As of December 2020, still 95% of books published traditionally were by white authors. That is a pretty shocking statistic to hear in 2021 but the truth is that unless a publishing house has BIPOC people on staff, chances are they aren’t even glancing at authors who are people of color. Isn’t that shocking?! Isn’t it a little sad? Think of all the amazing stories that won’t get the media they deserve simply because of the innate prejudice within the publishing industry.
And it is that fact that leads many BIPOC to seek out other methods of publication such as self-publishing or using a BIPOC-focused indie press. For the lucky few, some of these novels and books go on to be bestsellers or win awards but that is not always the case. And truth be told, more BIPOC stories need to be shared. And BIPOC, especially BIPOC women deserve to make money for their efforts. Writing a book is no easy feat!
Here are a few writing competitions to enter or share with the writer in your life!
Fordham University Poetic Justice Institute Prizes:
2 prizes of $1,000 each for poetry collections! Entry fee of $28. Submissions are online only at poetic-justice.org! Deadline: October 15th.
Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award:
1 prize of $1,500 and publication on both the website and in the print anthology. This is a biannual competition. Word count of 1,500-10,000 with a $20 entry fee. Deadline: September 30th.
Academy of American Poets First Book Award:
1 prize of $5,000! Along with a 6 week residency as well as distribution of 5,000 copies of your book! Entry fee? $35. Deadline: November 1st. Books are required to be from 48-100 pages in length.
Boulevard Nonfiction Contest For Emerging Writers:
1 prize of $1,000 and print publication. Author must not have a published full-length book in any genre with a nationally distributed press! Essays can be up to 8,000 words. Entry fee? $16. Deadline: September 30th.
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Written By: Chyina Powell
Women of Color Writers Circle 