1st Annual Grackle & Grackle Prizes for Houston Writers

Written By Jianna Alvarez

Luna Moth Prize for 10-Minute Plays and Turkey Vulture Prize in Nonfiction

Judged by Brendan Bourque-Sheil (Play) and Raj Mankad (Nonfiction)

Grackle and Grackle is now accepting entries for the Inaugural Luna Moth Prize for 10-Minute Plays and Turkey Vulture Prize in Nonfiction. This contest is for writers living within 56 miles of Houston, Texas and awards $200 for the winner of each category. Winners will also be invited to read their work at a celebration in January 2027. 

Guidelines & Eligibility

  • Writers must live within 56 miles of Houston, Texas.

  • There is no theme for this year’s contest.

  • Entries must be previously unpublished.

  • Entrants cannot have studied with the judges within the last five years.

  • Submit either one:

  • Creative nonfiction:

    • one piece of up to no more than 5000 words

  • 10-minute play:

    • Maximum runtime of 10 minutes (roughly 8 to 10 pages using standard formatting, where one page equals one minute). Scripts over the limit face disqualification.

    • Use standard playwriting layout (12pt font, double-spaced dialogue, single-spaced character names/stage directions). 

  • Winners will be invited to read at a celebration in January 2027, and have the option to have their work published on the Grackle & Grackle blog (though this is not a requirement).

    • If winning authors choose to have their work published, Grackle & Grackle claims one-time, non-exclusive rights to publish winning work on the Grackle & Grackle blog. All other rights remain with the author. Upon blog publication, authors are free to republish the work and should note prior publication with Grackle & Grackle.

  • Multiple submissions and simultaneous submissions are welcome, but you must pay a separate fee for each entry and withdraw the piece immediately if accepted elsewhere.

  • Anonymity: Each submission must have contact info on a separate cover sheet. Remove all author names, contact details, and identifying marks from the script/body of work.

    • Make sure your cover sheet includes: full name, address, email, and phone number

  • AI Use: We will not consider work produced, in whole or in part, by a large language model, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude. If you’ve developed your idea through exchanges with AI, used a structure proposed by AI, or incorporated a phrase composed by AI—your work is not eligible for submission.

Submit By Email

Submit by Mail

  • Postmark deadline: December 1st, 2026.

  • Please enclose a cover letter. Make sure your name, address, email, and phone number appear at the top of the first page of your entry.

  • Include a check for $8 payable to Grackle and Grackle.

  • Mention in your cover letter if you want your manuscript returned, and remember to include self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage.

  • Mail entries to:

    • Grackle & Grackle Prizes [INSERT CONTEST GENRE]

      819 Highland Street

      Houston, TX 77009

Winners

  • Will be notified in January 2027.

About the Judges

  • Brendan Bourque-Sheil's plays include DOGROSE PATROL (O'Neill Finalist, written with Madison Smith), SUNRISE COVEN (Stages Theatre, Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Penny Seats Theatre), BETWEEN TWO CAVES (Landing Theatre, Garden of Voices), and THE BOOK OF MAGGIE (Finalist, Reva Shiner Comedy Award, Stages Theatre, Death and Pretzels Theatre Company) and SECRET MENU (co-written with Alicia Margarita Olivo, commissioned by San Jacinto Theatre, South). He's received writing fellowships from James Madison University's New Works Lab and The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow. He has told stories on World Channel’s Stories From the Stage and CityCast Houston, and he recently collaborated with visual artist Laura Spector on Burnout: The Music and Picture Show. For Alley Theatre's Department of Education and Community Engagement he's written THE MIDNIGHT SHAKESPEARE CLUB and he's been a principal writer of 12 devised theatre plays for teens. For eleven years, he has worked as a teaching artist for Alley Theatre and the Kinder High School of Performing and Visual Arts.

  • Raj Mankad is the deputy opinion editor at the Houston Chronicle, where he won a Pulitzer Prize in 2025. He believes in making room at the table for voices from across the political spectrum and all our diversity. He has a PhD from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program, and has edited and written for publications that specialize in economics, philosophy, literature, architecture, science and health. He previously served as the Chronicle’s op-ed editor and won the 2021 Texas APME first place in general column writing.

* * * Grackle and Grackle is no longer accepting entries for the inaugural Green Anole Prize in Poetry and Nine-Banded Armadillo Prize in Fiction. Please check back next Summer! * * *

Green Anole Prize in Poetry and Nine-Banded Armadillo Prize in Fiction

Judged by Erin Belieu (Poetry) and Kevin Prufer (Fiction)
$250 Fiction | $250 Poetry 

This contest is for writers living in the Greater Houston Area, or within 56 miles of Houston, Texas and awards $250 for the winner of each category. Winners are invited to read their work at a celebration in October 2026.    

Guidelines & Eligibility

  • Writers must live within 56 miles of Houston, Texas.

  • There is no theme for this year’s contest.

  • Entries must be previously unpublished.

  • Entrants cannot have studied with the judges within the last five years.

  • Submit one piece of fiction up to 5000 words, or any number of regularly spaced poems in 4-6 pages.

  • Winners will be invited to read at a celebration in October 2026, and have the option to have their work published on the Grackle & Grackle blog (though this is not a requirement).

    • If winning authors choose to have their work published, Grackle & Grackle claims one-time, non-exclusive rights to publish winning work on the Grackle & Grackle blog. All other rights remain with the author. Upon blog publication, authors are free to republish the work and should note prior publication with Grackle & Grackle.

  • Multiple submissions and simultaneous submissions are welcome, but you must pay a separate fee for each entry and withdraw the piece immediately if accepted elsewhere.

  • Anonymity: Each submission must have contact info on a separate cover sheet. Remove all author names, contact details, and identifying marks from the script/ body of work.

    • Make sure your cover sheet includes: full name, address, email, and phone number

Submit By Email:

Submit by Mail:

  • Postmark deadline: July 1st 2026

  • Please enclose a cover letter. Make sure your name, address, email, and phone number appear at the top of the first page of your entry.

  • Include a check for $5 payable to Grackle and Grackle.

  • Mention in your cover letter if you want your manuscript returned, and remember to include self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage.

  • Mail entries to:

    • Grackle & Grackle Prizes [INSERT CONTEST GENRE]

      819 Highland Street

      Houston, TX 77009

Winners

  • Will be notified in September 2026.*

About the Prizes
Grackle and Grackle has run creative writing classes and writing events in Houston since 2014. This is a literary award just for Houstonians, to celebrate the creativity and boldness of the people who make up this greatest of American cities.

Sign-Up for our Newsletter below or follow us on Instagram (@grackleandgrackle) to be notified about upcoming contests and events.

  • Summer Contests:
    Green Anole Prize in Poetry
    Nine-Banded Armadillo Prize for Fiction

  • Fall Contests:
    Turkey Vulture Prize for Nonfiction
    Luna Moth Prize for 10-Minute Plays

Jianna Alvarez
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