Fiction Prize
For the 2023 contest, the Autumn House staff as well as select outsider readers serve as the preliminary readers, and the final judge is Pam Houston. The winner receives publication of a full-length manuscript and $2,500. The submission period opens January 1, 2023, and closes May 31, 2023 (Eastern Time). We will announce the finalists and the winner of the contest by October 15, 2023.
Guidelines for the Autumn House Fiction Prize
- 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 150-300 double-spaced pages (37,500- 75,000 words)
- The reading fee is $30 (We will waive the submission fee for those undergoing financial hardship or living with limited means. Before you reach out to request a waived fee, please read our full statement and instructions here. If the guidelines are not followed, we will not be able to offer a waived fee.) We’ve reached our cap for fee waivers for the 2023 Fiction Prize. We appreciate your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience.
- All fiction sub-genres (short stories, short-shorts, novellas, or novels) or any combination of sub-genres are eligible
- The book should be previously unpublished
- Do not include your name anywhere on the actual manuscript
- You may include a brief bio in the “cover letter” section of Submittable
- Do not include a bio or an acknowledgments page in the manuscript
- Feel free to include a table of contents (This does not count a part of your final page count)
- Simultaneous submissions permitted
- Friends, family members, and former students of judges or Autumn House editors may not submit to the contest. Students do not include interactions at short-term residencies or fellowships.
- Former employees of Autumn House, including interns, may not submit to the contest.
If you have any questions, please check our FAQ page.
Winners of the Autumn House Fiction Prize
| Year | Author | Title | Judge |
| 2022 | Salvatore Pane | The Neorealist in Winter: Stories | Venita Blackburn |
| 2021 | Wendy Wimmer | Entry Level | Deesha Philyaw |
| 2020 | Kevin Honold | Molly | Dan Chaon |
| 2019 | Michael X. Wang | Further News of Defeat: Stories | Aimee Bender |
| 2018 | Hadley Moore | Not Dead Yet and Other Stories | Dana Johnson |
| 2017 | Glori Simmons | Carry You | Amina Gautier |
| 2016 | Andrew Bourelle | Heavy Metal | William Lychack |
| 2015 | Kathy Anderson | Bull and Other Stories | Sharon Dilworth |
| 2014 | Mark Brazaitis | Truth Poker | Sharon Dilworth |
| 2013 | Tom Noyes | Come by Here | Kathleen George |
| 2012 | Sarah Gerkensmeyer | What You Are Now Enjoying | Stewart O’Nan |
| 2011 | Sharma Shields | Favorite Monster | Stewart O’Nan |
| 2010 | Ashley Cowger | Peter Never Came | Sharon Dilworth |
| 2009 | Matthew Pitt | Attention Please Now | Sharon Dilworth |
| 2008 | Samuel Ligon | Drift and Swerve | Sharon Dilworth |
We strive to run our contests ethically and subscribe to CLMP’s guidelines. We encourage you to reach out if you are uncertain about a potential conflict of interest.
