The Wolfson Prose Prize is an annual award for a manuscript of fiction or creative nonfiction by an American writer. The prize payment is $500 plus 50 copies. The competition is open for submissions from September 23 through December 31, 2014. Eligible manuscripts include short novels, novellas, story collections, non-academic essay collections, memoirs, and various kinds of creative nonfiction of 20,000-60,000 words. Quality is the essential factor. An 80-page novella is just as likely to win as a 240-page novel or memoir. We are keenly interested in all creative prose genres and all lengths within the stated page limits. A $25.00 submission fee is required. The winning manuscript will be published by Wolfson Press as part of its American Storytellers Series.
Although the contest judge selects only one annual winner, we may offer to publish up to two additional manuscripts among the remaining finalists. The contest judge is Kelcey Ervick, author of The Keeper. Her earlier award-winning books are The Bitter Life of Božena Němcová (a biographical collage); Liliane's Balcony (a novella set at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater); and the story collection For Sale by Owner. She co-edited, with Tom Hart, the Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Graphic Literature.
2024 Schedule
The competition opens September 23, 2024.
The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2024.
Results will be announced by summer 2025.
Manuscript Submission Guidelines
· Submissions are limited to American authors writing in English. The prize-winning book will become a volume in our American Storytellers series.
· Length: 20,000-60,000 words.
· All manuscripts must be submitted online through Submittable.
· There is a required $25 contest submission fee.
· Prior publication of individual stories or essays is acceptable as long as a majority of the collection has not been published together in book form. The same is the case for novellas and book-length essays: prior publication of parts or excerpts is permitted. Short essays and stories must not have appeared in a single-author book. A story or essay that has been included in an anthology of work by multiple authors is acceptable. (Feel free to inquire if you are uncertain: wolfson@iu.edu)
· You may submit more than one manuscript, but each manuscript must be submitted separately, accompanied by a separate contest fee.
· The manuscript must be original in English (no translations).
· Manuscripts should be either fiction or nonfiction (no mixed-genre collections).
Privacy and Anti-Discrimination Statement
- Wolfson Press will use your contact information to stay in touch with you on matters regarding the competition and its publishing activities. Your information will not be sold or passed on to any other individual, business, entity, or agency.
- Wolfson Press does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.
2022 Winner: Katharine Haake
2022 Finalists
