Writing Competition for BIPOC Writers: Kinsman Quarterly's Iridescence Award

Submissions are open for short stories and poetry by BIPOC authors for Kinsman Quarterly’s Iridescence Award. Themes should include the supernatural, extraterrestrial, or the paranormal. Prizes include publication in the Iridescence anthology with cash awards up to $500 USD.

No fee required. Deadline is December 31st.

Those eligible must submit an original, unpublished work in English. Genres include, but are not limited to, fantasy, folk mythology, science fiction, and the paranormal. Winning submissions will also be featured in the Kinsman Quarterly, its social media sites, and printed promotions. Copyrights of the individual submissions remain with the authors and artists. However, copyrights for the anthology as a collection are reserved to Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc.

Those Eligible

• individuals 18 years or older

• literary or visual artists of the Black, Indigenous, or People of Color Community

• must be able to receive cash prizes through Paypal or honorary finalist prizes through Amazon gift cards.
  

• must allow winning submission to be published in the Kinsman Quarterly, in promotional announcements, and social media outlets

Contest Guidelines

Each entry should be an original, unpublished work by the submitting author, which does not infringe upon the copyrights of another individual or entity. Works published solely on the blog or social media outlets of the submitting author are eligible.

Submissions must be received by December 31st at 11:59 p.m. EST.  

Submissions should feature themes of the supernatural, extraterrestrial, or the paranormal, preferably by authors of the BIPOC community.

Participants may enter more than one submission.

Changes to the competition entry cannot be made once a work is submitted. However, a revised version may be uploaded and indicated as such in the file name.

Genre Guidelines:

• short stories (1000-5000)

• flash fiction (up to 1000 words)

• poetry (1 to 5 poems)

Formatting Guidelines

• All text entries must be in Times New Roman, font size 12, double-spaced.

• Be sure to remove all track changes from edited text.

• Entries that do not adhere to guidelines, unfortunately, will not be considered.

Available Prizes

First Place = $500 cash prize and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and Iridescence

Second Place = $250 cash prize and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and Iridescence

Third Place = $100 cash prize and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and Iridescence

6 Finalists receive $25 gift card and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and Iridescence

6 honorable mentions will receive publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and Iridescence

Note that prizes will be received within 30 days of announcements and are non-transferable. Kinsman Quarterly reserves the right to extend competition deadline and announcement dates up to 45 days.

Submission form here.