N – The Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction

Nonfiction’s popularity is soaring due to the ever increasing demands of voracious readers who are hungry for content which is highly relevant to their interests. There’s never been a better time to be a nonfiction author, or a more exciting time to publish nonfiction. Letter Review connects writers with the vast number of people in search of fresh nonfiction content.

Nonfiction is a broad category: we’ve all been enchanted by the spell of a compelling piece of nonfiction in one of its many evolving forms. The Letter Review Prize welcomes all forms of nonfiction including: Memoir, journalism, essay (including personal essay), fictocriticism, creative nonfiction, travel, nature, opinion, and many other permutations.

Any and all works which convey information about the real world are welcome. Nonfiction may inform, it may persuade, explore, or divulge. It takes the shape of both anecdote and empirical observation. The inclusion of information which the author knows to be untrue or fictional is discouraged in this genre: but subjective conclusions are certainly encouraged.

Nonfiction competitions represent a wonderful opportunity for emerging writers to demonstrate their ability and secure publication. They also offer established writers an exciting arena in which to showcase new work and build their reputations.

Letter Review believes in the power of literature, and in the importance and magic of new writing.

The top three winning entries are declared the Winners, and share equally in the Prize pool of $1000 USD. Each Winner’s entry is published, accompanied by its own attractive original commissioned artwork. Additionally, there is a high likelihood the Winners will be included in the Letter Review Anthology. To recognize the extraordinary talent of the writers who do not place in the top three, twenty entries will be longlisted, and ten shortlisted. Offering further opportunities for writers, all entries are considered for publication.

To raise the visibilty of our writers, Winners are considered for submission to the Pushcart Prize, other prestigious anthologies such as Best of the Net, and our end of year anthology.

The Letter Review Prize is judged blind to ensure all entrants including emerging and diverse writers, along with established writers, have an equal chance of success. We do not assign entries to anonymous readers: Every entry is personally read by our highly qualified Judges. Winners are widely promoted on our social media channels (FB 34,000 members) and at our website (50,000 monthly visitors). Letter Review is a proud member of the international Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, and we adhere to the CLMP Contest Code of Ethics.

Read our wonderful previous winning entries by clicking here.

Read inspiring comments from our community about the life changing impact of the Prize here.
How To Enter

• We are seeking entries between 0 – 5000 words.
• The Prize is open to anyone, from anywhere in the world.
• There are no restrictions: all nonfiction entries welcome.
• It costs $20 USD to enter one submission, $35 to enter two (save $5), and $45 to enter three (save $15).
• Please include a short biography (suitable for publication) of less than 200 words in the Cover Letter section.
• Include a synopsis or abstract of less than 300 words which clearly summarises the content of your submission including your conclusion (don’t leave any surprises please).
• Ensure the file name of your document is only the title of your entry. Do not include your name inside your entry document or in the file name as the Prize is judged blind.
• You may enter as many times as you wish.
• No AI generated content please.
• The judges will be Ol James and Kita Das.
• Format: Submit entry (or entries) in a single document, written in English. The entry must be original work. No translations please.
• Your entry must be entirely original, unpublished, and free from any claims by other parties. No ‘retellings’ or contemporizations. You must be the sole author of the work.
• Entrants will receive automatic confirmation via email after entry.
• Simultaneous submissions are allowed. If selected for the Longlist you will have 72 hours in which to confirm your entry remains unpublished (we will contact you).
• You may submit work that has been awarded elsewhere, as long as no part of it has been published.
• If you decide to publish your entry elsewhere, please withdraw from our Prize.
• Terms and Conditions.
• Prize entry fees may be tax deductible (speak to your accountant).
• The Letter Review Prize offers monetary awards to the winners, and also enhances their public profile, increasing the odds of further publication, and lifting careers to new zeniths. The Letter Review Prize is a career-launching laurel.
• Enter via Submittable using the form below. No entries via post please. Click here for a guide to using Submittable.