Writing Competition: The Gregory Djanikian and Veasna So Scholarships

The Gregory Djanikian & Anthony Veasna So Scholarships

Gregory Djanikian Scholars in Poetry

Gregory Djanikian was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and came to the United States when he was eight years old. He has published seven poetry collections, the latest of which is Sojourners of the In-Between (CMU Press). His work appears in American Poetry Review, Best American Poetry, Boulevard, Poetry, Southern Review, and TriQuarterly, among others. Until retiring, he was the longstanding Director of Creative Writing at the University of Pennsylvania, where he greatly enriched both the Adroit Journal as well as its staff of emerging writers.

We recognize and encourage the gift of such support by offering it ourselves; in honor of Greg’s contribution to emerging student and non-student writers at Penn and around the world, we recognize six emerging poets as Gregory Djanikian Scholars in Poetry each year.

All emerging writers who have not published full-length collections are eligible (regardless of age, geographic location, or educational status), and are encouraged to submit. Writers with forthcoming debut full-length collections are eligible so long as collections won’t appear earlier than April 2024.

Gregory Djanikian Scholars receive $200 and publication of their portfolios of poems in a future issue of the Adroit Journal. Finalists will be awarded copies of Greg’s latest collection, Sojourners of the In-Between, and a list of semifinalists determined by the editors will be released with results.

Anthony Veasna So Scholars in Fiction

Anthony Veasna So (1992-2020) was an American writer of short stories that often drew from his upbringing as a child of Cambodian immigrants and were described by the New York Times as “crackling, kinetic and darkly comedic.” His debut short story collection, Afterparties, was published posthumously by HarperCollins in 2021 and was named a New York Times Bestseller and a winner of the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize for Best First Book.

Anthony was not just one of the most talented new writers to grace this decade—he was also a member of the Adroit family, having served as a prose editor for four years. Anthony was as an inspiration to all of us, and to so many writers around the world. In honor of Anthony’s contribution to both the Adroit Journal‘s staff community and the world’s fiction readers, we will recognize six emerging fiction writers each year as Anthony Veasna So Scholars in Fiction.

All emerging writers who have not published full-length collections or novels are eligible (regardless of age, geographic location, or educational status), and are encouraged to submit. Writers with forthcoming debut full-length collections are eligible so long as collections won’t appear earlier than April 2024.

Anthony Veasna So Scholars receive $200 and publication of one piece from their portfolio in a future issue of the Adroit Journal. Finalists will be awarded copies of Anthony’s collection, Afterparties, and a list of semifinalists determined by the editors will be released with results. 

Djankian Scholars:
Submissions may include up to six poems (max of ten single-spaced pages). Simultaneous submissions, previously published submissions, and submissions recognized by outside organizations are accepted, provided that a) a full catalogue of publication history for enclosed poems is included in the submission and b) at least one poem in the submission remains unpublished.

Submitters should reach out promptly via email (editors@theadroitjournal.org) if work disclosed as unpublished is accepted elsewhere.

Veasna So Scholars:
Submissions may include up to three stories (max of 9,000 words total). Simultaneous submissions, previously published submissions, and submissions recognized by outside organizations are accepted, provided that a) a full catalogue of publication history for enclosed work is included in the submission and b) at least one piece in the submission remains unpublished.

Submitters should promptly add a note to their entry on Submittable if work disclosed as unpublished is accepted elsewhere.

A note on fees:
To accommodate this while offering free online issues, we have set a non-refundable submission fee of $15. If you require financial assistance, you may submit a fee waiver with this form (Djanikian) and this form (Veasna So). Due to fee waivers' processing time, fee waivers will only be accepted until December 10th, 2024 at 11:59 pm EST.

Deadline for both applications is Dec. 31, 2024.

Submit here.