This is one of the most prestigious literary contests offered:
Each year the University of Georgia Press selects the winners of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. Authors of winning manuscripts receive a cash award of $1,000, and their collections are subsequently published by The Press under a standard book contract. The Press may occasionally select more than two winners.
Selection process: in addition to series editor Nancy Zafris, there are three external judges. The manuscripts undergo blind review, meaning that the name of the author is stripped from the manuscript before judging begins. Each judge reads a third of the contest entries and makes a selection of 7-10 finalist manuscripts, which are then forwarded on to Nancy Zafris, who selects the two winning manuscripts from the group of 20-30 finalists.Website: here
ELIGIBILITY
The competition is open to writers in English, whether published or unpublished. Stories that have previously appeared in magazines or in anthologies may be included. Stories previously published in a book-length collection of the author's own work may not be included. Collections that include long stories or novellas are acceptable. Estimated length of a novella is between 50 and 150 pages. Novels or single novellas will not be considered.
SUBMISSION FORMAT
Manuscripts must be typed, double-spaced, fall within the range of 50,000 to 75,000 words, and be numbered consecutively (hand-numbering is acceptable). All manuscripts should be printed in a 12-point type or larger. A standard font such as Times New Roman is recommended. Unusual or sans-serif fonts are hard to read.
This is a blind review process. Please include the author’s name, address, phone number, email address, and the title of the manuscript on the top cover sheet. On a second cover sheet, include only the title of the manuscript. The author’s name should not appear anywhere except on the top cover sheet. Any manuscript including the author’s name elsewhere (for example, at the top of each page) will be returned, and the entrant will be asked to submit a new copy of the manuscript without the name included.
No indication should be given about where a story was published, either at the start of the story or in the table of contents. All manuscripts must be accompanied by a $25 submission fee. Please make checks payable to the University of Georgia Press. Only checks drawn on a U.S. bank or international money orders in U.S. funds are acceptable.
Photocopies are acceptable if they are legible and printed on good quality white paper. Please check photocopies carefully to avoid having to send replacement pages or stories. Do not send manuscripts in binder notebooks or bulky containers. Use two rubber bands and mail in a padded envelope.Retain one copy of the manuscript for your files. Manuscripts submitted to the contest will not be returned.
DATES FOR SUBMISSION
Manuscripts must be submitted between April 1 and May 31. (Postmark should be no later than May 31.) Send manuscripts to:
The Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
The University of Georgia Press
330 Research Drive
Athens GA 30602-4901
MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS
Manuscripts under consideration for this competition may be submitted elsewhere at the same time. Please notify us immediately, however, if your manuscript is accepted by another publisher while it is under review with our press.Authors may submit more than one manuscript to the competition as long as each submission is accompanied by a $25 check, meets all eligibility requirements, and does not duplicate material submitted to us in another manuscript.
WINNING MANUSCRIPTS
Contest results will be made public before the end of November. Entrants who have enclosed an SASE will receive a letter announcing the winning manuscripts.Authors of winning manuscripts will be expected to submit the manuscript on disk.
STATEMENT OF INTEGRITY
The University of Georgia is thoroughly committed to academic integrity in all of its endeavors.The University of Georgia Press adheres to all University of Georgia policies and procedures. To help ensure the integrity of the competition, manuscripts are judged through a blind review process. Judges in the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction competition are instructed to avoid conflicts of interest of all kinds.
PLEASE NOTE: THE PRESS WILL ACCEPT NO PHONE CALLS REGARDING THE FLANNERY O'CONNOR AWARD.
Details are offered on the website.
