Since 1976, the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender
and Women's Studies and the Department of English at the University of
Rochester have awarded the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for fiction by an
American woman. The idea for the prize came out of the personal grief
of the friends and family of a fine young editor who was killed in an
automobile accident just as her career was beginning to achieve its
promise of excellence. She was 30 years old, and those who knew her
believed she would do much to further the causes of literature and
women. Her family, her friends, and her professional associates in the
publishing industry created the endowment from which the prize is
bestowed, in memory of Janet Heidinger Kafka and the literary standards
and personal ideals for which she stood.
2009 Award Winner - Isla Morley for "Come Sunday"
PAST RECIPIENTS OF THE KAFKA PRIZE
How to Enter
- All entries must be submitted by publishers who wish to
have the work of their authors that were published in the year
2010 considered.
- Entries must be submitted by February 1st ,
2011, and the works must have been assembled for the first time,
or at least one-third of the material must be unpublished.
- Four copies of each entry should be submitted.
- The $5000 prize will be awarded annually to
a woman who is a USA citizen, and who has written the
best book-length work of prose fiction, whether novel, short
stories, or experimental writing. Works written primarily for
children and publications from private and vanity presses cannot
be considered. We are particularly interested in calling
attention to the work of a promising but less established writer.
- Only under the most unusual circumstances will a writer be considered for a subsequent award within a ten-year span.
- Please use this FORM and submit entries to:
- University of Rochester
Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize
Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women's Studies
538 Lattimore Hall
RC Box 270434
Rochester, NY 14627-4034