Julia Peterkin Literary Awards

Established in 1998 by the Creative Writing program at Converse College, the Julia Peterkin Award is a national contest honoring both emerging and established  writers. The award is named for Converse graduate Julia Mood Peterkin, whose 1929 novel,  Scarlet Sister Mary, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in literature.

Submissions for the annual Julia Peterkin Literary Awards are open yearly from June 1 to August 15 . Full submissions guidelines for our contest can be found on our Submittable page: Literary Awards Guidelines

Winners and finalists in each category will be published in the winter issue of South 85 Journal.

Past Winners

2020

Humankind needs larger birds by Justin Jannise (Poetry)

 The Holy Waters of the Ganges by Krista Buecler (Flash Fiction)

2019

 Mourning Dove by Benjamin Garcia (Flash Fiction)

2018

 What You Said by Natalie Troy (Flash Fiction)