The C. Michael Curtis Short Story Book Prize includes $5,000 and book publication. The prize is open to emerging writers in thirteen Southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia or West Virginia) and must have no more than one previously published book. Your entry must be for a debut book of short fiction.

The prize is named in honor of C. Michael Curtis, who has served as an editor of The Atlantic since 1963 and as fiction editor since 1982. Curtis has discovered or edited some of the finest short story writers of the modern era, including Tobias Wolff, Joyce Carol Oates, John Updike, and Anne Beattie. He has edited several acclaimed anthologies, including Contemporary New England Stories, God: Stories, and Faith: Stories. Curtis moved to Spartanburg, S.C. in 2006 and has taught as a professor at both Wofford and Converse Colleges, in addition to serving on the editorial board of Hub City Press.

This prize is made possible by a generous contribution from Michel and Eliot Stone of Spartanburg.
Manuscripts will be taken through online submission only. All manuscripts will be read anonymously by paid screeners. This contest is guided by the CLMP Code of Ethics.
Please read the full guidelines before submitting.

The Hub City Writers Project Winter Intensive will be held on the weekend of January 16-18, 2026 at the Hub City Press Office in downtown Spartanburg, SC. The program consists of a weekend of dedicated nonfiction workshops with limited participants (12-14 per class). It is geared toward more experienced writers working on a book-length project who will benefit from a dedicated workshop environment. Applicants must be 21+ years old.

Our Winter Intensive workshop leader will be Emma Copley Eisenberg. A craft capsule workshop will be on Sunday, followed by a publishing Q&A session with Hub City Press. Learn more about the Intensive at www.hubcity.org/winterintensive. Sunday Instructor and class description to come. 

Acceptance to the Intensive will be by application with an application fee of $15. 

Please submit the following:

• A cover letter that includes your bio and publication history.
• One unpublished writing sample of short fiction or an excerpt from an in-progress novel—2,500 words or less. 

The Deep Line Poetry Series was created to spotlight poetry by writers working in the American South, writing about and from BIPOC communities. Submissions are open to all Southern poets at any stage of their career. There is no fee associated with submitting to this series. A finalist will be selected by the Editor-at-Large, Jennifer Chang, and will be published by Hub City Press in the following year. In addition to publication, the finalist will receive a prize of $2000.

Formally the BIPOC Poetry Series, the Deep Line Poetry Series is open to all poets at any stage of their careers who reside in or are from the South and whose project reflects the experience of marginalized Southern communities. Submitters must live in or be from the following fourteen states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia or West Virginia.

This series is made possible with funding from the Poetry Foundation.

Submission Requirements

• The contest opens February 1 and closes March 15, 11:59PM EST. Two finalists will be announced in the summer.
• The manuscript must be between 50 and 200 pages (12 point, Times New Roman or similar typeface). Works that have previously appeared in magazines or in anthologies may be included. 
• This contest is not read anonymously, so please include a bio with your manuscript. Manuscripts should include one title page with the manuscript’s title only. You may also include a table of contents. Manuscripts that do not adhere to this guideline will be immediately eliminated.
• Simultaneous submissions of the same manuscript to other publishers or contests are acceptable but please notify us if your manuscript has been accepted elsewhere.
• While translations and manuscripts in languages other than English are not accepted, manuscripts that occasionally use words from other languages are acceptable and welcome.
• No revisions of submitted manuscripts will be allowed during the contest.
• There is no fee associated with submitting to this series.

FAQs

I have never published a book before. Am I eligible?

Yes, the Deep Line Poetry Series is open to poets of all stages of their careers.

I have published several books before. Am I eligible?

Yes, this series is open to poets of all stages of their careers.

I have previously lived in one of the Southern states listed. Am I eligible?

Yes. As long as you have ties to the South (have been born/raised in the South; have previously lived in the South for at least 3+ years; or are a current resident), you’re eligible to apply.

Questions?

If your question isn't addressed above, please email kate@hubcity.org.

Full guidelines: https://www.hubcity.org/deepline

About the Series

The South Carolina Novel Series seeks to find novels by South Carolina writers for publication at Hub City Press on a roughly biennial schedule. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Writers selected for publication in this series are awarded $1,500 and book publication, including marketing and tour support from Hub City Press and the series partners, as well as placement in all South Carolina state libraries.

The series is open to writers of all levels who have lived in South Carolina for at least one year prior to submission of their manuscript. Submissions will require no submission fee. This series is made possible by a partnership with South Carolina Arts Commission, who generously funds this one-of-a-kind opportunity and helps us support our local SC novelists.

Previous series books: Junah at the End of the World by Dan Leach, The Big Game is Every Night by Robert Maynor, The Blue Line Down by Maris Lawyer, A Wild Eden by Scott Sharpe, Ember by Brock Adams

Selection Process

Manuscripts will be taken through online submission only on a rolling basis. Final selection will be made by Hub City Press editors. While the novel does not need to be set in South Carolina, the writer must have been based in the state for at least one year.

Literary agents are eligible to submit on behalf of South Carolina-based clients, and can contact Kate McMullen for more information or to submit directly through her inbox.

Eligibility

• The series is open to writers of all levels who have lived in South Carolina for at least one year prior to submission of their manuscript. (Residency will be verified before the winner is announced.)
• Submitters must not be affiliated with Hub City Press or Hub City Writers Project as a staff member or volunteer.

Submission Guidelines

• Hub City Press will accept typed submissions of full manuscripts on a rolling basis. We will contact you if we are interested in further consideration of your manuscript. If you have not heard from us within 6 months, assume your submission was not right for us.
• There are no content requirements for the novel series, but manuscripts should fit our mission. We are looking for literary work about the South. This excludes books for young people (YA, middle grade, or children's), romance, science fiction, mystery, how-to books, horror/paranormal or specific-religion inspirational books. Please do not send us a query if your book has already been self-published, even only as an eBook.
• Only manuscripts between 150 and 350 (single-sided) pages are eligible (or no more than 90,000 words) Submission must be an original work of which the applicant is the sole author.
• We ask that writers submit only one (1) book during the submission period. Second submissions of additional books will not be read.
• We cannot accept manuscripts that have been previously published, including DIY or self-published titles.
• Simultaneous submissions of the same manuscript to other publishers or contests are acceptable but please notify us through withdrawal of your submission if your manuscript has been accepted elsewhere.
• No revisions of submitted manuscripts will be allowed during the contest.
• Manuscripts will only be taken during the open reading period and must be submitted through the online submission portal. Paper submissions will be destroyed.

FAQ

I have never published a novel before. Am I eligible?
Yes! The South Carolina Novel Series is looking for emerging writers in the region.

I have published more than one novel/book before. Am I eligible?
Yes! The series is open to writers of all levels who have lived in South Carolina for at least one year prior to submission of their manuscript.

I was born in / grew up in / attended school in South Carolina, but have since moved away. Am I eligible?
Unfortunately, no. The contest is open only to writers currently living in South Carolina. If you don't currently live in South Carolina, you are ineligible for the prize. You must currently live in South Carolina for a year to the date of your submission.

I have lived at two different addresses in South Carolina in the last 12 months. Am I eligible?
 Yes! As long as you've stayed in the state, you are eligible.

I am an agent representing a South Carolina writer. Can I submit my author to the series?
 Yes, but please note that the contract for publication will be written between Hub City and the author.

Questions?
 If your question is not answered above, email kate@hubcity.org.