media mail.
Send manuscripts, postmarked between August 1 - November 30, to:
BOA Editions, Ltd.
ATTN: A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize
250 N. Goodman Street, Suite 306
Rochester, NY 14607
boaeditions.org/pages/a-poulin-jr-poetry-prize
_____
open reading period: short stories, flash fiction, and poetry
Digging Press Journal
DEADLINE: November 30, 2025
SUBMISSION FEE: $0
INFO: Digging Press Journal is a literary and arts journal with a strong commitment to fostering experimentation and cultural inclusion.
WHAT TO SUBMIT:
Short Story (751 – 2,500 words)
Poetry (three poems max.)
Flash Fiction (one piece – up to 750 words)
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Submitting to The Digging Press Journal is free. The age requirement is currently 18 and older.
Please submit to the Digging Press Journal only once per submission reading period (regardless of genre).
We only accept submissions through our submission form.
All pieces should be original, and previously unpublished in any format in English.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted; please be sure to withdraw your piece promptly if it’s accepted elsewhere by emailing editor@diggingpress.com.
Please don’t send more than one submission per genre; wait until your work is accepted or declined before submitting again.
We’ll do our best to respond by February 28, 2026 or sooner.
_____
THE MARGINS FELLOWSHIP 2026
AAWW
DEADLINE: December 1, 2025 by 11:59pm EST
INFO: The Asian American Writers’ Workshop is now accepting applications for the 2026 Margins Fellowship. Four emerging Asian American, Muslim, and Arab writers of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction based in New York City will receive $5,000, residency time at Millay Arts, mentorship, access to the AAWW writing space, and publication opportunities in our online magazine, The Margins.
We see this as a chance to support Asian diasporic writers, including South and Southeast Asian diasporic writers, Arab and West Asian writers, and Muslim writers of color more broadly. If you are a writer of color who identifies with these communities, please discuss this in your application.
The Margins is an award-winning online magazine of arts and ideas featuring new fiction and poetry, literary and cultural criticism, and interviews with writers and artists. We are the recipient of a Whiting Literary Magazine award and our stories have been linked to by the Wall Street Journal, The New Inquiry, Literary Hub, and the New York Times.
We strongly encourage all applicants to read our FAQ before applying to determine whether or not they are eligible. The Margins fellowship is open to emerging Asian American, Muslim, and Arab creative writers who reside in New York City. Fellowship applicants may not be enrolled in any academic, conservatory, college, or degree granting training program during the fellowship term. To be considered you must apply through this Submittable form. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us at msaleh@aaww.org.
Emerging writers of ALL AGES are eligible for the Margins Fellowship.
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM:
The Margins Fellowship is a year-long program. The 2024 fellowship year will run from January to December.
STIPEND: $5,000 honoraria, distributed in three parts over the fellowship year. Fellowship payment will require the completion of an IRS W-9 or W-8BEN form;
RESIDENCY: Fellows are awarded residency time at Millay Arts—an innovative seven-acre artists retreat space at the former house and gardens of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay in Austerlitz, NY;
WRITING SPACE: 24/7 access to AAWW’s space. Given that time and space to write are rare in New York, the Margins Fellows will be given keys to the AAWW Reading Room and workspace;
PUBLICATION: Fellows are invited to publish work on our online magazine, The Margins;
MENTORSHIP: In the second half of the fellowship term, fellows are paired with an established writer who will meet with fellows either in-person or virtually at minimum four times during and after the fellowship year. Previous mentors have included Monica Youn, Rick Barot, Alexander Chee, Susan Choi, Carmen Maria Machado, and many more.
CAREER BUILDING: Fellows are offered access to private career meet-ups and meetings with editors, agents, and fellow writers;
GUIDANCE: AAWW Programs Manager and Coordinator will meet with Fellows’ monthly throughout the fellowship year to discuss career goals and how AAWW can help meet them;
FINAL READING: Fellows will take to the stage with their mentors for a final celebratory reading at the culmination of the fellowship year;
aaww.submittable.com/submit/339937/the-margins-fellowship-2026
_____
Start A Riot! Poetry Chapbook Prize
Foglifter
DEADLINE: December 1, 2025 at 11:59pm
INFO: In response to rapid gentrification and displacement of QTBIPOC+ literary artists in the San Francisco Bay Area, and in celebration of these communities’ revolutionary history, Foglifter Press and Still Here San Francisco joined forces to create a poetry chapbook prize for local emerging queer and trans Black writers, indigenous writers, and writers of color. Each year, one chapbook author is awarded publication, a $3,000 prize, and $1,000 to support their book tour/promotion.
JUDGES:
Grayson Thompson, author of 2024 Start A Riot! winning chapbook Sand Bodied Florida Boy
Dani Putney
Zara Jamshed
ELIGIBILITY:
Submitter is a QTBIPOC+ literary artist
AND is a current resident of the larger San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Napa, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Solano, Marin, San Mateo, Sonoma counties)
AND does not have a previous full-length poetry book publication
MANUSCRIPT DETAILS:
Poetry (Literally anything that falls under the verse genre—prose poetry, hybrid, etc. We want all your wild experiments!)
25 pages max; 15 pages minimum
Remove all identifying information, including acknowledgments. There should be one title page with the name of the chapbook only.
Microsoft Word doc preferred; PDF also accepted
IMPORTANT DATES:
Results Announced: January 2026
Chapbook Release: June (Pride Month) 2026
foglifter.submittable.com/submit
_____
Call For Submissions: Mizna 27.1
Mizna
DEADLINE: December 1, 2025 by 11:59pm CT
SUBMISSION FEE: $0
INFO: We open this call as the genocide in Gaza has passed its two year mark and enters another tenuous ceasefire, as hate and deception are nakedly systemized here in the US, as worldwide we see the escalated depravities of colonialism and capitalism result in a normalization of crimes against humanity and planetary abuse. In this moment, Mizna continues to value creative work as a generative and liberatory space in which our communities can come together in grief, rage, hope, and imagination as we redefine and work toward upending the current world order. We are excited to meet you and your work here.
UPCOMING ISSUE: The upcoming issue is not responding to a theme and we will accept writing on any subject. Nonetheless, we also recognize a need to center work that is modulated to the realities of our current moment.
We seek writing which explores the realities and identities related to the SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) sphere both in the region and in diaspora. We especially welcome writing in relationship to SWANA people and places which are currently targeted by empire and tyranny, from Armenia, to Palestine, to Sudan, and beyond.
CONTRIBUTORS: Contributors do not need to be SWANA- or Arab-identified and can be based anywhere in the world, but work submitted should be considerate of Mizna’s ethos and the social realities of our audiences, as well as aim to contribute to ongoing conversations in and beyond our communities. While we welcome submissions from former contributors seeking a space for their work in this urgent moment, we also especially encourage submissions from writers who have never been published by us before. We encourage submitters to become familiar with work that has been published in Mizna before submitting work.
FORMS OF WRITING: Mizna has long been a home for literature with innovative, experimental forms and is published with high quality print production practices. We welcome visual poetry submissions or hybrid works that cross the arbitrary boundaries of genre. In general, literary works of poetry, visual poetry, fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, creative nonfiction, comics, collage, invented forms, and any forms of mixed print or hybrid work will be accepted, with consideration to the physical parameters of our print journal, technical staff, and budget. We do not consider visual art submissions.
SUBMISSION DETAILS:
Selected contributors will receive a $200 honorarium, a one-year subscription to Mizna, and five copies of the issue.
Please include a short cover letter (max. 200 words) with the following:
Titles of all submitted pieces
Indication of any simultaneous submissions
For prose over two pages, a 1–2 sentence overview of the piece
Author bio (max. 50 words)
Any additional information you would like the editorial team to know (max. 1 paragraph)
File types must be .doc or .docx or PDF for pieces with more complex layouts. We do not accept other file types (e.g. Pages, Notepad, JPEG).
Prose submissions should be double spaced and limited to 3000 words.
Pitches for essays will not be accepted, please submit only complete and finalized drafts.
Poetry submissions should be limited to four poems of any length (verses exceeding our page width will be treated with a runover indent).
Please only submit once per submission period.
Please do not send visual art submissions.
Submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines are subject to being discarded unread. Submissions outside the open call window will likely not be considered or receive response.
Pieces are chosen by Mizna editorial staff and a regularly changing selection committee. Accepted pieces will be contracted to be published in print after an editorial process involving authors. Mizna will hold rights to publish online or in future publications, but authors will hold copyright. Emails will be sent out for rejected pieces but regrettably we do not have capacity to provide feedback or editorial support.
ABOUT MIZNA: For over 25 years, Mizna has promoted experimental approaches to art, literature, and film; work that questions and expands the forms and conceptual frameworks of Arab and SWANA culture. We publish a biannual print literary and art journal, Mizna, and Mizna Online, a digital platform for literary and multidisciplinary work reflecting critically on the current realities of the SWANA region and beyond. We produce the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, the largest and longest-running SWANA-centered film festival in the Midwest. Mizna also offers readings, film series, performances, public art commissions, and community events that have featured 1000+ local and transnational writers, filmmakers, and artists.
mizna.org/mizna-news/call-for-submissions-27-1/
_____
Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry
African Poetry Book Fund
DEADLINE: December 1, 2025
ENTRY FEE: $0
INFO: The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry is awarded annually to an African poet who has not yet published a collection of poetry. The winner receives USD $1000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press.
The Sillerman Editorial Team, including Kwame Dawes, Chris Abani, Matthew Shenoda, John Keene, Gabeba Baderoon, Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, Aracelis Girmay, and Mahtem Shiferraw will judge.
A winner will be announced in June.
ELIGIBILITY: The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets will only accept “first book” submissions from African writers who have not published a book-length poetry collection. This includes self-published books if they were sold online, in stores, or at readings. Writers who have edited and published an anthology or a similar collection of other writers’ work remain eligible.
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.
Only poetry submissions in English can be considered. Work translated from another language to English is accepted, but a percentage of the prize will 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 Brown University, are eligible for the prizes.
MANUSCRIPT:
Poetry manuscripts should be at least 50 pages long.
The author’s name should not appear on the manuscript. All entries will be read anonymously. Please include a cover page listing only the title of the manuscript (not the author’s name, address, telephone number, or email address). An acknowledgements page listing the publication history of individual poems may be included, if desired. No application forms are necessary. Eligible writers may submit more than one manuscript.
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 Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets accepts electronic submissions ONLY.
To ensure confidentiality and fairness, all submissions to the Sillerman Prize are handled by APBF Coordinator, Kerri Malone. Please direct questions regarding submissions to apbf@brown.edu.
africanpoetrybf.brown.edu/contest-prizes/sillerman-prize-for-african-poetry-winners/
_____
Manusript Lab
Beyond Baroque (Venice, CA)
DEADLINE: December 2, 2025 by 11:59pm PT
INFO: Beyond Baroque’s second Manuscript Lab seeks ten poets who will each revise and complete their first manuscripts over the duration of eight in-person sessions. The lab will create an active space in which peer feedback, one-on-one conferences, and a braintrust of our community is generated and shared among writers who are working on their first full-length manuscript. The Manuscript Lab will focus on building a workshop community centered around collaborative discussion and discovery.
Hosted by author Sara Ellen Fowler, this program is an opportunity to learn with and from an intimate cohort and analyze what compels a successful first book of poetry–the hows and whys of architecture, craft, and thematic energy. Poets will create and develop their first manuscripts in daring new ways which expand the visions of each collection.
APPLICATION DETAILS: The Manuscript Lab program at Beyond Baroque will include multiple elements and opportunities for poets to learn about their own process and connect with other Los Angeles writers. The main goals of the lab include synthesizing the feedback of the workshop group; developing the micro and macro levels of editing; reading exemplary first books and discussing the craft, risks, and heart that make them so powerful; and, with industry perspectives, constellating the publishing landscape and honing a strategy for submitting poets’ works.
Application materials will be reviewed by a committee of four local writers, with an eye toward strong formal and thematic engagements in the writing sample and clear creative goals. The application, which includes a 10-15 page work sample, is due on December 2, 2025, at 11:59 PM PST. The poets selected to participate in the program will be announced December 16, 2025. The Manuscript Lab is offered at a low cost of $495, and will run from January 10 - February 28, 2026.
Selected poets are expected to pay for the Lab by December 31, 2025.
To apply or share, please fill out or distribute the form HERE.
ABOUT SARA ELLEN FOWLER:
Sara Ellen Fowler’s first book, Two Signatures (University of Utah Press, 2024), was selected by Joan Naviyuk Kane as the winner of the Agha Shahid Ali Prize. Her work has been published in The Offing, Poetry Daily, Cream City Review, X-TRA, and Gigantic Sequins, among others. A recipient of a 2023 California Arts Council Emerging Individual Artist Fellowship, she holds a BFA in fine art from Art Center College of Design and an MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Riverside.