2026 Autumn House Press Fiction Prize

For the 2026 prize, the Autumn House staff as well as select outsider readers, serve as the preliminary readers, and the final judge is Amber Sparks. The winner receives publication of their full-length manuscript and $2,500. The submission period opens on January 1, 2026, and closes on February 28, 2026 (Eastern Time). We will announce the finalists and the winner in June 2026. 

Guidelines for the Autumn House Fiction Prize

• The winner will receive book publication, a $1,000 honorarium, and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant to promote their book
• All finalists will be considered for publication
• Fiction submissions should be approximately 150-300 double-spaced pages (37,500- 75,000 words)
• The reading fee is $35 (We will waive the submission fee for those undergoing financial hardship or living with limited means. Before you reach out to request a waived fee, please read our full statement and instructions here. If the guidelines are not followed, we will not be able to offer a waived fee.
• All fiction sub-genres (short stories, short-shorts, novellas, or novels) or any combination of sub-genres are eligible. Autumn House does not publish genre fiction; however, this certainly doesn’t mean your book can’t have elements of mystery, fantasy, romance, etc. We also do not publish YA or children’s lit.
• The book must be previously unpublished as a whole. However, individual pieces may have been published in journals, magazines, or anthologies.
• We only accept original manuscripts; AI-generated or AI-supported works are not accepted.
• Do not include your name anywhere on the actual manuscript
• Do not include a bio or an acknowledgments page in the manuscript
• Feel free to include a table of contents (This does not count as part of your final page count)
• Simultaneous submissions permitted
• Friends, family members, and former students of judges or Autumn House editors may not submit to the prize. Students do not include interactions at short-term residencies or fellowships.
• Former employees of Autumn House, including interns, may not submit to the prize.

If you have any questions, please check our FAQ page.