Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellowships in Fiction and Poetry: Apply by January 1!
Applications are now open for the WICW Poetry and Fiction Fellowships, awarding stipends of at least $50,000 (raised $8,000 from previous years) and generous health benefits. The submission deadline has changed, this year, to January 1. Please read these instructions and eligibility requirements, before selecting your application genre below.
To be eligible, applicants must have completed or be scheduled to complete an MFA or PhD in Creative Writing by August 15 of the fellowship year. Eligible applicants may have published no more than one full-length collection or book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction as of the January 1 deadline. Individuals who have never published a full-length collection or book remain eligible, and most of our fellowships continue to be awarded to applicants who have not yet published or signed a contract for their first book.
Successful applicants must commit to reside in the Madison area for the full duration of the Fellowship from mid-August to mid-May (holiday and other travel are of course permitted); to teach one section of undergraduate mixed-genre or single-genre creative writing each semester; to hold no other teaching, graduate study or fellowship obligations; to assist in the selection of the following year’s Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellowships; and in general to participate fully in the life of the Madison writing community during the fellowship period. For more details regarding the responsibilities and privileges of our fellows, please see our main fellowships page.
Applicants should prepare the following materials before applying:
- A $50.00 Application Fee, paid online by credit card.
- A resume or curriculum vitae, concluding with the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of two recommenders.
- A writing sample consisting of either 10 pages of poetry (single-spaced and uploaded as a pdf) or up to 30 pages of fiction (double-spaced and uploaded as a pdf). Fiction applications must consist of either one short story or a novel excerpt. Your name must not appear anywhere on your manuscript, and while previously published work may be submitted, your manuscript must in no way indicate that your work has been published.
Do not include more than one genre in a single submission. You may apply in more than one of our fellowship genres, but you must upload a separate application for each, with separate application fees. If you are submitting short fiction, please do not send more than one short story. The limit is one story no matter how short that story may be. If you send more than one story, we will only read the first. If you are sending a novel excerpt you may (but need not) include a brief synopsis (one or two paragraphs) of the novel, as page one of the manuscript.
The poetry and fiction fellows will be chosen by May 1 each year, and announced on our fellows page. If you have questions concerning these fellowships that are not answered in the FAQ below, please contact Ron Kuka, Coordinator of the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, at institutemail@english.wisc.edu.
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Wisconsin Poetry Series Submissions
(the Brittingham Prize, Felix Pollak Prize, and Wisconsin Prize for Poetry in Translation)
Submissions to the Wisconsin Poetry Series will open in July, with a deadline of September 15. Any poet with an original, full-length collection is eligible for the 43rd annual Brittingham and Felix Pollak Prizes in Poetry. Each manuscript, accompanied by a $28 reading fee, will be considered for both prizes. Each winner will receive $1,500 and publication through the University of Wisconsin Press. At least three additional applicants will also be offered publication.
For the sixth time this year, we are also accepting submissions to the Wisconsin Prize for Poetry in Translation, awarding $1,500 plus publication. Translators or original authors are invited to submit a full-length collection of poetry translated into English. Applicants to the translation prize will be asked to confirm they have permission for English translation and publication of the work, by its author(s) and the executor(s) of any active copyright(s). Submissions must be accompanied by a $28 reading fee.
Manuscript Requirements:
- For the Brittingham & Felix Pollak Prizes, the author's name and contact info should not appear anywhere on the document. Please assemble a single pdf including a title page, a table of contents, the manuscript poems, and (optionally) an acknowledgments page listing any magazines or journals where the submitted poems may have first appeared. Manuscripts should be 50 to 90 pages in length on 8.5" x 11" pdf pages.
- For the Wisconsin Prize for Poetry in Translation, the name of the translator and original author should appear on the title page of the document. Please assemble a single pdf including a title/author page, a table of contents, the manuscript poems, 50-to-250-word bios for each original author and translator, a project statement up to 500 words in length, and (optionally) an acknowledgments page listing any magazines or journals where the submitted translations may have first appeared. Manuscripts must include each poem in both its original language and in English translation, comprising 75 to 150 total pages in length, on 8.5" x 11" pdf pages.
Please upload a book-length collection of poetry translated into English, in pdf format. The translations submitted must be previously unpublished in book form. The manuscript must include each poem in its original language, as well as in translation, and should be no fewer than 75 and no more than 250 pages in length.
As part of your application, you will be asked to confirm that permission has been granted to the translator(s) of this book for English translation and publication of the original text, by its original author(s) and the executor(s) of any active copyright(s). Alternately, you may declare that the translator(s) hold the rights to the translations because the original text is in the public domain.
Your manuscript should be formatted as specified below. Please be sure both the name of the translator(s) and the original author(s) appear on the title page of the manuscript. You will be asked to pay a $28 entry fee, by credit card.
The winner will be announced no later than February 15, 2027, receiving $1,500 shortly thereafter. The winning manuscript will be published in the spring of 2028. Manuscripts that do not win the prize may still be considered for publication and inclusion in the Wisconsin Poetry Series.
Your manuscript should include the following:
- A simple title page, which should include the names of the original author(s) and translator(s).
- A table of contents, with accurate page numbers indicated.
- 75 to 250 pages of poetry (including both the poems in their original language, and in English translation), with numbered pages.
- A biography page, including 50-to-250-word bios for each author and translator.
- A book description that addresses the project's historical, cultural, and/or artistic significance.
- An acknowledgments page (optional, if any of the poems have appeared previously in journals or magazines).
You've reached the application form for the Ronald Wallace Poetry Fellowship and the Robert Alexander Poetry Fellowship, each awarding a stipend of at least $50,000. Any applicant with an MFA or Ph.D. in creative writing (or any applicant who will receive an MFA/Ph.D. by August 15, 2027) is eligible to apply, as long as the applicant has published or is under contract for no more than one collection of poetry and/or book-length work of fiction or creative nonfiction. Applicants who have not yet drafted or published a book are eligible, as well.
To apply, upload a 10-page manuscript of poems, with each poem starting on a new page. Your name and contact information should not appear anywhere in the manuscript (e.g., don't upload a file labeled JohnDoeWICWpoems.pdf). You will also be asked to upload a CV, concluding with the names and contact information for two professional references.
Your application will remain anonymous until the finalist stage of our selection process, at which time references may be contacted and additional materials may be requested from a small handful of finalists. Although your contact information should appear in the CV itself, please do not include that info in the file name (e.g. don't label it JaneDoeWICWresume.pdf).
You will be charged a $50 reading fee, via credit card.
You've reached the application form for the James C. McCreight Fiction Fellowship and the Carol Houck Smith Fiction Fellowship, each awarding a stipend of at least $50,000. Any applicant with an MFA or Ph.D. in creative writing (or any applicant who will receive an MFA/Ph.D. by August 15, 2027) is eligible, as long as the applicant has published or is under contract for no more than one novel, story collection, or other book-length work of creative writing. Applicants who have not yet drafted or published a book remain eligible, as well.
To apply, upload one short story or a novel excerpt no more than 30 pages in length. Your name and contact information should not appear anywhere in the manuscript (e.g., don't upload a file labeled JohnDoeWICWstory.pdf).
You will also be asked to upload a CV, concluding with the names and contact information for two professional references. Your application will remain anonymous until the finalist stage of our selection process, at which time references may be contacted and additional materials may be requested from a small handful of the finalists. Although your contact information should appear in the CV itself, please do not include that info in the file name (e.g. don't label it JaneDoeWICWresume.pdf).
You will be charged a $50 reading fee, via credit card.