The grand prize winners automatically receive a publication offer, but neither they nor the other entries listed here are obligated to publish with Spark. Because these authors and poets may wish to submit to other markets, we would be doing them a disservice if we published them immediately on the website; we would effectively be robbing them of the opportunity to choose where to have their work published.

On the other hand, I would be delighted if these winners either submit their work to Spark for consideration, or provide us links to the published work with another market. We’d be happy to direct you to great writing wherever it lands!

Pieces that are accepted for publication in Spark will be formatted and edited to ensure optimal presentation and showcase of each writer’s work. Since entries are submitted in manuscript format, not typeset for publication, we feel it’s unfair to the author or poet to simply post the raw manuscript online without giving it the respectful treatment it deserves.