Call for Creative Writing Submissions: Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Awar

Call for Creative Writing Submissions: Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award

The Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award celebrates an author whose work embodies the lyrically powerful and historically engaged nature of Dr. Alexander’s writing. We aim for this award to highlight different forms of knowledge production that emerge from the artistic, political, and cultural advocacy undertaken by women of color nationally, transnationally, and globally.

Each year Meridians award two winners: one in Poetry and one in Prose. Each winner will have the opportunity to spend a week-long residency at Meridians at Smith College the following Fall or Spring.

Deadline

Deadline: December 31, 2025

The award is open to all genres, including poetry, fiction, play scripts, and non-fiction. All submissions will be judged anonymously; please do not include any identifying information or contact information in your manuscript.

Works engaging with feminism, race, and transnationalism will be prioritized. Translated works and manuscripts in languages other than English are encouraged as well.

We only accept previously unpublished work for publication. We only accept one submission for entry to the EACWA contest. Simultaneous submissions will not be considered.

POETRY
Manuscripts of 3-5 poems should be typed and formatted according to genre conventions. Please include all poems in one document.

FICTION AND NON-FICTION
Prose and non-fiction manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, and no longer than 7,000 words.

PLAY SCRIPTS
Play scripts should be typed, Times New Roman font, and no more than 5,000 words.

Submission Guidelines

All submissions for the award must be sent through our Google Form.
E-mailed and/or mailed hard copy submissions for the award will NOT be considered.

More Information

More information about this award can be found here.