CONTESTS
Submissions open from
March 1st - Sept 30th
If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at info@dzancbooks.org.
Dzanc Books is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All contest fees will go toward funding the prize as well as supporting Dzanc’s commitment to producing quality literary works, providing creative writing instruction in public schools through the Dzanc Writers-in-Residence program, and offering low-cost workshops for aspiring authors. Active and former Dzanc authors and employees are not eligible for the prize.
Prize for Fiction
The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction recognizes daring, original, and innovative novels. A $5,000 advance and publication by Dzanc Books will be awarded to the winner. This year’s judges are Alyssa Quinn (Habilis), Alan Michael Parker (Bingo Bango Boingo), and Ruyan Meng (One Is Three).
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Qualified submissions will include:
New, upcoming, and established writers alike. Agented submissions are also eligible
Previously unpublished novel-length manuscripts (generally over 40,000 words, but there is no hard minimum)
Not qualified submissions:
Children's books, and YA are not qualified. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the type of work we publish by browsing through our recently released titles.
Previously released and/or self-published titles
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Please submit the following materials to the Prize for Fiction submittable form:
The full manuscript as a PDF, Word, .doc or .docx
A brief synopsis
Author bio
Author contact information
All agency contact information (if applicable)
$25 entry fee
Submissions open from March 1st - midnight Sept 30.
Simultaneous submissions are permitted. We will not accept physical submissions. -
Submissions are open from March 1st - midnight Sept 30th. Finalists will be compiled in-house and passed along for evaluation to this year’s judges. The winning submission and a short list of finalists will be announced on the Dzanc web page in November.
Short Story Collection Prize
The Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Prize celebrates imaginative and inventive writing in book-length collections. Past winners include Nino Cipri, (Homesick), Anne Valente (By Light We Knew Our Names), Chaya Bhuvaneswar (White Dancing Elephants), Jen Grow (My Life as a Mermaid), Julie Stewart (Water and Blood), and Ethel Rohan (In the Event of Contact). The winning submission will be awarded a $5,000 advance and publication by Dzanc Books.
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Qualified submissions will include:
New, upcoming, and established writers alike. Agented submissions are also eligible.
Previously unpublished collections, generally over 40,000 words, but there is no hard minimum.
Not qualified submissions:
Children's books and YA are not qualified. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the type of work we publish by browsing through our recently released titles.
Previously released and/or self-published titles (individual stories are allowed to have been previously published)
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Please submit the following materials to the Short Story Collection Competition submittable form:
The full manuscript of the collection as a PDF, Word, .doc or .docx
A brief synopsis
Author bio
Author contact information
All agency contact information (if applicable)
$25 entry fee
Submissions open from March 1st - midnight Sept 30.
Simultaneous submissions are permitted. We will not accept physical submissions. -
Submissions are open from March 1st - midnight Sept 30th. The winning submission and a short list of finalists will be announced on the Dzanc web page in November.
nonfiction prize - not open in 2026
The Dzanc Nonfiction Prize, offered biannually, celebrates innovative and inspiring book-length work of nonfiction, including but not limited to memoir, essays, polemical writing, historical writing, and biography. Past winners include Annalisa Bolin (Ghost Maps), Madison Davis (The Loved Ones), and Jennifer Militello (Knock Wood). The winning submission will be awarded a $1,500 advance and publication by Dzanc Books.
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Qualified submissions will include:
New, upcoming, and established writers alike. Agented submissions are also eligible.
Previously unpublished manuscripts, generally over 40,000 words, but there is no hard minimum.
Not qualified submissions:
Children's books and YA are not qualified. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the type of work we publish by browsing through our recently released titles.
Previously released and/or self-published titles (individual stories are allowed to have been previously published)
-
Please submit the following materials to the Nonfiction Prize submittable form:
The full manuscript of the collection as a PDF, Word, .doc or .docx
A brief synopsis
Author bio
Author contact information
All agency contact information (if applicable)
$25 entry fee
Submissions open from March 1st - midnight Sept 30.
Simultaneous submissions are permitted. We will not accept physical submissions. -
Submissions are open from March 1st - midnight Sept 30th. The winning submission and a short list of finalists will be announced on the Dzanc web page in November. Not running in 2026.
poetry prize
The Dzanc Books Poetry Prize recognizes daring, original, and innovative poetry collections (generally over 60 pages, but there is no hard minimum). A $1,500 advance and publication by Dzanc Books will be awarded to the winner. Open through October 31.
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Qualified submissions will include:
New, upcoming, and established writers alike. Agented submissions are also eligible
Previously unpublished collections of poetry. (Full-length collections, not single poems.)
Not qualified submissions:
Children's books and YA are not qualified. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the type of work we publish by browsing through our recently released titles.
Previously released and/or self-published titles
-
Please submit the following materials to the Poetry Prize submittable form:
The full manuscript as a PDF, Word, .doc or .docx
A brief synopsis
Author bio
Author contact information
All agency contact information (if applicable)
$25 entry fee
Submissions open from June 1st - midnight October 31st.
Simultaneous submissions are permitted. We will not accept physical submissions. -
Submissions are open from June 1st - midnight October 31st. Finalists will be compiled in-house. The winning submission and a short list of finalists will be announced on the Dzanc web page in November.