2025 Literary Awards judged by Deesha Philyaw

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Eligibility: All unpublished work is eligible.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!