Deadline: 25-Nov-2025
Entries are now open for the Pen America Literary Awards to honor 12 debut authors annually, celebrating their first short stories published in literary magazines, journals, or cultural websites.
The winning writers each receive a $2,000 cash prize and will be published by Catapult in their annual anthology.
To be considered for the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers, stories must be submitted by editors of literary magazines, journals, or cultural websites and must be published in the English language. Publications may be based or distributed anywhere in the world, provided the story was originally written and published in English. Authors are not allowed to submit their own work. Eligible publications include literary magazines, journals, or cultural websites that are published on a recurring schedule, and stories must have been published or be forthcoming in the applicable calendar year.
Editors may only submit a writer’s debut short story, defined as the author’s absolute first fiction publication in any language that has undergone editorial review and been accepted by a literary outlet with which the author has no academic or professional affiliation. Translations are not eligible, and authors who have published one or more books through an editorial review process are excluded.
Each editor may submit up to four eligible stories per award year, with each story not exceeding 12,000 words. Submitted story files must not include the journal name or any identifying information about the author. Both the editor and the debut author must agree to and sign the award’s declaration of eligibility. The 12 winning stories are selected by a committee of three judges who are well-respected experts in the art of the short story.
The deadline for applications is 25 November 2025.
For more information, visit PEN America.
