Erika Dreifus

Each week in this space, Practicing Writing shares no-fee, paying markets for writers of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction: competitions, contests, and calls for submissions. These weekly posts complement monthly issues of The Practicing Writer newsletter, where you’ll always find more listings, none of them limiting eligibility to residents of a single municipality, state, or province. (But this blog does share those more localized opportunities, including jobs.)

As always, if you’d like to share a specific opportunity listed here, please credit the blog for the find. Thanks for respecting the time and effort that I put into researching, curating, and posting this information! I do notice, and I appreciate the courtesy.

• It’s the end of November, which means that the December issue of The Practicing Writer 2.0 went out to subscribers this morning. If you already subscribe to our free newsletter, please check your email for it (and note that even my email account diverts the newsletter to a “promotions” folder, so take a moment to search if you don’t immediately locate it). You’ll find 35+ fee-free opportunities (that pay for winning/accepted work), none of them limited to residents of a single city/state/province, listed therein.
• The Brooklyn Nonfiction Prize confers a cash award of $500 “to the best Brooklyn-focused non-fiction essay which is set in Brooklyn and is about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters. We are seeking compelling Brooklyn stories from writers with a broad range of backgrounds and ages who can render Brooklyn’s rich soul and intangible qualities through the writer’s actual experiences in Brooklyn. From the collection of selected Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize submissions, five authors will be selected to read from their work and discuss their Brooklyn stories with the audience at our December 2020 event. The exact date/time and venue will be announced later. These stories and several other submitted stories will be published on the Brooklyn Film and Arts Festival website and made available to the public.” Deadline: December 10.
• The Flo Gault Student Poetry Prize (for full-time) Kentucky undergraduates remains open for entries until December 11. “We understand well that 2020 has presented new and uncertain challenges for everyone, and particularly for college students. That’s why this year, we are doubling our cash prizes. The winner will be awarded $1,000 and a limited-edition print run of letterpress broadsides for their poem. The second prize winner will be awarded $500 and the third prize winner will receive $300.”
• “Nieman Reports is a website and quarterly print magazine covering thought leadership in journalism, published by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. Nieman Reports produces deeply reported feature stories as well as opinion columns that offer insight into and analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing journalism today. Reporting to Nieman’s Deputy Curator, who is also the Editor of Nieman Reports, the Senior Editor is responsible for developing, commissioning, and editing ambitious feature stories, editorial packages, and opinion columns. The Senior Editor also manages the complete production process for Nieman Reports’ print edition, from preparing production schedules to coordinating the efforts of the editorial, design, and printing/distribution teams. The Senior Editor collaborates with the editorial staff of Nieman’s other publications, Nieman Storyboard and Nieman Journalism Lab, and other Foundation colleagues to amplify the work of all three titles.” NB: “During the current period of COVID-19 related restrictions, this position may start as a remote position, with a transition to onsite in Cambridge when the office reopens.”
• “Authors Publish is currently seeking an instructor to create and teach online writing workshops on topics related to Creative Non-Fiction. This can include memoir, shorter narrative non-fiction, and other forms of personal essays.”