Veterans Writing Award

About the Award

In keeping with Syracuse University’s longstanding commitment to serving the interests of veterans and their families, Syracuse University Press, in cooperation with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), established the Veterans Writing Award in 2019.  The mission of the Veterans Writing Award is to recognize the contributions of veterans to the literary arts, shine a light on the multivalent veteran experience, and provide a platform for unrecognized military writers.

We invite unpublished, full-length manuscripts for consideration. This biennial contest alternates between fiction and nonfiction each award cycle. The award is open to U.S. veterans and active duty personnel in any branch of the U.S. military and their immediate family members. This includes spouses, domestic partners, siblings, parents, and children. We encourage women veteran writers, veterans of color, Native American veterans, LGBTQ veterans, and those who identify as having a disability to submit. Although work submitted for the contest need not be about direct military experience, we seek original voices and fresh perspectives that will expand and challenge readers’ understanding of the lives of veterans and their families. Posthumous submissions are eligible.

The winning entry will be announced in November of 2025.

The award includes a $1,000 cash prize and a publication contract with Syracuse University Press. Manuscripts of high merit not selected for the final award may receive honorable mention.

Submission Guidelines

• Submit a full-length novel, novella, or collection of short stories in manuscript form. Submissions must be double-spaced in a standard twelve-point font (such as Courier or Times New Roman) and should not exceed 90,000 words. The manuscript should be a PDF or Word file (.doc and .docx). Work must be previously unpublished.
• Manuscripts under consideration for this competition may be submitted elsewhere at the same time. Please withdraw your manuscript if it is accepted by another publisher or contest and should no longer be considered for this prize.
• Entrants must not have published a full-length manuscript or collection of stories previously.
• All entries must be submitted between November 15, 2024 and February 15, 2025.
• Email submissions should be sent to: vwasubmissions@syr.edu
• To submit by mail please send manuscripts to: Veterans Writing Award
  Syracuse University Press
  621 Skytop Rd. Suite 110
  Syracuse, NY 13244
• Submissions must include a cover page listing your name, address, e-mail address and/or telephone number, branch of service or that of your family member, and the title of the work. To maintain the integrity of a blind review process, your name should not appear on the manuscript itself. Manuscripts will not be returned.
• Mailed entries must be postmarked by February 15, 2025. No phone calls please.
• The judge will select a winner from a group of finalists.
• Proof of military service is not required when submitting. We will require documentation and verification, however, if a writer’s work reaches the final round of judging.
• There is no entry fee.
• Current faculty and staff of Syracuse University are not eligible to enter the contest.
• Although the contest uses a blind review process, the judge may be able to identify an entrant by the style of writing. The judge will not select an entrant for the award if he has a personal or professional relationship with that individual. We advise entrants not to enter the contest if the judge is someone they know personally or have worked with professionally.

Winners
2021
Surrender by Brian O’Hare

2019
Revolutions of All Colors: A Novel by Dewaine Farria

Honorable Mention: Mona Passage: A Novel by Thomas Bardenwerper

The Veterans Writing Award Advisory Board

• Kyle Bass
  Assistant Professor of Theater, Colgate University, Resident Playwright, Syracuse Stage
• Christopher Kennedy
  Professor, English Department, and Director, MFA in Creative Writing Program
• Eileen Schell
  Professor, Writing and Rhetoric, Director of Graduate Studies and Co-leader of the Syracuse Veterans’ Writing Group
• Kicia Sears
  Principal Data and Research Associate at Center for Justice Innovation
• Charlie Poag
  Communications Manager, D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University
• Suzanne Guiod
  Director, Bucknell University Press
• Lisa Kuerbis
  Marketing Coordinator, Syracuse University Press

For questions, contact Lisa Kuerbis: lkuerbis@syr.edu