To submit the names of contests and awards for the month that I may have missed, please email me at fictionwriting.guide@about.com. To move on to March contests, click here.
- Chicago Tribune Nelson Algren Awards -- February 1
The Nelson Algren awards are for short fiction. Submissions must be written by an American and must be unpublished. One $5,000 prize and three runner-up prizes of $1,500 are awarded. The award is given in memory of Chicago author Nelson Algren. Stories must be typed and double-spaced, between 2,500 and 10,000 words. Chicago Tribune Nelson Algren Awards, 435 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. No entry fee. (The Tribune website has not been updated as of this writing, but the deadline above is the correct one for 2008. Thanks to Ted R. for passing it along.) - Devil’s Kitchen Reading Awards in Poetry and Prose -- February 1
Awards of $1,000 to one book of poetry and one book of prose published in the previous year. Winning authors will present a public reading and participate in panels at the Devil’s Kitchen Fall Literary Festival. Entries may be submitted by either author or publisher. Send all materials to: Devil’s Kitchen Reading Awards/GRASSROOTS, Dept. of English, Mail Code 4503, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1000 Faner Drive, Carbondale, IL 62901. $15.00 entry fee. - Kudzu Fiction Contest -- February 1
AWAITING 2008 INFO. Prizes of $100 for the best short story of 3,000 words or less on any topic. Submit entries to: Kudzu Hazard Community & Technical College, Knott County Branch, One Community College Drive, Hazard, Kentucky 41701, Attn: Donna Sparkman, 1-800-246-7521 ext. 73411, HZ-HCTC-KUDZU@kctcs.edu. $5 entry fee. - United States/Japan Creative Artists Program -- February 1
Each year leading contemporary and traditional artists from the United States spend five months in Japan as part of the United States/Japan Creative Artists Program. Each artist will receive a monthly stipend of 400,000 yen for living expenses, 100,000 yen a month as a housing supplement, and up to 100,000 yen a month for professional support services, and up to $6,000 for round-trip transportation for the artist, domestic partner and / or unmarried children, and a baggage/storage allowance, and pre-departure Japanese language study in the United States. Apply to Japan-US Friendship Commission, 1201 15th Street, NW, Suite 330, Washington, DC 20005. - Western Michigan University
Prague Summer Program Fellowships and Scholarships -- February 1
Three fellowships to attend the Prague Summer Program will be awarded annually to writers who have published no more than one book to attend the four-week creative writing conference held each July in partnership with Charles University. Scholarships of $1,000 also awarded. A published writer must nominate the applicant. Apply online. $20 entry fee. - Fishtrap Summer Fellowships -- February 4
Each year, Fishtrap, Inc., awards up to five Fellowships for Summer Fishtrap. Awards are made on the basis of writing submission only, and are not limited to or made because of the genre. Submit 2,500 words of fiction to Fishtrap, Inc., 400 East Grant Street, PO Box 38, Enterprise, OR 97828, (541) 426-3623. - Library of Virginia Literary Awards -- February 8
The Library of Virginia and the Library of Virginia Foundation sponsor the annual Library of Virginia literary awards to honor outstanding Virginia authors and books about Virginia in the areas of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Any individual, organization, or company may nominate books to be considered. Each year's awards honor books written in the previous calendar year. Entry forms can be completed online or sent to The Library of Virginia Literary Awards, 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000. No entry fee. - Marin Arts Council Career Grants -- February 15
Career grants are designed to enable Marin artists to pursue opportunities which further their careers. Maximum amount $1,500. Applications available online. - Sarabande Books Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction -- February 15
The Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction includes a $2,000 cash award, publication of a collection of short stories, novellas, or a short novel, and a standard royalty contract. Send entries to: The Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction, Sarabande Books, Inc., PO Box 4456, Louisville KY 40204, $25.00 entry fee.
