Montana Prize in Creative Nonfiction
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Open December 1 through February 1, the Montana Prize in Creative Nonfiction seeks to highlight work that showcases an authentic voice, a boldness of form, and a rejection of functional fixedness. The winner will be featured in CutBank 105 and receive $500. All pieces will be considered for print publication.
Danielle Zaccagnino, author of Suppose Muscle, Suppose Night, Suppose This In August, will review the finalists and choose the winner for the 2025-26 contest. We look forward to reading your work!
CONTEST GUIDELINES: Submissions are accepted December 1 through February 1. Submissions are accepted through our online submission manager only. The $20 contest entry fee covers the reading of a single submission in a single genre. Please send only a single work of no greater than 35 pages. Please DO NOT include any biographical information in your manuscript, but do include a short cover letter in the space provided that mentions your address, phone number, and email address, as well as the title of your work. Author names will be removed from the pool of submissions that goes before our contest judge. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw your submission via Submittable immediately should it be accepted elsewhere. We are unable to offer refunds. Entrants will be notified of their submission status no later than April 1, 2026. One winner in each genre, as chosen by our guest judges, will receive a $500 award and publication in CutBank 105, our summer/fall 2026 issue. All rights to selected manuscripts revert to the author upon publication. The author grants their permission to have their work electronically archived as part of CutBank 103 in EBSCO International's subscription-based research database. Current University of Montana students and faculty and former CutBank staff are not eligible for the awards.