Submit To J.F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction 2023

The 2023 J.F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction is currently open for submission. All writers can submit their best short fiction works in contest.

J.F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction 2023

The 2023 J.F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction is currently open for submission. All writers can submit their best short fiction works in contest for cash prizes.

“One foot in this world and one in the next”: that’s how J.F. Powers described the Midwestern priests he wrote about in his fiction. Having one foot in another world can be awkward, and Powers’ characters are known not for their graceful mysticism, but for the humiliating and mordantly entertaining stumbles they make while trying to live their faith. We’re looking for carefully crafted short stories with vivid characters who encounter grace in everyday settings—we want to see who, in the age we live in, might have one foot in this world and one in the next.

Cash Prizes 

1st place: $500

2nd place: $250

Up to 8 honorable mentions: publication in the journal and a one-year subscription

Announcement 

Winners of the J.F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction will be announced in April 2024 and published throughout the subsequent issues that year.

Is there a reading fee?

No.

Guidelines For Submission For J.F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction 2023

Only one submission per author will be accepted.

Please do not submit any previously published work

Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please withdraw your work immediately if it is accepted elsewhere

Please include in your contact information, including e-mail and mailing address, in your cover letter, as well as one or two lines with your biographical information as you would like it to appear if published.

The word limit is 8,000 words. Longer submissions will be returned unread.

Submit