POETRY — MARCH 2025

RUMPUS PRIZE FOR POETRY, FICTION, AND CREATIVE NONFICTION

The Rumpus

DEADLINE: March 2, 2025

SUBMISSION FEE: $20 per entry

INFO: The Rumpus has a long history of championing emerging and established poets, fiction writers, and essayists, and we’re pleased to announce a new way the magazine will bring attention to great writing.

All submissions will be read by The Rumpus‘s editorial team, and our final judges will be Kaveh Akbar (Poetry), Rachel Khong (Fiction), and Megan Stielstra (Creative Nonfiction).

AWARD:

$3,600 in prizes:

$1,000 first-place prize and publication in three genres: poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction
Honorable mentions receive $200 and publication in each of the three genres

All submitters can opt in if they’d like to be considered for publication by The Rumpus, regardless of whether they’re named a winner or finalist.

Finalists will be contacted in May 2025. Winners will be announced publicly and published by June 2025.

therumpus.net/2024/12/05/the-rumpus-prize/

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RUTH LILLY AND DOROTHY SARGENT ROSENBERG POETRY FELLOWSHIPS

The Poetry Foundation

DEADLINE: March 3, 2025 at 5:00pm CST

INFO: The Poetry Foundation awards five Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships annually. Among the largest awards offered to young poets in the US, the $27,000 prize is intended to support exceptional US poets between 21 and 31 years of age.

The fellowships were established in 1989 by the Indianapolis philanthropist Ruth Lilly and expanded in 2013 with a gift from the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Fund.

ELIGIBILITY:

Applicants need to be between the ages of 21 and 31 in 2025. If you are turning 21 or are 31 at any time in 2025 you are eligible to apply.
Applicants must be US citizens or currently reside in the US.
Applicants should be able to demonstrate a clear commitment to poetry.
One of the Poetry Foundation’s priorities when selecting the 2025 Fellows is to support poets who have not had substantial institutional support in their careers thus far.

HOW TO APPLY:

All applicants will need to register and apply through the Poetry Foundation’s Grants and Awards Online Portal. To access the portal, applicants must submit an initial registration form. Registrations will be approved within 3-5 business days.
If you registered for an account in 2022 or 2023, please do not register again. Your username is your email address and you can request a new password.
After your registration is approved, applicants will be required to upload 10 pages of poetry as a single PDF and answer questions regarding their creative practices.
The Poetry Foundation offers alternative application formats (e.g., audio format, video format, and interview with transcription). Please contact Grants@PoetryFoundation.org or call 312-799-8072 by February 14, 2025 to arrange a method of submitting the application that best meets your accessibility needs.

APPLICATION TIMELINE:

February 5, 1:00-2:00PM (CST) - Virtual information session (see details below)
February 14 – Deadline to request alternative application formats
February 24 – Cut off to submit application portal registration for first time applicants
March 3, 5:00PM (CST) – Deadline to submit application
All applicants will be notified by mid-June 2025

INFORMATION SESSION:

Register for our virtual information session on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 from 1:00-2:00PM (CST) where we will discuss the application process and answer questions you have about the fellowship. ASL interpretation and CART captioning will be provided. If you have any questions or accessibility needs, please contact grants@poetryfoundation.org.

poetryfoundation.org/awards/prizes-fellowship

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PEGASUS AWARD FOR POETRY CRITICISM

The Poetry Foundation

DEADLINE: March 3, 2025 at 5:00pm CST

INFO: The Poetry Foundation annually awards one Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism. This $10,000 prize seeks to honor an outstanding book-length work of criticism published in the US in the prior calendar year. Eligible works for this prize include biographies, essay collections, and critical editions that consider the subject of poetry or poets.

ELIGIBILITY:

A book-length work of poetry criticism, including critical editions, biographies of poets, and essay collections published in 2024.
The work must have been published in English in the US in 2024.
Authors and editors are encouraged to nominate their own work.

HOW TO APPLY:

All nominators will need to register and submit nominations through the Poetry Foundation’s Grants and Awards Online Portal. To access the portal, nominators must submit an initial registration form. Registrations will be approved within 3-5 business days.
After approval, nominators will be required to complete a nomination form and upload 20 manuscript pages of the book they are nominating, or indicate a 20-page section of the book for consideration.
Finalists and awardees will be determined by a paid external committee of reviewers.
For any questions about the nomination process, please contact Grants@PoetryFoundation.org.

APPLICATION TIMELINE:

February 24 – Cut off to submit portal registration for first time nominators
March 3, 5:00PM (CST) – Deadline to submit nominations
All applicants will be notified by mid-June 2025

poetryfoundation.org/awards/criticism-award

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2025 SUMMER INSTITUTE ON ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Black Midwest Initiative (University of Illinois Chicago)

DEADLINE: March 7, 2025

INFO: The Black Midwest Initiative (BMI) at the University of Illinois Chicago invites applications from early-career scholars, artists, and community organizers to its 2025 Summer Institute on Environmental Justice. This convening will bring together 15 participants, designated as BMI Fellows, who are doing work around environmental justice issues affecting Black people and communities within the Midwest and Rust Belt regions of the United States for a week-long series of discussions, presentations, and workshops with leading figures in the field. In alignment with environmental sociologist and Institute facilitator David Pellow, we conceive of environmental racism as a “form of violent control over bodies, space, and knowledge systems.” Accordingly, we define the parameters of the environmental justice issues applicants might propose to address broadly—from urban agriculture, toxic emissions, natural disasters, and climate change to carcerality, housing instability, residential segregation, community health and wellness, and beyond.

After the conclusion of the Institute, each Fellow will also work to develop a project, individually or in collaboration with one or more other Fellows, that will be incorporated into the Black Midwest Justice Hub (the HUB)—a digital platform we will launch in the fall of 2026 that will serve as a resource repository for the BMI Environmental Justice Collaboratory, a set of environmental justice courses that will be taught across multiple midwestern colleges and universities during the 2026-27 academic year. HUB projects may ultimately take any number of forms that can be accessed digitally, including but not limited to short films, virtual exhibits, traditional academic papers, storymaps, graphic notes, sound recordings, oral histories, interviews, and introductory essays or lectures.

INSTITUTE FACILITATORS:

Erika Allen, Urban Growers Collective
Adrienne Brown, University of Chicago
Lydia Marie Hicks, Black Eden Arts Alliance
Fayola Jacobs, University of Minnesota
Tonika Lewis Johnson, UnBlocked Englewood
David Pellow, UC Santa Barbara
LaShawnda Crowe Storm, Indianapolis, Indiana
Monica M. White, University of Wisconsin-Madison

ELIGIBILITY:

Emerging artists of all genres (including filmmakers, dancers, poets, and other literary, visual, sound, and performance artists), community organizers and activists, graduate students, junior faculty, adjunct and non-tenure track faculty, independent scholars, and postdoctoral scholars whose work deeply engages with environmental justice issues affecting Black communities in the Midwest or Rust Belt regions of the United States (ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, SOUTH DAKOTA, WISCONSIN).

DETAILS OF PARTICIPATION:

Fellows from outside of the Chicago area will be expected to arrive in Chicago on Sunday, July 20, with departure scheduled for the morning of Saturday, July 26. Most days of the Institute will feature a morning session during which facilitators will discuss their work with the Fellows and an afternoon session during which the Fellows will present their work to the group. There will also be a site visit during the week to a location TBA that is engaging critical EJ work in the Chicago metro area. Fellows will be expected to attend all sessions, including the site visit and final group dinner, to complete any readings or screenings assigned by the facilitators, and to prepare a presentation of their work to be shared during one of the afternoon sessions. The Summer Institute will be hosted at the UIC Institute for the Humanities, and all sessions will be held in person.

Each Fellow will receive up to $500 toward their travel expenses to attend the Summer Institute. Lodging will be provided in UIC campus housing for all Fellows coming from outside of the Chicago area. Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day of the Institute, as well as dinner on Friday. After the conclusion of the Summer Institute, each participant will receive a $1000 stipend to be used toward the costs associated with their HUB project.

APPLICATION:

The BMI Summer Institute Application requires a 500-word project statement and a 5-page cv or resume.

Applicants will be notified of decisions by April 10.

QUESTIONS?

Please feel free to email theblackmidwest@gmail.com with any questions.

theblackmidwest.com/summer-institute

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2025-2026 EMERGING WRITER FELLOWSHIP

GrubStreet (Boston, MA)

DEADLINE: March 10, 2025

INFO: The Emerging Writer Fellowship aims to develop new, exciting voices by providing three writers per year tuition-free access to GrubStreet’s classes and several key publishing/industry events. Over the course of one year, each Emerging Writer Fellow will attend a combination of seminars and multi-week courses of their choosing, along with a wide selection of other topical programming, in order to enhance their understanding of craft and the publishing industry.

We hope that this year's fellows will be able to join us in-person for classes and events. Priority will be given to applicants who will be able to join us in Boston.

OVERVIEW: The Emerging Writer Fellowship will be awarded to three writers who demonstrate a passion for writing, a commitment to developing their writing abilities, and financial need. Any person 18 and older who demonstrates ability and passion for writing is eligible.

The Emerging Writer Fellowship will provide access to each of the following:

5 multi-week courses
5 three-hour seminars
Access to key annual industry events and other craft-related programs.
Access to GrubStreet's Artistic Director and/or other program staff members for quarterly (or as-needed) office hours for personalized mentorship. (Optional)
At the end of the program, fellows will also receive a complimentary one-year GrubStreet membership so they can continue enjoying extra community perks even after their program year ends.

The fellowship year begins in May.

WHO SHOULD APPLY: This fellowship is open to anyone 18 and older with a passion for writing. The fellowship specifically aims to assist writers in need of financial assistance in reaching their writing goals. We particularly encourage writers of color, ethnic minorities, those who identify as LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and other members of communities historically underrepresented by the literary community to apply.

WHY WE CREATED THIS FELLOWSHIP: Over the years, GrubStreet encountered more and more people who loved to write but didn't have the money to invest in a creative writing education that would help advance their craft or give them a thoughtful introduction to the publishing world. As part of its mission to make sure that voices of every type and talent are heard, GrubStreet developed the Emerging Writer Fellowship to eliminate some of the financial barriers to entry. Through this program, we hope to connect writers to a literary world – a world made richer and more relevant with the contribution of these voices.

In the program's first year, we were able to offer one fellowship to one student. As of the 2018-2019 cycle, we were able to begin offering a second fellowship in memory of novelist Anita Shreve, longtime board member and dear friend of GrubStreet. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we now offer three fellowships each year.

HOW TO APPLY:

The Emerging Writer Fellowship Application Form will require the following:

A sample of your writing that demonstrates your artistic style and voice. 5-10 pages for prose, screenwriting, or playwriting. 3-7 pages for poetry.

A personal statement—no more than 500 words please!—which should include the following:

How you envision using the fellowship.
A description of your relationship to writing. By this we mean: what excites you about it? What does it mean to you personally?
How the fellowship will help you in your growth and success as a writer.
Your writing and workshop history (Note: Prior workshop experience at GrubStreet is not required).
The Fellowship year begins in May.
All applicants can expect to hear back by early May.

grubstreet.org/write/emerging-writer-fellowship

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LGBTQIA+ LITERARY SUCCESS GRANTS

Georgia Writers

DEADLINE: March 10, 2025 BY 11:59 pm ET

INFO: Georgia Writers’ LGBTQIA+ Literary Success Grants, modeled on our John Lewis Grants, are designed to encourage and amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ youth (18-24) in Georgia. At a time when the country possesses a record number of anti-LGBTQ legislation (400+ bills and counting), we believe it is our responsibility to promote positive stories of queer life in the South. By promoting young queer voices state- and nationwide, we offer models for success that all young queer people in the state of Georgia can aspire to.

Generously supported by the Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA), the LGBTQIA+ Literary Success Grants will be awarded annually in the categories of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and screenwriting. The purpose of the grants is to elevate, encourage, and inspire the voices of young queer writers in Georgia.

THE GRANTS:

Winners in each genre will receive:

A grant of $500 to give a reading at our Red Clay Writers Conference
A scholarship to the next annual Red Clay Writers Conference

QUALIFICATIONS:

Applicants must be 18 - 24 years of age and emerging writers who are queer 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.
Applications will be reviewed anonymously.
Applicants are ineligible if they are of relations to any of the Georgia Writers staff or board of directors.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Writers may apply in only one genre and must submit the following:

A completed grant application
An essay of no more tha 500 words as a concise description of your work and goals as a writer. Please tell us what inspires or challenges your writing career.
No more than a ten-page writing sample of a published or unpublished piece in the genre in which you are applying--fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or screenwriting. If submitting poetry, one poem per page please.
Please format your manuscript: 12 pt. font, double-spaced, name and page number on each page.

georgiawriters.org/literarysuccess

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BAYARD RUSTIN RESIDENCY

Penington Friends House (New York City)

DEADLINE: March 15, 2025

INFO: Building on the social activist history of Penington’s founders, original board, and later residents, the Bayard Rustin Residency at Penington Friends House (PFH) is envisioned as an ongoing ladder to empowerment for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) working to end Systemic Racism and to create a culture of anti-Racism and intersectional equality in the United States of America. It is also intended to extend and strengthen the wider Quaker witness to equality.

Beginning in September of 2025, this residency will provide up to one year of room and board to a person who demonstrates a strong project that addresses ending Systemic Racism and who has a necessity to be in New York City for up to one year. They will reside at the Penington Friends House located in New York City’s Lower East Side of Manhattan. The Bayard Rustin Resident will demonstrate a need to live in Manhattan. Areas of focus of their work can include activism in the arts, policy change, human rights, community organizing, and other areas of activism focusing on ending racism and strengthening equality. Residents will meet regularly with the Residency Manager and will be expected to share their progress with the New York City community in the form of presentations or workshops.

The resident does not have to be Quaker but their work should be shaped by and in harmony with our tenets of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship. The resident will be expected to be a full-time resident of PFH and be participating member of this intentional community. This includes eating chef prepared dinners with the other residents and participating in shared light house chores. ( 1 1/2 hour commitment per week on average.) The Penington Friends House’s approach to living collaboratively may be new to you. We encourage to look at our website and instagram account (@Penington_friends_house) to gain a better understanding of what we are. Feel free to call us as well with questions. We are LGBTQ embracing community. We believe Black Lives Matter. We are always working to be a safe space and an anti-racist community.

Resident selection is made through a BIPOC committee of Quakers and non-Quakers and is based on the strength of the applicants work and proposed project. Final approval of the Bayard Rustin resident is made by the Penington Friends House Residents and staff, in the same interview process that all other residents are approved to live at the Penington. Applicants should note that the Bayard Rustin Resident bedroom is on the 4th floor of an historic Brownstone. An elevator is not available. Bathrooms are shared with other floor residents. This residency covers the cost of rent, boarding (food) provided 5 nights a week, internet, cable, and heat/AC. Limited access ( starting at 3:30PM weekedays) to a studio space may be available. A stipend is NOT currently provided by this residency.

Here are a few types of artists and activists activities that we would be interested in considering. Please contact us before applying if you are not sure your project would fit our call. Questions can be directed to Todd Drake at outreach at penington dot org.

An artist working on a body of art that addresses racism and/or intersectional issues.
A writer working on a new book, play, screenplay, or collection that addresses racism and/or intersectional issues.
A performer creating a new dance piece that addresses racism and/or intersectional issues.
A community based artist designing or carrying out a community based project that addresses racism and/or intersectional issues.
An activist organizing communities to address racism and/or intersectional issues.
A social entrepreneur that is starting a non-profit focused on addressing racism and/or intersectional issues.
An inventor or designer working on solving a problem associated with systemic racism and/or intersectional issues.
A graduate student that has a strong and well defined anti-racism project that needs support and time to launch.

BACKGROUND: The residency is named after Bayard Rustin who was a Quaker and an attender at 15th Street Monthly Meeting in New York City. This meeting (Quaker house of worship) is next to the Penington Friends House. Rustin worked commitedly for the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. He was an advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on nonviolence. Rustin was also a chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and a founding member of the Freedom Riders. He was an early advocate for gay rights. Rustin’s later work included a heavy focus on refugee affairs. Rustin served as Vice Chairman of the International Rescue Committee, helped to found the National Emergency Coalition for Haitian Refugees, and was Chairman of the Executive Committee of Freedom House. He died in 1987. In 2013, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom. ( Source rustinfund.org)

We are currently accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Bayard Rustin Residency. This is our 5th Bayard Residency.

The Bayard Rustin Residency is supported with funds from the Society of Friends (Quakers) New York Yearly Meeting, the New York Quarterly Meeting, the Brooklyn Monthly Meeting, the Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, and the Board of Penington Friends House. Donations are currently being accepted.

penington.org/rustin-residency/

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2026 Angela Jackson Prize

Cave Canem

DEADLINE: March 15, 2025 at 11:59pm ET

INFO: Submissions are now open for the newly-named 2026 Angela Jackson Prize.

Since 2009, Cave Canem has collaborated with Northwestern University Press to offer a prize for an exceptional second collection by a Black poet from the African diaspora. Past recipients include Vievee Francis, Reginald Harris, and Jonathan Moody. The prize is offered every other year to celebrate and publish works of lasting cultural value and literary excellence.

In light of Angela Jackson’s innumerable contributions to poetry, Black literary communities and in recognition of her tenure as Poet Laureate of the State of Illinois, the Northwestern University Prize has been renamed this year in her honor. Ms. Jackson will also serve as this year’s judge.

The Winner of the 2026 Angela Jackson Prize will receive:

A $1,000 monetary prize
Publication by Northwestern University Press
15 copies of the book
A featured reading in New York City

cavecanem.submittable.com/submit/316765/angela-jackson-prize

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Call for SUBMISSIONS: poetry + spoken word

Trans Power Poetry

DEADLINE: March 15, 2025

INFO: Trans Power Poetry seeks to honor the lives of Sam Nordquist and Tahiry Broom with a poetry reading and mini-zine to close the Rally 4 Trans Power & Unity. Come build momentum and poetic power for Trans Day Of Visibility!

They are seeking work from trans or Two-Spirit Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, and carcerally-impacted poets and spoken-word performers.

GUIDELINES:

1 - 3 poems, max 10 pages
11 - 12 pt font, single spaced

Email submissions to: transpowerpoetry@gmail.com

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Raz-Shumaker Book Prize in Fiction and Poetry

Prairie Schooner

DEADLINE: March 15, 2025

ENTRY FEE: $25

INFO: Submissions to the 2025 Prairie Schooner Raz-Shumaker Book Prize Contest are open.

PRIZES: Winners will receive $3000 and publication through the University of Nebraska Press.

ELIGIBILITY: The Prairie Schooner Raz-Shumaker Book Prize Series welcomes manuscripts from all living writers, including non-US citizens, writing in English. Both unpublished and published writers are welcome to submit manuscripts. However, we will not consider manuscripts that have previously been published, which includes self-publication. Writers may enter both contests. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but we ask that you notify us immediately if your manuscript is accepted for publication somewhere else. No past or present paid employee of Prairie Schooner or the University of Nebraska Press or current faculty or student at the University of Nebraska will be eligible for the prizes.

MANUSCRIPT:

We prefer that fiction manuscripts be at least 150 pages long and poetry manuscripts at least 50 pages long. Novels are not considered; we will consider manuscripts comprised either entirely of short stories or one novella along with short stories (please do not send a single novella or a collection of novellas). Manuscripts may contain stories or poems that have been published in journals or in chapbook form; however, if the full-length manuscript includes work from a previously published chapbook, the majority of the manuscript must be additional work not appearing in the chapbook. Prairie Schooner accepts electronic submissions as well as hard copy submissions. Please see below for further formatting guidelines and the link to submit electronically.

HARD COPY SUBMISSIONS:

The author’s name should not appear on the manuscript. All entries will be read anonymously. Please include two cover pages: one listing only the title of the manuscript, and the other listing the author’s name, address, telephone number, and email address. An acknowledgements page listing the publication history of individual stories or poems may be included, if desired. No application forms are necessary.

For hard copy submissions, photocopies are acceptable. Please do not bind manuscripts with anything other than a binder clip or rubber band. Please include a self-addressed postage-paid postcard for confirmation of manuscript receipt. Please use a standard postcard—small index cards will not be accepted by the U.S. Postal Service. A stamped, self-addressed business size envelope must accompany the submission for notification of results. No manuscripts will be returned. All manuscripts that do not win will be recycled.

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS: The author’s name should not appear anywhere on the manuscript. All entries will be read anonymously. An acknowledgements page listing the publication history of individual stories or poems may be included, if desired. No application forms are necessary. Click here to submit via Submittable.

NOTIFICATION: Winners will be announced on this website on or before August 15, 2025. Results will be emailed or mailed shortly thereafter.

ADDRESS:

Prairie Schooner Prize Series
Attn: Fiction or Poetry
110 Andrews Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-0334

Please send any questions to PSBookPrize@unl.edu.

For information on submitting to the journal, please see our submission guidelines.

prairieschooner.unl.edu/book-prize-guidelines/

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The 117° Summer Writer’s Residency

Black Mountain Institute (Las Vegas, NV)

DEADLINE: March 15, 2025

INFO: The 117° residency is for emerging and distinguished writers working in English who have published at least one book with a trade or literary press. This fellowship is for writers working on a project in nonfiction or poetry (or a hybrid work that includes one or both of those genres). The fellowship includes:

A salary of $10,000 paid over a two-month period
a two-month letter-of-appointment
eligibility for optional health coverage
office space at BMI on the campus of UNLV
housing (fellows cover some utilities) in a unique and vibrant arts complex in the bustling district of downtown Las Vegas—home to The Writer’s Block, our city’s beloved independent bookstore
recognition as a "BMI Fellow"

While there are no formal teaching requirements, this is a “working fellowship” located in Las Vegas. BMI’s visiting fellows will maintain office hours (1 day a week), and will offer regular service to the community. In addition to the primary goal of furthering one’s own writing during their term in Las Vegas, visiting fellows are expected to engage in a substantial way with BMI’s community in ways that connect to their interests and skills. Upon acceptance into the program, each fellow will craft a plan for community-engagement in partnership with BMI. This component is equally weighted along with the writing sample and proposed literary project in the application. Here are some examples of activities a visiting fellow might pursue:

Offer readings, craft talks, and other public presentations to the readers and writers of UNLV and Southern Nevada.
Offer workshops or seminars.
Curate events or programs, live and virtual.

Please feel free to move beyond these examples in your application – BMI wants to find new ways to serve the Las Vegas community.

APPLICATION DETAILS:

Please submit:

A one-page personal statement,* which includes 1) your interest participating in the Las Vegas literary community, 2) a description of how you envision fulfilling your service hours and engaging the Las Vegas community, and 3) the writing project(s) you will work on while in residency.
A writing sample (10 pages maximum,* double-spaced, 12 pt. font).
A résumé or CV.

*Please respect the committee’s time by observing these guidelines and page limits.

Candidates are selected by a committee of staff and community members at BMI.

For more information, please consult our Fellowship FAQs.

blackmountaininstitute.submittable.com/submit

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CALL FOR PAPERS: SUMMER 2026 CENTRO JOURNAL

The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CENTRO)

DEADLINE: March 17, 2025

INFO: The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CENTRO) opens a call for contributors to a special issue of CENTRO Journal titled New Histories of Health, Care Work, and Healthcare Activism in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and the United States, which will be published in September 2026.

This special issue will bring into dialogue new scholarship on the history of health, care work, and healthcare activism in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and relevant Latinx communities in the United States since the late nineteenth century. In recent years, new histories of health and medicine have built on social history and showcased the volatile relationship between health and political and economic systems. In interconnected ways, scholarship on care work and healthcare activism has underscored how political and other forms of mobilization around care, health, and social reproduction have taken shape and challenged the state and society to create a more caring world. In this special edition, we will explore the intersections within these conversations, emphasizing how thinking about health and care as uncertain and contested terrain allows us both to account for “hidden” and “silenced” histories and to map new paths forward in times of continuity, crisis, and change.

The issue will build on scholarship that has considered how social, cultural, political, and economic factors have informed medical logics and practices, and expanded who is seen as qualified to produce and exercise health knowledge, power, and authority. We seek to further unpack and nuance these recent trends in a historical register while charting interdisciplinary terrain. To pursue and complicate history in modest or intense cross-/interdisciplinary fashion, we will use health, care work, and healthcare activism as conceptual tools to help anchor our collective effort and center what Pablo Gómez, Katherine McKittrick, and others have called the “experiential”—creative-intellectual- sensorial-embodied ways of knowing and being (Gómez 2017; McKittrick 2021). By amplifying the variability of medical and health actors and their techniques, taking seriously community voices and knowledge, and stressing how medicine and healing always exist in layers of context and community, we seek to trouble traditional understandings of the history of medicine and health.

This discussion will engage with the histories of care work and healthcare activism, exploring how individuals and communities have fought against marginalization, discrimination, and violence. As Premilla Nadasen has argued, a deep history of the care economy can show us how it has served as an engine to extract profit under racial capitalism while also revealing how minoritized people have organized politically around social reproduction and fought for new ways of provisioning care and mutual aid (Care: The Highest Stage of Capitalism, 2023). This issue will examine the crucial roles of women, people of color, and heterodox practitioners, among others, as activists demanding care and healthcare in their communities. We invite contributions that shed light on Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and US-based Latinx approaches to and mobilization around health and care and how their ideas, practices, and organizing have confronted epistemic imperialism, state violence, and colonialism while envisioning, materializing, and demanding new social and economic relationships in society.

Contributors to this issue of CENTRO Journal are welcome to think with, critique, and transcend prevailing frameworks and, potentially, interpretive status quos in histories of health, care work, and healthcare activism. We encourage thinking from and with the people, ideas, practices, and sources at the core of our work rather than just producing knowledge on or about them. We therefore invite submissions that engage with and expand CENTRO’s archive, as well as those that contemplate the histories in question in comparative, transnational, and “undisciplined” keys, specifically in relation to how health, care work, and healthcare activism have manifested in Puerto Rico, the circum-Caribbean, and/or Latinx communities in the US. We seek to sit with and lean into how health, care work, and healthcare activism have been lived historically across categories of difference and invite methodologically ambitious and rigorous submissions that elaborate on this aspect.

Topics for this issue may include histories of health, care work, and healthcare activism that dialogue with:

Health and wellness
Medicine and public health
“Popular” or “folk” medicine
Medical pluralism
“Madness” and psychiatry
Social work and social welfare
Communities of care and mutual aid
Religious/spiritual healing
Care work and reproductive labor
Social determinants of health and social reproduction
Healthcare activism
Social movements
Reproductive health and justice
Popular culture
Art and literature
Gender and sexuality
Race and ethnicity
Feminisms
Disability studies
Geographies of health
Colonialism and capitalism
Environment and ecology
Climate justice
Policing and incarceration

POSSIBLE SUBMISSION FORMATS:

To allow for a breadth of approaches and lenses, contributors are invited to submit pieces in one of the following formats (with listed word counts, inclusive of main text, references, and notes):

Articles (12,000 words max)
Short essays/interviews (2,000 words)
Poems (1-3 poems depending on length)
Art/photography (1 piece/representative photograph with a brief written explanation)

GUEST EDITORS
Emma Amador, University of Connecticut-Storrs
Alberto Ortiz Díaz, University of Texas at Arlington

TIMELINE:

Abstract submission deadline:
March 17, 2025

Notification of abstract approval:
April 7, 2025

Final manuscript submission:
July 25, 2025

The publication of this special volume (v. 38, n. 2) is scheduled for September 2026.

ABSTRACT AND MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION DETAILS:

Please send a 250-word abstract of your work and a 50-word biography to the following link (https:/ /bit.ly/centro_journal_summer_2026_abstract)
We will accept abstracts and manuscripts in English and Spanish.

Approved manuscript submissions should be uploaded to the following link (https:/ /bit.ly/centro_journal_summer_2026_manuscript)

All submissions should follow CENTRO Journal’s style guidelines (https:/ /bit.ly/centro_journal_style_guide) and will be sent out for peer review. Please include a brief cover letter with your manuscript title, the word count (including references and notes), your full name, a short biography (of no more than 75 words), institutional or organizational affiliation (if applicable), email address, and phone number.

For more information:
Questions should be addressed to the guest editors of the special issue:

Emma Amador
(emma.amador@uconn.edu)

Alberto Ortiz Díaz
(alberto.ortizdiaz@uta.edu)

or to the journal editor:
Gustavo Quintero Vera
(journal@hunter.cuny.edu)

centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/opportunities/call-for-papers-summer-2026-centro-journal/

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open reading period

Futurepoem

DEADLINE: March 18, 2025 at 11:59pm ET

SUBMISSION FEE: $10

INFO: Our reading period is an open process. Our group of initial readers and guest editors will have access to your cover letter and know your name when reading your work. Each year, we invite a rotating panel of distinguished guest editors to read submitted work and, in collaboration with our core editors, select two books for publication. All submissions are read by initial readers who then recommend a limited group of manuscripts to the guest editors. The guest editors also have input into the group of final manuscripts that are considered. Manuscripts must be unpublished book-length works of poetry, prose, or multi-genre work.

We welcome international submissions originally written in English. However, we cannot currently accept work translated into English from other languages. We are open to unpublished work that incorporates other languages, or self-translated work. We welcome unpublished book-length collaborative writing but we do not currently accept anthology submissions. Work previously published in chapbook form is fine, as long as the manuscript in its entirety has not been published in its current form. And though we are open to books with visuals, books that are heavily image-based may be better served by a different publisher. Authors of books Futurepoem has published and previous winners of Futurepoem's Other Futures Award are ineligible.

You may submit work previously submitted to Futurepoem, as our guest editors shift every year. Our 2025 guest editors are Abraham Cruzvillegas, Matt Longabucco, and Courtney Bush. You may only submit one manuscript to this call. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but we do ask that you notify us or withdraw your manuscript via our online submissions system if your book is accepted elsewhere. This year, we are instituting a submission cap of 350 submissions — we're a small team, and we want to make sure that each submission gets careful attention. Submission length: 50 – 200 pages. There is a sliding scale administrative/processing fee for each submission.*

Our $10 fee supports a higher honorarium for our guest editors, the rising administrative costs of our review process, and our continued use of Submittable. Our goal is to maintain our open submissions period as an accessible opportunity for writers. In case this fee represents a hardship to you, we've instituted an option for a reduced fee of $7. Additionally, there is an option to submit and sponsor someone else's submission for $15.

HOW TO SUBMIT: We are only able to accept online submissions, so please do not send hard copy submissions via regular mail. We may request hard copies of your manuscript for further consideration, so please include your email, phone number and address so that we can contact you. In order to keep this opportunity open to the maximum number of writers, we are only accepting one submission per writer.

SELECTED MANUSCRIPTS: We will select two books for publication as part of the Futurepoem book series. The intended publication year for these books is 2027. Our goal is to try to announce selections for publication by mid-July, 2025. Because we are a small organization with limited resources we are not able to provide feedback on submissions.

futurepoem.submittable.com/submit

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2025 LAMMY AWARDS

Lambda Literary

DEADLINE: March 21, 2025

INFO: Lambda Literary Awards celebrate the outstanding LGBTQ+ storytelling from a given year. Lambda uses “LGBTQ+” as a catch-all term, meaning that works reflecting identities beyond lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer or questioning are also welcome, to include two-spirit, intersex, pansexual, aro/ace, and other emerging identities.

Please read through these guidelines carefully to ensure that your book is eligible for consideration and that you are submitting it to the proper category. When you are ready during the open submission period, tap the “GO TO SUBMITTABLE” button at the top of the page to submit works through our Submittable portal and follow the instructions for the feature labeled “37th Lambda Literary Awards Registration.” If there is no button, it means the submission period has not opened.

If you have a question not answered here, visit the Awards FAQ page or email awards[at]lambdaliterary.org.

ELIGIBILITY:

Submitted works must be published between January 1 and December 31, 2024. The work must also be distributed (i.e., available in bookstores or online) or performed (in the case of plays) in the United States during 2024.

Lambda Literary Awards are open to all authors regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity except in the case of the special prizes that mark specific stages of an individual LGBTQ writer’s career. The content of the submitted work must be representative of/content relevant to LGBTQ+ lives.

Titles must be published in English. Translations from other languages are eligible provided they meet other requirements re: publication year.

Self-published books are eligible. Works must be available for purchase in a bound or collected format (i.e. not dripped in chapters delivered by newsletter. The work should exist published in a single file). Works published exclusively on social or subscriber-based sites such as blogs, personal newsletters, Patreons, and Wattpad are not eligible.

First print editions of books previously published online or in ebook format are eligible.

Reprints of books that were published in the US in previous years are not eligible. This includes second (or later) editions, books that have been republished by a different publisher, and books that are modified versions of previously published works.

First US editions of books published outside the US before 2024 are eligible if the original edition was not submitted for Lammy consideration in a previous year.
Poetry chapbooks over 30 pages in length are eligible.

Submitted works must be human-authored and not generated in whole or in part by “A.I.”/LLM engines or services (i.e. ChatGPT). Submitted works found in violation of this policy will be disqualified without refund.

SUBMISSION FEES:

For the 2025 award cycle, submission fees are as follows:

Submissions by Big 4 publishers and large universities: $115.00 USD per title
Submissions by small press/independent publishers, small colleges, and individual authors: $65.00 USD per title for 1-10 titles; $55.00 USD per title for 11+ titles

SUBMISSION FORMATS:

For the 2024-2025 award cycle, submissions must be made initially in digital format (epub, pdf preferred). To accommodate accessibility requests for our judges, we request three (3) additional physical/print copies of each submitted title where available (4 titles for the LGBTQ+ Young Adult category). Mailing address and additional information will be provided within Submittable. Failure or refusal to submit physical copies does not automatically disqualify a title from consideration, but may make it more difficult for judges to fully review the work. We do not accept audiobooks at this time.

CATEGORY-SPECIFIC GUIDELINES:

A book may be submitted to only one category.

If a category receives fewer than ten (10) submissions, the category will not be active in this awards cycle. The submitted books may then be reassigned to another category, if appropriate. If the book cannot compete in another category, the submission fee will be refunded.

LESBIAN OR GAY CATEGORIES:

Books eligible for lesbian categories feature a prominent lesbian/sapphic/nonbinary and/or female- or femme-attracted character or contain content of strong significance to lesbian lives.

Books eligible for gay categories feature a prominent gay/achillean/nonbinary and/or male- or masc-attracted character or contain content of strong significance to gay lives.

Lesbian Fiction or Gay Fiction:
Literary fiction that does not fit more precisely into a specific genre category such as Erotica, Romance, Speculative Fiction, or Mystery. Novels, novellas, and short story collections by a single author are eligible; anthologies are not.

Lesbian Memoir/Biography or Gay Memoir/Biography:
Biographies, memoirs, autobiographies, and works of creative nonfiction by or about lesbians and gay men or with content of strong significance to gay and lesbian lives. Posthumously published works and/or those with co-authors are eligible; anthologies are not.

Lesbian Poetry or Gay Poetry:
Single volumes and collected poems are eligible as are chapbooks over 30 pages in length. Updated editions of previously published works are not eligible unless at least 50% of the poetry (not the supplemental text) is new.

Lesbian Romance or Gay Romance:
Novels, novellas, and short story collections by a single author that focus on a central love relationship between two or more characters are eligible; anthologies are not. Category includes a broad range of subgenres including traditional, historical, gothic, Regency, and paranormal romance.

BISEXUAL OR TRANSGENDER CATEGORIES":

These categories are non-gender-specific works containing material of strong significance to members of the bi/pan and trans communities.

Bisexual Fiction or Transgender Fiction:
Novels, novellas, short story collections, and anthologies with prominent bi/pan, nonbinary/genderqueer, and trans characters and/or content of strong significance to these communities. May include historical novels, comics, cross-genre works of fiction, humor, and other styles of fiction.

Bisexual Nonfiction or Transgender Nonfiction:
Nonfiction works with content of strong significance to members of the bi/pan, nonbinary/genderqueer, and trans communities. Includes a wide range of subjects for the general or academic reader (e.g., history, memoirs, cultural studies, public policy, law, politics, community organizations, humor, spirituality, gender studies, parenting, religion, spirituality, relationships, psychology, travel).

Bisexual Poetry or Transgender Poetry:
Single volumes and collected poems are eligible, as are chapbooks over 30 pages in length. Updated editions of previously published works are not eligible unless at least 50% of the poetry (not the supplemental text) is new.

LGBTQ CATEGORIES:

These categories are non-gender-specific works containing material of strong significance to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

LGBTQ+ Anthology:
Anthologies are collections of fiction, nonfiction, and/or poetry by multiple authors. Collected works authored entirely by a single person are not eligible in this category.

LGBTQ+ Children’s Books:

Individual works and collections of fiction, nonfiction, picture books, board books, early-readers and poetry whose intended audience is young readers are all eligible; anthologies are not.

LGBTQ+ Middle Grade:
Individual works and collections of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry whose intended audience is the middle grade audience are all eligible; anthologies are not.

LGBTQ+ Young Adult:
Individual works and collections of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry whose intended audience is young adult readers are all eligible; anthologies are not.

LGBTQ+ Comics:
Book-length works of fiction or non-fiction that use a combination of words and sequential art to convey a narrative are eligible, including novels, graphic memoirs and short story or comics collections by the same author/team. Individual comic books, periodicals, anthologies, and web-only content are not eligible.

LGBTQ+ Drama:
Plays and other theatrical works and performance pieces that have been published in book or script form during 2024. Collections from a single author are eligible; anthologies featuring multiple authors are not. Plays which have been produced in 2024 but not published are also permitted, but will need to be provided in a written format for review.

LGBTQ+ Mystery:
Novels, novellas, and short story collections in which a crime or series of crimes is an integral part of the story are all eligible; anthologies are not. Category includes a wide range of crime fiction subgenres including police procedurals, political/legal/medical thrillers, cozies, and hard-boiled detective stories.

LGBTQ+ Nonfiction:
LGBTQ-themed works for general readers, as opposed to those targeted primarily to scholarly audiences (e.g., LGBT/Queer/Gender Studies programs). Includes but is not limited to law, history, politics, spirituality, humor, parenting, relationships, psychology, travel, and photography. Anthologies (edited collections of separately authored work) are not eligible in the LGBTQ+ Nonfiction category and should be submitted to LGBTQ+ Anthology. (Please see the LGBTQ+ Studies category below for comparison.)

LGBTQ+ Poetry:
Single volumes and collected poems are eligible as are chapbooks over 30 pages in length. Updated editions of previously published works are not eligible unless at least 50% of the poetry (not the supplemental text) is new. Works of specifically Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender Poetry are encouraged to submit in their respective categories to allow representations of other identities space in this category.

LGBTQ+ Romance and Erotica:
Novels, novellas, and short story collections by a single author that focus on a central love relationship between two or more LGBTQ+ characters, to include characters on the aromantic/asexual spectrum, or whose content is principally of an erotic nature are eligible. Category includes a broad range of subgenres including traditional, historical, gothic, Regency, and paranormal romance. Works of specifically Lesbian or Gay Romance are encouraged to submit in their respective categories to allow representations of other identities space in this category.

LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction:
Includes science fiction, fantasy, horror, and related genres. Novels, novellas, and short story collections are eligible; anthologies are not.

LGBTQ+ Studies:
Scholarly work focusing on issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity, and oriented toward academia, libraries, cultural professionals, and the more academic reader. Generally, but not exclusively, published by university presses. Anthologies (edited collections of separately authored work) are not eligible in the LGBTQ+ Studies category and should be submitted to LGBTQ+ Anthology. (Please see the LGBTQ+ Nonfiction category above for comparison.)

lambdaliterary.org/awards/lammys-submissions/

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call for submissions: Winter Black fox prize

Black Fox

DEADLINE: March 30, 2025 by midnight EST

ENTRY FEE: $12

INFO: Black Fox is accepting submissions for our winter writing prize. The theme for this round is “Rise or Ruin.” We are open to loose interpretations of the theme in any genre, as always.

Good reputation or bad? Reputations can mold destinies, define legacies, and/or echo through history. We invite writers to investigate a reputation’s power, potential, and frailty. Will your hero rise or will your legends fall? Give us themes of redemption, scandal, honor, or betrayal—where truth or lies can shift the direction of a life or shatter a legacy in a single moment. We’re looking for work that will uncover truths behind personas and reveal the complex layers of how we are perceived and remembered.

GUIDELINES: Please submit your strongest fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, and we will choose one winner that we feel interprets the theme best.

PRIZE: $325 and print publication in the Summer 2025 issue. All submissions are considered for print publication in the Summer 2025 issue.

https://blackfoxlitmag.com/contests/

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THE WRITING FELLOWSHIP

A Public Space

DEADLINE: March 31, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET

INFO: The Writing Fellowships at A Public Space support writers who embrace risk in their work and their own singular vision. Writers who have not yet published a book are invited to apply. The three Fellows selected annually receive editorial support to prepare a piece for publication in the magazine; a $1,000 honorarium; complimentary access to all A Public Space Master Classes during the fellowship year; the opportunity to meet virtually with members of the publishing community and to participate in a public reading.

APPLICATION DETAILS:

Time Period and Compensation: Writers who have not yet contracted to publish a book are invited to apply to the 2025 Writing Fellowships. Submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are welcome. Three fellowships will be awarded.

During the seven-month fellowship, fellows will receive:

editorial support from A Public Space editors to prepare a piece for publication in the magazine;
a $1,000 honorarium;
a one-year subscription to A Public Space;
a guest pass to attend Master Classes;
the opportunity to participate in a public reading and conversation with A Public Space editors and contributors.

ELIGIBILITY: Only writers who have not yet published or been contracted to write a book-length work with a U.S. publisher are eligible. Writers who have self-published, published an academic text, published a book with a publisher outside the U.S., or translated another writer’s work are eligible to apply. Writers who have published a chapbook or published (or contracted to publish) a book-length work in any of the fellowship genres (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry) in the U.S. are ineligible to apply. International applicants are encouraged to apply, but we are only able to consider submissions in English. Only one submission per person is allowed. Please do not submit a piece you have previously submitted to A Public Space, either through the Fellowship category, the General Submissions category, or an Open Call. A Public Space reserves the right to invite submissions.

TIMELINE: Successful applicants will be informed no later than May 27, 2025. The fellowship period will be June 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025.

PROCEDURE: Only electronic submissions will be considered. Applications must be submitted through the Writing Fellowship category in Submittable. (The category will not be available until March 1, 2025.) There is no application fee. Please submit the following:

A résumé
A cover letter containing a one-paragraph biographical statement; one paragraph that is a favorite of yours from a book you've read, be it recently or long ago; and a brief statement telling us why this particular passage is meaningful to you.
One previously unpublished piece (for prose, a limit of 6,000 words; for poetry, up to 15 pages). If selected, the submitted manuscript is the piece that will be published in the magazine.

Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please note that if any part of the submitted work is accepted elsewhere, you will be required to withdraw your entire application; replacement submissions will not be accepted once the deadline has passed.

Only PDF or Word files (.doc and .docx) are accepted. The cover letter and manuscript should be submitted as separate files. Incomplete applications will not be considered and will be returned unread.

apublicspace.org/about/fellowships/writing-fellowship

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2025 Poetry Prize

Indiana Review

DEADLINE: March 31, 2025 by 11:59pm

SUBMISSION FEE: $20 (comes with a year-long subscription to Indiana Review. Entrants without a US mailing address will receive an electronic version of the journal.

INFO: For our Poetry Prize, send no more than three poems in a single document.

PRIZE: The winner will be awarded $1000 and publication in an upcoming issue of Indiana Review.

Please note the following:

Previously published works and works forthcoming elsewhere cannot be considered.
Multiple and simultaneous submissions are permitted; however, each submission requires a separate reading fee. Please withdraw your piece immediately if it is accepted elsewhere.
IR cannot consider work from anyone currently or recently affiliated with Indiana University or the prize judges. This includes people who have studied or taught at Indiana University in the past four years.
Your name or other identifying information must not appear on your submission.
All submissions will be considered for publication.

JUDGE: Sarah Ghazal Ali

indianareview.submittable.com/submit

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Call for submissions: Prose, Poetry + Translation

Michigan Quarterly Review

DEADLINE: April 1, 2025

ENTRY FEE: $3

INFO: Michigan Quarterly Review is currently seeking submissions of prose, poetry and translation for its print journal. The average turnaround time is six months, but we may take longer and ask that you do not query us until a year has passed.

GUIDELINES:

Prose submissions: Manuscripts should be double-spaced, right margins not justified; 1,500–7,000 words. All nonfiction submissions will be automatically considered for publication in MQR Online. All stories accepted for publication will be passed on to a judge as finalists for the $2000 Lawrence Prize. There is no additional fee for the prize beyond submission.
Poetry submissions: Please submit up to 6 poems in one document, not to exceed a total of 12 pages. Poems published in MQR by early career writers (those who have not yet published a full-length collection) will be considered as finalists for our Page Davidson Clayton Prize.
Translations: Please submit translations in the appropriate genre and include biographical information for both the author and translator.

Upon publication, MQR takes a nonexclusive license to publish work in print and online in perpetuity, and requests that MQR is formally acknowledged as the first publisher in any reprints.

mqr.submittable.com/submit

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CREATIVE CAPITAL AWARD

Creative Capital

DEADLINE: April 3, 2025

INFO: The Creative Capital Award provides individual artists with unrestricted project grants for the creation of bold, innovative, original, and imaginative new artistic works. In addition to unrestricted project grants from $15,000 up to $50,000, the Award offers transformative professional development support including strategic advising, peer mentorship, industry connections, and community-building opportunities. Grants are awarded via a national, democratic, open call, external review process.

For the 2026 grant cycle, Creative Capital invites professional artists to propose experimental, original, bold new works in Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Film, and Literature. Multidisciplinary, technology, and/or socially engaged projects are welcome in all disciplinary categories. Creative Capital seeks project proposals for formally and/or conceptually innovative works in all disciplines, including, but not limited to, painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video and multimedia, dance, theater, playwriting, jazz, opera, music, experimental film, documentary and narrative film, poetry, and fiction.

Creative Capital welcomes a full range of artistic approaches and thematic inquiries, including boundary-pushing formal explorations, as well as projects that engage urgent social issues of our time. Creative Capital also seeks new projects or works addressing subjects that Creative Capital has not previously funded. For example, for this grant cycle, Creative Capital also seeks strong visual arts projects dealing with fentanyl, veterans/military, or wealth inequality.

The Creative Capital Award seeks project proposals in the following disciplines:

Visual Arts: architecture & design, craft, drawing & illustration, ecological art, installation, painting & printmaking, performance art, photography, public art, sculpture, social practice, sound art, video art, technology, and socially-engaged visual art
Performing Arts: dance, jazz, multimedia performance, music, musical theater, opera, theater, playwriting, technology, and socially-engaged performing arts
Film: animation, documentary film, experimental film, and narrative film
Literature: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry

A diverse cohort of approximately 50 artists will be selected for the Creative Capital Award through an external review process. Our goal is to support artists and new works across a range of disciplines, themes and ideas, geographic regions, identities, ages, and career stages. See recent Creative Capital Awardees and Projects for 2025, 2024, and 2023.

Creative Capital’s transformative giving approach is built on the principle that artists need funding as well as networks and advisory services in order to realize ambitious projects and build thriving careers. Recipients of the Creative Capital Award receive access to a full range of professional development services over a five-year period. These services include strategic planning, legal and financial advising, marketing and communications strategy, peer mentorship, and industry networking opportunities.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

ROUND I: Project Proposal

Creative Capital welcomes project proposals for original, imaginative, impactful new artistic works in Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Film, and Literature. Multidisciplinary, technology, and/or socially-engaged projects are welcome in every category.

Along with a project title, one line project description (50 words max), project description (500 words max), bio, resume, and artist website (recommended), applicants will answer the following questions:

Creative Capital supports formally and conceptually innovative and experimental work. How does your project idea take an original and imaginative approach to content and form? (150 words / 1,000 characters max)
Place your work in context. What are the main influences upon your work as an artist? How does your past work inform your current project? (150 words / 1,000 character max)
What kind of impact do you hope your project will have, and why? What specific audiences and/or communities will the project engage? (150 words / 1,000 character max)
Creative Capital awards artists at catalytic moments in their careers. How is this a catalytic moment in your practice? How will your proposed project or new work act as a catalyst for your artistic and professional growth? (150 words / 1,000 character max)
Creative Capital provides professional development services and community-building opportunities for awardees and encourages a spirit of mutual generosity and exchange among our artists. How would this support and being part of the Creative Capital community be impactful for you? (150 words / 1,000 character max)

In addition, applicants will submit one (1) work sample from a completed, past work.

Visual Arts applicants will submit one Image Sample or Video Sample.
Performing Arts applicants will submit one Video Sample.
Film applicants will submit one Video Sample.
Literature applicants will submit one Writing Sample.

For more details on application questions and work sample guidelines, see the Creative Capital Application Handbook.

ROUND II: Project Details

Applicants selected by our external reviewers to advance to Round II will submit additional materials to support their application:

Project itemized budget
Project timeline (1 page)
Work samples (see Application Handbook for guidelines)
Proof of eligibility

ROUND III: Panel Review

Applicants selected by our external reviewers to advance to Round III will be asked to:

Confirm collaborators (if applicable)
Submit project updates (optional, 100 words max)

Full application guidelines are outlined in the Application Handbook.

2026 OPEN CALL APPLICATION TIMESLINE:

These dates may change.

March 3, 2025: Round I application portal opens
April 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time: Round I application deadline
June 2025: Notification of advancement to Round II
September 2025: Notification of advancement to Round III: Final Panel Review
Early 2026: Public announcement of 2026 Creative Capital Awards and State of the Art Prizes

Artist Eligibility

US citizen, permanent legal resident, O-1 visa holder, or Tribal ID holder
At least 25 years old by application deadline
Working artist(s) with at least 5 years of professional artistic practice within their chosen discipline
Applicant may not be enrolled in a degree-granting program
May not apply to the Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant program in the same year
May not have previously received a Creative Capital Award
May not be an applicant or collaborator on more than one proposed project per year
State of the Art Prize recipients must be a resident of the state they are awarded in through February 1, 2026. Prize recipients must provide proof of residence in the state or territory to receive the grant.

Projects that are not eligible

Projects whose main purpose is promotional
Project is to fund ongoing operations of existing business or nonprofit organization
Curation or documentation of existing work
Projects that will premiere or be completed before October 1, 2026

FAQs:

Eligibility

Do you fund artist-run nonprofits or businesses?

The Creative Capital Award is specifically designed to support the realization of new artist projects. Creative Capital does not fund nonprofits and artist-run businesses, nor are Creative Capital’s services well-suited to support these kinds of ventures.

Do you fund curatorial projects?

The Creative Capital Award does not support the production of exhibitions. Creative Capital funds new, discrete artistic projects that have one author, director, lead or a core group of collaborating artists.

Do you fund educational projects?

Creative Capital supports artist projects, and does not fund projects that are solely academic. While Creative Capital understands that all art is educational to some degree, if the end goal of your project is to serve a student audience, create a curriculum, or help fund programming for a community center, then the project is ineligible.

I am looking to expand an existing project, should I apply?

Creative Capital is most interested in projects that are in the early stages of development and production, as they can benefit the most from the services that Creative Capital offers. That being said, if you still consider your project to be in development or have only shared the work in workshops or much more condensed versions, you are welcome to apply. Note that Creative Capital does not provide support to projects that are at a stage where they need finishing funds or touring support. Creative Capital asks our reviewers to specifically consider the timeline of development for a project to make sure that Creative Capital can make the most impact on the artist and the final results of their project. If you think that a significantly more evolved version of your project could take form, then the project is eligible.

How do you define five years of professional experience?

Creative Capital defines five years of professional experience as engaging an artistic practice in some public capacity over a cumulative five years. This could be constituted through projects, exhibitions, readings, panel conversations, screenings, interviews, etc.

How do you define student status?

All applicants must have finished any degree-granting educational commitments before applying. This applies to ABD (all but dissertation) status Ph.D. candidates and students in low-residency MFA programs.

Can I apply with multiple projects?

You may only submit one project per award cycle. Artists may not apply as a collaborator on an additional application, as all collaborators are considered awardees.

Application Materials

My work spans multiple disciplines. How do I pick just one?

Creative Capital invites artists to submit their proposals based on which area experts are most suited and qualified to review the project proposal, with the understanding that radical art is often by nature interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, or antidisciplinary. Choosing a disciplinary category is a way to frame the discussion around your work and to indicate which experts are most qualified to evaluate the project proposal.

How do you define the “Technology” sub-discipline category in Visual Arts and Performing Arts?

Visual Arts and Performing Arts applicants have the option of selecting “Technology” as one of their project’s three sub-disciplines if technology (including but not limited to: games, digital media, artificial intelligence, robotics, AR/VR, internet art, bio art, etc.) plays a significant role in the form of the work.

What kind of non-monetary support does Creative Capital provide?

Creative Capital offers a range of professional development services including strategic planning, legal and financial advising, marketing and communications strategy, industry networking, awardee gatherings, and artist-to-artist connections.

Why do you ask about my hometown?

The hometown question lets us know if you maintain roots that are different from your present location. Creative Capital finds that many people who currently live and work in major cities still identify as coming from another place. If you were born and raised in your current city, please enter your current city.

My application contains sensitive information. How are you going to use this information? Can I submit it another way besides through your application portal?

Creative Capital is only able to receive information through the application portal as this is what reviewers use to access and score submissions. Applications are only shared with select Creative Capital staff and the reviewers who will evaluate the project. You can make note of any sensitive information in the materials or in the title of your work.

Creative Capital Award

What are the award amounts?
The Creative Capital Award amounts range from $15,000 up to $50,000 per project. Creative Capital grants are structured so that the artist(s) may draw down funds over a five-year period.

How many awards will Creative Capital make in this grant cycle?

Creative Capital will award approximately 50 individual artists across a range of disciplines, demographics, and geographic locations.

Can I apply for both the Creative Capital Award and the State of the Art Prize? If so, how?
The State of the Art Prize recipients will be selected from the Creative Capital Award applicants. There is no separate application process.

Is it possible to receive both a Creative Capital Award and State of the Art Prize in the same year?

No. State of the Art Prize recipients are welcome to apply for the Creative Capital Award in future grant cycles. Past recipients of the Creative Capital Award are not eligible to apply for the State of the Art Prize. Recipients of the State of the Art Prize may apply again for the Creative Capital Award, but will not receive the State of Art Prize a second time.

More questions? Email awards@creative-capital.org. No phone calls please.

creative-capital.org/about-the-creative-capital-award

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THE STATE OF THE ART PRIZE

Creative Capital

DEADLINE: April 3, 2025

INFO: Through the 2026 Open Call process for the Creative Capital Award, Creative Capital will also select recipients of the State of the Art Prize, a new national, two-year initiative, which aims to recognize one artist residing in each U.S. state and its territories, with an unrestricted grant of $10,000 per artist. All applicants to the Creative Capital Award will be automatically considered for the State of the Art Prize and will be evaluated for the Prize using the same criteria; there is no separate application process. State of the Art Prize recipients will also have access to a suite of online professional development resources, including the Creative Capital Curriculum and Artist Labs, Artist Opportunities, and online community-building opportunities.

State of the Art Prize recipients may apply again to future open calls for the Creative Capital Award. However, artists who have already received the Creative Capital Award may not apply for the State of the Art Prize. Both the State of the Art Prize and the Creative Capital Award are one-time awards.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

ROUND I: Project Proposal

Creative Capital supports formally and conceptually innovative and experimental work. How does your project idea take an original and imaginative approach to content and form? (150 words / 1,000 characters max)
Place your work in context. What are the main influences upon your work as an artist? How does your past work inform your current project? (150 words / 1,000 character max)
What kind of impact do you hope your project will have, and why? What specific audiences and/or communities will the project engage? (150 words / 1,000 character max)
Creative Capital awards artists at catalytic moments in their careers. How is this a catalytic moment in your practice? How will your proposed project or new work act as a catalyst for your artistic and professional growth? (150 words / 1,000 character max)
Creative Capital provides professional development services and community-building opportunities for awardees and encourages a spirit of mutual generosity and exchange among our artists. How would this support and being part of the Creative Capital community be impactful for you? (150 words / 1,000 character max)

In addition, applicants will submit one (1) work sample from a completed, past work.

Visual Arts applicants will submit one Image Sample or Video Sample.
Performing Arts applicants will submit one Video Sample.
Film applicants will submit one Video Sample.
Literature applicants will submit one Writing Sample.

For more details on application questions and work sample guidelines, see the Creative Capital Application Handbook.

ROUND II: Project Details

Applicants selected by our external reviewers to advance to Round II will submit additional materials to support their application:

Project itemized budget
Project timeline (1 page)
Work samples (see Application Handbook for guidelines)
Proof of eligibility

ROUND III: Panel Review

Applicants selected by our external reviewers to advance to Round III will be asked to:

Confirm collaborators (if applicable)
Submit project updates (optional, 100 words max)

2026 OPEN CALL APPLICATION TIMNLINE:

These dates may change.

March 3, 2025: Round I application portal opens
April 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time: Round I application deadline
June 2025: Notification of advancement to Round II
September 2025: Notification of advancement to Round III: Final Panel Review
Early 2026: Public announcement of 2026 Creative Capital Awards and State of the Art Prizes

Artist Eligibility

US citizen, permanent legal resident, O-1 visa holder, or Tribal ID holder
At least 25 years old by application deadline
Working artist(s) with at least 5 years of professional artistic practice within their chosen discipline
Applicant may not be enrolled in a degree-granting program
May not apply to the Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant program in the same year
May not have previously received a Creative Capital Award
May not be an applicant or collaborator on more than one proposed project per year
State of the Art Prize recipients must be a resident of the state they are awarded in through February 1, 2026. Prize recipients must provide proof of residence in the state or territory to receive the grant.

Projects that are not eligible

Projects whose main purpose is promotional
Project is to fund ongoing operations of existing business or nonprofit organization
Curation or documentation of existing work
Projects that will premiere or be completed before October 1, 2026

FAQS:

Eligibility

Do you fund artist-run nonprofits or businesses?

Do you fund curatorial projects?

Do you fund educational projects?

I am looking to expand an existing project, should I apply?

How do you define five years of professional experience?

How do you define student status?

Can I apply with multiple projects?

You may only submit one project per award cycle. Artists may not apply as a collaborator on an additional application, as all collaborators are considered awardees.

Application Materials

My work spans multiple disciplines. How do I pick just one?

How do you define the “Technology” sub-discipline category in Visual Arts and Performing Arts?

What kind of non-monetary support does Creative Capital provide?

Why do you ask about my hometown?

My application contains sensitive information. How are you going to use this information? Can I submit it another way besides through your application portal?

Creative Capital Award

What are the award amounts?

The Creative Capital Award amounts range from $15,000 up to $50,000 per project. Creative Capital grants are structured so that the artist(s) may draw down funds over a five-year period.

How many awards will Creative Capital make in this grant cycle?

Creative Capital will award approximately 50 individual artists across a range of disciplines, demographics, and geographic locations.

Can I apply for both the Creative Capital Award and the State of the Art Prize? If so, how?

The State of the Art Prize recipients will be selected from the Creative Capital Award applicants. There is no separate application process.

Is it possible to receive both a Creative Capital Award and State of the Art Prize in the same year?

More questions? Email awards@creative-capital.org. No phone calls please.

creative-capital.org/about-the-creative-capital-award

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Call for Submissions: Incarcerated Writers & Families

Massachusetts Review

DEADLINE: April 4, 2024

INFO: INCARCERATED WRITERS & FAMILIES is a special Massachusetts Review issue that seeks to center and honor the literary art of incarcerated writers and their families.

With INCARCERATED WRITERS & FAMILIES, a special issue, the Massachusetts Review intends to extend the definition of families and broaden the portrait of lives impacted by our justice system to include that most basic unit of our society, the family. We are interested in traditional families but also in alternative forms of caretaking, parenting, and kinship that have a long history in queer and/or BIPOC communities.

The Massachusetts Review seeks writers who can reveal more about how the concept of family might be transformed by those who are on the inside. When the bonds with their loved ones outside are severed, what kind of familial care emerges between people who are still incarcerated, in spite of the carceral system's tactics for dividing and isolating them from one another?

In the spirit of the stunning documentary Time, created by Garrett Bradley, the Massachusetts Review wants to publish stories, poems, essays, hybrids, and art that follow the struggles of families to confront, survive, and triumph over the challenges that incarceration creates for both prisoners and their families. We seek writing and art that traces the tragic aftermath and long-term effects on children and families that too often result from a system that we euphemistically call “correctional.” We are also interested in how communal caretaking that redefines what "family" means (and what justice means) contributes to the overall goal of prison abolition. In widening our focus to include family members as well as the incarcerated, we hope to give a more accurate portrait of the toll of our prison-industrial complex and also include readers who haven’t yet confronted the Kafka-esque dilemma of standing directly before the law.

INCARCERATED WRITERS & FAMILIES is a special MR issue that asks for your personal essays, stories, interviews, poems, hybrids and visual art about incarceration and its direct and indirect impacts. Your essays, stories, interviews, poems, and/or hybrids might (but do not have to) engage these questions:

How can a family persist in the face of incarceration’s barriers and obstacles?
What is the impact of incarceration on the radius of care beyond the individual imprisoned?
How do definitions of family shift, contract and/or widen in the carceral environment?

SUBMISSION INFO: Submissions should be no more than 7,000 words for prose (fiction, nonfiction), hybrids, up to 6 poems for poetry, or up to 3 pages of visual art. We are interested in submissions from people who are most marginalized by oppressive systems, to include trans, gender queer, poverty-born, incarcerated, justice-involved, system-impacted, disabled, neurodivergent, BIPOC, colonized, people living on the frontlines of climate crisis, and others.

COMPENSATION: Published writers will receive $300 upon publication.

Please send work as a Word or PDF attachment to themassreview@gmail.com and indicate the special issue and genre in the subject line (i.e. "INCARCERATED WRITERS & FAMILIES: Fiction").

If online submission is not possible, please mail work to:

The Massachusetts Review
400 Venture Way

Hadley, MA 01035

PLEASE NOTE: WE DO NOT ACCEPT SUBMISSIONS OF PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK.

themassachusettsreview.substack.com/p/mr-call-for-papers