Submitting For Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction
Announcing the 2024 winner of our Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction
Where to Carry the Sound? by Nina Sudhakar
“This collection of nine magical stories (including a few actual fairy tales) enchanted me. Many of the stories are set in India, and most of the narrators are women–photographers, bootleggers, archeologists, religious pilgrims, perfumers, and one lonely lunar caretaker. The writing is both lush and lean, and the images of marigolds, haunted villages, and man-killing tigers are memorable. The ends aren’t always happily-ever-after but are always satisfying. Where to Carry the Sound is a delight to read.”—Molly Giles, author of The Home for Unwed Husbands and judge
2025 Submissions
The University of North Texas Press announces the 2025 Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction. The winner of this annual award will receive $1000 and publication by UNT Press. Entries will be judged by an eminent writer.
Dates For Submission
Manuscripts may be submitted starting May 1 and closing at end of date on June 30. The winning manuscript will be announced in January 2025.
We only accept electronic submissions through Submittable.
Our online submissions manager is available here: Online Submissions
In order to ensure that all writers have access to publication, this contest will be open for fee-free submissions on Saturday, June 1st from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm.
The $25 entry fee can be paid online via credit card or PayPal.
Entries must be a collection of any combination of flash fiction, short stories, or novellas, from 100 to 200 book pages in length (word count between 27,500 and 50,000). Material should be previously unpublished in book form. Once a winner is declared and contracted for publication, UNT Press will hold the rights to the stories in the winning collection. They may no longer be under consideration for serial publication elsewhere and must be withdrawn by the author from consideration.
Manuscript Guidelines
- Please be sure manuscript pages are numbered.
- Please include a table of contents.
- Please use a standard, easy-to-read font such as Times New Roman in twelve-point size.
- Stories included in the submission may have appeared previously in magazines or anthologies but may not have been previously published in a book-length collection of the author’s own work.
- Authors may submit more than one manuscript to the competition for consideration as long as no material is duplicated between submissions. Each submission will require a separate entry fee.
- Manuscripts under consideration for this competition may be submitted elsewhere at the same time. Please withdraw your manuscript if it is accepted by another publisher and should no longer be considered for the Katherine Anne Porter Award competition. Withdrawal can be completed via the submissions manager website. Entry fees are not refundable.
Previous Winners
- 2023: What Did You Do Today? by Anthony Varallo, judged by Rebecca Brown
- 2022: There Is Only Us by Zoe Ballering, judged by Polly Buckingham
- 2021: They Kept Running by Michelle Ross, judged by Meagan Cass
- 2020: Some People Let You Down by Mike Alberti, judged by Zach VandeZande
- 2019: Orders of Protection by Jenn Hollmeyer, judged by Colin Winnette - 2018: Quantum Convention by Eric Schlich, judged by Dolan Morgan
- 2017: ActivAmerica by Meagan Cass, judged by Claire Vaye Watkins
- 2016: The Expense of a View by Polly Buckingham, judged by Chris Offutt
- 2015: Last Words of the Holy Ghost by Matt Cashion, judged by Lee K. Abbott
- 2014: The Year of Perfect Happiness by Becky Adnot-Haynes, judged by Matt Bell
- 2013: In These Times the Home Is a Tired Place by Jessica Hollander, judged by Katherine Dunn.
- 2012: Venus in the Afternoon by Tehila Lieberman, judged by Miroslav Penkov.
- 2011: Out of Time by Geoff Schmidt, judged by Ben Marcus.
- 2010: A Bright Soothing Noise by Peter Brown, judged by Josip Novakovich.
- 2009: Irish Girl by Tim Johnston, judged by Janet Peery.
- 2008: Last Known Position by James Mathews, judged by Tom Franklin.
- 2007: Wonderful Girl by Aimee LaBrie, judged by Bill Roorbach.
- 2006: Body Language by Kelly Magee, judged by Dan Chaon.
- 2005: What Are You Afraid Of? by Michael Hyde, judged by Sharon Oard Warner.
- 2004: Let’s Do by Rebecca Meacham, judged by Jonis Agee. Let’s Do was selected for the Spring 2005 Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Program.
- 2003: Here Comes the Roar by Dave Shaw, judged by Marly Swick.
- 1996: The Stuntman’s Daughter, a collection of stories by Alice Blanchard, of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction. Ms. Blanchard went on to sign a lucrative contract with Bantam for her first novel, Darkness Peering.