Erika Dreifus

Something a tad different this week.

Later today, the September issue of The Practicing Writer 2.0, my monthly newsletter for writers, will be going out to subscribers. This month’s issue includes multiple competitions and calls that seek explicitly Jewish work.

I thought that I’d offer My Machberet readers a preview.

In chronological order (most imminent deadline first):

• The application deadline for Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Research Awards is September 13. These grants “support research or artistic projects in Jewish women’s and gender studies across a range of disciplines.” Note that “creative arts proposals” must “deal with gender; projects by and about Jewish artists that do not deal with gender, do not meet the criteria.” Awards are “open to applicants regardless of gender or religion” and “applications (in English) from outside the United States are welcome.” Awards “junior grants” up to $2,000 and “senior grants,” up to $5,000, for “established scholars and professionals.”
• The London Centre for the Study of Antisemitism (LCSCA) Book Prize confers £1,000 “for the best book on, or relating significantly to, contemporary antisemitism.” Entries must have been published “between 25 September 2022 and 15 September 2023.” The competition is open “both to single authored monographs and also to multi-authored edited books. The prize will be awarded to the editors in the latter case….The Prize competition is open to authors of all nationalities, provided that their book is written or made generally available in English.” Deadline: September 19.
• From Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas: “The Spring 2024 issue will focus on communal Jewish life on college and university campuses in the US, Canada, Israel, and elsewhere. We invite proposals for long form essays (3500-5000 words) related to this topic, with a particular interest in work that combines analysis of current situations with a vision of how campus Jewish communities might thrive in the future.” Deadline: “Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis through September 30, 2023. After acceptance, essays will be due by December 31, 2023.” Payment: The call mentions honoraria for published essays; via email, I’ve been told that “the honorarium is $1000.” Editor Claire Sufrin has also told me that she’s particularly interested in hearing from writers who spend time on college campuses themselves, or at least have recently been involved in campus life in some way.
• Administered by the Association of Jewish Libraries, the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award is a $1,000 prize that “recognizes unpublished manuscripts of Jewish fiction targeting ages 8-13…to encourage aspiring authors of Jewish children’s books.” For this award’s purposes, an “unpublished author” is defined “as not having previously published any works of fiction for young readers. This includes self-published as well as commercially published work. The manuscript must be a work of fiction in English with universal appeal of Jewish content for readers aged 8-13 years, both Jewish and non-Jewish. It should reveal positive aspects of Jewish life. Short stories are not acceptable.” NB: “While AJL cannot guarantee publication, the prize money has been an incentive for writers with varying experience to try their hands at writing for this genre. The award carries prestige in the publishing world and several Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award winners have subsequently been published.” Deadline: September 30.
• The current deadline for the Natan Notable Books Award is October 2 (for non-fiction titles published for the first time between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024). This twice-year­ly award for non­fic­tion books on Jew­ish themes “high­lights vital books and authors, and brings inno­v­a­tive and impor­tant ideas to the atten­tion of diverse audiences. Around Passover and the Jew­ish High Hol­i­days, Natan selects a ​’Natan Notable Book,’ a recen­t­­ly-pub­­lished or about-to-be pub­lished non-fic­­tion title that will cat­alyze con­ver­sa­tions aligned with the themes of Natan’s grant­mak­ing: rein­vent­ing Jew­ish life and com­mu­ni­ty for the twen­­ty-first cen­tu­ry, shift­ing notions of indi­vid­ual and col­lec­tive Jew­ish iden­ti­ty, the his­to­ry and future of Israel, and the evolv­ing rela­tion­ship between Israel and world Jewry. Natan Notable Book win­ners receive a Natan Notable Book seal and $5,000 for the author, marketing/​distribution coach­ing and pro­mo­tion from Jew­ish Book Coun­cil and Natan, and cus­tomized sup­port designed to bring the book and/​or the author to new audiences.”

Remember that “Jewish” writing can often find homes with/recognition from not-explicitly-“Jewish” venues. So be sure to check the newsletter for 80+ additional current opportunities for you/your work. (If you’re not (yet) a subscriber, all issues are archived on Substack; the September issue will be there soon!)

Shabbat shalom.