During 2026, Sunspot Literary Journal will permanently close all contests and move to a grant model. A number of reasons led to this decision, including:
--Provide a larger, more meaningful award by combining cash prizes from various contests
--Support promising projects during the critical creation time, removing some of the burden from the author/artist
--Open opportunities to individuals at every stage of their career, including individuals who haven't had the time or resources to fully mature
Beginning in 2027, the grant will award at least $400 US to a single individual. Sunspot is exploring ways to offer additional awards so that more than one individual can be helped every grant cycle.
Monitor this space, or our Submittable or Duotrope pages, for updates.
Sunspot Literary Journal supports the CLMP Code of Ethics in its competitions.
CLMP’s community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree to 1) conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors; 2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines—defining conflict of interest for all parties involved; and 3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This Code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this Code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage.
Sunspot will avoid conflicts of interest when judging entries. Specifically, family members (including domestic partners) of the journal's staff are excluded from participation.
Acquaintance alone (former clients or students, known associates, etc.) does not disqualify any submission. In instances where a contest submission is recognized by any of the judges, including preliminary and final judges, that piece will be judged by an individual without any connection to the submitting artist.
In the rare case of a tie, the cash prize along with any non-cash prizes will be doubled, and the full prize amount and coverage will be given to each of the winners.
In no case will a cash prize be withheld due to a low number of submissions or a "lack of quality" of submissions. Cash prizes will be awarded in every case.