U.S. WRITERS AID INITIATIVE
PEN America
DEADLINE: May 2, 2025
INFO: PEN America is an organization of writers and their allies, and that solidarity is never more important than when members of our literary community face crises. PEN America’s U.S. Writers Aid Initiative, part of the PEN America Writers Emergency Fund, offers grants for writers in the United States facing acute financial need following an emergency situation.
The U.S. Writers Aid Initiative is intended to assist fiction and nonfiction authors, poets, playwrights, translators, and journalists in addressing short-term financial emergencies. To be eligible, applicants must be professional writers based in the United States, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping address a short-term emergency situation. The fund is limited, and not every application can be supported. Grant decisions are made on a quarterly basis by a volunteer committee of literary peers in consultation with PEN America staff, using the following guidelines to evaluate professional credentials:
Publication of one or more books. (Writers who are only self-published or published by a press that charges for publication are not eligible.)
Multiple essays, short stories, or poems appearing in literary anthologies or literary journals (either online or in print) in the last two years.
A full-length play, performed in a theater by a professional theater company. Productions in academic settings qualify if the author is not a student at the time of the production.
Employment as a full-time professional journalist, columnist, or critic, or a record of consistent publication on a freelance basis in a range of outlets during the last two years.
Contracted forthcoming books, essays, short stories, poems, or articles for which the name of the publisher can be provided.
Other qualifications that support the applicant’s professional identity as a writer.
The U.S. Writers Aid Initiative is not intended to subsidize writing-related expenses, such as residencies, sabbaticals, computers, printing, shipping, travel, or publicity services. Applications received on or before the following quarterly deadlines will be reviewed before the last day of that month.
ELIGIBILITY: Writers currently enrolled in degree-granting programs are also not eligible. Writers do not have to be Members of PEN America to receive a grant, but all recipients of emergency funding will be given a complimentary one-year PEN America membership.
PEN America’s U.S. Writers Aid Initiative is made possible by generous support from an anonymous donor , PEN America Members, and other supporters. Questions may be addressed to writersfund@pen.org
pen.org/us-writers-aid-initiative/
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LITERATURE GRANT
Cafe Royal Cultural Foundation
DEADLINE: May 5, 2025 (or if we reach our limit of 40 applications, which ever comes first)
INFO: The world is a story and the writer, the story teller. In writing stories we are trying to make sense of our world by seeking what is real, by rejecting what is false, and by exercising the greatest of our mortal gifts in pursuit of the immortal.
DESCRIPTION: Café Royal Cultural Foundation NYC will award a writing grant to authors of fiction / creative nonfiction and poetry.
SUBMISSIONS: To ensure that each submission receives the attention it deserves we will be only accepting 40 applications for each of our categories.
AMOUNTS: Up to $10,000.00
ELIGIBILITY:
Authors in fiction / creative non-fiction and poetry (*please see note regarding plays below)
The applicant must be the originator of the written material.
Grants will not be made for the purpose of research only.
Grants will not be made for equipment.
Writers applying applying must be a current citizen or resident of the United State and must currently reside in New York City and have lived there for a minimum of one year prior to applying and plan to be a resident through the completion of their project.
Grants awarded in this category may fund costs associated with continuing the composition of work submitted. Such as:
Course Reduction (if you're a Teacher/Professor)
Salary Replacement
Living Expenses
Research Expenses
Travel Research Expenses
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Up to and no more than a 15 page PDF of the work, for the Café Royal Cultural Foundation Selection and Executive Committee to download and read. Please make sure your links are correct and not password protected. If they are not correct or have password protection your application will be declined and not reviewed by the Selection Committee.
A short description of the project.
A short author biography of the person(s) involved.
Budget must not exceed the amount of $10,000.00.
List of costs of how you plan to use the grant funds.
(Please review our lists of Approved and Ineligible Budget Items for Literature Grant Funds, located below)Travel and Research costs within the United States must demonstrate a direct correlation to the project for which you are applying.
You may not apply for International Travel and Research Costs.
If you are hiring fact checkers / editors / research assistants please be aware that we prefer that individuals providing these services are located in the NYC area.
Writers applying must be a current citizen or resident of the United State and must currently reside in New York City and have lived there for a minimum of one year prior to applying and plan to be a resident through the completion of their project.
We ask that the completion of your manuscript is no sooner than 90 days after this application's due date (no sooner than August 1, 2025) and no later than 12 months after your grant’s award date (no later than June 17, 2026).
Applicants can only apply with the same project twice.
You may apply in a different cycle with a different project.
* Regarding Plays - We Don’t offer support for playwrights in our literature category, we encourage playwrights with a finished script to apply for a grant in our Performance category which offers funding for stage production.
caferoyalculturalfoundation.org/literature-page
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THE CAVE CANEM PRIZE
Cave Canem
DEADLINE: May 8, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET
INFO: The Cave Canem Prize supports the work of Black poets to overcome the obstacle of publishing their first book of poems. Awarded to one poet annually, the Prize recipient receives a monetary award, as well as having their manuscript published by one of our partner publishers, Graywolf Press; University of Pittsburgh Press; or University of Georgia Press.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Cave Canem Prize, which was launched in 1999. To commemorate this historic milestone, Cave Canem has increased the monetary award to $10,000. The inaugural Prize winner, Natasha Trethewey, will judge the 2025 Cave Canem Prize.
AWARD: Winner receives $10,000; publication through Graywolf Press in Fall 2025; 15 copies of the book; and a featured reading with the selected judge, presented by Cave Canem.
ELIGIBILITY: All unpublished, original collections of poems written in English by Black poets who have not had a full-length book of poetry published by a professional press. Cave Canem defines Black poets as any poet who identifies as a member of the African Diaspora.
Black authors of chapbooks and self-published books with a maximum print run of 500 copies are also eligible to apply.
Please note that in the event that an applicant has submitted the same manuscript to other competitions and receives an award, they must disclose this information to Cave Canem. By applying, the Cave Canem Prize Winner agrees to be present in the continental United States at her or his own expense shortly after the book is published in order to participate in promotional reading(s).
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 or Graywolf Press; and authors who have published a book or have a book under contract with Graywolf Press are ineligible.
If any of the selected authors fall under the above exclusions, they will be disqualified and a replacement chosen. As the poetry community is small and the contest is judged without knowledge of the submitter’s identity, acquaintance with the judge or participation in a workshop taught by the judge are not disqualifying criteria.
cavecanempoets.org/programs/#cave-canem-prize
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THE MEGAPHONE PRIZE 2025
Radix
DEADLINE: Extended to May 10, 2025
ENTRY FEE: $12
INFO: The Megaphone Prize is an annual contest from Radix Printing & Publishing Cooperative dedicated to the discovery of timely, urgent, and interrogative collections from debut writers of color.
This year, the prize is open to poetry collections by debut writers of color.
The Guest Judge for this year’s prize is author Safia Elhillo.
PRIZE: One winner will receive $1,000 and 20 author copies. At Radix, we pride ourselves on the production of superior quality, purposefully designed books.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:
From March 1 through April 30, we’re open to poetry collections that shift, exalt, renew, entangle, tear and suture, and consecrate something deep within us. When we say poetry, we mean wonder, fluidity, joy, percipience, disruption. We’re not tethered to any forms or constructs; we like poetry that helps us reimagine our relationship with the written word.
As is the case with every Radix publication, we are looking for work that believes the personal is political, that comes from a place of deep interrogation and critique of one’s self and society at large, that is rebellious at heart, and that seeks to question the status quo.
We’re looking for manuscripts between 48 to 90 pages. This is excluding of front matter and table of contents. Individual poems may have been published in journals or limited-run chapbooks, but not in full-length collections and at least 40% of the collection should be unpublished at the time of submission. Manuscripts translated from other languages will not be considered, although it is perfectly alright (and even welcome) for the manuscript to invoke other languages. Only single-author submissions will be considered at this time. Simultaneous submissions are fine so long as they’re withdrawn immediately on acceptance elsewhere.
We like collections bound by a clear narrative throughline, where the opening and closing poems are bookended in dialogue, where there is intertextuality between the poems—where a single pulsating heart beats through the entire manuscript.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Open to debut writers of color writing in the English language (not exclusively), residing in the USA at the time of publication. Should not have published a full-length collection in the genre of submission. Chapbook publications are okay.
There is an entry fee of $12. As a small press, charging an entry fee allows us to offset expenses incurred from running the contest. If you are unable to pay the fee at this time, please email meher@radixmedia.org, and your submission fee will be waived. 25 fee waivers are available.
Please submit a manuscript between 48-90 pages. Your manuscript must be a single Word or PDF document. Please include a title page and table of contents page. DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, OR ANY IDENTIFYING INFORMATION IN THE MANUSCRIPT. Please do not include a dedication page or publishing acknowledgements at this stage. Manuscripts that do not adhere to these guidelines will be immediately disqualified. Poems can be single-spaced.
The manuscript should ONLY include the following: Title page, table of contents, followed by poems. Epigraphs can be included.
Translations and self-published books are not eligible. The manuscript must be the product of one single author.
In the cover letter, please include a short synopsis on your collection, a list of acknowledgements for the published poems in the collection, and a brief third-person bio with pronouns.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please notify us ASAP if your collection is accepted elsewhere.
Please direct all questions to meher@radixmedia.org
ABOUT RADIX
Radix Printing & Publishing Cooperative is a worker-owned independent press and print shop based in Brooklyn, New York. We publish new ideas and fresh perspectives, prioritizing the voices of typically marginalized communities to get to the root of the human experience.
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Adroit Prize for POETRY + PROSE
The Adroit Journal
DEADLINE: Extended to May 11, 2025
INFO: The Adroit Prizes are awarded annually to two students of secondary or undergraduate status. We're fortunate to receive exceptional work from emerging writers in high school and college, and the best of the best will be recognized by the Adroit Prizes.
The 2025 Adroit Prize for Poetry will be selected by Danez Smith. The 2025 Adroit Prize for Prose will be selected by Aria Aber.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
All secondary and undergraduate students are eligible, including international students and students who have graduated a semester early (in this case, in December 2024). Each poetry submission may include up to five poems (maximum of ten pages single-spaced). Each prose submission may include up to three works of fiction or creative nonfiction (combined word limit of 3,500 words; excerpts are acceptable).
Each student may send up to five separate submissions for the Adroit Prize for Poetry (each with up to five poems) and up to five separate submissions for the Adroit Prize for Prose (each with up to three works of prose), totaling ten separate submissions.
Poems and prose pieces included in submissions may be sent to other contests and publications as well (but please disclose simultaneously submitted work in your cover letter), and may have been previously recognized by other organizations and/or featured in campus-wide publications. If work under consideration is accepted elsewhere, submitters should reach out promptly by adding a note to the corresponding submission on Submittable.
All submitted poems and prose pieces will be considered for publication in the Adroit Journal.
PRIZE: Winners will be awarded $200, and their work—along with the work of runners-up—will be featured in the Adroit Journal. Runners-up and finalists will receive a copy of the judges' latest book.
To accommodate this while offering free online issues, we have set a non-refundable submission fee of $15. If you require financial assistance, please download this form and follow the instructions.
Please direct any questions to editors@theadroitjournal.org.
2025 JUDGES:
Aria Aber (Prose) was born and raised in Germany and now lives in the United States. Her first novel GOOD GIRL is was published from Hogarth (US) in 2024 and Bloomsbury (UK) in 2025, and will be translated into German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, and Japanese. Her debut poetry collection, Hard Damage, won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize and the Whiting Award. She is a former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford and graduate student at USC, and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, New Republic, The Yale Review, Granta, and elsewhere. Raised speaking Farsi and German, she writes in her third language, English. She serves as the poetry editor of Amulet, as a contributing editor at The Yale Review, and works as an assistant professor of Creative Writing at the University of Vermont. Aber divides her time between Vermont and Brooklyn.
Danez Smith (Poetry) is the author of four poetry collections: [insert] boy, Don’t Call Us Dead, Homie, and, most recently, Bluff. They are also the curator of Blues In Stereo: The Early Works of Langston Hughes. For their work, Danez was won the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Minnesota Book Award in Poetry, the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry, the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and have been a finalist for the NAACP Image Award in Poetry, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the National Book Award, as well as an array of grants, fellowships, and residencies including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and the Princeton Arts Fellowship. Danez lives in the Twin Cities with their people and teaches at the Randolph College MFA program and the Black Youth Healing Arts Center in St. Paul, MN.
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2025 Emerging Writer’s Contest
Ploughshares
DEADLINE: May 15, 2025
ENTRY FEE:
Current Members: $0
Non-Members: $30
INFO: The Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest recognizes work by an emerging writer in each of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We consider authors “emerging” if they haven’t published or self-published a book in any genre.
One winner in each genre per year will receive $2,000 and publication in the literary journal. The winners will also receive a conversation with our partnering literary agency, Aevitas Creative Management, regarding their work and writing careers.
The 2025 contest judges are R . O. Kwon in fiction, Joshua Bennett in poetry, and Elisa Gabbertin nonfiction.
GUIDELINES:
PUBLICATION: The winning story, essay, and poems from the 2025 contest will be published in the Winter 2025-26 issue of Ploughshares.
ELIGIBILITY:
You are eligible if you:
Have not published a book or chapbook in any genre.
Have no book or chapbook forthcoming before April 15, 2026.
Are not currently affiliated with Emerson College or with Ploughshares as a volunteer screener, intern, student, staff member, or faculty member.
Will not have a relationship with Emerson College before April 15, 2026 (example: if there is a chance you will attend the Emerson MFA program in the coming year or if your work has been accepted for publication for an upcoming issue).
SUBMITTING:
We accept fiction and nonfiction up to 6,000 words and 3-5 pages of poetry. Excerpts of longer works are welcome if self-contained.
Submit one entry per year via our online submission manager.
No entries via email or mail will be considered for the contest.
Submitted work must be original and previously unpublished in any form.
Please remove all identifying information from your manuscript as it will be read anonymously.
For poetry, we will be reading both for the strongest individual poem and the general level of work, and maychoose to publish one, some, or all of the winner’s submitted poems.
We cannot accommodate revisions once a manuscript has been submitted.
If submitting work with images, please acquire permission beforehand and, if possible, ensure any images are high resolution (300 dpi).
We strongly encourage typed, double-spaced (poetry may be single-spaced), and numbered pages.
SIMULTANEOUS vs. MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: We only consider one submission per author for the duration of the contest, regardless of genre. Simultaneous submissions to other journals are fine as long as we are notified immediately upon acceptance elsewhere via email (pshares@pshares.org) or our online contact form.
ENTRY FEE: If you are a current subscriber, your contest entry is free of charge. Make sure you are logged into your account before you begin the submission process. You will still be prompted to “checkout” but you will not be required to enter payment information and will not be charged.
If you are not a subscriber, the submission manager will prompt you to pay the $30 fee at checkout. The fee includes a 1-year print and digital subscription to Ploughshares and free submissions to the 2025 regular reading period (June 1-January 15).
pshares.org/submit/emerging-writers-contest/
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The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize
The Georgia Review
DEADLINE: May 15, 2025
ENTRY FEE: $25
INFO: We are pleased to announce that Brandon Som will serve as the final judge for the 2025 Loraine Williams Poetry Prize. Each year one winner gets $1,500 and publication. We also publish three finalists, each of whom receives $200. All submitted poems will be considered for publication.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Only one entry per submitter. An entry may include one, two, or three poems, but no more than a total of ten standard pages in 12-point or larger type. Work previously published in any form will not be considered. Simultaneous submissions are accepted; however, please let us know if the work has been accepted elsewhere.
Translations are not allowed, as we do not have the capacity to effectively judge translations for this prize. We do accept translations for general submissions.
Please note that students, faculty, staff, and administrators currently affiliated with the University of Georgia are ineligible for the LWPP. Intimate friends, relatives, colleagues, and former or current students of a judge are also ineligible to enter. Previous winners of our contest should wait three years before entering again.
JUDGE: Brandon Som’s Tripas (Georgia Review Books, 2023) won a Pulitzer Prize in poetry and was a finalist for a National Book Award. He is also the author of The Tribute Horse, winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and the chapbook Babel’s Moon. He lives on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay Nation and is an associate professor of literature and creative writing at the University of California San Diego.
thegeorgiareview.submittable.com/submit
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MINERAL ARTS & RESIDENCIES FELLOWSHIPS
Mineral Arts & Residencies (Mineral, WA)
DEADLINE: May 15, 2025
APPLICATION FEE: $25
INFO: Mineral Arts & Residencies (formerly Mineral School) is an artists residency founded in a former 1947 elementary school near Mt. Rainier, in Mineral, Washington. During 2025 and the first half of 2026, we'll host 32 creative people during six sessions ranging from one to two weeks in length, providing them with time, space, nutritious food, community, and access to the outdoors as well as the wild and wonderful energy of the region.
During 2025-2026, we are able to offer 11 fellowships so writers and artists may attend residency at no cost; fellowshipped writers are provided with travel assistance to Mineral from within the I-5 corridor between Portland and Seattle. Otherwise, one-week residency costs $450 and two-week residency costs $900, which includes all meals, linens, and programming.
FELLOWSHIPS:
June Dodge Fellowships (8) are open to poets or writers from the Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington) or the provinces of western Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon) and whose work is inspired by adventure, travel, the outdoors, and a feisty won't-give-up spirit. Though named for a woman, applicants of any identity may apply! These fellowships fund a two-week residency and include transit to Mineral from Portland, Seattle, or points between along I-5.
The Tahoma Literary Review Fellowship (1) will offer one writer of poetry or prose who identifies as part of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color) community support for a two-week residency. Applicants may request that their submission be read solely for residency or also considered for publication in Tahoma Literary Review. TLR is supporting this fellowship and publication opportunity to recognize and uplift BIPOC voices. The fellowship also includes travel assistance from points between Portland, OR and Seattle, WA along the I-5 corridor, if needed.
The Mona Lisa Roberts Visual Artist Fellowship (1) supports a two-week residency for one visual artist who self-identifies as LGBTQ+ and lives in the Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington) or the provinces of western Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon). This fellowship funds a two-week residency any month. Depending on the medium and artist preference, the accepted artist can work in the studio room where they also sleep, spread out in the gym, or work outdoors.
The Erin Donovan Writing Fellowship (1) supports one woman writer at midlife (40+). A fan of small town culture, travel, dive bars, nature, wordplay, and late-night talks about the meaning of life, Erin Donovan lived with abandon. Her friends and family co-created a fellowship in her memory open to applicants from the states where Erin lived. This residency is open to a woman-identifying writer of poetry or prose living in Massachusetts, New York, Washington, or Oregon, who is at least 40, and whose writing expresses wit and compassion. This fellowship funds the two-week residency fee and offers travel support upon proof of travel purchase or mileage, up to $175 (OR/WA) or $400 (NY/MA).
welcometomars.submittable.com/submit
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2025/26 LITERARY ARTS RESIDENCY PROGRAM
The Studios of Key West
DEADLINE: May 15, 2025
APPLICATION FEE: $45
INFO: The Studios of Key West, the premier arts organization at the Southernmost Point of the United States, offers a residency program for emerging and established artists and writers from around the world. We provide residencies to visual artists, writers, composers, musicians, media artists, performers, and interdisciplinary artists.
The program grants nearly 40 artists each year the time and space to imagine new artistic work, engage in valuable dialogue and explore island connections.
The Studios’ residency program is community-based and built upon the hope that visiting artists will take inspiration from Key West’s rich artistic past and present, and will engage with — and be inspired by — the remarkable people and culture that surrounds them.
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call for multilingual poetry
Shenandoah
DEADLINE: May 15, 2025
INFO: For this section on Multilingual Poetry in our Fall 2025 issue, editorial fellow Tran Tran wants work that dismantles, disrupts, and detonates the borders between languages:
“I welcome poems that refuse token italicization and assert their cultural and linguistic roots on the colonial terrain of English. Write what your bilingual or multilingual tongue aches to say. Take up all the space your non-English voice(s) demand. Play with confusion, slippage, and dissonance across syntax and diction. No need to explain or translate. Let the collision of languages—your mother languages, your ghost languages, your living and forgotten ones—reveal their own friction and fracture. Make English work to meet you, or let it fall apart trying.”
Submit up to three poems.
shenandoah.submittable.com/submit
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Monson Arts FALL residency program
Monson Arts (Maine)
DEADLINE: May 15, 2025
INFO: Monson Arts’ residency program supports emerging and established artists and writers by providing them time and space to devote to their creative practices. During each of our 2-week and 4-week programs throughout the year, a cohort of 5 artists and 5 writers are invited to immerse themselves in small town life at the edge of Maine’s North Woods and focus intensely on their work within a creative and inspiring environment. They receive a private studio, private bedroom in shared housing, all meals, and $500 stipend ($250 for 2-week programs). The Abbott Watts Residency for Photography offers access to the photography studio and darkroom of Todd Watts in nearby Blanchard, adjacent to the former home of Berenice Abbott. Click here to read more about this unique opportunity specifically for photographers.
Applications for a residency at Monson Arts are open to anyone at any stage of their career, working in visual arts, writing, and related fields (i.e. audio, video, photography, woodworking, movement, screen and playwrights). Open calls for residency applications currently take place 3 times throughout the year with deadlines on January 15, May 15, and September 15. Each application period corresponds to specific residency offerings 3-6 months out.
Residents’ studios are located in newly renovated Main Street buildings that have been designed specifically for visual artists and writers. All of our studio spaces are outfitted to be as flexible as possible so that we can accommodate a variety of creative practices. Our visual arts studios are spacious and light-filled with large work tables and sinks. Shelving and portable storage carts are available as needed. Access is available to woodshop and metal shop facilities in nearby buildings for any fabrication needs. Our writing studios are comfortably furnished with work tables, office chairs, bookshelves, and reading chairs. For those working in time and sound based media: apply to the Writing category if quiet contemplation would be best for your project or the Visual Arts category if you need room and the opportunity to make and play sounds out loud.
Residents live in newly renovated historic homes throughout town, within walking distance to studios and everything that downtown Monson has to offer. These are mostly 3 bedroom structures that are fully furnished and comfortable all four seasons of the year. Houses all have shared kitchens, bathrooms, and common areas with laundry machines, telephone, and other amenities as well. Wifi is available in all of our buildings through high speed fiberoptic service.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS INCLUDE:
Up to 5 images / 5 minutes of media OR 5 pages of writing examples
A letter of intent for your time at the residency
C.V. or Resume (limited to 6000 characters)
Two reference names
FALL 2025 RESIDENCY SCHEDULE
Sep 8 – Sep 18 : 2 week (with Abbott Watts)
Sep 22 – Oct 16: 4 week
Oct 20 – Nov 13: 4 week (with Abbott Watts)
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VCCA FULLY-FUNDED FELLOWSHIPS
Virginia Center for the Creative Arts
DEADLINE: May 15, 2025
INFO: In residencies ranging from one to six weeks, Fellows have the freedom to work individually and interact with 20+ writers, visual artists, and composers in residence. Returning and first-time Fellows combine to create a mutually supportive and inspiring community of peers.
Mt. San Angelo offers artists a private bedroom with private en-suite bath, a separate individual studio, and three meals each day, all within sight of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
VCCA is proud to offer a rotating selection of fully-funded fellowships.
The following fully-funded fellowships are available for the Spring 2026 residency period at Mt. San Angelo in Amherst, Virginia.
BARBARA CROOKER CAREGIVING FELLOWSHIP
Who: Artists in any discipline who are caregivers to an ill or disabled family member
What: Residency of up to two-weeks at Mt. San Angelo
When: Spring 2026 (January – April)
RICHARD E. CYTOWIC NONFICTION FELLOWSHIP
Who: Writers of long-form nonfiction, with preference given to writers who are gay, residents of Washington D.C., or caregivers to an ill or disabled family member
What: Residency of up to two-weeks at Mt. San Angelo
When: Spring 2026 (January – April)
JACQUES AND NATASHA GELMAN FELLOWSHIP
Who: Visual artists, with preference given to those of African American and Latin American descent
What: Two-week or one-month residency at Mt. San Angelo; $1,000 honorarium
When: Spring 2026 (January – April)
GOLDFARB FAMILY FELLOWSHIP
Who: Writers of creative nonfiction
What: Two-week residency at Mt. San Angelo
When: Spring 2026 (January – April)
GREATER OPPORTUNITY FELLOWSHIPS
Who: Artists in any discipline who have not previously been in residence at VCCA, with preference given to those who self-identify as people of color
What: Residency of up to two-weeks at Mt. San Angelo
When: Spring 2026 (January – April)
MONTANA FELLOWSHIP
Who: Artists in any discipline who live in Montana
What: One-month residency at Mt. San Angelo
When: Spring 2026 (January – April)
RICHARD S. AND JULIA LOUISE REYNOLDS POETRY FELLOWSHIP
Who: Poets
What: Three-week residency at Mt. San Angelo
When: Spring 2026 (January – April)
vcca.com/apply/fully-funded-fellowships/
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The 11th SUSPECT Poetry Contest
SUSPECT (Singapore Unbound)
DEADLINE: May 15, 2025
ENTRY FEE: $0
INFO: The SUSPECT Poetry Contest, formerly the Singapore Poetry Contest, returns in 2025 with its 11th iteration!
In conjunction with Gaudy Boy’s September 2025 publication of Mandy Moe Pwint Tu’s FABLEMAKER (winner of the Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize), SUSPECT calls for poems that use the word “fable” or its variants in an imaginative fashion. We want fables and anti-fables, we want fable-adjacent poems, we want fabulous conceptions and language.
The contest is open to everyone.
AWARDS: Awards of USD $300, $200, and $100 will go to the top three winners. The winning poems will be published in SUSPECT; non-winning poems will be considered for publication as well.
JUDGE: This year’s SUSPECT Poetry Contest judge is Mandy Moe Pwint Tu. Mandy Moe Pwint Tu is a pile of ginkgo leaves in a trench coat and the author of FABLEMAKER (Gaudy Boy, 2025). Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in POETRY, Beloit Poetry Journal, Porter House Review, Waxwing, and elsewhere. Her chapbooks, MONSOON DAUGHTER and UNSPRUNG, were published by Thirty West Publishing House (2022) and Newfound (2023) respectively. She received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was the Hoffman-Halls Emerging Artist Fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing. She is from Yangon, Myanmar.
Friends and family of the judge are allowed to submit entries too. Judging will be based solely on poetic merit and the creative use of the word “fable.” We reserve the right not to make any or all awards, should the quality of entries not merit them.
Contest entry is free. Please submit a maximum of three poems. Only unpublished poems will be considered. Posting on weblog, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media does not constitute publication. Any use of AI must be acknowledged clearly and in detail. No simultaneous submissions, please. Email your submission to Jee at jkoh@singaporeunbound.org. The poem(s) must be pasted into the body of the email, together with a short cover letter giving your name, mailing address, and brief biographical note.
We ask for the non-exclusive right to publish your work (1) on the website of SUSPECT accessible globally, (2) in our weekly newsletter and on our social media for publicity purposes, and (3) in subsequent print anthologies, if any. We also ask contributors not to republish the work in any form within six months of publication in SUSPECT.
Results will be announced in July.
https://singaporeunbound.org/opp/suspect-poetry-contest-11
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2025 GAUDY BOY POETRY BOOK PRIZE
Singapore Unbound
DEADLINE: May 19, 2025
ENTRY FEE: USD $10
INFO: The Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize is awarded annually to an unpublished manuscript of original Anglophone poetry by an author of Asian heritage residing anywhere in the world.
AWARD: The winner receives book publication and USD $1,500.
Past winners were The Experiment of The Tropics by Lawrence Lacambra Ypil and Autobiography of Horse by Jenifer Sang Eun Park, selected by Wong May; Play for Time by Paula Mendoza, selected by Vijay Seshadri; Object Permanence by Nica Bengzon, selected by Cyril Wong; Time Regime by Jhani Randhawa, selected by Dorothy Wang; Waking Up to the Pattern Left by a Snail Overnight by Jim Pascual Agustin, selected by Yeow Kai Chai; Interrogation Records, by Jeddie Sophronius, selected by Divya Victor; and FABLEMAKER, by Mandy Moe Pwint Tu, selected by Ng Yi-Sheng.
JUDGE: This year we’re honored to have Eric Gamalinda to be our judge. Eric Gamalinda was born in the Philippines and lives in New York City, where he teaches at the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University. He is the author of several books of poetry and fiction published in the Philippines and the US, including the poetry collections Zero Gravity, winner of the Asian American Literary Award, and Amigo Warfare, a new edition of which was recently published by Ateneo de Manila University Press.
Five finalists will be announced in August 2025, and they will be invited to read their work at a finalists’ reading in September 2025, at which the prizewinner will be announced. The winning manuscript will be published in Spring 2026 by Gaudy Boy, an imprint of the NYC-based literary nonprofit Singapore Unbound.
Established in 2017, Gaudy Boy publishes poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction of extraordinary merit by Asian voices. Our name is taken from the poem “Gaudy Turnout” by Singaporean poet Arthur Yap about his time abroad in 1970s Leeds, UK. From the Latin “gaudium,” meaning joy, Gaudy Boy seeks to delight our readers with the various powers of art.
GUIDELINES:
The contest is open to emerging and established poets.
No proof of Asian heritage is required. As writers ourselves, we go by honor between writers.
Submit a 70–120-page unpublished manuscript of original poetry in English. Please number the pages of your manuscript. Include a title page, table of contents, and an acknowledgments page for any previously published poems.
Email Jee Leong Koh at jkoh@singaporeunbound.org with a brief cover letter in the body of your email and the poetry manuscript attached in PDF or MSWord format.
Your name, mailing address, and email address should not appear anywhere in the manuscript. Instead, they should be given in your cover letter in the body of your email.
Submit your entry fee USD10.00 at PayPal to Jee Leong Koh (jkoh@singaporeunbound.org). We cannot consider your manuscript until we receive your entry fee. Your entry fee helps us defray some, but not all, of the editorial costs. We have set the entry fee low so that it will not be too much of a barrier for most people. If the fee is a barrier, please write to Jee at jkoh@singaporeunbound.org for a waiver. Entry fees are nonrefundable.
You may submit more than one manuscript, but a separate entry fee must accompany each manuscript.
You may submit the manuscript elsewhere simultaneously, but you must notify Gaudy Boy immediately if your manuscript is accepted by another publisher.
singaporeunbound.org/opp/2025-gaudy-boy-poetry-book-prize
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Anne LaBastille Memorial Writers Residency
The Adirondack Center for Writing
DEADLINE: May 19, 2025
APPLICATION FEE: $30 (There is no cost to attend the residency)
INFO: The Adirondack Center for Writing offers a free, two-week residency annually in autumn to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers at a lodge on Twitchell Lake in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. Six residents will be chosen: three from the Adirondack region and three from anywhere in the world. Quality of written submissions is the primary consideration when accepting applications.
The residency is generously provided by the estate of Anne LaBastille, who wrote books capturing challenges of the region, including Woodswoman and Beyond Black Bear Lake from her cabin on Twitchell Lake. During the residency, writers will paddle to the site of her property and explore the lake with locals.
The Lodge at Twitchell Lake provides an abundance of physical space, and each resident has their own bedroom and bathroom. There are plenty of writing spaces in and around the property. Internet access is available, but limited (email ; Zoom ). Most cell phones will not work (a landline is available).
IMPORTANT DATES:
Residency Dates: September 21 – October 5, 2025
Notification: July 2025
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Cover Letter: In the space provided in Submittable (no attachments), include a brief, third-person bio and a work plan detailing your goals for this residency.
Writing Sample: Please send up to 10 pages of your best writing in the genre you will working in at the residency. Prose: 10 pages max. Poetry: 10 poems max. NOTE: Make sure your name does not show up anywhere in your writing sample. Writing samples that include your name will not be considered. Quality of written submissions will be our primary consideration when accepting applications.
We do not accept printed applications. Contact info@adirondackcenterforwriting.org or 518-354-1261 with any questions.
https://adirondackcenterforwriting.org/residency/
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Brooklyn Poets Fellowships: Summer 2025 Workshops
Brooklyn Poets
DEADLINE: May 25, 2025 by 11:59pm ET
INFO: We award fellowships to promising students in need to enroll in one of our workshops for free. We also offer partial fellowship awards to finalists. Applicants must not be enrolled in a degree program with access to creative writing instruction or have had a book of poems published or accepted for publication by a United States press. Additionally, applicants who hold a graduate degree in creative writing (MA/MFA/PhD) will be considered separately for a limited number of fellowship awards per season. Applicants are limited to one workshop fellowship lifetime. Applicants who have been awarded a Brooklyn Poets Poetry Festival Fellowship are eligible to apply, but only after 12 months have passed since their award.
To apply for a winter-spring 2025 workshop fellowship, submit 4–5 poems, published or unpublished, eight pages max. Make sure to include a cover letter (250–350 words) detailing your writing background, why you're interested in a particular workshop/teacher, and why you need financial aid—let us know whether you need full aid or if partial aid will suffice.
Fellowship decisions will be announced via newsletter and social media on June 8. We strongly encourage writers from historically underserved and marginalized communities to apply, including (but not limited to) writers of color, LGBTQ+ writers, writers with disabilities and women writers.
brooklynpoets.submittable.com/submit/326970/brooklyn-poets-fellowships-summer-2025-workshops
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2025 FALL MULTI-DISCIPLINARY ARTIST RESIDENCY
Bethany Arts Community
DEADLINE: May 26, 2025 at 11:58pm EST
INFO: Bethany Arts Community (BAC) offers residencies to emerging and established artists for the development of both new works and works-in-progress. BAC welcomes artists working across any discipline and medium, including visual artists, sculptors, writers, playwrights, choreographers, musicians, composers, performance artists, filmmakers, and more to our Fall Multidisciplinary Residency. Any and all artistic mediums are encouraged to apply. Enjoy an environment where artists from different disciplines and walks of life can work in community and near each other, creating opportunities for generative collaboration and cross-pollination.
Residents will be surrounded by uninhibited creativity during their time at BAC, in the form of other Multidisciplinary Residents, local studio artists, BAC staff and board members, those presenting programs on campus, and more!
A unique component of residencies at BAC is Community Programming. As part of a residency, we ask each artist to develop and facilitate a Community Program related to their residency plan. This part of the residency is an opportunity for artists to engage with the local community in Ossining and Westchester County, and for the local community to engage with artists through their work.
The Fall Multidisciplinary Residency runs for two, two-week sessions, September 9 to 23, 2025 and September 26 to October 10, 2025, each with its own cohort. Artists are provided room & board, a private studio conducive to artists’ medium and/or project, 3 basic meals a day*, and a $225 stipend per week upon completion of the residency.
Artist is responsible for transportation to and from BAC and any supplies or materials needed for their practice. We ask that you only apply if you can stay for the entire length of this residency.
*Please note for the 3 meals a day included during the residency, Bethany Arts Community is only able to accommodate for vegan, plant-based, vegetarian, dairy-free, and/or gluten-free diets. Please contact submit@bethanyarts.org with any questions or if you have any further allergies/dietary needs not listed.
Regarding Artist Teams/Groups/Collaborations: Artist team applications will only be considered for groups up to 3 members.
TIMELINE:
Application Deadline: May 26, 2025 at 11:58 PM EST
Letters of Recommendation Deadline: June 2, 2025 at 11:58 PM EST
As letters of recommendation (LORs) requests are sent out at the time of application submission, we give applicants another week to ensure that their LORs are in. Please ensure your LOR is submitted by this deadline to be considered for this residency.
There is one letter of recommendation and one reference (not the same person who wrote the LOR) required to be considered.
Your LOR and your reference should come from someone who can speak to your artistry, character, and integrity. LORs and References from relatives will not be accepted.
Notifications: June 25, 2025
bethanyarts.org/calendar/fall2025residency/
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2025 Button Poetry First Book Contest
Button Poetry
DEADLINE: May 30, 2025 at 11:59pm PT
ENTRY FEE: $25; all entrants will receive a 20% discount off any purchase at the Button Shop.
INFO: The 2025 Button Poetry First Book Contest is now open!
PRIZE: The winner will receive publication, 25 free author copies, and a $1,000 honorarium.
SUBMITTER ELIGIBILITY:
This competition is open to writers of ALL AGES from anywhere in the world. If chosen for publication and under the age of majority, you will need a signature from a legal guardian
Submitters must not have a full length published poetry collection available or forthcoming from any press
If submitters have previously published in a different genre or a chapbook collection, they may still submit
MANUSCRIPT ELIGIBILITY:
Open to all previously unpublished, full-length manuscripts of poetry (loosely defined as 48+pages of poetry) written in English
Manuscripts that contain previously published poems are eligible, so long as the manuscript is unpublished as a collection
Previously self-published manuscripts are eligible
WHAT WE LIKE:
We value energy and voice and force, work that crosses borders or effaces them completely, work that enters into larger social conversations, work that lives in the world, work with calloused hands and a half-empty stomach.
We think poetry is and ought to be part of our everyday lives and culture.
GUIDELINES:
Submit a previously unpublished, full-length (48+ pages of poetry, 8.5x11 page-size) manuscript of poetry using our online submission manager. The manuscript, in one PDF file, should include: a title page with the title of the book only (no contact or identifying information about the author), a table of contents page, and the text itself. Please make sure that the name of your PDF file and the title of your manuscript entered here in Submittable match.
The full PDF, all-inclusive, MUST be 48 pages or more. Files shorter than 48 pages will be disqualified.Include, in the Cover Letter section of our submission manager ONLY, a brief letter with the title of your work and your contact info, as well as a brief bio. If you wish, you may also include info about your web and social media presence, but this is not required. Your name and contact information SHOULD NOT appear anywhere in the manuscript–we only want your name in the Cover Letter section itself. (Note: If your name appears in a poem, change it / falsify it / cut the poem—if your name appears ANYWHERE in the manuscript, your entry may be disqualified.)
Start each new poem on a new page (poems longer than one page are fine, just don't put multiple short poems on the same page); use a legible, 10- to 12-point font like Times New Roman or Garamond.
We are unable to consider revised versions of manuscripts during the contest, though the winner will have the opportunity to revise before publication.
Multiple submissions by the same poet are fine, but you must pay a $25 entry fee for each submission.
Simultaneous submissions are also fine, but please let us know immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
Collaborative manuscripts written by more than one author are fine, too. Fine, fine, fine.
The manuscript must consist of your original writing—specifically, content produced by generative AI tools is not allowed.
PROCESS: The judges will read all submissions blindly to ensure the maximum level of fairness and select 6-12 finalists. The finalists will then be forwarded along to the final judge (TBD), who will select a winner. All finalists will be considered by the Editors for publication.
For questions, email contest@buttonpoetry.com.
buttonpoetry.submittable.com/submit
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call for submissions: Poetry tuesday
The Margins (AAWW)
DEADLINE: May 31, 2025
INFO: Every Tuesday, The Margins publishes the work of emerging and established Asian American and diasporic poets. We publish English-language poems and translations of poems.
We pay contributors $50 to $90 (USD) for original and translated poetry; the fee varies based on the number and length of poems we publish. We may offer additional payment to the author of translated poems, depending on the work’s publication status. We do not pay for reprints.
Please allow four to six months for a response. Submissions close 11:59 EST.
We are open to all styles, forms, and subjects. We’re drawn to poetry that:
Transforms the mundane into the magical with unexpected imagery
Reflects on personal and/or cultural history
Responds to or reshapes the view on current events and issues
Introduces or reimagines historical and literary figures
Illuminates through translation the work of an Asian author who is not known or read (widely) by a general Anglophone audience
Challenges, subverts, or expands formal, linguistic, and genre conventions
Explores humorous, abject, or profane languages and/or themes
GUIDELINES:
Submissions should be no longer than 5 pages total. Each poem must start on a new page. Though we do consider longer poems, we tend to select poems no longer than 3 pages.
If you are submitting translations, please acquire translation and publication permission from the author and/or press prior to submission.
Please use a standard serif (e.g., Constantia, Garamond, Times New Roman) or sans-serif font (e.g. Arial, Calibri) in font size no smaller than 12, unless there is a specific formal and visual reason to do otherwise.
We prefer submissions in the .docx form but also accept PDFs.
We allow simultaneous submissions. If a part of your submitted manuscript has been accepted elsewhere, please send a message with the unavailable title(s) on Submittable. If your entire manuscript becomes unavailable, please withdraw the submission.
Most of our submissions are individual works. However, collaborative work will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
We do not require any preliminary information in the cover letter, though you are welcome to include pertinent or necessary details about yourself or the submission. We will collect your updated bio upon acceptance. (Nice notes and hellos do not affect the decision, but we do appreciate them!)
We accept previously published poems, as long as they have not appeared digitally in other venues. Please note any previously published works in your submission.
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call for poetry submissions
A Public Space
DEADLINE: May 31, 2025 by 11:59pm
INFO: A Public Space is officially open for our spring reading period.
Please submit up to five (5) poems in one document. Only one submission at a time is allowed; additional submissions will be returned unread. Only previously unpublished work will be considered. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but if a poem is accepted elsewhere, we ask that you withdraw your submission from the system or, if you've submitted multiple poems, that you add a note to your submission letting us know which poem(s) you are withdrawing.
Translations are welcome, but it is the translator's responsibility to secure rights to the work before it is submitted. We will make every effort to respond to your submissions within four months, though at times it may be longer. If it has been more than four months and you have not yet received a response, we will be happy to reply to a query regarding the status of your submission.
We suggest reading recent issues of A Public Space to acquaint yourself with work the magazine has published. Subscriptions are available here.
apublicspacedemo.submittable.com/submit
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Anhinga Prize for Poetry
Anhinga Press
DEADLINE: May 31, 2025
READING FEE: $28
INFO: The Anhinga Prize for Poetry began in 1983. The competition is open to all U. S. poets for a manuscript of original poetry in English.
PRIZE: The winner receives $1000, 25 author copies, and a 50% discount on books. We will also offer an online reading for the winner.
NEW FOR 2025! $500 STIPEND FOR BOOK-RELATED TRAVEL
All manuscripts are screened carefully by paid readers and Anhinga Board members/directors. Our reading team is diverse in aesthetic and style. Five of six current readers are published poets, and all have advanced degrees and/or experience in publishing and writing. The top ten finalists will be sent to the judge.
We assume you submit because you want to be published by the Press. We recommend you familiarize yourself with the Press by purchasing and reading our books.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Submit via our Submittable page ONLY
Manuscripts must be 48-100 pages, excluding front matter. They may be single- or double-spaced.
Do not put your name on your manuscript. Submittable will add your name to your file.
Finalists and winner are announced on this website, in social media, and in Poets & Writers.
Past judges include Ching-in Chen, Joy Harjo, Evie Shockley, Allison Joseph, Diane Wakoski, Naomi Shihab Nye, Major Jackson, Kaveh Bassiri and Brian Turner.
Past winners of the Prize include: Joaquin Zihuatanejo, Hauntie, Elizabeth A.I. Powell, Robin Beth Schaer, Frank X. Gaspar, Julia Levine, and Erika Meitner.
ADDITIONAL CONTEST INFORMATION:
Poems previously published in journals and anthologies should be accompanied by an acknowledgments page. Authors may submit multiple manuscripts; each will require a reading fee. Previously submitted manuscripts and manuscripts under consideration by other publishers are also eligible. Please notify us as soon as possible if your manuscript is accepted by another press. No significant changes may be made to manuscript after acceptance of prize. Acceptance of prize must be within 24 hours of notification of winning. After acceptance, poets must withdraw manuscripts under consideration by other presses.
Entrants will be notified via Submittable and our website and social media. Additionally, contest winner will be announced in Poets & Writers. The winning book is published about one year after its selection.
For more info, contact Kristine Snodgrass at info@anhinga.org.
anhingapress.org/anhinga-robert-dana-prize
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call for submissions ‘Invisible Chains: Contemporary Slavery and Forced Migration’
IHRAM Press
DEADLINE: June 1, 2025
INFO: A poignant reflection on contemporary slavery and forced migration, this issue delves into exploitative labor practices, human trafficking, and the loss of human rights. It examines the economic and personal challenges faced by migrants, including discrimination, culture shock, and the lingering mental health effects.
We are dedicated to publishing firsthand experiences of forced migration, factual retellings on contemporary slavery, reflections of the author’s personal experiences with the economic challenges or discrimination, and feelings of hope and perseverance. We encourage submissions from all over the world, regardless of gender or identity.
Magazine Themes: Modern slavery, forced migration, human trafficking, economic challenges, cultural discrimination, first-hand accounts, feelings of hope and perseverance.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Before submitting, please review the following guidelines, including (1) IHRAM’s accepted media, required supplemental information, and quarterly magazine themes. We are only accepting pieces which align with our annual themes at this time. Thank you!
We are interested in reviewing and publishing the following for the 2025 quarterly magazine:
Poetry
Short stories (2500 words or less)
Essay (2500 words or less), or
Artwork*
*Accepted Visual Art includes: mixed media, acrylics, oil paintings, drawings, photographs, collages, sculptures, or any forms that fit our magazine themes.
Submission for artwork is unlimited. Please note, your published artwork might be presented in black-and-white and therefore should be suitable for “print”. We WILL NOT accept any AI-Generated art. Ensure your artwork is submitted as .JPG, .PDFs, or .PNGs.
Please submit your poetry, short story, essay, or artwork to submit@humanrightsartmovement.org along with the following required information:
Your full name and/or pen name.
Your country of residence.
A brief third-person bio (roughly 100 words). If your bio includes references of your past work, feel free to provide links!
A brief foreword to your piece (between 300-500 words), explaining your inspiration for creating it, background information, explanation of key characters, and any other key insight for the reader.
*If your piece is accepted, we will request a high-resolution author photograph. However, authors are not required to provide photographs of themselves and are always welcome to decline, should they wish to remain anonymous.
IHRAM Press pays $50 per accepted written piece.
humanrightsartmovement.org/ihraf-publishes
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Call for submissions: Poetry, short stories + essays
No More Margins Literary Journal
DEADLINE: June 1, 2025
INFO: The first issue of this annual publication, Liberation, focuses on amplifying the voices of Black women as they explore and express their unique truths through literature and art. Liberation signifies freedom from external validation, standing boldly in the human right to exist, and creating spaces filled with love, joy, and empowerment. Thank you for your submission.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Eligibility: Submissions are open to members of the NMM community and beyond.
Written Submissions: You may submit up to three pieces (poetry, short stories, and essays) for consideration. We are specifically looking to publish works completed as part of a free writing activity. However, we will accept written works that align with the theme of liberation and embody creative, authentic expression. Submissions must be provided in a Word document or PDF format. Submit all pieces in one document. Each piece should be titled and on a separate page. Do not submit more than 5 pages total.
Artwork Submissions: You may submit up to three original images for consideration. Artwork submissions must be high-resolution (minimum 300 DPI) and submitted in JPG or PNG format.
Submission Deadline: All entries must be submitted by June 1, 2025. Each image must be titled.
Priority: Priority will be given to members of the NMM family who have attended our writing groups.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeingowczc9PTB_qS-csjEIMa3TZL9_XThojaa-aG9zInodxg/viewform
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2026 EMERGING WRITER AWARDS
Key West Literary Seminar
DEADLINE: June 2, 2025 by 11:59 pm EST (Letters of recommendation must be received by the following week)
ENTRY FEE: $12
INFO: We are now accepting applications for the 2026 Emerging Writer Awards.
The Cecelia Joyce Johnson Award, Scotti Merrill Award, and Marianne Russo Award recognize and support writers who possess exceptional talent and demonstrate potential for lasting literary careers.
Each award is tailored to a particular literary form. The Merrill Award recognizes a poet, while fiction writers may apply for either the Johnson Award (for a short story) or the Russo Award (for a novel-in-progress).
Winners of the 2026 Emerging Writer Awards received full tuition support for our January 2026 Seminar and Writers’ Workshop Program, round-trip airfare, lodging, a $500 honorarium, and appeared on stage during the Seminar. They will be in Key West from January 4 – 12, 2026.
Please review the criteria, complete the application form, and upload the required documents via Submittable. Due to an increased volume of applications and our thorough review process, we have implemented a $12 application fee to cover review costs.
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Call for “OF THE SEA” Portfolio
SUSPECT (Singapore Unbound)
DEADLINE: June 15, 2025
INFO: Indigenous maritime communities know that the law of the sea is more ancient and powerful than the United Nations Convention of the same name. They know that the sea connects as well as divides. That the sea gives as much as it takes. That the sea is vast in its volume and tender in its tides. That in its eternal restlessness the sea contests fixed boundaries and national borders.
This August, SUSPECT will publish a special portfolio dedicated to indigenous perspectives on the region designated as maritime Southeast Asia. We invite the submission of fiction and poetry that explore the manifold effects of the sea on individuals and communities. We are particularly interested in indigenous voices but we welcome non-indigenous authors who have engaged in a significant and sustained manner with maritime Southeast Asian communities.
We are looking for:
Short fiction of 1,500 to 6,000 words
2-4 pieces of flash fiction that total 500 to 1,500 words
3-5 poems that total 3 to 10 pages
We welcome translated work, but translators must provide documentation of authorization from the original authors or their literary estates.
Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please notify us immediately should they be accepted for publication elsewhere.
We only accept work that has not been previously published. For translations, the original work may be published, but not the translations.
PAYMENT: USD $100
SUBMIT TO: Sharmini Aphrodite at suspect@singaporeunbound.org