Massachusetts

Massachusetts, and the Boston area in particular, has one of the country's deepest academic literary traditions, and its contest scene reflects that. The state's concentration of colleges and universities supports numerous student and alumni writing contests, while long-standing literary societies and small presses run competitions that draw entrants from well beyond state lines.

Poetry holds a particularly strong place in the Massachusetts literary community, with a number of contests specifically dedicated to verse alongside those for fiction and nonfiction. Writers based here benefit from a tightly networked literary scene where readings, workshops, and contests often overlap.