Nonfiction Contest

Guidelines for the 2021 Autumn House Nonfiction Contest

For the 2020 contest, the Autumn House staff serves as the preliminary readers, and the final judge is Steve Almond. 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
• Nonfiction submissions should be approximately 200-300 double-spaced pages (50,000-75,000 words)
• The reading fee for the Nonfiction Contest is $30
• All nonfiction subjects (including personal essays, memoirs, travel writing, historical narratives, nature writing) or any combination of subjects 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• Submission should be previously unpublished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 Nonfiction Prize