Submissions
Our editors are looking for high quality literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that combine a distinct voice with a distinct vision. Our editors seek out and solicit promising work from authors that they encounter in the pages of magazines, at writing conferences, and in other venues.
Please note that we do not accept unsolicited submissions outside of open periods and contests.
Submission Guidelines
Poetry
Graywolf Press partners with the Academy of American Poets, Cave Canem, and the Poetry Foundation to publish and promote the work of new and emerging writers.
Walt Whitman Award
The Walt Whitman Award is a $5,000 first book publication prize given to an American poet. In addition to publication and promotion by Graywolf Press, the winner receives an all-expenses-paid six-week residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Umbria, Italy, and a trip to New York City to attend the American Poets Prizes ceremony. The Academy of American Poets purchases copies of the winning book to distribute to thousands of its members. For more information please visit the Academy of American Poets website. Submissions are accepted between September 1 and November 1 of each year.
Cave Canem Poetry Prize
Graywolf Press is one of the publishers of the Cave Canem Poetry Prize, a first book award dedicated to the discovery of exceptional manuscripts by African American poets. Graywolf publishes every third winner of the prize. More information is available on the Cave Canem website.
Emily Dickinson First Book Award
The Emily Dickinson First Book Award is an occasional award given by the Poetry Foundation that recognizes an American poet over the age of forty who has yet to publish a first book. In addition to publication and promotion of the manuscript by Graywolf Press, the winner will receive a prize of $10,000.
Nonfiction
Agents may submit nonfiction submissions to the appropriate editor for consideration. Graywolf accepts submissions for the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize every other year. The January 2018 submission period is now closed.
We will provide upcoming dates for the next Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize as soon as they are available.
Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint was the winner of the 2018 prize for Zat Lun, forthcoming. Previous winners include Esmé Weijun Wang for The Collected Schizophrenias, Leslie Jamison for The Empathy Exams, Kevin Young for The Grey Album, and Eula Biss for Notes from No Man’s Land.
Fiction
Agents may submit fiction submissions to the appropriate editor for consideration.
The 2019 open submissions period for the Graywolf Press Africa Prize will be from May 1 to May 31. Graywolf accepts submissions for the Graywolf Press Africa Prize every other year.
The Graywolf Press Africa Prize will be awarded for a first novel manuscript by an African author primarily residing in Africa, and will again be judged by A. Igoni Barrett, author of the acclaimed novel Blackass, in conjunction with the Graywolf editors. Submissions must be full-length, previously unpublished novel manuscripts, either originally written in English or a complete English translation.
Graywolf Press is always looking for work that is distinctive, artistically singular, and of a high literary quality. For this prize, the Graywolf editors are seeking novels that are engaged with the current moment and that approach contemporary issues with innovative prose and fresh perspectives.
The winning manuscript will receive a $12,000 advance and publication by Graywolf Press, which will include a dedicated effort to making the book available in major markets in African countries. The winning manuscript will also be published in Italy by 66thand2nd, in partnership with Graywolf Press.
We will be accepting submissions through our page on the website Submittable.com. For instructions on using Submittable click here, and if you have questions or difficulty using the site, please email africaprize@graywolfpress.org for assistance.
The Craft of Writing
This collection of pieces on the craft of writing are contributed by Graywolf authors and staff members.