The Prairie Schooner Prize Series is an annual book series competition publishing one book-length collection of short fiction and one book-length collection of poetry each year through the University of Nebraska Press. Award winning manuscripts will be published by the University of Nebraska Press under the Press’s standard contract. Winning authors will receive $3000 (including a $500 advance from UNP). The 2003 winners of this contest were K. L. Cook and Cortney Davis.

Guidelines:

Eligibility:

The Prairie Schooner Prize Series welcomes manuscripts from all writers, including non-US citizens writing in English. Both unpublished and published writers are welcome to submit manuscripts. Writers may enter both contests. No past or present paid employee of Prairie Schooner or the University of Nebraska Press or current faculty or student at the University of Nebraska will be eligible for the prizes.

Manuscript:

Fiction manuscripts should be at least 150 pages long, and poetry manuscripts at least 60 pages long. Stories and poems previously published in periodicals are eligible for inclusion. Novels are not considered; one novella along with stories will be considered (please don't send single novellas or a collection of novellas).

Xeroxed copies are acceptable. Please do not bind manuscripts with anything other than a binder clip or rubber band. The author’s name should not appear on the manuscript. All entries will be read anonymously.

Please send two cover pages: one listing only the title of the manuscript, and the other listing the author’s name, address, telephone number, and email address.

An acknowledgements page may be included, if desired.

No application forms are necessary.

Entry Fee:

A $25 processing fee must accompany each submission, payable to Prairie Schooner.

Notification:

Please include a self-addressed postage-paid postcard for confirmation of manuscript receipt. Please use a standard postcard -- small index cards will not be accepted by the post-office.

A stamped, self-addressed business size envelope must accompany the submission for notification of results.

No manuscripts will be returned. All non-winning manuscripts will be recycled.

Address and Deadlines:

Manuscripts should be mailed with a postmark between January 15th and March 15th, 2004 to:

Prairie Schooner Prize Series
Attn: Fiction or Poetry
201 Andrews Hall
PO Box 880334
Lincoln NE 68588-0334

Any questions, please send an email to psbookseries2@unl.edu.

For information on submitting to the magazine, please see our submission guidelines.