Spring Contests Open for Submissions

Passages North is pleased to announce the opening of our 2015 contests; The Thomas J. Hrushka Memorial Nonfiction Prize and The Elinor Benedict Poetry Prize. Both contest run from February 15 through April 20 and require a $15.00 submission fee. All contest entrants will receive a complimentary copy of the contest issue, Passages North #37. First place winners in each contest will be awarded $1000 and publication in Passages North. One or more honorable mentions may also be selected for publication.

The Thomas J. Hrushka Memorial Nonfiction Prize will be judged by Steven Church, author of four books, including The Guiness Book of Me: A Memoir of Record, winner of the Colorado Book Award in Creative Nonfiction. His work has been nominated for nine Pushcart awards and was included in Best American Essays in 2011. He is the Nonfiction Editor of the literary journal The Normal School and teaches in the MFA Program at Fresno State.

We encourage nonfiction submissions without constraints on content or form. Send your best creative nonfiction our way: lyric essays, personal essays, memoir, literary journalism, or hybrid work. Submissions must be under 7500 words.

The Elinor Benedict Poetry Prize will be judged by Lynn Emanuel, author of five poetry collections, including Then, Suddenly. Lynn Emanuel has been the recipient of two NEA grants and winner of the Eric Mattheiu King Award from the Academy of American Poets. She teaches at the University of Pittsburgh.

We will consider all forms of poetry for the Elinor Benedict Poetry Prize, including lyric, experimental, and formal work. Up to three poems may be submitted in one document, but please do not send any individual poems longer than three pages.

Submit online or send paper manuscripts to Passages North, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Ave., Marquette, MI 49855. Please indicate the contest name on the envelope, and make checks payable to “Northern Michigan University.” Contact passages@nmu.edu with any questions.

We look forward to reading your best work!