CONTEST GUIDELINES: Gulf Coast

2007 Poetry, Short Story, & Nonfiction Prizes

Judges:
Terrance Hayes – Poetry
Sigrid Nunez – Fiction
Eula Biss – Nonfiction

Guidelines:
Prize is $1,000 in each genre [Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction] and publication in Gulf Coast.

Submit one previously unpublished story or essay (25 pp max) or up to five previously unpublished poems (10 pp max). Indicate genre on outer envelope. Name and address should appear on cover letter ONLY. Manuscripts will not be returned. Include SASE for results.

Entries in more than one genre and multiple entries in a single genre are allowed, but each entry must be accompanied by a reading fee.

Reading Fee: $15 reading fee includes one-year subscription. Please make checks payable to Gulf Coast.
Postmark Deadline: March 15, 2007
Send To:
Gulf Coast Prize: (genre)
English Department
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3013.

Policies: We make every reasonable effort to ensure that manuscripts are judged fairly. For this reason, names should not appear anywhere on manuscripts. Friends and former students of a judge are ineligible in that genre. Previous prize winners and graduates of the University of Houston Creative Writing Program are ineligible. Genre editors who serve as preliminary readers are instructed to recuse themselves from deliberations on any piece they recognize.

We subscribe to the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) Contest Code of Ethics:

“CLMP’s community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree to 1) conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors; 2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines defining conflict of
interest for all parties involved; and 3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This Code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this Code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage.”

If you have any further questions, please contact us at:
gulfcoastae@yahoo.com