2023 Fall Writing Contest
First prize: $10,000
Second prize: $5,000
Third prize: $1,050
Open to the general public. Each submission will receive important literary feedback from our distinguished judges and honorable mentions will be awarded stipends and considered for representation by literary agencies in San Francisco and New York.
Guest Judges
- Finalist for the 2021 Pen/Hemingway Award
- Finalist for the 2022 National Book Award
Submission Deadline: Nov. 23 at midnight (PST) -- CLOSED
Categories
SHORT STORY
Max. 5000 words or fewer
ESSAY
Max. 2000 words or fewer
POEM
Max. 500 words or fewer
Guidelines
We accept all categories and genres. Essays should cover general topics (culture, society, art, politics, education) without delving into technical or specialized subjects.
Entries must be unpublished at the time of submission. There are no formatting restrictions. All submissions are read blindly. Entrants retain all rights to their submissions.
Entry fee for each submission is $15. We welcome multiple submissions ($15 per submission) and entrants from outside the United States.
We will email contest updates and results to anyone who provides an active email address. Winners will be announced and prizes will be awarded in January 2024.
What's Your Best Email?
(where we can send you literary giveaways and scholarship information)