Prize doubled for Prairie Schooner's Creative Nonfiction Contest

The Prairie Schooner is thrilled to announce that the prize awarded to the winner of the Annual Prairie Schooner Summer Creative Nonfiction Contest will be raised from $500 to $1,000 starting this year. This is made possible by the generosity of the Virginia Faulkner Award for Excellence Fund.  

Each year, from May 15 to August 1, the Schooner accepts submissions to the Summer Creative Nonfiction Contest, open to all types of creative nonfiction essays, up to 5,000 words. The entry fee is $20. The winner receives $1,000 and publication in the following Spring issue.

In 2023, Siddhartha Deb will be serving as a guest judge. 

Born in Shillong, north-eastern India, Deb lives in Harlem, New York. His fiction and nonfiction have been longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award, shortlisted for the Orwell Prize, and awarded the Pen Open prize. His journalism and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, Dissent, The Baffler, N+1, and Caravan. 

Visit the Schooner’s website to learn more about submission guidelines.  

Visit the Nebraska Foundation website to make a donation in support of this prize.