English Department Writing Contests

The following writing contests, sponsored by the Department of English, are open to both undergraduates and graduates:

  • The Nancy Potter Short Story Contest – Undergraduate
  • The Nancy Potter Poetry Contest – Undergraduate
  • The Creative Non-Fiction Contest – Undergraduate
  • The Critical Essay Contest – Undergraduate and Graduate
  • The Graduate Creative Writing Contest – Graduate

Submission

The same piece may not be submitted to more than one of these contests or to any other contest at the University of Rhode Island, including the Rumowicz Maritime Essay Contest.

By Creative Non-Fiction, also called Literary Non-Fiction, we mean literary memoir; literary journalism; essay; autocriticism; or, multi-genre non-fiction. If you are unsure whether your non-fiction falls under this rubric, consult, for example, the literary journals Fourth Genre; Creative Nonfiction, and Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction.)

Format

  • Up to 5 pages of poetry, 3-12 pages of fiction or creative non-fiction, or a 5-20 page critical essay. Graduate Creative Writing Contest can be up to 20 pages with any combination of genres that submitter wishes to provide
  • Double-spaced, standard margins, standard typeface (poems may be single-spaced)
  • Name on the cover page only (for anonymous judging)
  • Story title, creative non-fiction title, or critical essay title on the cover page and first page
  • Poem titles should also be listed individually on the cover page
  • Submissions should be in PDF format

Cover Page

  • Title of contest you are entering
  • Undergraduate or graduate status
  • Story title, essay titles, or poem titles
  • Title or number of the course for which submission was written or state “submission not written for a course”
  • Student name
  • Home address & campus address (if applicable)
  • Phone number(s), email address

Submit one PDF file with title page followed by the story, essay, or poems to mdejoseph@uri.edu. The deadline for contest submissions is Monday, April 3, 2023 at 4:30 pm. For questions, please contact 401-874-5931.