The 2025 Rising Writer Prize is for a first full-length book of fiction. The Autumn House staff and select outsider readers will serve as the preliminary readers, and the final judge is K-Ming Chang.The winner receives publication of their full-length manuscript and $2,000.The submission period opens on August 15, 2024, and closes on November 15, 2024 (Eastern Time). We will announce the contest’s finalists and the winner by March 15, 2025.
- Must be the author’s first full-length fiction book (previous publications of chapbooks and full-length books in other genres are fine)
- The winners will receive book publication, a $1,000 honorarium, and a $1,000 travel/publicity grant to promote their book
- All finalists will be considered for publication
- Submissions should be approximately 100 – 200 pages
- The reading fee is $30 (We will waive the submission fee for those undergoing financial hardship or living with limited means. Before you reach out to request a waived fee, please read our full statement and instructions here. If the guidelines are not followed, we will not be able to offer a waived fee.)
- All fiction sub-genres (short stories, short-shorts, novellas, or novels) or any combination of sub-genres are eligible
- The book should be previously unpublished
- We only accept original manuscripts; AI-generated or AI-supported works are not accepted
- Do not include your name anywhere on the actual manuscript; if your name appears within the body of the text, please omit it or black it out
- You may include a brief bio in the “cover letter” section of Submittable
- Do not include an acknowledgments page in the manuscript
- Feel free to include a table of contents
- Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please let us know immediately if your book was accepted elsewhere
- Friends, family members, and former students of judges or Autumn House editors may not submit to the contest. Students do not include interactions at short-term residencies or fellowships
- Former employees of Autumn House, including interns, may not submit to the contest