The Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Prize celebrates imaginative and inventive writing in book-length collections (generally over 40,000 words, but there is no hard minimum). Past winners include Suzi Ehtesham-Zadeh (Zan), 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 $2,500 advance and publication by Dzanc Books.

The contest is open to new, upcoming, and established writers alike.  Agented submissions are also eligible, and we ask that you include all agency contact information with the application. All submitted works must be  previously unpublished collections and should include a brief synopsis, author bio, and contact information. (Individual stories are allowed to have been previously published.)

 We will accept submissions from February 1 through midnight on September 30. There is a $25 submission fee. (Note: we will not accept physical entries.) Simultaneous submissions are accepted. The winning submission and a short list of finalists will be announced on the Dzanc web page in December.  

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.