The Electric Literature Emerging Writers Contest for 2026 is open for submissions in both poetry and prose. The contest is open to both U.S. and international writers who are just emerging and not yet established. Current or past Electric Literature staff members, interns, or readers in any genre are not eligible to submit. Friends, family, and close associates of the guest judges are not eligible to submit to that judge’s contest category.
Submissions opened on July 1, 2026, via Submittable and will remain open until the submission caps are reached: 1,000 for fiction and 600 for poetry. All submissions will be considered for publication. The entry fee is $20 per submission. Authors who have published chapbooks, indie or university press books with a print run of under 500, or who have self-published are all eligible, provided the work submitted to the contest is original and unpublished.
To enter the contest, writers should note the following requirements:
• Fiction writers may submit one story between 2,000 and 10,000 words. Poets may submit up to three poems, totaling no more than 1,500 words.
• Work will be judged anonymously. Please remove all identifying information from your manuscript.
• All work must be original and unpublished. Work previously published in any form (including self-published) cannot be considered.
• Translations are accepted, provided the work has not previously been published in the English language and that the translator has obtained the proper permissions.
• Multiple submissions are allowed. Each entry must be sent as a new submission, and an entry fee must be paid for each.
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please let us know immediately if a submission is accepted elsewhere.
• Files should be submitted as .doc or .docx.
• Work that was created using generative AI is not permitted, with a rare exception made for pieces that engage with the tool in an intentional, artistic, and transparent manner (e.g., “A Conversation Between Ethan Gilsdorf and ChatGPT”). Any use of AI in the creation of a piece must be disclosed in your submission.
Winners in each category will receive $1,000, publication in Recommended Reading (fiction) or The Commuter (poetry), and a two-week residency at the Writing Downtown program in Downtown Las Vegas, started by Plympton and The Writer’s Block bookstore. Second-place winners in each category will receive $250, and third-place winners will receive $100.
All fiction finalists will receive a review with feedback from either literary agent Sarah Bowlin of Aevitas Creative Management or Danielle Bukowski of Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. The winners will be announced in early 2027.
Visit the link for more details:
https://electricliterature.com/about/emerging-writers-contest/?mc_cid=7dd148dc98&mc_eid=dc58838d12
