ACCEPTING ENTRIES FOR 2025

We look forward to reading your essay, short story, play or poem. It must be on one central topic - Vermont! Whether it is about its people, its places, its history or its values -- the choice is yours!

There will be a winner for prose and a winner for poetry, and each will receive a cash prize of $1,250. The winning pieces will be published in Vermont Magazine.

We like to keep your name hidden from the judges until the winner is chosen. Please help us by not writing your name on the pages of your entry. Your cover letter will also be hidden from the judges until the final judging process.

The Writers' Prize is open to all Vermont residents and students, but employees of Green Mountain Power and Vermont Magazine are not eligible.

Submission guidelines for all entries:

Thank you for participating in the Vermont Writers’ Prize! We look forward to reading your entry!

We look forward to reading your essay, short story, play or poem. It must be on one central topic - Vermont! Whether it is about its people, its places, its history or its values -- the choice is yours!

There will be a winner for prose and a winner for poetry, and each will receive a cash prize of $1,250. The winning pieces will be published in Vermont Magazine.

We like to keep your name hidden from the judges until the winner is chosen. Please help us by not writing your name on the pages of your entry. Your cover letter will also be hidden from the judges until the final judging process.

The Writers' Prize is open to all Vermont residents and students, but employees of Green Mountain Power and Vermont Magazine are not eligible.

Submission guidelines for all entries:

  • Must be previously unpublished
  • Only one entry per year
  • Must be submitted by end of day January 1 to https://vermontwritersprize.submittable.com/submit
  • Submissions must be in Word file, no pdfs.
  • Single-spaced, Times New Roman 14-pt. typeface preferred.
  • Prose length: 1500 words or less.
  • Poetry length: 40-line maximum. All styles acceptable, but please avoid long line length.

Thank you for participating in the Vermont Writers’ Prize! We look forward to reading your entry!


Vermont Writers' Prize - Accepting Entries for 2025