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The 2026 International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition IS NOW OPEN!
Small presses have potential for significant impact, and at Vine Leaves Press, we take this responsibility quite seriously. It is our responsibility to give marginalized groups the opportunity to establish literary legacies that feel rich and vast. Why? To sustain hope for the world to become a more loving, tolerable, and open space. It always begins with art. That is why we have launched this writing competition. We would love for you to enter your manuscript!
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Submission Guidelines:
1. Eligibility:
2. Next Submission Period:
3. Submission Process:
4. Formatting Guidelines:
5. Anonymity: Please ensure that your submission does not contain any biographical information on the front. PLEASE NOTE: There is no need to be anonymous in your actual manuscript (it's nonfiction!). We just don't want it to be obvious for the initial selection process so we can be certain that our readers aren't swayed by the demographics of the author before they start reading. 6. Multiple Entries: You may submit multiple entries to the competition, each requiring a separate entry fee. 7. Judging Process:
8. Notification Timeline:
9. Prizes:
10. Rights: By submitting your work, you grant Vine Leaves Press the right to publish your manuscript in print and digital formats. 11. Questions: For any inquiries regarding the competition or submission process, please contact us at [email protected]. 12. Legal Notice: Vine Leaves Press reserves the right to amend any guidelines or dates related to the competition if necessary. 
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OUR judges: Entries will be reviewed by VLP staff, authors, and a panel of judges selected by Jessica Bell (Publisher), including, but not limited to:
Nada Faris is a writer and certified coach for creatives. In 2018, she received an Arab Woman Award from Harper’s Bazaar Arabia for her impact on creatives in Kuwait. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University and is the author of multiple books.
As a queer, non-binary Black femme who is the single parent to a child with autism, Nikki Patin has developed workshops and addressed audiences globally. Her expertise on racism, sexual harm, homophobia, ableism, mass incarceration, fatphobia and sizeism has resulted in a unique methodology of writing and performance for healing trauma and shifting culture.
Laura Strachan is the founder and principal agent of the Strachan Literary Agency, established in 1998 and based out of Annapolis, MD. She focuses on representing literary fiction and narrative nonfiction.
Heidi Croot is a Brevity Blog editor, developmental editor, and former corporate writer. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Mud Season Review, Brevity Blog, and elsewhere. She lives in Canada’s beautiful Northumberland County and is editing her memoir.
Roz Morris’s novels and memoir have been recognised by major mainstream awards. She’s coached award-winning writers in both fiction and non-fiction, taught creative writing for The Guardian masterclasses, blogged for Writers & Artists Yearbook and been a regular judge on Litopia’s Pop-Up Submissions show.
Boni Wagner-Stafford is the publisher at Ingenium Books, a Canadian press. She has coached dozens of writers, helping them start, develop and publish their manuscripts who have then won awards and become Wall Street Journal bestsellers. She’s also an award-winning journalist and the author of The Best Memoir: How to Write it When You Don’t Know How, and One Million Readers: Book Marketing Strategies to Save Time, Money, and Sell More Books.
Canadian-Israeli author Gila Green has published six novels in three countries and numerous short works in literary magazines and anthologies. As an editor and writing coach, Gila guides emerging talent in both fiction and nonfiction. She is also an EFL college lecturer with an MA in CW from Bar Ilan University.
Isabell Serafin Krause is a writer and editor. She graduated with a MFA in creative writing and has been accepted as a PhD candidate at the Transart Institute for Creative Research. Isabell is based in Germany.
Melanie Brooks holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from the Stonecoast MFA Program at the University of Southern Maine. She teaches CNF in the MFA program at Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and professional writing at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
Martha Engber has had a play produced in Hollywood, and fiction, poetry and essays published in various literary magazines. She received her Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri before working as a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
A California transplant in Tel Aviv, Jennifer Lang teaches writing and yoga. She's American by birth, Israeli by choice, and French by marriage. Places We Left Behind: a memoir-in-miniature is her first book and Landed: A yogi's memoir in pieces & poses will follow in October 2024.
Rachel Smith is Senior Editor overseeing acquisitions at Entrada Publishing. With over 20 years of experience in publishing both fiction and nonfiction, she is always searching for the next perfect manuscript. Rachel enjoys reading, trail riding, baking, and spending time with her family.
With experience as a librarian, professional book reviewer, and managing editor of an indie press, Shelly Zev is intimately familiar with the written word. Shelly earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts from The University of Toronto, one of the world’s top universities. They are a proud member of Editors Canada, and a frequent speaker educating on the publication industry and written word.
Jill Amber Chafin is a writer, book coach, and aerial dance teacher based in Chapel Hill, NC. Her short-form prose has been honored as a Finalist for the Penelope Niven Creative Nonfiction Award and has several creative nonfiction pieces published in The Personal Story Publishing Project. Her debut novel, Shaken, will be published with Vine Leaves Press in March, 2025.
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