We are not currently accepting any new submissions for trade creative works under the Nebraska imprint (this does NOT include African Poetry Book, American Indian Lives, or the Outdoor Lives series; submissions for these series are still open). If you are checking in on a previous submission, we will respond to you as soon as we are able. Submissions will reopen on September 1.

The Backwaters Prize in Poetry

The Backwaters Prize in Poetry submission period is April 1 – May 1.

The winner will be awarded a $2,000 cash prize and the honorable mention will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize. Both winners will be awarded the publication of their book by the University of Nebraska Press under its imprint, The Backwaters Press. The judge for the 2024 contest is Tomás Q. Morín.

Zero Street Fiction

Submissions to the series are accepted annually November 1 – April 1.

Zero Street invites submissions of novels and short story collections, from LGBTQ+ authors new and established, that feature LGBTQ+ characters and/or themes. We are particularly interested in BIPOC authors, trans authors, and queer authors over 50. Zero Street is committed to literary fiction with commercial potential, and to providing marginalized authors opportunities for a wide readership in the trade fiction market. We are seeking literary fiction of all kinds, from stories of modern life to innovations on traditions of genre.