PEN America Literary Awards

There are presently no open calls for submissions.


The PEN America Literary Award for Journalism celebrates:
•Truth and Accuracy
•Independence
•Fairness
•Humanity
•Accountability

Submit your investigative reporting, longform essays, and local spotlight stories published in 2017.

DEADLINE: MARCH 30, 2018

• The PEN America Literary Awards program accepts work produced or published by journalists living west of the Mississippi River.

• Journalists or publishers may submit work


• Printed and online articles are eligible


• Winners are announced in late summer. Each winner receives a $1,000 cash prize and two tickets to the gala in the fall, where awards are presented to the Literary Awards winners and to honorees. 

• Past winners and honorees include: Eli Saslow; T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong; Ben Ehrenreich; Daniel Alarcon; Erin Aubry Kaplan; Ed Leibowitz; Karen Olsson

• Winning submissions have been published in The Washington Post; California Sunday Magazine; Los Angeles Times; ProPublica and The Marshall Project; Harper's; Texas Monthly; San Francisco Chronicle; Newsweek

• By recognizing the best writing in the western United States, PEN America gives winning writers exposure to a readership that they might not have otherwise reached. 

• You may submit as many entries as you like providing all requirements are met. You must complete an entry form for each submission. You must select ONLY ONE category for each submission.

• Default payment is by credit/debit card. If you need to pay by check, please select the category for your desired genre that has "Check Payment" in the title. Checks should be mailed to PEN America, 8549 Wilshire Blvd. #355, Beverly Hills, CA 90211.

For more information about the Literary Awards, please visit us at www.pen.org.

PEN America Literary Awards