To honor the editorship, mentorship, and friendship of David Hamilton, who was editor of The Iowa Review for more than 30 years, we are pleased to host the David Hamilton Prize for Iowa Review Alumni, a biennial contest that launched in 2017.
In the spirit of David Hamilton’s support and encouragement of his students and their writing, anyone who has worked for The Iowa Review, whether as paid staff or volunteer reader, and whose name is listed as such on the masthead of a back issue of the magazine, is eligible to enter the contest (with the exception of current staff, who cannot enter the contest in the same calendar year they worked for TIR).
The prize will be $1,000 and publication in The Iowa Review.
The schedule for the next three contests is as follows:
2025 Contest: Nonfiction | 2027 Contest: Fiction | 2029 Contest: Poetry
2025 Contest Rules: Nonfiction
- The contest is open to former staff, volunteers, and interns of The Iowa Review (TIR) from any era.
- Please indicate on your cover letter what year(s) and in what capacity you worked for TIR.
- Submit a nonfiction manuscript of up to 25 pages, double-spaced.
- Work must be previously unpublished.
- Submit at iowareview.submittable.com. If accessibility issues prevent you from using Submittable, please email iowa-review@uiowa.edu for instructions.
- Submissions will be accepted between May 1 and May 31, 2025.
- Current students, faculty, or staff of the University of Iowa are not eligible to enter the contest.
The David Hamilton Prize for Iowa Review Alumni is funded by a generous contribution from anonymous donors.
About David Hamilton
