The Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction

A project of University of Iowa Press (see other related projects).

Permanently Closed: This project is permanently closed to submissions (May 2021). We provide the following information as an archive.

About

The Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction, open to both new and established writers, is awarded for a book-length manuscript of literary nonfiction originally written in English.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions.

Country of Publication

United States

Publication Medium & Contest Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication: Awarded 1 x per year

Nonfiction Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Nonfiction Collection: 40,000 - 90,000 words.
Book: 40,000 - 90,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
History: Biographies.
Memoir.

Winner's Prize:

No monetary advance + Unknown royalties No monetary advance. Unknown royalties.

Submissions:

Method: Electronic submissions.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Multiple entries: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

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The Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

This listing is inactive and does not have any submission reports for the past 12 months.

Your Submissions

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The Iowa Poetry Prize
The Iowa Short Fiction Award

University of Iowa Press

Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 22 May 2026