Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognize books that have made important contributions to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures. Past winners have explored human-rights violations, exposed the effects of racism on children, reflected on growing up biracial, and illuminated the dignity of people as they search for justice. Website

*Also available to non-U.S. citizens/residents

Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature

The APAALs honor books about Asian/Pacific Americans, their history and culture. Categories have included fiction and non-fiction for adults, picture/illustrated books, and children’s/young adult literature. Website

* Exclusive to residents of the U.S. or Canada; if the co-illustrator is neither, work not eligible

Blessing the Boats Selections

Sponsored by BOA Editions, this series spotlights poetry collections by women of color, including poets who identify as cis, trans, and non-binary people who are comfortable in a space that centers on women's experiences, regardless of publication history. The series has free open submission periods. Website

*Also available to non-U.S. citizens/residents.

Carter G. Woodson Book Award

The Carter G. Woodson Book Award is presented to exemplary books written for children and young people each year at the NCSS Annual Conference. Authors are recognized at the NCSS Annual Conference, which is attended by over 4,000 K-12 and university level educators and other social studies professionals who enjoy interacting with the Woodson Award-winning authors and will be interested in obtaining copies of books for use with their students. Website 

*Also available to non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. residents.

Contemporary Voices of Indigenous Peoples Series

Sponsored by North Dakota State University Press, this series aims to publish the authentic stories, poetry, and scholarly works of Native Americans, First Nations, Māori, Aborigines, Indians, and more to give voice to contemporary Indigenous peoples. Website

Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award

The Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award provides an annual grant of $2,000 for an emerging writer of color. This grant is intended to support the recipient in crime fiction writing and career development activities. The grantee may choose to use the grant for activities that include workshops, seminars, conferences, and retreats, online courses, and research activities required for completion of the work. Website

* Also available to non-U.S. residents but must be born in the U.S.; all authors, editors, and contributors must be African American

Emerging Voices Fellowship

Sponsored by PEN America, this fellowship is a five-month immersive mentorship program for early-career writers from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the publishing world. The program is committed to cultivating the careers of Black writers, and serves writers who identify as Indigenous, persons of color, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, writers with disabilities, and those living outside of urban centers. Website

The Fresh Voices Fellowship

Sponsored by Epiphany, this year-long fellowship supports one emerging Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian or other writer of color who does not have an MFA and is not currently enrolled in a degree-granting creative writing program. The fellow receives a $2000 stipend, paid publication in Epiphany, and mentorship. Website

The Highlights Foundation Diversity Fellowship in Children's Literature

This 24-month professional mentorship program is designed for People of Color and Indigenous authors or illustrators who are actively pursuing publication within the children’s publishing industry and includes a robust professional development curriculum, one-on-one professional coaching, and more. Website

* Also available to non-U.S. citizens and residents.

Inkluded Academy

Inkluded Academy is a tuition-free publishing course taught by industry professionals to college graduates from typically excluded groups. Held over the course of seven Saturdays in the summer, the program includes a rigorous curriculum, invested mentoring, and a commitment to job placement. The curriculum covers the foundational aspects of agenting, editorial, publicity, marketing, sales, scouting, production, and subsidiary rights. Each participant will receive career counseling, one-on-one sessions, and guidance from a mentor. Inkluded Academy aims to be a much-needed pipeline between the book business and aspiring professionals from diverse backgrounds. Website

* Also available to non-U.S. citizens and non-residents.

James Welch Prize

Sponsored by Poetry Northwest, this prize is awarded for two outstanding poems, each written by an Indigenous U.S. poet, and is open to new, emerging, and established poets who are members of tribal nations within the United States and its trust territories (including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Chamorros, and American Samoans). Only poets who have not published more than one book-length collection are eligible. Website

Kweli Sing the Truth! Mentorship Program

Sponsored by Kweli, this mentorship program for BIPOC writers of children’s books for children and young adults is affiliated with the Kweli Color of Children’s Literature Conference. The mentorship spans the full year this year beyond this annual conference and webinar series, as mentees attend pre-conference events and participate in a reading series. Website

The Louise Meriwether First Book Prize

The Louise Meriwether First Book Prize is open to fiction and narrative nonfiction by women of color and nonbinary writers of color. Winner will be awarded a $5,000 advance and a contract to publish their book with the Feminist Press. Website

The Megaphone Prize

Sponsored by Radix Media, this $1,000 prize supports the publication of debut collections from writers of color. Website

New Voices Award

The New Voices Award is given annually by children's book publisher Lee & Low Books for a children’s picture book manuscript by a writer of color or Indigenous/Native writer.

Established in 2000, the New Voices Award encourages writers of color and Indigenous/Native writers to submit their work to a publisher that takes pride in nurturing new talent. Website

 *Only available to U.S. residents.

New Visions Award

Modeled after Lee & Low’s New Voices Award, this award is for Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Mystery middle grade or YA novels. Website

 *Only available to U.S. residents.

The Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship

Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund

This fund enables writers of color to attend the Clarion writing workshops where writer Octavia Butler got her start. Website

* Not available to non-U.S. residents/must be in the U.S.

The PEN Open Book Award

The PEN Open Book Award is given for an exceptional book-length work of any genre by a writer of color. It is open to authors of color who have not, prior to the book's publication, received wide media coverage. Works of fiction, literary nonfiction, biography/memoir, poetry, and other works of literary character are strongly preferred. Website
*Also available to non-U.S. citizens/residents

PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants

Established in 2003 in response to the dismayingly low number of literary translations currently appearing in English, its purpose is to promote the publication and reception of translated international literature in English. Website

Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards

We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) has partnered with the Penguin Random House to manage the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards. The competition recognizes the unique voices of high school seniors across the country by providing scholarship awards in the amount of $10,000 for the following categories: Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word Poetry; Poetry; Fiction/Drama; Personal Essay/Memoir. One additional award of $10,000 will be awarded to a student from the NYC-area. Website

People of Color in Publishing Mentorship Program

To provide entry-level POC professionals a personal resource for support, guidance, and encouragement, as they begin to navigate a career in publishing. Website

* No U.S. citizenship requirement, but you do have to be resident.

Prix littéraire Anisfield-Wolf

Les Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards récompensent les livres qui ont contribué à notre compréhension du racisme et à notre appréciation de la riche diversité des cultures humaines. Les ancien.ne.s lauréat.e.s ont exploré les violations des droits de l'homme, exposé les effets du racisme sur les enfants, réfléchi au fait de grandir de manière biraciale et mis en lumière la dignité des personnes dans leur quête de justice. Site web

*Également disponible pour les non-citoyen.ne.s/résident.e.s américain.e.s. 

Representation Matters Mentorship Program

Representation Matters connects people who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) who are interested in publishing and literature with publishing professionals who can help their mentees learn about, and get a foothold in, the industry. Under the Mentor Program, two-person teams of editors (one senior and one junior) volunteer to be mentors to self-identified BIPOC who are considering a career in publishing. The program is currently focused on editorial only, but may expand to other areas of publishing in the future. Website

* No U.S. citizenship or residency requirement, but the mentors’ area of expertise is North American publishing (U.S./Canada).

SCBWI Emerging Voices Grant

This award is given to two unpublished writers or illustrators from ethnic and/or cultural backgrounds that are traditionally under-represented in children’s literature in America and who have a ready-to-submit completed work for children. Website

* Also available to non-U.S. citizens/residents

The Shenandoah Fellowship for BIPOC Editors

Sponsored by Shenandoah, this $1,000 fellowship offers editors the opportunity to curate a selection of published work in a genre of their choosing for a single issue of Shenandoah, working with the Shenandoah staff to guide the work to publication. Website 

SLF Diverse Writers Grant

This grant is for new works and works in progress. The Diverse Writers Grant focuses on writers from underrepresented and underprivileged backgrounds. Website

* Also available to non-U.S. citizens/residents

Terrain.org Editor's Prize

For this $500 prize, given in the categories of Poetry, Nonfiction, and Fiction, Terrain.org considers all contributions exploring place—particularly in the context of social, environmental, or climate justice—by writers of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, women, and/or other marginalized communities. Website

The Walter Grant (We Need Diverse Books)

Applicants must identify as diverse and must be unpublished as illustrators and/or authors working toward a career as a children’s author and/or illustrator. This includes but is not limited to: Picture Books, Early Reader Books, Chapter Books, Middle Grade Books, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Non-Fiction, Poetry. Website

* Not available to non-U.S. residents. Must be in the U.S.; available to refugees.

We Need Diverse Books Internship Grants

The WNDB Internship Grant Program provides supplemental grants to applicants from diverse backgrounds who wish to pursue a career in children’s publishing. Since this program’s inception, WNDB has supported over 40 grantees in their summer internships. Website

* Must be a U.S. citizen or resident.

We Need Diverse Books Mentorship Program

The writing mentorships are available to diverse writers or any writers or illustrators who have completed a full draft of a manuscript for children or teens featuring a diverse main character or diverse central subject matter. The illustration mentorship is available to any diverse illustrator who has a portfolio and several sample illustrations completed. WNDB is offering fifteen mentorships in total, split among the following categories: Picture Book Text, Middle Grade, Young Adult; and Illustration. The winners will communicate with the mentor for approximately one year in a mentor/mentee custom-defined program. Website
* No U.S. citizenship or residency requirement.

The Word Editor-Writer Mentorship

The Word's Editor-Writer Mentorship pairs upcoming writers from underrepresented groups with experienced book publishing editors, who provide substantive feedback on completed manuscripts to prepare them for submission to potential agents and editors. The program is hosted annually, and free of cost. Website
* No U.S. citizenship or residency requirement.

Write Team Open Inbox and Mentorship Program

The Write Team Mentorship Program is a sister program to the Write Cohort, focusing on community and support. They strive to provide writers with a support system as they move forward in their writing journey. They offer two programs in alternating years: a four-month mentorship program and an open inbox as well as events for participants to help with queries, critiques, and opening pages. Website

* No U.S. citizenship or residency requirement.

Writing for Justice Fellowship

Sponsored by PEN America, this fellowship commissions writers—emerging or established—to create written works of lasting merit that illuminate critical issues related to mass incarceration and catalyze public debate. The fellowship aims to harness the power of writers and writing in bearing witness to the societal consequences of mass incarceration. Website