Women’s Prose Prize


Established in 2018, the Women’s Prose Prize is for previously unpublished, original work of prose. Novels, short story collections, memoirs, essay collections, and all other forms of prose writing are eligible for consideration. The awarded manuscript is selected through an annual competition which is open to all writers who identify as women.

Award details

$1000
Book publication by Red Hen Press
Final Judge: Laila Halaby
Deadline: February 28, 2024

Note: Entry fee is $25.00. 25,000-word minimum (approximately 150 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12pt font) to 80,000-word maximum. Entries will be accepted via Submittable only.

Submissions are currently open for this award.

Guidelines

The award is open to all women writers with the following exceptions:

  • Authors who have had a full-length work published by Red Hen Press, or a full-length work currently under consideration by Red Hen Press
  • Employees, interns, or contractors of Red Hen Press
  • Relatives of employees or members of the executive board of directors
  • Relatives or individuals having a personal or professional relationship with any of the final judges where they have taken any part whatsoever in shaping the manuscript, or where, for whatever reason, selecting a particular manuscript might have the appearance of impropriety

Procedures and Ethical Considerations

To be certain that every manuscript finalist receives the fairest evaluation, all manuscripts shall be submitted to the judges without any identifying material.

Bios, acknowledgments, and other identifying material shall be removed from judged manuscripts until the conclusion of the competition.

Red Hen Press is committed to maintaining the utmost integrity of our awards. Judges shall recuse themselves from considering any manuscript where they recognize the work. In the event of recusal, a manuscript score previously assigned by the managing editor of the press will be substituted.

For questions or to withdraw a submitted entry, please contact editorial@redhen.org.

Recent Winners