Quarterly West — Poetry & Prose Contests
Before you apply
About this call
Quarterly West's contest framework accepts work across poetry, prose, fiction, creative nonfiction, and chapbook manuscripts, situating the competition within the broader landscape of literary prizes open to writers in the United States and abroad. The structure deliberately separates shorter, discrete submissions from longer, book-adjacent work, so that the jury may weigh both the singular achievement of a poem or prose piece and the sustained coherence of a manuscript. The sponsoring institution's specific editorial profile and any entry fee are not specified in the verified information and should be confirmed directly with the organization before submitting. The award architecture is tiered. Poetry and prose winners each receive $500 and publication, and runners-up each receive $200. The chapbook contest carries a single $1,000 prize, publication, and 20 copies of the finished volume. The differentiation in award scale, and the inclusion of print copies alongside publication for the chapbook, reflects an evident distinction between the value placed on the individual piece and on the extended manuscript as a unified object. For the serious writer, the contest's value lies in its clarity of terms: a defined deadline, explicit material requirements (up to three poems or one prose piece for the shorter contests; a 26-40 page manuscript for the chapbook), and a transparent tiering of rewards. Candidates are advised to read the full guidelines directly from the organization, as the verified details here do not include the complete submission conditions.
Eligibility
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