Submitting for the Literary Awards

When are the award winners announced?
The winners will be announced in September.

When can I enter the literary awards?
The Call for Submissions form will be posted to the website in late August.

Can I enter the literary awards if my book is self-published or print-on-demand?
No. Only professionally published books (ie. when an author receives payment from a recognized publisher) are considered eligible. Companies such as Publish America, Author’s Choice, Lulu.com, Book Surge, etc. are considered to be print-on-demand and are ineligible.

I live west of the Mississippi, but I’m not a U.S. citizen. Can I enter the awards?
Yes. The awards are open to works published or produced by writers who live in the United States west of the Mississippi River, including all of Minnesota and Louisiana.

I am a US citizen and I live in British Columbia, Canada. It’s west of the Mississippi River. Can I enter the awards?
No. Only writers who live in the United States may enter the literary awards.

I lived west of the Mississippi River while I was researching and writing the book but I moved before I decided to enter the awards. Am I still eligible?
No. Your current address must be west of the Mississippi when you enter the awards.  

Can I enter more than one title per year?
Yes. Provided each book or work you are submitting was published in the calendar year we are soliciting for, you may enter as many different titles as you see fit.  

Do I have to be a member of PEN Center USA to enter the literary awards?
No. The only requirement is that your book or work is published in the calendar year for which we are soliciting and that you reside West of the Mississippi River.

Can I submit my own book, or does my publisher have to?
Works may be submitted by the authors, their publishers, agents, or publicists, provided we receive four copies of each book, a check, and a submission form.

What methods of payment do you accept for submissions?
We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, checks and money orders.

I wrote my play 10 years ago but it was not produced until this year. Am I eligible?
Yes. The only eligibility requirement for performance categories (ie. Drama, Teleplay and Screenplay) is that they were originally performed or produced in the calendar year we are soliciting for.

I wrote a children’s book and I live east of the Mississippi, but my illustrator lives west of it. Is our book eligible?
No. Unfortunately, the author must reside west of the Mississippi because this is a literary competition.

I co-authored a book, and one of us lives west of the Mississippi while one of us lives east. Is our book eligible?
Yes. However, if a book is co-authored by three people, two of the three must reside west of the Mississippi.

I can’t decide which category my work falls under. Can PEN USA choose for me, or can I select multiple categories?
No. Before submitting, you must decide which category you wish your work to be judged as. There is no multiple category consideration.

Are anthologies eligible?
No. Only works of the same genre by one author are considered eligible. Example: a collection of short stories by one author IS eligible, while a collection of multiple authors’ poetry from one year is NOT.
 

Attending the Literary Awards Festival

When is the Literary Awards Festival (LitFest)?
LitFest is usually held sometime in early to mid-November. A press release with the exact date and time is released in summer along with the winners.

Can anyone attend LitFest?
Absolutely. Everyone is welcome to purchase a ticket.

I am a published author. Do I receive a discount?
Only authors who are Full Members of PEN Center USA before purchasing their ticket can receive a discount.

How do I purchase a ticket to LitFest?
Please contact PEN USA at (424) 258-1180 
or awards@penusa.org.

I would like to purchase ad space in the Tribute Book. Who do I contact?
Again, please contact PEN USA at (424) 258-1180 
or awards@penusa.org.