Short story collections/novellas are considered the red-headed stepchildren of publishing. They are hard to sell, few agents want to represent them, and publishing either can be a difficult and burdensome task. So what if, while in your MFA program, you decide to write one? Where do you go if you want to get it published? One option is contests. A large number of short story collections in particular are published each year through contests sponsored by university or small presses.
I’ve tried to create a comprehensive list of contests for both story collections and novellas. In addition to that, I’ve made a list of small presses that have open submission periods.
Short Story Collection Contests
Autumn House Fiction Contest, published through Autumn House Press
Winners of the Autumn House Fiction Contest receive publication, $1,000 advance against royalties, and a $1,000 travel grant to attend their Master Author Series in Pittsburgh. Manuscript submissions should be between 200-300 pages of short stories, novellas, or a novel and include a $30 entry fee. The deadline for next year’s contest, judged by Stewart O’Nan, is June 30th.
Bread Loaf Bakeless Prize, published through Graywolf Press
The Bakeless Prize is open to any writer who hasn’t yet published a book in their entry’s genre. The award carries a cash award of $1,000 and publication. Manuscript submissions should be between 150-450 pages and should include a $10 fee. The deadline for this year’s contest is November 1st.
A recent winner to check out is Belle Boggs for her collection Mattaponi Queen.
Dru Heinz Literature Prize, published through University of Pittsburg Press
The Dru Heinz Prize is open to any writer who has published a novel, a book-length collection of fiction, or at least three short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals of national distribution. Unfortunately online publication doesn’t count. The award is publication and $15,000, which is the most out of all the contests. Manuscripts should be between 150-300 pages. Like the Iowa Short Fiction Award, there is no entry fee for the Dru Heinz Prize. Manuscripts must be sent durin the months of May and June of each year.
The Dzanc Prize for Excellence in Literary Fiction and Community Service, published through Dzanc Books
The Dzanc Prize is an award that carries a $5,000 award and possible publication. Writers must have a work-in-progress and be able to present a Community Service Program that they can facilitate somewhere in the United States. There is no fee to enter this contest either. Last year’s deadline to enter the contest was March 1st.
Emerson MFA Alum won the inaugural year with her collection What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us, so her book is definitely worth reading if you haven’t already.
Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Competition
Dzanc offers another story collection contest. This one carries a $1,000 cash advance and publication. There is a $20 entry fee and the deadline this year is December 31st.
Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, published through University of Georgia Press
Emerson professor Jessica Treadway won this prize last year for her collection of stories Please Come Back to Me. This prize has helped to launch the careers of a lot of well-known authors by publishing their debut books—Lori Ostlund’s The Bigness of the World, Andrew Porter’s The Theory of Light and Matter, and Antonya Nelson’s The Expendables. The Flannery O’Connor Award carries a cash award of $1,000 and publication. To submit, eligible manuscripts must be between 40,000-75,000 words and should include a $25 fee. Manuscripts should be submitted between April 1st and May 31st.
Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction, published through the University of Massachusetts Press
The Grace Paley Prize is part of the AWP Award Series that offers a prize for short fiction as well as poetry, creative nonfiction, and a novel. The Grace Paley Prize carries an award of $5,000 and a publishing contract. To be eligible manuscripts should be between 150-300 pages and include a $30 entry fee. For AWP members, the entry fee is $15. Manuscripts for next year’s contest should be postmarked between January 1sta nd February 29th.
Recent winners to check out are Christine Sneed’s Portraits of a Few People I’ve Made Cry and David Vann’s Legend of a Suicide.
The Hudson Prize and The St. Lawrence Book Award, published through Black Lawrence Press
Black Lawrence Press is an imprint of Dzanc. In addition to The Hudson Prize and the St. Lawrence Book Award, they also have a chapbook contest held twice a year (once in the spring and once in the fall). Both The Hudson Prize and The St. Lawrence Book Award carry a cash award for $1,000, publication, and ten author copies of the book. The St. Lawrence Book Award is open to any writer who hasn’t yet published a full-length collection of short fiction whereas The Hudson Prize is open to any writer, whether they’ve previously published a book or not.
The Iowa Short Fiction Award, published through the University of Iowa Press
The Iowa Short Fiction Award is open to any writer who has yet to publish a book of fiction. The award is $1,000 and a contract for publication. Unlike some of the others, there’s no entry fee. All that’s needed to enter is a manuscript of at least 150 double-spaced pages. The contest is open for submissions from August 1 through September 30th of each year.
If you’re looking to check out writers who’ve won previously, some great recent story collections to check out are All That Work and Still No Boys by Kathryn Ma or How to Leave Hialeah by Jennine Capo Crucet.
Juniper Prize, published through the University of Massachusetts Press
The Juniper Prize is open to any writer, whether they’ve previously published a book or not, and the competition is open to not just story collections but novels and novellas. Winners receive $1,500 and a contract for publication. Manuscripts should be between 150 and 350 pages and accompanied with a $25 entry fee. The contest is open for submissions from August 1 through September 30th of each year.
Last year’s winner went to debut author Andrew Malan Milward for his collection The Agriculture Hall of Fame.
Story collections worth checking out include Then We Saw Flames by Daniel A. Hoyt and Bring Everybody by Dwight Yates.
Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction published through University of North Texas Press
One of the things I like about this contest is that entries can be a combination of short-shorts, short stories and novellas. The inclusion of short-shorts is something I haven’t seen with any of the other presses. Also, the word count is one of the lowest I’ve seen, being between 27,500 and 50,000 words. The award carries a prize of $1,000 and publication. The submissions period for this contest is usually between May 1st and June 30th of each year.
Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction, published by Sarabande Books
The Mary McCarthy Prize includes a prize of $2,000 and publication of a collection of short stories, novellas, or a novel. Manuscripts must be between 150-250 pages and include a $27 entry fee. Manuscripts for next year’s contest should be sent between January 1st and February 15th.
New American Press
New American Press offers a contest for a full-length work of fiction (short stories, stories and a novella, or a novel) each year. Winners of the contest receive publication, a cash prize of $1,000, %15 of royalties, and 25 author copies. Previous judges have included Lee K. Abbott and Benjamin Percy.
NOS Book Contest, published through Les Figues Press
What’s interesting about the NOS Book Contest is that eligible submissions can include not just short stories but poetry, novellas, prose poems, innovative novels, anti-novels, lyric essays, and other hybrids. The award included a prize of $1,000 and publication. Submissions should be between 64-250 pages and include a $25 fee. The deadline for the first annual contest has passed, but assuming they have another contest the deadline would be around the beginning of September.
Ohio State University Prize in Short Fiction, published through Ohio State University Press
Submissios to the Ohio State University can be a combination of short stories or novellas and must be between 150 to 300 pages. Winners of the prize receive publication and a cash prize of $1,500 as an advance against future royalties. Manuscripts must be sent during the month of January and include a $20 entry fee.
Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Fiction, published through the University of Nebraska Press
The Prairie Schooner Book Prize carries an award of $3,000 and a publishing contract. This contest is similar to the Juniper Prize in that both contests are open to any writer whether they’ve previously published a book or not, so the competition pool is greater. Manuscripts have to be at least 150 pages long and should include a $25 entry fee. For next year’s contest, manuscripts should be mailed between January 15th and March 15th.
In the past, this contest has usually been given to well-established authors including Brock Clarke for Carrying the Torch and Greg Hrbek for Destroy All Monsters.
To look at the past winners and to see more about their guidelines, go here:
Spokane Prize in Short Fiction, published through Willow Springs Books
The Spokane Prize in Short Fiction offers publication and a cash prize of $2,000. Manuscripts should be at least 98 pages of at least three short stories and include a $25 entry fee.
Small Presses With Open Submission Periods
The following is a list of small presses that have open submission periods for story collections/novellas. Some have open submissions periods during certain times of the year so it’s important to check with the website for information. It’s also important to read the mission statement of each of the presses and to look at/read the books the presses have previously published. You wouldn’t send the same manuscript to Featherproof Books that you would to Kore Press, for example.
Black Lawrence Press
Engine Books
Featherproof Books
Kore Press
Milkweed Editions
Mud Luscious Press
Patasola Press
Press 53
Red Hen Press
Rose Metal Press
Texas Review Press
Presses With Contests for Novellas/Chapbooks
The following is a list of small presses that have contests for novellas or chapbooks. A chapbook is a small book or pamphlet that has made a resurgence in recent years. It’s more often associated with poetry, but there are a few presses that are doing chapbooks for fiction. I’ve included some presses from the list above here as well because in addition to having an open submissions period they also hold at least one contest every year.
Bateau Press
Winners of the Keele Short Short Chapbook Contest will receive publication, a cash prize of $250, and author copies of their chapbook. Manuscripts must be 20-30 pages of short short fiction (stories under 500 words) and include a $15 entry fee. The deadline for next year’s contest is May 31st.
Burnside Review
Winners of the Burnside Review chapbook contest will receive publication, 25 author copies, and a cash prize of $200. Submissions can be up to 10,000 words of fiction and should sent between September 15th through December 1st. This year’s contest will be judged by Blake Butler.
Florida Review
The Florida Review has created The Jeanne Leiby Memorial Chapbook Award for fiction and graphic narrative. The winner of the contest will receive a letterpress, hand-bound chapbook publication through Hoopsnake Press, a $500 cash award, and an invitation to read. Manuscript entries can be 1-2 stories, a flash fiction collection, or a graphic narrative of up to 35 pages and should include a $25 entry fee. The deadline for this year’s contest is December 1, 2011.
Gold Line Press
The winner of the Gold Line Press Chapbook Competition receive $500, publication, and contributor copies. Submissions should include a $15 entry fee and a manuscript between 7,500 and 15,000 words.
Miami University Press
The Miami University Press has a contest specifically for novellas. The winner receives book publication and a $750 advance against royalties. Entries should include a $25 fee and should be between 18,000 and 40,000 words.
Patosola Press
The winner of the Patosola Press Chapbook Contest receive 10 copies of the chapbook, an interview on Patasola Press, and discounted copies. They also will receive 50% royalties per copy sold to the author. Submissions should be between 10-45 pages.
Rose Metal Press
Rose Metal Press was started by Kathleen Rooney and Abigail Beckel, two Emerson alums. The press specializes in publishing work of hybrid genres including short shorts, flash, and microfiction; novels-in-verse or book-length linked narrative poems, and other work that goes beyond traditional genres. They have an annual short short chapbook contest that includes publication of the winner’s manuscript. Entries should be between 25-40 pages and the short short stories should each be under 1,000 words.
Subito Press
Subito Press doesn’t specifically say that they are looking for chapbook-length fiction, but in their contest guidelines manuscripts can be up to 100 pages which can typically considered to be chapbook length and so I’ve included it in this list.
Publishers That Publish Collections/Novellas/Chapbooks But Aren’t Currently Open to Submissions
Artistically Declined Press
Dark Sky Books
Future Tense Books
Tarpaulin Sky Press
Tiny Hardcore Press
Additional Information
There are a lot more small presses out there. These are just the ones that either I’ve come across over the past couple years or published books I’ve read and liked. If you want to see a more comprehensive list, you can do a search through Duotrope, or you can go to the publishers listing at Poets & Writers. Newpages also periodically lists upcoming contests through small presses sorted by month.
*One of my favorite short story writers Jacob Appel wrote an article about submitting to contests called “The Case for Contests” in the January/February 2009 issue of Poets & Writers. I’ve found the article to be pretty helpful and it’s worth a read. An excerpt can be read here.