Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's literary contest landscape is shaped by its two major cultural centers, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, each with its own community of writers, small presses, and literary organizations. Contests here often come from university creative writing programs and regional writers' associations, with a number specifically supporting historical fiction and nonfiction given the state's deep colonial and industrial history.

Long-established literary societies in the state, some with roots going back well over a century, continue to run contests alongside newer competitions from independent presses and literary magazines, giving Pennsylvania writers a mix of tradition and fresh opportunity.