The 2025 International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition

Small presses have potential for significant impact, and at Vine Leaves Press, we take this responsibility quite seriously. It is our responsibility to give marginalized groups the opportunity to establish literary legacies that feel rich and vast. Why? To sustain hope for the world to become a more loving, tolerable, and open space. It always begins with art. That is why we have launched this writing competition. We would love for you to enter your manuscript to The 2025 International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition.

• The competition is open to writers worldwide.
• Submissions must be in English and unpublished (that includes self-published).
• We welcome submissions from marginalized voices including, but not limited to:
  • Age
  • BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)
  • Body positivity
  • Chronic illness
  • LatinX
  • LGBTQ+
  • Neurodivergent
  • People living with disabilities (intellectual and physical)
  • People living with HIV
  • People with a history of incarceration
  • Sex workers
  • Undocumented people
  • Unhoused people
  • Women

• If the manuscript is narrative in nature (i.e. a memoir) then the length should be between 50,000 – 80,000 words.
• If the manuscript is experimental in nature (i.e. not straight prose, could be vignettes, poetry, or a mix), it should be at least 100 pages long.
• Submissions must be in a standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial) and size (12pt), double-spaced.
• Include the title of your manuscript at the beginning.

For detailed submission guidelines and the submission link, please visit our website.