For general information about getting your work out there, see articles on how to publish your short stories -- and how to know if you're even ready to publish.
To submit the names of contests and awards for the month that I may have missed, please email me at fictionwriting.guide@about.com.
- American Library Association
W.Y. Boyd Literary Award -- December 1
An annual award of $5,000 and a 24k gold-framed citation of achievement honoring the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. Novel must have been published during the year prior to the award, and incidents of war must constitute the main plot of the story or provide the setting. Publishers or authors send seven copies of the application and the book to: ALA Awards Program Governance Office, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. No fee. - American Short Fiction Short Story Contest -- December 1
First prize is $1,000+ publication; 2nd place winner receives $500. Send stories of 6,000 words or less to: Short Story Contest, American Short Fiction, P.O. Box 301209, Austin, TX 78703. $20 fee. - Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards -- December 31
Two prizes of $10,000 each are awarded annually to honor books that have made "important contributions to our understanding of racism or our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures." Books written in English published in the previous year are eligible. Submit five copies with an entry form to: Laura S. Scharf, c/o Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, 700 West St. Clair Avenue #414, Cleveland, OH 44113. No entry fee. - Before Columbus Foundation
American Book Awards -- December 31
The Before Columbus Foundation views American culture as inclusive and has always considered the term "multicultural" to be not a description of various categories, groups, or "special interests," but rather as the definition of all of American literature. Each year it honors books published in the U.S. during the preceding year that make outstanding contributions to American literature. Submit two copies of your book to: Before Columbus Foundation, American Book Awards, The Raymond House, 655 13th Street, Suite 302, Oakland, CA 94612. (510) 268-9775. Judged by a panel of writers, editors, and publishers. No entry fee. - Birmingham-Southern College Hackney Short Story Award -- December 31
A prize of $5,000 for the best short story of 5,000 words or less. Mail entries to: Hackney Literary Awards, Birmingham-Southern College, Box 549003, Birmingham, AL 35254. Entry fee: $10. - Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Awards -- December 31
A prize of $500 to a work of fiction to recognize depictions of sensitive and authentic personal experience either within the framework of contemporary literary standards and themes or which explore innovative literary formats. Publishers may nominate books to John S. Page, Chair, BCALA Literary Award Committee, Washingtion, DC 20008. See website for complete rules. No entry fee. - Boulevard
Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers -- December 15
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard for a short story by a writer who has not published a book with a nationally distributed press. Boulevard Emerging Writers Contest, PMB 325, 6614 Clayton Road, Richmond Heights, MO 63117. (314) 862-2643. $15.00 reading fee includes subscription. - Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education David Dornstein Memorial Creative Writing Contest for Young Adult Writers -- December 31
Up to three prizes of $1,000 each is given annually for a short story on a Jewish theme or topic by a writer aged 18 to 35. Submit an original story of no more than 5,000 words to Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education, David Dornstein Memorial Creative Writing Contest, 261 West 35th Street, Floor 12A, New York, NY 10001. (212) 268-4210, cajeny@caje.org. No entry fee. - Crazyhorse Fiction Prize -- December 15
Crazyhorse literary magazine offers a yearly prize award of $2,000 and publication for a story of up to twenty-five pages. Submit online or send entries to: Crazyhorse, Poetry and Fiction Prizes, Department of English, College of Charleston, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424. $15.00 entry fee includes subscription. - Curbstone Press Miguel Mármol Prize -- December 31
A $1,000 advance and publication by Curbstone Press for a first work of fiction in English by a Latina/o writer that reflects a respect for intercultural understanding and fosters an appreciation for human rights and civil liberties. Send a typed, double-spaced manuscript to Mármol Prize, Curbstone Press, 321 Jackson Street, Willimantic, CT 06226. $15.00 entry fee includes copy of winning book.
