The 2027 Kenneth Patchen Award for the Innovative Novel

Deadline: August 31, 2026

Entry Fee: $25

E-mail address: egerdes@experimentalfiction.com

A prize of $1,000 and book publication by Journal of Experimental Fiction and JEF Books is given annually for an innovative novel. Submit a manuscript of any length with a $25 entry fee by August 31. This year’s judge is Vahid Paeez, author of the brilliant JEF collection  Longing Letters Lasting, Lasting Letters Longing.

The submission can be of any length, but must be submitted in Word or PDF format. Manuscripts should be submitted to through the submission mechanism linked below. Two documents need to be submitted.

First, the manuscript itself should not contain the author’s name or address.

Second, a cover sheet should be submitted with the title of the submission and the author’s contact information. The form provided will ask for those details.

Additionally, all entries will be issued a four-digit identifying number corresponding to the four-digit order number.

Payment should be submitted here: https://www.experimentalfiction.com/products/patchen-award-entry-fee.

Thank you! We look forward to reading your manuscripts!

Eckhard Gerdes