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Creative Writing Contests at Carleton

Writing Contests at Carleton: The Nick Adams Short Story Contest and Carleton's Four Annual Literary Prizes
The English Department encourages Carleton students to enter their work in the four writing contests sponsored by the college. In addition, the department participates in the Nick Adams Short Story Contest organized by the Associated Colleges of the Midwest. For detailed information about these competitions scroll down on this page. For information about writing contests sponsored by other institutions or publications, check the notices posted on the Creative Writing Bulletin Board next to Laird 209.

The Nick Adams Short Story Contest

The English Department is pleased to report that three Carleton students have recently won high praise in the Nick Adams Short Story Contest:

Anne Guidry, English major '07, won the 2005 Contest for her story, "The Billie Holiday."

Sarah Schillaci, Engish Major '06, won the 2006 Contest for her story, "Rolande Quits Her Job."

Rae Wood, English Major '12, was one of the six ACM finalists in 2010 for her story, "where the road does not lead you." 

Carleton's Literary Prizes: Fiction, Academic Essay, Poetry, Humor
THE NICK ADAMS SHORT STORY CONTEST The deadline for the 2011-2012 contest is Friday, February 10 at 5:00 PM
In Carleton's winter term, the ACM, the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (of which Carleton is a member), announces that entries are being accepted for the annual NICK ADAMS SHORT STORY COMPETITION, which offers a prize of $1000 for the best story by an ACM student. All students in good standing, including first year students, may participate in the contest.
The prize, named for the young hero of many Hemingway stories, was given by an anonymous donor to encourage young writers who are students of ACM colleges. The results of the competition will be announced in May and the $1000 prize awarded to the winner.
RULES AND GUIDELINES:

1. Each entrant may submit as many as two stories to the Carleton English Department. The story need not have been written especially for the competition, but must not have been previously published off-campus.

2. Each manuscript is limited to 10,000 words.

3. Each submission should have a separate title page or cover sheet that includes the title of the story, the author's name, and the author's campus and home addresses. When printed, the title page must be able to be removed so the story can be judged anonymously.

4. The title of the story (but not the author's name) must also appear on the first page of the text of the story itself. 

5. The stories should be submitted electronically to the English Department's Administrative Assistant, Carolyn Soule.  Please send them as email attachments to csoule@carleton.edu.* The deadline is 5:00 PM, Friday, February 10.  Contestants will be notified about whether or not their stories have been chosen to be sent to Chicago for further competition.

6. The Carleton English Department is authorized to select as many as four stories to send to the ACM office in Chicago; a small committee of faculty drawn from colleges throughout the consortium will then select the semi-finalists. The winner will be chosen by a professional writer. Past judges have included such writers as Saul Bellow, Joyce Carol Oates, John Updike, Anne Tyler and Maya Angelou.

*Stories should be Microsoft Word documents rather than PDFs in case we need to correct the cover page or page 1 of the story itself.  Students sometimes make errors in the information required on these pages.  See directions above.  Care is appreciated.
Carleton's Finalists in the Nick Adams Short Story Contest: 2010-2011

Pedro Fernandez for his story, "Mr. Wright"  Read Pedro's story.

Alex Korsunsky for his story, "Maximon"  Read Alex's story.

Aditya Menon for "Dottie and the Dragonfly"  Read Aditya's story.

and

Amy Sun for "The White Cat"   Read Amy's story.
THE CARLETON LITERARY PRIZES The deadline for all four competitions will be Wednesday, March 28, 2012.  Bring your manuscripts to the English Office, Laird 208 by 5:00 PM on that day.
Carleton College awards prizes each year to the winners of the four writing competitions listed below. The prizes will be presented at the annual Honors Convocation to be held on May 27, 2011 in the Carleton Chapel. There is a monetary award for each prize.
THE CLASS OF 1885 PRIZE is awarded annually to the student submitting the best work of the imagination in prose.
THE MARGARET DALTON CURRAN PRIZE was established in 1986 by family and friends in honor of Margaret Dalton Curran, '26, who developed a lifelong interest in excellent writing while at Carleton. This prize is awarded annually to the student submitting the most accomplished academic essay.
THE HUNTINGTON POETRY PRIZE, endowed in memory of Dr. George Huntington, Carleton professor, poet, and novelist, is awarded to the best poem, or group or poems, submitted by a Carleton student.
THE SAMUEL STRAUSS PRIZE FOR HUMOROUS WRITING is awarded to the student whose submission is judged to be the wittiest. Entries may be of any length, dramatic or non-dramatic, and may be written in prose, verse, or hybrid forms.
CONTEST RULES AND REQUIREMENTS:
1. If you enter MORE THAN ONE of the contests, you must submit a DIFFERENT manuscript for each. A COMPOSITION CAN BE ENTERED IN ONLY ONE CONTEST.
2. TWO COPIES of each manuscript should be submitted to the English Department administrative assistant in Laird 208. Copies will not be returned.
3. Your name should appear only on the back of the last page of each copy.
4. Indicate on each submission the prize for which you wish to be considered.
5. All pages of each manuscript must be securely stapled together or bound in a binder that can't be detached from the pages. The pages must be numbered.
6. Contests are judged by members of the English and other departments.
Winners of the Carleton Literary Prizes for 2010-2011:
The Class of 1885 Prize:  Rae Wood for her short story "Gone for Good"  Read Rae's story.
The Margaret Dalton Curran Prize: Gabriel Silberblatt for his academic essay "Revising, Re-visioning: Italo Calvino and the Politics of Play"  Read Gabriel's essay by clicking on the  link in the upper right corner of this page.
The Huntington Poetry Prize: Todd Anderson for his group of poems "Middle C and Other Poems"  Read Todd's Poems.

Related Documents

  • Gabriel Silberblatt's Comps Essay (301 KB PDF Document)
    3 August 2011
    Gabriel Silberblatt's comps essay, "Revising, Re-visioning: Italo Calvino and the Politics of Play," winner of the Margaret Dalton Curran Prize for the most accomplished academic essay, spring 2011.
View from Laird: Almost Spring
View from Laird: Almost Spring