The judge is Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

We are looking for fiction and creative nonfiction of any genre. Past winners have included upmarket novels, collections of short stories, flash fiction, memoir, essays, magical realism, and many other genres.  SFWP is a traditional publisher with global distribution. We aggressively pursue subrights and have successfully sold translation, audio, and movie/TV deals for many titles in our catalog. 

All entries will be considered by our publishing wing. If selected, we offer competitive contracts with full marketing support. SFWP has extensive relationships with trade publications, sales reps, subrights agents, and bookbuyers worldwide.

You do not need to be from or associated with New Mexico or Santa Fe. We publish a wide range of books from authors who live all around the world.

Eligibility: All unpublished work is eligible. Previously published material is also eligible as long as it has not been published by a major press. So you can submit if you have published in zines, lit journals, and with micro presses. Self-published books are eligible, as are books published via Amazon and Ingram. If you have published with a small press and have not received any marketing support, then your book is eligible. We will accept excerpts and Works-In-Progress. If you have questions about eligibility, please contact us.  
 

• The grand prize is $1,500, and two runner-ups will receive $500 each
• Authors retain all rights to their work
• Winners will be offered a competitive book contract for full-market, frontlist release. There’s no obligation to sign this contract. The prize money is awarded either way. 
• The entry fee is $30, with an early bird entry fee of $25 through May 1st. 
• There is a pay-it-forward option, 100% of which will be used to cover the entry fee for authors who are not able to afford the fee. We will also be offing coupons, discounts, and raffles via our social media channels. If you are unable to pay the entry fee, please contact us.
• There is no minimum or maximum page limit.
• Simultaneous submissions are allowed. If your work is published during the contest, you will not be disqualified, and you do not need to withdraw your entry. If you do withdraw from the contest, we are not able to refund the reading fee. 

 Please visit our page for more details!

This is the form for all submissions to The SFWP Journal, edited by Rachel Weber. 

Welcome back to the Santa Fe Writers Project Journal!  Our Spring issue's theme is Renewal. 

This can include: creating new beginnings, reinventing oneself, experiencing growth, reimagining life, celebrating the rebirth of a season, or finding hope in all the new and unforeseen changes around us.

Renewal is an ongoing process that requires reflection and adaptation along the way, and your piece should express that. Awaken your senses and let your story come to life.

Accepted submissions will be published on the SFWP Journal website in May 2025.
 

What are we looking for: 

We welcome poetry, short fiction, and creative non-fiction by published and unpublished writers. 

Guidelines:

• Submit one or more of the following: a short story between 1,000-2,500 words; up to 3 poems; a non-fiction piece between 1,000-2,500 words.
• Deadline to submit: April 1st

When you submit your work for consideration, you should:

• Let us know if the piece has been published elsewhere, including online (previously published work is OK — just let us know, please).
• Include a short, third-person author biography (50-75 words), including publishing credits.
• Give us your social media so we can follow your work!

Ideally, your entry will be around 1500 - 3000 words in length. We like to keep it short for the internet audience, but we have published longer/shorter work in the past.

Multiple entries are accepted. All genres are considered.