Deadline for submission

July 1st, 2026 11:59 pm EST.
Late submissions will not be accepted.

GUIDELINES

Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize

    • Open to writers of Caribbean heritage or descent residing in the United States or Canada

    • Must be 18 years or older

    • Self-published writers are welcome to apply

    • One original work of fiction, 3,000 words or less

    • Work must not have been published in any nationally distributed publication

    • Submitted in English (translations from another language accepted)

    • One entry per writer — multiple submissions, including across categories or under pen names, will be disqualified

    • Submissions must go through the contest portal; emailed manuscripts will not be considered

  • Review the categories carefully and self-determine eligibility before submitting. Category errors will not be corrected, and switch requests will not be accommodated.

    If unsure which category applies, email contact@bklyncbeanlitfest.org with the subject line CATEGORY CLARIFICATION before submitting.

  • The judges' decision is final. Selected writers will be announced in August via email, the BCLF website, Facebook, Instagram, and media part

    • US$1,750 cash prize

    • BCLF Trophy and branded merchandise

    • 1-year Family/Household Membership and gift certificate from the Center for Fiction

    • A caché of books from Akashic Books

    • A gift from Moleskine

    • Feature episode on the BCLF Cocoapod

    • Author interview and profile on the BCLF website

    • Publication in MOKO Magazine, PREE, and Carib News

    • Exclusive 6-month one-on-one mentoring opportunity with an editor at a Big 5 publisher, including a tour of a publishing office

    Note: There is a NET 120-day period for release of prize funds (no exceptions).

WRITING CONTEST POLICY ON AI USE

  • Any and all use of generative AI tools to prepare your submission is strictly prohibited. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, the use of ChatGPT, Claude, and other LLM-based tools to generate, edit, revise, summarize, or otherwise assist in preparing your submission.

    All work submitted for the Writing Contest must be your own work, drafted by you for the Contest. You may not rely on any external AI assistance or materials.Copying and pasting any content directly from any external source is strictly prohibited.

    BCLF employs various tools to review competitors’ and assess compliance with this policy.

  • Each entrant must include at the top of their manuscript an attestation, in their own words, that: (1) they read the Contest’s Policy on AI Use, (2) they did not use generative AI tools in any prohibited manner, and (3) that all submitted work is entirely their own.

    For illustrative purposes, an attestation might read: “I affirm that I read the Contest’s Policy on AI Use, that I did not use any generative AI for the Contest, and that all work is entirely my own.” Entrants should use their own language for their attestation.

  • The consequence for violation of the Contest’s Policy on AI Use is immediate disqualification. The decision is final and unappealable.
SUBMIT
SUBMIT

Deadline for submission

July 1st, 2026 11:59 pm EST.
Late submissions will not be accepted.