The X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize
Prize: $10,000
2023 Judge: Richard Blanco
General Guidelines
- Submissions are open July 1 – September 30.
- A fee of $28 must be paid at the time of submission.
- Open to any poet writing in English. Translations are not eligible.
- The X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize is not a first book prize, though we welcome first books. The Prize is open to poets at any stage of their career.
- There are no formal restrictions for this prize; we welcome manuscripts of any style/form.
- Poems may have been published individually in magazines or anthologies, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished.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 members 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.
- Submissions are accepted through Submittable only.
- Winner will receive a $10,000 advance, a standard royalty contract, and 10 copies of the published book.
*Writers who studied with the final judge or TRP staff for a semester-length period are not eligible. Writers who studied with the final judge or TRP staff 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 must be between 50 and 100 pages in length.
- Please include a table of contents, title page, and page numbers.
- Do not include an acknowledgments page.
- No more than one poem per 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.
This contest honors award-winning poet X. J. Kennedy.
The George Garrett Fiction Prize
Prize: $1,000
2023 Judge: Manuel Muñoz
General Guidelines
- Submissions are open July 1 - September 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or excerpts may have been published individually in magazines or anthologies, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished.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 $1,000 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 100,000 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.
This contest honors award-winning author George Garrett (1929-2008).