>

Exploring the art of prose

Menu

CRAFT Short Fiction Prize

 

2021 CRAFT Short Fiction Prize

Guest Judge: Kirstin Valdez Quade

Open: March 1 to May 2, 2021


submit

2021 GUIDELINES:

  • Open March 1, 2021 to May 2, 2021
  • CRAFT Short Fiction Prize submissions are open to all fiction writers
  • International submissions are welcome
  • Short fiction only
  • Please submit work in English only
  • 5,000 word count maximum
  • We review literary fiction, but are open to a variety of genres and styles—our only requirement is that you show excellence in your craft
  • Previously unpublished work only—we do NOT review reprints for contests (previously published includes blogs, personal websites, social media, etc.)
  • We allow simultaneous submissions—writers, please notify us and withdraw your piece if your work is picked up elsewhere
  • We allow multiple submissions—please submit each piece as a separate submission accompanied by an entry fee
  • $20 entry fee per submission
  • All entries will also be considered for publication in CRAFT
  • All submissions must be made via Submittable
  • Please, please, double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 pt font
  • Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable)
  • We do not require anonymous submissions
  • We do not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, disability, family status, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation, or for any other reason
  • Additionally, we do not tolerate discrimination in the writing we consider for publication: work we find discriminatory on any of the bases stated here will be declined without complete review (you will be refunded, less fees)

Friends, family, and associates of the judge are not eligible for consideration for the award.

 

AWARDS:

  • Winner: $2,000 award and a subscription to Journal of the Month
  • Runners-up: $500 award and $300 award respectively for the second and third place finalists
  • Publication of the top three stories in CRAFT, each with an introduction by the guest judge
  • Publication of an author’s note (craft essay) to accompany the story by each of the writers of the top three entries
  • All entrants will receive an exclusive digital compilation next fall/winter that includes: the winning pieces with the guest judge’s introductions and the winners’ craft essays; excerpts from the finalist pieces; excerpts from craft essays; and more

 

photo: Maggie Shipstead

Kirstin Valdez Quade is the author of the story collection Night at the Fiestas, which won the John Leonard Prize from the National Book Critics Circle, the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a “5 Under 35” award from the National Book Foundation. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Best American Short Stories, The O. Henry Prize Stories, and elsewhere. She is an assistant professor at Princeton. Her novel The Five Wounds is forthcoming April 2021.