Submission Guidelines

Contest: MFA Program-Off * Upcoming Theme and Contest: Animals * General Submission Guidelines

CONTEST: MFA Program-Off
postmark deadline: January 28, 2010

Win a reading at the 2010 AWP Conference in Denver, publication in the summer 2010 issue of CNF, and bragging rights for your program!

Judge: Barbara Lounsberry
co-author (with Gay Talese) of Writing Creative Nonfiction: The Literature of Reality

Guidelines:

• Contest is open to any student currently enrolled in an MFA creative writing program.
• Submissions should be typed, double-spaced, no more than 3,000 words, and unpublished.
• This is a blind read; your name should appear only in the cover letter, and each page of the manuscript should include the title of the piece.
• No excerpts will be considered; your submission should be a single and complete piece.
• Only one submission per author will be considered.

Please send submission and a cover letter with your name, university, complete contact information and title of the work to:

Creative Nonfiction Foundation
Attn: AWP Program-Off
5501 Walnut Street, Suite 202
Pittsburgh, PA 15232

UPCOMING THEME and CONTEST: Animals
postmark deadline April 2, 2010

For an upcoming issue, we're seeking new essays about the bonds--emotional, ethical, biological, physical, or otherwise--between humans and animals. We're looking for stories that illustrate ways animals (wild and/or domestic) affect, enrich, or otherwise have an impact on our daily lives.

Essays must be vivid and dramatic; they should combine a strong and compelling narrative with a significant element of research or information, and reach for some universal or deeper meaning in personal experiences. We’re looking for well-written prose, rich with detail and a distinctive voice.

Creative Nonfiction editors will award one $1000 prize for Best Essay and one $500 prize for runner-up.

Guidelines: Essays must be: unpublished, 5,000 words or less, postmarked by April 2, 2010, and clearly marked “Animals” on both the essay and the outside of the envelope. There is a $20 reading fee (or send a reading fee of $25 to include a 4-issue CNF subscription); multiple entries are welcome ($20/essay) as are entries from outside the U.S. (though subscription shipping costs do apply). Please send manuscript, accompanied by a cover letter with complete contact information, SASE and payment to:

Creative Nonfiction
Attn: Animals
5501 Walnut Street, Suite 202
Pittsburgh, PA 15232

GENERAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

We try to respond to all submissions as soon as possible. We read general submissions year-round, but depending on the time of year, it is not uncommon for a response to take up to 5 months.

What we're looking for:

• Strong reportage
• Well-written prose, rich with detail and a distinctive voice.
• An informational quality or instructive element that offers the reader something to learn (an idea, concept or collection of facts, strengthened with insight, reflection and interpretation.)
• A compelling, focused, sustained narrative that is well-structured, makes sense and conveys meaning.

• Submissions should be typed, double-spaced, 5,000 words maximum.
• Submissions to special issues should be clearly marked.
• Please do not send multiple submissions.
• Please do not send queries. We consider only complete essays.
• Faxed or emailed submissions will not be accepted.
• Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for response. We regret that we cannot return manuscripts.
• We will reply to manuscripts sent from outside the United States by email, if an email address is provided.
• We accept simultaneous submissions, but do ask to be kept informed of the status of your manuscript.
• We typically pay $10 per printed page.
  
• Please send unsolicited material to:
  
  Creative Nonfiction Foundation
  5501 Walnut Street, Suite 202
  Pittsburgh, PA 15232