Book Prize Guidelines
Submissions to the book prize will reopen on January 15, 2026.
Prizes
Winners will receive $3000 and publication through the University of Nebraska Press.
Eligibility
The Prairie Schooner Raz/Shumaker Book Prize Series welcomes manuscripts from all living writers, including non-US citizens, writing in English. Both unpublished and published writers are welcome to submit manuscripts. However, we will not consider manuscripts that have previously been published anywhere in the world, which includes self-publication. Writers may enter both contests. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but we ask that you notify us immediately if your manuscript is accepted for publication somewhere else. No past or present paid employee of Prairie Schooner or the University of Nebraska Press or current faculty or student at the University of Nebraska will be eligible for the prizes.
When to Send
Manuscripts are accepted annually between January 15 and March 15.
Manuscript
We prefer that fiction manuscripts be at least 150 pages long and poetry manuscripts at least 50 pages long. Novels are not considered; we will consider manuscripts comprised either entirely of short stories or one novella along with short stories (please do not send a single novella or a collection of novellas). Manuscripts may contain stories or poems that have been published in journals or in chapbook form; however, if the full-length manuscript includes work from a previously published chapbook, the majority of the manuscript must be additional work not appearing in the chapbook. Prairie Schooner accepts electronic submissions as well as hard copy submissions. Please see below for further formatting guidelines and the link to submit electronically.
The author’s name should not appear anywhere on the manuscript. Acknowledgments of previous publications should not be included. All entries will be read anonymously. No application forms are necessary. Click here to submit via Submittable.
Hard Copy Submissions
The author’s name should not appear on the manuscript. Acknowledgments of previous publications should not be included. All entries will be read anonymously. Please include two cover pages: one listing only the title of the manuscript, and the other listing the author’s name, address, telephone number, and email address. No application forms are necessary.
For hard copy submissions, photocopies are acceptable. Please do not bind manuscripts with anything other than a binder clip or rubber band. Please include a self-addressed postage-paid postcard for confirmation of manuscript receipt. Please use a standard postcard—small index cards will not be accepted by the U.S. Postal Service. A stamped, self-addressed business size envelope must accompany the submission for notification of results. No manuscripts will be returned. All manuscripts that do not win will be recycled.
Entry Fee
A $25 processing fee must accompany each submission, payable to Prairie Schooner.
Notification
Results will be emailed or mailed and winners will be announced on this website on or before August 15 of each year.
Address
Prairie Schooner Prize Series
Attn: Fiction or Poetry
110 Andrews Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-0334
Please send any questions to PSBookPrize@unl.edu.
For information on submitting to the journal, please see our submission guidelines.
CONTEST CODE OF ETHICS
Prairie Schooner, as a member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, subscribes to this code of ethics for our annual book series competition: CLMP’s community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree to 1) conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors; 2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines—defining conflict of interest for all parties involved; and 3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage.
Manuscript Selection Process
The contest is administered by our Book Prize Coordinator, who manages all submissions to assure anonymity before assigning the material to a staff of preliminary readers (who are writers themselves) in each genre. (Readers must return to the coordinator any manuscripts recognizable to them, and those are then reassigned.) Each preliminary reader selects three manuscripts for the next level of consideration, which the Book Prize Coordinator then assigns to senior readers. A final list of approximately five manuscripts in each genre is submitted to committees in poetry and prose, and the committee members then rank the submissions and provide commentary for series editor Timothy Schaffert, who then makes final decisions about the poetry and fiction winners based on notes from all preliminary, senior, and guest readers.