Celebrating the Best of 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 our literary culture and the publishers that strive to introduce important voices to readers far and wide. Prizes are awarded in the categories of Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Magazines/General Excellence, and Magazines/Best Debut.
Each winner in the book categories will receive $2,000 ($1,000 for the press and $1,000 for the author or translator). Each winner in the magazine categories will receive $1,000. In addition, a national publicity campaign spotlights and promotes our winning titles each year. Promotional materials—including a press release and shelf talkers featuring the winning titles—are distributed to over 750 independent booksellers across the country. Winners are also promoted in CLMP’s newsletters, on our website, and through a dedicated social media campaign. The publishers of winning titles receive a free one-year membership to CLMP, and magazine winners receive a one-year CLMP member subscription to Submittable.
Submissions for the 2027 Firecracker Awards will be accepted from September 16 to November 18, 2026. See below for more information and guidelines.
Finalists will be announced in spring 2027; the winners will be announced in June 2027.
Submission Guidelines
- There is no limit to the number of unique entries publishers may submit.
- CLMP believes that literary publishing is a human, artistic practice that helps writers realize their artistic vision and readers discover their work. All submissions to the Firecracker Awards must honor the art of human writing, editing, and design. All books must be original and independently created by a human author. Works created, written, generated, edited, and/or designed with substantial use of AI tools are not eligible.
- The entry fee is $65 ($55 for CLMP members) for the first submission and $45 ($35 for CLMP members) for each additional entry. Interested in becoming a CLMP member? Apply now.
Book Categories
- Books must be published by an independent publisher during the 2026 calendar year.
- Books of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction for adults are eligible. This includes English-language books from international publishers, books in translation, and graphic novels.
- Self-published books, including books published with “hybrid” publishers in which authors pay for part or all of publication costs, are not eligible.
- Children’s and young adult books are not eligible.
- Anthologies are not eligible.
- Posthumous submissions are not eligible. The author or translator must be living at the time of submission.
- Entries should be submitted by the publisher. However, authors may submit their own books if the publisher consents to the entry of the book. If an author submits their book themselves, they must provide contact information for the publisher in the application. CLMP will only communicate with publishers about submitted books.
Magazine Categories
- Magazines must be independent and literary in nature (primarily publishing fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and/or literary reviews).
- Magazines submitting in the General Excellence category must have published regularly for at least the past two years.
- Magazines submitting in the Best Debut category must have launched in the 2025 or 2026 calendar years.
- Both print and digital magazines are eligible.
- Magazines may be based anywhere in the world, but at least 50% of the magazine’s content must be in English.
- Magazines may be submitted in only one category.
CLMP reserves the right to determine all submissions’ eligibility, and its decision will be final.
2027 Firecracker Award Judges
Fiction
Tina Merrill, manager and book buyer at Literary Arts Bookstore in Portland, Oregon
Creative Nonfiction
Stephen Krause, cofounder and book buyer at Alienated Majesty Books in Austin, Texas
LaTanya McQueen, author of When the Reckoning Comes (Harper Perennial, 2021)
Poetry
James Fraser, manager of the Grolier Poetry Book Shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Paige Lewis, author of Canon (Viking Press, 2026)
Brandon Shimoda, author of The Afterlife Is Letting Go (City Lights Publishers, 2024)
Magazines
Sara A. Lewis, editor in chief of Oxford American
