The 2023 Clay Reynolds Novella Prize

Winner Receives $500 ADVANCE + PUBLICATION

Established in 2001, The Clay Reynolds Novella Prize highlights one book a year that excels in the novella format.

Submissions open each year on January 1 and close on March 31.

Submit to The Clay Reynolds Novella Prize

General Guidelines

A fee of $20 must be paid at the time of submission.
Open to anyone writing in English. Translations are not eligible.
Excerpts may have been published individually in magazines or anthologies, but the work as a whole must be unpublished.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, please notify TRP immediately by withdrawing the manuscript via Submittable if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
Current and former students and faculty of Sam Houston State University are not eligible. Family and current or former students* of the final judge are not eligible.
Submissions are accepted through Submittable only.
Winner will receive a $500 advance, a standard royalty contract, and 20 copies of the published book.

*Writers who studied with the final judge for a semester-length period are not eligible. Writers who studied with the final judge for two-week residencies, single workshops, or other instances less than a semester in length are eligible, provided the work submitted is previously unseen by the final judge.

Manuscript Guidelines

Novella manuscripts should have a total word count of between 20,000 and 50,000 words.
Please include a table of contents (if applicable), title page, and page numbers.
Please double-space and use a 12pt. font.
Do not include an acknowledgments page.
Submissions are judged on an anonymous basis. Please remove any identifying information from the manuscript.
Submit as a .pdf, .docx, or .doc file format.
No revisions will be accepted once the manuscript is uploaded.