DNA Prize - Discover New Art

Open now for nonfiction and poetry.

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The DNA Prize awards major prizes for exceptional poetry and prose manuscripts-in-progress.

Response time info: Finalists are expected to be notified within six months of the January 31, 2027 final deadline; winners are expected by August 2027.

Read the full guidelines at discovernewart.com↗

Submission calls

nonfictionLiteraryEligibility requirementsCloses Jan 31, 2027Fee: $30 early-bird (October 1-November 30, 2026); $35 regular (December 1, 2026-January 31, 2027)Pays: $25,000 prize; five finalists receive $1,000 each

Open to: Open internationally to writers primarily submitting in English who have not published or contracted to publish a single-author creative prose work with a Big Five publisher or imprint between January 31, 2017 and January 31, 2027; AI-generated or AI-assisted work, translations not made by the original author, and friends, family, or associates of the judges are ineligible.

Submit up to 25 pages of a primarily English, unpublished-in-full prose manuscript, including excerpts of novels, memoirs, book-length essays, or short-story collections; excerpts may have been previously published. Submissions are open October 1, 2026-January 31, 2027. Early-bird fee is $30 through November 30; regular fee is $35 from December 1 through January 31. Prize: $25,000, with five $1,000 finalist awards.

poetryLiteraryEligibility requirementsCloses Jan 31, 2027Fee: $30 early-bird (October 1-November 30, 2026); $35 regular (December 1, 2026-January 31, 2027)Pays: $25,000 prize; five finalists receive $1,000 each

Open to: Open internationally to writers primarily submitting in English who have not published or contracted to publish a single-author creative poetry work with a Big Five publisher or imprint between January 31, 2017 and January 31, 2027; AI-generated or AI-assisted work, translations not made by the original author, and friends, family, or associates of the judges are ineligible.

Submit up to 15 pages of a primarily English, unpublished-in-full poetry manuscript or collection; excerpts may have been previously published. Submissions are open October 1, 2026-January 31, 2027. Early-bird fee is $30 through November 30; regular fee is $35 from December 1 through January 31. Prize: $25,000, with five $1,000 finalist awards.

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