Twice each year Black Lawrence Press will run the Black River Chapbook Competition for an unpublished chapbook of poems or short stories between 16 and 36 pages in length. The winner of this contest will receive book publication, a $500 cash award, and twenty-five copies of the book. Prizes are awarded on publication. Past winners include Helen Marie Casey (poetry), D. E. Fredd(fiction), Frank Montesonti (poetry), Sandra Kolankiewicz (poetry), T.J. Beitelman (poetry),Tina Egnoski (fiction), David Rigsbee (poetry), Lisa Fay Coutley (poetry), Charlotte Pence(poetry), Amelia Martens (poetry), Russel Swensen (poetry), and Nick McRae (poetry).
Entry Periods:
Spring: April 1 - May 31
Fall: September 1 - October 31
To enter, please refer to the guidelines below.
CONTEST GUIDELINES
How to submit:
In order to reduce the costs of printing and postage and in the spirit of being a bit greener, Black Lawrence Press only accepts electronic submissions rather than hard copies for our contests. Please submit your manuscript and submission fee via Submishmash.
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Deadline:
The annual deadlines for the prize are May 31 for the Spring contest (we accept entries starting on April 1) and October 31 for the Fall contest (we accept entries starting on September 1).
About the judges:
Black Lawrence Press does not use interns to screen entries. All entries are judged by the editors.
Notification:
Because of the high volume of entries received, all finalists and semi-finalists will be announced
on the Black Lawrence Press blog. All finalists for the fall prize will be announced on or before December 15 of each year. All finalists for the spring prize will be announced on or before July 15 of each year. The winners will be announced shortly after the finalists are announced.
Other Notes:
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but you must notify Black Lawrence Press immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere for publication.
All finalists will be considered for standard publication. In addition to each year's winner, Black Lawrence Press often offers standard publication to one or more other finalists.
Thank you for your interest in Black Lawrence Press.