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Meg Waite Clayton

Author of the international bestsellers The Postmistress of Paris, The Last Train to London, and 6 other novels

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September 29, 2016 By Meg Waite Clayton

#1ThTH – Reputable Fiction and Novel Contests

This week’s 1 Thing Thursday: Consider entering a contest!
bellwether-prize-logo-300x300I finally got traction for my first novel, The Language of Light, when, after it had been turned down by all the major publishers and then stewed in a drawer for an unreasonable number of years, I pulled it out and revised it and submitted it to what is now the PEN/Bellwether Prize. Well, it didn’t win, but it was a finalist, and on the strength of that it was sold to the next editor my agent sent it to. So obviously, I’m a fan.
But here’s the thing: the prize for winning the Bellwether was and is still PUBLICATION by a reputable press. Honestly, a lot of contests will charge you a fee and offer you very little even when you when, which is often a long shot. So I only recommend them if the prize is worthwhile.
I’ve put together a list of contests for unpublished book length fiction (including short story collections) which I believe to be worth the entry fee (if any). Many have as a prize publication of the winner. They appear in reverse alphabetical order (because my formative years were as a W). You’ll have to check for entry deadlines.

  • University of Massachusettes Juniper Prizes
  • Prairie Schooner Book Prize
  • New York Public Library Cullman Fellowships
  • The Nelson Algren Awards
  • Michigan Literary Fiction Award
  • James Jones Fellowship
  • Iowa Short Fiction Award
  • Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction
  • Bellwether Prize
  • AWP Awards

There are of course others out there. These are the ones I know to be reputable. Good luck with your entries! – Meg

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Filed Under: Meg's Posts, Publishing Tips, Writing Tips Tagged With: award, bellwether prize, nelson Algren, PEN, prize

Meg Waite Clayton


Meg Waite Clayton is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of eight novels, including the Good Morning America Buzz pick and New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice THE POSTMISTRESS OF PARIS, the National Jewish Book Award finalist THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON, the Langum-Prize honored THE RACE FOR PARIS, and THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS, one of Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Essential Best Friend Novels of all time. Her novels have been published in 23 languages. She has also written more than 100 pieces for major newspapers, magazines, and public radio, mentors in the OpEd Project, and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the California bar. megwaiteclayton.com

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