Writing Competition and Writer's Seminar: Key West Literary Seminar

Key West Literary Seminar

Three Emerging Writer Awards are presented each year. 

The Marianne Russo Award, the Scotti Merrill Memorial Award, and the Cecelia Joyce Johnson Award recognize and support writers who possess exceptional talent and demonstrate potential for lasting literary careers. 

Each award is tailored to a particular literary form. The Merrill Award recognizes a poet, while fiction writers may apply for either the Johnson Award (for a short story) or the Russo Award (for a novel-in-progress). 

Winners receive full tuition support for our January Seminar and Workshop Program*, round-trip airfare, lodging, a $500 honorarium, and the opportunity to appear on stage during the Seminar. Runners-up for each award will also be offered financial assistance packages.

Please review the criteria, complete the application form, and upload the required documents via Submittable.

*Winners will be able to attend the Workshop of their choice, even if it is currently full.

Deadline:

Applications must be received by June 30, 2017 (not later than 11:59 pm EDT). Award winners will be notified by November 1.  

Eligibility:

Poets and writers of any age who live in the United States and have not yet published a book with a major publisher are eligible to apply. If you have published a book with a small press that has a print run of 500 or so copies, you are still eligible. We reserve the right to make final decisions regarding eligibility.

We will accept only one Emerging Writer Award application per person.