The 2024 Prairie Schooner Raz-Shumaker Book Prize Contest opens to submissions on January 15, 2024, and will remain open until March 15, 2024.

Prizes

Winners will receive $3000 and publication through the University of Nebraska Press.

Eligibility

The Prairie Schooner Raz-Shumaker Book Prize Series welcomes manuscripts from all living writers, including non-US citizens, writing in English. Both unpublished and published writers are welcome to submit manuscripts. We will not consider manuscripts that have previously been published, which includes self-publication.  Manuscripts may contain stories or poems that have been published in journals or in chapbook form; however, if the full-length manuscript includes work from a previously published chapbook, the majority of the manuscript must be additional work not appearing in the chapbook.  Writers may enter both contests. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but we ask that you notify us immediately if your manuscript is accepted for publication somewhere else. 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.

Fees

A $25.00 reading fee must accompany each submission. Submittable supports multiple currency options. Multiple submissions are welcome, with separate fees.

For more guidelines, please select your genre category below.

You may also visit our website here: http://prairieschooner.unl.edu/book-prize for more info.

For additional questions not answered within the guidelines, e-mail Nicole Lachat, Book Prize Coordinator, at psbookprize@unl.edu. Please note we may not be able to respond to questions already addressed within the guidelines.

Contest Code of Ethics

Prairie Schooner, as a member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, subscribes to this code of ethics for our annual book series competition: CLMP's community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree 1) to conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors; 2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines—defining conflict of interest for all parties involved; and 3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage.