January Short Story Contests and Awards

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 February contests, click here.

• BkMk Press Ciardi/Chandra Prizes -- January 15
  Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication by BkMk Press are given annually for book-length collections. Submit a manuscript of short stories of 150 to 300 pages to BkMk Press, Ciardi/Chandra Prizes, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110-2499. (816) 235-2558. Ben Furnish, Managing Editor. $25.00 entry fee includes copy of winning book.


• Dobie Paisano Fellowships -- January 15
  A six-month residency with a $3,000/month stipend and a four-month residency with a $5,000/month stipend at a retreat west of Austin is given annually to a writer who is a native Texan, who has lived in Texas for at least three years, or who has written about Texas in his or her published work. Submit three copies of a manuscript no more than 50 pages in length to Dobie Paisano Project, The Graduate School, The University of Texas at Austin, #1 University Avenue, Mail Stop G0400, Austin, Texas 78712. $20.00 entry fee.


• Hurston/Wright Foundation Award for College Writers -- January 15
  A prize of $1,000 is given annually to recognize excellence in fiction writing by a student of African descent enrolled full time in a U.S. college or graduate school. Students who have published a book in any genre are not eligible. Submit two copies of an unpublished short story or novel excerpt of no more than 25 pages to The Hurston/Wright Awards, 6525 Belcrest Road, Suite 531, Hyattsville, MD 20782. $10 entry fee.


• Jentel Artist Residency Program Summer/Fall Residency -- January 15
  The Jentel Artist Residency Program offers dedicated individuals a supportive environment in which to further their creative development. Each artist and writer is offered a private accommodation, a work space, and a stipend. Download an application from their site, or write to: Admissions, Jentel Artist Residency Program, 130 Lower Piney Creek Road, Banner, WY 82832. $20.00 application fee.
• The MacDowell Colony, Summer Period -- January 15
  A two-page application form, a work sample, a project description, and one reference are needed to apply. For further information, please contact: The Admissions Coordinator, The MacDowell Colony, 100 High Street, Peterborough, NH 03458, 603-924-3886, admissions@macdowellcolony.org. $20.00 application fee.


• Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts Grants -- January 15
  The Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts annually awards grants of $5,000 each to writers and visual artists who live in the central and western counties of New York State for buying materials, preparing works for exhibit, or taking time to create new work. Grant guidelines and application form are available at the foundation's site.


• South Carolina Arts Commission South Carolina Fiction Project -- January 15
  This annual writing competition, sponsored by The Post and Courier and the South Carolina Arts Commission, calls for previously unpublished short stories of 2,500 words or less. Up to 12 short stories will be selected for publication; each writer whose work is selected will receive $500. Applicants must be 18 years of age and residing in South Carolina. South Carolina Arts Commission, South Carolina Fiction Project, 1800 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC 29201. (803) 734-8694. Sara June Goldstein, Program Director. No entry fee.


• Bronx Council on the Arts BRIO Awards -- January 25
  A minimum of 20 BRIO grants of $3,000 each will be awarded to individual artists residing in the Bronx. Writers must be at least 18 years of age to enter. Winners must complete a one-time public service activity to receive their complete award. Submit five copies of up to 20 pages of fiction or creative nonfiction to Bronx Council on the Arts, BRIO Awards, 1738 Hone Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461. No entry fee.

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