Poetry & Nonfiction Contest Judges Announced!

Passages North’s poetry and creative nonfiction contests will open for submissions on February 15, 2021, and close on April 15, 2021. We’re pleased to announce this year’s guest judges!

Ray Ventre Memorial Nonfiction Prize

We invite creative nonfiction submissions without constraints on content or form. Send your best essays our way: lyric essays, personal essays, memoir, literary journalism, or hybrid work (up to 10,000 words.)

This year’s guest nonfiction judge is Natalie Lima. Lima is a Cuban-Puerto Rican writer and a graduate of the MFA program in creative nonfiction at the University of Arizona. Her essays and fiction have been published or are forthcoming in Longreads, Guernica, Brevity, The Offing, Catapult, and elsewhere. She has received fellowships from PEN America Emerging Voices, Tin House, the VONA/Voices Workshop, the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, and a residency from Hedgebrook. You can find Natalie on IG and Twitter @natalielima09.

Elinor Benedict Poetry Prize

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.

This year’s guest poetry judge is Kevin Latimer. Latimer is a poet and playwright from Cleveland, Ohio. He is the co-director of Grieveland, a poetry project. His recent poems can be found in jubilat, Passages North, Hobart, Poetry Northwest, Storm Cellar, & elsewhere. His plays have been produced by convergence-continuum. He is the author of ZOETROPE. Find him at squeezegently.com.

Info for Both Contests

One winner in each contest receives a $1000 first prize publication in Passages North. One or more honorable mentions my also be selected and published. Please leave your name and other identifying information off your manuscript.

Entry fee is $15. We are unable to refund entry fees if submissions are withdrawn. All entrants receive a copy of the contest issue. Students of Northern Michigan University and close friends of the Passages North staff are not eligible.

Between February 15 and April 15, submit your entries on our submittable page. While we prefer electronic submissions, you may also snail-mail your work to Passages North, 1401 Presque Isle Ave., Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI 49855. Makes checks ($15 per submission) payable to “Northern Michigan University.”

We look forward to reading your work!