ABOUT THE PRIZE

Indiana Review's offices were once at the end of a long, often dark hallway in a university building, so we placed a lamp with a blue light bulb outside the door to let folks know we're in. We've long since moved offices, but the blue light has come to represent the open and quirky community that Indiana Review cultivates. When we decided to partner with Indiana University Press on a book series, it only felt right to name it Blue Light. We accept full-length poetry and fiction manuscripts in alternating years and host a reading series to celebrate the release of each title. Check out past winners on the IU Press website!

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submissions are now closed.

A $20 submission fee is required. 

Writers are welcome to include an acknowledgments page if portions of the manuscript have been previously published. Please leave names and other identifying information off the submission.

Please note that we are not considering manuscripts with interior art or translations at this time.

Also, IR and IU Press cannot consider work from anyone currently or recently affiliated with Indiana University or the prize judge. This includes those who have studied or taught at Indiana University in the past four years.

The prize winner will receive a $1,000 prize from Indiana Review at the time of the Blue Light Reading, along with a publishing contract including $1,000 against future royalties from IU Press.

The winning Blue Light Books collection will be published in trade paperback format and displayed at the following Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference. The winner will also be flown out to read a selection of their work at the annual Blue Light Reading in beautiful Bloomington, Indiana.

Thank you for your interest. We look forward to reading your work!