You read Narratively for true stories about people whose lives you’d never otherwise glimpse. Every one of those stories started the same way: someone decided their experience was worth writing down. That’s why we created the Narratively Memoir Prize, now open for submissions for the fifth year.
Our past prizes have brought us eye-opening epics like the 2023 winer, Christopher Blackwell’s **Chaos and Noise: One Man’s Harrowing Stint in Solitary Confinement**and quiet, introspective ones, like Heather K.M. Lewis’ **Homeless at ‘Harvard High School,’** a finalist this past year. Your story doesn’t have to be dramatic.
It just has to be true, and yours. This year’s winner receives **$3,000**, publication and huge shout-outs on Narratively plus a virtual celebration. Our guest judge is Alexander Chee, bestselling author of _How to Write an Autobiographical Novel_, _Edinburgh_ and _The Queen of the Night_.
Submissions are open now through December 6. You can find all the details about what kinds of stories we’re looking for and how to enter over on our 2026 Narratively Memoir Prize page. Most of us carry a story we’ve been meaning to write.
What’s usually missing isn’t talent. It’s time, structure and people who expect you to show up. Our Personal Essay Sprint is a go-at-your-own-pace writing intensive that gives you all three.
You’ll move through 10 guided steps from idea to finished essay, with daily Quiet Writing Hours and weekly live (and recorded) fireside conversations with acclaimed writers and instructors, starting with personal essay expert and editor Sari Botton on October 22. You’ll also be matched each week with 1 or 2 fellow writers and have always-on group chats and audio and video rooms with a community of writers cheering you on to the finish. The Personal Essay Sprint and the Memoir Prize go hand in hand, but neither requires the other.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
