2011 Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes

Overview and Current Guidelines

2011 Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes
The Bread Loaf Writers' Conference of Middlebury College sponsors the Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes, an annual book series competition for new authors of literary works in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The Bakeless Prizes, named for Middlebury College supporter Katharine Bakeless Nason, were established in order to support emerging writers. Winners of the Bakeless Prizes will have their book-length manuscripts published by Graywolf Press. In addition to the publication prize each winner will be awarded a fellowship to attend the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. Initial screening of manuscripts is done by qualified published writers selected by the director of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference in consultation with the judge and by the editors of Graywolf Press.  The final decision, however, rests solely with the judge.  Additionally, the judge reserves the right not to choose a winner in a given year if he or she feels there is not a manuscript ready for publication.
Judges for the year 2011 Prizes
Stacey D'Erasmo, fiction; Lynn Freed, creative nonfiction; Carl Phillips, poetry.

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Rules of Eligibility

The Bakeless Prizes require that poetry manuscripts contain at least 50 pages of text; fiction, which includes novels and short-fiction collections, 150-450; creative nonfiction, 150-300.
The competition welcomes manuscripts from all authors, including non-US citizens, writing in English who have not yet published a book in their entry's genre. Scholarly, critical, and historical works will not be considered in the creative nonfiction category, as well as self-help books or cookbooks. Neither juvenile nor young adult fiction, nor purely genre fiction (such as romance, crime or science fiction) will be considered in the fiction or poetry categories.  Manuscripts may contain stories, poems, chapters, and essays that have already been published individually in magazines, anthologies, and periodicals, but the manuscript itself cannot have been published previously as a whole, commercially or privately. Multiple submissions of manuscripts are allowed but contestants are asked to notify the contest coordinator immediately if a manuscript has been accepted for publication elsewhere.

Winners' Obligations and Compensation

Accepting the award requires publication of the winning manuscripts by Graywolf Press.  Authors will work with Graywolf Press editors to develop the manuscripts to ensure that they are of the highest, publishable quality.  Whenever the Publisher finds a legal read to be advisable, the publication of the manuscript will be pending on the legal read.  Authors will be offered Graywolf's standard contract for Bakeless Books which includes a non-negotiable first option on the author's next work, with matching privileges if the author seeks an advance from another publisher.

Guidelines for Manuscripts

Please observe the following standards when submitting manuscripts:

Typed and double-spaced pages on letter-size (8 1/2 x 11) paper

Please do not bind manuscripts; a rubber band or binder clip is preferred

Poetry manuscripts may be single-spaced

Good-quality photocopied or letter-quality printed manuscripts are acceptable.

Include 2 cover pages: one containing the author's name, address, Phone number, manuscript title, and genre, the other containing only title and genre.

The author's name must not appear on any page of the manuscript, except for memoir.

Do not include an author's note or biographical information.

Do not include a publication acknowledgments page.

Revisions and additions will not be accepted once manuscripts have been received. The above guidelines will help to insure efficient handling of the manuscripts as well as the process of judging them anonymously. In the case of a manuscript not conforming with the above guidelines, the manuscript becomes ineligible for consideration and the entry fee will be returned.

Requirements for Submission

Send one copy of each submission.

Include: a $10 processing fee for each submission, payable to Middlebury College;

a self-addressed postage-paid postcard for confirmation of manuscript receipt;

An SASE for receiving announcement of the judges' decisions (optional).

Manuscripts, even if accompanied by an SASE, cannot be returned.

Dates for Submission and Notification

Manuscript submissions accepted September 15 to November 1, 2010.
Manuscripts received with postmarks after November 1 cannot be considered.
Winners announced in May, 2011.

Please send manuscripts to

Ms. Jennifer Bates, contest coordinator
The Bakeless Contest
c/o Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
Middlebury College
Middlebury VT 05753
E-mail: bakelessprize(at)middlebury.edu (Replace (at) with @ )
Phone: 802 443-2018