CLMP Firecracker Awards for Independently Published Literature

The CLMP Firecracker Awards for Independently Published Literature are given annually to celebrate the books and magazines that make a significant contribution to literary culture and the publishers that introduce important voices to readers. Prizes are awarded in Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Magazines/General Excellence and Magazines/Best Debut. Each winner in the book categories receives $2,000 ($1,000 for the press and $1,000 for the author or translator) and each winner in the magazine categories receives $1,000. Winners also receive a national publicity campaign, press release and shelf talkers distributed to over 750 independent booksellers, promotion in CLMP's newsletters and website, a free one-year CLMP membership for the publisher, and — for magazine winners — a one-year CLMP member subscription to Submittable. Books must be published by an independent publisher during the 2026 calendar year; poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction for adults are eligible, including English-language books from international publishers, books in translation and graphic novels. Self-published and hybrid-published books, children's and young-adult books, anthologies, and posthumous submissions are NOT eligible, and the author or translator must be living at the time of submission. Magazines must be independent and literary, General Excellence entrants must have published regularly for at least two years, Best Debut entrants must have launched in 2025 or 2026, both print and digital are eligible, magazines may be based anywhere but at least 50% of content must be in English, and a magazine may enter only one category. Works created, written, generated, edited and/or designed with substantial use of AI tools are not eligible. Submissions for the 2027 Firecracker Awards are accepted from September 16 to November 18, 2026.

Submit online through CLMP's Firecracker Awards page during the submission window (September 16 to November 18, 2026 for the 2027 awards). Entry fee is $65 ($55 for CLMP members) for the first submission and $45 ($35 for members) for each additional entry. There is no limit on the number of unique entries a publisher may submit. Entries should be submitted by the publisher; an author may submit their own book with the publisher's consent and must supply publisher contact information. Finalists are announced in spring 2027 and winners in June 2027.