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CRAFT Novelette Print Prize 2024

CRAFT 2024 Novelette Print Prize

January 15, 2024 — March 17, 2024

Awarding $3,000 + Print Publication

Guest Judge: Hanna Pylväinen

This contest is now closed.

Thanks to all who entered!

Have you written a simply gorgeous short story far too long for most mainstream literary magazines? Might your short story not actually be a short story, but rather…in fact…indeed…a simmering, scintillating novelette? If so, we want to read your work!

CRAFT is excited to announce a brand-new contest for 2024—the Novelette Print Prize. We’ll be seeking submissions of polished novelettes from 7,500 to 15,000 words. One grand-prize winner will receive $3,000, print publication, royalties, and twenty author copies. The winner will have the option of international distribution through drop-shipping at Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and other platforms, earning fifty percent of royalties on their published novelette. 

Submissions will be open from January 15, 2024, until March 17, 2024. Entries will cost $30 and multiple entries will be welcomed. Guest Judge Hanna Pylväinen, a finalist for the National Book Award, will choose the winner and write the foreword for this new print publication. 

Here’s what Hanna recommends:

Ideally, form is meaning, and the length of a great novelette will be the only possible length for its material—neither a novel squeezed down nor a short story expanded beyond its natural bounds. As such, an excellent novelette will have some important reason for its length—maybe a complex background, or multiple settings, or a roving plot. The opening is likely to benefit from a heightened suspense in one way or another to draw the reader into the unusual length and keep them there, but throughout, there’s an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed to develop real care for characters given all the additional space (as compared to a short story). My hope above all is to read, as they say, a good yarn.

We are also partnering with The Loft Literary Center for this contest. The winner will receive a free class of choice in addition to the comprehensive publication package mentioned above.

And as an added bonus, Editor in Chief Courtney Harler will be teaching a class with The Loft! Writers are invited to register (for a low fee) to learn more about the literary submission process in general and CRAFT’s behind-the-scenes logistics in particular. All are welcome to participate! [Class now closed!]

GUIDELINES

  • The inaugural CRAFT Novelette Print Prize is open to all literary fiction writers from January 15, 2024, to March 17, 2024.
  • International submissions are welcome. Work should be written primarily in English, though stylistic code-switching/meshing is warmly welcomed.
  • Please send novelettes only—we’re looking for one very long short story for this contest, or what some may call a short novella. Your novelette should be complete and cohesive.
  • Please adhere strictly to the 7,500 to 15,000 word-count requirement.
  • Please do not submit any form of creative nonfiction. Autofiction will work, however.
  • We review adult literary fiction, but are open to a variety of genres and styles. Work may lean toward speculative fiction or other genres, as long it’s literary in its expression.
  • Submit previously unpublished work only—we do NOT review reprints or partial reprints for contests (including any form of self-publishing such as on blogs, personal websites, social media, etc.). Reprints will be automatically disqualified.
  • Work generated by AI will be automatically disqualified.
  • We allow simultaneous submissions—writers, please notify us immediately and withdraw your novelette if your work is accepted elsewhere.
  • We allow multiple submissions—please submit each excerpt as a separate submission accompanied by an entry fee.
  • Please note the $30 entry fee per submission.
  • Writers from historically marginalized or underrepresented groups can submit for a reduced price of $15 per entry until we reach fifty submissions in this special category. Please submit early! (No additional fee waivers will be granted for this contest.)
  • Kindly double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12. (Feel free to contact us directly if you need to change these formatting requirements for better accessibility.)
  • Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable).
  • We do not require anonymous submissions, but the guest judge will read the shortlist anonymized.
  • We do not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, disability, family status, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation, or for any other reason.
  • Additionally, we do not tolerate discrimination in the writing we consider for publication: work we find discriminatory on any of the bases stated here will be automatically disqualified without complete review.

AWARD

FINE PRINT

  • Friends, family, and associates of the guest judge are not eligible for consideration for the award.
  • Our collaboration with literary professionals in the judging and awarding of our contests does not imply an endorsement or recognition from their agencies, houses, presses, universities, etcetera.
  • Work already contracted for publication is not eligible for contest consideration. CRAFT will require first serial rights for one year for the print publication.
  • We hope to publish the winning print novelette and its online excerpt in December 2024.
Photo Credit: Beowulf Sheehan

GUEST JUDGE

HANNA PYLVÄINEN is the author of We Sinners, which received the Whiting Award, and The End of Drum-Time, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her work has appeared in Harper’s Magazine, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and LitHub. She is the recipient of fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, a Princeton Arts Fellowship at Princeton University, and a Cullman Fellowship at the New York Public Library. She has taught at the University of Michigan, Princeton University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Currently, she is on the faculty at the Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers. She lives in Philadelphia. Find Hanna on Instagram @hannapyl.

CONTEST PARTNER

THE LOFT’s mission is to advance the power of writers and readers to craft and share stories, to create and celebrate connections, and to build just, life-sustaining communities. Founded in 1974, The Loft started as a grassroots gathering space for poets and writers to share their work and improve their craft. Over the years, we have grown to become one of the nation’s leading independent literary centers. Annually, The Loft offers hundreds of classes, readings and events, awards and grants for writers, major festivals and conferences, and other resources for readers and writers. Find them on Instagram @loftliterarycenter.

OPTIONAL EDITORIAL FEEDBACK

You may choose to receive editorial feedback on your submission—either on the first 6,000 words of the novelette or the full manuscript. We will provide marginal notes, as well as a two-page-minimum global letter discussing the strengths of the writing and the recommended focus for revision. While editorial feedback is inherently subjective, our suggestions are always actionable and encouraging. We aim to have feedback completed within twelve weeks of the close of the contest. Please note that work we critique is not eligible for future CRAFT contests. If your piece is chosen for publication, feedback will not be given and your feedback fee will be returned.

Editorial Feedback Team:

JOANNA ACEVEDO (she/they) is the Pushcart-nominated author of three books and two chapbooks. Her work has been seen across the web and in print, including Free State Review, The Rumpus, and The Adroit Journal. She received her MFA in fiction from New York University in 2021 and also holds degrees from Bard College and The New School. Find her on Twitter at @jo_avocado.

YAEL VALENCIA ALDANA (she/her/hers) is a writer and editor living in South Florida. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is a Best of the Net nominee, and her work has appeared or is upcoming in Chapter House Journal, Typehouse, Slag Glass City, and elsewhere. She is currently working on a memoir. Find her on Twitter @Yaelwrites71.

MELISSA BENTON BARKER is the flash fiction section editor at CRAFT. A graduate of the MFA program at Antioch University Los Angeles, her writing appears in Longleaf Review, Moon City Review, Wigleaf, SmokeLong Quarterly, and Best Small Fictions 2021. She has received Pushcart and Best of the Net nominations. She lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

ALYSE BURNSIDE is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn. She holds an MFA from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Nation, The Believer, and elsewhere. She’s working on a book.

KYLE COCHRUN (he/him) is a writer living in Seattle, Washington. He is a contributing writer for PopMatters, where he writes features, interviews, and album reviews. His essays and creative nonfiction have appeared in The Akron Anthology, Watershed Review, Echo, and CRAFT. He received an MFA in creative writing from the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts graduate program.

ALEXA DORAN recently completed her PhD in poetry at Florida State University. Her full-length collection DM Me, Mother Darling won the 2020 May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Prize and was published in April 2021 (Bauhan). She is also the author of the chapbook Nightsink, Faucet Me a Lullaby (Bottlecap Press 2019). Look for work from Doran in recent or upcoming issues of Pleiades, Witness, Salt Hill Journal, and Gigantic Sequins, among others.

BRANDON DUDLEY is the  author of Hazards of Nature: Stories, selected by Sigrid Nunez as the winner of the 2020 Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance Chapbook Contest. His writing, interviews, and criticism have appeared in New South, The Millions, The Forge, Fiction Writers Review, North by Northeast 2, and others. He holds an MFA from the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe. He lives in Maine with his wife and two sons. Find him on Twitter @brandondudley8.

ROSS FEELER’s fiction has appeared in Electric Literature‘s “Recommended Reading,” The Common, New South, Potomac Review, Story | Houston, Hypertext, and others. His novel-in-progress received the Marianne Russo Award from the Key West Literary Seminar and was a finalist for James Jones First Novel Award. He teaches English at Texas State University.

B. B. GARIN is a writer living in Buffalo, New York. Her echapbook, New Songs for Old Radios, is available from Wordrunner Press. Her work has appeared in Hawaii Pacific Review, Luna Station Quarterly, Palooka, 3rd Wednesday, Crack the Spine, and more. She is currently a prose reader and blog contributor for The Masters Review. She continues to improve her craft at GrubStreet Writing Center, where she has developed several short fiction pieces, as well as two novels. Connect with her online @bb_garin.

COURTNEY HARLER (she/her) is a queer writer, editor, and educator based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) from the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe (2017) and an MA in English (Literature) from Eastern Washington University (2013). Courtney is currently editor in chief of CRAFT and editorial director for Discover New Art, and has read and written for UNT’s Katherine Anne Porter Prize, The Masters Review, Funicular Magazine, Reflex Fiction, and Chicago Literati in recent years. She also hosts the literary podcast PWN’s Debut Review, as well as teaches and edits for Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing studio in New Jersey. For her creative work, Courtney has been honored by support from Key West Literary Seminar, Writing By Writers, Community of Writers, Napa Valley Writers’ Conference, and Nevada Arts Council. Courtney’s work has been published in multiple genres in literary magazines around the world. Find her on Instagram @CourtneyHarler.

KATELYN KEATING (she/her) was the editor in chief of CRAFT from 2018 to 2021 and now serves as editor at large. She was a 2017 fellow of the LA Review of Books Publishing Workshop and has been on their faculty since 2018, overseeing PubLab, leading the magazine track as a program manager, and serving as the publisher coordinator for LITLIT: The Little Literary Fair. She is a production manager with Berrett-Koehler Publishers, and was the production and operations manager at Prospect Park Books until it left California in 2021. Her essays appear in Crab Orchard Review, Flyway, Lunch Ticket, Tahoma Literary Review, and elsewhere. Katelyn has an MFA from Antioch University Los Angeles, where she worked for two years on Lunch Ticket, serving as editor in chief for issues 11 and 12. Find her on Twitter @katelyn_keating.

JILL KOLONGOWSKI writes the Substack Tiny True Stories and is also the author of the essay collection Life Lessons Harry Potter Taught Me (Ulysses Press, 2017). Her work also appears in Electric Lit, Insider, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Brevity, River Teeth, and elsewhere. Her essays have won Sundog Lit’s First Annual Contest series and the Diana Woods Memorial Prize in Creative Nonfiction at Lunch Ticket, and she earned her MFA from St. Mary’s College of California. Jill teaches writing at the College of San Mateo, and lives in Northern California with her husband and daughter. Find her on Twitter @jillkolongowski.

VAL M. MATHEWS is a big-hearted, fun-loving editor who teaches courses in developmental editing for the University of California Berkeley Extension, Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, and the Editorial Freelancers Association in New York City. Val also freelances on the side and works as an editorial consultant for CRAFT and The Masters Review. Previously, she was an editor for The Wild Rose Press, a small traditional publishing house in New York. She earned an MA in Professional Writing from Kennesaw State University and a BFA from the University of Georgia. Fun fact about Val: She’s been an FAA-certified flight instructor for over twenty-five years, and in the past, she flew Lear jets for a living.

GABRIEL MOSELEY is a writer and editor from Seattle, Washington. His work has appeared in The Masters Review, Nordic Kultur, Stratus, and Alaska Airlines’ Alaska Beyond Magazine. He received an MFA from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and certificates in both editing and literary fiction from the University of Washington. He has been a finalist for the Made at Hugo House Writing Fellowship, LitMag’s Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction, and the Haleakalā National Park Residency. He is a guest editor for The Masters Review. 

GAGE SAYLOR is the assistant director of creative writing at Oklahoma State University. His fiction and poetry have appeared in Passages North, Tampa Review, Crab Creek Review, Iron Horse, and elsewhere. He has won the Katherine Anne Porter Prize at Nimrod and is a previous semifinalist for the Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize at North American Review. He received his MFA at McNeese State University, where he was awarded the Robert Olen Butler Prize for Fiction.

After retiring from full-time work, DAVID K. SLAY completed a two-year program of short fiction writing workshops in the University of California, Los Angeles, Writers’ Program. His short stories, flash fiction, and microfiction can be found in a group of diverse literary journals, including Door Is A Jar, Gold Man Review, ImageOutWrite, The Magnolia Review, Random Sample Review, Ginosko Literary Journal, American Writers Review, and others. Nonfiction craft articles are in CRAFT and Submittable’s “Content for Creatives,” and he has served as a guest editor for Vestal Review. He has been a submissions reader for CRAFT since 2019, and is currently an associate editor for the short fiction section.