Our Prizes

The Words Faire runs four prizes annually. All prizes have a $15 entry fee, which includes a complimentary issue subscription. Submissions will be judged anonymously by the editorial staff and final guest judge. All entries are considered for quarterly issue publication, and the winner receives publication, three complimentary author copies, and a $500 honorarium.

Please see our Submittable page for complete guidelines.

2026

Prize Submission Schedule

Quarter 1: Fiction Prize (Dec. 1 - March 1)

Guest Judge: Adelia Jupiter

Adelia Jupiter is a writing community leader in Dayton. Committed to making writing more accessible for Daytonians, Adelia also holds a BFA in Creative Writing. Workshops are a way of life for them and is confident in their ability to analyze a story for greatness.

We accept submissions of one previously unpublished fiction piece up to 5,000 words.

Quarter 2: Creative Nonfiction & Poetry Prize (March 1st - June 1st)

Guest Judge(s): TBA

[Note: Two Winners will be chosen, one CNF and one Poetry, sharing the $500 honorarium.]

We accept submissions of one previously unpublished Creative Nonfiction piece up to 5,000 words.

We accept submissions of 1-3 previously unpublished poems not exceeding 500 words.

Quarter 3: Flash Fiction Prize (June 1st - Sep. 1st)

Guest Judge: TBA

We accept submissions of one previously unpublished Flash Fiction piece up to 1,000 words.

Quarter 4: The Exhibition Prize for Literary Innovation (Sep. 1st - Dec. 1st)

Guest Judge: TBA

We accept submissions of 1 - 5 previously unpublished creative works up to 5,000 words of prose, or 500 words of poetry for consideration. We encourage submissions of experimental, non-traditional work that pioneers new ways of creative expression.