Washington Writers Publishing House publishes new poetry biweekly on our website and newsletter.  

We are happy to consider never-published original poetry from writers living in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Submit 1-3 poems in ONE Word document not to exceed 5 pages. 12-point type, single-spaced.

Please provide a cover letter addressed to the appropriate editor with a biography of 30 words or less.

Please list your name as you would like it to appear in print.

Please limit your submission to once every year  (two years for accepted poets) except for special calls or contests.

Payment 

We are committed to paying authors. We are paying $25 for each piece. We only will send payments via snail mail check payment  (this payment excludes reprints).

About half of our writers opt to waive payment as a way to support WWPH.  Like many small literary journals, WWPH Writes is a labor of love. All support goes directly into increasing visibility for the writers we publish and their work. If you are interested in either option, please let us know.

Washington Writers Publishing House will be publishing new prose biweekly on WWPH Writes, our lit magazine available online and sent via email to over 1,500 subscribers. 

We are happy to consider never-published original short fiction or CNF as well as reprints from recent or upcoming collections from writers living in Washington, D.C. Maryland and Virginia. 1000 words or less;  12-point type, double-spaced.  Please indicate on your manuscript if it is fiction or CNF.

Please note that the 1000-word limit is ONLY for WWPH Writes.

Contributors of original work will be paid $25.00 (this payment excludes reprints- we hope our support and promotion of previously published work shows our support). 

Please limit your submission to once per year except for special calls or contests.

 The Jean Feldman Poetry Prize

Open to all residents of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The contest is open to new, upcoming, and established writers.  Previously published collections are not eligible, including self-published collections available as ebooks or in print.

All manuscript contests are judged by previous winners who volunteer their time and skills. All manuscripts are read blind. Winner and finalists will be announced by November 1.  We aim to publish books from this manuscript cycle in January 2028.

$1,500 award, publication, 25 author copies, editorial guidance, and launch support

50-80 pages in length, single or 1 1/2 spaced. Read Chanlee Luu's The Machine Autocorrects Code to I, K. Avvirin Berlin’s Leda’s Daughters, Tonee Mae Moll’s You Cannot Save Here, or Steven Levya’s The Understudy’s Handbook for examples of our recent award-winning WWPH poetry collections.

Do not include your name, address, or other identifying information on the submitted document; manuscripts must be anonymous.

Please list your name as you would like to appear in print.

A table of contents and acknowledgments page (including publications in which poems from the manuscript have appeared previously) should be included.

Proof work carefully. More details on the WWPH Style sheet, which can be found here. Although winners can expect to collaborate with a WWPH writer/editor prior to publication, we are seeking completed, polished manuscripts.

One submission per category. Once submitted, manuscripts cannot be altered.

Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted, but please notify us immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere. Only poets who have not published books with us are invited to enter this category.

All entries are via Submittable. Entry fee is $28.00 via submittable.

More questions. Please check out the FAQs on our website. Or email us at wwphpress@gmail.com

The Washington Writers' Publishing House Fiction Prize

Open to all residents of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The contest is open to new, upcoming, and established writers. Previously published manuscripts not eligible, including self-published collections available as ebooks or in print.

All manuscript contests are judged by previous winners who volunteer their time and skills, WWPH is a non-profit cooperative press reflecting the culture and diversity of DC, Maryland, and Virginia. All manuscripts are read blind. 

Prizes include $1,500, publication, 25 copies, editorial guidance, and launch support. Typically, launch support includes readings held at Politics & Prose in its main store in D.C. and at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda. Winner and finalists will be announced by November 1. We aim to publish our books from this manuscript contest cycle in January of 2028.

Submit a novel or a collection of short stories and/or novellas. Read Varun Gauri's For The Blessings of Jupiter and Venus, Len Kruger’s Bad Questions: A Novel, Suzanne Feldman’s The Witch Bottle & Other Stories, or Adam Schwartz’s The Rest of the World for examples of our recent award-winning WWPH fiction.

Manuscripts must be a minimum of 150 pages to a maximum of 250 pages. 12-point type, double-spaced. Times New Roman font. The word count is 37,500 to 70,000 words.

A synopsis and book overview must be included with your work. Find specific details on this request here.

Proof work carefully. More details on the WWPH Style sheet, which can be found here. Although winners can expect to collaborate with a WWPH writer/editor prior to publication, we are seeking completed, polished manuscripts.

Do not include your name, address, or other identifying information on the submitted documents; manuscripts and synopses/overviews must be anonymous. Multiple submissions are permitted if submitted separately, each with a submission fee. Once submitted, manuscripts cannot be altered.

Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted, but please notify us immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere. Only writers who have not published books with us are invited to enter this category. One submission per category.

All entries are via Submittable. Entry fee is $28.00 via submittable.

Question? Look at the FAQs on our website. Or please email us at wwphpress@gmail.com. 

Literary Nonfiction Prize

Open to all residents of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The contest is open to new, upcoming, and established writers.

All manuscript contests are judged by previous winners who volunteer their time and skills. All manuscripts are read blind. Winners and finalists will be announced by November 1. Books will be published in January 2028.

$1,500 award, publication, 25 author copies, editorial guidance, and launch support

We are particularly interested in literary nonfiction that intersects the personal and the political. Read the memoirs of Bernardine Watson and Megan Doney as examples of literary nonfiction that the Washington Writers’ Publishing House has published to date. In 2026, we are also interested in hybrid works in this category, which incorporate literary nonfiction.

Manuscripts must be a minimum of 150 pages to a maximum of 250 pages in length. Formatted in 12-point type, New Times Roman font, double-spaced. The word count is 37,500 to 70,000 words.

Proof work carefully. More details on the WWPH Style sheet, which can be found here. Although winners can expect to collaborate with a WWPH writer/editor prior to publication, we are seeking completed, polished manuscripts.

A synopsis and book overview must be included with your work. Please find specific details on this request here.

Do not include your name, address, or other identifying information on the submitted documents; manuscripts and synopsis/book overview must be anonymous. Multiple submissions are permitted if submitted separately, each with a submission fee. Once submitted, manuscripts cannot be altered.

Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted, but please notify us immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.

All entries are via Submittable. Entry fee is $28.00 via submittable.