Adroit Editor's Prize in Fiction
We are thrilled to announce a new way we at The Adroit Journal have committed to supporting and uplifting exceptional poetry and fiction: the inaugural Adroit Journal Editor’s Prizes, recognizing outstanding work in poetry and short fiction by any writer, regardless of age or stage.
For over a decade, The Adroit Journal has championed emerging voices through our globally recognized Mentorship Program, Adroit Prizes, and scholarship opportunities honoring Gregory Djanikian and Anthony Veasna So. Now, for the first time, we invite established writers to join our pages through a prize dedicated to excellence in craft and daring in vision.
The recipient of the Editor’s Prize in Poetry and the recipient of the Editor’s Prize in Fiction will each receive $1,000 and publication in an upcoming issue. Additionally, all entries—including and especially those subsequently named poetry or fiction finalists—will be considered for publication.
GENRES & ELIGIBILITY
- Fiction: Submit 1 short story (max 6,000 words recommended).
- All entries must be previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, provided you disclose your submission as such. Note: If your work is accepted elsewhere, just let us know right away—use the MESSAGES tab in Submittable, not the Notes tab (which we do not receive).
- Writers may enter in both the Poetry and Fiction categories.
- Writers of all backgrounds, nationalities, ages, and stages are welcome to submit.
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DATES & DEADLINES
- Submissions Open: July 1, 2025
- Submission Deadline: July 31, 2025
- Result Announcement: Mid-September 2025
IMPORTANT: SUBMISSION CAP!
We will only consider the first 300 submissions received in each genre. Once 300 submissions are received, the submission category will automatically close. We encourage you to submit early—once our submission quotas are met, we will be unable to accept additional entries.
ENTRY FEE
- The Editor’s Prize submission fee is $15/submission.
- All proceeds will support The Adroit Journal‘s editorial operations, including our ongoing commitment to offering contributor stipends to each issue contributor.
JUDGING
All entries will be read and evaluated by members of The Adroit Journal‘s editorial staff. To learn more about our staff, please click here.
Please note that you may submit revisions of work previously submitted to the journal’s general submissions windows, as well as to previous cycles of the Adroit Prizes and Djanikian & Veasna So Scholars
SUBMISSION PORTAL
All entries must be submitted via our Submittable portal.
with disabilities or impairments may submit via Submittable or email; these writers may submit to editors[AT]theadroitjournal[DOT]org. Otherwise, we are not open to email submissions, and are not open to submissions sent via post.