New Literary Project is pleased to announce that submissions are open for the 2027 Joyce Carol Oates Prize for mid-career authors of fiction. This will be the twelfth such annual national award given by the not-for-profit New Literary Project (NewLit), which inspires and equips writers across the generations—in the words of Joyce Carol Oates—to “write their hearts out.” NewLit’s vision is to drive social change, unleash artistic power. Joyce Carol Oates Prize submissions close on October 30, 2026.

The Joyce Carol Oates Prize (JCO) is awarded to a mid-career author of fiction, novels and/or short stories, a writer of consequence who speaks to NewLit’s vision and mission. $50,000 is given to this accomplished author who has emerged and is still emerging, at the relative midpoint of a burgeoning career. It is awarded, not for a specific book, but in testament to literary achievement as well as in support of work to come.

To be eligible, a mid-career author is based in the United States, has published at least two full-length works of fiction (short stories and/or novels), and has yet to achieve capstone recognition (such as an NBA, Pulitzer, MacArthur) or “lifetime achievement” recognition. There are no age, stylistic, political, or geographical restrictions. 

 The JCO is a working prize, in the sense that it entails a brief residency at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Bay Area during the annual NewLit Roadshow. The Prize is offered by NewLit in collaboration with its marquee partner, the University of California, Berkeley, English Department. The prize recipient will engage with the Bay Area’s diverse literary and thriving educational communities via opportunities organized by NewLit.

Author’s publisher commits support and goodwill toward the NewLit Roadshow in Fall 2027 and other activities of the Prize Recipient and New Literary Project. NewLit appreciates the trust and confidence of publishers and generous individuals as well as altruistic family foundations and corporate donors who subscribe to its vision and who are dedicated to sustaining its multifaceted programs.

The Joyce Carol Oates Prize is named for the eminent author, who serves as an honorary member of the Project’s Board of Directors. NewLit gratefully acknowledges her inspirational, lifelong, enduring impact as a teacher and writer without peer, a writer beloved for generations by legions of students, writers, and readers around the country and the world. She embodies the Project’s most deeply held commitments to literature, accessibility, literacy, and arts education.

 Previous JCO Prize recipients, with representative publication:

2026 Erika Krouse, Save Me, Stranger (Flatiron)

2025 Jennine Capó Crucet, Say Hello to My Little Friend (Simon & Schuster)

2025 Willy Vlautin, The Horse (HarperCollins)

2024 Ben Fountain, Devil Makes Three (Flatiron)

2023 Manuel Muñoz, The Consequences (Graywolf Press)

2022 Lauren Groff, Matrix (Riverhead)

2021 Danielle Evans, The Office of Historical Corrections (Riverhead)

2020 Daniel Mason, The Winter Soldier (Little, Brown)

2019 Laila Lalami, author of The Other Americans (Pantheon)

2018 Anthony Marra, The Tsar of Love and Techno (Hogarth)

2017 T. Geronimo Johnson, Welcome to Braggsville (HarperCollins)

 NewLit was created in 2015. The Oakland, California–based nonprofit’s mission is to foster new literature, support writers and teachers, and enhance the lives of readers, writers, educators, librarians, and students in diverse communities in California and the nation.

 Along with the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, the Project offers—at no cost—high school-age writers Bonetti-Bell Writing Workshops and Starn Writing Workshops. Workshops are led by Bonetti-Bell Fellows, UC Berkeley graduate student creative writing teachers, and Starn Fellows, Saint Mary’s College of California MFA creative writing teachers. In Spring 2027 eleven workshops are expected to take place at Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall, Girls Inc. of Alameda County, Hope Solutions, Northgate High School, and elsewhere. 

 In addition, NewLit curates an annual anthology of Project-related artists such as Joyce Carol Oates, prize recipients, and finalists alongside younger writers appearing in print for the first time. Simpsonistas: Tales from New Literary Project Vol. 8 (Rare Bird) launched in Fall 2026, internationally distributed by Simon & Schuster. 

 NewLit also annually offers Jack Hazard Summer Fellowships, $5,000 each to up to ten creative writers of distinction teaching high school anywhere in the United States. To date, forty-five Jack Hazards have been honored from seventeen states.

 General Submission Process

Publishers, editors, agents, publicists, marketers, or authors themselves may complete the online entry form and submit associated submission fees by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on October 30, 2026. 

• There is a $95 entry fee for each submission. Accepted forms of payment include credit card and PayPal. (No checks permitted.) Please be prepared with payment information before beginning the online submission process.
• Submissions deemed ineligible by the Project will still be subject to the stated entry fee.
• At any time, NewLit may “call in” submissions on its own.
• Each submission must list one person to coordinate all Prize-related matters with the Project throughout the Prize process. This person will be contacted in the case that an author becomes part of the Longlist, and the subsequent Shortlist.
• Each author must be made aware of and consent to their entry for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. The author’s email address must be submitted.

Joyce Carol Oates Prize Longlist, Shortlist, and Winner Announcements

• Around November 11, 2026, NewLit will request multiple copies of physical books or (if necessary) additional information for authors identified for the JCO Prize Longlist. Please do not send physical books or any additional information or materials unless specifically requested. Longlist books and materials must then arrive no later than November 21, 2026 to remain eligible—at a postal address to be conveyed.
• The 2027 JCO Prize Longlist will be announced in early December 2026.
• The 2027 JCO Prize shortlist of Finalists will be identified by a jury of writers and critics and announced in early March 2027. The final decision of recipient is made by the Board of Directors of New Literary Project.
• The 2027 Joyce Carol Oates Prize Winner will be announced in April 2027.

Joyce Carol Oates Prize Winner Guidelines

• The 2027 Joyce Carol Oates Prize Winner will be awarded $50,000 in recognition of mid-career literary achievement and future promise. To be eligible, a mid-career author has published at least two distinguished full-length works of fiction (short stories and/or novels), and has not yet received capstone recognition (such as an NBA, Pulitzer, etc.) or “lifetime achievement” acknowledgement.
• The Recipient will be available to collaborate with NewLit, sponsors, and the University of California, Berkeley, English Department, and Saint Mary’s College of California MFA Department on NewLit-related engagements during the Prize year.
• This is a working prize: the Prize Recipient will be in brief residence (7 or so days) for the NewLit Roadshow at the University of California, Berkeley, and in the Bay Area during Fall 2027, during a period to be mutually determined. During the Roadshow the recipient teaches selected classes at Cal and Saint Mary's College of California and in NewLit writing workshops, giving readings and talks, and making public appearances.
• Author’s publisher commits support and goodwill toward the Roadshow and other activities of the Prize Recipient and New Literary Project.