Fiction Contest

Guidelines for the 2021 Autumn House Fiction Contest

For the 2021 contest, the Autumn House staff serves as the preliminary readers, and the final judge is Deesha Philyaw. The winner receives publication of a full-length manuscript and $2,500. The submission period opens January 15, 2021, and closes June 15, 2021 (Eastern Time).

• The winner will receive book publication, a $1,000 honorarium, and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant to promote their book
• All finalists will be considered for publication
• Fiction submissions should be approximately 200-300 double-spaced pages (50,000- 75,000 words)
• The reading fee for the Fiction Contest is $30
• All fiction sub-genres (short stories, short-shorts, novellas, or novels) or any combination of sub-genres are eligible
• Submission should be previously unpublished
• Please don’t include your name anywhere on the actual manuscript
• Include a brief bio in the “cover letter” section of Submittable
• Feel free to include a table of contents
• Simultaneous submissions permitted

If you have any questions, please check our FAQ page.

Winners of the Autumn House Fiction Prize