This submission form is open only for proposals of scholarly nonfiction, trade nonfiction, edited anthologies, or edited book series. 

Submissions to this form of single-author creative works of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction will not be considered. If you are interested in submitting a single-author creative work, open calls for submissions are on our Submittable page, and our full submissions schedule is listed on our website.

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TRP is particularly interested in projects that would fit in one of the following areas:

• 20th & 21st Century American Poetry
• Creative Writing Studies
• Environmental Writing
• Gulf Coast Studies
• Hybrid Genres
• Innovative Prose
• Literary Fiction
• Poetics
• Southern Studies
• Texas Studies
   

 If TRP is interested in pursuing your project, it will move on to the peer review and editorial processes.

About

Winner Receives: $2,000 + Publication

2026 Judge: 

Established in 1998, The George Garrett Fiction Prize highlights one book a year for excellence in a short story collection or novel. Starting 2024, the Prize comes with a $2,000 advance, a standard royalty contract, and 10 copies of the published book.

Recent judges include Fernando A. Gomez, Kaveh Akbar, Manuel Muñoz, Vi Khi Nao, Selah Saterstrom, Joe Wilkins, and John McNally.

Starting 2026, submissions open each year on April 1 and close on June 30.

This contest honors award-winning author George Garrett (1929-2008).

Submission Guidelines

General Guidelines

• Submissions are open April 1 - June 30.
• Submissions are accepted through Submittable only.
• A fee of $28 must be paid at the time of submission.
• Open to anyone writing in English. Translations are not eligible.
• Stories or excerpts may have been published individually in magazines or anthologies, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished.
• Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Please notify TRP immediately by withdrawing the manuscript via Submittable if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
• Current and former students and faculty of Sam Houston State University are not eligible.
• Family and current or former students* of the final judge or TRP staff are not eligible.
• Current and former TRP authors are not eligible.
• Submitters must be 18+ years of age.
• Winner receives a $2,000 advance, a standard royalty contract, and 10 copies of the published book.

*Writers who studied with TRP staff or the final judge for a semester-length period are not eligible. Writers who studied with TRP staff or the final judge for two-week residencies, single workshops, or other instances less than a semester in length are eligible, provided the work submitted is previously unseen by TRP staff or the final judge.

Manuscript Guidelines

• Manuscripts may be novels or short story collections with a total word count of between 40,000 and 80,000 words.
• Please include a table of contents, title page, and page numbers.
• Please double-space and use a 12pt. font.
• Do not include an acknowledgments page.
• Submissions are anonymous. Please remove any identifying information from the manuscript.
• Submit as a .pdf, .docx, or .doc file format.
• No revisions will be accepted once the manuscript is uploaded.

AI Content Policy

TRP does not accept submissions that include text, images, data, or any other content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including but not limited to large language models. Submitted work must be original and previously unpublished in any form. AI-generated manuscripts are not eligible.

Submissions open each year on April 1 and close on April 30.

Submissions cap at 300.

TRP is no longer accepting unsolicited fiction submissions. Fiction manuscripts are accepted only through TRP’s contests. Any fiction manuscripts submitted during this Open Reading Period will be declined automatically.

Submission Guidelines

During this Open Reading Period, TRP is accepting scholarly and general-interest nonfiction submissions, as well as poetry submissions, including both full-length collections and chapbooks.

TRP is no longer accepting unsolicited fiction submissions. Fiction manuscripts are accepted only through TRP’s contests. Any fiction manuscripts submitted during this Open Reading Period will be declined automatically.

If TRP is interested in pursuing your project, it will move on to the peer-review and editorial processes.

Poetry

We welcome poetry across a wide range of styles and approaches, with particular interest in work engaging with contemporary poetics; 20th- and 21st-century American poetry; environmental and ecopoetic writing; Southern literature and issues; and Gulf of Mexico studies.

Nonfiction

For nonfiction, we are especially interested in short-form work, including chapbook-length projects, long essays, and other focused forms.

General Guidelines

• There are no formal restrictions; we welcome manuscripts of any style/form.
• Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Please notify TRP immediately by withdrawing the manuscript via Submittable if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
• Submissions are accepted through Submittable only.

Manuscript Guidelines

• Please include a table of contents (if applicable), title page, and page numbers.
• Poetry: Please start each poem on a new page. (Multi-page poems are welcome.)
• Nonfiction: Please start each chapter on a new page.
• Submit as a .pdf, .docx, or .doc file format.
• No revisions will be accepted once the manuscript is uploaded.

Eligibility

• Open to anyone writing in English.
• Submitters must be 18+ years of age.
• Translations are not eligible.
• Manuscripts may make use of other languages, as long as English remains the primary language throughout the work.
• Previously published manuscripts—including self-published or out-of-print works—are not eligible.
• Individual pieces may have appeared in magazines or anthologies, but the work as a whole must be unpublished.

AI Content Policy

TRP does not accept submissions that include text, images, data, or any other content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including but not limited to large language models. Submitted work must be original and previously unpublished in any form. AI-generated manuscripts are not eligible.

The Sabine Series in Literature highlights work by authors born in or working in Eastern Texas and/or Louisiana. There are no thematic restrictions; TRP seeks the best writing possible by authors from this unique region of the American South.

Poetry Manuscripts should be submitted in their entirety, and should be between 50-100 pages in length.

TRP is no longer accepting unsolicited fiction submissions. Fiction manuscripts are accepted only through TRP’s contests. Any fiction manuscripts submitted to The Sabine Series in Literature will be declined automatically.