Submissions are closed for 2023 – we’ll see you next year!
Call for Submissions: Society for Humanistic Anthropology 2023 Creative Ethnographic Prose Competition
The Society for Humanistic Anthropology is pleased to announce that we are opening our annual writing contest for creative ethnographic prose (fiction and nonfiction). We celebrate the use of all creative literary prose genres to explore anthropological concerns, and we encourage you to share your work with us.
As a guideline, creative ethnographic prose uses literary elements to bring stories to life and engage the reader. Whether fiction or nonfiction or a hybrid of both, these creative prose pieces evoke insights about the real world seen through an anthropological lens. They reflect an anthropological sensibility (related to any field of anthropology). Successful works generally have concrete vivid details, a clear focus, and a consistent authorial voice.
Submissions should not exceed 20 pages typed double-spaced (5,000 words), and need to work as stand-alone stories. There is a limit of one submission per applicant.
We do expect contestants to be affiliated with the field or practice of anthropology and/or ethnography in some manner (institutional affiliation is not required). There is no entry fee for this competition.
Submission deadline this year is June 15, 2023. Submissions must be previously unpublished and not currently under consideration elsewhere.
The entry consists of two parts:
- The online Entry form which collects cover page information (name, contact information, etc.). Information on this form is not taken into account while judges make their award selections, and information collected is used only for award granting and notifications.
- Your story in one pdf file (double spaced) with title but without the author’s name (anonymized), PLUS an extra final page with a statement of no more than 400 words that answers the question: “How is this piece anthropologically informed and in what ways has your background in the field contributed to it?” This statement will be taken into account as the judges make their award selections. Please use your story title as your document file name. This file should be emailed as a pdf to shafictioncompetition@gmail.com
AWARDS:
- All winners will receive one year Society for Humanistic Anthropology (SHA) and American Anthropology Association (AAA) gift memberships.
- The first-place winner will also receive an award of $100 and publication in the Society’s journal, Anthropology and Humanism.
- The second-place winner will also receive $75.
- The third-place winner will also receive $50.
- All winning entries and honorable mentions will be recognized online by the Society for Humanistic Anthropology, and all winners will receive a certificate of their award presented at the SHA Awards Ceremony at the American Anthropological Association meetings.
JUDGES:
Julia Offen (Creative Ethnographic Prose Editor, Anthropology and Humanism),
John Wood (Professor, University of North Carolina Asheville),
Erika Robb Larkins (Associate Professor, San Diego State University), and
Amrapali Maitra (Hospitalist and Research Fellow, Harvard Medical School).
Please contact Dr. Julia Offen at shafictioncompetition@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you.
