Thank you for visiting Gival Press.
About Gival Press
Gival Press, LLC, an award-winning independent literary publishing house located in Arlington, Virginia, publishes fiction, non-fiction (essays / educational texts), and poetry. To promote writing, Gival Press sponsors four contests (two which are annual and one which is offered in even years and one which is offered in odd years) for fiction and poetry. Our publications are in English, French, and Spanish.
Please note that Gival Press will have an open reading period for mss starting March 15 to April 15, 2023, post AWP Conference. There is no charge for queries. Please place Query in the Subject line of any email and include a short description of the project along with a short bio. Note: in the future this open reading will coincide with AWP Conferences, so the dates might change.
With regard to our Contests
We have the following contests for authors and poets which carry a cash prize and for which a reading fee is required.
- Gival Press Novel Award (biennial, even years), next deadline May 30, 2024
- Gival Press Oscar Wilde Award, (annual) deadline June 27, 2023
- Gival Press Short Story Award (annual), deadline August 8, 2023
- Gival Press Poetry Award (biennial, odd years), December 15, 2023
*Our deadline dates never change; if a date falls on a Sunday, it automatically rolls over to Monday.
As guideline to the literary fiction we are looking for, we quote Eileen Gonzalez's comment on literary fiction which appeared in Foreword Reviews (Nov/Dec 2020):
"Literary fiction involves more than just a great story. It puts ordinary humans under a microscope, examining our strengths and weakness, the heights to which we can rise, and the depths to which we may fall."--Eileen Gonzalez
Please note that our contests are open to all poets and writers globally, with the exception of poets and writers who reside in the following countries because of current USA government restrictions/regulations: Crimea, Iran, North Korea, and Syria. Due to the invasion of Ukraine, we are no longer accepting entries from Russia or Belarus.
Notification of the Winner:
Please note that all entrants who submit work via Submittable will automatically be notified once the winner and finalists have been announced.
Judging:
In most of our contests, the judging is done anonymously by the previous winner of the award from a pool of finalists which have been chosen anonymously by the Press. Obviously, if an entrant believes he/she/they have a conflict of interest with any judge, he/she/they should either reconsider whether entering one of our contest is wise or when in doubt ask the publisher, Robert L. Giron. In the case of our novel award, an author is chosen to judge randomly from our pool of authors or an independent author is asked to judge; his/her/their name is announced once the winner has been announced.
The decision made by the judge for each of the contests shall be final.
The Arlington Literary Journal (ArLiJo)
Please visit our ejournal, ArLiJo which features art/photography, fiction/nonfiction, and poetry. Visit www.ArLiJo.com.
Please note that the next Reading Submission Period for ArLiJo will be March 15 to April 15, 2023. Previously unpublished work is preferred; however, if the contributor holds the rights to the work and can provide the name of the publication and the date of the previous publication, such works will be considered. Submit up to 3-5 poems, short fiction of less than 5,000 words in Word/RTF and art/photography in JPG format at 300 dpi. Always include a short bio, your name, address, and telephone with your submission. After the Reading Submission Period, work will be accepted by invitation only as we get so many good entries via our contests that we would like to publish as many folks as we can, if not in book form at least online. Queries can be sent to givalpress@yahoo.com with ArLiJo in the Subject Line of the email. There is no fee to submit work to ArLiJo. Please allow up to 3 months for us to process your work and let us know if you need to withdraw any work.
Please note that the Submittable portals will open in January 2023.
Best wishes and thanks for considering Gival Press.
Robert L. Giron
Editor-in-Chief
Gival Press
During the Reading Submission Period, ArLiJo will accept art/photography, short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Previously unpublished work is preferred, however, works previously published are also acceptable as long as the contributor lists the publication and the date of publication and holds rights to the work.
Submit: Short Fiction (of @10K words or less), Nonficiton (of @10K words or less), Poetry (@3-5 poems).
Please submit work in these formats: jpg, Word document or Rich Text Format document only.
Please list your name, address, email address and your telephone. Please include a short bio with your work.
The 20th Annual Gival Press Short Story Award-2023
Deadline:
August 8, 2023 (postmarked) Our dates never change, if the date falls on a Sunday, then Monday becomes the default postmarked date, if you mail the entry to us. Please note that the judging begins after August 8, 2023, with the announcement of the winner within 3-4 months.
Prize:
Author will receive $1,000.00 and the winning story will be published on the Gival Press website. In addition, Gival Press hopes to publish an anthology of the winners of this award along with the best short stories submitted to the contest over a period of several years in a future anthology of short stories.
Guidelines:
Submissions of a previously unpublished original (not a translation) stand-alone short story in English must be approximately 5,000 to 15,000 words of high literary quality, typed, double-spaced on one side of the paper only, with word count in the upper left hand side of the first page, along with the title. The author's name should not appear on the numbered pages of the ms which should be clipped together. Author should keep a copy of the submission as it will not be returned. Please note that the story should be a "stand alone story" —-not a chapter from a novel. Please be sure that your envelope is properly sealed.
Submission:
Author Identification: Submit name, address, telephone number, email address on a separate page, along with the title of the short story submitted. A short bio should also be included. If the short story wins, the author must make the manuscript available to Gival Press on a USB in Rich Text Format (RTF)—this refers to how one saves the document on one's computer. If you submit via https://givalpress.submittable.com, be sure to include in your cover letter:
Name
Address
Telephone
Email address
Please include which pronouns you use to refer to yourself.
Regular Mail to:
Robert L. Giron, Editor
Gival Press Short Story Award
Gival Press, LLC
PO Box 3812
Arlington, VA 22203
Notification of the Winner:
Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for notification of the winner or visit our website (http://www.givalpress.com), where the winner and finalists will be announced.
Please be sure that your envelope is properly sealed. We try our best to announce the winner in the fall of the same year. Unfortunately, it takes time to read and judge the entries and to contact the individuals involved.
Reading fee:
$25.00 (USD) by check or money order drawn on an American bank for each short story submitted. Payable to: Gival Press, LLC. Or you may submit and pay via Submittable.com. International entrants must send a check drawn on a USA bank routed through a USA address, such as Bank of America; no international money orders are acceptable.
Please note that Gival Press can also accept the entry free by major credit card; however, we only take credit card information by phone (703.351.0079).
Judging:
Short stories will be judged anonymously, and the decision of the judge will be final. The winner for the previous award will be the judge for the following year.
Discount Offered to Entrants:
Anyone who has entered a Gival Press contest may purchase any books published or distributed by Gival Press at a 20% discount off the retail price, with free shipment. Credit cards are preferred. Kindly either call us (703.351.0079 - leave a message if we can't answer when you call and we will call you back) or send us an email with your phone number and we will call you, as we only accept the credit card information by phone.
The 21st Annual Gival Press Oscar Wilde Award-2022
"The truth is rarely pure and never simple."—Oscar Wilde
Deadline:
June 27, 2023postmarked)
Our dates never change. If the date falls on a Sunday, then Monday becomes the default postmarked date, if you mail the entry to us. Please note that the judging begins after June 27, 2023, with the announcement of the winner within 1-3 months.
Prize:
The winner will receive $500.00 (USD), and the poem, along with information about the poet, will be published on the websites of Gival Press (http://www.givalpress.com). The winner will be asked to sign a release form for payment. In addition, Gival Press hopes to publish an anthology of the winners of this award along with the best poems submitted to the contest over a period of several years.
Guidelines:
This award will be given to the best previously unpublished (self-publications and publications online are considered "published work") original poem written in English (of any length, in any style, typed, single spaced but with breaks for stanzas on one side only), which best relates LGBTQ life by a poet who is 18 or older.
Submission:
Entrants are asked to submit up to 3 of their poems per submission in the following manner: (1) without any kind of identification, with the exception of the title, and (2) with a separate cover page with the following information: name, address (street, city, and state with zip code), telephone number, email address, if available, and the title of the poem submitted. (3) A short bio should also be included.
Please include which pronouns you use to refer to yourself.
Poems will not be returned, so poets should keep copies of their poems.
If you submit via Submittable, please include in your cover letter:
Name
Address
Telephone
Email Address
Reading Fee:
Poets must submit a reading fee of $20.00 (USD) with a submission of up to 3 poems, regardless of the length. Checks or money orders drawn on American banks, routed through a USA address, such as Bank of America, should be made payable to Gival Press, LLC. Overseas money orders are not acceptable. Or you can pay via https://givalpress.submittable.com.
Regular Mail to:
Robert L. Giron, Editor
Gival Press Oscar Wilde Award
Gival Press, LLC
P.O. Box 3812
Arlington, VA 22203.
Notification of the Winner:
Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for notification of the winner or visit our website (http://www.givalpress.com), where the winner and finalists will be announced.
The winner is usually announced on or before September 1.
Judging:
Poems will be judged anonymously by the previous winner of the award. The decision made by the judge will be final.
Discount Offered to Entrants:
Anyone who has entered a Gival Press contest may purchase any books published or distributed by Gival Press at a 20% discount off the retail price, with free shipment. Credit cards are preferred. Kindly either call us (703.351.0079 - leave a message if we can't answer when you call and we will call you back) or send us an email with your phone number and we will call you, as we only accept the credit card information by phone.
The 21st Gival Press Poetry Award-2023
Deadline:
December 15, 2023 (postmarked). This award is now given in odd years with publication in even years.
Our dates never change, if the date falls on a Sunday, then Monday becomes the default postmarked date, if you mail the entry. Please note that the judging begins after Dec. 15, 2023, with the announcement of the winner within 3-4 months. The winner will be published in 2022.
Prize:
The winner will receive $1,000.00 (USD) and his/her/their book of poetry will be published by Gival Press. The winning poet will receive 20 copies of the publication under a standard contract, with royalties to be paid.
Guidelines:
Self-published works or works that have appeared as a complete book online are not qualified for this award. The manuscript as a whole shall not have been published before. However, include an acknowledgment sheet to indicate any previously published poems in the collection (poem/journal/date). It is the responsibility of the poet to secure the right to publish previously published poems should the submitted manuscript win the award. If the manuscript wins, the poet must make the manuscript available to Gival Press on a USB in Rich Text Format (RTF)—this refers to how one saves the document on one's computer.
Theme:
Completely open.
Eligible Poets:
Open to all, national and international poets.
Language:
English.
Forms or Style of Poetry:
Original work, not a translation of someone else's poetry. Open to any form or style; simply good poetry.
Length of Manuscript:
At least 45+ typed pages of poetry, on one side only.
Submission:
Include a separate cover sheet with name, title of manuscript, address (street, city, state, electronic mail), and phone number. The poet's name should not appear on the pages of the ms. Include a short bio.
Please include which pronouns you use to refer to yourself.
Always keep a copy of your manuscript; materials will not be returned and will be recycled if mailed to Gival Press after the judging.
Reading Fee:
$20.00 (USD) by personal check or USA money order payable to. Please note that Gival Press can also accept the entry free by major credit card; however, we only take credit card information by phone (703.351.0079). Gival Press, LLC. International entrants must send a check drawn on a USA bank routed through a USA address, such as Bank of America; no international money orders are acceptable.
Or you can pay via https://givalpress.submittable.com.
Regular Mail to:
Robert L. Giron, Editor
Gival Press Poetry Award
Gival Press, LLC
P.O. Box 3812
Arlington, VA 22203
Please be sure that your package is securely sealed if you regular mail the manuscript.
Notification of the Winner:
Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for notification of the winner or visit our website (http://www.givalpress.com), where the winner and finalists will be announced. We try our best to announce the winner by mid spring. Unfortunately, it takes time to read and judge the entries and to contact the individuals involved.
Judging:
The manuscripts are judged anonymously. The winner for the previous award will be the judge for the following year. The decision of the judge will be final.
Discount Offered to Entrants:
Anyone who has entered a Gival Press contest may purchase any books published or distributed by Gival Press at a 20% discount off the retail price, with free shipment. Credit cards are preferred. Kindly either call us (703.351.0079 - leave a message if we can't answer when you call and we will call you back) or send us an email with your phone number and we will call you, as we only accept the credit card information by phone.