A $12,000 advance and publication by Graywolf in 2010 will be awarded to the best previously unpublished, full-length work of literary nonfiction by a writer not yet established in the genre. Robert Polito will serve as the judge.

“This prize seeks to acknowledge – and honor – the great traditions of literary nonfiction, extending from Robert Burton and Thomas Browne in the seventeenth century through Defoe and Strachey and on to James Baldwin, Joan Didion, and Jamaica Kincaid in our own time,” says Robert Polito.

In looking for the winner, Polito goes on to say, “We seek the boldest and most innovative books from emerging nonfiction writers, although we define ‘emerging’ (no more than two published books) as lightly and flexibly as we define literary nonfiction. Whether grounded in observation, autobiography, or research, much of the most beautiful, daring, and original writing over the past few decades can be categorized as nonfiction. Submissions to the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize might span memoir, biography, or history – but it’s essential that they be finished books (no miscellaneous essay collections, sample chapters, or proposals).”

Eligibility: We welcome submissions from previously unpublished writers. Any writer who has published no more than two books of literary nonfiction (this excludes academic work and books in other genres) and resides in the United States is eligible. Collections of miscellaneous essays/prose are not eligible for the prize. We will consider one submission per person. Manuscripts submitted for previous years' prizes will not be reconsidered unless resubmission has been specifically invited by Graywolf’s editors or the judge.

Timeline: Submissions must arrive in the Graywolf offices between September 1-October 1, 2008. Please note that this is not a postmark deadline. The winner will be announced in early 2009 and published in 2010.

Procedure: Please send one hard copy of the finished, book-length manuscript, along with a one-page cover letter containing contact information, a brief description of the manuscript (2-4 sentences), and previous publication history to Graywolf Press, attention Nonfiction Prize. Manuscripts should contain approximately 175-400 pages of text, in a standard 12-point font, double-spaced, and printed on one side of the page only. Please use only a rubber band or binder clip to bind your manuscript. We will not consider manuscripts submitted by email or on disk. Please do not submit manuscripts or queries to the judge.

Requested Submissions: The judge and Graywolf's editors may request submissions from authors and agents.

Notification: The winner will be notified directly. Please check www.graywolfpress.org for announcement of the winner; this is the first place that the information will be posted. If you would like to be notified that your manuscript has been received, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard; for announcement of the winner, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped #10 (business-sized) envelope. We cannot answer any queries about the status of manuscripts or announcement of the prize. Manuscripts will not be returned.

All decisions are final, and the judge cannot comment on individual submissions.

2008 Winner: Notes from No Man's Land by Eula Biss
2007 Winner: Black Glasses Like Clark Kent by Terese Svoboda
2006 Winner: Neck Deep and Other Predicaments by Ander Monson
2005 Winner: Frantic Transmissions to and from Los Angeles by Kate Braverman

The Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize is funded in part by endowed gifts from the Arsham Ohanessian Charitable Remainder Unitrust and the Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation.

Updated 2/22/2008