Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize Offers $15,000 as November 1 Deadline Approaches
With a $15,000 award and a publishing contract at stake, the Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize is approaching its November 1 deadline. Presented by Fiction Collective Two, whose fifty-year history has helped establish a place for experimental fiction in American publishing, the competition recognizes accomplished authors pursuing ambitious and unconventional literary work. Supported by the Jarvis & Constance Doctorow Family Foundation and judged this year by acclaimed writer Khadijah Queen, the prize offers established writers a rare opportunity for substantial financial recognition and publication through the University of Alabama Press.
Writers whose work challenges the conventions of contemporary fiction have until November 1 to enter the 2027 Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize, an annual award recognizing accomplished authors whose literary ambitions extend beyond the boundaries of conventional publishing. Administered by Fiction Collective Two (FC2), an independent, author-run publisher and imprint of the University of Alabama Press, the prize offers $15,000 and publication of the winning manuscript, including an introduction by the final judge.¹
The award occupies a distinctive place in American literary publishing. Established to recognize writers with at least three previously published books, the Catherine Doctorow Prize supports authors who have already developed substantial bodies of work and continue to experiment with narrative form, language, and literary structure. Eligible submissions include novels, short-story collections, novellas, and collections of novellas, with no prescribed manuscript length.
This year's final judge is Khadijah Queen, the acclaimed poet, essayist, and author of eight books of poetry and prose. Her most recent work, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, published by Legacy Lit in 2025, examines her service in the United States Navy alongside the histories of women at sea. Queen also co-edited Infinite Constellations, a 2023 anthology of speculative writing published by FC2, and received the Foundation for Contemporary Arts' Cy Twombly Award in Poetry in 2025. The FC2 editorial board will select the finalists before Queen determines the winning manuscript.²
Founded in 1974, Fiction Collective Two has spent more than five decades cultivating an alternative to the conventions of mainstream commercial fiction. Established by writers seeking greater editorial independence, the nonprofit collective has grown to include more than one hundred members and has published over two hundred books. Its editorial program favors literary experimentation, formally ambitious writing, and work that challenges familiar assumptions about narrative and representation. The collective continues to publish six new titles annually and maintains its published books in print.³
The Catherine Doctorow Prize reflects that editorial commitment. Previous judges have included Percival Everett, Cristina Rivera Garza, Ben Marcus, Shelley Jackson, and Sam Lipsyte, writers whose own contributions have expanded the possibilities of contemporary fiction. Recent recipients include Sophia Terazawa, whose manuscript Curse Him was selected by Kazim Ali for the 2026 award; Karen An-hwei Lee, recognized for Marimo, Mon Amour in 2025; and John Haskell, whose Trying to Be received the 2024 prize.¹
The prize receives financial support from the Jarvis & Constance Doctorow Family Foundation, whose sponsorship has helped sustain a literary distinction devoted to experimental writing. The foundation's contribution, together with FC2's longstanding editorial work, provides material support for established authors pursuing manuscripts that may fall outside conventional commercial expectations. Its continued sponsorship reflects the importance of private philanthropic investment in independent literary institutions, particularly those committed to creative work whose artistic ambitions may exceed its immediate commercial prospects.³
FC2 has also broadened eligibility in recent years. Writers with three published books in any genre may now apply, allowing established poets, memoirists, playwrights, and other authors to submit fiction manuscripts. Applicants must be writers of, from, or residing in the United States and must submit work written in English. The manuscript itself must be unpublished, although individual stories previously appearing in literary journals or anthologies may be included in an otherwise unpublished collection. Previously published or self-published manuscripts and translations are ineligible. Current FC2 authors and employees, as well as former or current students and close friends of the final judge, are also excluded.¹
Submissions are accepted exclusively through FC2's official online submission system. Manuscripts must be anonymous, with the author's name and identifying information excluded from the document. Applicants must provide a separate cover letter containing a brief biography, contact information, and ISBNs for at least three previously published books. The submission fee is $25, with waivers available to writers for whom the fee presents a significant financial obstacle. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, provided FC2 is notified immediately if another publisher accepts the manuscript.¹
Applicants may also include an optional statement concerning their identity, experience, or creative process, provided the statement contains no identifying information. Writers incorporating AI-generated material into their manuscripts must disclose its use and explain how it contributes to their artistic project. The complete eligibility requirements and submission instructions are available through the official prize guidelines.
With the November 1 deadline approaching, the Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize offers established writers an opportunity to place formally ambitious work before an editorial collective with a sustained commitment to literary experimentation. The award also represents the continuing contribution of Fiction Collective Two and the Jarvis & Constance Doctorow Family Foundation to independent American publishing. Their support has helped preserve a publishing environment in which originality, artistic risk, and unconventional narrative forms remain central considerations in the selection and development of new literature.
Submissions for the 2027 Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize close Sunday, November 1, 2026. Eligible writers may submit their manuscripts through Fiction Collective Two's official application portal.
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