*October 1*
*The Gatewood Prize In Poetry. Switchback Books announces a call for entries for the Gatewood Prize in poetry, an annual competition for a first full-length collection of poems by a woman writing in English between the ages of 18 & 39. Switchback Books editors will select at least ten finalists & a judge will select the prizewinner, who will be recognized with a cash prize of $1,000 & publication by Switchback Books. Reading period: July 1 — October 1. Contest specifics can be found at: www.switchbackbooks.com.
*Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize in Fiction, Essay, & Poetry. $3,000 awarded in each category. Entries must be postmarked by October 1, 2008. Please include no more than twenty-five typed, double-spaced pages for fiction & nonfiction. Poetry entries can include any number of poems up to ten pages. Each story or essay constitutes one entry. $20 for each entry (checks payable to The Missouri Review). Each fee entitles the entrant to a one-year subscription. Entries must be addressed to: Missouri Review Editors’ Prize, 357 McReynolds Hall, UMC, Columbia, MO 65211. For complete guidelines, visit: www.missourireview.com.
*The Kinereth Gensler Awards. Alice James Books will be accepting submissions of poetry manuscripts postmarked through October 1, 2008. The Kinereth Gensler Awards welcome submissions from emerging as well as established poets. Entrants must reside in New England, New York State or New Jersey, beginning no later than December 1, 2008. The Kinereth Gensler Awards winners receive $2000 & publication. Winners serve a 3-year term on the Alice James Books Editorial Board. Manuscripts must be typed, paginated, & 50-70 pages in length (single spaced). Individual poems from the manuscript may have been previously published, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished. No multi-authored collections, please. Your name, address, & phone number should appear on the title page of your manuscript. Manuscripts cannot be returned. Send one copy of your manuscript submission with two copies of the title page. The Kinereth Gensler Awards are judged by the Alice James Books Editorial Board. Manuscripts are not read anonymously. For notification of winners, include a business size SASE. Winners will be announced in December 2008. The entry fee is $25. Mail your entry to: *Alice James Books, Kinereth Gensler Awards, 238 Main Street, Farmington, ME 04938*. For further information, visit: www.alicejamesbooks.org/KG.html.
*New Southerner Literary Contest. Three prizes of $200 each and publication in New Southerner will be awarded for works of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. There is a 5,000 word limit for prose and a 50 line limit for poetry. Entry Fee: $10 per entry. Multiple entries accepted. Postmark deadline: *October 1, 2008. Final judges will include: Nonfiction – Kathryn Eastburn; Poetry – Erin Keane & Cecilia Woloch; and Fiction – TBA. All work must be typed on standard-sized paper. No manuscript will be returned; for acknowledgement of receipt, include SASP with submission. Send two copies—one with the author’s name, address, phone number and optional e-mail address in the upper right-hand corner, the other with no author information. Include separate title page for each entry indicating title of work, category, author’s name, address and phone number. Entries must be the author’s original, unpublished work and should be appropriate for publication in New Southerner. The magazine’s mission is to promote self-sufficient living, environmental stewardship and support for local economies. For more information, see our submission guidelines online at newsoutherner.com/aboutus.htm. Entries should be mailed to: *New Southerner Literary Contest, 375 Wood Valley Lane, Louisville, KY 40299*. Questions regarding entries should be directed to: bobbibuchanan@newsoutherner.com.
*Ruthanne Wiley Novella Contest.* The Poetry Center annually offers a $1,000 prize and publication for a novella of 60 to 120 manuscript pages. There is a $25.00 readers’ fee. Submission period is April 1 up to a postmark deadline of *October 1*. For complete guidelines send SASE or visit: www.csuohio.edu/poetrycenter.
*Women Writers Worldwide Fiction Short-Short Writing Contest.* Open to ALL writers–women, men, & youths. *Opens July 1 & closes October 1*. Details available online approximately June 21st. Seeking frighteningly creepy & eerily twisted stories. Winning entries revealed on the website, Halloween Day (October 31). Let’s scare away the year’s economic doom-n-gloom attitudes & get back on track, with some fun! Try your hand at the exaggerated whisper, with an ending that is really too incredible. Or create that terrifying plot with a pussycat ending–it was only a nightmare…or was it? 1,500 word maximum. $10 entry fee. 1st place receives $250 & enrollment in WWW’s Celestial Connection. First & second runners-up receive $100 & $50, respectively. For complete information & guidelines, visit: www.womenwritersworldwide.com.
*October 2*
*Vermont Studio Center Full Fellowship Competition.*Given three times a year, the fellowships include studio, room, board, & access to the facilities at the Studio Center, a year-round community of writers & visual artists. Submit up to ten pages of poetry or ten to fifteen pages of prose with $25 entry fee. The three full fellowship application deadlines are *February 15, June 15*, & *October 2*. Send SASE, e-mail, or visit the Web site: www.vermontstudiocenter.org for the required application form & complete guidelines. *Vermont** Studio Center** Full Fellowship Competition, PO Box 613, Johnson, VT 05656*. Phone: (802) 635″“2727. E-mail: info@vermontstudiocenter.org.
*October 10*
*The Joy Harjo Poetry Award** & the **Rick DeMarini’s Short Story Award.*First Prize for each: $1250 & publication in CUTTHROAT. Second Prize: $250 & publication in CUTTHROAT. All finalists are acknowledged in CUTTHROAT & considered for publication. Winners are announced in POETS & WRITERS & the AWP Writer’s Chronicle. Judges: Richard Jackson & Linda Hogan. Submit up to three unpublished poems (100 line limit for each) or one unpublished short story (5,000 word limit) in 12 point font, any subject or style, postmarked between *June 15 & October 10, 2008*. Winners announced in December 2008. Author name must not appear on any ms page. Include a cover sheet with name, address, phone, e-mail, genre & title(s) submitted. Send SASE for announcement of winners. Include postcard if you wish to be notified of receipt of ms. Fiction submissions must be double-spaced. All mss are recycled. Writers may submit as often as they wish. We accept simultaneous submissions as long as the author informs us immediately should a piece be accepted elsewhere. $15 nonrefundable reading fee per submission. Checks payable to Raven’s Word Writers. For more information, call (970) 903-7914, or e-mail: cutthroatmag@gmail.com. Mail mss to: *CUTTHROAT Literary Award (specify genre), PO Box 2414, Durango, CO 81302*.
*October 15*
*Amy Lowell Poetry Travelling Scholarship. *$50,000 to the winning poet to spend a continuous year outside the continent of North America in “whatever place the recipient deems best suited to advance the art of poetry.” Application, resume, & poetry samples must be received by *October 15*. For full information & an application, visit the website: www.amylowell.org. Correspondence should be directed to: *Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship, c/o F. Davis Dassori, Choate, Hall, & Stewart, Two International Place, Boston, MA 02110.*
*Creative Communication *is pleased to announce our Fall 2008 Essay contest. Over $85,000 in prizes & awards will be given to students & schools in geographic regions across the U.S. & Canada. The Essay Contest divisions are: Grades 4-6, 7-9, & 10-12, with 10 top winners in each division for each region. To enter an essay, write 250 words or less on any non-fiction topic in English. The deadline for the Essay Contest is *October 15*. The Poetry Contest divisions are: Grades K-3, 4-6, 7-9, & 10-12, with 10 top winners in each division for each region. To submit you may enter online at: www.poeticpower.com or mail your entry to: *Creative Communication, 1488 N 200 W Logan, UT 84341*. Please include the author’s name, grade, address, city, state, & zip. Please also include the school name, school address & teacher’s name. Selected entries of merit will be invited to be published in an anthology. This is not a contest where every entry is published. There is no entry fee or required purchase to be published. Teachers who have 5 or more students accepted receive a free book which features their students. Schools with 15 or more students accepted receive a free book & also qualify to apply for one of our $250 Language Arts Grants. To view the students in your area who were selected as winners in previous contests or to view the schools in your area who were awarded a $250 Language Arts Grant, go to: http://www.poeticpower.com/Awards.htm. If you have any questions, please feel free to call (435) 713-4411 or email: editor@poeticpower.com.
*The Earth Vision Nature Writing Contest* is held to support the cause of expression on the subject of nature & deep ecology. First prize: $500. Second & third prizes: $100 each. Two honorable mentions. The contest is open to any writer in English producing an original short piece of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetic prose, or poetry. Submissions can be published or unpublished material, length to range between 500 & 2500 words per entry. One title per entry, you can enter as many times as you like, new entry fee to accompany each entry. Winners will retain all rights, & will be invited to post their entries on the Earth Vision website. Entry fee: $12 (U.S.). You can either donate $12, or purchase two or more E-books from the Earth Vision site (at $6 each). Email your entry through the address below, as either a Word, or PDF document. Enter “EV contest” on the subject line of your email & remember to attach your entry. Include a cover page with title, contact, & author information, plus a short biography. The deadline is *October 15*. No late entries will be considered. Only winning entries will be notified. Winners will be posted on the website by November 15, 2008. Visit the site at: www.evsite.net, or email nature author Josef Graf at: josefgrafev@yahoo.ca.
*Philbrick Poetry Award.* Accepting manuscripts (15-25 pages) until *October 15 *(postmarked). Judge: Marilyn Nelson. Winner receives $500 & chapbook publication. Open to New England residents with no previous book published. Fee: $10 & includes free chapbook. For guidelines: * www.providenceathenaeum.org* or send SASE to: *Providence** Athenaeum, 251 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02903.
*Stevens Poetry Manuscript Competition. *A prize of $1,000, book publication by the NFSPS Press, & 50 author copies are given annually for a poetry manuscript. Submit 48 to 70 pages of poetry & a $25 entry fee ($20 for NFSPS members) by *October 15* (postmark). Send an SASE, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines. *National Federation of State Poetry Societies, Stevens Poetry Manuscript Competition, 22614 North Santiam Highway, Lyons, OR 97358*. Eleanor Berry, Chair. Email: eberry@wvi.com; or visit: www.nfsps.com.
*Scratch.* Scratch is an innovative writing contest itching to discover new talent. Growing journal & international anthology. Professional industry judges award $150 first place & publication. Top 3 monthly winners considered for anthology. Small fee to enter. *Deadline 22nd each month*. Please visit: www.scratchcontest.net.
*Inkwell Magazine **Short Fiction** &** Poetry** Contests. *Fiction: $1,500 grand prize & publication in *Inkwell*. Guidelines: previously unpublished stories up to (5,000) words; text typed, 12-point, double-spaced, one-sided; cover sheet with name, address, phone, e-mail, titles, & word counts; no name or address anywhere on manuscripts; send SASE for contest notification only, manuscripts will be recycled; include $15 entry fee per story (limit three stories), checks (USD only) made out to Manhattanville-Inkwell. Poetry: $1,000 grand prize & publication in *Inkwell*. Guidelines: up to five unpublished poems, forty line limit per poem; only typed entries will be considered, twelve point; cover sheet with name, address, phone, e-mail, titles, & line counts; no name or address anywhere on manuscript(s); send SASE for contest notification only, manuscripts will be recycled; $10 for first poem, $5 per each additional poem, checks payable to Manhattanville-Inkwell. NOTE: Indicate Poetry or Fiction Competition on envelope. If submitting to both Poetry & Fiction Competitions, please use separate envelopes. Submissions not adhering to the above guidelines will not be considered. Mail to: *INKWELL,Poetry/Fiction Competition Editor, Manhattanville College, 2900 Purchase Street, Purchase, NY 10577*. Postmark deadline: *October 30.*
*Main Channel Voices**.* A Dam Fine Literary Magazine seeks eclectic, accessible poetry that triggers an “Aha!” response. To submit, send a 2 – 3 sentence bio and 3 – 5 poems in the body of an email to: MCVsubmissions@mainchannelvoices.com. Deadlines are *January 30, April 30, July 30 and October 30. *For futher information, please visit: www.mainchannelvoices.com.
*The Writer’s Workshop Short Fiction Contest. *Submit a short story of no more than 5,000 words. Multiple entries are accepted. All work must be unpublished. First prize of $350, second prize of $250, third prize of $100. Pages should be paper clipped, with your name, address, phone, & title of work on a cover sheet. Double-space, & use twelve point font. Entry fee is $18 per story, or $15 for Workshop members. Enclose legal size self-sealing SASE for critique & list of winners. Do not send via FedEx, certified mail, etc. Make check or money order payable to The Writers’ Workshop, & mail to: *Fiction Contest, 387 Beaucatcher Rd., Asheville, NC 28805*. Postmark deadline, *October 30*.
*Carnegie Mellon Poetry Series.* We will be reading unsolicited poetry manuscripts in late 2008. We will only read poets not previously been published by CMU Press. We view this reading period as neither a contest nor as being exclusively for first books. Rather, it is a time for us to review manuscripts by writers whose work we might not otherwise be familiar with. Of the six books we publish each year, at least two are selected from this reading period. If you wish to have us consider your manuscript, please send it with the following: a SASE for judge’s decision; & $10 payable to Carnegie Mellon University Press. Send manuscripts to: *Poetry Editor, Carnegie Mellon University Press, 5032 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15289-1021*. Due to the large volume of submissions, we are no longer able to return manuscripts. In order to be eligible for the reading period, submissions must be postmarked during *October 2008*.
*Chapbook Competition for Ohio Poets.* Poets currently residing in Ohio may enter the Open Chapbook Competition. Two to four mss. from each category are chosen each year to be published by Kent State University Press. Entry requirements: Poets may enter only one of the competitions. There is a $10 reading fee for each ms. sent to the Open Competition. Mss. must include no fewer than fifteen & no more than twenty-five pp. of poetry, typed on one side only, with no more than one poem included on a page. The ms. may be submitted simultaneously to other publishers, but poets must notify the Wick Poetry Center immediately if the ms. is accepted for publication elsewhere. All mss. will be recycled after judging. For notice that the ms. has been received, poets should enclose SASP; for notice of the final winning selections, poets should enclose SASE. Winners will be posted on the website. Mss. must be postmarked *between August 31 & October 31. *No late entries considered. Send entries to: *Wick Poetry Chapbook Competitions, Wick Poetry Ctr., 301 Satterfield Hall, Kent State Univ., PO Box 5190, Kent, Ohio 44242-0001.* For further information visit: http://dept.kent.edu/wick/.
Dana Awards. $3,000 portfolio award, & $1,000 awards each in novel (first 50 pp only), short fiction, & poetry. Postmark deadline *October 31*. No e-mail submissions. For crucial guidelines: www.danaawards.com or e-mail danaawards@pipeline.com or send SASE to *200 Fosseway Dr**, Greensboro, NC 27455*.
*Glimmer Train: Family Matters.* We are interested in reading your original, unpublished short stories about family! (No stories for children, sorry.) Multiple submissions are fine (more than one submission per competition, or submit the same story for different categories, if it qualifies). No simultaneous submissions, please. When we accept a story for publication, we are purchasing first-publication rights. (Once we’ve published your story, you are free to, for instance, include it in your own collection.) Please send your work via our new online submission procedure. Visit www.glimmertrain.com & click the yellow “Submissions” button to get started. Please submit anytime during the months of January, April, July, or *October *. Results will be posted March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31, respectively. Reading fee: $15 per story. Prizes: 1st place wins $1,200, publication in *Glimmer Train Stories*, & twenty copies of that issue. 2nd/3rd place: $500/$300, respectively. Open to all writers. Stories are not to exceed 12,000 words. It seems that a substantial proportion of fiction submissions are heavily rooted in actual experience, which is entirely fine with us, but we do want stories to read like fiction & anything we publish is presented as fiction. Change details that would allow the real-life people to say, “Hey, that character is—without a doubt—me”.
*Glimmer Train: Standard Story Submissions. *We are interested in reading your original, unpublished stories. (No children’s stories or novels, please.) No simultaneous submissions. When we accept a story for publication, we are purchasing first-publication rights. (Once we have published your story, you are free to, for instance, include it in your own collection.)Please send your work via our new online submission procedure. Visit www.glimmertrain.com & click the yellow “Submissions” button to get started. Please submit anytime during the months of January, April, July, & *October*. Response within twelve weeks. No reading fee. Payment for accepted stories: $700 for first-publication rights (along with ten free copies of that issue). Other considerations: Open to all writers. Stories should not exceed 12,000 wds. Okay to submit up to three stories per reading month. We look forward to reading your work!
*Hollis Summers Poetry Prize.* Named after the distinguished poet who taught for many years at Ohio University & made Athens, Ohio, the subject of many of his poems, this competition invites writers to submit unpublished collections of original poems. Competition open to both those who have not published a book-length collection & those who have. Postmark date, *October 31*. Those postmarked later will be returned unread. Mss of 60-95 pages should be typed on standard sized paper or be a clean photocopy. Do not send your only copy. Name, address, & phone number should appear on the title page. Acknowledgments should appear on a separate page. Individual collections must be the work of a single author. Translations not accepted. Multiple submissions to other publishers are acceptable provided we are informed if the ms is accepted elsewhere. The ms should be submitted in a plain 9 x 11.5″ manila folder. Because we cannot guarantee the return of the mss, all entries become the property of Ohio University Press and those not chosen will be recycled. All contestants will be notified following the final selection. Include SASP if you wish acknowledgment of receipt. Submissions should include a check for $20 made out to Ohio University Press. The winning ms will be published by Ohio University Press the following year & will be awarded a cash prize of $1000. Send all materials to: *Hollis Summers Poetry Prize, Ohio University Press, 19 Circle Drive, The Ridges, Athens, OH 45701*. For further details visit: www.ohio.edu/oupress.
*New Voices Award. *The Award will be given for a children’s picture book story by a writer of color. Winner will receive cash grant of $1,000 & our standard publication contract, including our standard advance & royalties. An Honor Award winner will receive a cash grant of $500. Contest open to writers of color who are residents of the US & who have not previously had a children’s picture book published. Writers who have published in other venues, such as children’s magazines, young adult fiction & nonfiction, are eligible. Only unagented submissions accepted. Mss previously submitted to Lee & Low Books for this award are not eligible. Mss should address the needs of children of color by providing stories with which they can identify & relate, & which promote a greater understanding of one another. Submissions may be fiction or nonfiction for children ages five to twelve. Folklore & animal stories will not be considered. Mss should be no more than 1500 words in length & accompanied by a cover letter that includes the author’s name, address, phone number, e-mail address, a brief biographical note, relevant cultural & ethnic information, how the author heard about the award, & publication history, if any. Mss should be typed double-spaced on 8.5″ x 11″ paper. SASE with sufficient postage must be included for return of the ms. Up to two submissions per entrant. Each submission should be submitted separately. Submissions should be clearly addressed to*: Lee & Low Books, 95 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016, Attn: New Voices Award*. Mss may not be submitted to other publishers while under consideration for this Award. Lee & Low Books is not responsible for late, lost, or incorrectly addressed or delivered submissions. Mss will be accepted through *October 31 * & must be postmarked by that date. The Award & Honor Award winners will be selected no later than December 31, 2008. All entrants who include a SASE will be notified in writing of our decision by January 31, 2007. The judges are the editors of Lee & Low Books. The decision of the judges will be final. At least one Honor Award will be given each year, but Lee & Low Books reserves the right not to choose an Award winner. Please visit www.leeandlow.com to view past award winners.
*The University of Arkansas Press *invites submissions of manuscripts for its poetry series. We are committed to publishing diverse kinds of poetry by a diversity of poets. The only criterion is excellence. The series is open to all book-length manuscripts of 60 to 90 pages, except translations. Individual poems may have been published in journals & anthologies. No more than one manuscript per author, please. Manuscripts will be accepted during the months of September & October. The postmark deadline for entries is *October 31*. (Please do not send revisions once you have sent a manuscript.) Four books will be chosen for publication the following year. Manuscripts should be typed & single-spaced, with no more than one poem per page. Please include an acknowledgments page detailing the publication history of the manuscript’s poems. There is a reading fee of $25 payable by check or money order to the University of Arkansas Press. (Please do not send cash.) We accept simultaneously submitted manuscripts provided we are notified promptly of acceptance elsewhere. Please attach two copies of an author information page at the front of the manuscript. Include the following data: title of manuscript; author’s name, address, telephone number & email address; & a paragraph-long biographical statement including any prior book publication. If you wish to be notified that your manuscript was received, please include SAS postcard. We will announce our decisions by July 1. Check our website in January for the Spring winners & in July for the Fall winners. If you wish to be notified, please include a #10 SASE. Manuscripts will be recycled rather than returned. Send your manuscript, reading fee, & other information to: *Poetry Series, University of Arkansas Press, 105 N. McIlroy Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 7270*. One finalist & three semi-finalists will be awarded in 2010.