[Alternating Current Press]: Front Range Book Prize

This is a book-publication contest of Alternating Current Press. Please know what it is before submitting.

We’re seeking an unpublished manuscript of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, play script, or hybrid work that is written by a Colorado author or on the theme of Colorado. We especially want to hear from marginalized and underrepresented writers, and we are an LGBTQUIA2+ safe-space.

Winner receives $1,000, our Front Range Book Prize digital medallion, a certificate, and book publication on Alternating Current Press, which includes distribution through Ingram, Asterism, and all major online retailers. Runners-up may also be offered book publication.

Submissions open: January 1, 2026 (Please note that we’ve recently changed the dates for this prize, so it is currently open NOW through June 30, 2026, for this current cycle only, to make sure no one misses the date change.)

Submissions close: June 30, 2026

Winner announced: August 2026

Publication: 2027/2028
 

• Manuscripts must be by a Colorado author or on the theme of Colorado. Writers born, raised, residing (when winner is announced in August 2026), or having resided for at least three years in Colorado or on Indigenous lands that make up what is modern-day Colorado are all considered. Colorado writers may write on any subject, though works with Colorado settings or themes may take precedence over general subjects. Writers from outside the state of Colorado may only submit if the work contains settings or themes of Colorado, or if the work was substantially written, workshopped, or funded through a Colorado residency, grant, university, or humanities organization, for which acknowledgment will be publicly given. Stories with Colorado themes don’t have to be set in the Front Range; that’s just the prize name because that’s where we’re located.
• Work must be in English or in a dual-language where one of the languages is English. We are also interested in Colorado Native American Indigenous languages translated into English. If you are a Native American Indigenous Coloradan and are unable to pay the entry fee, please email us for an alternative submission method.
• Manuscripts must be geared toward an adult readership. We do not publish books for children.
• Single work by multiple authors considered. All work must be the authors’ own. We do not consider A.I.-generated works.
• Manuscripts may be of any length in any genre, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, plays, or hybrid styles.
• Manuscripts are read incognito. DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME OR ANY IDENTIFYING MARKS INSIDE THE FILE, including headers, footers, cover pages, acknowledgments, and file names. If you do leave your identifying marks inside the file, the submission will be read as-is, but the reader may disqualify the submission if he knows you on any personal level.
• If you need to adjust a submission, please use the Request to Edit option through Submittable. Please don’t request to edit for minor flaws, however—all accepted work will go through an editing process and will have the chance to be updated before publication, and your work will not be disqualified for a missing comma.
• All authors must be at least 18 to submit.
• Simultaneous submissions allowed. Please withdraw your manuscript through Submittable if it is accepted elsewhere.
• ACP and The Coil staff may submit work for publication consideration, but they are ineligible to win prizes while on our staff (including volunteers).
• Collections that contain previously published pieces are considered. Don’t include acknowledgments in the file.
• Submit via Submittable only. We do not accept email submissions.
• Straight or scholarly nonfiction should have proper citations.
• There is a $19 fee for each manuscript submitted. You may submit as many manuscripts as you’d like, but each one must be submitted separately with a separate fee. The fee helps us with needed administration and book production costs, and we pay our readers for their time and effort, but it’s not meant to be too inhibitive. If you are unable to pay, please email us for an alternative submission method.
• Each paid submission comes with a digital copy of our latest award-winner, A Gospel of Bones, a collection of poetry by Denver author, performance artist, and community activist Suzi Q. Smith ($7.99 value). There is an additional option to purchase the winning Front Range Book Prize print book (publishing in 2027/2028) as an add-on for a deep discount ($6.99 off the final cover price, U.S. shipping only). If there is no winner selected for a chosen year, advance book purchases will roll over to the next year. If you purchase this option, please make sure to keep your Submittable mailing address current in your profile.
• We will send a response to every submission and post an announcement of the winner by the end of August. Form response only, unless we are interested in publishing your book. We are regretfully unable to provide feedback. We reserve the right not to choose a winning manuscript if there are no contestants that meet our high judging standards.

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