Calls for Submissions February 2026

Fiction Contests

James Alan McPherson Prize for the Novel
Eligibility: All authors writing in English regardless of nationality or residence
Prize: $2,500 + publication by the University of Nebraska Press
Entry Fee: $30 (nonmembers); $20 (members)
Deadline: February 28, 2026

Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction
Eligibility: All authors writing in English regardless of nationality or residence
Prize: $5,500 + publication by Mad Creek Books, an imprint of the Ohio State University Press
Entry Fee: $30 (nonmembers); $20 (members)
Deadline: February 28, 2026

Nonfiction Contests

Sue Silverman Prize for Creative Nonfiction
Eligibility: All authors writing in English regardless of nationality or residence
Prize: $2,500 + publication by the University of Georgia Press.
Entry Fee: $30 (nonmembers); $20 (members)
Deadline: February 28, 2026

Poetry Contests

Omnidawn First/Second Book Poetry Contest
Eligibility: Writers who have never published a full-length book of poetry or have only published one full-length book of poetry
Prize: $3,000, publication, and 20 copies
Entry Fee: $30
Deadline: February 16, 2026

Donald Hall Prize for Poetry
Eligibility: All authors writing in English regardless of nationality or residence
Prize: $5,500 + publication by University of Pittsburgh Press
Entry Fee: $30 (nonmembers); $20 (members)
Deadline: February 28, 2026

Translation Contests

Harold Morton Landon Translation Award
Eligibility: Translators with a poetry collection translated from any language into English and published in 2025
Prize: $1,000
Deadline: February 15, 2026

Multi-Genre Contests

Writers’ Union of Canada Short Prose Competition for Emerging Writers
Eligibility: Canadian citizens & permanent residents with no more than 1 book published
Prize: $2,500
Entry fee: $29
Deadline: February 16, 2026

Writing Fellowships & Residencies

MacDowell Colony
Eligibility: All writers
Prize: Up to six-week residency
Entry fee: $30
Deadline: February 10, 2026