ANNUAL LITERARY CONTEST

ANNUAL LITERARY CONTEST

Solstice’s 2026 Annual Literary Contest is now open!

• $1,000 Fiction Prize, judge: Jessica Treadway
• $500 Stephen Dunn Poetry Prize, judge: Porsha Olayiwola
• $500 Michael Steinberg Nonfiction Prize, judge: Sven Birkerts
• $500 Graphic Lit Prize, judge: John Vasquez Mejias

     Winners, finalists, and Editors' Choice in each genre will be published in our Summer Awards Issue due out in August. All winners, finalists, and editors' choice will be cited in future advertisements and announcements.

         FEE: $20.00/entry

CONTEST PERIOD: April 1 to June 1, 2026

CONTEST RULES AND GUIDELINES

1. Cover sheet required with name, address, telephone number and email. Email and/or phone MUST be included to be considered. Please include the cover sheet in the same file as the actual submission. Do not put your name on the manuscript itself. Final judges will be choosing on the basis of the quality of your work. Please indicate the genre of your piece next to the title.

1. Each entry: Fiction or Nonfiction: 25-page maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font, .DOC or .DOCX attachment; free-standing excerpts from books also accepted. Poetry: 3-poem maximum, 12-point font, .DOC or .DOCX attachment. Graphic Lit: Original artwork, multiple panels (no single image pieces), 1-6 pages preferred, maximum 8-10 pages, in JPG/PDF format.
2. You may submit more than once during the contest period but must pay a separate fee for each entry.
3. You may submit simultaneously elsewhere, but please contact  us immediately if accepted by another journal.
4. We will not accept previously published work. Solstice has first publication rights, but copyright reverts to you upon publication. After the piece is published in our Summer Awards Issue, we will publish the piece in our Archives. All winners, finalists, and editors' choice will be cited in future advertisements and announcements.
5. Solstice has a zero tolerance policy for AI generated submissions of any genre. Any individuals found to be submitting AI generated work will have that work rejected. Any reading fees sent to Solstice will not be refunded on the basis of rejection.
6. If you won last year’s contest, you must skip a year before resubmitting to the contest, but we encourage you to submit work to Solstice for general publication.
7. We will announce the winners, finalists, and editors' choice approximately 6-8 weeks after the contest deadline.
8. After announcing the winners, finalists, and editors' choice, all contest submissions will be automatically considered for standard publication unless you indicate otherwise.
9. The $20.00 entry fee must be paid online at the time of entry.
10. We accept online submissions only through Submittable. No emails please.